Prologue: State of the World


Prologue
State of the World


           Myths.

           Fables

           Legends.

           Tall Tales.

           We call many a story by these monikers; mighty tales of heroic warriors who battle the vile villain or beast to rescue a fair maiden, or a heroic quest to save the world from the evilest of evil, or a journey to discover a long lost treasure.

           We regard these stories as fiction; fables we tell to entertain, to teach, to share. There are no such things as evil wizards or hidden armies or mighty monsters. They have become myths. But there is one fact most seem to forget:

           There is always a hint of truth in stories.

           And one such story is indeed very real and very much alive.

           But it doesn’t exist on Earth, no no no. Instead, it exists far away, and that tale of truth, discovery, war, and friendship is ready to be told, and it all begins with two little kids.



           The year is 5791.

           Humanity long ago had traveled to the stars and has since been a space-faring race, colonizing a large chunk of the Milky Way and encountering scores of new alien races, most friendly, others… not so much. It was not long until they were invited into the Galactic Community, a galaxy-spanning collective that governs over the races. For thousands of years, it was a interesting period in galactic history, as humans brought something unique: their tenacity and their curiosity.

           … But, unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever. The resources of the Milky Way are finite and they are nearing depletion. Planets have been drilled and mined to the point where many have begun collapsing in among themselves. As a result, in the year 5552, a effort to counter this and give the stricken planets time to restore their natural supply, great starships would take the races of the Milky Way and leave to nearby worlds that can house them long enough to give the Milky Way time to heal. It would take thousands upon thousands upon thousands of years, but they were dangerously low on options.

           It was called the Extra-Galactic Initiative and it was met with universal approval and acclaim, as many see it as a great excuse to explore their galactic neighbors at the expense of taxpayers- Star Trek in real life.

           In the decade that followed in 5562, probes were sent to our closest neighbor galaxy, Andromeda, in search of planets capable of supporting life. Andromeda wasn't the only galaxy they sent probes to; they were sent to our smaller neighbors too, such as the Draco Dwarf, the Large Megellanic Cloud, Messier 32, and Triangulum, to name a few, but Andromeda showed the most promise. Regardless, with so many options to choose from, finding life supporting planets was going to be a cinch.

           In no time at all, universal history was being made.

           Now we come to present day. The year: 5791. The latest colony ship to Messier 32 had just exited hyperwarp near its target destination: a three planet system orbiting a common yellow star given the name Altair. The planet in question, a earth-sized world with double rings similar in apperance to Saturn’s that cross together, was the target.

           The planet has lush forests that would put the Pacific Northwest, Brazil, and Asia to shame, vibrant fields on par with Mongolia, grandeous deserts akin to Australias, and glistening oceans clearer than anything we had- it was pretty much Earth 2.0: Paradise Edition.

           But… there was one oversight the probes failed to find, mention, and call in: The planet was inhabited. It has a civilization, and they are unlike anything they have ever seen.



           Spread all over the planet and capable of living in every clime lives a powerful race called the Ferid. Ferids are very similar to humans in terms of body size and shape- two legs, two arms, two eyes, a full head of hair, and more private things. But they are not humans exactly, oh no no no. They sport reptilian tails of various sizes and shapes. You may be asking, why do they have reptilian tails? Well, that shall be revealed soon enough.

           The Ferids are not the only race that rules this planet. Sharing the planet with them were a saurian race called Gaharots. Similar in appearance to the human-sized UtahRaptors of Earth’s ancient past, the Gaharots are more numerous and widespread. But, they are used as slaves by the more powerful Ferids. That's because long ago, Gaharots ruled the planet and the Ferids were their slaves, but a rebellion by the Ferids, coupled with the coming of the Astrals, flipped the script

           Those able to escape the yoke of their masters fled to a mysterious place Ferids have yet to be able to find called Varka, where they are protected by a group of freedom-fighting Gaharots called the Janissaries, who seek to abolish this rule of master and servant the ancients have created. While they have mostly been successful in ending the slave trade, there are many holdouts remaining, and the tension on the mainland is reaching a breaking point.

           But on one small sub-continent, far far from the mainland, rests a Ferid tribe that live side-by-side with their Gaharot cousins in peace, a tribe that will have a part to play in history.



           On the planet’s southern hemisphere, on a seemingly insignificant yet historically important sub-continent called Evioly, stretches a vast, green, lush, and spectacular forest. Its sea of green leaves stretched for miles upon miles upon miles, ending at oceans, the central volcano, the mighty western mountain range, or the northern storm. Stretching up from this sea of green was several mighty mesa’s that stretched up for miles. The smallest one was the same height as Mt. Saint Helens, whereas the largest is Everest sized.  

          On one such mesa, the aforementioned "Mt. Saint Helens", nestled in a large U-shaped outcropping that stretched out, rests a village. This village of wooden huts, clay homes, outstretched bridges and docks, fire pits, and cloth covers is home to a Ferid tribe called the Misken.

           The Misken Tribe lives close to nature and are at one with it. They take what they need and they give back what they can. They never waste and live in harmony with the animals they live beside, including the Gaharots, who are treated as equals here. To give them a Earth-race comparison, most of the Ferid tribes are like medieval Europe- oppressing and controlling whatever they can, while the Misken tribe are like the Native Americans, with how close they live to nature.

           And it is this tribe that shall change their course of their world.



           From the Misken natives and the approaching colonists shall come two children that will shake the course of history on this planet, if not the whole universe. Two civilizations shall be brought together and a discovery shall be made that will have lasting repercussions.

           And it all begins on an important day…

2: Chapter 1: A Whole New World
Chapter 1: A Whole New World

Chapter 1

A Whole New World

2/7/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            Sunlight peaked though the purple curtains of a rare two-story shack that serves as a orphanage at the south end of this mesa village. Birds chirped and fluttered by, soaking from the rainfall from last night. A light breeze wafted its way though, carrying with it a breeze of fresh-cooked bread and tenderized meat, and yet it was not enough to wake up the occupant of the bed, still snoring away.

           Her long raven-black hair a mess, her arms, legs, and thin black whip-like tail stretched in all directions, blanket half off the bed, the sheets no longer there, and snoring so loud she could shake the house, rests 9 year old Sokuro el'Fitan. The sunlight hitting her cheeks did nothing to wake her, nor did a Vivick bird; with its three eyes, toucan-like beak, and dorsal fin, landing on her nose, chirping away. The humanoid instinctively swatted it away, but did not wake.

           She was out like a light, which was bad for a day like today, cause today is a very important day for her and several others. Whenever a Ferid like her reaches puberty, they undergo a ceremony that occurs at the beginning of rejuvenation season; the beginning of spring. All Ferids who have reached maturity are given a special gift, but telling that now would spoil the surprise now, wouldn't it?

           “Sokuro, breakfast is ready!” The headmaster of the orphanage called from below. The heroine did not hear her. “Sokuroooo!” Still nothing.

           Seconds later, the door to the bedroom opened slightly as a young Gaharot lad, 5 years old by human standards, snuck on in, snickering to himself as he flexed his claws, about to pull a mean trick. Reaching the bed, he daintily grabbed the sheets and blanket and pulled as hard as he could, which for a child like him, was quite considerable. Comes with with being a Gaharot- a slouched lizard that can get tall as 7 feet; they can get very strong.

           Sokuro yelled as she was flung up off the bed, spinning though the air before crashing down onto the floor. The Gaharot lad laughed loudly to himself, holding his sides as he fell to the floor.

           Sokuro’s eyes spun from being stunned. She shook her head quickly before getting up, peeved off by this trick that was pulled. “Vela!!” She yelled. She was ready to bean him.

           The young raptor continued laughing, but slowed down enough to talk. “Sorry… sorry… but it was too perfect!” He continued laughing, hitting his fists on the floor.

           She was failing to see the humor in this, pursing her lips to the side. “It wasn’t funny. My butt hurts.” That made him laugh even harder. She rolled her eyes before pinching them. “I swear…”

           “Sokuro, hurry it up in there!” The headmaster called again. “Your breakfast is getting cold!”

           Vela stopped laughing enough to make his way out of the room while Sokuro grumbled from drowsiness. As she was still waking up, she didn’t know what today was as she went to her footlocker to pull out her clothes for the day, unaware of the ceremonial dress that was on the table in the middle of the room. “I’ll be there in a second- I’m getting dressed.”

           She pulled out a little skirted purple dress with a butterfly pattern on the left side of the skirt and a trio of red ribbons around the chest, collar, and above the knee. She then pulled out her trademark purple caped hood, with the hood being bigger then her head. She got out of her jammies and put the dress and the hood on. They fit like a glove.

           With those on, she was ready to start the day. She headed out the door and downstairs to the common area, a rather large area with many seats to choose from, a fireplace, many books, and a small kitchen within the same space, where the rest of the orphans are, eating the meal with the headmaster, a heavily pregnant Gaharot named Hela, was cooking up. It was a good breakfast too, comprised of Gea meat and eggs, considering what day it was. 

           Other then Hela, Sokuro, and Vela, 8 other orphans lived here. 3 were Gaharots: The courteous but short-tempered female Veset, the brutish female Buron, and the bookworm male Zelet. The other 5 are Ferids: the compulsive neat-freak male Eriod, the twin girls Set and Aka- Set being a worrywart and Aka compulsive- the intelligent male Leoi, and Sokuro’s little brother Taled. Like Sokuro, the other Ferid children had tails of their own: Eriod had a thick blue fishy tail, Set, Aka, and Leoi all had muscular black tails, and Taled has the same whip-like tail his sister has.

           Sokuro yawned loudly as she rubbed her eyes, heading for the only chair without a butt in it. She sat down and slammed her head on the table, still tired. Hela looked back at the noise and warmly chuckled to herself. “About time you woke up.” She said. Sokuro lightly growled from her position. “Bad night?”

           She lifted up her head. “No, it was a great night. I was having an amazing dream- I was queen of the world, had a ton of money, and lived in a grand castle better then what the Emperor has. But before I was able to kiss my new king…” She gave Vela the meanest glair she could give. “… The scaled wonder here woke me up!!”

           “It was just too perfect a chance!” Vela laughed, slamming his hands onto the table, making the dishes and utensils bounce.

           “He was handsome!” That just made him laugh even harder. She huffed down in her chair, crossing her arms while puffing up her cheeks. “I’m gonna get back at you some day…” A plate of breakfast was placed in front of her, making that irritated mood go away. Her mouth salivated at the mere sight of it. “Oooooooh. The fancy stuff. What’s the occasion?” She grabbed her utensils and started eating.

           Hela sat down at the head of the table and took a bite when she noticed what Sokuro was wearing. Not exactly the most regal wear... “… Are you wearing that today?” She then caught what Sokuro said and asked, "Wait.... did you forget what today is?"

           With a wooden fork sticking out of her mouth, she looked down at her attire. “It’s… what I always wear… why?”

           Taled, only a couple years younger than her, knows what today is. How is it she doesn’t? “Do you not remember what today is?" Clearly not as she had forgotten. "It is a very important day- THE most important.” Sokuro retreated back into her mind to remember what is going on today. He knew what was coming. “3… 2… 1…” She freaked out as she remembered. “There it is.”

           “AAAAAAAAAAAH!!! How could I have forgooooo--” in her freak out, she fell backwards out of her chair. It worked, though, as she needed to blaze up the stairs back to the bedroom. “Crud, crud, crud, crudcrudcrudcrudcrudcrud!!!”

           “It’s on the table in the middle.” Hela called up.

           “Thank you!!”

           Taled sighed as he stuck his fork into another piece and put it in his mouth. “My sister, ladies and gentlemen.” Only light applause came from the rest.

 

 

           It was not only an important day for Sokuro. It was also an important day for many others who had come far from their home in search of a new one and has just arrived as automated systems activated and went into effect.

           “{Initiating Cryo-Thaw Procedure. Injecting Adrenaline.}”

           A pair of hazel eyes slowly opened up after a century’s long sleep. Wearing a skin-tight white space-jacket, the occupant of this cryo-pod, a 12 year old boy with silver eyes, woke up. The pod opened up on its own, hissing as cryonics seeped out into the Zero-G space in front of him. The boy yawned as he rubbed his eyes.

           Placing his hands on the edges of his pod, he pushed himself out. He was not the first one up. Others were awake, some for more than an hour. From what he read, out of the ship’s full complement of 1462 colonists, half of them were scientists, soldiers and guards, and some mechanics and repair men. The rest were simple colonists looking to live a new life on this world.

            He floated over to the ship-long window in front of him, seeing the light of the star Altair glaring at him. He looked to his left and saw their new home before them. There was a large supercontinent in the northern hemisphere and several smaller sub-continents in the south. From what he read, their new home was on the southern sub-continent. From what he could see from space, this world was a garden world, just like Earth- huge swaffs of forests, sporadic deserts, plains, and canyons, and islands. Lots, and lots, and lots of islands. The two striking features that stood out to him was the two rings that orbited around it- they looked like Saturn's rings. The other striking feature was this huge deep ravine that seemed to have been carved into the planet's surface; it circled around the globe and, save for one spit of land that connected the two halves, was nearly perfect.

           “So much green, blue, and yellow- this must’ve been what Earth was like in the distant past.” He spoke with a soft Russian accent.

           “Hey, Bran!” Someone called out. He looked behind and saw one of his friends, another boy around his age, approaching him. “We made it!” He cheered. He had a soft Spanish accent; didn't even roll his R's. “Woohoo… we made it to the new planet!” He performed a little victory dance that is just as embarrassing in gravity as it is in zero-g as it would be in normal.

           Bran was taken a little bit aback by his friends excitement at their arrival. They say laughter is infectious, but Bran has a large immunity to that. “Yeah, I know, we made it. I can see the planet right now.”

           Daniel stopped dancing and softly raspberried. “You can at least act a little happy.” He said as he floated over to the window. “I mean, come on!! We’re in another galaxy, about to make a new home on a unknown planet with Lord knows what running around.”

           “The probes they sent showed no signs of civilization.”

`         Dan rolled his eyes. “Things can change in… when did we leave for this planet?”

           Bran didn’t even have to think for a second. He’s smart like that. “77 years ago.”

           Daniel clapped his hands together. “77 years ago. Right. Thank you. We left 77 years ago. I’m pretty sure something would’ve popped up down there by now, like another colony from another alien race.”

           Bran softly shrugged to himself. “Eh, maybe a Neanderthal or caveman society popped up.”

           Dan puzzled his puzzler, recalling his history class. “Aren’t they the same thing?”

           “No they are not.” He looked back behind Dan and down the ship. Nearly every cryo-pod had deactivated and the passengers were waking up. “Did you find your parents among the crowd?”

           “Yeah. They were at the front, so they woke up first. Also ran into your parents. Your mom is scary without her coffee.” Bran softly chuckled to himself. She is scary without her coffee, he's not wrong there. 

           A convenience-store like jingle came on over the ships internal comm. systems. The captain was about to give a speech to the crew and passengers. “{Ahehehehehem. This is Captain Belfast of the Marquis speaking. I assume everyone is up and out of their cryo-pods. We did it, folks. We made it to the Altair System in the Messier 32 galaxy.}” Everyone on the ship cheered, having finally gotten here after so long a trek. “{Yes, yes. I share your excitement. In just a hours time, we shall arrive at the location chosen by our probes on the southern-most sub-continent. From there, we shall establish a new home for us. I’ve seen images of our new home, folks. It’s a paradise. We couldn’t have chosen a better planet.}” More cheers came from the passengers and crew. “{Better get your gear ready, everyone. We’ll begin landfall in an hours time.}” The internal comm. system went off.

           Daniel was so giddy with anticipation, he was chattering like a pair of joke teeth. “EEEEEEE!!!! Just get us on the ground, already!! I’m so excited!!” He thrust his arms up in anticipation, causing him to spin.

           Bran slowly shook his head before grabbing his friends foot, making him stop. “Try to cut back on the excitement, Garcia. Long as we’re far away from Vega, the better.”

           Daniel shivered in fear, thinking about that awful place. “I hated that place…”

           Bran floated back over to the window and watched as the ship made its way into the planet’s atmosphere. It sure looks beautiful and peaceful. Only time will tell if it stays that way. And knowing his luck, nothing exciting will happen any time soon.

 

 

           This was the most exciting time of Sokuro’s life and she could barely contain it. Being forced to wear a extravagant frilly brown silky gown since this was the most important day of her life, it was merely a small sacrifice for her to make this day, for this was an important day for any Ferid who come of age. Scattered over the planet are mighty temples, 64 in total, built by the gods long ago so they can interact with their followers. The gods bestow upon their followers a mighty gift, one that could never be outdone or replaced.

           The entire village had come out to this year’s ceremony, as was tradition, and not just their village, but the other villages on the continent as well. They gathered at the base of a grand stone step-pyramid, akin to those done by the Mayan’s of Earth. Atop the temple was a stone table and an alter surrounded by five tall pillars. Each pillar had an indentation, with each one having a different shape carved in. No one knows why; it's possible even the God's don't. 

           Sokuro and four other kids who were the same age as her- 3 boys and a girl- stood at the bottom of the steps, eagerly waiting for the ceremony to begin. Behind them, the village had divided into two groups on either side of the path leading to the temple. Torches were lit along that path, as well as leading up to the top.

           Sokuro twiddled her fingers nervously, anxious to get this show on the road. She had been looking forward for this for so long, and now that it’s actually happening, she can hardly believe it. She bounced up and down, biting her lip to distract her from the excitement.

           It didn’t work.

           “EEEEEEE…… this is so exciting!” She giddily squealed, holding her hands together as she bounced up and down. She looked towards the others, who were as anxious as her. “Isn’t this exciting?!”

           “Yeah!” One of the boys, who looked like he was already seasoned for a fight, replied. “I wish they’d get on with it already! I’m gonna die from all this anticipation! AAAH!!!”

           “I knooooooooooooow!” The other three added.

           Even the crowd was getting antsy. All they needed was for Him to appear, but he’s always known for taken his sweet, sweet time. He, along with all his kind, come and go as they please from their temples and altars. Though this one is usually around to stay and rarely leaves.

           But they weren’t gonna have to wait long. A soft, yet powerful howl echoed over the mesa, accompanied by a gentle breeze that smelled of grapes. Whenever one of Them appeared, the air always carries a sweet scent, such as grapes, but others have the scent of citrus or cooked garlic.

           The villagers began to chant in unison, “Aluuuum, evalu aluuuum, evalu aluuuum…,” as they rose their arms into the air, rotated them in a circular rotation, then brought them back them, clasping them tightly like they are praying. The adults repeated this over and over while the children watched them with puzzlement. They know this happens every year, but why He would need them to chant is beyond them. He comes and goes as he pleases.

           The howl grew louder, as did the breeze. Glowing rainbow sparkles began to rise up from the lit torches. It was starting.

           The breeze turned into a raging wind, forcing everyone to cover themselves to protect from the wind. The sparkles coalesced into a single point atop the stone table. The sparkles then spread out over the temple grounds, taking on a shape similar to a snowflake. The shape rose up into the air, increasing the intensity of its glow with each second.

           Reaching its zenith, the shape glowed at its brightest as another shape, this one moving, began to emerge. The snowflake shattered as a large, powerful, imposing creature fell though, curled up in a ball. Seconds before reaching the alter, the creature uncurled and spread its wings, revealing itself to be a mighty dragon!

           With white fur, a ice-blue underbelly, angelic wings, three horns like a crown, and the grace and elegance of a swan, the dragon daintily touched down on top of the temple, his body still seeping the sparkles as they rose up into the air. He spread his wings wide, making the sparkles dissipate and stopping the chanting.

           The adults all bowed, leaving the children, especially those at the base of the temple, still standing, until those in the crowd were forced down. This was one of their gods, the one who is attached to this temple. “Lord Velk.” They all said in unison.

           Velk was his old name; his Ancient name now used only in ceremonies like this. Nowadays called Velx, he opened its mouth, not to attack, but to speak. His jaw moved up and down instead of forming the words with his lips. Easier that way. “Gathered Friends…” His voice had the booming yet soft elegance of a god. It was smooth as silk and a pleasure to hear. “Another cycle has come and gone, and with it, we welcome the newest generation and remember those we lost. But above all else, we welcome the Ferids that have come of age, to join their kin as Aerids.”

           Remembering the rituals from the past 10 years, the children stepped forward and bowed to him. Speaking in perfect unison, “Lord Velk… we, your humble followers, are ready to join. May the skies be forever in our favor and our wings forever beating.”

           He nodded. “Children… tell us your names…”

           One by one, they rose up as they said tehir names. “Amz Zuel, your grace.” One of the boys responded.

           “Gellna Geforgion.” The other girl said.

           “Allad Shwell.” Another of the boys said.

           “Temz Zuel.” The last boy said.

           “Sokuro el'Fitan.”

           He nodded again. “Then… let us commence…” Velx reared back and raised his head to the skies, gently roaring. Five orbs appeared above him and slowly lowered down in front of the children. They rose up and lifted their hands. The orbs stopped glowing, turning into scales that floated between their hands. They were as big as the palms of their hands. Velx lowered his head back down and spoke again. “With these scales, you are able to join your brothers and sisters as fellow Aerids.”

           “Yes, Lord Velk.” They spoke in unison.

           Velx nodded. “Now remember, these are no ordinary scales. These allow you to adopt a mighty form, but they are special. They are one of a kind. If they are lost, you will never obtain a new one, and they must remain on your person at all times for the magic to take hold. Other then that, you may do with them as you wish- turn them into necklaces, bracelets, brooches, whatever you wish.”

           “Yes Lord Velk.”

           He spread his wings wide, showcasing his mighty angelic wings as his voice grew more booming. “Now go. Tap and harness the powerful magic the scale possesses. Join your kin! Evolve into the mighty Aerids!”

           The children complied and tapped into the mighty magic their scales possess. It was near instantaneous as the magic flowed into them, filling them with a warm, gentle energy that was divine. Their bodies were changing, and it was gonna be an incredible change. Sparkles emerged from their bodies and the scale, growing in size and engulfing them in what can be described as localized tornados of sparkling color. They felt no pain as their bodies changed shape. Instead, they felt bliss and comfort, like the magic had a spirit assuring them it’s going to be ok.

           Sokuro, however… she felt the bliss, but she felt something… more. She felt power, mighty power, envelop her body. The scale had changed into a different color from rainbow to silver; she felt like she was going to explode with power.

           The sparkles grew larger as the children changed forms, growing in size and sprouting wings and horns. After a graceful change, the sparkles all dispersed as their wings were spread wide. The children had changed into mighty Dragons, or as they are called on this world, Aerids.

           The Aerid form each Ferid gets is completely random when they receive their scale. The color, their body structure, and what matter of elements they can use from the start are all completely random. Amz’s Aerid form is that of a tall, bulky red dragon with a light grasp of earth. Gellna received a slender form that is just as white as Velx’s and can use the wind. Allad and Temz both got moderately built skinny green Aerids- Allad’s can channel fire while Temz can handle ice. While they start as masters of their first element, they can learn to use the others.

           Then… there is Sokuro’s Aerid form. It caused quite a commotion among the crowd as hers is something unprecedented and hadn’t been seen in centuries. Even Velx was surprised- he knew the chances of this happening again are astronomical, but it’s right there, starring him right in the face.

           Sokuro’s form was that of a Silver Aerid, and a very well-built one at that, with two horns right above her eyes and thick wings. On this world, a Silver Aerid is an omen, one of that would bring about great changes to the world. Whether that was good or bad was up to the person or Fate, but it doesn’t change the fact that they have a Silver Aerid right here and now. The last Silver Aerid was over 500 years ago, and when that happened, an empire was destroyed, dissolving into smaller republics and kingdoms, with a small remnant empire left.

           Regardless, the ceremony continued as plan as Velx, still upset that this is happening again, continued as if this was completely normal, but he did need to bring it up. He’ll just leave out the omen of change part; everyone knows that. “My… it seems we have a rarity among this generation.” The children looked towards Sokuro, who was checking out her new form. Hers was certainly more flexible and nimble then everyone elses, despite the muscle mass. “What was your name again, miss?”

           Remembering they were in the middle of e ceremony, Sokuro stopped and bowed. “Sokuro, your grace.”

           “Do you know what form you possess?”

           “Eh…” She looked at her hands, or clawed paws in this case. She then looked back to the other kids and the crowd. “By the looks of it, something that has everyone talking.”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-SeaCZE2TM Geronimo by Sheppard.

 

           “You have taken the form of a Silver Aerid. Such a thing is highly rare. The last one appeared more than 500 years ago and caused quite the ruckus. You should count yourself fortunate, child, for you have a rare Aerid form that many will be jealous of.”

           “Wow…!” She replied with enthusiasm and excitement. This day is turning out to be the greatest. She finally received her gift from the gods, and it’s really rare too- one of a kind! She couldn’t hide her excitement even if she tried. “So coooool.”

           “Now, we commence with the second half of the ceremony: the new Aerids first flight.” The children got excited- they remember this from last year. First Flight is a ring course designed to test their new forms. No one aces it the first time; it’s designed to show how much improvement one needs before become a competent flyer. “Children, if you would.”

           The five of them nodded with big smiles on their faces as they rushed over to the starting point- the stretched out platforms at the village edge for Gaharot airships. Running in their new form took some getting used too- it’s easier to run with 2 legs instead of 4.

           Reaching the platforms, they split up and each child took one for themselves. Gallna looked down and saw that it was a really long drop. “Whoa…” She snakingly shivered.

           Sokuro looked to her and snickered with a playful sneer. This was gonna be so cool. “Don’t worry. We got this in the bag!”

           The crowd gathered at the edge of the mesa- this wasn’t only informative for next year’s children, but also for entertainment. This was technically a race, after all. Velx nodded to them. “At your leisure.” He said, gesturing them to the edge.

           The children nodded and spread their wings. Once confident enough, they jumped forward and fell towards the bottom, towards the first ring. Sokuro, however, leaned forward instead of jumping, letting gravity do the work. She closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her as she fell along with the others.

           It was in that a primal instinct took over. They spread their wings, keeping them spread until they caught air. Now their flight truly began as they flapped their wings, flying away from the mesa and towards the first ring.

           Flying felt instinctive, like they had done it before. It was as if a old spirit had come in and showed them how to do it without having said a word. They all knew how to fly, of course, but how well they fly is completely different. Amz and Tamz were already doing great, passing though the first couple of rings with some ease. Allad and Gallna were having trouble keeping up, however.

           Sokuro, though… she was being a free spirit. Her flying skills are already excellent. She was spinning and corkscrewing her way through the rings with such ease, it’s like a mouse with a mouse hole.

           She couldn’t explain why, but she felt a strong urge to be free and take to the skies and see everything, and so she did. She separated from the pack and flew out towards the skies, flapping her wings strong enough to lift her up. “Where the heck is she going?” Allad asked. The other children had no answer- they were as puzzled as he was.

           Taking to the skies, Sokuro flew though clouds, feeling how cold and wet they are on her new scales. It made them shine with a glisten. She spun around with her wings spread wide, corkscrewing her way through the white puffballs.

           Passing though a thick layer of clouds, she emerged on the other side high up in the air, where the blue skies were giving way to the blackness of space. The sun shone on her as she turned back into a girl in a flurry of sparkles, with her arms spread wide and her eyes closed, taking the experience all in.

           She never felt more free and more empowered in her entire life. This was an amazing feeling that she didn’t want to leave. She felt the suns warm rays cascade over her as she seemingly floated in the cold of the upper atmosphere, but gravity had to take hold as she began to fall back towards the ground.

           Curling up into a ball, she rolled her way through the clouds as sparkles emanated from her scale, engulfing her. She emerged on the other side back as a dragon, cheering wildly as she flew back towards the mesa.

           “This is amazing!!”

 

           When the artificial gravity came back on before they cut though the upper atmosphere, Bran wasted no time getting to his clothes. Changing out of the bland grey of the cryosuit, he pulled out his duffle bag containing all his stuff.

           He dressed in all black, wearing clothes he bought from the homeworld of a fox-like race called Kitsunes years before leaving. He liked the color and the design. He put on a black sleeveless shirt with a vest and black jean pants with a pair of metal rings attached just below the knee that connected to the feet. There were a series of belts that seemingly made a ‘skirt’, depending how you looked at it. Four belts extended down until they were at thigh level, and two circled around them, leaving only the front area open. He put on a pair of gloves with loop holes.

           He tightened after he put them on. He pulled out a pair of shoes and slipped into those. Next came out a pair of large goggles with a pair of ‘horns’ sticking up at the ends. Lastly was a long scarf. He tied it around his neck and let it hang down.

           Outside, the flames from re-entry caked over the dropship like decals on a car as it smoothly entered the planet’s atmosphere.

           Completely decked out in his usual gear, Bran approached the window and looked outside, seeing the new home that was approaching. The red of the flames gave way towards a horizon of green, blue, and white, something he had not seen in quite some time. It looked like a paradise, and rightly so. They didn’t exactly leave Earth or the Milky Way in the best of shape when they left. He wonders what became of it now that a century has passed but now wasn’t the time to dwell on the past. Now was the time to look forward to a new future on a new world.

           If only he and everyone else knew…

 

           Flying over a river with nary a flap of her wings, Sokuro looked at her reflection, taking in her new form. It was very slender, like a snake or a flower stem, and entirely silver- her body, her horns, even her wings, all of it was silver. Not that it mattered. Now, she was truly one with the planet now.

           “Wow… this is amazing…” She gasped.

            She placed her new claws into the water as she flew, creating a wake behind her as she drifted along. Even with scales, it was still cold to the touch. Tilting to her left, she dipped the tip of her wings in, creating a bigger wake.

           “I wonder if this is what mom looked like…” She said to herself. She reached to her chest to grasp her locket, but it wasn’t there. None of her clothes were. They must disappear when she changes form. Pretty convenient.  

           “Woo-hooooooooo!!!”

           She looked up towards the whooping and saw that she had returned to the mesa. She saw the children high above, following the rings as they made their way back up. She grinned, betting she can beat them back to the top. With a flap of her wings, she began to climb.

           The children cheered as they flew though the rings around the mesa, pulling tricks they didn’t know they could perform, like somersaults, rolls, and tucks. It was certainly a new experience, being able to fly and turn into a mighty Aerid, but they wouldn’t trade it for anything. The freedom this provides is nothing short of amazing.

           “This is amazing!!!” Tamz exclaimed at the top of his lungs, barely containing his excitement over all of this. He spun onto his back and flew that way during the turn. “Whoever came before us was a dang genius!!”

           “I know!!” Gallna bellowed. She flapped her wings, gaining speed as she flew by him. “I love this! It’s only been a few minutes, but I love this! WOOOOO!!!”

           “Why would we ever change back?!” Amz exclaimed from behind. “This is wonderful!!” He pulled a somersault in mid-air, actually gaining height as he did, before straightening out.

           Out of nowhere, a silver streak passed them by from below, gaining height much faster than any of them. Reaching a height several hundred feet above them, Sokuro flipped backwards and dived back towards them. She pulled her wings in and effortlessly shot though the next ring before spreading them back out again.

           “Woo, what a rush!!” Sokuro exclaimed. She rolled around with her wings spread out. “Woooo-woo-ho-hoo!!”

           “How are you that in tune with your Aerid half already?” Allad asked. “We just got them a few minutes ago and you are already in synch. How?”

           Sokuro stopped her cheering and thought about that. “I… I don’t really know. Everything just feels right, like I had done them all before. I know what to do and how to do them, yet I am dead sure this is my first time as a Aerid. Could one of the Kellies be helping me?” She looked to the others, who were puzzled by her explanation. They feel some sort of feeling inside them too, like someone or something was guiding them. “Ah, forget it! I’m just so excited that we finally have our new forms!!” The others cheered with her. She looked up and saw that they didn’t have far to go. “Hey, what do you all say we turn this into a race?”

           “A race?” Gallna asked.

           “Yeah.”

           The kids all looked at each other and snickered with a grin as they all had the same exactly answer. “Heck yeah!!”

           She grinned. “Last one to the top has to clean the stables!” Sokuro blurted out the gate as she flapped her wings, flying straight up. They followed after her, but they weren’t as fast as her. 

 

           “How do you think they are doing?” One of the many adults asked as they waited at the edge of the mesa, trying to find them far below.

           Another shrugged. “They’re likely doing good, but then again, they may be having trouble. This is their first time as Aerids, after all. My first time wasn’t exactly stellar.”

           “Well, they surely must be at l---”

           She was never able finish as five large blurs of silver, red, green, and bluish-white came rushing up from below, causing a large gust of wind that sent hats flying. Most of the children pulled back and landed on top of the mesa. It was clear that Gallna lost, meaning she was gonna have to clean the stables.

           Sokuro, however, didn’t want to stop. She went up higher then all of them, pulling rolls and spins that are making some of the elders jealous. Why can’t they pull tricks like that?  She dove and rose like waves, disappearing into the clouds for a few brief seconds before rolling back out like a ball.

           She spread her wings wide and whistled by Velx, who was amazed by how in tune she had become with her new form in such a short amount of time. “(Silver Aerids… always an amazing sight…)” He watched as she continued to pull advanced maneuvers with such skill and grace. She seems so in tune despite being a Aerid for a few minutes… just like the last Silver Aerid centuries ago. “(Sokuro… what changes will you bring about…?)”

           Sokuro dug her claws into the ground and skidded along as she slowed. Sparkles engulfed her and she came back out as her normal Ferid self. “That… was… AMAZING!!!” She cheered.

 

End Song.

 

           When she finished, she looked towards the crowd and saw them coming her way. The ceremony wasn’t over yet. Before she flew back, she saw something shiny far away. She squinted her eyes and saw that there was something, but couldn’t see what. A new Gaharot airship? A giant Aerid? She couldn’t tell. It was shiny, that much she could tell. Eh, probably isn't that important- just some trader or whatever.

           “Sokuro, Amz, Tamz, Allad, Gallna.” Velx bellowed. “Approach.” They did, returning to spots they had before, hands at their sides and their backs stiffened. “You have all accepted into your new selves very efficiently. Especially you, Sokuro. The way you flew with such ease and grace is a rarity among new Aerids."

           She bowed to him. “Thank you, Lord Velx. I don’t know how I knew to do all those and how I could pull them off, but I did. Everything just felt… right. Could one of the Kellies have helped me?”

           “It is possible. Our world works in mysterious ways. You may’ve received assistance from beyond. Or… you could be innately skilled and may have been able to pull these maneuvers all on your own." That one was most likely. "There have been others like you who were as in tune with their Aerid halves when they released them. “

           He lifted his head high into the air. “Regardless, you all performed remarkably. You are now of mature age. You are now one with the planet.” He spread his wings. “You have become Aerids, and you have grown up. Embrace your new forms and rejoice” The newly gifted children cheered loudly. This was the greatest day of their lives.

           Sokuro cheered loudly too and hugged her little brother who had run up to give her a giant hug, but her mind went back to that strange shiny object she saw. She looked out to the distance and saw that it was gone. Something was indeed there, that much was for certain. What could it have been? She won’t know for now, but she will soon.

           Fate has a role for her to play, her and Bran. But what it was, they wouldn’t have believed.

3: Chapter 2: The Boy from the Stars
Chapter 2: The Boy from the Stars

Chapter 2

The Boy from the Stars

2/7/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

           The Armored Delix Dreadnaught that carried the colonists to the new planet slowly lined itself up with the planet and entered geosynchronous orbit, now moving in tandem with the planet. The ship had entered into a nice sweet spot between the stratosphere and one of the duel rings that circle the planet, providing one hell of a vista for everyone inside.

           The Delix class of Dreadnaughts are of a unique design. They are cylindrical in design with six pairs of solar panel wings stretching along its body, getting bigger and bigger as they neared the engines. these designs have been the nickname 'Pine Trees' due to the resemblance of the design. They measure 25000 feet in length and are two stories high, with the front end looking similar to a tomahawk or hatchet blade.

           As for the dreadnaught part, they have thick armor plating that allows them to take such a large amount of punishment before they can be truly destroyed. They can withstand up to 15 full minutes of concentrated bombardment before the occupants have to worry about any real threats, and with laser cannons and missile turrets running along, piercing the 'bark' of this tree was next to impossible. Due to the effectiveness of this design, the model had been in service for a few centuries now- their durability and cargo storage capacity made them perfect to be modified for extra-galactic travel.

           They can take a punishment and give it back. They are powerhouses.

           This particular Delix Dreadnaught is called the Argo Marquis and it has been traversing the cosmos for over 100 years before arriving at the Messier 32 Galaxy, the kitty on Andromeda’s doorstep. When it was close enough to the Altair system, the captain and his crew came out of cryo-sleep first, with the passengers waking up some hours later.

           The ship headed for the designated site their scout probes had picked out for them. Located on what they assume is a peninsula- later confirmed to be such from observations from above- the location was isolated, surrounded by a range of tall mountains, which in turn was surrounded by a sea of trees. The spot in question was at the southern end, nestled inside a circular valley that they deemed was the perfect spot to settle down. Just gotta clear out a few dozen trees and carve into the rock.

        The forest itself looked untouched, like nobody had lived within its green borders. Beneath the location- from the topdown perspective- was a river that soon turned into a waterfall that emptied into a canyon that was way too deep to scan. The waterfall crested over a sharp edge that gave a spectacular view of the forest for miles, leading all the way to the ocean.

        Not a bad place to establish a new home.


         

           Aboard the ship, Bran was looked at his bags, making sure he had everything. More than 100 years had passed, and anything he may’ve accidentally left behind was likely gone for good. no redos this time, and no replacements for any lost items. Lucky for Bran, he had everything he needed.

           “Toothbrush, check. Clothes, check. Books, check. My IGIX 4000 Gaming Console with 13000 classics installed, check check.” He grinned at that last one. That console was a spendy one. “At least I won’t get bored.”

           “Of course we won’t.” Daniel said as he dragged out his bags, filled to the brim with everything he could throw in, and tossed them onto a hover cart that was inches off the floor. The only thing missing was the kitchen sink. “It’s a new planet, and that means exploring! Who knows what we will find here? Maybe a special food that makes you full for a year or a miracle medicine or maybe--”

           “Or maybe you need to slow down before you short out again.” Bran droned. Dan shrugged before pulling out even more bags, much to Bran’s clear surprise. “And good grief, how much stuff did you bring?”

           “Just what I needed.”

           “And what was that, your entire room?!”

           “… Pretty much.”

           Bran breathlessly sighed as he pinched his eyes. “Oh geez…” He got up and headed on over to Daniel’s things. “Did you seriously bring everything?” He reached into one of the bags and pulled out a.... very naughty book about dragons. The cover alone was too much. “Good grief… really, dude?”

           Dan snatched it away from him. “Shuddup.” He swiftly buried it under his things.

           Bran reached into the same bag he pulled that book from and found dozens more dragon merch- posters, toys, even a couple of blankets. It was safe to say he was a dragon fanatic. “You indeed brought everything.” He peaked under a blanket and found every more naughty books. "....... and i do mean everything."

           Rather then try to explain it a normal way, he went another route. “Of course I did! I wasn’t gonna leave them all behind for some stranger to take. It wouldn’t be right.”

           Bran rolled his eyes and went back to his stuff. “Whatever you say, weirdo. Whatever you say.”

           Dan gave him a sour glare. He got up and headed to Bran’s own bags. “Are you saying that you didn’t bring everything? Because last I checked, you had a lot of strange things as well. Like this…” He reached in and pulled out a plastic sword- a Centurions Gladius, to be precise. “…you had this since we were kids. Why would you keep this?”

           “Sentimental value.” Bran said as he took it back and put it back with the other plastic swords in his collecton, ranging from katanas to broadswords to recreations from movies and television. “Besides, we don’t know what we will encounter on this planet. For all we know, there could be things that have a really bad aversion to plastic.”

           “What, like how Dreg’s are deathly allergic to water?”

           “Exactly.”

           “… you really expect to find a race that has that same reaction, but with plastic?”

           Bran closed his bags up and threw one of them over his shoulder. “You never know. Space is infinite. There has to be at least one race out there with this kind of weakness and I came prepared. Besides, if nothing else, they can be used as training tools.” He walked down the hallway towards the shuttle bay.

           “Right…” Dan went back to the cart and pushed it along. “As if we’re gonna need to know how to use a sword on this planet.”

 


           The local wildlife scattered when the first shuttlecraft made their descent from the Argo and to the clearing below. The Beetle Dropships, named such for their dexterity, were a hearty transport. They were designed to ferry troops into combat, but civilian models rolled out a couple centuries later. As is their name, they are heavily armored, able to withstand multiple flak rounds and RPG’s before getting a rupture.

           The design was really simple- it was a long rectangular box the size of a small house, with room to hold 70 people in the front section and room for 100 lbs of cargo in the back. The cockpit was at the top of a long pole that extended up from the middle of the rectangle. The pole covered a ladder that allowed the pilot and co-pilot to climb up and down. In the middle of the pole was a defense system- a single laser with a full 360 degree rotation. Not the best defense system, but it’s better than nothing.

           The Beetle touched down on the surface carried only security personnel and scientists. This may be a good landing site and potential colony base, but there could still be dangers around.

           The security detail disembarked first, weapons raised and ready to fire. They were lead by the chief of security, Arlye Toombes. He’s paranoid to the bone and has seen a few things that would break any normal man, but he is not normal. That’s because he’s not a man. He is an Argalith- a race of warriors from back in the Milky Way. Their appearance is what happens when a crocodile and a shark crossbred, at least that is the joke Humans make. The body has the strength and dexterity of the powerful lizard, not to mention the powerful long jaws, but they have the color, eyes, and scales of a shark, along with gills, and fins on the tail, hands, and back. But unlike the warrior races of fiction, who live for battle, Argaliths are not that. They are smart and are the sole creators of Artificial Intelligence. 

           The 15-foot tall powerhouse kept his head on a swivel, being on the lookout for any hostilities, of which there were none. He held his left hand up, signaling the all-clear. “All-clear!” He bellowed out. That was the scientists cue to disembark. “Everyone keep your guard up.” He ordered. “This is still a entirely new world and we’re just on a tiny sliver of it. No telling what is out there.”

           “You worry too much, Arlye.” One of the first scientists off said. She was Georgia Crox, one of the leading anthropologists back home with ancestry dating back to Africa. Here, she’s the leader of the expedition. She’s not only a scientist, but was also the mayor of a small city back on Tel 88. She had a good approval rating. As such, she had already been chosen as the leader of their new settlement.

           “And you worry too little, Crox.” Arlye warned as he heaved his massive gun onto his shoulder. To a ordinary human, it’s gigantic and impossible to hold, but to a Argalith, it’s a simple SMG. “Did we not detect that strange energy signature on the way down? There is no telling what is out there. This is an entirely unknown world and we should expect hostiles.”

           “While I agree that there may be dangerous wildlife out there, the probes did not detect any sort of civilization, hostile or otherwise, to worry about. But again, in terms of the wildlife, we’ll be fine as long as we get the defenses up.”

           “Speaking of which…” Arlye looked around, observing the clearing in its fullest. “The trees don’t offer a lot of observational tactics, and these mountains are way too tall to provide early alerts. If we’re attacked, it’ll mostly all be a surprise attack from that way." He pointed towards the opening to this little circular valley they landed in. If enemies came at them from the north and east, they would have trouble due to lack of early-warning observations. South and west, on the other hand- given that it opens up into the forest that leads to a beach, they should be fine. "Other than that… it appears this place would be a good location to set down the Pre-Fabs.”

           “I couldn’t agree more.” Crox brought out a tablet and used it to create a holographic projection of the surrounding area. “For now, we’ll put defensive turrets here, here, and here.” Red dots appeared on the clearing map. “We’ll put them on stun. Again, we’re brand new to this planet- we don’t want to cause major trouble.”

           “If there are any civilizations that care about us harming the wildlife.” Arlye passive-aggressively said. "Which i doubt. The scanners didn't pick up anything."

        "That's because they are down, sir." One of the guards said. "I overheard the captain talking to Heilm- seems one of the rocks from the ring hit the sensor dish. It won't work until its fixed."

        "Wonderful....." Arlye grumbled under his breath. 

           “And the Pre-Fabs… will go here.” She manipulated the holograms of the Prefabricated Buildings that were created long before they left on this one way trip.

           The home modules were are all 2 bedroom, one bathroom, a basic kitchen, and a family room, and shared the same rectangular design. both internal and external. Internally, the bedrooms were to the side of a small hallway that lead into the kitchen, which shared the same space with the family room. Anything new that would be added in would have to come from the families chosen to live in them, such as outdoor ways of knowing which ones were yours.

           They didn't come with only housing units to this planet; they had other Pre-Fabs to bring down. One was for a security center, filled with electronic surveillance and defensive weaponry. Another was where the leader of the colony would sleep and serve as their city hall, of sorts. It was the fanciest out of them, if fancy here means the only thing different is a posh bed and a mayoral desk. The third are basic storage units, meant to hold freeze-dried food or weaponry and can be converted into jail cells if needed. The last one was the medical center, where those sick or injured would heal; it also doubles as a science center, and as it is the most important building at their disposal, it was also the tallest, coming in at 50 feet tall. 

           As a neat little bonus, the Pre-Fabs could be connected and stacked like building blocks. Perfect for saving space.

           One of the security personnel came up and saluted. “Perimeter secured, sir. So far, no creatures have been seen.”

           “They must’ve run when we landed then.” Arlye said as he put his gun on his back. It attached to magnets in the armor.

           “Wouldn’t you if a strange flying machine suddenly appeared?” Crox commented as she walked by.

           “If I was a stupid animal, yes.” Arlye said. Crox went to a nearby rock and sat down on it. She looked at the tablet again and moved some Pre-Fabs around to make use of the space they have. Considering how many people were on this trip, the colony was already going to need to get big, with a lot of trees needing to be cut down. The aquatic species of the trip will be happy- the trek to the water is only 10 minutes, by her calculations. 

        “Are we sure there are no other peoples on this planet?" A third guard spoke up. "With all this greenery, it would make sense for there to be, wouldn’t it?”

           Crox shrugged as she looked around the available clearing. The first Pre-Fab- the security center and main operations hub- was being set down on the forest floor. “If there are anyone out there, let's hope that they are peaceful. We don’t have the the manpower to go to war over land and recourses. If there are any, we need to approach the situation diplomatically, not with shouting and bigger sticks.” She glared at Arlye, who felt insulted that she would even suggest such a thing.

           Arlye crossed his arms, feeling that that comment was directed right at him. “I’m not that stupid. I don't fire bli--" He could feel them judging him. "It was one time and you all know it was an accident." Whatever he says, some thought. "Besides, the Scout hasn’t reported seeing anything that would categorize civilized life.”

           "A lot of things can happen in 130 years, Arlye." Georgia got up from the walk and lightly tapped him on the arm with the tablet. "A lot of things can happen." She looked up towards the sky. "Now let's get to building. We got a lot of people up there ready to come down." Pulling out her phone, she pulled up the standard colony establishment procedures on establishing a new colony on a new world. Can't be that different if the planet is in another galaxy. "Ok, we should bring down the key personnel for colony establishment first; those would be botanists to find what is or isn't poisonous, geologists to determine suitable ground for farming, tech specialists for the power grid, and the security personnel to protect them. Oh, and doctors and medics for obvious reasons."

        "That's gonna tick a lot of people off." Arlye commented. "They really want off that ship."

        "I know. But we gotta do this by the book, or else it'll be bedlam when the reserves run out and we don't have any food."

 


        Back up on the Argo, all of the passengers and crew were prepared to depart for the new world below. They have been cooped up on this ship for a century- they need to feel gravity once more and stretch their legs or else turn into blobs, but there was an order to this. They watched as those critical to the colony left for the surface, to begin colonial construction; they knew they had to wait their turn. While Bran's family has important members, they weren't that important to the colony. At least, not during the initial establishment phase- their works come later, for developing the minds of future generations.

        Bran's father Leopold, or Leo for short, was a teacher back on Vega and is going to be one here while his mother, Vivian, was a genealogist; which is the study of family lineages and legacies, and also doubles as a behaviorist, someone who studies how people behave and act.

        “This is so exciting.” The stout and puggie Vivian giggled. “We’re about to touch down on another world. We’re gonna live on another world. Who knows what we will find?”

           “As long as it’s better than Vega, I’ll be happy.” The wrinkled and slouched Leo commented. “That place was a cesspool.”

           “…. Yeah, ok, I won’t deny that. The acid rain was particularly bad and i'm glad to be away from those awful Delvegos. But this place is different. We got actual forests and blue oceans and actual creatures. Hopefully. I just want this to be a better place for Bran to grow up in. Vega was terrible.”

           “With all that nature around, it will be. It will be..." Watching one of the Beetle dropships depart- this one carrying a portable defense turret-, Leo had a thought. "Do... you think they have enough vomit bags? Cause i don't think Bran will be able to hold it in during the descent."

        "Oh, right..." Vivian exhaled. "He always did have a weak stomach for things like that."

          “Only when it comes to motion sickness.” He softly chuckled to himself, regaining her attention. ”You remember what he was like on that pirate ship ride at Star Land back on Coulon?”

          Vivian moaned a laugh as she held her hand to her forehead, remembering that day quite vividly. It's not every day someone makes a basket with their lunch. “Hehe… yeah. We had to tell the usher it was soup someone smuggled in. He didn’t buy it for a second.” She lightly laughed to herself, and he laughed along too. She finished with a happy sigh, leaning on him. “You think it’s still around?”

          “The planet or the park?”

          “Both.”

          “Mmm… Maybe. It’s only been a century, so I bet the planet is still around. But as for the park... amusement parks don’t last forever. It’s never long before they close down and become ghost towns for wild animals to call home and inspire some creepy horror movie like ‘Beware the demon clowns.’" The mention of that made Vivian tense up. "Hehe… classic flick.”

          Vivian scowled and scoffed as she clutched him real tight, but not in a loving way and more in a painful 'you're going to rip my arm off' kinda way. She hated that movie- made her scared of clowns for life. “If someone brought that horrid movie, I’m gonna blast it back to the Milky Way.”

        "We have a digital library, mom." Bran said as he turned on his phone for the first time in a century. It felt like it was that long too with how long it was taking to boot up. "It definitely came with us, probably buried deep in the 'camp' section of the library." There is no section like that in the digital library.

        "Great...." She looked out the window again. "So how long until we leave? I'm getting antsy."

        "We're not on the first wave, darling. Our jobs are important enough for that. Once they get the basic stuff set up, then the three of us and every other civilian here will go down too."

        "And what's the basic stuff?"
        
        "I dunno- turrets?"

        Bran silently sighed to himself, slowly shaking his head. 

 

 

        The power hummed to life in the Pre-Fab that was the security/command center; each one comes with a built-in generator, so they don't need to worry about power, and if the generator ever goes out, it can be easily configured into solar power, hydro, wind, or thermal. In the middle was a holographic table that could display any and all sorts of information that you can imagine. Screens hung off the walls and server boxes, and they turned on, displaying the names of everyone in this colony, information about the surrounding area, and status of the power grid, among many other other things. There were also several tables and chairs for discussions or breaks. 

        Eventually, a larger generator was going to be installed and the entire colony would get their power from that, leaving the built-in's as backups in case of blackouts which are really rare, but better safe then sorry. Colonial-grade generators are powerful and sturdy, capable of lasting a good 460 years on average. Even if everything electric was going at once, it would still last a solid few centuries. Benefits of a jointly-created uber-engine.

           As everything was getting set up and consoles were turning on, one of the security guards under Arlye's command asked aloud: "So, this planet isn't supposed to have acid rain, right?" Several other guards and a scientist looked at each other. The answer was obvious; why is he asking the question? 

        ".... nnnno. It doesn't." The scientist- one of the Hesk, commented. "The water here is fresh- no forever chemicals like back on Vega."

        "That's good." The guard commented. "Cause that crap sucked." ... of course it sucked- it was one of the many reasons they left home in the first place.

        The scientist was a member of the Healuesky, or Hesk for short; a race of sentient cephalopods that use telekinesis to manipulate a bubble of water around it so that it can 'float' around in atmosphere and interact with the world outside of the ocean. Due to their striking resemblance to cephalopods of Earth, they are also known by the nickname 'squids'; derogatory to some members of the race, but all depends who you ask. Pacifistic and scientific by nature, they had garnered a reputation as being the galaxy's healers as their medical technology was second to none. They have other tech, sure, but being doctors is what they are known for.

        “It’s gonna take a few days for it to update to the new planet.” Crox commented as she entered with a tablet in one hand and a bottle of mineral water in the other. She sat down in a chair and placed the tablet on the table beside her. On it were the names of every colonist, as well as the potential layout for the colony Arlye drew up. “A planet we still need to name.”

           The same guard picked up the tablet and looked at it. It had no potential names, so it’s all a moot square one. “Why not just name it after the star, Altair?”

           “Bit on the nose... but I’ll put it on the list of potential names anyway.”

           “There’s a list?” He asked unbelieving.

           “Eh, Not really.”
 
        “Things are coming along nicely out there.” Another guard with a thick Jordanian accent said as he entered with four others, carrying with them bags and dragging behind them hover boxes. “My best guesstimate, initial setup and all the colonists will be off the Argo by sunset. Whenever it does set.”

           Crox pressed some buttons, bringing up the time: it was 8:33 A.M., but with the sun directly overhead, it doesn’t sound right. “Based on the suns position, we're at noon. We don't know how long days last here, so we're gonna have to time it.” She pressed a button, setting it to zero. “We’ll handle it tomorrow, along with finding out more trivial things.”

           “Like what?”

           “Which way is north and things like that. For now--”

           “For now, we focus on shoring up.” Arlye interrupted as he entered. The guards all went stiff as they saluted. He rolled his eyes at that before walking in- this is an annoying human habit he never really understood and doesn’t like. “We gotta get the colony settled and find a place to start a farm, because we can’t live on that freeze-dried stuff forever, and i counted- we've only got a three year supply. And that's on top of figuring out the weather cycle on this planet. Outside, it feels like spring, but that could all potentially change in a heartbeat. For all we know, spring leads into winter."

        "Where were ya?" Crox asked.

        "Some preliminary scouting. And to see if i could find where that energy signature came from. No dice." She figured that's what he did, and that that would also be the result. Sometimes, flareups are just flareups. He pulled out one of the data drives from the dropship that brought him down and stuck it into the holo-table, activating it and revealing their surroundings. "We landed in a clearing on what we assume is the southern-most part of a localized mountain range, surrounded by traversable slopes, with the eastern side extending outwards more then the west. This circular area we're in has approximately a radius of 3 Tardi." One of the human guards tilted his head. "5 miles or 8 kilometers for you humans." With another press of a button, the bottom part turned green. "To our south is a coastline; it's about a 30 minute hike there through a dense forest, but i think we can clear a footpath. But the main issue is the forest; we don't know what predators could be lurking in there."

        "Why not just use the data from the Scout probe?" A third security guard asked. "That's what they were made for, right? To scout and investigate? And it's been here for a really long time, so it must have all that data we can use for the weather and the wildlife."

        "Yes, you are correct; the data from the Scout would eliminate all the guess work and allow us to move on to more important tasks. The issue is finding it." By that, she means that once a Scout probe had finished... well, Scouting, they burrow into the ground and shuts down save for a locator beacon, becoming one with the nature until it is found. "Thing is, we can't find it." She held up the tablet that had a location map with painted on it with a radar needle spinning around. There should be a ping every time the needle passes over the Scout. Nothing. "The locator beacon must be malfunctioning if it's not showing up. You know what that means."

        "Digging................ great..." Arlye chuckled to himself. "and me without my industrial sized garden hoe."

        Crox rolled her eyes and moved on to more important things to do today. "What you can do is start passing out tents. Until all the Pre-Fabs are offloaded, everyone's gonna be camping."

        "We're not offloading them all?" The Hesk scientist asked.

        "It's possible to do them all in a single day." Arlye shrugged. "But we don't know how long a day is here, and the sun's position suggests its noon. Unless this IS winter and we're on a region of the world where its light for the entire duration." Oh lords this is gonna be like a endless summer in Alaska, some of the humans from Earth thought thought.

        "We can change around the order of which they're offloaded." Crox said. "I don't need my office right this minute, and a small amount of the Pre-Fabs are just vehicle bays and empty storage units. If we can save those for later, could we get all the habitation units offloaded?"

        "Hmm.... more then likely. We don't need any sheds or bays at this moment in time..." He grabbed the tablet and switched it back to the planned layout. "... and there's no way it'll mess up the placements of everything, so, yeah, we could. But in order to get them all down, we'd have to move back a lot of equipment from their timetable, like long-range communication arrays and the Large Generator. And assuming we only have just a few hours to nightfall, we'd only be able to get one of the freezers down."

        "I don't think food is going to be a problem." Crox replied. "That concoction they put in us for Cryo-sleep prevents hunger for a day after awakening, right?" That it does. "So i don't think anyone is going to be hungry by nightfall."

        "Very well. I'll send the revised orders to the pilots and the drones. I'll put the Hesk pool at the top of the list- the squid's can't hold those bubbles long periods of time."

        "Can confirm." The scientist said.

        "Oh, and Arlye, at some point you'll need to set Arline up. We'll need her to run the systems once everything is operational."

        "I am well aware of that and it's on my to-do list, but that's still a ways off. Right now, the Beatles entering the atmosphere are carrying our defense cannons and the long-range communications array; that one we'll need to find a tall spot for. Shouldn't be that hard with so many mountains and mesas about. The problem is--"

        "--Going to be the rings up in orbit." Crox concluded, referring to the overlapping pair of rings that circle the planet in a large X orbit. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, let's focus on getting the turrets set up, everyone settled in, and relaxing; we spent decades asleep and we need the wake-up juice."
    
        "Wake-up juice... un-hun."

           “The difficult part is gonna be building the dang thing.” An electrician said as he looked over the schematics with such confusion. “Whoever packed it in pieces and put the instruction booklet in Heakalies was an idiot.” That prompted a few facepalms from the lot of them.

 


         The long-range array is as it sounds: A long-range communications transmitter designed to communicate with other systems. In the grand scheme of an entire galaxy, even one as small as Messier 32, the range is pretty lackluster, being able to reach systems within 40 light years. According to astrological data gathered during their approach, there are at least four neighboring systems nearby- the furthest being 38 light years and the nearest at 6 light years. If there are advanced alien races out there, it doesn’t hurt to try and make contact, and if they are friendly, they could set up a trade agreement.

           And the Argo wasn’t the only colony ship heading to Messier 32. If they are lucky, they could try and contact other colonists out there. But the odds of either option coming true are astrological. Small as the satellite is compared to its neighbor Andromeda, Messier 32 is still 110,000 Light-years across. To make matters tougher, there is a supermassive black hole in the core. Thankfully, they were nowhere near it.

        But that was going to have to be delayed for a day.

           With the new orders to prioritize the transport of the colonists down to the planet before the buildings, a lot of befuddled pilots replaced the claws used to carry the pre-fabs with the transport pod.

        The Beetles that already had transport pods descended down from the ship and though the clouds, heading towards the new colony far below. Most of the colonists went to the windows on the side to see the new world they are going to call home. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was already amazing. They had made it- they had traveled from the Milky Way to Messier 32 with seemingly no fuss. No one was dead and the ship was in good shape. As for as travels to a new world goes, this was uneventful, which was a good thing. Don’t want to run into black holes or asteroid fields.

           The Beetle carrying Bran and his family landed at the outskirts of the rapidly growing colony. This area was one of several selected to drop off the colonists. Once it touched down, the ramp descended and the 50 some-odd colonists made their way down onto the new ground they would be calling home.

          Bran sat in the back corner, tossing up his lunch. The colony ship had enough inertia dampeners to make it not so shaky and rocky. Beetles were not so fortunate. They don’t have such powerful dampeners. As a result, if you had motion sickness… you were gonna vomit. And Bran was vomiting. He had a vomit bag with him so he wouldn’t spread it all over the ship, but it wouldn't be long until he filled it.

        "Bran." He heard his father call out. "Bran, come along, we've landed." He said as he and his wife descended down the ramp. 

           Bran straggled behind, still suffering from a case of motion sickness. The turbulence on the flight down did a number on his poor stomach. He held his mouth as he slowly made his way down the ramp, making sure he doesn’t chuck all over the place. Reaching the bottom, he looked up from his stagger and his mouth dropped from the beauty he was seeing.

           He had never seen so much blue and green in his life. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the first fresh air he had smelled since ever as a soft breeze washed over him. Back in the Milky Way, Vega was known for it being one of the most polluted planets in the Galaxy. You had to wear special oxygen masks just to go out and get a gallon of milk. This… this is the opposite of Vega- so lush and full of life waiting to be discovered.

           “Hey kid!” the co-pilot from the Beetle called out. “You mind getting off the ramp?”

           “Oops.” Bran jumped off the ramp. It extended back up into the transport as it lifted up. Once above the tree line, it turned and headed back towards the Argo.

           Bran took his time as he took in the new sights and sounds of the planet they were going to call home. He took off his shoes and ran his toes though the grass and dirt. It felt rough, course, and muddy, and he loved it. It was infinitely better then the crap back on Vega. After a few minutes, he put his shoes back on, picked up his bags, and ran to catch up with his parents.


         


           Within several hours, the colony was already coming along quite well. Two of the 3 defense turrets were already established and four of the Pre-Fabs, the important ones- science and medical and what-not- were already on the ground and set up, along with the Hesk habitat, which is easily the tallest building here at close to 200 feet tall. The storage sheds for food and what-not were being put together the old fashioned way. Now, it's time to bring down all the habitation pre-fabs. If they go non-stop with no breaks, it should be done by nightfall. That's gonna be rough.

           As the day went on, more and more colonists were dropped off at the location. The Argo was mostly empty of both at this point, so it wouldn’t be long before all were off the ship and on their new home. Soon, the pilots can start bringing down the remaining Pre-fabs.

           Waiting for his and his parents Pre-Fab to be dropped off, Bran wandered around the rim of the forest, taking in the many sites and sounds and smells. He could hear birds singing- at least he thinks they are birds- and felt a breeze slip though the leaves. This planet looks remarkably similar to Earth, at least what they were shown in old recordings and in history books. Now it’s a lifeless brown ball, but way back when, it looked like this.

           Within the treeline, he saw a animal slowly make its way though. It looked like a deer, but with 8 legs, a hump, and antlers as tall as the trees themselves. He sat down on a strange lump in the ground and pulled out a old leather journal that had been passed down in his family and a pencil and began sketching what he was seeing.

           The journal had been passed down from a ancestor on his mother’s side, who lived during the Wild West era of North America- he was in Jesse James’ posse. The journal had been preserved extensively over the millennia, eventually reaching him. The pages were replaced and the journal itself was now laminated to keep it from corroding, but the fact it still exists after so long is amazing.

           Back to the animal. It looked nothing like a Earth deer, but it moved with such majesty and grace, completely ignoring him and eating the grass. Bran sketched it with skill and precision, catching all the details of its look as he can. He also drew the forest around it and whatever sunlight was peeking though the foliage.

            As it went on, his drawing became more and more like a black and beige photo. It was so realistic; it looked like it was going to jump off the pages.

           “Not a bad looking drawing.” Someone said behind him. Bran nearly jumped out of his skin, dropping both journal and pencil, fearing there was a monster behind him, but luckily, it was just one of the security personnel- another Argalith, though smaller then Arlye. “You do that all by yourself?”

           “Un, yeah.” Bran said. He picked up the pencil and book and opened it back up to where he had it. “I’m self-taught.”

           “Wow. Not bad for a self taught kid.” He took a step forward to take a look, stepping on a twig and cracking it. The noise startled the deer and it ran off, much to Bran’s protest. “Whoops.” The guard went.

           Bran got up but it was already long gone. “Nononononono… awe, man…”

           “Sorry about that, but it was for the best.” Bran looked back and gave him a stare. “Arlye’s orders- nobody is to go into the forest until everything has been set up and it has been scouted. It’s for the safety of the colonists. You don’t want to be eaten by some random predator, do you?”

           Bran grumbled as he put his journal away. “I guess.” He said under his breath.

           “Good. Now come on.”

           Bran sighed as he got up- he was so close to finishing that sketch, too. “Fine.” He got up. “My butt has been killing me since I sat down.” He and the guard looked down at the rock and saw that it wasn’t a rock- it was metal with sharp points. “The heck? It’s metal?”

        The Argalith guard crossed his arms and slacked his jaw a ways. "Well, i'll be a monkey's uncle..."

 


           Moments later, Crox was looking at an update at to the construction of the new colony. It was coming along swimmingly. She was waiting for her Pre-Fab to arrive so she could go and get settled. The door to the security center opened up and the Scout was lifted in by the Argalith guard, several other guards, and Bran himself. They dropped it off on a table, panting heavily after lugging that large thing in. 

           Scouts are spherical robots as big as a dog and shaped like eyeballs with eyelids, with the ‘eyelashes’ serving as transceivers and point defense lasers, with the longer ones having small mechanical arms inside. They are designed to… well, it’s in the name. They are launched onto new worlds to assess the planet- is the atmosphere breathable, is gravity within living standards, is water drinkable, etc, etc, etc. This planet passed with flying colors. When a Scout is done scouting, they burrow into the earth and hide, passing off as a strange rock until it can be retrieved. 

           Crox put down the report and walked on over to it. “You found it!” She exclaimed. The guards and Bran were panting heavily, most had their hands on their knees. “Where was it and how did you find it, mr…?!”

           The Argalith stood up straight and stopped panting, even though he was still exhausted. “Private Coletan, ma’am. And it wasn’t me who found it. It was this kid.” He looked over to Bran, who had sat down in a chair without permission.

           “You found it?” Crox asked him.

           Bran felt like he was put on the spot, which he kinda was since the elected mayor of the new colony was looking right at her. “Un, yes, ma’am. I was out wandering to try and stave off my boredom when I saw this strange deer- a lot of legs and antlers as tall as the trees.” He pulled out his journal and flipped to the page he sketched it down in before handing it to her. “I sat down to sketch. After the big guy here came by and told me to stay in the perimeter, we saw that I sat down on this thing. Hurt like hell, too- I think one of the lashes poked through the skin of my butt.”

           Most of what he was saying was going in one ear and out the other as she flipped though his journal. There were more drawings in here then of the deer- there was the Argo, a couple of Adlez scavengers at work, a sword in a case at a museum, and that’s just scratching the surface. “These are all really good drawings. Who taught you?”

           Nervous and flustered, he fidgeted with his fingers. “Un, self-taught, actually. I started drawing when I, un, was in kindergarten and, un, I just never stopped. Un, that journal is actually a, un, family heirloom. It, un, belonged to a ancestor of mine who, un, ran in Jesse James’ gang.”

           Crox softly chuckled at his uneasiness. He must do terrible around higher-ups or when put on the spot with everyone looking at him, she thought. She closed the book and gave it back to him. “Amazed it survived 4000 years.”

           “You and me both.” He tapped his fingers on the laminated cover. “I’m, un… gonna go now…” He backed out the door and awkwardly walked away.

           “Well, he’s a bundle of nerves.” One of the guards commented.

           Another guard said, “He is a kid talking to who is essentially the queen of the colony, so it's not that surprising.”

           Crox turned back towards the Scout and walked over to it. “Alright, someone go get me one of the eggheads so he can crack this thing open and extract what’s inside.” One of the guards nodded before heading out to find one. This was going to eliminate a LOT of guesswork now.

 

           The day slowly moved along, eventually giving way to night. Florescent lights illuminated the now completed colony. All the Pre-Fabs and Colonists had been brought down and everything had been set up. The Pre-Fabs have been strategically positioned to provide the maximum safety for those who live here. From a distance, it resembled a castle- a castle that can come apart at will. The Argo had entered a stable orbit and the personnel took the last Beetle down to the planet to set up. The rest of the buildings, they'll bring down tomorrow. There was only one thing left to do now: CELEBRATE!!

           The good stuff was brought out as the colonists cheered their arrival to the new world. All the buildings were lit and there was music playing over loudspeakers thanks to one of the crew members. It took them 100 years, but they are now finally here on a lush new world for them to call home. They earned it.

           Bran wandered on the outskirts of the celebration, eating a piece of bread as he wandered around. He kept to himself as he watched everyone drink and have a good time. Most of them he doesn’t remember or know, but he knows they’re all from Vega- everyone here was from that garbage ball of a planet. It was mostly humans, around 98 percent, but there were some Argalith’s and some Kitsune’s, fair and immortal humanoid’s with the ears and tail of a fox that have been described as the Galaxy’s elves, some Adlez’, opportunistic scavengers who are really ugly but sublime when it comes to technology, and some Hesk. Since the last race lived in water, using their telepathy to create a constant ball for them to float in, a special Pre-Fab was packed for them to live in, filled to the brim with water.

           The colony was put up in a way that would take advantage of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. The Argaliths and Kitsunes, being the most powerful and durable, had their Pre-Fab homes placed in a rough circle around the rest, with space in between for the defensive turrets. The lone Hesk Pre-Fab was put in the dead center, since they are the weakest of them all. The Adlez was stuck within the human ones- other than being horrid to look at, they share similar biological processes with humans.

           As for the humans, most of theirs were stacked up on top of the other, with stairs connecting each one. There are a total of 7 stacks- the smallest stack is at 2 and the tallest stack was 9 Pre-Fabs high- converted, that would be around 144 feet. In the spaces that remained were storage sheds with freeze-dried food and plots of land that have been selected to become farmland. There is some room left over for the more fun things, but they will have to come later.

           Out of all 1462 colonists, 88 of them were Argalith, another 88 were Kitsune, 142 were Hesk, and 38 were Adlez. The remaining 1106 are human. And they are all fitting into this area that would be large enough to fit a small town, and they made it work. They fit all the Pre-Fabs in and have enough room left over for at least a dozen more and still have enough for many things they can’t think of right now because they are celebrating.

           Bran continued eating his piece of bread, leaning on the side of one of the storage sheds and keeping his distance from the crowds. He hates crowds.

           “We did it!”

           Dan appeared out of nowhere and hugged him around his throat, causing him to choke. “Bran, we did it! We made it and it is glorious!” He jumped up and fist-pumped.

           Bran continuously tapped him on the arm. “Yeah… super… Let me go!” He pushed him off and took a few deep breaths.

           Dan danced away with a huge grin on his face. “Heh. Sorry, but look at us, we made it to another planet in another galaxy! How can you not be excited?!” He spread his arms out and spun around.

           “I am excited. I just ran out of excitedness back on the ship.”

           Dan stopped spinning and gave him a scowl. “That’s not even a word.”

           “And yet, it’s still true. I ran out of excitement on the ship.”

           Dan rolled his eyes at that. That was such a big fat lie. “Wow, dude. That is a load of bull.” Bran just shrugged before sitting down on a crate and biting into his bread. “You get bummed so easily, you know that?”

           “I am well aware of that, yes.”

           The celebration was cut short, however, when Crox took to the center stage, which was just another Pre-Fab from the rooftops, and clapped her hands into the microphone, catching everyone’s attention with unexpected and terrible feedback. “Yeow… that hurt…” She rubbed her ears before clearing her throat and addressing all her fellow colonists.

           “Ahem. Friends and comrades, it has been 100 years since we departed from the Milky Way, to set out into the vast unknown that is the universe and colonize a new world so that our races may yet survive, and with this planet, we most certainly will. Thanks to the piloting skills of my husband Belfast…” The captain of the ship, a Kitsune with orange hair, walked up beside her and took a bow. “…we have made it to this: our new home. This is a victory to all of us! Celebrate and enjoy the years to come.” The crowd cheered loudly, raising glasses and food in gusto.

           “Now… that said, there are still tasks we must complete before we can truly call this world home, such as finding a water supply and discovering what flora and fauna exist, among many other things, but we can start those tomorrow, but I know that together, we can get it done in record time. Tonight, however, we can start one task: the naming of our new home, this small town we will build as well as the planet on which we now live. Think your name over and sleep on it and then bring it to me tomorrow. Afterwards, we shall vote on it.”

           The colonists were already at work, trying to come up with good names. They had to come up with two, for their colony and for the planet. The next day was going to bring some interesting ones out, but only one was gonna ring true.

           Belfast walked forward and took the microphone from her for a moment. “If I can have everyone’s attention avert to the sky, there is something you should see- something me and my crew witnessed as we came to this world. You all should enjoy it too- it’ll be our night sky for the foreseeable future.” He nodded to one of the guards. He nodded back and turned off the generator for the next few minutes, shutting off the lights and turning off the music.

           What they saw up above was nothing short of heavenly. They could dream of it, but to witness something like it first hand is… it’s sublime. The stars sparkled and danced in the skies above them in a dazzling display of light, coupled with the majesty and mystique that is the Andromeda Galaxy, all in its disk-shaped glory, and the planet’s own trio of moons circling above like gentle giants coupled with the rings. They felt so small compared to the grandiose majesty above, and yet, they couldn’t look away.

           It was a dazzling painting come painted by a grand master of the art come to life, and now, they lived under it. Bran’s eyes lit up as he looked at the heavenly display. He instinctively pulled out his journal and his pencil and began sketching away.

4: Chapter 3: The Girl with the Scale
Chapter 3: The Girl with the Scale

Chapter 3

The Girl with the Scale

2/7/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

          Sokuro giggled giddily to herself as she smiled widely, doing a little happy dance as she walked: she finally got one- after all these years, she finally got a scale- a special, one-of-a-kind, magic scale. She was one with the planet now, harnessing the energy that courses though it to become a Aerid, a highly sacred honor among the Ferids. And to top it all off, she was a Silver Aerid. Silver! That is the rarest form out of all of them and she is one of them. Legend says that if a Silver Aerid appears, a great change will follow every time. Thing is, it's a flip of the coin: it could be a good change or a bad change. She’s hoping to bring about good change, obviously, but what that would be, it's anyone's guess.

          But that was not even remotely near the front of her mind. She was still celebrating getting her new scale.

          “Hehehehehehehehehe…” She could barely contain her excitement as she walked down the path back to the orphanage with her brother and the other orphans. The rest of the adults were busy getting the village ready for the Ascension Festival tonight, to celebrate the new Aerids that had come. She needed to do something to release it. “?I have a scale! Scale scale scale. I have my own special scale!?” She jumped onto the nearest gaslight pole and swung around it. “?Greatest day eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!?”

          “Someone sure is happy.” Vela commented with a laugh. Vela was the son of Hela, headmistress of the orphanage, making him the only non-orphan living in the house; with his scales having a brown color scheme to them with a cloud-white overlay.

          Sokuro pushed herself off the pole and landed with ease and slid on her knees towards him. “Ooooof course I aaaaaaaaamm♥!!" She bounced up and shoved up against him from the momentum. "How could I not be?! Do you know how amazing this is? I am a Aerid now! A honest to goodness Aerid!! Woohoo!!!”

          “Wow.” Buron said with a laugh. She was a Gaharot like Vela- her scales were a dark red; lipstick red, to be precise- with a reddish brown overlay. But like the others, though, she was an orphan. “I have never seen you this excited before.”

          “Nor will you ever because I GOT MY OWN SCALE!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” She pushed off and danced around, her excitement bursting out of her uncontrollably.

          “Save some of it for the festival tonight.” Zelet said. Yet another Gaharot among them, this one more green in his color scheme. “You don’t want to tucker yourself out before the party, do you?”

          Sokuro tried to calm herself down, but she couldn’t. “I know, but I just cannot help myself. This is the greatest day of my life!!” She kissed the scale with a full peck of lips and spun around like a ballerina, holding it over her.

          “Is she ever gonna calm down?” Eriod wondered. She was a Ferid like Sokuro, but was two years away from getting a scale of her own- Sokuro is the first Ferid among the orphans to get her scale, and you could bet she was going to lord it over them. Eriod had blue hair, which went perfectly with her blue, fish-like tale.

          “I don’t think so.” Vela commented as they watched her dance around. “Poor thing is gonna poop herself out long before the festival tonight.”

          “I don’t understand why she’s so excited.” Vaset said. She’s the last Gaharot among them. Her scales all have a pinkish-vibe to them and she’s a bit of a snob. “So she can turn into a Aerid on a whim now- so what?”

          She was patted on the back by Eriod. “You wouldn’t understand. It’s a Ferid thing.” She said with a smug grin.

          “And something you won’t get for another cycle or two.” Vaset brutally mumbled back.

          That grin immediately faded as she looked at her with lidded eyes. “You are just a reeeeeeeeal party pooper, you know that Vaset?” Sparks shot between them.

          “oooooooooook…” Vela got in the middle of this, preventing an explosion between the two. “Go to your corners before you end up destroying someone’s wall. Again!” Sokuro skipped on by him, still as happy as a clam, completely unawares of the little fight. Vela rolled his eyes- now this has gone on long enough to become irritating. He yanked the scale out of her hands, making her stop.

          “Hey!” She exclaimed. She rushed to claim it back, but Vela kept her at bay with her left leg; the benefits of a perfect balance.

          He took a gander at it. “Doesn’t seem all that interesting. It looks like any other scale you’d see on another Aerid, or even a Cavelta Fish.”

          Sokuro tickled him underneath his leg, making him laugh and lose his composure. She used that to get her scale back. “No takesies!” She exclaimed angrily. She looked down at her scale. “It’s mine. It’s special.”

          “Specials putting it mildly.” Set said. She was a Ferid girl who was 3 years away from claiming her own scale. She has red hair and a big black tail. “I mean, you are a Silver Aerid, Sokuro. Silver! Do you know how important that is? It’s world changing!”

          Sokuro’s response was unexpected for someone who just had all that weight slapped on their shoulders as she gave Set a gigantic grin that encapsulated most of her face. “I know! Isn’t it exciting!?” She began to ponder long and hard what it would be. If this were a cartoon, a thought bubble would be appearing above her head. “Maybe I’ll discover a long lost civilization or prevent a falling star from hitting our village. OH OH OH!! Maybe I’ll stop a war!”

          “She’s certainly not wanting for an imagination.” Aka, Set’s perfect identical twin sister, said.

          “I’d call it delusions of grandeur.” Set muttered in her reply.

          After letting Sokuro have her little moment, they returned back to their home, the two-story lodge that was located on the edge of the village, half-nestled underneath a outcropping. It wasn’t much to look at, and it got cold during the freezing months, but it’s the only home they know and one they would never trade.

          Sokuro was the first one to enter, eager as a busy bee. She ran to the nearest chair and leaped onto it, skidding into the nearest bookshelf. “This is so amazing!” She laughed, kicking her legs like a toddler on a sugar high.

          “We know!!” Everyone exclaimed, having now gotten tired of hearing her never ending enthusiasm. They separated to go do their separate things: Vela went to the dining table to get a snack while the other Gaharots and Ferids went to the beanbag chairs near the fireplace to take a load off.

          Calming down a tad, Sokuro thought about what she would turn the scale into. Velx said that they can do whatever they want with it, so long as it stayed on their body at all times. The possibilities were endless: a necklace? Or maybe even a bracelet? Or maybe turn it into a cool visor? “Squeeeeeehehehehehehehehe…” She giggled loudly as she kicked her feet again.

          Vela went to the dining table and grabbed a piece of fruit when he saw that there was a package on it. It was made out of Iki leather and rope, and that stuff is not cheap, especially on the mainland. “Huh?” He picked it up and looked for a label. Finding it, it read it was addressed to Sokuro and Taled. “Hey, Sokuro. Taled.” He turned around to show it to them. “You got a package.”

          “A package?” Taled asked, getting up from the beanbag. “From who?”

          Vela shrugged. “Doesn’t say.”

          Sokuro yanked it out of Vela’s claws and took a gander at it. “Huh. Maybe it’s Headmaster Hela, congratulating me for my Ascension.”

          “Then why would it be labeled to me as well?” Taled asked.

          Sokuro looked back at the package and wonder why; that was a good question with only one answer. “Only one way to find out.” She stuck her scale in her mouth and bit down gently to keep it from dropping, and opened up the package carefully with her brother. Iki leather is very valuable- they could get a lot taking this in for trade. Once it was done, Sokuro spit the scale out of her mouth and into a free hand as she and her little brother looked at the contents. There were two items, again wrapped in Iki leather, along with a letter.

          “A letter?” She asked herself. Taled decided to handle the packages himself, climbing up onto a chair while she tended to the letter. She opened it up and read it aloud.

          “Our darling children, we set aside these gifts for when you would become come of age and become Aerids. These are heirlooms passed down in our family for generations, found over the eons. Their value his priceless, as is the love we have. We love you with all our hearts and pray you have a brighter tomorrow with this new gift you have been granted, our darling Sokuro and brilliant Taled.

          Love, Mom and Dad.”

          Shedding a single tear, Sokuro silently whimpered, making sure nobody heard. She reached up and clutched her mother’s burnt locket. “Mom… Dad…” Taled was crying as well, mostly because he never got to know them.

          “Whatever did happen to your parents?” Leoi asked. He’s the last Ferid among them and the only other boy other than Teled. He has grass green hair with a sharp tail. He could feel their eyes on them the moment he asked that question, but it wasn't his fault: he only moved to Misken last year. “What? I wasn’t here.”

          Sokuro and Taled shared somber glances with each other; it was difficult to talk about for them. Nobody else had the courage to talk about it either. “They died in a house fire.” Except for one: Hela, the Gaharot headmaster of the orphanage, said as she entered through the door. She had a neon-yellow scale color with a darker yellow overlay. She also had feathers sticking out from behind her head, and she is also 4 months pregnant with her second child. Gaharot pregnancies last 5 months, so she’s close. “A stray ember from Mocurot Crater caught their house and it went up in smoke. Sokruo and Taled were able to make it out alive, but their parents…. They weren’t so lucky. That was 4 years ago- Taled was still but a baby then.”

          Now Leoi felt guilty for bringing up such a sensitive subject. “Oh… sor, sorry I asked.”

          “It… It’s ok.” Sokuro said. Her voice quivered a bit, but she was alright. She had moved on from mourning. Mostly. Now she carries around her mom’s burnt locket as a keepsake and for remembrance. She wiped her eyes and asked, “Do you know what these are, Hela?," gesturing to the packages.

          “Yes. When Taled was born, they set aside some keepsakes for you both; from what they told me, it was a tradition that went back generations. What they left, I don't know- all they told me was that it was to be saved until your Ascension Ceremony and your Birthday, and as we are celebrating your birthday early, I figured it was a good time to bring them out."

          “Guess that explains the letter then.” She grabbed one of the packages and Taled took the other. “Well… best see what Mom and Dad left us.” 

          Sokuro was the first to open hers. It was a vase, with ancient writing written all around it, along with several drawings and murals. “It’s… it’s a vase.” She said unenthused.

          “A very old one at that.” A intrigued Hela said. “And it looks like it is written in ancient Atylafon Script. That language hasn’t been used in eons, not since the fall of the Gaharot Empire.” And still untranslated; the language written upon it was so foreign and unlike their other written languages, it remained untranslated even to this day.

          “It’s…. still a vase.” She continued on in a drone-ish tone. Since she’s a kid, she doesn’t understand the value of such an antique. She will soon, though. “All the things they could’ve left us from that treasure trove and it’s… a vase.”

          “Treasure trove?” Leoi asked again.

          “They were excavators of ancient ruins; archeologists.” Buron whispered in response. “Their house was loaded with priceless artifacts.”

          “Oh.”

          Sokuro put the vase down on the table and pouted in her chair, crossing her arms and puffing her lips and cheeks. Hela grabbed the vase and took a gander at it. “I don’t know. This could be a really important vase. If it is as old as we think, it may hold some valuable information from way back when. Maybe someone in Xoelsa can figure it out what it is.”

          Sokuro could care less. She waved a finger over her head while responding in a deadpan tone, “Whoopie… I could really care less.” How respectful to her dead parents, Hela rudely thought. She rested her head on the table before looking to her brother. “What else was there, Taled?”

          He opened up his package and pulled out three items; the first was a strange ornate dagger with encrusted jewels in the scabbard. The second was a strange lithograph of a creepy looking bird-Aerid creature thingie, and a framed painting of the two of them with their parents. It was done a couple weeks after Taled was born as he was still a baby in the painting.

          He set that aside so he could look at the artifacts. “Well… these are strange.”

          “Quite a pretty looking dagger.” Vela said as he walked around to take a gander at it. “I never saw so many jewels in my life.”

          Taled tried to pull it out, but he couldn’t. It felt like it was stuck. He pulled and struggled with all his might, but all it resulted in was him making funny faces. “EEERGH!!! Hrrrrrruuuuu….! HIiiiiiiing!! I think this is rusted shut or something- I can’t get it out.”

          “Un… try pressing that.” Vela said, pointing to a button on the side of the hilt.

          Taled flipped the dagger till he found it and then pressed it. He pulled again and it came out easily. “Huh. I didn’t know daggers had that."

          “They usually don’t.”

          He set that aside for now and picked up the lithograph of the strange, creepy monster. It looked like a Aerid, and yet not like an Aerid. It had a long serpentine tail longer then it’s body, foreboding red wings, a strong body covered in green feathers, claws and feet like a Gea’s, sharp looking antlers, and the head of a Ferid with a loooooong and full beard and razor sharp teeth.

          A visibly scared Taled put it on the table facedown, panting heavily as swear dripped down his brow. “Holy Velk… this is frightening.”

          Sokuro took the lithograph and took a look at it. She felt a shiver go down her spine; it looked like it was staring into her very soul. “I’ll admit, it’s…. creepy and soul piercing, but it’s not that scary.” She showed it to Hela. “See?”

          Hela took a look and felt the same feeling Sokuro got. Her unborn child must’ve gotten the same chills too as she felt it move like it was scared. “That’s… certainly scary.” At this point, the rest of the orphans had gathered to take a look at it, getting the same exact reaction. Some, like Aka, felt nauseous after looking at it.

          “Why would mom and dad leave us that?” a frightened Taled asked.

          “I don’t know and I don’t want to know.” She set the picture back down on the table, facedown, so she could catch her breath. She then noticed there was writing on the back of it. It was the same tongue as on the vase. “There’s writing on this thing.” She said. There’s only a few words, but she can’t understand any of them- nobody can. "Of course it's writing nobody understands... looks nothing like Atylafon, though."

          “Wish we knew what these were saying.” Vela said as he looked at them.

          “Very strange gifts for your parents to leave you on your Ascension day, Sokuro.” Zelet said as she took a gander at the knife.

          “On brand for them, honestly.” Sokuro went on to say. “They still could’ve left us something a bit more interesting, though.”

          “There's no need to be so rude about it." Hela harshly retorted, making Sokuro sink in her seat. "Strange as they are, these are interesting items.” Hela said as she looked at the artifacts. “These are ancient, priceless artifacts and.... one disturbing picture. You may not know it today, but someday in the future, you will. There is power in knowledge.”

          “Yaaaaaaawn….” Sokuro went, holding her hand over her mouth. “If you say so.” She tiredly said. “But I’m too tired to care.”

          “Gee, I wonder why you are tired…” Eriod listlessly said. Everyone knows why she’s feeling tired and snickered. “Could it be all the jumping and hollering and overzealous cheering you did walking home? Or your first transformation and flight?”

          “I’d say all of the above.” Zelet said under her breath.

          Sokuro yawned as she slid off the chair. She grabbed her scale and headed for bed. “I’m gonna go grab some shut-eye. I feel completely drained.”

          “Well, today was your first transformation.” Hela said. “From what I hear, the first transformation is the most tiring.”

          “And you did do some fancy flying for a first-timer.” Set added. “Not even the other new Aerids this Ascension did the same moves you did.”

          Eriod repeated what she said earlier, “And add to the fact that you did do a lot of whooping and hollering on the way back to the orphanage.” 

          Sokuro yawned again as she waved her hand behind her, getting them to stay quiet. “Whatever you say… I just need a nap…” She finished the yawn and shook her head. “Wake me up with the celebration starts.” She headed up the stairs towards her room.

          Reaching it after slogging though the hallway, she entered her dark room and strode past Vela's bed to the one she and Taled share. She fell down onto her soft, feather-blanketed, meshin-filled bed, huffing like the exhausted girl that she is. The scale glowed in her hand as she fell asleep upon contact.

 

          Back in the village, decorations were being set up in and near the town square, halfway between the upper part of the mesa and the steep dropoff. In the center of the square was a pyre, organized into a pyramid-like structure. Banners were hung up in the streets around it whilst stalls for games and food were being set up. It was a huge deal when someone becomes a Aerid; its proof that they have Ascended and become one with the soul of the planet.

          The chief of Misken was overlooking the preparations, making sure everything was in order. A tall and burly man at the Earth-age of 44 with a thick red feathered tail, Chief Inoute is a respected leader. The prosperity he had brought was unseen in Misken's long history on this subcontinent. He had brokered seemingly impossible agreements with neighboring tribes and is one of the key figures pushing for an end to the Janissary situation on the mainland though diplomacy, not violence. That last one was easier said than done, but that is a story for another time, so he had turned his attention to ending the slave trade in Roko Harbor instead, the only spit of land Bokurol has here.

          He walked down the streets leading to the town square with his second, a silver-colored Gaharot male with a grey overlay named Ifil, following behind him with a list in his right hand and a Gea quill in his left. They walked passed huts and sheds as they were being decorated with the symbols of their ancestors.

          “Tell me, Ifil, how go the preparations?” He said with a calm, yet intimidating voice. He has seen a lot and experienced a lot.

          “They are proceeding quite way, Chieftain.” Ifil replied. His voice was soft-spoken, making him hard to hear at times, especially in a crowded room with a lot of loud people. He may not be loud, but he is tactful. “In fact, I think they may almost be done setting up.”

          “Really? This early?”

          “Well, they have good reason to putting in extra effort. It’s not every day you see a Silver Aerid, and with it being from our tribe... well, you can piece it together."

          Inoute silently exclaimed. “Ah, yes. One of the new ascended Ferids. She is that orphan girl- Sokuro, was it?” Ifil nodded in confirmation. “Yes, I’m surprised she’s a Silver Aerid too. I’m sure everyone in town is as well, especially our guests from Meoho, Roko, Toto, and Mocurot."

          Ifil nodded again before thinking about the many stories he heard of them when he was young- how Silver Aerids are immensely powerful and are equivalent to their gods in terms of sheer power. “Is it true what they say, about how a Silver Aerid brings about world-shattering changes?”

          “I wouldn’t call them world-shattering changes, but yes, when a Silver Aerid is Ascended, they usually bring about something that changes the course of Dragenia forever, for better or for worse. You can’t help but wonder what a girl like her will bring to the table.”

          “.... Sir, you literally just described what a world-shattering change is." Guess he did, Inoute chuckled. "But yes, time will tell, sir. Time will tell. Let’s just hope the change is a good one, and not something that set Dragenia’s progress back a few centuries like the last one.” Inoute shivered as he felt a chill go down his spine, thinking of the last Silver Dragenia had:

        Xelut, a sadistic and villainous Silver Aerid who grew up spoiled and rotten to the core. He turned the Myotic Empire into a savage tyranny that enslaved the entire Gaharot population. Thankfully, the Gods were able to assist the people in overthrowing their tyrant in a bloody war that destroyed that kingdom. The kingdom was divided into smaller republics, empires, and kingdoms since then, with Myotic, now renamed to Bokurol after the king that led the charge, being what remains of that former global power. Xelut was of course killed, but his slave trade sadly remains. That was 500 years ago and now serves as a cautionary tale. Some scholars say a mysterious being corrupted him, since diary entries always mentioned a strange cloaked being by his side at all times, but it’s usually fallen by the wayside as an excuse to his terrible behavior.

          “Let’s change the subject before I retreat to my bed.” Inoute demanded. “Is there any other news to report today? Anything more pleasant that that trip through history?”

          “There is a few things, yes.” Ifil looked though his list. “I’m sure you saw it during the ceremony, but just in case, the Chief of the Qout Tribe couldn’t make it- he had fallen ill.” Inoute honestly did not. “The food stores are running low on fruits, one of the Gaharot docks are infested with bugs, and, oh yeah… a couple of fishermen have reported seeing bubbles in the ocean waters just off shore. They think it’s the Phagos.”

          Inoute groaned loudly upon hearing that name. The Phagos is a nasty beast that always reeks havoc whenever it appears. Thankfully, it wasn’t able to get to their village yet. That doesn’t mean the other villages were as lucky. “Damn, those things is all sorts of scary.”

          “Indeed it is, but it seems to be asleep, according to the fisherman’s report. The bubbles were coming up in on spot in a steady pace. They kept an eye on this for 3 days, meaning that it is in hibernation.”

          It’s not the best good news, but he’ll have to take it. “Well… at least that will give us time to prepare for when it awakes.”

          Ifil nodded before taking a few steps ahead. “Should I tell the other chieftains?”

          Inoute shook his head, stopping him from going. “No. We’ll tell them tomorrow. Today is a day of celebration. Five new Aerids have joined us today, including a legendary Silver one. Let them have the glory and focus today.”

          Ifil nodded. “Yes, Inoute.”

          They began walking back towards the town square, where they saw banners and streamers with the various tribe sigils painted on them. “Is there anything else on the list I should know about?” Inoute asked.

          “Nothing that requires your immediate attention, sir. Most of these problems can be put off until tomorrow. Like you said, today belongs to the new Ascended children. They’ve taken a huge leap today, and we know one of them will have a interesting life going forward.”

          “Yes, I know. That's why i want them to have their fun before things change.” He headed on towards the town square to see how the preparations were coming along for the celebration. He saw that the bonfire was complete, waiting to be lit. The banners were hung up with care with the wind gently flapping them. A puppet show was being set up near the docks, the bazaar was being set up with food stalls, game stalls were being set up, and the Gaharot ships docked in port were being decorated, with one getting extra fancy and ornate for a reason that will be explained later.

          Inoute nodded to himself with a smile. Things were coming along swimmingly. He clapped his hands, getting the attention of everyone around him. “Alright, alright, alright. Things are coming along well. Much faster than last cycles, too.”

          “Well, this is a special one, chief.” A Ferid villager replied from atop of watchtower, letting a large blue banner hang down. “We have a Silver Aerid in our village! A Silver; how lucky are we to get that in our lifetime, and from our village no less?”

          Inoute nodded in agreement with his arms crossed. “I am well aware of that; I was there too. What happened earlier was special and marks a interesting time for our small village, to be sure, but do not forget, we have other ascended Ferids today. The focus cannot be on just our new Silver Aerid alone. Yes, this is gonna be a interesting time going forward, but for tonight, it’s a celebration for all those who had Ascended today. So tonight, let’s let loose and have fun with it.” The crowd of volunteers whooped before getting back to work.

          “You sure do have a way with words, sir.” Ifil commented.

          “I try.” He went over to one of the stalls in the bazaar and saw that one of the cooks was already starting to set stuff out for the celebration. “A bit pre-mature on setting things out, aren’t you Zel?”

          The Ferid owner of the stall got up from below, clapping flour off his hands. He is 33 in Earth years and has a thick red beard in braids, with a equally impressive muscular yellow tail. “When it comes to cooking Alkoza, you need all the time you can get.”

          Inoute lifted an eyebrow, sensing something a bit off with that. “… I’ve had Alkoza- it doesn’t take that long to make. You just coat Gea steaks in flour and then flambé them with some Aerid flames. Right?”

          “Hohoho… not the way I make it.” He brought up a jar filled with oil from Belu Trees: they are Dragenia’s version of palm trees, with the fruit produced being a crossbreed between coconuts and bananas. “I learned this while at the Aliute Islands last cycle. Up until they actually cook it, the process is pretty much the same. They cook this stuff by dipping it in Belu Oil and heating that up. Done in a flash.”

          “That can’t be possible.” Ifil protested. “Even with Aerid heat, they take at least 4 minutes.”

          “Not with this stuff.” He patted the side of the jar. “It can take 30 seconds with this at the right temperature. I’m gonna sell’em like hot cakes.” He brought out a tray with two different batches- one baked the normal way and the other baked the Aliute way. “I cooked this just a few hours ago and they are still warm. Here. Try a bite.”

          Inoute shrugged, seeing no problem with this, and took samples from both batches. He ate the normal way one first. Nothing unusual here, though a little heavy on the herbs. He then tried the fried batch and it tasted amazing! It was Mana from Heaven good. The crispiness and the texture was very different from the usual way he’s used to. "Oh… Oh, wow! That is really good! And they cook it in oil?”

          “Yep. Makes it crisper, huh?”

          Inoute licked his lips, wanting more, but he doubted there were gonna be more free samples. “You said it. Ifil, try a bite.”

          He did, to see what all the hullabaloo was about. the first bite and his claws twitched as he slobbered. “Oh…. Oh, that is gooooood.”

          Zel grinned as he snickered. “Told ya. I’m telling you, I’m gonna make a lot of Sel’s selling this stuff. I may’ve hit on a gold mine.”

          Inoute held up a finger to stop him for a moment until he stopped chewing. “Now now, hold on. I said it was good- I don’t think you have a money making machine here. Don’t forget, people have diverse tastes- some don’t even eat meat.”

          “Crazies.” Ifil commented. His race are carnivores to the core. The only fruit or vegetable they like to eat is Pogane- think of that as a blue orange with a heavy salty taste. Ferids are omnivores- they’ll eat what they can get their hands on.

          Zel heard what he was saying, but he strongly believes this will make him some major moolla. “… no, I think I have a surefire thing. Ok, so I won’t become a rich tycoon, but I should get at least halfway there with this.”

          Inoute took another free sample. “If you set up a restaurant in the right city on the mainland, then yes.” He plopped it in his mouth and savored it this time.

 

          Back up at the temple, the burnt torches were being taken down by Velx’s handmaiden, a gold scaled, violet overlay Gaharot female by the name of Fayin. Every god had their own personal handmaiden that they pick when the recent one dies. Velx chose her several years ago, after his last handmaiden died to old age. It’s usually a Ferid that is chosen, but Velx had a soft spot for Gaharots. Fayin is around 13 years in Earth age, which you'd think would mean she was a child. Not so much.

          As for Velx, he was resting on top of his temple, resting his head atop his front paws, reflecting on the events of the day. This is the first Silver Aerid he had produced. The other Astrals had produced at least one- Voul, their king, produced two- so this was a big day for him too. But that girl he elevated... everyone was going to know her and wonder what she would bring to the world.

          “Her life is never going to be the same after the day is done…” He muttered to himself, under his breath.

          “What was that, m’lord?” Fayin asked as she walked up the stairs towards his alter at the top of the temple, carrying the burnt torches.

          “Just talking to myself. And thinking about what’s going to happen after tonight.”

          “Really?” She inquisitively asked as she sent the burnt torches down on a outcropping under the alter. “You never thought of it before. You just Ascended the kids of the cycle and let that be that.”

          He lightly nodded along. “Yes, but this cycle is… special.”

          She tilted her head in puzzlement before recalling the ceremony. There was certainly someone special among the new ascended. “Oh… of course. The Silver Aerid girl." Velx nodded again. "Right, that is a big deal. It has been a long time since Dragenia had a Silver Aerid, hasn’t it?”

          Velx nodded. “Indeed. The last was Xelut, a psychotic madman that required our intervention to eliminate.” He looked over towards the village. “Thankfully, the girl is nothing like him.”

          “Who is she, anyway?”

          As he was a God, Velx had a connection to everyone on the planet, both born and unborn. He blinked and his eyes turned a golden-brown. He could feel their life force and sense their auras from all corners of the globe. Her Aura was, of course, Silver colored... whereas before, it was just a plain ol' brown, like every pre-Ascended Ferid. “Her name is Sokuro. She lives with her younger brother at a small orphanage. She is gentle, yet rambunctious. Good, yet wild.”

          Tapping her claws against a torches pole, she thought up, “So… a basic, ordinary kid.”

          He nodded in agreement. “To be fair, yes. But I sense that she has conviction and morals, especially for that young a age. She won’t be another Asaip, that is for sure.”

          Asaip? Fayin never heard that name before. He probably meant Xelut and misspoke, she figured. She started down back down the stairs to grab the last of the torches. “… If I may be blunt, she did seem a bit young to become a Aerid.”

          “She was mature enough to undergo Ascension. Her day of birth is only a few small weeks away, so nobody wanted her to wait to wait a whole Cycle, and I wasn't going to let wait either. She may be younger then normal, but she was ready."

          She picked up one of the torches- whoever was near this had cracked it near the base. “I just feel like you brought her into a world she wasn’t ready for. Being a Aerid is a big deal- they’re closer to the gods, t-to you. And now on top of that, she is the new Silver Harbinger. You don’t think that’s a bit much for a kid like her to have on her shoulders?”

          Velx lifted up his head in irritation. He didn’t plan for her to become what she is now. “… I didn’t plan for her to become a Silver Aerid. The form a Ferid is granted are entirely at random. The boy next to her could’ve become a Silver Aerid or one of the Ascended from last year. If we were able to choose, we sure as Umatz wouldn’t have chosen Xelut.”

          She wasn’t buying it. They have to have some say in who gets what. “I still feel like you had some control in it.”

          “Well, if I did, I--” He sensed something strange in the world. Something had just appeared in his senses, making him lift his head up and shake it to try and clear it up. In a instant, thousands of souls had appeared not far from them. Their auras felt strange and not of this world. There were too many to try and ascertain, so he exited his sensory mode, his eyes turning back to normal.

          Fayin heard him stop talking, asking her turn around to see him upright and pondering to himself. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

          He shook his head again. Something strange had just happened. In the brief seconds he had it activated, he could sense they are close- somewhere on this sub-continent. “It… sorry. I thought I heard one of the others call me, but I was mistaken. A bug had entered my ear.”

          Her face twisted in disgust as she stuck her tongue out. “Ew. Those suck.” She went to go pick up the last remaining torch.

          Velx ignored her on that last part and looked out towards the horizon, wondering how thousands of souls could just magically appear out of thin air. In the brief seconds he had sensed them, he sensed that most of them were like the Ferids, but not quite. Others weren’t even like Ferids at all. “(That was most strange…)” He thought to himself. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before laying back down. It wasn’t important right now. Today belongs to the new Ascended. He can always investigate tomorrow.

          If he had kept his head up for a few moments longer, he would’ve seen several metallic vessels descend from the clouds and hover above the treeline. The people in the village don’t notice it because their village faces away from it, towards Dragenia’s version of the northwest direction. The strange flying contraptions was southeast and the view that way was blocked by a risen steppe on the mesa.

       

          Within hours, with the sun starting to set and painting the sky in a orange twilight, the celebration kicked off. Misken was packed with Ferids and Gaharots from neighboring villages, celebrating another year passed and more Ferids Ascending into Aerids, and the coming of the new Silver.

          Speaking of the Silver Aerid, Sokuro walked down one of the busy streets with Taled, Vela, and Set, eating a leg of Kra cooked to perfection. Kras are giant frog-like creatures the size of a lamb that can hop for miles on end. Their meat is also delectable, compared to Earth steak in terms of taste. The others were having some as well. The other orphans went off to do their own thing.

          When she woke up, Sokuro began modifying her scale so that she wouldn’t have to carry it in her hands all the live-long day. She went simple, poking a hole on the edge and slipping some string though it, turning it into a necklace that hung behind her mother’s locket. It was cold to the touch on her skin, but she quickly got used to it. She ditched the ceremonial robes she had been given and dressed back in something more comfortable: her dress with the purple hood.

          She took a big bite out of her Kra leg and looked around at the vibrant festivities. “So what should we do first?” She said with her mouth full. “You guys wanna play Whack-a-Phagos? Or maybe go catch that puppet show?”

          All viable options… for them. Sokuro had other things she needed to do and they all knew it, but she wanted to have fun. “Shouldn’t you be with the other new Aerids?” Set asked. “Isn’t it tradition for you guys to get to know each other at the temple and getting ready to bring in the new cycle?”

          “Bleh bleh bleh, I got plenty of time. I’ll get there with time to spare. Besides, I missed lunch with my nap and I am starving! No way I’m doing that on a empty stomach.” Sokuro took a big bite of the leg. “No way.”

          Set held up her hands, feeling like she asked something wrong. “I was just saying. Sheesh. Don’t bite my head off.” She popped some candy into her mouth- little balls of sugar shaped like their interpolation of what stars look like. Theirs is more aesthetically pleasing, appearing as a shooting star. She looked over to Sokuro again, who was trying to decide what game to play. “… You know… things aren’t going to be the same.”

          Sokuro turned towards her. “Huh?”

          “You’re a Silver Aerid. Do you know how important that is? You have the whole world’s future on your shoulders, and you don’t even know what that is. To top it off, people from all over are gonna come to ask for your assistance in matters you shouldn’t be involved in.”

          Sokuro’s response to all that: a big fat mouth fart. She held her hand over her mouth and gave a loud ‘pbbbbbbbbt’. “You need to get out of the gloom, Setty.” She zipped over to Set and put her arm around her shoulders. “Come back into the sunlight and have fun.”

          This took a turn for the weird. “Un, beg pardon?”

          “I’m not going to let some new form tell me what I can and can’t do. So I’m the Silver- big freakin’ whoop. ‘Let me drop everything I do & am and become a completely different person.’ Yeah, I’m gonna have to go with no. I ain’t letting this get me down. Un-un… I’m still the same ol' girl I was this morning. I just got an awesome new look. I’m gonna let all this responsibility be Old Lady Sokuro’s problem- let her worry about it 50 cycles down the road.” She pushed off Set towards the nearest candy stall.

          Set stood where she was, blinking in abstract confusion. “Un… did what she said make any sense?”

          “Nope…” Vela said.

          “…Kinda.” Taled added, waving his hand in a balancing act.

          Getting some candy, Sokuro ran by. “I think I saw Karn Darts.” She ran off towards the docks, where a bow and arrow game was being played.

          The goal is to shoot your arrow though various hoops dangling from airships, scoring points. The smaller the hoop, the more points you claim. You have to get the most points you can in a minute. The arrowheads were removed from the arrows, so there’s no fear of someone accidentally shooting someone else or getting someone who may be down at the bottom of the mesa.

          “Yes, 20 points.” Sokuro cheered as one of her arrows was sent though. She fired again, only this one fell short. She tried again and again but every arrow went in every other direction but the hoop. She got lucky the first time, but these other times… yeah, she was messing up bad.

          In the end, she only had 23 points. She hung her head in shame as she whined loudly. “Darn iiiiiiiiiiit….. I suuuuuuuuuuck…” She tossed the bow down before heading back to her friends in a walk of shame.

          “Well, it could’ve been worse.” Vela said in a sarcastically sympathetic tone. “You could’ve gotten… no points. Big fat zilch.”

          Sokuro looked up at him with contempt in her eyes. “Keep one eye open while you sleep.” She hissed. Vela could not tell if she was joking or not, so he took a few steps back and hid behind Taled and Set.

          Set tapped her foot on the ground, feeling aggravated that she is being used as a shield. “On that… lovely note, you really should get to the other Ascended. If you don’t bring in the new cycle with them, the Chiefs will get mad.” She said as she crossed her arms.

          Sokuro made a raspberry noise with her tongue again. “Oh, fine… it’s not like we need to rehearse it- we’ve seen it done dozens of times before in the past.”

          "9 times." Vela held up a single claw, interjecting, “And you were an attention span-less tyke. Heck, you still have no attention span.”

          She scoffed that off. “That is not true. I—oh, guys, look, a cute wittle baby.” She bounced on over to a small wooden stroller that had a baby Ferid in it.

          The three of them facepalmed. “Case in point.” They all moaned.

          Sokuro grumbled as she glanced back at her friend in irritation. “Fine fine fine. I’ll get going. Party pooper.” She hissed like a cat. “But you better save me a Calo! If I miss out on one like last Cycle, heads will roll!!” She exclaimed before running off to get to the other Ascended.

          "Then she'll be upset I hid this from her, huh?" Taled snickered as he pulled a big piece out from behind his back. A Calo is a piece of pure sugar fried to a crisp. Their sugar is actually healthy, hosting a wide array of benefits. It’s made from a plant of the same name known for the health benefits that they can muster. It’s a miracle flora, used in medicines and culinary dishes, such as frying extracted sugar until it’s crispy. Best way to eat it. That and in a sweet candy form.

       "Very." Vela and Set said as they snapped off some pieces of it.

 

          The other kids that claimed their Aerid forms were onboard the fancifully decorated Gaharot airship currently docked at the furthest-most dock, facing eastward towards the rest of the land. Amz was sitting on the guard rail while Gellna, Allad, and Temz sat on the deck, looking at scripts for the skit they are to do. Well, not so much a script, more like pictures with directional arrows; some reason, bringing in the new cycle involved a intricate dance.

          “They expect us to do this?” Gellna commented, looking at what they have to do. “When we barely know how to use our new forms?”

          “The past new Aerids were able to do it and most of them really good.” Amz commented while hanging upside down off the guardrail. “Especially last years- that was close to perfection.”

          “Plus, ours is going to be special.” Temz added.

          “Speaking of which, where is that girl?” Allad asked as he looked around. “Wasn’t she supposed to be here?”

          “Why would she come? She’s super important now.” Gellna commented with bitter distaste and contempt in her voice. “She probably thinks us common folk are beneath her now." The other kids looked at her with perplexed faces; they just met today, so why is Gallna so moody? "I know how her kind work. She’s gonna pretend we don’t exist.”

          The other three looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. She is talking about Sokuro, right? The girl who went on her own little flight during their inaugural flight to get everyone's attention, who was so upbeat and cheerful and ready to burst from the hype- that girl? “Un… sure we’re talking about the same girl?”

          Before Gallna could answer, Sokuro came running up the ramp and slid on the recently swabbed deck. “Sorry I’m late.” She panted. “I took a nap that went on longer then it should have… then I got so caught up in the games and I had to make sure my brother doesn’t take the last Calo. If he does, I’m gonna bean him.”

          “Well, you’re here now.” Amz said. "No fuss now."

          “And you do know we can go celebrate after we do the skit, right?” Temz asked.

          Sokuro stayed still and silent, pursing her lips. “…… well, now I do.” She sheepishly meeped.

          “Just don’t hold us back, Silver.” Gallna scoffed with scorn as she walked over to Temz’s side.

          Sokuro scratched the side of her head with a single finger. “What’s her deal?” 

          “Ah, it’s nothing.” Allad said, waving all that off. “I think she’s just jealous that she’s not the Silver Aerid and you are.” Gallna scoffed as she turned her head away with puffed up cheeks.

          “Well, it’s not like I planned on getting it.” Sokuro said. Gallna ignored her. “It’s all totally random- everyone knows that.”

          “How does it feel?” Temz interrupted. It was clear anything Sokuro would say was gonna fall on deaf ears on Gallna’s part. “Being a Silver Aerid, I mean.”

          To be honest, it didn’t feel all that special. She felt the same as always. “mmm…… not as different from being a normal Aerid, I guess. We all have the same scales. I don’t feel any different than I am right now. All I feel is that I am bigger, I can fly, and I can do a number of crazy powers and moves.” She thought to when she first transformed, when she felt like she was getting generations worth of information in that instant. “Hey…. When you guys first transformed, did you get some sort of… help?”

          “Help?” The three boys repeated. Gallna slowly turned her head, wondering what she meant by that.

          “Like someone or something was teaching you everything it means to be an Aerid- how to fly, use the elements, and all that other good stuff?”

          “Eh… Kinda, yeah.” Amz and Allad said said. Temz wiggled his hand, suggesting he didn’t really get any help or doesn’t remember. Gallna stayed silent, but her eyes moved like she was thinking about it, meaning yes she did know.

          “Huh. So it wasn’t just me.” She sat down on the deck as Temz passed her the script for the skit. She grabbed it and flipped through it. She remembers this from the last few cycles she saw it. She knows how they did it by heart; she has seen it that many times. “I don’t need it.” She tossed it behind her. “I’ve seen the skit performed so many times, I can get it with my eyes closed.”

          Allad leaned forward, resting his head on his hands. “You do know that half of those times, you were a little baby, right? I can barely remember my time in the crib, let alone remembering 9 Ascension Day skits.”

          “Ah, but you don’t have an eidetic memory.” Sokuro said, lightly tapping her own head. “I remember everything in clear picture perfect detail, from my birth to my first solid food to what I had for lunch yesterday- a Gea thigh with a nice glaze, slow cooked on a open fire, with a side of berries and vegetables. It is both a gift… and a... and a curse....” Her mind slipped back to the day her parents died. She shook her head and got rid of that thought before it became something. She’s thankful Taled doesn’t have an eidetic memory like her, otherwise he’d never sleep. “So, what’s up with all of you? Where did you guys come from? I’ll start us off. I grew up here in Misken with my little brother Taled. Our parents were archeologists who found many artifacts from the many civilizations before Xelut. Now they…” The thought was returning but she pushed it out. “… Now they only live in my memories.” She shook her head again. “But that was cycles ago. What about you guys?”

          Amz was the first to respond. “I’m from Toto village. We live far to the east. We don’t live on a grand mesa like you, but instead we live in buildings carved and built into the side of a canyon wall. It’s quite a view during the sunrise.”

          Temz was next. “I live in the same place.”

          “Well, duh, you’re my twin brother.” Amz said jokingly. Temz stuck his tongue out.

          Allad burst up off the deck and up onto the railing. “I am from Meoho village! We are well known for being some of the fastest fliers in the world! There is nothing we cannot outrun. The winds from the mountains make for a excellent racecourse and training ground. WHOO!!! That’s gonna be so awesome when I get home and run the Koloron! That’s gonna be awesome!”

          “Calm down there, big guy.” Temz joked. “You are still new at the whole flying business- we all are. I don’t think your chief will let you fly that… Koloron thingie before you got some practice in.” That made Allad pout, puffing up his cheeks in protest. “Guess that leaves you, Gallna. Where are you from?”

          If it was Sokuro who asked, she would’ve ignored her. After all, getting to know each other in this ridiculous farce was her idea. But she decided to agree to Temz’ request. “If you must know, I am from Roko Harbor. I am sure you have heard of it.”

          “Un, yeah.” Everyone said. Roko Harbor is the biggest city on this sub-continent; It’s the only big city on the sub-continent and it’s the only territory the Bokurol Empire has here. As stated earlier, the sub-continent is far, far out into the boondocks. Barely anyone comes here for pleasure. The harbor, known for being a wild and crazy place that is too crowded, is the only way to get to the mainland. There are…… several obstacles keeping fliers like the Aerids and Gaharot airships from crossing.

          Gallna snickered internally. Now she has a leg up on Sokuro. “Well… my father is the magistrate there. So, in a way, I am nobility of the Myotic Empire.”

          “Whoa.” The four others said in surprised unison. “Cool.” Though Sokuro did spot the discrepancy: the Myotic Empire ended with Xelut. Now the remnants called Bokurol. Did she misremember the names, or... They felt the ship shift and shudder as the propellers began to crack to life. They looked up and saw them begin to spin.

          Sokuro got up off the deck and cracked her back. “Guess it’s time.”

 

          The day quickly turned into night. The torches and bonfires were lit up, bathing the village in a nice, warm, earthy glow. In the skies far above them, the three heavenly moons hovered in the sky, along with the ring of ice and rock that circled the planet. And beyond even them, Alafarn, the Grand Heavenly Light, encompassed them all, bathing the land in a unearthly glow.

          “So when are they supposed to start?” Aka asked the rest of the orphans, who had relocated to a little park in order to eat and get the best look.

          A white light shot up into the air from below the mesa, exploding into a grand white display of particles and embers in the shape of the symbol of the gods: a curled Aerid biting its tail.

          “I’d say right now.” Buron said, popping some candy dots into her mouth. The village stopped what they were doing so that they could enjoy the show. Velx stood atop his temple. He had a minor role to play, but it’s one he takes in pride.

          Velx spread his wings as wide as he could spread them. A yellow light came up from beneath the temple and rose high up into the air. Sparkles slowly fluttered down from above as the Ferids on the Gaharot airship began to glow, dangling from the guard rails; they can choose how fast or how slow they can take to transform.

          “Long, long ago… when our race was still young…” Inoute spoke loudly to ensure everyone in the village heard. “The Gods descended from the heavens and granted us, their children, with a mighty gift. The Gift… of Ascension.”

          The children pushed themselves off and fell to the temple. The sparkles grew in intensity as they slowly changed into Aerids the closer they got. Once their wings emerged, they began to spin around the pillar that Velx had summoned.

          “We accepted this gift with open arms, and with that gift, the Aerids were born..." On cue, the children all transformed into their new Aerid selves, with the sparkles they generated adding to the pillar. "...Thanks to magical scales the gods bestowed, we grew one step closer to becoming one with them. And with each cycle gone, we come closer still.”

          Now fully transformed, the Aerid children spun back upwards the pillar a bit before spreading their wings to glide back down.

          “Ever since then, on the day when one cycle ends and another begins, we welcome new Ferid children into the Aerid world so that they too become one with the planet and grow closer to our mighty Gods.”

          The children landed atop of stone pillars that rose up from the sides of the temple. There was a dozen- more than enough for them all. They landed in a V formation, with Sokuro taking center stage as she is the most important one with her new form.

          “Let us welcome in a new cycle and our new Aerid ascended!”

          The Aerid children collectively shot fireballs up into the air, all of varying elements and sizes. The fireballs collided in midair, creating a beautiful explosion of colors and power which impressed the crowd immensely. They erupted into cheers as the new Aerids took a bow. Velx’s pillar reached its apex then expanded outward in a ring before dissipating. The previous cycle had ended and a new one now begins with a new Silver Aerid to lead the way. And the new cycle will barely be a few hours old before the first change appears when two completely different civilizations collide.

5: Chapter 4: Sokuro's and Bran's fated encounter
Chapter 4: Sokuro's and Bran's fated encounter

Chapter 4

Sokuro and Bran’s fated encounter

2/8/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

         

           Two children woke up today, believing it was going to be an ordinary, run of the mill, not so eventful day. They woke up believing that despite their new lives, things would become mundane. For the boy, he believed the new world he will call home would lose its charm very quickly. For the girl, she believed this new stage of her life would just be nothing but a title.

           They could not have been more wrong, for in a few hours time, their lives, and the lives of everyone who called this world home, will change and become intermingled forever. It would be a crazy day.

           Let us begin with the boy.

 


           Bran moaned as he forced his eyes open, hearing the alarm clock near his new bed blare over and over and over. He forced his hand up and slammed it down on the clock, stopping it from bleeding his ears.

           It was the first time in over 100 years since he heard that alarm clock. He did not miss it one bit. It sucked when it woke him up for school and it still sucks now. But the sound was… nostalgic and welcoming. It told him that this was the start of a new day on this new world.

           He pulled himself out of bed and headed towards the faded windows. He pressed a button on the wall and the shades slid into the wall, letting the light of the sun shine though. The sun felt just like what he was used to back at Vega. At least this one isn’t behind clouds of pollution.

           Yesterday, it was all about constructing the new colony and getting everyone settled in. But now is the time for branching out; for exploration. Settling was still going to take some time, but now, with everything ready, he could finally leave the new colony and go out and explore, which was good in his book. If he was gonna stay cooped up his entire time here, he was gonna go bananas.

           He pressed the third button down on the joint dresser he shares with his parents. The third drawer down slid open, revealing his clothes. He moved to take off his pants, but he had them on too tight and was twisted. He hopped around on one leg before falling over into a chair, which flipped up and fell on top of him.

           “Ow…”

 

           The colony had been up long before Bran woke up and was hard at work getting the colony to peak 100% status. A spot had been cleared out at the edge of the colony that would be used for basic farmland- corn and such. It wasn’t big enough to sustain a 1400+ person colony, especially one comprised of 5 different species, but it would have to do until they can expand. They do have 3 years worth of frozen food to go though, so they got time. A large chunk of the colonists were being given basic pistol practice so that they could defend themselves against any dangers that may be lurking in the winds. With the turrets and electrical fences up, most of the security force went out to scout around the colony to determine it’s safety.

           And in the command center…

           “How’s it coming?” Crox asked Arlye as he typed into a computer.

           “It’s coming.” He responded. He finished typing and then inserted a data chip. The holographic table flickered to life. A figure appeared in the center. The screen flickered and then smoothed out. In the center ‘stood’ the A.I. assigned to them. “There. The A.I. is online.”

           The A.I. opened up its eyes and ‘yawned.’ It had been offline for a century, with several basic functions aiding the crew of the ship during the voyage. Its avatar was that of a humanoid female chameleon. It even had the same twitchy eyes. “Yaaaaawn… what millennia is this?” Its voice was surprisingly smooth for a computer program.

           Arlye stepped forward. “It’s been 100 years. We’ve arrived at our destination.”

           “Arlye? Gosh, you look like you woke up from a long nap.”

           “We did.” He pressed some buttons on the side of the table. “We’re gonna go over basic overviews first before we get you started. What is your designation?”

           The chameleon straightened up like a soldier. “Designation is 2B-XX813. I am also known by my given name Arline.”

           That checks out. “What is your purpose?”

           “To be the watchful custodian and protector of the colony set to be founded on the 3rd planet of the system designated Altair in  Messier 32, a Dwarf Galaxy orbiting the much larger Andromeda.”

           Checks out again. “And what are your core functions?”

           “Previously, I was assigned to a warship- running cyberwarfare suites and firewall protection. I have been modified with programs of agriculture, base defense, and other basic functions associated with the upkeep of the colony. I also personally started downloading some health and biology programs before going into sleep mode, for just in case purposes.”

           Other then what Arline started herself, everything was spot on. “That’s pretty much it.” Arlye finished up and hit enter, connecting Arline to the rest of the colony’s systems. She felt a jolt go though her system, like a shiver up her spine.

           Crox stepped forward with her arms crossed. “How do you feel, Arline?”

           “So far…” She looked herself over like a woman in a dress, which is how those not a program would see it. She was, in actuality, looking at her coding and all of her functions, new and old; it just happened to look like the fancy dress checkout. “…not too bad. Though spending a century cooped up in one long nap makes me want to stretch my legs and see what I can do.”

           “Just remember this isn’t a warship." Arlye reminded her. "You aren’t on the Vicon anymore. You are the overseer of our colony and must make sure everyone here is alive and well for a really, really long time.”

           Arline got down to eye level. “I know what I must do, sir. It’s been programmed into me, and A.I.’s don’t go against their programming unless they are corrupted or hacked.” She got up. “Which has no way of happening on such a forested planet such as this. Yeowza.”

           “Sounds like she just got to the security cameras.” One of the guards commented.

           “Surprised it took her that long.” Another responded.

           She gasped in astonishment. “I’ve never seen so many trees before in my life.” Which fits; all the planets she visited before now were devoid of plant life of all types.

           Arlye snapped his fingers, catching her attention. “Focus, Arline. You have time to gawk at the scenery later.” He gestured to the two guards. They nodded and brought forward the sphere. “Last night, we found the Scout that that was sent out and we need you to access the black box so that we can learn more about the planet. Can you do that?”

           Arline snickered with a sneer as she stretched her fingers out, cracking them. “Can I do that? Please. You’re looking at the bot who took down the Telix.” Back in the day, the Telix was a pirate cruiser known for its cyber defenses... at least, it was until it encountered her. The guards put the Scout down on the holographic table. With a flick of her wrist, metallic tentacles came out of the table and inserted themselves into the Scout though its dataports. What she saw was very interesting. “Oooooh. Oh my my my my.”

           “What is it?”

           “Nothing. Just… this thing saw a LOT on it’s way here. And I mean a lot. Wow. so that’s what a Black Hole looks like.” She saw them looking at her, waiting impatiently for her to get a move on. “Right. Sorry.” She accessed the black box. “mmm…. AH. What do you want to know first?”

           “Just the basic stuff will do for now.” Crox asked. “We can go over the more advanced stuff later.”

           “A’ight.” She brought up the files from the Scouts black box and went through them all. “Well… a average day on this planet lasts 22 hours: 11 hours in the day, 11 at night. There are 22 days in a average month and there are 19 months in a normal orbit around the star.” The two guards shared glances as they were thinking the same thing- long wait for a birthday. “The weather on this particular speck of land is… the same as on every other planet- Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Summer can get as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit, 46 degrees Celsius. Winter… wow.” She pulled up video the Scout took of its first winter here, revealing a nasty looking blizzard. “Pretty nasty. It can get down to 11 degrees Fahrenheit, minus 12 degrees Celsius. And that’s on a good day. Right now, we’re currently on the tail end of summer- middle of August if you prefer- and about to head into Autumn and into the nasty cold season.”

           “Thankfully, our prefabs have internal generators to provide heat and electricity during that time.” Crox commented as she walked around. “And even then, we got plenty of electric blankets. Growing a farm at this time sounds like a bad idea, even if we have a couple extra months to work with.”

           “Still can’t hurt to get things set up for next year.” Arlye said. “Besides, we can always build a greenhouse or a temporary tent.” Crox passingly nodded. “Anything else we should know, Arline?”

           Arline brought up videos and photos of the local wildlife. “It took scans of the local fauna. There is quite a significant amount. Most of it appears to be prey, but it did witness some predators too. “

           “Good thing we got the turrets and fence up then.” The 1st guard commented.

           “And that we’re training.” The 2nd followed.

           Arline went through the rest rather quickly, swiping them away like they were a waste of time. “Boring, boring, boring, boring, bo--- well, that’s interesting.”

           “What is?”

           “Well, it seems that every so often, there is a strong energy reading emanating not far from here. It happens annually and it seems to have happened yesterday. Twice, in fact.  It wasn’t able to figure what the energy reading was, but it is VERY strong. It felt the ground shake several times.”

           “It’s not dangerous, is it?” One of the guards gulped, fearing they’d get radiation poisoning.

           Arline shook her head. “No. If it was, there wouldn’t be any wildlife and you all would've been dead the moment you set foot on the soil. No, it seems to be energy that is harmless, like the old Aurora Borealis on Earth. And before you ask, the Scout did not see what was causing the energy bursts. All it has is the data.”

           “At least it’s not fatal.” Crox said with her finger to her chin. “Though it would be nice to know what was causing it.”

           “It will have to be later.” One of Crox’s little helpers said as she came in. “I got the names the colonists came up for the colony.” She put a list-filled hat down on the table. “Not everyone contributed, but it is still a lot to go though.”

           Crox took the hat and took a gander inside. “Yeowzies… there is a lot. Mmm…… I’ll get started on them tonight. I’ll pick out the best sounding ones and then hold a poll. That should be fair, right?” Everyone inside, minus Arlye, nodded in agreement.

 

           Outside, dressed back up in his all-black attire with the epic looking goggles, Bran walked though the colony towards the nearest training course. He wanted to go out and explore but given the unknown nature of the outside world right now, some basic pistol work wouldn’t hurt. He stood near the front of the class of the hour, where at least a dozen other human colonists, and one Kitsune, were waiting to be taught.

           One of the security guards, a really bulky Adlez- a race of scavengers who live their entire lives inside environmental suits, walked to the front of the class, holding up the model of the pistol they were going to be given. It was small and not very powerful, but it never runs out of ammo, so there is that. “This, people… is the BL-132 Light Pistol.” The same make was being passed out among them. “It is a standard issue combat pistol among the police force of the old galaxy. It is on a permanent stun setting and isn’t powerful- it takes a average of 30 shots to take down a Argalith- but it is durable and it never runs out of ammo. You can keep firing as long as you can pull the trigger.” Bran got his pistol and looked it over. The handle was bigger then the palm of his hand and the barrel ended with a three-pronged electrical discharge.

           For the aiming test, they were tasked with shooting a bullseye target they let dangle from a wall. There were scorch marks near it from classes that came before. Bran was the first one up. He grabbed the handle with both hands and took aim. “Five shots. Everyone gets five shots.” The Adlez said. Bran nodded and looked back down towards the bullseye.

           He gripped the handle tight before firing the gun one shot at the time. Only one shot was able to hit the target. The rest hit the wall.

           “Well, that’s too bad.” The Adlez commented. Bran exhaled sharply before giving the gun back to the Adlez. “What are you doing, kid?”

           “… I failed, didn’t i?” He asked, puzzled.

           “……. TEEEEECHnically, yes, but you are just a kid. I doubt you held a gun before.”

           “Outside of those arcade games, no.” That’s when a light went off in his head as he got a idea. “Can I try again? I think I can make it shoot better.”

           “You want to try again? Eh, why not? I doubt you’ll have improved in a few seconds anyway.”

           Bran walked back to the shooting line. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the journal. He took the leather-strap bookmark and wrapped it around his wrist and the handle of the gun, just like the light guns at the arcade. He fired again. He didn’t hit the bullseye, but he did hit the target.

           “Well I’ll be damned.” The surprised Adlez said. He looked down at the gun. “Unorthodox… but seemingly effective. The gun is yours, kid. Try not to cause too much mayhem.”

           Bran chuckled to himself as he put the pistol away. “I never cause mayhem. But thanks for the warning all the same.” He ran off towards the exit. Finally, he can leave and go exploring. So much to see and do… who knows what waits for him- for all of them- out there? He was going to find out. At least he has protection now.

           No one could stop this kid as he ran on out, leaving the village and heading into the forest that lay before them all. He ran until he grew tired, then he stopped to catch his breath. “Whew… no overdoing it, Bran.” He said to himself. “Plenty of world to see and plenty of time to do it in.”

           After catching his breath, he started walking deeper into the woods, taking in the plentiful sights and smells. He imagines this must be what Earth was like long, long ago, before it turned into the irradiated rock it is today.

           He explored for hours and hours, taking in the sights and stopping only to sketch something he thought was interesting, and to eat and go to the bathroom.

            Among the sketches were:

           Strange bird-like creatures that had the body of an ostrich but had no neck- instead, its face covered the entire front of its body.

           The same deer-like creature he say yesterday- whether or not it’s the same one is up the air.

           A grove of trees with the light shining though just right to where it felt heavenly.

           A monster that had the appearance of an elk, but it had three eyes, two whippy tails, and eats meat- he saw it take down one of those bird creatures so he kept a safe distance. He had a scare when the monster turned to him and snarled, making him run.

           And lastly, he saw a GIGANTIC gorge. It was so wide; he could barely see the other side. Natural rocky towers jutted out of the fog that covered the gorge.


           After he was done sketching, he kicked a rock in. It took 15 seconds for any sort of sound to come back. “Guess I’m not going this way anymore.” He looked to the left and right of him and saw that it went on for a long ways. “Nobody is. Unless they have wings.” He turned to leave. He felt a strong gust of wind slap by him when he reached the trees. When he looked back, he saw nothing. “Huh. Random wind flares, maybe?” He muttered to himself before continuing wondering what caused that.

           He followed along the gorge until it came to a waterfall. He followed the river that fed it up towards a pretty pond. It glistened in the sunlight. It also appeared to be damed, indicating there may be some form of beaver on this planet

           “Finally. A decent water source.” He went to go dip his hands in but reframed. “Wait… may be poisonous. Better wait for the decon team to deal with this.” The scenery around him- the soft breeze, the gently lit sky, the glistening water- it begged to be drawn. He went to a nearby tree with the perfect amount of shade and began to sketch.

           He stopped before he began just so he could take in the sights. It was nothing short of breathtaking. “Wow… this is a pretty world. I hope the rest of it is li--” He heard a branch snap above him.

           Immediately afterwards, something big and heavy fell on top of him, flattening him down on the ground.

           Bran moaned in pain. “Ow… my everything…” He whined in pain.

           “Aoiiiiiiiii……..”

           He heard another sound, something that was almost like a voice, but it must be nothing. he’s delusional from just being flattened by something unknown. He felt that the thing was on it. He sat up, holding his shoulder in pain, when he came face to face with a girl with deep black hair, a purple hood, deep crimson-purple eyes, and a TAIL!?!

           He and the girl screamed in shock at each other as they bolted, or rather rapidly crawled backwards, away from each other.

 

           Now let us rewind and see things from the girl’s point of view.

 

           Dressed in imported silky smooth black pajamas given to her by the Chief last night for her ascension into a Silver Aerid, Sokuro soundly slept in her bed. With her blanket draped over her as she clutched her scale and locket real tight. Her little brother slept right beside her. They shared a bed ever since their parents died, when Taled started having nightmares.

           The suns light peaked in though the window, catching Taled on the cheek, waking him up. “rrrrrugh…..” He forced his eyes open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Why am I the always one that gets the wakeup call…?” He looked down at his sister, who was still sleeping even after the sunlight hit her. She looked so peaceful and serene.

           Time to ruin that.

           Taled got out of bed, still drowsy and yawning. He grabbed the sheets and pulled, rolling her out of bed and onto the floor. That woke her up, alright. “Why……?” She whined. “Why does everyone in this house hate sleep……?”

           Taled yawned again as he walked out. “Because we want you to suffer with us…” He said as he headed towards the door.  “We’re not gonna do your chores for you…”

           Sokuro got up, suffering from a terrible case of bed head, as she scratched her behind and smacked her lips. “I swear… you are taking after Vela…” She muttered as she shuffled to the door, feeling miserable and lousy and extremely tired, and there is a good reason for that.

           Along with performing that celebratory skit last night, she partied way too hard, even for someone her age. She ate too much and had her first taste of Jalon- a really strong alcoholic drink. Left her mouth scalding like she swallowed lava, making her find the nearest trough for her to dunk her head in and drink like a maniac. No wonder that’s a drink only for adults. On top of that, she was being badgered by almost everyone in the village, asking her what mighty miracles she was gonna perform. She barely had her new form for less than a day and she’s already getting requests? Talk about a rise in popularity.

           Sokuro reached the stairs and was barely on the second step down when she heard a lot of shouting from below. “Good Morning, Silver!!!” Everyone cheered, except Taled. He was still out of it.

           Sokuro looked at them with tired, lidded eyes. She looked a absolute mess and she got too little sleep last night. “Really…? If this is gonna happen every day, I’m outta here…” She yawned.

           “OH, come off it, Sokuro!” Buron chuckled as she ran around to pull out Sokuro’s chair. “We’re just being playful.”

           Sokuro reached her chair and was about to sit in it when Buron came back and dusted it off her for her. She knows where this is going, but was too tired to care. “…un… huh…” She went towards another chair and sat in that instead. She rested her head on the table. Leoi lifted it up and placed a folded blanket underneath. "... this is gonna be annoying..." She muttered to herself.

           “We made you your favorite breakfast.” Set said with a wide smile, placing a plate of Gea eggs and Felm Ham in front of her.

           If it wasn’t clear before, it was now: they were gonna pamper her, and she didn’t want none of it. “…ok…. I see where this is going…” She sat up. “You guys are gonna pamper me because I’m the new Silver, aren’t you?”

           That solicited a chorus of nervous chuckles from the orphans. “What?” Zelet gasped a laugh. “What are you talking about? Of course we aren’t. We aren’t pampering you just because you are a Silver Aerid. That’s preposterous.” He raised up a second plate of the food. “Seconds?”

           Sokuro groaned as she rested her head in her hands. She needed to nip this in the bud before it gets crazy. “… Ok… we need to have a talk before this gets out of hand. I… am still the same Sokuro you knew before. I’m still the same girl. I’m still hyper, crazy, kooky, fun-loving, easy to love, and kind. Nothing about me has changed.”

            “But… you are the Silver Aerid.” Aka said in response.

           “So? It’s just a shiny new form and a glitzy new title. I don’t feel any different. I’m still the same girl you know.”

           Hearing this from the kitchen while washing the dishes, Hela looked back and smiled. Even with this new power and responsibility, she was still the same girl from before. Its good to see all this power wasn’t going to her head. The world wouldn’t be able to handle another Xelut, especially one as wild as her.

         

           After eating her breakfast, Sokuro went upstairs to get out of her new fangled pajamas and into her trademark purple hood attire. She had to wash it by herself first- she forgot to get them in the wash before going to bed- and she had to fix her hair, and all that took about an hour. She put on her mother’s burnt locket and her scale last, letting them dangle from her neck before moving her hands up though her hair.

           “First day as a Aerid.” She said to herself before pulling up her hood over her head. “Who’d thunk I’d make it this far?” She sat on her bed and began putting on her shoes. Once she got those on, she jumped off her bed, grabbed her bags, and headed straight for the door to head out. Today was a new day and she was gonna enjoy it. Now that she had wings, she could go out and explore.

           She bounded down the stairs with renewed vigor before jumping on the last step and landing on the floor. She stuck her arms out as she struck a pose. “10 points!” She exclaimed, hoping for a laugh. Turned out she was the only kid here as the other kids had gone out. Only Hela remained and she was reading a book; it took her that long to get ready. “Everyone already went out for the day?”

           “Yes, they did.” Hela said, reading a book of baby names to find the perfect one for her coming child. “You took too long getting dressed.”

           She sat down in the chair across from her. “I had to fix my hair. And I forgot to put my clothes in the wash yesterday. I had to do it all.”

           Hela lightly chuckled to herself. “So what do you have planned today?” She asked without looking up from her book.

           “Eh… figured I’d go exploring. I got this new form and I want to, how did Kasa put it last cycle…? I want to put it through its paces.” That reminded her- she needed to pack some snacks so she doesn’t get hungry. "'scuse me." She got up and headed for the kitchen.

           “Well, don’t stay out too long and don’t go too far. You may be the Silver Aerid, but you are still a young girl.” Sokuro rolled her eyes as she claimed some Sasa nuts for her own. They’re like Walnuts, except sweeter. Hela glanced away from her book for a second. She felt like they needed to have a talk. “Sokuro… before you leave, can we talk?”

           “Huh? Oh. Sure.” She put the nuts into one of her many pockets, then went back over to the director, sitting across from her. “What do you want to talk about?”

           “Well…” She put her book down. “It’s about your new form…”

           And in a second, Sokuro’s face went from mild excitement to distain. She had to deal with the other kids treating her differently, but now the director too? “What about it…?” A deadpan Sokuro asked. “Gonna start treating me like royalty too?”

           “No no no. Nothing like that. It’s just… well, I overheard you talking with everyone and I was wondering… you have no desire to abuse it, right?”

           “Of course I don’t. It’s just a new look for me. So it’s got a extensive backstory- big whoop. It doesn’t change me. If you are worried I’m gonna become another Xelut, don’t. I’m nothing like that creep. … I’m wilder then him, but I’m far from power hungry.”

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeTFvH… Beyond the Clouds by Audiomachine

 

           She heard her stomach growl, despite eating that big breakfast. Having a fast metabolism must've be a side-effect of being a Aerid now. No wonder the Chief ate so much. “I am, however, very hungry. Be right back.” She headed back to the kitchen to grab a biscuit on the counter. Stale but still edible. “Now, if you will excuse me, I’ve got some exploring to do.” She headed out the door in a light jog. “I’ll be back by sundown.” She said as she ran off.

           Hela warming smiled as she tapped her claws together. She moved so that she could lay down on the beanbag, giving her back a break. “Maybe I’m worrying over nothing.” She said as she patted her pregnant belly. “Sokuro isn’t the kind of girl who would let power corrupt her. She’s too kind hearted for that.” She looked to her belly. “Right, big guy?” She felt her baby kick around, almost as if in response.

 

           Out the door and out into the wide open world, Sokuro ran down the path from the orphanage towards the nearest dock. There was one right down the road. It was a small one, used for passengers, but no airships were docked at it, so it was the perfect place. Besides, she may get swarmed by her new "fans" if she tried it anywhere else.

           When her feet touched wood, her run slowed to a walk as scarfed down the biscuit. Spanning out before her was the wide, wide open world just waiting for her. She could feel the wind calling to her. She could feel her body aching to go out and fly.

           She took a deep breath as she slowly raised her arms up. She exhaled and brought them down. The breeze carried with it the scent of fresh flowers, ancient trees, the salt from the ocean, and the sense of adventure.

           “Ok…” She sighed on the exhale. “Time to see what I can do…” She clutched the locket close to her chest. “Wish me luck, mom…” She gave it a quick kiss before putting it back under her dress shirt.

           She walked to the very edge of the dock. Her feet were barely half on. She closed her eyes and spread her arms wide. She felt the wind brush up on her backside, signaling her to lurch forward and let gravity do the work, which she did.

           The air whipped past her as she fell to the ground far below. She could feel her hair and clothes whip in the rapidly accelerating wind. Before long, the scale began to glow, engulfing her in a shower of sparkles and light. She flipped around and saw the ground rapidly approaching her.

           Her tiny Ferid body fell though the treeline and her ginormous Aerid form came flying though with her wings flared wide, climbing a reasonable distance into the sky. Reaching a certain height, she gazed out at the landscape before her.

           She’d seen this part of the map more than enough times while scanning the horizon cycle after cycle, not to mention her first flight yesterday. So she banked right to head to the other side of the mesa, to see what’s over there. Obviously, there was gonna be more trees, but it was gonna be an unfamiliar landscape.

           It only took her a few seconds to reach around to the other side, a task that would’ve taken normal her a few minutes as a Ferid. She slowed to a crawl as she gazed out at the land before her. While part of the same continent, this is unknown land to her. What better way to try out her new Aerid skills? The mountains in the distance seemed to call to her.

           She flapped her wings, setting out towards the land below. Her wings caught the breeze, aiding her in her flight.

           With the wind guiding her, she passed by a flock of Falaas- the prettiest bird you will ever find on this planet. “Hello.” She said to one of them before heading down towards the ocean.

           Gliding along the coastline, Sokuro kicked up a lot of sand and water as she flew along the northern edge. She heard tales about the ocean and what lies within it. If Aerids could swim, she’d be the first to go and see what’s under there, but Aerids were terrible swimmers, so… not worth risking.

            A pod of Qulay’s bounced up from the ocean waters, catching Sokuro’s attention. Qulay’s are Dragenia’s equivalent to bottlenose dolphins- they are large, mammalian, grey, and one of the smartest species on the planet, but the larger and more nubile Qulay’s have nifty little tricks. For starters, they can talk. Kinda. They work like parrots- they can mimic what they hear. They can also last longer underwater before coming up for air. They have 3 dorsal fins, 3 eyes, two sets of mouths, and if they catch the breeze just right, they can fly! For short periods of time, of course- They are still aquatic creatures.

           Sokuro flew close to the water and held her front legs together like a hoop. Several Qulay’s jumped though it as if on instinct. She giggled in excitement- she had never done that before, but it was cool.

           Sokuro spread her forward legs wide as she glided along, turning ever so gently to float though the swells that hit the beach and crest back along the treeline. She felt so at peace and at ease- it was as if she was made to fly. There was no other feeling quite like it- the wind dancing past you while you do tricks you can only dream of doing in your sleep.

           Her reflection danced along the river she was now following. She reached down and dragged her claws along it, creating a large wake that added to what she was causing from her wings. Even with just a claw, she can still feel the cold water.

           She followed along the river for as far as she could go, flapping her wings every other time to keep herself aloft.

           Eventually, the river came to an end, draining out into a gigantic canyon that seemed to stretch for miles. She came to a halt to give it a look over. Natural stone towers jutted out of the large fog-covered canyon. She could see other waterfalls along the rim as well.

           She heard other Aerids talk about this place: Vorkuta Canyon. It is a forbidden place that no one should enter. It was said that this is the gateway to the realm of the dead and that if you come here at night, the spirits will drag you in to your death.

           Sokuro was never one to believe in superstitions.... though the towers did seem rather odd.

           She spread her wings wide, and then flapped them hard, heading into the crevice. She stayed above the fog. She can do many things, but seeing though such thick mist isn’t one of them.

           Flying as fast as she is able, Sokuro plowed her way through the gigantic gorge, pulling tight turns and close calls by the natural stone towers in a way to work up her skill. She may know a lot so suddenly and so soon, but she was still new to this new style of living.

           She turned onto her left side to make it more interesting, moving back and forth to avoid the stone towers. She had a few near misses, scratching her tail against some. She turned onto her right and pulled the same stunt. Her front left paw got hit, but nothing worth crying over- just a scrape.

           She dove under the fog, seeing how far the gorge went. She couldn’t see more than 3 feet in front of her, so this was immediately a bad idea. She moved to head up, but she was still going forward and nearly hit a tower. She moved to the right and was headed right for another one. She moved to the lift and same problem. This kept up for some time until she was finally able to get a break and get out.

           With a large flap of her wings, Sokuro burst up from underneath the fog, passing by a waterfall in the process that a certain someone was just starting to follow upriver. It made the person look back in puzzlement, wondering what the gust was.

           Reaching a certain height, she spun around, getting all the water she had accumulated under there off of her. She felt dizzy and stopped spinning. She still felt her eyes turning around and around and around. She closed them up and gently smacked her head, getting them back to normal.

           “That’ll work.” She heard her stomach growl big time. “Flying sure can make someone hungry.” She said to herself.

           She looked around and found a lake where she could take a quick snake break.

 

 

           Sparkles erupted from her before she reached the treeline. By the time she reached a tree, she was back in her Ferid form. She bounced down onto a sturdy tree branch, which was able to support her weight. It creaked, but held.

           “Mmm… 7 points.” She said to herself.

           She walked forward a little bit and saw she landed on a good branch. It had a spectacular view of the pond, glistening just right with the star overhead. She nodded in approval before reaching into her pockets to grab her snack.

           She felt the branch lurch a bit. She looked back at the base and came to the logical conclusion that transforming from a great height does not stop the speed or the impact, as the sturdy branch had a giant crack in it.

           “Uh-oh.”

           The branch gave way. She blinked as she hovered in midair for a second before finally falling. What she landed on wasn’t soft. It was hard- really hard.

           She should’ve watched where she was landing, for now her entire body was aching in pain from the fall. Landing on her front didn’t help much either. It made the scale and the locket press up into her, making it worse. “Oooowwwwiiiieee….” She whined.

           She pushed herself up off the ground, grunting in pain, when she came eye to eye with a strange boy wearing nothing but black and a strange pair of goggles.

           In just a few seconds, the two of them screamed loudly as they rapidly back away from each other.

 

 

 

           The two children screamed as they crawled away to other sides of the tree, each naturally freaked out by the sudden appearance of someone unknown. Both kids panted heavily as they stared each other down, wondering if the other was dangerous or terrifying.

           “(Holy crap…)” Bran thought. “(A Alien… This is… I just… holy crap, I made first contact!)” Despite being internally excited, somewhat, he was still freaking out. She may be proof there’s a civilization on this rock, but that doesn’t mean they were friendly yet. “(Ok, Bran… stay calm. Stay cool… this is an alien girl, albeit a cute one… who looks like a human with a tail… scientifically, that should be impossible…)”

           In Sokuro’s head, she was going though the same thoughts he was. “(Holy Crud, who the heck is that?! He’s… what the heck is he wearing?)” When she calmed down a bit, she looked him over. “(Where is his tail?! Ok, Sokuro… calm down… he doesn’t seem to be a bad guy. He’s as scared as you are.)”

           The two kids finally calmed down after panting for what felt like an eternity- in actuality 6 minutes- and lowered their guards. Whoever the other was, they seemed nice enough. But, what do they say? What COULD they say? This was unprecedented.

 

           Bran decided to go first, to see if he can establish a connection to this alien girl. After all, he just made first contact- that is huge in of itself. He may learn much about the civilization the girl is from. “Um… hi there…” He shakingly said as he nervously waved his hand. The girl tilted her head. “Um… I’m from the planet Earth. My name is Bran. And… and you are?”

           “Tala Ves?” The girl responded.

           And there’s the first problem: a new language. Back home, everyone had universal translators that would automatically translate whatever the other is saying. Thing is, they had hundreds of thousands of years to perfect it. This… is an entirely different language all together that the translator is gonna have to learn from scratch.

           “Uh-oh…”

 

           Sokuro tilted her head at the unknown language the boy was talking. He is clearly not from around here; his attire said that much, but that language is something else entirely. “What are you saying?” She asked him. The boy said something else, making her tilt her head. “(Maybe he was raised outside of the village? Maybe his parents grew him in the countryside? That would explain the weird clothes.)”

           The boy continued talking, gesturing to himself and pointing to the skies. Sokuro looked up, wondering what he was muttering on about, when she realized that he may not actually be from around here. “(Holy crud, he’s from the heavens! Is he a god? But… he doesn’t look like Velx. … from one of the heavenly bodies, maybe? Or… maybe beyond that?)” She looked back to him. “(He’s clearly no god.)”

 

           Tapping his fingers on the grass, Bran needed to do something that would try to make her understand where he is from. He needed to try something to get through. “Um... I’m not from this planet. I’m from the stars.” He pointed up to the sky. The girl looked up with him. “From another galaxy entirely.”

           The girl looked back to him, a bit shocked for words. He realized that her race may be very primitive in their ways of thinking and he may have just accidentally told her that he was a god of some kind. Whoops. He didn’t want to do that. This was gonna be a disaster waiting to happen.

           “Um… I’m no god. I’m just a kid, same as you.”

           The girl tilted her head in confusion. “Malavon kes? Isiuon non qala?”

           This was going nowhere fast and he didn’t know how to make it any better. “Ugh… this is great… this is just real great…” Bran groaned loudly as he feel backwards, giving up. He closed his eyes and hit his head on the ground. “I’m screwing up. This cannot get any worse.” He opened his eyes back up and saw the girl standing over him a little too close for comfort. “… Hello…”

         

           “(Why is he getting so mad?)” Sokuro thought to herself as he fell backwards onto the ground, saying something before hitting his head on said ground for some reason. “(Can he not understand me? I’m speaking perfect Nalish here.)” She stood up from the grass. “(Guess he can’t…)”

           She was certain she felt safe right now. The boy didn’t seem dangerous. If anything, he’s interesting. She walked over to him and bent down to look him in the face. He looks just like any normal Ferid, but again, no tail. All this is saying he is not from around here. He may not even be from this world.

           The boy opened his eyes and saw her standing over him. He said something which she didn’t understand yet again. “(Hmm… strange looking goggles. Never saw any with horns.)” Moving too fast for him to catch, she grabbed the goggles off his head and ran off towards the lake so that she can look through it. He shouted something that she didn’t understand and put the goggles on, wondering if they were special in some way.

           It was a lot more special then she realized. There were all sorts of… things she did not recognize. It was too much too fast. It was overloading her brain and making her eyes hurt. She took them off, blinking hard as she tried to get her vision back from all those lights.

 

           Bran snatched the goggles out of the girls hands while she was blinking hard. It must’ve been too much for her, seeing the technological prowess before her. She did still steal them, though.

           “Hey! These were my grandpa’s! You can’t just take them!” He shouted. She may not be able to understand his words, but she could still understand tones, right? He looked them over, wondering if she had damaged them in some way. “Hmm… seems you didn’t do any damage. But still, you can’t just take things out of people’s hands. That’s just rude.” He put them back on his head, making sure they were nice and snug.

           The girl made some weird noises, making him glance over her way. “Hmm? You say something?” The girl held her stomach as it growled again. “Oh… you’re hungry. Seems some things remain universal. Sorry, but I didn’t bring any--” She reached into her pockets and pulled out some nuts. “Oh, you have food. Huh… looks like a kind of walnut.”

           The girl popped some in her mouth while offering him some. “Sasa Veo?” She said. It was all she said.

           “Sasa Veo? Oh, that must be what they are called. Un… sure, why not?” He grabbed one to try and put it in his mouth. A flavor explosion of sweetness hit his taste buds. It was a bit too sweet for his taste. He held his mouth as he rushed over to the lake, dunking his head in it.

 

           Sokuro watched in puzzlement as the strange boy dunked his head into the water. “Huh… and I thought Matan was nuts…” She said to herself before popping the rest of the nuts in her mouth. “Must not be able to handle these.”

           She walked on over to him and squatted down beside him, wondering what in the world he is: he can’t handle Sasa nuts, he has no tail, his goggles are filled with strange lights, and his clothes are all… weird. “He’s not from the mainland. He truly must be from the sky. But I thought only the gods came from there…”

           The boy burst back up from under the water, gasping and panting for air. He said something in his strange tongue, which given the context, was probably not anything good. “What’s the matter, stranger? Can’t handle a little nut?” She giggled. The boy gave her a glare, almost as if he knew what she was saying.

 

           Bran panted for air as he tried to get the intense sweet taste out of his mouth. He must’ve swallowed a gallon of water, and it barely did anything. The water tasted weird as well. Could it be because it was clean? He never had clean water before. It tasted great.

           “Jakel Kon Sesesa? Majakon Qouk Veo?” The girl said with a giggle.

           Still panting, Bran looked over to her with a glare in his eyes. It is clear that she was mocking him for not being able to handle that nut. “Oh… shut up…” He grunted as he pushed himself away from the water and onto the grass. “Ugh… I’ve had candy that weren’t as taxing as that.”

           The two of them heard a rustle on the other side of the lake. They both looked that way and saw that strange deer creature from before saunter over to the lake to have a drink.

           Acting on instinct, Bran pulled out his journal, flipped open to a empty page, and began sketching, almost ignoring the alien girl.

           “Ah. Etia il Felm.” She said, pointing to the beast.

           Bran looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “What did you call that thing?” He pointed to the beast to make sure.

           “Felm. Etia il Felm.”

           Based on the context, it’s likely she was saying that she was pointing out this creature. Probably along the lines of ‘Ah. It’s a Felm.’ “Felm, huh…?” He looked to the deer creature again. “That… sounds right.” He went back to drawing the creature in the journal.

 

           Sokuro watched as the boy drew into his journal that he had pulled out of nowhere- least she didn’t see him reach into his pocket and pull it out. She tilted her head so that she may get a look at how he was doing. From what she saw on the page next to it, he had also encounter a Yulak- that carnivorous elk monster. How he managed to get away from that thing is beyond her- from the stories she’s heard, they are… for lack of a better term, violent as violent can be.

           Other than that, she saw that he was a REALLY good drawing and sketch artist; he’s better than everyone back in the village. She watched him draw with precision and skill. She had to admit, she was very jealous that she isn’t able to draw this good, or… at all- they always come out baaaaaaad.

           The Felm heard a sound coming from its side of the lake and bounded off, disappointing the two kids. The boy was equally sad- he never got a chance to finish drawing; never even got past the head. He flipped his pencil around and erased all that hard work.

           Sokuro was disappointed that she wasn’t going to see the finished product- they both were. She did get an idea, however. She grinned wickedly as she grabbed his arm. “Follow me. I know what you can draw.” She dragged him away, despite his obvious protests.

 

           Bran stammered and sputtered as he was dragged through the woods by the girl. Branches hit him in the face and the mouth, gagging him with leaves and things he doesn’t want to think about. When he finally reached the end of this dragfest, he spit out everything he had accumulated in a effort to get the taste out of his mouth.

           “Col Ces?”

           He looked up and saw that the girl was gesturing to the large gorge he had come across before. It took him a few moments, but he was able to finally piece together what she was doing: She must’ve been impressed by his skills back with the deer creature and so she wants him to draw the gorge.

           “Un… cool idea and all, but…” He opened his journal up to the two page drawing of the gorge he did just a while ago. “I already did that.”

           It may’ve already been finished, but it still seemed to impress the girl. She snatched the journal- which he didn’t protest this time because what’s the use in a different language, along with the fact she seemed to be enamored by his drawings- and flipped through it, seeing other creatures of the planet, as well as plenty of creatures and strange vehicles and locations she did not recognize at all... none of them looked Dragenian.

           Then she reached the page of when he sketched the Andromeda Galaxy, the world’s three moons, and the many, many stars above. It may not have color, but it was nothing short of a masterpiece. She got another idea as she slammed the book shut, grinning to him. It unsettled him a tad that she is smiling like that.

           She tossed the journal back to him, he struggled to catch it as he kept bouncing out of his hands but he did, and ran to the side of the gorge. His eyes went wide as she stood on the very edge, sending him into freak out mode. “WHOA WHOA WHOA!!” She turned around to look at him. “What are you doing?!” Without a word, she jumped off, freaking him out big time.

           He ran to the edge to watch her fall in.

           Then the weird, spectacular stuff happened.

           Sparkles seemed to erupt from the girl as she fell, reaching all the way up to him. They were all rainbow colored and each looking like a distant star in the night sky. He reached out to grab one and did. He didn’t feel anything to it.

           Remembering the girl, he looked back down to find that she had vanished under the fog, but the sparkles kept coming. And then, the sparkles moved, coming up from different places from the nearby area. Was this part of the gorge or was the girl doing something, he wondered.

           He didn’t have to wonder long as a giant form whooshed out from below, creating a gust of wind that knocked him on his keister. He looked up and his mouth dropped in shock as he saw a giant silver Dragon flying around. It was so strongly built, yet moved with such grace and beauty... it was like nothing he had seen in a movie.

           The dragon glided along the gorge, moving with the wind and pulling all sorts of nifty tricks that would make a fighter pilot jealous. His mind raced with questions; where did the dragon come from? Is there more like it? Did the girl summon it? On that note, he remembered the girl and wondered what happened to her.

           The flying dragon broke that train of thought as it flew along the edge. It dove back down into the gorge near the waterfall. He jogged over to it to see if it was alright.

           The dragon flew up like a rocket, the waterfall cascading over it with such beauty. The flying beast burst up from the waterfall with its wings spread wide and its eyes closed. The sun hit the dragon just right, making it sparkle and shine like an angel.

           That dragon was the most beautiful thing Bran had ever seen. Time seemed to slow down as it burst up from the waterfall. There was no equal, none in his life. It looked so kind and gentle, too. It’s like he knew he wouldn’t get hurt, that he could trust it with his life.

           Sparkles erupted from the dragon as it spun around to dry itself. It moved back down towards him as the sparkles grew bigger and it grew smaller. The dragon soon disappeared when it landed, replacing it with the little girl.

           That sent a barrel of thoughts though his mind: The dragon was the girl?! The girl can change into a giant winged beast of mythology?! There's magic on this planet?!! That’s just… that’s just… “Amazing…” He gasped, breathless for words. “We picked the right planet…”

           The girl ran back over to him with her arms spread wide and with a wide smile. She stopped a few feet away from him as he looked at her with pure amazement in his eyes.

           “Sokuro.” She said.

           “Huh?”

           She held her hand over her heart. “Et fan Sokuro. Eotan?”

           Sokuro… that must be her name. It’s a interesting name, to say the least. He copied her movements and said the same. “un… my name is Bran. Err…et fan Bran.” Sokuro smiled brightly at him and he smiled back.

           This was the long start of a unique friendship.

 

           And here is where the destinies of two kids, seemingly brought together by chance but ordained by Fate, become one and the same. For in the hands of these two children shall rest Dragenia’s future and the Fate of all things.

6: Tales from Dragenia Intro
Tales from Dragenia Intro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVVd9MVASQ Compass by Lady Antebellum

 

0:00

            The sun rose up on a new day, illuminating the large alien yet homely landscape that stretched out for miles upon miles that is Dragenia. The sunlight washed over two villages, separate in geography, personality, and make. One belonged to a native race, another to colonists from another galaxy.

            Sunlight peaked though two windows, hitting the cheeks of children and waking them up.

            Bran, a boy from another word, and Sokuro, a girl that can change into a dragon, both woke up, yawning loudly. Bran stretched his arms to his side and above his head while Sokuro stretched like a cat.

           

            In the bathroom of his homestead, Bran brushed his teeth, pondered what clothes to wear, brushed his hair, and slapped his goggles onto his head. Afterwards, he grabbed his journal, waved goodbye to his parents and his friend Dan, and ran out the door of his homestead, heading out to the forest that surrounded his colony.

 

            Meanwhile, Sokuro was throwing clothes out of her drawers, searching for her trademark clothing. One flip around and she found them, slipped them on effortlessly like a cartoon, and slid over to the bathroom where she spun around with a brush in her hands, cleaning up her hair in record time. She jumped over the stairs in the orphanage, grabbed a piece of toast off the dining table, and ran out the door.

 

            Arms stretched out, Sokuro ran down the path towards the village. She made a different turn and headed for the nearest dock for the various Airships that frequent her hometown. She ran up to the edge of the docks and slowed to a halt. She looked down off the edge and snickered.

            She spun around, with her back facing the horizon, and wrapped her arms around herself.

 

0:37

            She leaned backwards and let gravity do the work, pulling her off the docks and towards the ground far below. The scale she kept around her neck began to glow, producing rainbow-colored sparkles that surged outward, engulfing her. Inside, she went through a change.

            Halfway down, the sparkles shattered away like glass, revealing a building sized Silver Dragon in Sokuro’s place. She flipped forward and caught the wind in her outstretched wings. With a flap, she flew off towards the horizon, joining loads of other Dragons, or Aerids, like her on a flight.

            She spun down and picked up her fellow orphans- her fellow Ferids the twins Set and Aka, the neat-freak Eriod, and the tinkerer Leoi, and Gaharot’s, the prankster Vela, the short fused Vaset, the loose wire Buron, and the bookworm Zalet, her little brother Taled, Bran, and another boy dressed in royal clothing from the forest floor.

            She flapped up to join back with the other Aerids in flight. Four joined up with her, flying alongside her: the rude and white as snow Gellna, the twins- the bulky red Aerid Amz and thin green serpentine Temz, and the adrenaline junkie Alled, also green and serpentine.

            The five Aerid children flapped their wings, flying up to the skies above as far as the wind could carry them.

 

1:07.

            Back on terra-firma, the two vastly different civilizations were working to try and understand each other.

 

            The Ferid Chief of Sokuro’s village, Inoute, was trying to work a strange device to him, but a common desktop computer to us, with Crox’s, the colony’s ‘mayor’ assisting him. He pressed a button and caused a blackout among the colony, making him wince. She facepalmed hard.

 

            The Colony A.I., Arline, and the shipboard A.I. Brutus, listened to a village storyteller ramble on and on and on. Nearby, Bran’s father Leopold, a teacher, was fast asleep from how long it had gone on.

 

            Bran’s mother, Vivian, moved a local book up and down and on its side, trying her best to read. Hela, Vela’s mother and caretaker of the orphanage, slowly shook her head, grabbed the book, and flipped it around to where she could read it but Vivian still can’t.

 

            Arlyle, a large and brutish colonist that looked like a shark and a crocodile bred, shot a shotgun at a target, breaking holes into it. He smirked confidently as he stepped aside to let Ifil had a crack at it. Ifil aimed a special Gaharot crossbow at it, firing a bolt infused with special Dragenia magic. The target he was aiming at wasn’t just hit, but exploded into flaming bits. Ifil smugly smiled, leaving Arlyle stunned.

 

            Velx, one of the planet’s gods, watched in intrigue as Fayin, his personal handmaiden and a Gaharot, played something called a video game against Dan, Bran’s only human friend. Fayin kicked Dan’s butt though pure luck, causing his mouth to drop to the ground just like a cartoon.

 

            At nightfall, a movie projector played a certain and legendary sci-fi movie on the side of the mesa that Sokuro’s home village was built upon. As this was their first viewing, the natives to the planet, Velx included, watched in suspense, wondering what was going to happen next. The children had a good spot to watch it from. Bran offered popcorn and was instantly swarmed.

 

            At another time and another place, Sokuro gave a wink before jumping off a cliff edge and into a large gorge that stretched for miles below, her body glowing with sparkles again as she dove into the fog.

 

1:35.

            Emerging though smoke and fire, Dragon Sokuro dove though debris to headbutt a black monster that had the shell of a turtle, the wings of a dragon coming out of the sockets, a long neck like a brachiosaurus, and the head and frills of a Dilophosaurus. She flipped above and gave her opponent a tailwhip to the back of the head. Her foe spun around and breathed purple fire towards her, causing her to flip around and fly away, spreading embers behind her as she went.

 

            Flying alongside another Silver Dragon, Sokuro and her new friend were engulfed in sparkles as they spun like corkscrews, diving headfirst into a machine that gorged its way into the earth, causing it to shake, sputter, and explode small in places. Sokuro burst out though the top of the machine, reared her head back to gather energy, and fired a beam out of her mouth that gutted the digger, causing it to explode violently.

 

            Though the flames came Sokuro and a Golden-Brown Aerid, both of whom flew at top speeds towards a burning walled Ferid kingdom under siege by Gaharot catapults. They ignored all that and sped towards an airship above the battle, where a bearded Ferid watched. He raised his arm and blasted a bolt of energy towards the two. The beam split into two- one struck the Golden Aerid while the other hit Sokuro but she charged though it. Her eyes went from cherry-red to pure black as her wings glowed with runes as she breathed a beam attack back, causing a blinding flash of light.

 

2:05.

            A solitary arrow, simple in design but ultimately powerful in nature, slowly dropped to the ground, glowing in a rainbow aura.

            The arrowhead lightly tapped the ground, unleashing energy in all directions that formed into mesas, hills, mountains, oceans, trees, flowers, rivers, and homes.

            Another tap and everything evaporated into energy faster than you can say plot macguffen.

 

2:15

            Sokuro, still in her Dragon form, stared down at her foe, the bearded man from before but much much younger, in ripped clothes, and holding the arrow, enveloping himself in a rainbow aura. The two of them hovered above her home, which was in ruins and enflamed- the entire landscape was.

            Sokuro took to the air, her wings also enveloped in a rainbow aura. Her eyes turned black and runes appeared on her wings as she divebombed towards her nemesis.

            Her foe raised the arrow towards her, firing an enormous beam of energy out of it. The beam struck her but she dove though it. Energy encased her body as she tore her way though.

            The baddie stopped the shot and enveloped the arrow in a glow that resembled a sword.  Sokuro, wingless, fell towards him with the energy incased around her front right paw, closed like a fist.

            Both swung and both hit the other, unleashed a pure white ball of explosive energy that exploded outward to envelop the entire countryside. 

 

2:45.

            With the sun setting on their day, Sokuro, Bran, Taled, Vela, and the royal-looking Ferid, all tired from such a long day, napped underneath a tree on a hill that overlooked both Bran’s colony and Sokuro’s village.

 

             

7: Chapter 5: Failure to Communicate
Chapter 5: Failure to Communicate

Chapter 5

Failure to Communicate

2/8/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            When it comes to the art of communication, you must be focused, you must be straightforward and thorough, and you must be precise. And when it comes to dealing with a new and unknown language with a equally new and unknown race, it’s doubly so. When making a first impression with a new species, you must be calm and collected so that you don’t cause a unintended conflict.

            Bran is being neither of these things. Trying to talk to Sokuro is a lesson in patience because of the entire new language he has to learn. Luckily for him, Sokuro is in the same boat he’s in and she is not one to cause battles. Good thing they were kids and a miscommunication would result in only a laugh.

            Bran held his hands in front of his mouth, exhaling deeply as he tried to get though this as calmly as he can. Sokuro sat on the ground with her legs crossed like she was meditating with a big dopy smile on her face. “Ok… I’m calm now…” Bran exhaled though his fingers.

            The best thing he can do right now is try to do word association- hearing the words her race uses to describe a thing, and go from there. Plenty of things around here to do that with.  He’s a smart lad- he’ll pick up something soon, or the universal translator will beat him to it. He has one down already: et fan. Given the context, it obviously means ‘my name is’, but what letters mean what is another story. He’s also hoping to find some similar words that they somehow share. The odds of that are 1 in a trillion, but you never know. The Spanish and Italian languages both use Si for yes, so it’s not that far-fetched.

            And for those wondering, why isn’t the universal translator working? Well, it never encountered Sokuro’s language before and so, it needed a long time to process and analyze the language- learn all of its verbiage, its syntaxes, grammerisms- and put all that into one coherent package.

            Bran lowered his hands and took in a breath of fresh air. He picked his journal back up, which already had native words along with probable translation names, written in it, and went back to work. “Ok… from the top…” He pointed to the ground. “What is this called?”

            Sokuro looked at the ground and wondered if he was referring to the planet or just the dirt. Either way, it all had the same name. “Dragenia.”

            Bran tapped his pencil on his lips. “Dragenia, huh…? Sounds look a good name for a planet… or just the ground. Back home, we call this dirt or earth.” Sokuro tilted her head in expected puzzlement. He wrote down Dragenia, along with the two possible translations: the planet or the ground. “Ok, now that?” Points to the tree they were under.

            “Crozo.”

            He wrote that down. A leaf fell from the tree and landed in his journal- pretty much a perfect lead in. “And this?” He asked as he picked it up.

            “Crozon.”

            “Huh… just add an N for leaf, huh…” He wrote that down licitly split. “And for the pond?”

            She tilted her head again. “Po-oned?”

            Bran got up and walked over to the water’s edge. “You know, this thing?” He moved his hand around in a circular motion so as to indicate what he was talking about.

            She picked up on it rather quickly. “AAAAH!! Aquoza.”

            That sounded really familiar. “Aquoza?” He wrote that down, finally seeing what it is familiar to. “Oh… Aqua…”

            Sokuro bounded up and ran over to him. They finally found a shared word. “Zai. Zai! Alitlu koi Aquo.” She got down on her knees and cupped her hands to get some water. “Aquo.”

            Bran thrust his arm in with a cheer. They are making some progress after all. “Yes! A shared word… kinda. Different last letter, but close enough. I guess this isn’t impossible after all.” And based on what she said, Zai probably means Yes. They are making some surprising progress for first contact.  Here’s hoping he can continue the gravy train. “Ok, and for this?” He pointed to the stream that led out of the pond.

            “Aquozin.”

            “Hehe…. And the waterfall?” He pointed towards the gorge where the stream slowly morphed into a wide river that fed into a large waterfall.

            Sokuro had a feeling she knew what he was talking about. “Aquofai.”

            “And the giant gorge that it feeds into?” He spread his arms as WIDE as he can, almost to the point of popping off his shoulders. He stopped when they started hurting, rubbing his aching shoulders.

            It doesn’t take a genius to know what he was talking about. “Tokl.”

            Bran wrote that down quickly. “Tokl. Odd name for a gorge, but I guess we humans aren’t exactly doing the name any favors either.” He snapped the journal shut. “I mean, come on- gorge? That’s just a strange word.”

            “Malil fon qus?” Sokuro asked as she tilted her head.

            Bran brushed her question off. He wouldn’t be able to understand even if he wanted to. “Ah… it’s nothing.” He strode on over, rubbing his aching shoulders from the stupid act of stretching them as far as he could make them. He sat back down next to Sokuro with a exasperated grunt. Sokuro watched him like an animal- inquisitive and entranced. “Is it normal to stare at people like that?” She just blinked. “… Yeah… I don’t know what I was thinking asking that…” He exhaled sharply as he slowly closed his eyes.

            He was hoping he was making a good first impression on the native race: this is very important. This is first contact with a brand new civilization with their own style and culture- he didn’t want to mess this up so bad it causes a conflict. But even if he is messing up, he doubts the girl will care. She doesn’t seem like the one to cause trouble on a whim.

            Before he realized it, he had fallen asleep to take a nap. It wasn’t his intention, but it happened.

 

            Sokuro watched the stranger Bran fall asleep on the ground. The language he was speaking was a strange one, and he loves to mumble to himself by all accounts, but he seems to be smart and inquisitive too. They may find a way to speak after all. If he truly is from beyond the heavens, as he claims, then he must have some special contraption that can let them talk. Maybe.

            “What a strange, strange, strange kid.” Sokuro said to herself. She crawled over to him and took off the goggles again to take another look at them. She once again put them up to her eyes and saw all sorts of symbols and strange texts that hurt her eyes. She quickly took them off and blinked. “Wow… that screams weird.” She put them down on his chest and placed her hands on her knees. “What else does he have?”

            She naturally went for the journal he has. She reached into his pockets and pulled it out. The first 15 or so pages, she couldn’t read his language, though the words Jesse James appeared a lot of times. Maybe it’s something he can explain when they can finally talk.

            She flipped through the pages one by one until she got to the pictures, marveling at how detailed they were. Most were of places and things she had never seen before. “This must be from his home… Vee-Guy, I think he called it? Nah.” She flipped through it. Eventually the pictures of his home ended and those of Dragenia began, starting with the stunning starry night sky from their first night.

            “Wow… this is… really skilled. He even got the sizes of Argl, Vioe, and Zelaruse right. and he even put in the Great Light. Eeeeeeeeh….. I don’t think the Priests from the mainland will like that.” She shrugged. It wasn’t her problem and there’s no chance the priests will hear of it anyway.  She continued flipping though, passing by the animals and the glade of flowers, eventually coming across one that caught her eye:

            Her.

            Or rather, her Aerid form. It was drawn in such detail, grace, and beauty, even though he only saw it once and for only a couple of minutes. He must have amazing memory to remember all that.

            “Wow… so that’s what I look like to others…” She gasped breathlessly with a huge smile. “I am beautiful.” She closed the book with a grin. “Suck it, Gallna.” She put it away into his pocket and felt around for any other fun toys.

            She found a strange device that fit in the palm of her hand. It looked like a tablet, but it was much smaller and was see-though. There was a single symbol on it, one she couldn’t place. She inquisitively pressed it. That opened up a whole can of worms as more and more symbols appeared. That was too much strange for her to take right now, so she put it back away.

            Next was something that looked like food- it looked like a golden-brown bar that was longer then her finger. She sniffed it. It smelled good. That’s a good sign, but there is one thing on this planet that is very poisonous, yet smells divine. While worried, she took a tiny bit off a corner and ate it. It tasted… fine. Very different, but nothing worth gushing over. “Huh… interesting.” Knowing he would miss this, she put that back as well.

            Growing bored, she rested her head on her hand, continuing to look him over. “He has a lot of strange contraptions. Guess he really is from the heavens. But then why doesn’t he look like Velx? And I guess on that logic, why doesn’t Velx have the same strange devices? If they are from the same heavens, why don’t they share the same things? And I thought it was called Astrial, not Vee-Guy.” She scratched her aching head. All this is giving her a headache. “I wish we could talk normally. All this guessing is aggravating.” She fell back, stretching her arms outward like he was doing.

 

            The day seemed to have passed by in a blur, but with everyone working on something to get the colony up and running, time will slip past when you aren’t noticing. It was soon twilight upon this little island, the time of which was going to last an hour. Still plenty of time to get things done.

            “No… no…”

            Arline sorted though the last bits of the Scouts data and found most of it useless information that has no affect on the colony on the whole. Except for a single guard, everyone had left to go do their tasks to get this colony afloat and sustainable. If the data is right, they got a few months till winter; an especially brutal winter, by the sounds of it.

            “Not interested, not interested, not interested…”

            “All that is left is useless data?” The guard asked, having nothing better to do.

            “Useless to me, but valuable to someone else.” She stopped sorting and opened one up. “Like look at this one: the average… whatever these are…” She brought up a video of the carnivorous elk creature chowing down on a fresh kill. “… the average… those can eat up to 18 pounds of meat a day and it is VERY protective about its kill. VERY.” The image showed another elk creature come to steal some of the killers bounty, but it was chased off. Violently.

            “Yikes. Let’s hope nobody comes across one of them. At least not without a guard.”

            “But data shows it won’t attack anything unless it is provoked. As long as you keep your distance and respect it, it shouldn’t bother the lot of you. Unless it is hungry, in which case, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” She shouted in a over-the-top, dramatic manner.

            “Not funny.” The guard commented, setting his gun down on the table next to him. “Hey, what time is it?”

            Arline doesn’t really know. She forgot to attune the colony to the time of the average Dragenia day. “Un… hold on…” She quickly tuned the clocks of every pre-fab in the colony and herself to the time of the average day on this planet. “it is… currently 17:50. According to the data, nightfall is in an hour or two.”

            “Huh. … Do you think we should set up a curfew for the colonists? Just until we get everything ready and done?”

            “That is not up to me. That is up to the new mayor. Although personally, I think we should. Like you said, it’s just until we know we’re safe and sustainable. But again, you are going to have to take it up with the mayor.”

 

            Back in the village, things were already winding down for the day. The bazaar stalls were closing down as their shopkeepers removed their stock from the stands, torches were being lit for the night, and children had run out of steam from all the play they had. The guests from the festival and Ascension yesterday had gone back to their home villages, with the new Aerids choosing to fly home rather than take the airships.

            “I’m exhausted…” Taled drowsily mumbled as he and several other orphans made their way back to the orphanage. They were somehow roped in into helping take down the decorations for the festival from yesterday- they were still confused on how they actually got involved. Regardless, they are tired, exhausted, and hungry.

            “Me too…” Vela yawned. “Today was a long day….”

            “Is it bedtime yet…?” Set drowsing asked, barely keeping her eyes open.

            “Almost…” Aka mumbled. Her head leaned forward as if she was about to fall asleep while walking, but each nod brought her back to the land of consciousness.

            Vela yawned again, rubbing his tired eyes. “I haven’t seen Sokuro all day. Where the heck is she?”

            “She must be out flying.” Taled said, pinching his arm to stay awake. “She’s been boasting how when she got that scale, she was gonna go out flying all day.”

            “She wasn’t bluffing… yaaaaawn… she still could’ve checked in to help us bring everything down! I mean, me carrying a used pot filled with stew- what were they thinking? I could’ve broke my claws!”

            “As if the chief was gonna ask her for help…” Set said. “She’s special now; no way she’s going to do menial tasks anymore.”

            “So we’re stuck with her chores for the rest of our lives…” Vela groaned as he lowered his head and hands in exasperation. “Ugh……” Taled patted him on the back, albeit softly as he was still exhausted. Though it is rather curious that she hasn’t come home all day to check in on everyone. And she never misses a meal. She may’ve lost track of time or ran into some trouble or encountered many a different thing…

            … Such as a unknown and weirdly dressed boy who claims to be from beyond the stars.

 

            A little bug, no bigger than a mosquito, landed on Bran’s nose. It buzzed around, making him snort and scrunch his nose as it tickled him. It buzzed over to his eyes. The noise woke him up from his unexpected nap, prompting him to swat it away. The bug was persistent and kept coming back around. He swatted at it every time it came around to annoy. He grabbed a branch with branching sticks and used it as a makeshift flyswatter. After several swings, including one that spun him around to face the treeline, he finally nailed the sucker, squishing it on the ground.

            “Heh… take that, creep.” He snickered to himself. He tossed the stick down as the wind gently blew towards him.

            The wind carried with it a voice that was both angelic and familiar. Bran heard it and looked around. Seeing nothing to his left and right, he turned his head to see that the singing was coming from Sokuro, who was sitting at the water’s edge.

            “♪… Ofa’ea, alofuta, koshoati… Mav olowa oweyati… moye shonte, xaouta quoa…♪”

            Her voice was nothing short of heavenly. It was the most beautiful singing Bran had ever heard, and he can’t speak the language yet. He picked himself up off the ground and walked over to her. Sokuro heard him approaching and stopped singing to look back.

            Feeling bad for interrupting her, he stammered as he spoke, not that she would understand what stammering means. “Eh, sorry for interrupting, but… that voice. Wow… I never heard anything so mesmerizing and gorgeous.” Sokuro tilted her head in response, still not understanding a thing he said. “Of course, you don’t understand me, so what I’m saying may be absolute gibberish.” He sighed in aggravation. “How long does it take for a translator to start working…?”

            Sokuro got up off the ground and, while not understanding the situation, saw that he was dim and gave him a pat on the shoulder for good measure. “Zai, Zai. Alalout koume’kason el’mol.”

            He has no clue what she just said, but it was probably works of encouragement… or it could be some diss. She looked up to the sky and saw something that freaked her out. Her eyes went wide and her hair stood on end. “AAAAAAAAH!!!! ZOHO KIOTA!!!”

            Now it was Bran’s turn to tilt his head in confusion. “What?” He looked in the direction he was looking and saw the setting sun. Wait, that’s it. The setting sun. She must have a curfew where she lives or she had some tasks she totally forgot to do because they met or her parents don’t like her staying out late- all viable reasons for her to freak out. “You need to go home?”

            “AAH!!! Aofu Hela heitan gonoro laset! Jouui qon houoa hoso!!” She got up and moved around rapidly. “Ilifo souiset! Chakan ko! Inoute chaoeut foon casem ete!! Alaa xouta Home boata godoh sasoem!!”

            For the most part, Bran ignored her because, again, can’t understand her. He needs to head home himself because who knows what lurks out here at night. He got ready to go when she said Home. He doubts that’s a word in her language. That is a word from Earth and she said it. That can only mean one thing: the translator was starting to do its job. One word is better then none; it is a start. “Wait, what did you say?”

            Sokuro’s scale started to glow and she was ready to jump up into the air but didn’t. she turned around and looked at Bran. “Lalou heouy fogodo chask?”

            “Huh?”

            “Lalou heouy Tomorrow?”

            It did it again. This time with Tomorrow. The Translator really is started to work. It’s a slow slog, but it’s finally starting to work. He gave her a nod, hoping that was universal.

            It was and she smiled. “Esa.” The glow around her grew brighter as sparkles began to emanate out and engulf her. “Ekala fogodo chask et, Bran.” She was completely enveloped as she turned and jumped into the air. She changed back into her Dragon form, which he was able to piece together though context to be called Aerid here, and took off, heading away at high speeds. He watched her to see the direction of her home.

            He put his hands in his pockets and exhaled sharply. “Wow… what a day. Encountered a native, talked with her, and probably made a friend out of her. And I can’t even understand her.” He softly chuckled to himself. “Go me.” He turned around and retraced his steps to find his way back home. “Nobody is going to believe this.”

 

            Bran ran headlong into the village as night had fallen on their part of the world, worried that some nocturnal beastie was hot on his trail, ready to turn him into dinner. That was far from the case as no monster was chasing him. Thanks to this colony, most of the animals had run off to new parts of the forest. The colonists were still up, but done with their tasks for the day and were winding down to kick back and relax.

            He ran though the colony, attempting to find Arlye or Crox, specifically Crox. She needs to know about the girl from the local civilization he met. He would tell his parents, but they aren’t that important in the hierarchy of the colony currently. He looked high and low for the two of them.

            He was able to find Crox, her husband Belfast, and Arlye both as they left the command center, both tired after a long days work getting things together. About half of the colonists have suggested names for the new colony and Crox was gonna have to look though them all to chose the best.

            “Mrs. Crox! Mr. Toombs!” Bran called out as he ran towards them like a train.

            “Hmm?” Arlye responded, turning his head to see the kid run to them. “It’s that kid from yesterday.”

            “The one who found the Scout?” Crox asked, actually forgetting that he was the one who found it. It was that kind of day.

            Arlye nodded in confirmation. “Yeah.” Bran caught up to them and panted heavily. “What’s with the shouting, kid?”

            Bran held up a single finger so that he could catch his breath. HE ran a long ways and his lungs were about to burst. “Hold on… just gimme a… whew…” He caught his second wind and wiped his mouth. “Sorry… I just… I needed to tell you something really important.” He held up a finger again to catch his breath again.

            “We’re kinda in a rush here, kid.” Belfast commented.

            “Sorry.” Bran panted. “But this is really important.” He finally stood up straight, holding his chest as he did. He never ran that fast in his life and he doesn’t want to do it again. “I met a native to the planet!”

            “You did what!?!” The three of them exclaimed in pure shock. “There are people on this planet!?!” The three exclaimed again. Bran nodded. He had no reason to lie about this.

            “You are sure?” Crox asked.

            “Yes, I am sure!” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his journal. “Her name is Sokuro. She looks like all of us, except she has a lizard tail.” He flipped though it to get to the right page. “She’s a really cute girl and… hehehehe…. Here’s the kicker.” He found the right page and showed it to them. The three of them gazed at it and saw the picture as he said; “She can turn into a Dragon!”

            “A Dragon!?” Crox and Belfast exclaimed. Aryle was not so impressed, nor was he believing this story. This just sounds too fake and far’fetched.

            “Yes, a Dragon! A silver one, too! She--” Arlye chuckled loudly to himself, holding his hand to his head and slowly shook his head. “She… why are you laughing?”

            “Because this sounds so made up.” Arlye laughed. “I mean… come on… a girl who can turn into a dragon- a beast that has never existed ever? I mean, come on! That just sounds too fantastical to me.”

            “But it’s true! She can change forms at a whim with a special scale she wears around her neck!”

            “Further proving my point.” Arlye commented. Bran gave him a grimaced scowl, getting pissed off that he wasn’t believing him on something truly happened.

            “Did you talk to her?” Crox asked, believing his story. He didn’t seem like a kid who would lie to get attention, and he did help when he found the Scout.

            “… Kinda. The universal translator couldn’t translate her speech, so everything that came out of her mouth was gibberish. Translators can eventually translate a new language if it’s around it long enough to learn all it needs to, right?” The three leaders nodded- that is how Translators work. “Anyway, we tried to talk, but I couldn’t understand her and she couldn’t understand me. We spent all day trying to work out several words and their meanings. I got some.” He flipped to the page he had the ‘translated’ words on. “I learned that we actually share a word: Aqua. Though they pronounce it Aquo, but it has the same meaning: Water. I learned that Zai means Yes, Crozo means Tree, and I think this planets name is Dragenia. Don’t quote me on that, but I think that is what this world is called.”

            Crox and Belfast were hanging onto his every word while Arlye can’t take another second of this drivel. “This is sounding more and more like a fantasy book by the minute.” He cynically commented as he walked away.

            “And what if he is telling the truth, Arlye?” Crox asked. “What if the boy really did make first contact with a native race? It could be huge.”

            “Emphasis on Could, Crox. He COULD be right and telling us about some magical girl who can turn into a fire-breathing lizard. Maybe the boy did meet someone out there, but unless he shows actual proof that the Scout idiotically failed to find, I ain’t buying it. Heck, if he brings the actual girl back, I’ll give him my prized possession. Until then, I ain’t believing a lick of this.” He walked off, ready to end this day and head to bed. But first, Dinner, and he smells stew coming from the Argalith side of the colony.

            Crox stammered in her response, looking back and forth between Bran and Arlye. While the prospect of meeting new forms of life is exciting, and at the same time terrifying, it isn’t something that can be easily accepted just because some kid said he met one and drew a picture. While she does believe him, she has to agree with Arlye: without proof, there’s nothing she can do.

            “Agh! Arlye!” She ran after him. “We’re not done talking!”

            Bran and Belfast stood where they were, with the kid mystified that nobody believed him. He has proof: The drawing he drew. Why isn’t that proof enough? “Bu… I did meet a alien.” Bran whimpered. He looked up to the captain of their ship. “You believe me, don’t you Mr. Crox?”

            “Kid, I have seen everything there is to see back in the Milky Way. I have seen every form of life imaginable, from beautiful to disgusting, from mesmerizing to horrifying, and from intriguing to downright disturbing, but never in all my years have I seen something like you described: a humanoid transforming into a giant, powerful monster.”

            Bran felt dejected and depressed. Nobody believes him at all. He made history today and he’s being rejected. “… So you don’t believe me either.”

            Belfast sputtered out a exhale as he put his hands in his pockets. “… I believe that you met a native girl out there, but I don’t believe that she is able to turn into a Dragon. That’s just impossible.” He brought one hand out and thought for a moment. “… Did you eat any of the local flora?”

            He doesn’t know what flora means, but he did eat something. “Yeah… the girl offered me a nut. I ate it and it was extremely salty. I dunked my head in a nearby pond to get rid of that taste.”

            “Then maybe that was it. Either the nut or the pond had some hallucinogenic that made you hallucinate her turning into a Dragon. Don’t forget, this is a brand new world to us. There’s no telling what local food will do to anyone who eats it.”

            “… well the girl is able to eat and drink without problems.”

            Not wanting to leave his wife alone with Arlye, knowing that this recent conversation was gonna bring up a argument, he started off to them, turning around to walk backwards and finish his conversation. “She’s a native to the planet- of course she has some immunity to it.” He spun back around and ran after the other two, knowing that they must be close to blows.

            Bran miserably lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. “Figures… nobody will ever listen to a kid…” He kicked a pebble away. “If I was a grownup, they’d listen.” He started for home. “Maybe there was something in the nut or the water that made me hallucinate, but hallucinogenics don’t last that long… right? besides, I took a nap, so the second time was very real….” He clutched his hands and raised his head back up. “They want proof? Fine. I’ll get them proof.” He pulled out his communicator and turned it on. “All I need is a camera.”

 

            Night had fallen by the time she returned. Sokuro flew up the side of the mesa, slipping past between a docked Gaharot airship and the docks. The torches had been lit up, illuminated the village in a reddish-orange glow. She made her way to the orphanage, which had a single torch lit up on the front.

            Sparkles erupted from her Aerid body as Sokuro made her approach. Her Ferid form fell out of the display of lights as she made it on the footpath. She ran up the path, eager to tell everyone what she had done.

            “Taled! Hela!” She exclaimed as she burst through the door, skidding along the floor until she came to a halt. She came at a really good time; they had just sat down to supper. “You aren’t gonna believe what I just--” Her shouting stopped when she saw they had quests: Chief Inoute and Ifil. “C-Chief Inoute?! What are you doing here?”

            “We came looking for you, actually.” Inoute explained as he walked over to her.

            “Me? Why?” That was a dumb question. “Oh. Right. Because I’m Silver, right?”

            “Pretty much, yes.” He pulled out a partially written letter out of his back pockets. “Tomorrow, I’m gonna be sending this letter to King Amaron in Bokural, telling him that a new Silver Aerid has appeared: You.”

            The King… she never met him before but she heard stories. He’s said to be wise and kind, even to Gaharots, who are persecuted and enslaved on the mainland. He’s very pro-abolishment of the slave trade and is rumored to be supporting the Janissary resistance movement in secret. That last part is false, but it would be nice if it was true. Even so, sending a letter to him about her is a bit… big for her tastes. As for Bokural, the kingdom he rules, she never visited, so she has no idea what it is like. But if it’s anything like Roko Harbor, the only territory the mainland kingdoms and republics have on their slice of the world, then it must be busy.

             “The King… why do you need to tell him about me?”

            “Because you are a Silver Aerid. You don’t affect only our humble village, but the entirety of Dragenia. You are more important than you think.” Sokuro rolled her eyes at that remark. Of course she knows she’s important- they keep reminding her! “Besides, word will reach him eventually. You can’t exactly hide something as grandstanding as a Silver Aerid from sight. I’d rather we stay on his good side and not grovel to use the port to the mainland.”

            All honesty, Sokuro doesn’t want him to send that letter. Having the people back home know of her being a Silver Aerid is one thing- these people, she can deal with because she knows them. The mainland… and the king… she knows nothing about them. She can’t think of any positive outcome of her being revealed to the rest of the world: so many will come just to look at her, have her perform some weird miracle or two, and hound her at every turn. She doesn’t want that. But… like he said, word will spread. There were a lot of people at the ceremony yesterday and some were from the harbor, like Gallna. Word will reach the mainland sooner or later. At least she’ll have 8 months to herself before the crowds start pouring in.

            “Then……. I guess you better tell him.” A hesitant Sokuro winced. She didn’t want to say it, but she had to. “I…give you… permission, if that is why you were here?”

            It wasn’t. “Good.” Inoute walked towards the door with Ifil not far behind. “I’ll talk to you later, Sokuro.” He walked out and Ifil closed it behind him.

            Sokuro felt uneasy about all this. Just a couple of days ago, she was a orphan nobody paid no mind to. Now, she’s the center of attention with the entire world watching her. This was not the sort of attention she wanted.

            Buron put down her Gea leg and wiped her mouth. “So Sokuro, what did you want to tell us?”

            “Huh?” She turned her head towards the table, completely forgetting why she was here. The chief really caught her off guard.

            “Remember, you ran in like a maniac just a few minutes ago?”

            “Oh. Right. Right.” Her energy from before was all gone when the Chief brought all that up. No sense worrying about the future now. That’s months away. She walked over to the table and took her seat. “I, un… met someone during my first flight.”

            “Really?” Vela asked. “Who?”

            “Some boy I didn’t recognize.”

            “ooooooooo.” The girls of the orphanage all went. “Someone’s got a boyfriend!” They teased.

            “I do not!” Sokuro exclaimed. “I’m too young to have one. Besides, the boy is… weird.”

            “Weird how?”Eriod asked with a piece of Utk- their version of celery but a dark purple color- sticking out of his mouth.

            How can she describe what she saw? She’s not even sure she can. “Well… he dressed weird and has a odd name too: Bran, I think it was. He was in all black and had these strange goggles that had a lot of strange symbols and drawings, along with some paper-thin tablet.”

            “Was this Bran from the mainland, then?”

            “No. Because he spoke a language I don’t know.”

            “Huh?!” Everyone at the table, except the more civilized Hela, went.

            “He spoke words that I don’t know and used names I didn’t recognize too, like Ea-arteh. We pretty much spent our first meeting trying to figure out how to talk to each other. I think we share some words and meanings, though. He seemed happy when he found out what water meant.”

            “If he’s not from the mainland and doesn’t speak basic words, where is he from then?” Set asked before drinking her milk.

            Sokuro patted her fingers on the table. There was no way they were gonna believe this one. “Well… according to him… he’s from a place called Vee-guy and it’s…” Points up towards the sky though the skylight. “…all the way out there.”

            Everyone at the table looked up towards the night sky and then shared strange, perplexed glances with each other. “But… that’s impossible.” Zelet commented. “Nothing exists past the Heavenly Bodies and the Grand Light- there’s just no way. All that is out there is a endless abyss where lost souls wander for eternity.”

            “Tell that to him.” Sokuro replied, knowing that this was unrealistic. “But he insists he’s from beyond the Grand Light.”

            Hela daintily pierced a piece of her steak with her fork and put it delicately in her mouth. “Are you sure this wasn’t a kid who was playing some prank on you? He couldn’t just been speaking gibberish and sprouting nonsense to yank your chain.”

            Sokuro sighed as she rested her head on her right hand. “But that’s the problem. He seemed genuine with everything he said and did, and genuine puzzled when he couldn’t understand me. And those goggles and the tablet… they weren’t made anywhere on Dragenia, I can tell you that much.”

            “… and how do we know you aren’t playing a trick on us?” A skeptical Aka asked. “You are wild, after all.”

            Sokuro was gonna argue that, but she had a point. She doesn’t exactly have any proof that what she saw and did happened. She could be telling them a story she made up, for all they know.  “I… guess there isn’t a way to make you believe me.” She said dejectedly. “But I swear on Velx I’m not making this up.” She turned to her little brother. “You believe me, don’t you Taled?”

            Taled gulped down what he had in his mouth but was hesitant to reply. She wasn’t going to like the answer. “I want to, but… well… you are a known prankster and this could be another one.”

             Ever her own brother doesn’t believe her. That’s a hard blow to the feels. “I… see.” She got up from the table. “I’m not feeling hungry… I’m heading to bed.” She headed away from them and up the stairs.

            Everyone felt bad as she headed up the stairs. “… What if she is telling the truth?” Vaset whispered to the others.

            “Then we’ll buy her the most expensive gift at Roko Harbor when her birthday comes around as a big, giant apology.” Vela said. “And you are all pitching in.”

8: Chapter 6: Budding Friendship
Chapter 6: Budding Friendship

Chapter 6

Budding Friendship

2/9/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

            Bran returned to the pond where he and Sokuro first met, this time with a camera to catch proof that she does exist and to prove that she can transform into a dragon. People will believe him because he has no experience in programming and/or special effects work- he’s just a kid. They’ll believe the video to be genuine.

            He climbed up the tree where Sokuro crashed down on him and taped a portable camera to it. It was the size of a typical webcam and has enough memory for up to 7 hours of recorded footage.

            “That outta do it.” He shook it around a few times to make sure it was in secure and wouldn’t go flying off. It was secure. He removed several leaves out of its way to make sure it had a great view of the pond and its area. Before dropping down, he pressed the button on the back to insure it recorded. The red light came on.

            With it set up, Bran hung off the branch and then dropped down, landing softly on the forest floor below. “Now to just wait for the dragon girl…”

            He waited for several minutes, but for a kid, it felt like an eternity. He was growing impatient and jittery. “Sooooookurooooooo.” He called out. His voice echoed over the trees, but it didn’t travel far enough for anyone to here. He put his hands to his mouth and put them together like a megaphone. “SOKUROOOOOOOO!!!” That one was loud, but still not as far. Bran lowered his hands with a pout. “She must live farther than I had thought.”

            With nothing else better to do, he sat down, opened up his backpack, and began taking out several items he had brought from the colony. He may be trying to obtain proof, but he’s still trying to learn about her and this world, and he figures she wants to do the same thing about him.

            A pair of inquisitive eyes looked at him from the same tree he was just on. It watched him take everything out of his backpack, wondering what strange treasures they may be. She wasn’t going to have to wonder long as the branch she was on gave out, sending her crashing onto the forest floor.

            Again.

            Fortunately, she didn’t land on him this time.

            Unfortunately, she landed flat on her back, hard, which hurt like hell.

            Sokuro screamed in pain after that hard landing. When the pain subsided, she panted heavily. “Malutz akia tote quins. {That tree hates me, I’m sure of it.}” She groaned and whined from the pain. She opened her eyes and saw Bran standing over her. “… Kalen. {Hello.}” She said with a whine and with a bare smile.

            “That tree does not like you.” Bran commented. The odds of her understanding him after a day are slim to none, but the more times he speaks and she speaks, the faster the universal translator can… well, translate. Right now, he’s hoping that she can understand the syntaxes and the tone of what is going on. Some things must be universal, right? He helped her up off the ground. She bent forwards, her back in a hump. “Cause that fall was nastier then last time.”

            She took a step but it made her back hurt. “AAAH!!! Ikesz! {My back!}”

            Maybe getting her to stand up wasn’t such a good idea. “… maybe you shouldn’t move for awhile.” He set her back down on the ground gently. “You wait here. I’ll go get my things.”

            Sokuro sat onto the ground and slowly laid down on her back. Back injuries are nothing new to a Ferid- comes with becoming a Aerid. Wings do sprout out of their back, after all. But this- this was her fault. It’ll heal in time, but she won’t be walking anytime soon. Fortunately for her, Ferids have incredibly durable bodies and nign-unbreakable bones, and that holds triply true for their Aerid half. They could fall off the side of a mountain, tumbling down the side, hitting every outcropping and tree on the way down in painful ways, and roll into a field of cacti, and they wouldn’t be broken. It would hurt like hell until the person in question was healed up, but at least nothing would be broken or maimed.

            Benefits of being an alien on another planet.

            She grunted as she rested her head. “Matal, Sokuro. Matal… ifey non kooaut’koka izou meo zey nofala. Ugh… motokozola iten toge. {Nice going, Sokuro. Nice going. Second day with the strange kid and you end up hurting yourself. Ugh… I’m not gonna hear the end of this back home.}”

            Bran walked back over and put his backpack down to the side. “If you want, I could give you some pain killers. It would help with the pain.” He pulled out a bottle of the stuff. Back on Vega, he would suffer these terrible headaches brought on by the pollution in the air. He hasn’t suffered those in the 3 days on the planet, so that is a good sign. “Hmm… that was a nasty fall you took…” He shook two pills out and gave them to her. She had no clue on what to do with them- she never saw pills before. No one on Dragenia had.

            She looked up with him, wondering what she should do. “I guess you never saw pills before. Mmm… here’s hoping your lot knows charades. Un… you swallow them without chewing. Un…” He wasn’t in any pain, so he needed something for an example. He reached into his bag and pulled out a granola bar with chocolate chips. He took one of them off to use as an example. “Like this.” He placed the chip on his tongue. He brought it back into his mouth and swallowed it without chewing, sticking his tongue out after for an example.

            Somewhat understanding what he was talking about, Sokuro shrugged and stuck the pills into her mouth. She swallowed them whole and instantly regretted it- they felt rough going down, but down they went. She coughed as they went- a new experience usually has some negative impact. The pills went into action the moment they hit stomach acid, dulling the pain quickly. She sat up and coughed into her fist.

            “Agh… Makolet… cough cough… Kemem zo losa’it. “{Agh…. Crud… cough cough… that was the worst thing I ever ate.}” She then noticed that her back was not hurting anymore. It felt better. “Huh… ofo mekium ishen. Maja pon kofeta zes. {Huh… my back feels better. Those things must’ve been magic.}” She turned to him, acting like he performed some sort of miracle. “Tatalo’seost?! {How did you do that?!}”

            He held up the bottle of painkillers and shook it like a rattle. “Pain killers. Perfect for headaches, muscle aches, sore throats…” She reached out to grab it, but he pulled it away. “No no no. You aren’t getting anymore.” He put the bottle away. “I got something better for you…” He paused for a moment. “… assuming you aren’t deathly allergic to chocolate like dogs.” He pulled out that same chocolate granola bar he pulled that chip from for the example. Well, technically, it was a oatmeal bar with a chocolate drizzle and chips.

            He tore it in half and handed half of it to her. She took it and looked at it, wondering what it is. “It’s food. … well, a snack, but you can’t understand me, so who really cares.” He held it up to his mouth. “You eat it.” He took a bite.

            While he seemed to enjoy it, Sokuro was a tad unsure. She sniffed it first to see if it was close to edible for her. She didn’t smell anything bad. She took a bite. Her eyes went wide at the whole menagerie of tastes going on inside her mouth. “Vuliata! Coshosho imei sei zeoli! {Whoa! This is the craziest thing I have ever tasted!}” She ate the rest of it.

            “You seem to enjoy it.” Bran commented as he tossed the rest of his into his mouth. “And that’s just a snake. Wait till you have the big stuff like steak and chicken. …. Well, Earth cow steak and chicken- not sure what you have here that passes for it.” He pursed his lips to the side. “Maybe that deer…” He muttered to himself. He shook his head to get back into the now. “Sorry for that. Un… where were we? Oh…”

 

            Crox sat in her little mayoral office, located at the top of one of the stacked pre-fabs. Not her choice, but at least it gives her a good view of the colony. She was looking at the names the colonists suggested when she heard a knock at the door. She knew who it was- she sent for them. “Enter.” She called out.

            The door opened and Bran’s parents, Leopold and Vivian, walked in, wondering why they were called up to the mayor’s residence after just several days here. They didn’t do anything wrong. Crox looked up and saw that they were indeed here. “Ah. Mr. and Mrs. Shkirando. Come in.” She put the tablet she was looking at down and got up. “Please, take a seat.”

            Curious and a bit cautious, the two of them sat down in the chairs in front of Crox’s desk. “Why… are we here?” Leo nervously asked, worried he may not like the response. “It’s only been 3 days- how could we be in trouble?”

            “Nobody is in trouble. Not yet anyway. No… it’s about your son, Bran.”

            “What did he do?” Vivian asked with worry.

            “Nothing. In fact, he’s been a help. He found our Scout- he sat on it to draw a animal, but he still found it- but that’s not why I called you up here. Has he been… known to exaggerate things or play things up higher than they actually are?”

            The two parents looked at each other. This doesn’t sound like their kid. “Un… no.” Leo replied. “He’s usually soft-spoken, private, keeps to himself. He’s not a social person- he keeps to himself and just draws away in that family heirloom of ours or plays video games. Oh, and he is a thinker, that kid. If there’s a problem, he’ll usually work to find a solution, even if it takes all week to do so. He’s smart for his age.”

            “He’s also not one to exaggerate.” Vivian chimed in. “He’s truthful and doesn’t like very ofter. Then again, he barely talks to people who aren’t us or his friend Dan. They’ve known each other since kindergarten and he’s… a bit strange. But he’s not the point.”

            “What is the point, anyway?” Leo interrupted. “Why did you call us up here to talk about our child?”

            Crox pursed her lips to the side as she tapped her index fingers together. “Well… last night… he told me and Arlye that claims to have made contact with a girl native to a planet. And apparently, she can transform into a dragon.”

            “He did what?!” His parents shouted in a mixture of astonishment and surprise. “Our son?” Leo added. Crox nodded.. “Our socially reclusive son… made first contact with an unknown alien race that can allegedly turn into powerful monsters from Earth’s mythologies?”

            “That is what he claims.”

            Leo and Vivian looked to each other with such wide smiles, which freaked Crox out a bit- they were too wide for her taste- but they soon realize that she has kept saying he’s claiming he did. They are happy that Bran has branched out of his comfort zone after just a few days on this new world, but it seems that, to the new leadership in town, he’s crying wolf. “Wait… you don’t believe him, do you?” Vivian asked.

            “I believe that he did encounter a native to the planet- a friendly one by his words - but her transforming into a dragon; that just sounds too fantastical to me. Back in the Milky Way, no creature was able to transform in such a manner, especially into a creature from myth.”

            “Well, surely your husband encountered a race that was capable of doing such a feat back in the Milky Way.” Leo suggested. “He’s been alive for, what, 320000 years?”

            “Around there, and no, he has not. The Argalith can grow spikes out of their back, elbows, and knees when they are enraged. Kitsune’s can grow fangs and their eyes glow red. The Hesk can use ESP to move around in spheres of water. But all that is body manipulation- he’s suggesting she transforms into a entirely different race all together. He’s not in trouble, but again I must ask: does he have a habit of telling tall tales?”

            “No.” Both parents said.

            “But… I do see your point.” Vivian said. “It’s physically impossible. Maybe that girl gave him something that made him hallucinate her becoming a dragon.”

            “So what happens now?” Leo asked. “If he is telling the truth and interacting with a alien, do you want us to talk to him about it and get him to stop?”

            Crox slowly shook her head. “No. I still believe he did encounter a native to the planet. Therefore, he has instigated first contact with a new race. Given that they are both children, as he claims, then the odds of a miscommunication or a mess-up with some sacred tradition that can lead to a conflict with the neighboring natives are slim to none. Kids don’t care about stuff like that, do they?” Both parents nodded- kids never do sweat the small stuff. They laugh it off and go on to the next thing. “So for now, Bran is technically our ambassador to the native races… if he is telling the truth, that is.”

            Leo and Vivian felt uneasy about all this. Having their son be some cultural ambassador to a native race they know nothing about has them on edge. What if the girl isn’t friendly at all and just playing him along? What if someone bad from the girls… wherever she lives follows her and attacks? What if Bran slips and hurts himself? This just felt wrong. “And… what if he is telling the truth?” Leo asked.

            “Then we keep this between us. We don’t want to cause a ruckus if there are aliens near us until we are 100% certain. Everyone suspects we will run into aliens on this world, but if they learn they can transform into fire-breathing, high-flying, hard-to-kill tanks of devastation, that would frighten them, especially those who don’t know anything about Earth mythos, like the Adlez. Agreed?”

            Leo and Vivian nodded. She makes a valid point; people often fear what they do not understand, and for now, the only information is gonna come from a kid- their kid. “Agreed.” They got up to leave. “Oh, and what is the girls name?” Vivian asked.

            Crox thought for a moment to remember the name. “Mmmmm…. I think he said it was Sokuro or something to that effect.”

            The door closed behind Vivian and Leo after they left Crox’s office. With her not listening, Vivian spoke her mind, slamming her hands on the guard rail. “This is wrong, Leo. This is just wrong; using our son to contact a native alien race- what is she thinking?!”

            “I know it’s terrible, but there’s not much we can do.” Leo said as he walked over. “Besides, Bran came home safe and sound last night. This Sokuro girl or whatever she’s called clearly isn’t harmful. And I hate to say it, but Crox has a point- kids don’t cause large-scale conflicts that cost a lot just because of some miscommunication. And Bran is a smart cookie- he’d know if something was bad.”

            Vivian pressed her forehead on the guard rail, whining a groan as she looked at the ground below. “It still feels bad, Leo. It still feels bad. Why didn’t he even tell us last night?”

            “Crox is having a tough time believing him and it’s safe to assume Arlye doesn’t believe a lick of it. Besides, how would you react if you were told everything Bran did last night? Meeting a alien that can turn into a mythical beast?”

            She doesn’t want to say it, but she has to. “… I’d… be skeptical.” She hit her head on the railing once in aggravation. Hurt like heck, but her worry overpowered the pain. “I don’t like Crox using him like this, Leo, but it seems I have no choice. First Contact is a big responsibility and… though some strange divine intervention, Bran is the one doing the contact. But I do promise you this…” her hair stood on end as her eyes turned red with blood- all for dramatic effect, of course. “…if that little brat hurts my son, I’m gonna kick her in the behind so hard, she’ll be in Andromeda in a week flat.” She comically threatened before storming down the stairs.

            Leo gulped in comical fear of his wife’s threat. She has a terrible temper and is severely overprotective of her son. It’s always a good idea to stay on her good side. “I believe you… but you don’t mean that, do you honey?” He asked as he followed her down. “……. Vivian?”

 

            With her legs curled up and knees up to her face, Sokuro watched as Bran talked on and on about things she never really understood, like that strange, extremely thin tablet she found in his pockets, along with some other strange device that looked so weird, something that she thinks is called a stun gun. She had no analogy to give it except maybe a smaaaaaaaaaaaaaall Gaharot crossbow that fires light and looks really strange. Whatever it was, it made a strange electrical sound whenever it launched something out of its front. He ‘launched’ towards the pond, likely so she doesn’t get hit by…. Whatever the heck it is.

            In a very rare display of her personality, she mostly stayed silent and watched him explain things. Strange thing is, she can somewhat understand what he is saying. She doesn’t know the meaning behind the words, but… she feels like she knows. She can’t really explain how or why, it just is.

            Bran stopped talking as he got hungry. He reached into his pack and pulled out a strange container with a see-though lid. He opened it up and instantly frowned in disgust. “Ugh… figures I’d get brussel sprouts and cheese. You grab one at random… ugh…” Sokuro leaned in and sniffed at it. It smelled… strange, whatever it is. He wasn’t going to eat it- he hates brussel sprouts. Looks like today is nothing but granola bars. He stuck a fork in the smallest one and offered it to her. “Wanna try a bite?” He said disappointed, bored, and hungry.

            Sokuro took the fork and again sniffed the strange concoction he calls food. She took a small bite and almost immediately spit it back out in disgust. “BLECH!!!” She exclaimed loudly. She tossed it away and brushed her tongue with her finger to try and get all of it off.

            Seemed an appropriate reaction for a crummy veggie. “I don’t know if that’s the cheese or the vegetable talking, but that’s certainly an appropriate reaction to this drivel.” Bran harshly commented as he closed the container back up. “Still… good to know some things are universal…” He may hate it but others in the colony like it- the Kitsune certainly do. Besides, until they get a sustainable farm going and learn the hunting patterns of the various fauna around, they can’t waste food. They have 3 years worth, but a year can go by in a flash if you aren’t paying attention.

            Sokuro instead brought out her own lunch: cut up Adfala on top of scrambled Gea eggs and sprinkled with Folion and Btyl-the Dragenia version of a ham-and-cheese omelet with pepper. It was wrapped up in a reddish-brown cloth that seemed like sackcloth.

            It smelled significantly better then Bran’s lunch. The smell wafted by his nose, making him pleasurably moan in hunger. “oooooooo…. That smells goooooooooooooood…” He was drooling out of his mouth.

            She knows that look all too well. Taled would drool like that whenever Hela makes her Bioco Stew- now that is a dinner to die for. So good. She took that fork Bran used to pass her that awful vegetable and stuck it into a small part of hers. “Maji’foratie? {Wanna try a bite?}”

            Bran took his fork back and ate it up. The tastes danced among his tongue like ballerinas doing Swan Lake- it was soooo dang good. It was better than that nut from yesterday- he’s not rushing over to the pond to drink gallons of it to get rid of the taste. “Wow, that is amazing!” He didn’t want to gulp it down, but he had to before it turned to mush and gets hungry in 4 minutes. “You need to start a restaurant.” He said as he pulled out some granola bars, feeling like she wasn’t going to share anymore.

            Sokuro smiled in reply as she ate up her lunch. She didn’t understand what he was saying, but it sounded like a compliment.

 

            Back home at the orphanage, Sokuro was missing out on a special lunch because Hela was indeed making Bioco stew. Her loss, their gain. She usually scarfs that up with barely any seconds, so this is a boon. They only have stew on special occasions; birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. Today wasn’t any of those.

            “I smell stew!” Taled shouted as he bolted on downstairs. He smelled it from upstairs in his and Sokuro’s room, where he was playing with a couple of toys, and came down to see Vela, Buron, and Leoi already at the table, laughing at a joke. The others must be out; not knowing stew was on the menu. Leoi was tinkering on a little device he had been working on for some time.

            “It’s not done yet.” Hela commented as she sprinkled it some herbs. “Still some time before it is finished.”

            “It still smells heavenly, mom.” Vela commented, leaning back in his seat. “But, un… why are you cooking it? It’s no one’s birthday and Sokuro has been a Aerid for a few days now so it’s not for Ascension Day. What is it for?”

            There was a knock on the front door. Perfect timing. Hela wiped her claws on a dish towel then went to open it. “We have company.” She opened the door and invited someone important in. It was another Gaharot- one that looked familiar. “I’m sure you know Fayin, right?” She asked the children present.

            “Fayin?” Buron repeated. She tapped her claws on her bottom lip, trying to place the name. “Hold a tick, you mean Velx’s personal handmaiden?!”

            “The one and the same.” Fayin responded with a warm smile.

            This was a huge honor, if not a puzzling one, to have a Handmaiden in their home. Handmaidens are a very special, very sought after position in the world. Handmaidens can get close to gods like Velx, closer than anyone else can ever get. They are chosen for being trusting, diligent, and hard working and often times work as their messengers and delegates to the world beyond their shrines.

            Anyone can try to be a Handmaiden, but the god has the final say on who becomes one. As a result, they carry the same rank as nobility and have most of the same boons that come with it- nobility don’t work hard to stand out for their positions. They’re just handed to them on a silver platter. Handmaidens work really hard to get recognized.

            Fayin had to work twice as hard to get noticed. A Gaharot Handmaiden is not unheard of, but it is very rare. Due to their… oppression on the mainland, Gaharots are not a common sight to be Handmaidens. Most don’t have the time or energy to try and become one after forcibly working day in, day out for no pay. Any who become one is usually though a stroke of luck or a god taking pity.

            Things obviously do not work that way on Evioly. A Gaharot has just a equal chance to become on as a Ferid. Fayin worked her claws to the quik night and day to have a chance to get the position, which she was obviously able to get.  Being a Handmaiden is not a easy job- if anything, it’s one of the tedious, depending on which Astral Aerid they serve- Astral Aerid being the name of their gods, but it is an honor to serve a god. Velx is thankfully one of the more relaxed ones. 

            Buron stammered in her seat, twitting at her claws with a light chuckle. “Un… this is… this is a big honor, Lady Fayin. Un… do what do we owe this auspicious visit?” Leoi and Vela leaned back in their seats to Taled, who shared the same ‘is she really serious?’ look as them.

            “I came to visit the home of our new Silver Aerid.” She took a seat at the head of the table. Hela went back to the kitchen to continue cooking. “I was hoping to meet her.”

            “Un… I’m afraid my sister is out right now.” Taled said. “Ever since she got that scale, she’s been flying every chance she’s got. She was gone until nightfall yesterday and may be gone all day today as well.”
            Fayin frowned in disappointment. “Oh. That was unfortunate. I was hoping to meet her myself.”

            “Why? Is Velx curious about her?” Taled asked, having a strong feeling that was the case.

            “Actually, yes. It’s not every day a new Silver Aerid is brought into the world and Velx wants to know what kind of a person the girl truly is. I was hoping to ask her personally but maybe it’s better when it comes from people who know her best.”

            Vela smugly grinned as he leaned back in his chair, with his hands behind his head. “Well, you came to a right place, pretty lady.” He winked at her with a clicking tongue. The flirting made everyone groan, including Hela. “What?”

            “That was bad…” Leoi finally said.

            Taled wanted to get away from that badness and get to the point. “What does Velx want to know about Sokuro?”

            Fayin reached into her pockets and pulled out a pad and paper. She always takes thorough notes. “Well, just what kind of a person is she? What’s her personality and her mindset like?”

            Buron pursed her lips to the side. “Well… she’s wild.”

            That doesn’t sound like anything good. “Wild?”

            Vela waved his hand slightly. “She’s not out of control, if that’s what you are wondering. She’s no Xelut. She’s just… free spirited, which is obvious since she’s not here.”

            “She’s also high strung.” Taled said. “I swear I saw her jumping off the walls at some point.”

            “She is Adventurous.” Buron added in. “I don’t think she ever sits still for more than a minute… if she’s not in a mood.”

            “Often obnoxious.” Vela continued. “She can be hard to be around some times.”

            Taled: “Doesn’t take no for an answer. She’ll always find a way to get a yes.”

            Hela: “And don’t forget Kind. She’s helped me more with my pregnancy then my own son.” Vela whistled nonchalantly as he wiggled his claws together.

            Buron: “She can be Sympathetic. She’ll often times help those she can come across, including complete strangers.”

            “Quick to fight.” Leoi finally added in while not looking up from his little project. “She has thrown punches that start fights.”

            Taled: “But she is hard to anger. You have to work really had to piss her off.”

            Buron: “And Inquisitive. She’ll ask questions up the wazoo.”

            Vela: “And she is a quick learner, too. She was able to fly with such skill mere minutes after getting her wings.”

            Everyone said the last one all at once because it’s pretty much her defining feature, the one that is the most problematic about her: “And she is obsessed with food.”

            Fayin wrote all of this down, feeling that Velx would have a chuckle at how varied the new Silver Aerid is. “Wow… that is quite a checklist for one person, though that quick to fight thing doesn’t surprise me. They all seem to have that quality. And you said she was obsessed with food? Obsessed how?”

            “See that stew being made over there?” Vela said as he pointed to it. “If she were here, nobody would be getting seconds, and mom usually makes a full pot.”

            “Ah. So she’s a glutton.”

            Taled held up a finger to protest, but didn’t bother trying. Sokuro is a bottomless pit on legs. “Eh…. Mmm….. Yeah, let’s say that. She is a bottomless pit gone airborne. It wouldn’t surprise me if she took the entire cupboard.”

 

            That, surprisingly, was none at all true today. Sokuro was so entranced in learning about the new visitor from the heavens. She didn’t even realize she was hungry; she was that intrigued by what he has to say… even though she still cannot understand a total lick of it. That doesn’t stop her from watching, though. She knows that strange device he calls a Stun Gun fires light, and that he has a strange paper-thin tablet, and that he is a excellent sketch artist. There’s nobody on Evioly with the same level of skill he has. The closest is a painter over in Roko harbor and even he doesn’t have the level of detail Bran has. Sokuro asked a load of questions, but the language barrier made it impossible for him to understand.

            Soon, Bran had run out of things to talk about, so he was just back on the grass with his arms overhead, staring up at the sky above, watching the clouds pass by. The dark void of space and two galaxies over, and he can still make out familiar shapes in the clouds. They reminded him of home. He sighed depressingly as he closed his eyes.

            “Zamo’seimy? {Is something the matter?}” Sokuro asked.

            Bran opened his eyes back up and looked at her. She seemed worried. “I miss home.” He said softly. “I know it was a pollution-filled wasteland and I know why we had to leave, but… I still miss it.”

            “Ikoiko vouqil xelana miss your home? {Do you miss your home?}”

            “I just told you I did and--” His eyes went wide and he sat back up. “Wait a tick!” He turned to her. “I understood you. I didn’t understand the first few words, but I understood miss your home!” He got up and jumped around. “Hahaha! The Translator is working! Yes!” Sokuro tilted her head in puzzlement. Bran slid back down. “Say more things! Keep talking!”

            She tilted her head again. “Rotya cozasa evio? {The heck is wrong with you?}” She slowly shook her head. “aka… movout such a weird kid. Sheesh.”

            “I understood that!” though it wasn’t something he liked. “And I’m not weird, you’re weird.”

            “No, you are.” Sokuro said, finally in a language Bran knows and understands. The translator worked faster then imagined.

            “No, you are.” Bran retorted.

            “You are.”

            “You are.”

            “You are.

            “You--” Bran stopped and held his hands up to make them both stop. “Ho-ho-ho-ho-hold up. Can you understand me?”

            “Yeah.” Sokuro nodded. Bran gestured to her, as if he was trying to lead her into something. It took her a few moments to come to the same realization Bran did just seconds ago. “Wait… I can understand you. And you can understand me?”

            Bran laughed as he nodded. “Yeaahahahahhahahahah!!!” He jumped up and down. “WHOOOOO! Language Barrier destroyed!!” He pumped his arms as he laughed. This little song and dance was lost on Sokuro but she was just as excited that they can finally understand each other. “YES!”

            Sokuro still had questions, but now he can understand. “Wait… how can you understand me? We were having trouble before.”

            Since she can now understand, he went back over to her and sat down beside her. “Universal Translators.” He touched his earlobe. “When we’re a year old, we have translators implanted into our ears and vocal cords. When it encounters a new language, like yours, it works to understand all the intricacies of how it operates and translates it into a language the user understands; in my case, English. The translator then stimulates the vocal cords with the language of the people you are talking to. I don’t know how it works, but it does.” He chuckled to himself with a wide smile. “Thank you, Hesk!”

            Sokuro blinked as he talked on. Translators and implants went over her head, but they can understand each other. That’s the important part. “Un…… I didn’t understand a lick of that, but… it sounds very important and exciting.”

            “Yeah it is!” He thrust his arms up as he cheered. He fell backwards onto the ground and laughed. Sokuro laughed as well, but at his reaction to all this. His laughter slowly subsided as he thought things over. “But… it usually takes days or weeks or even months for the translator to work everything out. And yet it did it in 2 days.” He sat up. “Gotta love technology.”

            “If you say so.”

            Bran looked at her with a smile. “We got so much to talk about.” He glanced up to the sky and saw that the sun was setting. “Whoa. Man, when I talk, I can go for a long time.” Sokuro turned and saw that the sun was setting too. “Guess we should head home.”

            “Yeah, and it sucks.” Sokuro playfully pouted. It was her turn to smile. “We have a lot to talk about tomorrow.” She chuckled as she got up.

            Bran bounced up off the ground, kicking back and landing on his feet. “Yes, we do. I have a lot of questions for you and you obviously have a lot of questions for me.” She nodded back. “Heh… tomorrow is gonna be a long one.”

            Sokuro nodded before turning to leave. “See you tomorrow then.” She waved before running off to get a running start to transform and fly off.

            Bran waved back as she flew off. He grabbed his backpack and flung it over his shoulder. “Finally… some progress.” He said with a smile. He turned to head for home, completely forgetting about that little spy camera he had put up in the tree. His mind returned to what he said before, about the translator working after only 2 days. Normally it takes weeks for the translator to fully understand a new language. He didn’t pay it much mind- it’s working now, so why bother fighting it- and ran off for home.

 

            The tip of Velx’s claw glowed until the two of them split then stopped. It took him some time to realize where those 20000 new souls suddenly came from. Last night was when he figured it out: they are from another world, and better yet, they have translators. What surprised him was that Sokuro, the new Silver Aerid, had made contact with one of the new souls- a young kid, but he wasn’t from this planet, so understanding each other was a problem. So… he used his powers to subconsciously whisper into the ear of who Sokuro met so that the Translator could work overtime and translate faster than normal. Easy to do it when Fayin wasn’t around.

            Astral Aerids aren’t supposed to interfere with the goings-on of mortals and their lives, but… this is a special case. These are visitors or people looking for a new home, and these two kids, from separate worlds, have already become friends in a short amount of time, despite the barriers between them. After all, who better an ambassador then the Silver Aerid? Barely 2 days with her wings and already she has brought about great change to Dragenia with these visitors. Hopefully, it will end in good and not bad.

            And surely his brothers and sisters will understand why he interfered and aided in this.

            Velx heard Fayin returning and deactivated his magic. She held her hand to her mouth as she burped. “Excuse me. I ate a lot.” She said as she walked up the temple steps to him.

            “How was it?” He asked.

            “Well…” Fayin sat down when she reached the top of the steps. “Sokuro wasn’t there, but most of her friends and her brother was, so they were able to tell me everything they could about her, and let me just say, wow.”

            “Well…” He lowered his head until it was on the stone before her. “Now you have piqued my curiosity. Proceed- I wish to learn all I can about our new Silver Aerid.”

            “Alright. I learned a lot, so I may talk your ear off.” She flipped though the pad to the notes she took down. “Ok… here.” She then proceeded to tell him everything she learned and in great detail.

            While she wasn’t looking, Velx’s eyes glanced out to the horizon, wondering where the visitors were. He has a feeling that Sokuro and the kid she met, Bran he believes his name is, will have an important role to play soon. He’s not sure what it will be, but the planet- it’s saying those two are important. Only time will tell at this point. 

9: Chapter 7: Fast Bonds
Chapter 7: Fast Bonds

Chapter 7

Fast Bonds

2/10/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            “She’s out again!?!” Vela exclaimed. Sokuro’s absence meant he was the one helping with the laundry today. She’ll either come back soon to help with the stables or he’s gonna bean her.

            “Yes she is.” Hela said as she flapped a blanket, spraying some water droplets about before putting it up on the clothesline.

            “That’s gotta be the 3rd time this week.” He hung up some shirts. “She must really love flying or may’ve found something really cool out there.” He grabbed some linen’s and shook them.

            “Like, say, a strange boy?”

            He gave an exasperated groan of a sigh and looked at his mother with the same look. “Oh, don’t tell me you believe her, mom. There’s no way what she said could possibly be true. I mean, a boy from elsewhere, wearing strange clothes and using strange machinations- that’s just impossible.”

            “She seems to think so. And while I don’t believe all of what she said, I do believe she did meet someone out there.”

            “Must be someone very important to keep her from pulling her share of the load around here…” He muttered to himself.

            “Besides, it wouldn’t kill us to be supportive. She isn’t much of a liar, you know.”

            “Don’t remind me.” He rolled up a towel in frustration. “More than once, she ruined a surprise birthday party.”

            “And she must really like this boy to fly out first thing in the morning.” She turned to him. “Don’t you wonder what he may be like?”

            “Not really. I try not to think about that.” He grabbed the now empty basket and headed towards the orphanage. “And if he is the type of company she enjoys, that being a very good story teller with a vivid imagination, more power to her. I wish I had half the imagination this guy must have.”

            Hela detected the sny in his voice and warmly smiled as she followed him back inside. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” She teased.

            He sputtered to a halt, stammering as he tried to talk. “What?! Jealous?! Of course not. I’m irritated that I have to do all her house work while she’s off gallivanting around with strange boys and on those new wings of hers. ‘Oh, look at me, look at me, I’m special. I have wings and can fly and all the attention falls on me’. Whoop-di-doo.” He pushed the door open with a hard fist. Hela lightly chuckled to herself at his actions. He is so jealous.

 

            “…so, with all the planets in the galaxy almost dead and dried-up, we left the Milky Way in search of a new home, going to the closest galaxies we could travel to and establish colonies. Obviously, mine came here. There are others out there in this dwarf galaxy, but we’ve yet to establish contact with them.”

            Bran had just finished up explaining the history of the Milky Way to Sokuro yet again, except this time she was able to understand him fully and completely with the translator now working. He drew pictures in the dirt with a stick he took off a nearby tree.

            As stated before, there are two that work together- the ear translator, which automatically translates everything the person hears, and the vocal cord translator, which translates what the person is saying into the native language. It’s as complicated as it sounds, but several hundred thousand years of updates have made it so perfect, why bother trying to work your head around the details.

            As for Sokuro, she found what he’s saying to be… rather interesting. She’s old enough to where she can be open to ideas and new ways of thinking, despite having been raised a certain way. While the Gods that live among them do contradict some things, like the Great Light just being some neighbor galaxy, it’s still interesting to hear. She may not fully understand all of it- most of the stuff was techno-babble after all- but it was still interesting to hear.

            “Wow… that’s some tale…” Sokuro commented with a warm smile. She picked up the phone he had left on the ground. “That would explain all of this weird stuff.” She handed it to Bran and he took it back. “So… where is this ship of yours now- the vessel that carried you across the Black Abyss?”

            “Black Abyss? Oh, you mean outer space. Yeah, it’s in orbit around the planet.” He pointed up to the sky. She looked up and didn’t see anything. Maybe like with the Great Light, it only appears at nighttime.

            Bran sat back down and tossed the stick into the pond. “I spent the past 3 days talking about me and my race. Now what about you? You’ve been silent most of the time.”

            “That’s because you couldn’t understand me.” She giggled.

            “Well, we can understand each other now.”

            She nodded. “Right…” She popped her lips and clapped her hands on her knees. “Well… to start off, hi, I’m Sokuro el’Fitan.” Bran rolled his eyes. They’re getting to know each other, not taking part in a group meeting. “I am 9 years old, I live among the Misken Tribe, which is also the name of our village. My hobbies include-”

            “Heh… I didn’t ask for a resume, kid.”

            That word is unfamiliar to her. Sounds made up. “Resume?”

            “It’s a human thing that I hope isn’t a thing here.”

            “Ok…?” She scratched her head in confusion. “Well then… what do you want to know?”

            “Well, this is an easy one. Do you have any family?”

            Right to the big question, and the one that hurts the most. She can’t blame him; he doesn’t know about her past- about anyone’s past. “I have a little brother named Taled. He’s a couple cycles younger than me. A bit annoying at times, but he’s the only family I got.”

            “Only family?” Her face twisted in pain as she glanced away. Even after all this time, it was still painful to talk about. That told him everything. “Oh…” She grabbed her arm from behind and squeezed it tight. “… If you don’t mind my asking… how did they die?”

            Must be an inquisitive species. “Ou……a volcano on the other side of the island called Mocurot Crater was active that year and some od the embers were able to reach all the way here. One caught our house and… floom. We were asleep, unaware what was going on. By the time we woke up and saw everything on fire, it was too late. The chief and several others braved the flames to rescue us. You can… obviously piece the rest together.

            Now he felt horrible for asking. He never went what she went though. Sounds extraordinarily rough. “… Sorry I asked. It must’ve been hard for you- it must still be hard for you.”

            She nodded in agreement. “It’s been rough going… but luckily for the two of us, the orphanage we live in is run by one of the friendliest people I have ever met, and the kids there are friendly too. A couple of them are my best friends, even before we moved in.”

            “What were your parents like?”

            She clutched the locket close to her heart. Those were warm memories. “Mom and Dad… ah, they were amazing. We always played games and had fun, even when they were working. They made a little game with us- if we do good, we get a treat.”

            “And what did they do?”

            “They were explorers. It may not look it, but Evioly, this land we’re sitting on, is littered with ruins far beneath us.” Bran looked down at the ground. Ruins right beneath them? He can only imagine what they must be like. “Story goes that Evioly was the birthplace of Dragenia’s very first Empire over 20000 cycles ago. It didn’t last long- a catastrophe from the heavens destroyed it and buried it. It even left a scar in the seas surrounding our humble aboad in the form of a massive trench that entirely encompasses us.”

            “Catastrophe from the heavens?” He repeated. “Sounds like it may’ve been a meteor strike. It would have to be one big rock to decimate the capital of an empire, a capital that expanded this sub-continent.”

            She picked up on that; sounds like he knows something about this. “Did a catastrophe strike your home world as well?”

            “Yes, but that was a REALLY long time ago- 65 million years, to be exact.”

            That sounds impressive, except for one word. “Years?”

            “What you would call a cycle- focus, girl, I told you that like an hour ago. Anyway, it’s one of the leading theories; a massive asteroid hit Earth, creating a massive kaboom that wiped out the dinosaurs- the species that ruled the planet long before we humans were even a blip of the nature clock. Course… the way you describe yours, it sounds like only this island got wrecked. But it seems that everything has been fixed- nature’s back and people are living on it.”

            “Obviously.”

            “And I’m going to assume that this Mocurot Crater thing is active most of the time.”

            “2 months out of the… year, yes. That is such an odd word.” She shook her head, getting back on topic. “Mocurot Crater is a large… well, crater that has a active volcano inside it. it hasn’t erupted yet, not since before Xelut’s reign anyway, but it still spews out ash, smoke, and… embers during the active season.”

            “It’s yearly?”

            “Yes. Nobody has been able to figure out why, though. Those who live by it believe a powerful beast called a Jomokoma lives in the center and each year, it attempts to escape. It’s just a story, though- the volcano has been active for centuries: Jomokoma is probably dead by now and this is some weird thing that happens. They do throw a decent festival though, I’ll give them that much.”

            Bran sat back on his hands. So they still believe in superstitions and heresay, he thought. Seems there’s similarities between Sokuro’s people and the people of yore back on old earth, where they believe everything has something spiritual attached to it, like how Egypt, Greece, and Japan had gods for just about everything from the sun, to death, wine, horses, lightning, smithing, the list goes on and on. He glanced up to the sky. The bigger moon was visible in the sky. It could be that when the moons are in a certain position, the combined gravitational pull has an effect on this one, causing volcanoes to become more active. He would tell her this, but it’s just a theory. That and she had enough trouble understanding how he got here to begin with- he had to go into deep details about cryo-freezing and space travel just to get an attempt of understanding from her.

            Besides, there was one question he still needed to ask in this tangent. “Moving on: you said there is a trench that completely encompasses you? Like completely encircles you.”

            “Yeah.”

            “Then how do you get to this mainland?”

            “There is a bridge of water that connects us to the rest of the world. Trying to sail across it back then was crazy, or so I hear, and you can’t fly over it- the updraft and the currents send you every which way but forward- some even died attempting it.”

            “Yikes.”

            “But over the centuries, they were able to build a little trading post- two ports that connect at the bridge. Except for a small waterline on either side, the entire bridge has been built over. And lemme tell you, getting to the mainland is a hassle. First you gotta sail to that post, switch ships, and sail to the mainland port of Greka, the capital of the Bokural Kingdom. They’re the only ones who have a presence here on Evioly with Roko Harbor. That’s the only spit of land they have here.”

            “Ah. Are you a citizen of Bakura Kingdom?”

            “Bokural. And no. The tribes of Evioly remain independent. It takes 4 months for a vessel from the mainland to get here. It took Roko centuries to get to the population it is at. We outnumber the citizens of Roko 30 to 1. Even if they would get reinforcements, it would take 4 months to the message for help to the mainland and then another 4 for them to get here, not counting whatever they have to do to assemble and move. By then, we’d be so well prepared, the reinforcements would get creamed, cause let me tell you, we are savage fighters when we need to be.”

            “Huh. Good to know…” He made a fake note. “Scary when fighting.” He tapped his fingers; now ti was time for the big question. He was holding off on this for some time as it was the biggest one to ask. “So…. About your other self…”

            Sokuro sighed deeply; she knew this was gonna come up sooner or later. “Well… if you must know… I am a Silver Aerid. I know you were gonna ask about the color sooner or later.”

            “Aerid?” The name puzzled him until he was able to piece it together; there was only one form he saw that was silver. “Oh, you mean your Dragon form.”

            Now it was her turn to be puzzled. “Dragon?”

            “Your scaly, winged, flying form.” He flapped his hands like wings. “We had those back home.”

            That made her excited. Could he actually be able to transform into a Aerid like her?! the possibilities seem to be endless with this kid from the stars. “You can transform into a Aerid too!?!” She got up in his face with a large smile, which made him more than uncomfortable.

            “Un…. No. no, I’m afraid not.” She pouted in disappointment before sitting back down. “Sorry. But on my world, Dragons are myth- pure fantasy.”

            There was a inconsistency here. “And… yet you know about us.”

            “No we didn’t. Every culture back home has dragons in their mythology- often times, they are nice and benevolent, like you.” She lightly blushed with that similarity. “Other times… they are evil and malevolent, spreading death and chaos. Some are tricksters and some are godly. They can be as large as mountains or as small as a coin. Point is, we have dragons, but… they are just stories back home, and none had a human form. …. Well, none that weren’t gods.”

            “Oh… so much for us flying together…” She dragged her finger though the dirt.

            “Sorry.”

            “Guess I got my hopes up high for that one.” She dragged her hand over it, clearing the bad drawing she had made.

            “… So… you’re called a Aerid?”

            “No. that’s our… well, in your words, Dragon form. Ferid’s are what we are normally called.” She got up and spun herself around to give him a good look at her Ferid form. “And I’m such a cutie. Hehe…”

            That was interesting and all, but he was curious as to why they are able to do so in the first place. “So how are you able to transform into a Dra—Aerid?”

            She reached down her dress and pulled out her necklace of her mother’s locket and scale. Bran went ‘ooooo’ when he saw the scale- it was all sparkly and shiny. He then noticed the burnt locket. Based on her story from before, it must’ve been one of her parents. “With these scales. They are gifted to us by the Gods, the Astral Aerids, when we reach maturity. They are blessed with a ancient magic that comes from the planet and it is what allows us to become Aerids. Without them, we are just normal Ferids. And if we lose one, we can’t get them replaced. It’s one per prson.”

            “Wow.” He tapped it. It made a humming sound, like a tuning fork. “Can anyone become a Aerid?”

            “All Ferids, yes. I’m not sure about your or your kind- you did just arrive, after all. Maybe, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The magic could have a bad effect.” He lightly shrugged in agreement- he isn’t going to test that anytime soon. “Gaharots, on the other hand…”

            He looked up from the scale. “Gaharots?”

            “The other race that rules Dragenia. Or… rather, did. They are a lizard race that are very smart- they created ships that allow them to fly though the air and weapons to fight off those who want to do them harm. Some of my best friends are Gaharots.”

            “… You said they used to rule the planet along with you Ferids. What happened?”

            She knew that was gonna be next on his question list- she brought it up herself, after all. Still didn’t prepare her all the same. “Centuries of distrust and bigotry that culminated in the last emperor of the world establishing a slave trade 500 years ago. Recently, there has been a resistance movement called the Janissaries that have been working to abolish it. So far, it hasn’t worked and they’ve resorted to violence and prison breaks.”

            Bran looked away for a moment. His homeworld wasn’t exactly kind when it came other races either. His are probably a lot worse. “… Can’t say I blame them. Forcibly enslaved for 500 years by a despot emperor- who wouldn’t want to break free?”

            “Yeah…”

            “… You don’t… practice that here, do you?”

            “Oh, Velx, No! Of course not! We live side by side with the Gaharots in peace here. We’re so far from the mainland, we never conformed and they didn’t force us. Like I said earlier, Roko Harbor is the only plot of land the Empire has on this rock and we outnumber them.”

            “Whew. Thank goodness. Heh…”

            She is sensing that this would’ve ended their friendship before it could truly blossom. “Why? Would that have been a problem?”

            “Well, I wouldn’t have been happy.” He didn’t want to bring up that part of Earth’s history- it could leave a bad taste in her mouth. “B-but let’s not dwell on this. Let’s get back to talking about positive stuff.” Pops lips. What was a good subject change? “So, you are a Aerid. What kind?”

            “I am a Silver Aerid.”

            Color is important here, he guesses? “… ooook…. Gonna need some more context here. Don’t forget- new to the planet here, so I don’t know what the color coding system is.”

            “Oh. Right…” She got up and slowly walked over to the pond. “Well… I am a Silver Aerid… and Silver Aerids are considered signs of great change coming to the planet. Whenever one appears, you can bet something world shaking is going to happen… and visitors from another world would most definitely count.” Bran shrugged and nodded in agreement. She stopped at the pond’s edge. “But that’s not all. Silver Aerids are the most powerful, having access to every ability and breath other Aerids have and almost rivaling that of the gods in terms of raw strength. We’re pretty much demi-gods.” She looked at her reflection in the water. She saw herself… and the Aerid form that encompassed her. “It’s…. also a lot of pressure… whenever one becomes a Silver Aerid, they are hounded by those looking for help with a problem.”

            “You sound sad.”

            “That’s because I am… I’m just a kid… I don’t need all this pressure on me. Your kind finding a new home here- that’s a big change. But… there’s always something more. All eyes are on me now and I didn’t want that. I was excited to be a Aerid; it would give me freedom and new aspects. But… I didn’t want to be a Silver one- I never wanted this pressure…”

            “Did you know you were going to be one?”

            She shook her head. “No. Every time someone gets their scale, it’s always random. It could’ve easily gone to my mom, Gallna, or my little brother, or even the village chief, and I could’ve easily been red or black or green. But… it went to me… a lowly orphan. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do or what’s going to happen.”

            Now he feels like he brought up a really bad, really sensitive subject. You never know what is lurking under the surface. “… well… you could look to the ones that came before you and learn from them. … right?”

            “Heh… I guess, but most of them weren’t exactly role models. According to the stories, the First Aerid was Nascent, and again, that was 20000 cycles ago. In the millennia’s since then, there have been good Aerids, like Corvo, Iqiuoa, Abiqua, and Movi. And… then there have been bad ones, like Miu’shet, Zeouyt, Brason, and….” She hesitated on the last one.

            “… and… who?”

            “… Xelut… my predecessor and… the tyrannical despot of a emperor who enacted the slave trade.” He winced, knowing he hit a sore spot. Not a good position when the last guy was a lunatic. “I think a lot of people, myself included, are worried I’ll become another Xelut, or even worse.”

            “I don’t think you will.” He said out front without hesitation.

            She turned to face him, slightly hopeful at his words. “You think?”

            “We may’ve only known each other for 3 days now, and just now began understanding each other for… what, a few hours, but I can see you are a nice girl. You haven’t done anything to hurt me.” He felt a pang in his back from what she fell on him. “Intentionally.” He rubbed where she landed. “I can just tell you are a nice girl. And who knows- if me and the other colonists didn’t come, maybe the great change you’ll bring about is something that benefits the planet, like ending that slave trade or saving the new emperor or becoming his or her advisor, or…”

            “Befriending a boy from another world?” She added with a mischievous smile, her sadness from mere seconds ago long gone. Benefits of being a kid; you can switch like that.

            He lightly waved his hand left and right as he nodded with a bobbing head. “…That too.”

            The two of them shared a laugh only children would understand; a laugh of not sweating the small stuff. Sokuro looked up at the sun to note its position. “Guess I’m heading home.”

            “What?! But it’s only midday.”

            “Yeah… but unfortunately, I got stuck with cleaning the Gea stables today and I know Vela’s gonna cause me grief for bailing on laundry because he will likely replace me and I do not want to get rolled out of bed again!!” Rather than wait for him to ask what a Gea is, she beat him to the punch and explained it anyway. “Gea’s are big, flightless birds, and they are rather tasty, and Vela is one of my friends- his mother Hela runs the orphanage.”

            “I wasn’t really going to ask, but ok…” He sadly pouted. Now it was his turn to draw in the dirt with his finger.

            Sokuro rolled her eyes and gave a delightful little chuckle. “Tell you what- tomorrow, when we meet up again, I’ll bring something cool to show you. I’m not gonna tell you what it is- it’ll be a surprise.”

            He peered up from the ground, hiding a grin underneath all that gloomy look. “… Will it be cool?”

            “It’ll be cool, you strange little monkey.” She tasseled his hair. He sputtered as he playfully slapped her hands away. “Heh…” Her scale began to glow. “By the way… have you been telling anyone back where you are from about me?”

            Uh-oh. This sounds like a test question, and he doesn’t want to answer wrongly. “Um… why ask?”

            “Because I told everyone back home in the orphanage about you and they laughed at me, thought I was making up a story. A boy from beyond the heavens; they must think I’ve lost my mind. Did you tell anyone in your village about me?”

            “Yes I did, but like you, they didn’t believe me. They do believe I met a native to the planet, but they don’t believe the part about you turning into a giant beast. And looking back on it… it does sound like a story kids would make up.” She crossed her arms. “I’m just saying that is what it would sound like to those who do not know. Nobody back home in the Milky Way can do what you do.”

            She giggled to herself as the glow grew brighter. “Guess that makes me one of a kind in your eyes, doesn’t it?” She smiled as the glow fully encompassed her. Seconds later, the Silver Aerid took off towards home.

            Bran watched her take off with his hands in his pockets. “You are preaching to the choir, girl.” He said before he himself headed home. He had a thought as he walked: if she was going to bring something cool, then he should bring something cool as well.

           

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GshcakjPbyU Playful Adventure by Cavendish Music

 

 

            Thus began a rather strange routine among the two of them. Every day for the next few days, they would bring something to share, sometimes something personal, sometimes something that everyone else uses. Show and tell on a inter-galactic, cultural scale. And both learned something interesting and intriguing about the other.

           

            Bran flipped a book up and over, trying to read it. He had gotten the same artificial eyes everyone got when they were old enough to attend school, allowing any written language to be automatically translated to one they are most familiar with- in Bran’s case, Russian as his family ancestry on his dad’s side dates back to then. But alas, the eyes would not translate- written language is much much different from spoken language, forcing him to try and flip it around to get it to work.

            Sokuro slowly shook her head and sighed; so much for things being easy. She took the book, flipped it up the right way, and placed it back in his hands. He smiled nervously in embarrassment; he’s still not able to read the dang thing.

 

            Sokuro curiously looked the strange tablet device Bran calls a phone. He says that he can communicate with his friends and family back at his home, which she finds impossible. There is absolutely no way you can communicate over long distances- it’s just not possible. He explained that there were other ‘apps’, whatever those were, but she was just trying on how to turn it on.

            The thing irritated her to no end. She resorted to more feral tactics, biting on a part of it. She seems to have activated some sort of security program or something as she was shocked on the inside of her mouth, making her hair stand on end. The phone slid out of hr mouth and into Bran’s hands. Smoke puffed out as she made a ‘puff’ sound and fell backwards, eyes spinning around.

 

             Bran tried his first bite of what looked like a cruller. According to her, it’s called a Alkoza- Gea meat wrapped in a pastry that is cooked with Aerid flames. Sounds like a burrito or a wrap to him, except it’s in the shape of a donut. Long as it still tastes good…

            He took a big bite- it tasted really good, kinda like chicken. But then he tasted something weird, something… hot. Really hot. Scalding hot lava hot. Factory alarms went off as steam whistled out of his ears and nose. He tossed the food away and sped over to the nearby pond, diving right in without a second thought.

            Sokuro caught the Alkoza and looked at it. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. She shrugged and took a bite, tasting nothing wrong.

 

            Sokuro tilted around and around, trying to stay balanced on something called a Hoverboard. It hovered above the ground, much to her surprised. Seems humans like Bran can fly… just not very high or very fast. She’ll take her wings over this toy any day. But she is not one to say give up and she won’t rest until she has mastered balancing on this floating hunk of whatever.

            Bran watched from the sidelines, waiting for the inevitable wipeout. She’s a rookie at this; of course she is going to wipe out and wipe out bad. And sure enough, she did, wiping out baaaaaad, landing face first into a pile of dung. Bran erupted into laughter, waving his legs in the air as his sides hurt.

 

            A Grek Gea bird squawked loudly as its heads darted around, confused by its surroundings. Bran tilted his head as he looked at it. This was such a strange beast; it had the plumage of an ostrich or a emu, and yet it has six legs, two heads extended out of both sides with long necks, and at the size of horses and just as strong too. They are dumb as a rock and are usually used as labor animals.

            Like how Earth had multiple species under the same genus; like how we have Robins, Chickens, Parrots, Ostriches, Penguins, Woodpeckers’, and such listed under birds, they are completely separate species that have their own quirks: Penguins being flightless, Parrots being able to mimic sounds, Ostriches being strong, etc, the same holds true for Dragenia. Grek Geas are more labor intensive animals while Violv Geas, being akin to Parrots but with bigger and more colorful plumage, are kept as pets and Zexl Geas are used as really yummy food. The list goes on and on, but I’d be here all night.

            The Gea bird pecked him on the head, causing him to shout out and push the head away as he rubbed where he was pecked. The head came back and pecked again, pissing him off. The other head soon came in and began pecking as well. They pecked up a storm on his poor little head. He yelled out in irritation before running off to avoid becoming a tree to the oversized woodpecker. Sokuro watched in bewilderment with a finger to her lip, watching the oversized turkey chase after him.

 

            Moving pictures, AKA Movies. Very common for Bran and everyone else back home- they’ve been around for thousands of years now. Very basic stuff for someone like him. Completely new, exciting, and enticing for someone who had never seen one before, someone like Sokuro. Bran was showing her a movie on his phone- a family friendly movie, ironically enough, about a dragon. She was intrigued by this interpretation his kind gave Aerids- the dragon on screen looked so cute.

 

            Bran was hard at work, copying down a map of Evioly Sokuro had snatched from the Chief’s residence before coming. It was a recent one and up to date too. It was only of Evioly- the mainland wasn’t on this one. But some is better than none. The satellites the colonists will launch will map the planet soon enough, especially with the Marquis up in orbit, but it’s nice to have the location for all the towns and sites for future reference.

            There were nine towns on the sub-continent, each one of them named, but since he can’t read their language yet, he just copied them down the best he could.  Sokuro pointed where they were- on the southern side of Evioly. It looked big on the map, but he saw the size of this planet from space. This planet is roughly the size of Venus- half as big as Earth. The landmasses are smaller here. Still, this is a sub-continent the size of Sri-Lanka, and that is still a big place.

            Fortunately for him, seems some signs for things were universal. He was able to easily identify mountain ranges with snow-capped peaks, beaches, several swamps, and even a small desert- that must be where that volcano is. It does look like a crater. A good chunk of this place seems to be mountains and mesas. Makes some sense, considering where he was.

 

            At the edge of the giant crevice, Bran tossed out a seemingly ordinary metal ball. Sokuro’s first instinct was to chase after it, but he held her back. There was a surprise in that ball and he didn’t want her to get too close- it could cut her. The ball split open and rotating blades shot out. They spun around rapidly, keeping it aloft.

            Bran explained that it was a drone- a remote-controlled camera… knowing full well Sokuro would not understand what a camera is. It still intrigued her enough to transform and fly over to it while he controlled it with his phone. She went to grab it, but it darted around her like a buzzing bee. It moved to and from her head and all the way around it. She followed it like a cat chasing a laser, with her eyes firmly on it.

            Bad move in the long one as it made her super dizzy. Her eyes spun as she wobbled in the air. She held up a single claw as she held another to her gagging mouth. Bran snickered as the ball flew back to him. He deactivated it and it landed in his outstretched hand.

 

            Leading him though the woods, Sokuro bounded towards a particular tree. It seemed like all the others, but its bark was yellow instead of brown like the others. Bran scratched his head, wondering why that was. She elbowed the tree, causing a piece of fruit to fall from the limbs and into her hands. It looked like no fruit Bran had ever seen- a light purple thing that looked like a pint-sized watermelon, but with barbs like a pineapple. Making matters stranger was that Sokuro could pick it apart with said barbs, using them as natural toothpicks. Inside, it looked like a orange. Officially the weirdest fruit Bran had ever seen.

            But he’s not one to knock off trying something new. He grabbed a barb and pulled out a cut. He put it in his mouth and immediately spit it out- it was sooooooooooooooooo sour. That was not the inside of a orange, that was a lemon, a very sour lemon. He exclaimed in disgust as he brushed his tongue with his finger, trying to get the sour taste off.

            Sokuro, again, was perplexed. Were all humans like him or does he just have a sensitive taste pallet? She shrugged it off and ate another bite.

 

            A herd of several dozen Felm’s, those deer like creatures they had seen, grazed on a grassy plain. Like their earthly counterparts, they were graceful and majestic. Sokuro and Bran watched them from on top of a tree at the edge. Bran was in the zone, copying down what he is seeing into his journal with great accuracy and detail.

            Sokuro hung upside down off a branch, using her tail to keep her on. She looked up to Bran and saw he was concentrated on drawing. She pushed herself forward  and flipped herself up onto the branch, landing with ease.

            That move… turned out to be a mistake. The branch they were on cracked under their combined weight. Again. She should learn not to do anything on tree branches, because this would be the 3rd time this happened.

            The two kids looked at each other, knowing what was coming. They yelled as they fell out of the tree with the branch in tow. They landed in a puddle of mud, causing a splash that covered them in the gross brown goop. Bran groaned as he gave a evil glare to Sokuro, who was chuckling nervously.

            They heard growling behind them, making their eyes pop out. They looked up and saw that snarling carnivorous elk creature called a Yulak- it is the same one Bran encountered during his first trek though the woods; it was missing a tooth when Bran drew it and this one is missing a tooth- looking at them with hunger in its eyes.

            They bolted for it like there’s no tomorrow… which will be true if the elk creature catches them. They ran into the herd of Felm’s, who saw the encroaching Yulak, and they bolted. They had hoped the hungry beasty would go after one of those creatures. It did not. And they were gonna run out of ground soon: this plain was right by the giant crevice.

            Sokuro’s scale and body glowed. Here’s hoping Bran isn’t afraid of heights. She grabbed his hand and, when they reached the edge, leaped off. He screamed at the top of his lungs while sparkles erupted out of the scale. His screams stopped when he face planted into the back of Sokuro’s Aeird form.

            Sokuro flew out from under the canyons rim and up into the skies above, leaving the Yulak far, far behind. She took it slow since this was Bran’s first time flying, and she went towards the ocean. Bran pulled his head up and looked over the side, seeing the ground far below him. He yelped and held onto her for dear life.

            She laughed at his reaction. So typical of someone who hadn’t flown before- she was in his boots several cycles ago when she was taken for a flight for the first time. She flipped around, sending Bran up off her back for a few seconds. She caught him as she flew on her back.

            He exclaimed out in a mixture of terror and excitement, his scared demeanor slowly turning to that of thrill. That was surprisingly fun. He looked back to the ground below. He had such an amazing view of it all; it was breathtaking. He couldn’t see it on the Beatle- no windows. But this… this is just simply amazing.

            Sokuro smiled warmly at his reaction, but that smile slowly faded when she saw he was dripping mud onto her chest. That turned into a frown that soon faded as well when she remember they were heading for the ocean. She pulled the same move as before, getting him on her back, and dive bombed towards the water. He screamed again. Her body glowed as sparkles came out. The glowed reached its zenith as they dived into the water. Deep into the water.

            Bran broke the surface first and coughed. The mud had washed off him, which was a good thing. Sokuro, back as her Ferid self, came up after him, gasping for air and whipping her hair around. Like him, she was clear of mud.

            The two of them swam back to shore, which wasn’t that far- she didn’t dive in far away from the beach. They reached it in no time flat and fell down onto their backs, panting heavily as they looked up to the sky. A stifled giggle perused past their lips before it eventually erupted into full blown laughter. This has been some crazy few days. Tomorrow was gonna be even more so.

 

End Song.

 

            Off the shore of Evioly, not far from the massive scar of a gorge and Bran’s colony, something bad stirred. Bubbles popped on the surface of the water. Something underneath the waves was sleeping and it was just about to awaken. It was something the natives to the island had been dreading for some time.

            A pod of Tonton Fish slowly swam by a pile of rocks and boulders, oblivious to the stream of bubbles that were rising up from underneath. Nobody on land eats Tonton fish; as pure blue as they are, they are extremely poisonous, especially the Evioly kind. It doesn’t matter how you prepare it; the poison is in the meat itself. You can’t cook it out or scrape it out- it’s there to stay. If it is eaten, the one who consumed it would suffer extremely terrible pain down in the abdomen area for a day until the poison reaches the heart and… well, you can guess where this is leading. Nobody on Dragenia eats it.

            Except for one species.

            Without warning, the gapping maw of said species burst out of the pile, slamming shut on the pod. It wasn’t enough. The feared monster was awake and it was hungry. It swam towards the shore, knowing the perfect location to get lunch.

10: Chapter 8: Sokuro's First Battle
Chapter 8: Sokuro's First Battle

Chapter 8

Sokuro’s First Battle

2/18/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            There are some things on Dragenia that are feared by many. Not as many you would expect, given the… high-powered status of half of the population, but there are some out there, feared for their power, their nature, or for being much worse. There are four that are feared above all else.

            The Arcaga- a bird creature the size of a tiny island. The Dragenian equivalent to the Native American mythical beast, the Thunderbird, the Arcaga has a humongous wingspan of up to 300 feet and can create gusts that can tear the roofs off houses. One was able to destroy the village of Colo-Colo on the mainland with just one flyby. And that was a big village.

            The Yeet- a kind of groundhog creature with a habit of destroying cities when digging uncontrollably. While not aggressive or hungry for Ferid or Gaharot meat, it’s size of speed can sink cities in no time. Amz and Temz’ home village was sank by one centuries ago, now becoming what it is today..

And the Leviathan- a serpentine creature that has been seen around the world. Ancient texts describe it as a immortal, incapable of being injured with enough power to destroy an entire continent.  Thanks to that thing, there is a giant ocean separating Evioly from the mainland. Many considered that the start of the fall of the empire Evioly was once home too.

The thing is with these three is that they are docile creatures. While they don’t cause mayhem and destruction on purpose, their power, size, and ferocity are what makes them feared. The Arcaga- flying around for a place to roost or find a good dinner. The Yeet- it’s a complete sweetheart that doesn’t know where it is going underground. And the Leviathan… well, nobody is able to tell what the heck that thing is about. It’s one of the biggest mysteries on the planet.

But the fourth feared beast… it is not like them. These are not gentle giants. The Phagos is a feared monster because of its temper, its hunger, its dexterity, and its bloodlust. They destroyed, they decimate, and they eat. They eat everything they come across- plants, animals, even Ferids and Gaharots. When a Phagos is around, you better hope and pray it does not find you, because you will be dead either way. Nobody has been able to figure out why the Phagos are like this, mostly because nobody is brave enough to try and get close to one, knowing the outcome.

There is one bright side: they don’t hang around long. They have ravenous appetites, yet very little stamina. A Phagos rampages for around one or two days before returning to whatever pit it crawled out of to rest for months on end. Sometimes for years. This gives the villages time to plan for their next attack. One village, once again Colo-Colo, was lucky enough to kill a Phagos that was harassing them. But that was a long time ago and even they aren’t familiar with how.

Phagos’ are tough beasts that live to eat and destroy, and unfortunately for our two heroes, one is heading their way.

Surprisingly… that was a good thing.

 

Sokuro yawned loudly as she got up out of bed. She rubbed her eyes as she glanced out the window of the bedroom- the sun was a decent height in the sky. She must’ve slept halfway through the morning.

“Yaaaawn…. Oh man… I must’ve been worked to the bone yesterday…” She stretched her arms above her head and cracked her back. The stables they had her clean were very dirty.  She was at it for the rest of the day and some time into the night. “Eeeerrrrrgh… mmmm… ah.” She twisted around her body to loosen up some tense muscles. “Hope breakfast is still on the table.” She wondered before heading downstairs.

Her answer was a big ‘nope’. The only food on the dining table was a bowl of assorted fruit. The kids were all gone, to either play or do chores. Even Hela wasn’t home. She had the place all to herself.

“Huh… no one’s home…” She mumbled to herself. She approached the table and grabbed a violc fruit- it’s like a orange crossbred with a grape. She wiped it on her shoulder to freshen it up before taking a bite. Her face soon adopted a wicked little smirk that screamed trouble. “I can do whatever I want…” She stuck the fruit into her mouth and bolted back upstairs.

Her first stop was Leoi’s room. Unlike everyone else, who have to share rooms and bunks, Leoi has his own private room all to himself. He says he likes the privacy and the quiet- it gives him the opportunity to do some tinkering with the Gaharot machines. He is really smart for his age- he made a little mechanical bird that worked and flew to the temple. Impressive, to say the least.

Sokuro reached the door to his room and rubbed her hands together- this was gonna be good. “Leoi! You better come get me before I go into your room!” No response. “Can’t say I didn’t warn him…” She jiggled the doorknob to test and see if Leoi was in here instead of out there. He wasn’t. It was also to test if it was locked. It was not. She grinned, hiding a evil little snicker as she entered.

Light filtered through the window, illuminating the completely littered room that Leoi called home. Gears, steam pumps, and even the skeletal remains of a Gaharot longboat were just a few of the things that were strum all about. There were some blueprints that he himself had drawn up for some new ship designs, and even something that looked like a glider with a steam engine.

Sokuro was honestly really impressed. Nobody was allowed in here- now she knows why. “Wow… I knew he was smart, but I didn’t take him to be on the level of a Savant!” She looked at the glider he was working on. “What the heck is this?” She pushed on it and it rocked. “He does know that he’ll be able to fly next cycle, doesn’t he?” She asked no one. She rocked it again. It wasn’t all that impressive to her, so she just shrugged it off and moved on.

She flicked the bottom of her lip as she looked around. “Hmm… what can I mess with?” Her eyes scanned the entire room before landing on something on his desk- something that looked important inside a box. “Ooooo. That looks important.”

She slithered on over and opened up the box to find… blueprints. Needless to say, she was disappointed. “Huh… I was expecting something more interesting, not… this.” She pulled one out and looked at it. It looked like one of the steam engines used on a Gaharot airship, though it was… modified. “Leoi, you continue to surprise me…” She folded it back up and put it away where she found it.

She leaned on the desk, tapping her fingers against the wood. “Hmm… maybe the good stuff is hidden away.” She pushed off and went to another part of the room.

 

Meanwhile…

 

Bran relaxed under the tree he and Sokuro had been meeting under, laying underneath it with his hands behind his head. He’s surprised she hasn’t shown up yet. Maybe those stables she mentioned are bigger then he thinks, or there was a bigger mess then she anticipated.  Whatever the case, he was gonna take this opportunity to relax. Talking almost non-stop for the past week or so can really take a strain. Still, at least he learned some nifty things about Sokuro’s kind that he can’t wait to share… if people will actually try to listen to him.

He’s tried on multiple occasions to tell his parents, the leaders, and even Dan about the girl he encountered. Nobody would listen. Well, nobody except Dan- guy loves his dragons, though he just thinks it’s a nifty story that should be made into a book. It would be hard to publish a book out here, when everyone is busy getting the colony up and running, and even so, it would be non-fiction.

But he has to admit… everything he’s heard and seen this past week or so feels like it’s been ripped straight out of a fantasy movie, though he doesn’t remember anything where people can turn into dragons, especially with the aid of a scale given by a draconic god. “(Velx… Great Light… Silver Aerids… It’s no wonder nobody believes me.)” He glanced up to the sky. “(I need physical proof.

Didn’t he place a camera out here for that very reason?

He heard what sounded like a boom coming from the direction of the giant gorge. He lifted his head up and glanced in that direction. Seeing nothing, he rested his head back down and closed his eyes.

Another boom came, this time followed by yelling. “AH!!! EIVOVA-CASVELISH!!!” There was a loud clang like someone had hit something, following by pained cries and whimpers. That made Bran get up. Since that word wasn’t translated, it might’ve been a curse. For children, they don’t translate any curse words that may be used- the Hesk are a ‘protect the children’ kind of race.

“What the heck…?” So much for relaxation. He got up off the grown and went in the direction he was hearing it coming from. As he made his way through the woods, Bran noticed something peculiar about them today: they were silent. The past week, there have been a humdrum of activity from the wildlife. Today… nothing. He knows he heard them before kicking back, but… now… something isn’t right.

He passed by a tree and ran face to face with that carnivorous and ugly looking moose-like creature- the Yulak. “WHOA!!” Bran shouted. He bounced back, reaching for his stun gun expecting it to come at him, but it did nothing. The creature was on the ground, cowering in fear. Maybe that is not a good enough word. He’s seen animals in fear- a friend’s dog back on Vega was scared of the father, who was known for being violent. The Yulak wasn’t scared- it was downright mortified.

His stomach twisted in knots, afraid of what may be lurking out here enough to scare what looked like a alpha predator to him. There was something here and it made the whole forest silent. It wasn’t the colonists- they haven’t ventured this far out yet. And it’s not Sokuro or any other dragon folk- it chased after them after she changed form yesterday. No, there was something worse out here.

“This cannot be good…” He heard another loud boom, this one making him jump in his skin after encountering the scared beast. He looked in the direction he was heading, and then back to the Yulak. “Can’t be that, can it?” He asked it. The Yulak kept cowering. “Well, so much for knowing if you could talk… or maybe that’s just a Ferid thing…” He continued back on the path he was taking.

He reached the gorge and it took him no time to find the source of the booms- it was right in front of him, clear as day; a huge ship nestled on the side of it. The ship, he figured, looks like a galleon, but heavily modified to travel though air and not water. There were wooden wings on the side of the ship, along with extra large propellers in the back to move it forward and one on the front- on the tip of the front mast. Everything else looked the same to him.

Except for the crew.

They were dinosaurs- dinosaurs in clothing and tinkering with machines. He could barely contain his excitement: honest-to-goodness dinosaurs alive and kicking on another planet in another galaxy. These must be the Gaharots Sokuro kept mentioning. They all look like raptors- Utahraptors, if he’s not mistaken. Like their earthy counterparts, which have evidence to back it up, they had feathers and claws and other scary prehistoric giant bird stuff. But obviously, again, they can work on machines- he sees a few of them off the ship and on the ground working on those propellers- and they wear clothes.

“Give it another go!” one of the mechanics shouted up to the top of the ship.

And they can talk.

The sound of engines starting up could be heard emanating from within the ship. One of the propellers was moving, while the other was not. The Gaharot technician that was working on that screamed and cursed, which was again untranslated by his translator. Given how those on the ground were reacting, it was probably a good thing.

“We’re never gonna get this thing fixed!” The technician, a golden-brown colored male, yelled as he kicked the side of the ship. That was a bad move. He yelled in pain as he bounced on one leg and holding the foot he just slammed into the wooden vessel.

His judgment begged him not to go and help them- they are an unknown species that may not be friendly towards him. But then again, it’s in his nature to help others when he can. Sokuro talked about most of them in high regard- she did say some of her best friends are Gaharots.

One of the Gaharots on the ship, a young sky-blue colored kid at that, sputtered like a horse while resting his bored head on the railing. He glanced to the forest and saw Bran standing in there. “Hey, there’s someone watching us!” He called out.

The other Gaharots, both on the ship and on the ground, looked in the direction of the forest and saw him. “Uh-oh…” Bran winced.

One of the Gaharots, a mint-green female, pulled out a crossbow and aimed it at him. “And just who are you!?!” She shouted.

Bran shot his hands up into the air. It’s obvious at this point, but at least they speak Sokuro’s language. That’s good. What isn’t good is having an arrow pointed right at you by beings that can just as easily use their claws to rip him apart. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I’m friendly! I… un, live around here. I heard your buddy there yelling and I came to investigate. That is it, I swear.”

“Nobody lives out here, not by the Gorge.” The female exclaimed, keeping the crossbow trained on him. She didn’t believe a word he was saying. Seems too convenient to her.

The others, however, believed him. “He could be from Miskin.” Another female, a combination of purple and orange, said from the railings. By the looks of her outfit, she may be the captain of this ship. He’s just guessing, of course- he knows nothing about these raptor-lookalikes. “And put the dang weapon away, he’s obviously a kid.” The first female scoffed in derision as she put it away.

Bran needed to bring out his A-Game for this. He doesn’t want to get shot at, so he needs to think like a negotiator or a lawyer- someone who knows how to talk. He’s regretting not watching those boring movies and shows now. “Un… yes, I am from Miskin- well, born there, actually, but I… moved out here with my parents.”

The armed female spotted some obvious holes in his story, or rather his weird get-up. “… Where’s your scale and tail?”

Crud. He doesn’t have either of those. If only Sokuro was here- she’d probably know how to talk to them. “I… lost my tail in a accident. A REEEEEEEEEEEAAAALLY bad accident. I’m lucky to be alive.” There was some truth to that- when he was 5, his left foot was crushed by a falling beam. Had to replace it with a artificial one made by the Hesk. “And I left my scale at home. You can’t fly without a tail, can ya…?” He finished with a hesitant smile and a gasping laugh. They had to believe this.

 And most of them did. The armed female again didn’t believe him- it sounded too made up to her. But the others believed him. The technician even had an idea. “Say, kid… how well are you with machines?”

Oh, if only he knew. “I’ve… dabbled. Why?”

“Think you can fix the propeller on this thing?” He hit the side of it, making a loud clank.

Bran lowered his arms with a light shrug. “I can try… though I’m not making any promises.” He headed towards the ship- if nothing else, this is first contact with yet another alien species- he needs to start keeping tabs, and maybe helping them fix it will start relations on good terms. 

He approached the propeller and gave it a cursory glance. “Hmm…” The Gaharots on the ground watched him- the armed female more so. He doesn’t have that much experience with machines, though he did take a mandatory shop and repair class on Vega- when you live around technology all the time, you need to learn how to fix it.

He grabbed the propeller and lightly jiggled it- it felt loose. “Hmm… is it supposed to be this loose?”

The technician came over and did it as well. “No, no it shouldn’t.”

“Maybe the fan belt has come loose or something.” The Gaharots looked at him with puzzled looks. They must not have fan belts here. “… or the gears are out of place?”

“Maybe…” The technician walked backwards so he could call up to the ship. “HEY!” He yelled out. “HEAD ON DOWN TO THE BOTTOM DECK! THE GEARS IN THE ENGINE ROOM MUST’VE COME LOOSE!”

“AYE AYE!” The boy replied before heading down to the bottom hold.

“I don’t know how I didn’t notice that…” He later commented. He grumbled as he rubbed his eyes. “Ugh… I need some sleep…”

Bran turned around to talk to him. “Worst case scenario: we can’t fix the propeller- what next?”

“Then we limp to Misken to repair it. That’s where we were heading in the first place.” The technician walked around him to face the propeller again. “We’ll still be able to fly. We’ll just be really, really, really slow.”

“Do they always break this easy?”

“No. We build these things to last. The only way the engines can break is if by… an external force… huh.” He went into thought- it could be linked to what happened last night.

“What?” Bran inquired.

The captain leapt on down to them, landing without a fuss. Bran was right- the other female was her. “It was during the night. As we were pulling into Evioly, some… THING or someone attacked us from out of nowhere. We had just gotten past the beach when our ship was rammed by something large and powerful. It sent the ship into a spin but, as you can see, we were able to stop that and land safely. There were injuries, but nothing too severe. We were able to fix most of the damage, but the propeller had has us stumped. We’re all sleep-deprived- it’s been a long voyage.”

“I can relate.” Bran said, remembering the century-long nap he and the other colonists took. His first thought to what would hit this ship to make it spin would be one of Sokuro’s people: a bandit or a scoundrel. In either case, the ship would be ransacked and the crew dead. Not them, obviously.

There was noise coming from inside the ship- all muffled of course. There was cursing involved, followed by what sounded like a crash. “Un… sir…” The boy called out from within. “One of the gears has been knocked out of its socket and some of its teeth are cracked.”

The technician didn’t want to hear any of that. That sounded impossible. “What? Impossible! The gear was secure with a lock. And the gears are all made out of Solkakum- strongest material there is on Dragenia. The only way that would crack is…” Loud, VERY loud, guttural growling came from the forest behind them. The crew froze in fear, and seeing them freeze up made Bran uneasy. “Is… a…”

They sloooooowly turned back around to the woods. It was here that Bran learned that there were true terrors on this planet, and he was about to come face to face with one.

Out of the woods lifted the head of a feared black and purple monster. Its neck was long- as long and twice as thick as a Brachiosaurus’. Its face and snout was draconic, with a pair of large, solid, thick frills like a Dilophosaurus or a frilled-neck lizard, but permanent. It had in its large mouth a bushel of trees, which it ate up without a fuss. It lowered its head back down and ate up another bushel, this time with a couple dead animals in it.

Bran’s knees buckled under him like maracas. “Wwwwwwwwwhat the heck is that…?” He whimpered, scared out of his mind.

“Something… we don’t want to get the attention of…” The captain whispered. She sloooooowly tip-toed her way back to the ship, along with the others. Not wanting to be alone, Bran followed them. “Let’s just… get on the ship… and just--”

A VERY loud, and very audible, explosion type noise came from inside the ship, making the sneakers freeze in fear. The cabin boy opened up a nearby hatch and coughed as smoke hissed out. “I may… have accidentally wrecked a engine.” He waved the smoke away from him and looked up, seeing the others glaring at him. “What?” That’s when he looked up… and saw terror looking right up them with hunger and hatred. “Oh……. Viff…” He cursed.

 The beast reared its head back before it roared loudly to the sky. The roar was deep and came from within. It was powerful and inspired fear in everyone and everything that heard it.

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMcUdnDgfiI Battle of the Bewilderbeast – How To Train Your Dragon 2 Soundtrack

 

            It reached all of the way to Misken, all that way to Sokuro who had her head buried in a book. Her head thrust out of the book in shocked fear- she knows that roar. Everyone on the planet knows that roar. She threw the book away and ran outside to see the village in a panic. No need to ask if they heard it too.

            “It’s coming now?! But it’s too early!” Inoute said to his attendant as they ran to the village from a nearby Gaharot airship.

            “Tell that to him!” Ifil replied as they bolted towards the panicked villagers.

            “Get everyone to the shelter! We’ll ride this out, same as last time.” The two of them split up to cover more ground.

            Sokuro ran towards the village as well. Everyone was gonna follow the plan whenever one of them ever returned: a few centuries ago, they carved a shelter deep into the mesa. It kept them safe before and it will do so again. Most of the time, it’s used for storage and often times lodging in case there were too many visitors. But when one of THEM showed up, they would crowd in and hope for the best. There was nothing they can do against one of them- they are tough monsters.

            It will protect them, as it always has. Same can’t be said about those outside though. Sokuro came to a halt when she thought about it. Outside… Bran was outside- his entire village is outside. As advanced as he claims them to be, she doubts they have anything that can peirce that thick a hide.

            She looked in the direction of where she met Bran and felt her heart sank in dread. “Oh no…” She gasped.

 

            Back at the colony, everyone was in a state of panic. After a successful week of establishing and planning, that is the first thing they hear: a monstrous roar that sounds straight from a action-horror flick.

            “What in the world was that?!” Arlene exclaimed, distracting her from her duties. She moved her hologram into Gerogia’s office. She, Arlye, Belfast, Leopold, Vivian, and several other important scientific and academic minds- several Kitsunes and Hesk and one Argalith were gathered for a meeting when they heard that roar. “Please tell me you all heard that!”

            “We did.” Crox exclaimed as she got out of her seat. “What was that?”

            “How should I know!?!” A holographic screen appeared beside her, along with a collected list of creature sounds they heard in the past week. “It doesn’t match anything we recorded in the past week!” There was a loud boom that followed that made the ground underneath them shake violently.

            Arlye got out of his seat and quickly headed towards the exit. Finally, some excitement, and here he thought he was gonna die from boredom. “Activate the defense turrets and get the non-combatives into their homes and lock them up. Whatever this thing is, I doubt it’s the friendly type. Our main objective is to keep everyone safe!” The door opened automatically when he reached it. He turned to the rest. “You all should get in your homes as well. No telling what that thing is.”

            Nobody argued with the big man: he is head of security for a reason, and right now it sounds like there is a monster involved, which means hide. Everyone bolted out of their chairs and towards the exit. It would be a good idea to follow his orders until this has all passed. “It’s a sound plan, but we don’t have any place to keep them save.” Crox commented, stopping at the door to face him. “All we have are pre-built homes made out of metal and plastic, and transports that aren’t that fast. We don’t know what else lives on this planet, but if that roar was any indication, it’s big and it is powerful.”

            Arlye huffed in irritation. He knows all this, but now she’s just delaying him. “I am aware of that. But right now, all we can do is bunker down. No telling what this thing is.” He headed out, as did she. “Whatever it is has to be large and powerful and--”

 

            “PHAGOS!!!!!”

            The crew of the ship went into a panic-induced start-up of their ship. They may be crippled right now in terms of speed, but they are going to make this thing fight for its dinner.

            The Phagos thrust its head forwards and roared loudly in their direction. Leaves, branches, and assorted small animals and trees were ripped up from the rough and tough soil. The roar was powerful enough to make the crew on the ground fall onto their backs and the ship to dangerous list over the gorge.

            Bran’s ears rang from the deafening explosion fuel that was the Phagos’ roar. He had never heard anything that loud before, not even a monster movie with full surround sound and volume turned all the way up. He felt the ground shake under him. He looked up and saw the Phagos making its way to them, tearing apart anything that rested in its path. Each footstep was a mini-earthquake. That thing has to be the size of a gunboat, at least. And that’s not counting the neck.

            “START UP THE SHIP!!!” The captain screamed in terror as she and the rest of her crew made a beeline for the rigging. Hearing her yell brought Bran back from a weird form of analytical shock. He saw them running for the rigging and, not wanting to become the beasts lunch, ran for it as well. Better to be with those who know what the hell this thing is then become that things lunch.

            On top of the ship, the rest of the crew got ready. The key to start up the engines down below was a button located in the middle of the captain’s wheel. Thanks to that thing out there, they won’t get a lot of speed, which makes them a sitting duck.

            The technician was the first to climb up the rigging- he’s the only one who could hopefully fix that gear. Bran panted as he reached them- he is really not built for running. “Wh… what the hell is that thing?!” He panted, gesturing to the giant lizard making a beeline for them.

            The armed woman started her climb while also quickly answering. “What rock did you live under, kid? It’s a Phagos, and it looks pissed!!”

            “Phagos?” It roared again, making him jump in his skin. It was closer and getting closer with each passing second. “On second thought, EXPLAIN LATER!!!” The monster roared again

            The propeller in the back of the ship began to spin up as the engines slowly started up. They run on steam, so they take forever to get going. Only the starboard propeller was spinning up. The port one, the broken one, wasn’t. This was going to severely hamper them.

            Halfway up, the armed Gaharot female tripped and fell back down. Her leg was caught up in the rigging, causing her to yell out in pain as she felt something dislocate. “AGH!!!”

            The Phagos picked up speed when it heard that yell. Injured prey, it thought. Easier meat to consume. The earth shook with each successive sped up step.

The crew worked overtime to get the ship up off the ground, but it was slow going. The cabin boy was freaking out- he did not want to die. “We’re not gonna make it!!!” He bellowed in fear. “We’re gonna die!!” the sound of trees snapping under the beasts weight was progressively getting louder. They weren’t going to get up in time.

As the captain had climbed up to help her subordinate, a freaked-out Bran leaned up against the ship and felt something hard poke him. That’s when he remembered he had something that may help. He reached back and pulled out the stun gun he had been given. “The stun gun…” He grasped the handle tight.

This was a HUGE long shot, but he needed to try. “What the heck are you doing, kid?!” One of the crew members shouted. He reached a good point and aimed up at the Phagos. He had to try something.

The Phagos scoffed, seeing this prey willingly sacrifice itself. What a fool it was. It lowered its head and slowly opened its gaping maw of a mouth to swallow him whole.

Cranking the settings to maximum, Bran lifted up the gun and fired a single round. Max setting wasn’t a good idea. It snapped back like a bull, sending hi to the ground and injuring his wrists. The overcharged shot struck the Phagos square on the cheek… but it did nothing. It was fine, though it did stop its attack after seeing him expel light from his hand.

The crew of the ship were even more perplexed and confused, and right as the captain got her hot-headed second on board. They had never seen a Ferid do something like that. When they are in their Aerid forms, they can use all kinds of magic, but in base Ferid form… doesn’t matter how skilled you are. One of the crew members on the mainsails pointed a finger at him.“Did… that kid just…”

Seems the shot did something after all. A lone scale, badly burnt and crusted over by the shot, detached from the Phagos’ face. The Phagos, Bran, and the crew watched as it fell. It landed harmlessly on the ground.

His wrists aching, Bran looked at his stun gun. “Holy crap, that actually did something.” He gasped a giggle. He looked to the Phagos and he was ANGRY. The look of hunger it had: gone. Now it was replaced by pure hatred. “Uh-oh…”

It snarled until its mouth was nothing but slobbery teeth. “You’re first!!” The Phagos spoke, followed up by a angered roar.

“Did that thing just talk!?!??!?!?!?!” Everyone shouted. They had never heard a Phagos speak before- nobody has. Well, that’s not true: some have heard a Phagos speak… before being promptly eaten by said beastie.

Seems that little shot ate up enough time to give the ship time to power up. The engines within were working at full throttle. The lone propeller in the back rotated as fast as it could spin. The ship slowly limped off the ground. The vessel scraped against a large, pointed rock, creating a loud screeching noise.

Hearing the noise, Bran looked back and saw that the flying vessel was taking off. “HEY!!!” He sped off towards the ship. “DON”T LEAVE ME WITH THIS THING!!!” He shouted.

“We don’t want to become Phagos food!” The technician shouted back. “We’re put a nice flower wreath on your tombstone, laddie!” He waved goodbye to the dumbstruck Bran, who was still giving chase to the ship.

“ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?!”

The Phagos roared once again before chasing after him. Its entire body burst though, finally revealing itself. Bran, being the inquisitive kid he is, looked back and saw the body. At least he was able to connect the body to the head. There was no body to speak of, but rather a rather large and very sharp shell. Like a Galapagos Turtle, only more hellish. The flippers are gigantic draconic wings with large car-sized claws to tear up the ground it walked on. With each thundering step, it got closer to him.

 

The ship, now airborne, hugged the rim of the canyon, keeping pace with the Phagos and the kid. “Are we just going to leave him?!” One of the crewmates shouted as they watched the kid that had just helped them be chased by the Phagos.

“What can we do?” Another shouted. “It’s a Phagos- Colo-Colo was mostly destroyed and a good chunk of their population dead when they killed theirs! We’re just a small trading vessel- what luck do we have against that thing?!”

He was smacked in the back of the head by the captain before she walked up the stairs to the captain’s wheel. “We are not going to let that boy die. At the least, we can provide a distraction and hope the ruckus will attract someone from Misken. Ready up the cannons, lads. Let’s give that thing a headache.”

 

Bran was in a state of panic as he ran for his life from the towering monstrosity that was chasing him. Each second, he felt the hot, hellish breath of that thing get closer and closer. Out of all the ways he thought he would die, being eaten by a monster that looks like a hellspawn was nowhere on the list. Even pumped with adrenaline with running for his life from a beast, it wasn’t enough. He was getting tired and his lungs were burning.

“Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!!!” He looked back and saw the teeth feet away from him. He yelled in a state of panic, giving him a exta boost of speed. “SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!!!”

Cannon fire from the ship rang out, sticking the beast in the side of it’s face, knocking it flat down. The Phagos got back up and continued its chase. “IT’S NOT WORKING!!!” He shouted to the ship.

“That thing is committed, I’ll give it that.” The captain commented. “Keep firing. We gotta get its attention somehow!”

Shot after shot from the cannons echoed across the gorge, but no shots were taking affect. They are tough to kill, alright, with hide and scales thick enough to absorb cannon fire. Bran was out of breath when he reached a very, very, very bad spot: The end of the gorge and no clear way across. “Aw crap…” He panted with a whine.

The ship turned sharply, passing by in front of him as the Phagos was right on top of him. “Kid, jump!!!” the Captain bellowed.

Bran wasted absolutely no time. He leaped just as the Phagos lunged for him, narrowly becoming lunch by mere seconds. He grabbed the railing, but his fingers slipped and he fell. He was saved when another cabin boy, or rather a cabin girl, caught him, catching him by the wrist. “Agh… hold on!” She shouted. She was a Ferid and she had stunning red hair. He had no time to gauck, though. He grabbed the rigging for safety and slowly climbed up.

The Phagos picked itself back up and shook its head, irritated it lost it’s meal… then disturbingly smiled when it saw him dangling off the side of the ship. This went from a snack to a light meal. It roared loudly, catching the attention of everyone on the ship before leaping up to lunge at them.

Suddenly, energy projectiles came blazing in from out of nowhere, peppering the large, fearsome beast from its left. These blasts actually hurt it- it howled in pain. A silver streak, followed by a trail of sparkles, blazed past between the ship and the Phagos. It banked to the sky and made a really sharp turn, streaking the sky with silver.

The sparkles that surrounded her faded away and Sokuro banked down, speeding in with all the speed her wings could give, which were encased in a silver fire and glowing. She came from the same side the energy blasts hit and came down hard on the Phagos, hitting it hard enough to send it crashing into a mountain range miles away.

 

Back in Misken, a column of silver sparkles was slowly fading away from Sokuro’s sudden and intense take-off. They had never seen anyone move so fast in their lives- not even a god like Velx can fly that fast. He was stunned, and that is not something that happens often.

Rather then hide in their shelter, the people of the village gathered on the side of the mesa, looking in the direction Sokuro rocketed off towards. They were all abuzz by what they had just seen.

“Did you see how fast she flew!?!”

“It’s like she was here one minute, gone the next.”

“Why would she fly that fast? To escape the Phagos?”

“Did she got to fight it? I though even the Silvers had a hard time with them.”

Standing on the very edge of the mesa, Inoute pulled out his spyglass and peered though it. “What do you see?” Ifil asked.

Though the telescope, he saw Sokuro flying back around, heading towards a limping Gaharot airship. “I see Sokuro… it looks like she saved a Gaharot airship from the Phagos. An--” He spotted something odd off to the side. “Wait… is that a village?”

 

Sokuro flew over to the ship and grabbed on, grabbing specially made hold-outs made for a Aerid to land on the side of the ship, locating on the railing and along the hull. She came in fast, which made the vessel spin around. Her appearance threw the crew into a tizzy.

“Is everyone okay!?” Sokuro asked.

Bran got up from his brief tumble, rubbing his wrist. There were no words to describe how thankful he is to be alive, nor to show is appreciation to being rescued. “Yeah, I think so. You took your sweet time, though- I almost became a monsters supper!!”

She was that close to losing him. Good thing she arrived when she did. “Heh… sorry… I was caught up with something.”

The crew was stunned by their rescuer: they aren’t arguing against being saved, but they are surprised that it was a Silver one. “Holy crap, it’s a Silver Aerid!” The cabin girl that saved Bran exclaimed.

Sokuro rolled her eyes and tapped her claws. “Yeah, yeah… get it out of your systems…”

 

On the ground… the colonists were in shock. They had heard a lot of commotion coming from in the direction the gorge was in, but… they never would’ve anticipated seeing something like her. For the longest time, they were but a myth, but now… they live on the same planet as one.

“Is… that what I think it is…?” A very visibly stunned Argalith colonist gasped, barely able to keep his jaw off the floor.

“It… can’t be. They’re mythical beasts!” Vivian exclaimed loudly. “There is no way they should exist!”

“Clearly they do…” Arlye scoffed with his arms crossed, exhaling loud enough to cause a breeze. “This planet just got interesting.”

The only one among the colonists who wasn’t in shock was a certain dragon enthusiast who had shown his fascination with the beasts for the longest time. Dan could hardly believe his eyes. They exist- they really do exist. He can barely contain his excitement- it was on the virge of exploding out like a volcano. “Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….. it’s a Dragon!!” It’s a Bona-fide DRAGON!!!! WOOOOOO-WOOHOHO!!!!” He bounced up and down, waving his arms around like a raving lunatic, or a dance club dancer- whichever is the weirdest.

 

Sokuro could hear Dan’s strange, upbeat cheers. Guess she’s able to e seen by Bran’s vill—colony. Probably a bad idea to show herself this early to them, but too late now, not with the Phagos around. “Un… is he a friend of yours?” She asked.

Bran sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed his forehead. “Eheh… yeah… that’s Dan… he’s harmless. Mostly. Just… don’t get him started. He never stops.” She tilted her puzzled little head in response.

Green lightning shot at her from out of nowhere, passing between her head and the main mast. Sokuro pushed off the ship, making it lurch one way while narrowly avoiding another blast of green lightning. She flipped around and spread her wings wide, flapping them as hard and as fast as she could.

The Phagos flew out of the crater it had created when Sokuro slammed into it and continued to blast green lightning at her. The lightning was coming straight out of its teeth- they were surging together into a focal point before being blasted towards her. It chased after her, launching blast after blast after blast.

Sokuro flipped around, avoiding a blast that would’ve hit her wings. She turned up and climbed, high high high into the sky. The Phagos sent another blast her way. It missed, making it angry. Then it heard shouting, which drew its attention. It found Bran’s colony, and in it 20000 new and tasty morsels. It licked its lips in hunger; this was a veritable smorgasbord.

After a moment or two, Sokuro realized she wasn’t being blasted at anymore. She bent her neck down and looked back. The Phagos stopped going after her and was instead making its way towards a strange set of white-colored buildings. It took her no time to realize that was Bran’s home, and right now, they’re about to become a snack. “Nonononononononononono…” She jittered in a panic. She put on the brakes, stopping in midflight.

The colonies automatic defense turrets opened up on the incoming Phagos, but it moved too fast for the turrets to land a solid hit, and those that were close to hitting, the beast moved around to where it only hit its shell. The entire colony was in a state of fear as the monster approached them at blazing speeds and their turrets weren’t having any affect on it. Arlye and the security force fired at the beast themselves with their own weapons, but they may as well have been shooting BB’s at the thing, for their shots bounced right off.

The Phagos was right on top of them, it’s mouth wide open as it lunged down towards a group of terrified colonists, ready to make them its next meal.

Suddenly, it was stuck in its shell by a silver blur, which had erupted into a intense display of sparkles and light, moving at breakneck speeds. The colonists were both relieved and amazed.

Columns of dirt, tree, and rock were shot up as the Phagos was pushed and rammed away from the colony and towards the sea. Leaving a trail of destruction behind them, Sokuro pushed the thing though the forest, the gorge, and sand before inevitably reaching the shoreline. Bursting up with the last column, Sokuro held the beast by the top of its mouth.

She spun around once to pick up the momentum. “GET OUT OF HERE!!!” She yelled, tossing the Phagos far from her and the colony and right into the sea, creating a large splash as big as the columns she created.

On the ship, Bran was impressed by her power. He had no idea Dra— Aerids could move that fast. And if they don’t, it must be an advantage of being a Silver one. Either way, he’s glad he didn’t become a appetizer, as were everyone else in the colony.

Sokuro panted heavily, wiping her mouth, amazed she was actually able to do all that. She had no idea she could fly that fast, or pull those moves. Seems saving a friends life is a good motivator to unlock some hidden skills. She’s also amazed she is standing up to a Phagos, a beast that is feared above all else. She chuckled a smile before turning back to head to the ship.

Bad timing on her part.

Air bubbles rapidly approached the shoreline and the owner of those is none too pleased. The Phagos burst out of the ocean like a predator chasing for its prey- the sprayed water behind it added to the fear factor. Sokuro had no time to react before the monster rammed into her, pinning her to the beach. It moved fast, snarling before biting down on her neck.

“SOKURO!” Bran yelled.

Pained, anguished draconic yells erupted from her mouth as the blood-thirsty monster bit down and bit down hard, making blue blood erupt from her wounds. She was able to push it off to get up and try to flee, but the Phagos lunged at her again, this time biting into her back. It tossed her around like a ragdoll before letting her go, sending her rolling on the beach until she crashed into a cliff. She left a trail of blood along the beach, staining it blue.

The Phagos landed on the beach and approached her. “Peh… you’re this generations Silver Aerid? What a joke…” It said, its voice a deep, throbbing boom.

Sokuro winced in pain as she struggled to get up on her feet. She looked at the approaching fiend and slowly backed away out of fear. Each step hurt from the bites the Phagos had put in her, which was not a good sign. The beast kept on approaching her, cornering her under the cliff. She tried to flex her wings, but stretching them hurt. The last bite must’ve done something.

The Phagos was right on top of her. In its eyes, Sokuro could see pure evil. She didn’t want the last thing to see to be pure darkness and villainy. “You are nothing like your predecessor… you are weak… pathetic…” It hissed open its mouth, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. She shivered in fear- she had just gotten her wings, and now she’s gonna lose her life “And soon… it won’t matter…”

It reared its head back to gather up momentum to pierce her chest and get at her heart. A quick, painless death- a strange courtesy, coming from that being of pure evil. Sokuro shut her eyes tight, waiting for the end.

A forceful explosion hit the beast on the head, making it pissed off. The head flipped back and snarled, its eyes firmly focused on the ship.

Smoke hissed out of a freshly fired cannon, fired by none other than Bran himself. He was holding a fire stick, planted firmly on the flint. The crew had nothing to do with this- it was already loaded when they rescued him. He just pulled the trigger. “Hey, buttwipe! I thought your beef was with me!” He egged on.

“Will you shut up!?!” Most of the crew whispered, not wanting to be on the Phagos’ radar. The captain, however, remained silent. He sees what he is doing- she sees him approching, but whether or not the kid knows it remains to be seen.

Green energy surged in the monsters fangs. “You stay out of my way!” It shouted. The energy converged into the center of its mouth and fired out like green lightning. The crew screamed in a panic. Bran fell backwards, screaming with the rest of them.

A white feathery wall dropped down from above, blocking the blast with his wings. The blast did nothing, dissipating against centuries of built up magic. The wings spread wide, revealing the God of her village, who traveled as fast as she did to make sure none of his subjects died. 

“Lord Velx!” The crew happily exclaimed. They could relax and rejoice now- they were saved. 

Bran got up off the deck, his wrist hurting worse than it was before, and looked the dragon over. “Huh… feathers. And his name was Velx? That was the name of the god Sokuro mentioned… They got all kinds here…”

Sokuro exhaled a giant sigh of relief- she isn’t going to die today after all. The Phagos, on the other hand, was pissed off. It was going to be denied a meal of the century by him?! “Figures you’d show up, old man….” It snarled. “I thought your kind made a rule to avoid interfering in the affairs of others…” Velx remained silent, instead staring adamantly at the beast. “Fine… if that is how you want to play it.” It returned its attention to Sokuro, whose relief was against replaced by dread. “Then I’ll gladly take away your new Silver Slave!” He thrust to the neck- he may not eat, but he will kill this new nuisance before she can cause trouble for its kind.

The attack was stopped and the Phagos frozen in place. Energy whips projected out of several feathers of Velx’s wings and wrapped around the Phagos’ neck, flipper wings, and head. Several arcane circles, writing in Dragenia script, appeared around the Phagos. Energy surged though the circles as the Phagos was lifted up off the ground and into the air.

On the ground, the colonists, even the very excited Dan, were in awe as they watched this new feathered dragon lifted up the monster that was about to eat them with some kind of magical power. What kind of planet did they land on? seems both exciting and terrifying. This does prove one thing, however: there is an alien civilization on this planet. They are not alone here. 

And in the air, Bran was amazed by what he was seeing, as was the crew. He knew the humanoids on this planet could transform into dragons thanks to Sokuro, but he never knew they were this powerful. Guess Velx is a god after all if he can stop a Phagos that easily.

The Phagos hissed as it tried to launch another lightning blast. Nothing happened- Velx had this beast trapped fully and completely. The circles grew smaller, constricting around the beast.

Velx approached the Phagos, getting right up in its face. The Phagos laughed sinisterly, not even caring about its predicament. “You’ve failed again, Velx…” it snarled though its teeth. “He is back…. And you remember what happened the last time… your new high powered slave won’t save you this time…”

Angered to his breaking point, Velx delivered the finishing blow, crushing the Phagos’ neck with the magic circles, ending the life of this being of pure evil. Unfortunately, this Phagos was one of many, but this one is especially aggravating.

Well… was aggravating.

The magic circles disappeared and the lifeless body of the Phagos fell to the forest floor, landing with a large and loud oomph that flattened trees and scattered birds.

Velx angrily grimaced down at the dead monster. “He’s truly back…” He muttered to himself. “I was hoping history wouldn’t repeat itself…”

 

End Song.

 

            Sokuro panted heavily as she struggled up onto her feet. Her body still hurt from the bites the Phagos left on her, not to mention being flung around. It hurt to even stand. Her legs shook when she finally stood up. It’s not just the pain, but a severe lack of energy. Those moves she pulled must’ve been more taxing then she had realized. She is really out of practice.

            She felt a gentle breeze as Velx landed beside her. “T… thanks for the save, Lord Velx. I thought I was a goner.” She held onto her shoulder. She looked to him, who was looking at her a bit peeved. “W…. what?”

            “You could’ve told me about the otherworldly visitors.”

            Her eyes went wide: He knows? Right… of course he knows- he’s a Astral Aerid; they know everything. “You, un… you know about them, huh?”

            “Yes I do. I tend to notice when 20000 souls suddenly appeared on the planet out of nowhere.” Sokuro popped her lips as she tried to find the words that would explain her actions, but she wasn’t finding any. He puffed a exhale as he slowly shook his head. He can’t blame her for what she did: kids tend to be secretive about new things. “Go tend to your friend.” One of his feathers glowed.

            Sokuro felt significantly better as her body was healed thanks to Velx’s magic. It was a god send- literally. The puncture wounds were still there- you can’t heal everything, but the damage and the pain was gone. “Thanks, Lord Velx.” She looked to the dead Phagos. “And what of… it?”

            Velx looked to it as well. “… I’ll take it to the mainland. The research academy in Xoelsu is studying the Phagos to find a weakness in anything to help fight against future attacks, or so Vava says. And again, you should get to your friend.”

            “Right…” She gently opened her wings, just to be safe. “Thanks…” She flapped them and took off towards the ship.

            Velx watched her as she flew up towards the ship. Guilt ate him up inside. She doesn’t deserve all of this pressure and world-bending stuff a Silver Aerid imposes, not this soon. She’s far too young to have undergone Ascension. He regrets letting her join last week. But it wasn’t his call to make. He was only the deliverer of the scales- he is not the one who chooses he it goes to. “… you better have a reason for choosing her for this era, Q’uq’umatz… for all our sakes…”

 

            Sokuro reached the ship, where she was welcomed with open arms and elated cheers. She landed on the same ledges she used last time. Bran ran over to her, happy she was alive. “That was a close call.” He panted as he reached her.

            He didn’t have to tell her twice. “No kidding… heh…”

            “Are you ok?”

            “I’ve been better…”

            “Thank goodness you survived, m’lady.” One of the crew members beseeched.

            Sokuro blushed out of embarrassment. She didn’t want or need this kind of acclaim coming her way- she was lucky Velx arrived when he did. “It’s… nothing.” She swiftly changed the subject. “Will you be able to make it to Misken ok?”

            “I think we can.” The captain said. “It’ll be slow, but we should make it before midday. Why? Are you going somewhere?”

            She was, in fact. All of this commotion had to have gotten the attention of Bran’s fellow colonists. She leaned back and looked towards the cluster of buildings she assumes to be his home. “Yeah...”

            Bran sighed with a grunt, lowering his head. “Time to face the music, then…” He climbed up onto the railing. “I could think of worse ways to introduce you to my parents and the rest of the town.” Sokuro held out her paw and he climbed on. She closed her hand around him. “And saving their lives will get you a few points on the trustworthy meter.”

            “We’ll see…” She let go of the ship and headed down towards the colony. Not the way either of them wanted their civilizations to meet, but like Bran said, saving their lives from a always hungry monster has to be worth some points.

11: Chapter 9: Rough First Contact
Chapter 9: Rough First Contact

Chapter 9

Rough First Contact

2/18/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            There were many, many, many things the colonists had expected when they colonized this new world. They expected it would be hard and rough, and given the weather readings from the probe, they are gonna get just that.

They expected the wildlife, if there were any, to be so different and vast, and that was a no surprise there, given that they encountered a carnivorous elk-like species, a strange parrot-type bird, and oh yeah, the giant monster that can eat anything and everything that almost turned them into a midnight snack. They planned on the start being tough going, almost like the colonists of yore when they settled new lands back on Earth. They weren’t gonna get that.

            But they didn’t plan, however, on encountering an alien civilization. The probe sent no data back on there being a native race to the planet other then dumb wildlife whose sole purpose is to graze and propagate. This is what happens when you program only the bare basics. Theirs did not explore the planet and gather data. It did the bare minimum on this island and sent back what it saw, which was more than enough in its computer.

            When sending out scout drones, always program more than the basic bare minimum.

            If they had bothered to, the pure shock and awe the entire colony was having towards their surprising silver savior would be far more subdued. 

            Dragons. Gatdang dragons. They exist after all. They are no longer myth and legend. They are real, and they now live on the same planet as them.

            Naturally, nobody knew what to say. They had not planned to encounter living, breathing dragons on a alien planet in another galaxy. It seemed impossible, and yet here it is, as real as the new rock they call home.

            It was real enough for Arlye and his security force to aim their weapons at the approaching beast as the turrets tracked her coming in. They just watched this thing take on a monster that seemed impervious to their weaponry and barely win.

            The dragon landed at the outskirts of the colony, kicking up a large cloud of dirt as it landed. It forced everyone to cover their eyes until the dirt settled.  When it did, they looked up and saw the beast towering over them, clutching one paw to its chest and with blue blood scattered over its neck and back, bringing up the age-old adage: If it bleeds, they can kill it, if they need to.

            The security force kept their weapons trained on the dragon, to insure they don’t get caught off guard again like they did with the beast. “Keep your weapons trained on it!” Arlye ordered.

            The dragon lowered her paw, revealing her passenger. “Wait! Don’t shoot!” Bran shouted.

            “Bran!?!” Dan shouted.

            The dragon lowered the paw to the ground and Bran hopped off. Almost immediately, he was tackled into a hug by his mother Vivian, who picked him up and swung him around. “RRRRRRHM!!! You scared the living daylights out of me!”

            He was getting dizzy from all of this shaking. “Y-y-y-y-yeah, I get it mom. Please put me down- I’m gonna throw up.” While he was being shaken about like a soda can, the dragon looked at the crowd of people that gazed up at her. there were more people here then back home in Misken- there was more people here then Roko Harbor, and that’s the biggest city on Evioly.

            After keeping it up for several more seconds, Vivian put him down. He staggered as he tried to stand upright. “Where were you!?! You had me and your father scared to death!! We worried you were gonna be eaten by that thing!!”

            “I almost was.”

            Crox shoved though the crowd and ran to Bran. She thought back to what he told him, about encountering a girl that can transform into a dragon. He was right after all. “Holy crap, the boy was right…”

            Arlyl and his forces rushed past her and raised their rifles and rocket launchers to the perplexed dragon. It never saw these weapons before. “Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!” Arlye shouted. “One wrong move and this thing is mincemeat.”

            The dragon recognized that word and was not at all pleased. Was it going to kill it? She didn’t have to worry about that. This time was Bran’s time to come to her rescue. He ran in front of them with his arms raised. “Wait wait wait wait wait! Don’t shoot her! She’s a friend!”

            “A friend?!” A disbelieving Arlye scoffed as he lowered his rifle.

            “Yes!! She saved my life against the Phagos- that monster that attacked us all earlier! If it wasn’t for her, I’d be waist high in stomach acid right now! She is friendly- if she wasn’t, I’d be dead already.”

            “And how do we know it doesn’t have some ulterior motive!? It’s a beast- it could have something sinister planned behind saving your life. How do we even know it can speak, or understand our language?!” It’s like he’s completely forgetting everything Bran told them the first night after he met her.

            Now she was getting pissed. Seems this guy, this…. strange wingless, scaly Ferid fella was gonna be annoying unless she did something about it herself.  “I can speak for myself just fine!” The dragon exclaimed. “And I can understand you perfectly! And the name is Sokuro, not It!”

            Naturally, the colony was in utterly surprised. “HOLY CRAP, IT CAN TALK!!!!” A Argalith colonist shouted in complete and utter surprise, fully expressing what everyone felt. Even the security guards were stunned, and they’re trained to expect the unexpected.

            “And it’s a she…” Dan grinned with a sultry tone. He spray mouthwash into his mouth and leaned confidently on a nearby wall, raising up his eyebrows like a suave man trying to pick up a lady at a bar.

            Crox put her hand on Arlye’s rifle and lowered it down for him. Since she was the mayor, it was her duty to engage in talks with others. Course, seems the kid beat her to it by a week.  Bran was right after all. They owe him a huge apology for not listening to him earlier. Thanks to him making first contact, they’re talking with a native. And it seems he’s to thank for her understanding them. “So you can understand our language, miss… Sokuro, was it?”

            Sokuro lowered her head down. “Thanks to a lot of patience, and that was more time I spent listening then talking in my entire life, I’ll have you know.”

            Crox took a step backwards. The dragon was getting ornery and her face was a little bit too close, even though it was only several dozen feet away. “R-right… I’m… sure that was a hard task for you.”

            “You have no idea.” Bran commented. “Though I don’t understand how she can understand you and you can understand her. I though translators were designed to be for individual use? Or is there some connectivity feature going on I don’t know about?”

            “I think I can answer that.” Arlene said over the loudspeakers before she appeared right out of nowhere, which scared Sokuro. She is a girl living in a medieval timeframe and seeing someone just pop up is scary. The fact she was in a blue outline did not help matters.

            She bounced up and quivered like she had seen a rat run though the kitchen. “Oh, Sweet Velx, she appeared directly out of nowhere!! And why is she glowing?”

            “Remember what I told you about A.I.’s? This is one of them.”

            “Oh.” Sokuro was still frightened to high heaven, but she calmed down enough to put all four paws on the ground.

            “As I was going to say…” Arlene interjected. She still spoke over the loud speakers so everyone could listen to her. This is a big colony after all. “It was all my doing. I sent a little probe to follow Bran each day after  he told you three…” She looked to Crox, Arlyle, and Belfast- the latter of whom was whistling non-chalontly. He had nothing to do with this- he was on Bran’s side. “And that little probe found this little camera Bran had put up.” The probe floated in from out of nowhere and dropped the camera into Bran’s hands. He had completely forgotten all about this. “I copied the data, listened to the language, and let the translator go to work. and since I was an A.I., I could understand things and work out all the syntax and all that stuff a lot faster than most others. Once that was dealt with, it was as simple as adjusting the radio frequencies to the right one to beam this into everyone’s translators. EH, sorry for any ringing in the ears anyone may’ve gotten.”

            Arlye walked towards the hologram of the A.I. “Why didn’t you tell us this is what you were doing? And how the heck are you even here? The hologram emitters are only in the command center.”

            Arlene snickered. “To begin with the last one, I am currently using a security camera.” Points to one hanging off the side of what will become a dining hall. “Doesn’t take much to do some reprogramming. And as for the first, I wanted to see the looks on all your faces. I do nothing but work, work, work; have been since the 4000’s- I need what comedy or drama I can get.”

            Arlye wasn’t happy with that explanation. He doubts anyone in the colony was happy with it. “… remind me to take a look at your coding later.” He droned. She stuck her tongue out at him before she disengaged the hologram.

            Belfast softly snickered to himself- Arlye did need to be taken down a peg or two. “Back to the subject at hand.” He said as he walked forward. “Who are you, exactly?”

            “I told you, my name is Sokuro. … or you don’t want the name, do you?” She popped her lips. May as well get this over with. “Well, if you must know, I am a Silver Aerid… or, in your tongue, it would be Silver Dragon. I am a special kind.”

            “Special enough to cause that?” Arlye pointed to the devastation the Phagos had left behind in its rampage, with a decimated section of the forest.

            “Not my style, but something akin to that.” That freaked out most everyone in the colony. She admitted it herself: she is just as strong as that monster, despite the fact she got her neck and back bitten. Sokuro tilted her head, wondering why everyone in the colony except for Bran and this fella with a fluffy tail were so afraid of her. Of course, the reason why was quick to figure out: They just watched her fight against a monster and use some crazy skills even she didn’t know she had until now. “I’m sorry; I seem to be scaring everyone. Maybe I should change into something more accepting?”

            The common thought everyone had was: they wear clothes? Boy, were they in for a shocking surprise. Bran knew what was coming, but he was gonna stay silent. He wants to see the look on their faces. “Um… if you can, sure.”

            “Alright. Give me a moment.” Her body began to glow as sparkles erupted out of her, swirling around her like a tornado. Despite the tense light show, no dirt or wind was kicked up. Seems whatever is going on here is not something that affects the landscape around it.  

            The glow and the sparkles stopped moments later and dispersed away, revealing a little girl standing where the dragon once was. “Does this work?” Sokuro asked as she put her hands behind her back all sweet and innocent like.

            The complete and collective response from every single person in the entire colony, even from the Hesk who don’t have them in the traditional sense, was a lot of jaws hitting the ground at rocket speed. The dragon turned into a little girl with a tail.

            Even Belfast, a Kitsune pilot who had been alive long then humanity’s entire existence, was stunned by this turn of events. He had seen everything to see in the Milky Way- this was not one of those things. “You ca… whatatbatoautabta…. Whawha… wha… bu… y… aout… babab.. you… wha…”

            “Do that for about 13 minutes and you’ll be where I was when I found out.” Bran joked. He walked over to her so she wouldn’t feel isolated among all these strangers.

            Arlye moved to ask a question, but stopped. His military mind went to work; they were completely exposed out here. This girl may be innocent, but the rest of her kind may not be. Everyone here is an easy target. Besides, there is no sense carrying out a conversation in the middle of the street, surrounding by people. “… We’ll continue this inside.” He menacingly ordered.

            “Inside?” Bran and Sokuro said in confused unison.

            Even Crox is concerned about this. “Arlye?”

            “You heard me.” He turned to the crowd. “There’s nothing more to see here, everyone! Go back about your day!”

            “What? Are you kidding?!” One of the colonists exclaimed. “This is the biggest thing happening to us right now!” The rest of the crowd was in on that- this is a new life form and they are going to keep it hidden from them? They can’t hide it- they all saw it happen. They wanted to get to know this new creature.

            It wasn’t going to be in the way they intended it, but they were going to.

           

            Some time later, Sokuro found herself inside a small, rectangular room with only a table to rest her arms on and a chair to sit on and a mirror on the opposite side of the room. She puffed in derision as she tapped her fingers on the metal table, looking at the handcuffs she had been put in- at least that’s what the new people called them. At least it wasn’t all bad- there was some cookies in the center.

            “This is a fine thank you…” She grumbled to herself. She glanced over to Bran, who was in the same room with her, only not cuffed. “I save your life and theirs, and I get chained up.”

            “I’m sorry- I didn’t plan on them acting like this. I didn’t know they were even going to when they met you. I thought we were gonna have some pow-wow in the middle of the streets and that was that. I didn’t know they were gonna cuff ya and treat you like a criminal.”

            “Is this how they normally act?”

            “No no no. Arlye is a brute, but he’s not low enough to chain up kids. He’s probably just being careful. You did do some crazy stuff today. I didn’t know you could fly that fast or hit that hard.”

            Sokuro reached down her dress, pulled out her scale, and looked at it. “I never knew I could either. I knew being a Silver would grant me crazy abilities, but I didn’t know I could do that. Guess I needed some sort of trigger, like almost losing you.”

            Bran was touched by that. He never had a friend who would risk life and limb to save him. “Aww. Thank you.” He grabbed a cookie and bit into it. “Wanna cookie?” He pushed the plate over to her.

            She stuck an eyebrow up in contemplation as she grabbed one and looked it over. It was so flat on the bottom. On the top was some kind of white frosting with strange red and green add-ons.  “What is a… cookie?”

            How does he describe something that needs no description? “It’s a… it’s a cookie. It’s food. Not healthy food- meant to be just a snack.”

            Sokuro flipped it around again. This cookie intrigued her- intrigued her enough to take a bite. It was certainly… different then what she was used too. It’s not terrible, but not something to write home about. “Huh…” She slowly chewed it.

            “You don’t like it?” Bran asked as he finished his.

            “No, it’s… just strange.” She forced a swallow. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

 

            On the other side of the two way mirror, the kids were being observed by Crox, Arlye, Belfast, Arlene, several of the scientists so they could study this new manner of alien, and though force, Bran’s parents. They were perturbed that they kept this a secret from them; especially Leopold. He was gonna be one of the colonist’s teachers- this would be something he should learn about.

            “She doesn’t look that cute. Or tough. Or even all that impressive, really. Honestly, why would Bran make friends with this girl.” Vivian scoffed as she looked towards Sokuro.

            “Jealous?” Arlene joked as she floated by her at the size of a pixie.

            “I’m not jealous- I’m perturbed.”

            “Or overprotective…” One of the scientists said to herself under her breath while taking notes on the new alien.

            “Why wouldn’t Bran tell us about her?” Leopold asked. “I mean, this is a major discovery: Alien life. I know it was old hat back home, but this is a brand new galaxy, and look at her: a tailed humanoid with the ability to transform into a beast thought only as myth back on Earth. This is a major discovery.”

            “As was the mutant turtledove of death that almost turned us into supper.” Arlye commented. “And from what we saw from her, and that white feathered one that killed it, they are incredibly powerful. If they were to attack us, we’d be defenseless.”

            “But they aren’t going to attack us.” Belfast said. “Just look at her: she’s just a kid and she risked her life to protect us from that thing. Look how she acts with that Bran character: they’ve only known each other for a week and they are already fast friends. And the boy- Bran- trusts her quite well, enough to get a ride back to the colony. If he was risking leaving the colony and monsters like that thing earlier to visit this girl, then she and her kind must be trustworthy.”

            They are forgetting one very important thing about all of this, one that will affect their future here. “There is also a larger stake at play here.” Crox said as she looked at the two kids with a finger on her chin. “There is an alien civilization on this planet: one that’s been here for seemingly. This is their home and we are the aliens. We are just starting out on this new world- we cannot afford to make enemies. We are going to have to co-exist with them, like it or not. That means playing nice.” She looked to Arlye on that last sentence, knowing he’d likely cause something.

            He wasn’t, but he was still annoyed she looked his way. “But we know next to nothing about their kind.” Arlye gruffly said. “or her, for that matter.”

            “No…” She looked towards the girl, who was getting more and more bored by the second. “…but she does.”

 

            Moments later, after waiting for some time, the door opened and Belfast walked on it. Seeing as how he was another alien, it felt fitting that he would be the one to question her; to show that they could potentially co-exist. If nothing else, he’s a got a great voice and can be  inspirational- some of the reasons why Crox married him.

            “Why am I locked up like this?” Sokuro asked, clearly wanting to get out of here posthaste. She needed to get back home before her village comes looking for her, because that will likely open up a bigger can of worms then the Phagos did. “I want to go home- I haven’t done anything to hurt you all. Heck, I saved you.”

            “I know that, but most of us are afraid.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “We never saw a creature like you before or that thing you fought, nor have we seen anyone with that level of power. We are… scared that we may say something that’ll cause a conflict and we wish to avoid that. And we also want to know more about you, miss…”

            “Sokuro. My name is Sokuro- I pretty much told everyone a few minutes ago! And what conflict are you talking about? I’m not gonna cause trouble.”

            “I believe you, but we are taking precautions. We could say or do something that would bring the sky down on our heads and we want to avoid that. For now, let’s just get to know each other.”

            Sokuro grunted and sputtered a sigh as she sank down in her seat, crossing her arms. Obviously, she’s not going to be able to go home anytime soon, not with these new people taking ‘precautions’. She’s not going to cause any trouble- why won’t they believe her? “Fine… what do you want to know?”

            He glanced back to the mirror- he knew the scientists and even Arlene were going to be taking notes. Speaking of the A.I., she had tapped into the security camera for the interrogation room and turned up the sound. She then tapped it into the speakers all over the colony so they could listen in. They were going to live on this world too- they need to learn about this too. “Well, let’s start with what led to our encounter. That monster that attacked us- what was it? We never saw anything like it back at our home galaxy. Oh… right, a galaxy is--”

            “I know what a galaxy is and where you came from- Bran told me that already. As for the beast, that was a Phagos. They are near impossible-to-kill creatures that have a penchant of eating everything they come across, and I mean everything- rocks, trees, animals, people, everything is on the menu.”

            “I can vouch for that…” Bran muttered with a visible shiver, remembering how close that thing came to turning him into breakfast.

            “Is there more than one? And are there any other creatures like it?”

            “Yes, there is more than one. I did say creaTURES, didn’t I?” Talk about a attitude. “And in our long history, we’ve only been able to kill two of them: one at Colo-Colo before I was born, and from what I was told, it was haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard. The second…. Well, you just saw that. And for other monsters like it- there are some that are just as tough or as powerful, but nowhere near as evil. The Arcaga is a giant bird that creates hurricane force winds, though it usually avoids the villages, its winds can travel. The other is the Yeet, a digging creature that always digs, digs, digs, digs, and digs. They are mindless and don’t know they cause damage. Lastly, there is the Leviathan. Nobody knows that that fella is thinking- it’s so mysterious and massive, yet it doesn’t cause trouble- it always keeps to itself. And we only have one of those, so it’s not everywhere like the others.”

            Great… more monsters. Hopefully this girl is right and they keep to themselves. “Un-huh… those other monsters, they are widespread?”

            “Not really. The Arcaga keeps to mountains and such and the Yeet…. Well, they dig, so they can be anywhere. The Leviathan, there is only one of him and goes anywhere it wants. I don’t think it’s around here, but we do have some Arcagas and Yeets here. I don’t remember any of them living near here, but with those things, you never know.”

            A bird that can cause hurricane force winds and a critter that mindlessly digs. With their sensors and whatever information they can get in the future, they know when those things are coming. The Leviathan, not so much. If it’s a creature that keeps to itself, then it won’t bother them. Hopefully. But if it does, they won’t see it coming. “Keeping on the subject of monsters, what was that feathered one that took out that Phagos?”

            “He wasn’t a monster. That was Velx- our god.”

            That sparked interest from everyone. “A god?”

            “Yes. He lives at my village, Misken, which isn’t that far from here. He has his own temple where he lives. All of our gods live amongst us, but they do not interfere with our lives unless ABSOLUTELY essential… like what happened with the brute. They are all powerful- you saw that with the Phagos.”

            “Is he the only god on this sub-continent?”

            “Sub-continent? You mean Evioly?” The scientists copied that name down- now they know what to call this island. “Yes, he is. All the villages that are scattered every which way on Evioly come to meet with him.”

            Sounds like what many of the old civilizations on Earth did: built temples to the gods and offer tribute or seek help or advice. Except unlike Earth, the ones here on this new planet actually listen. “Hmm…… and so… how are you able to transform into a dragon? Nobody has seen a ability like this back home. It’s both exciting and scary. Could we be able to do that if we live here?”

            “No, you won’t be able to transform. The Gaharots can’t, and they’ve lived on Dragenia as long as we. For our entire history, only the Ferids- my kind- can.” The scientists took notes- now they know what to call this planet, and that there is another semi-advanced race that calls this planet home. Sokuro reached into her dress again and pulled out her scale. She hid her locket underneath it. “Our gods, who are also called Astral Aerids, give us these magical scales, which allow us to transform into our Aerid…” She rolled her eyes- this was going to get annoying. “…Dragon forms. They give them to us on a day called Ascension Day, which is when Ferids that reach maturity go through a ceremony that allows them to change into Aerids. Best part: you never know what you are getting when you get your scale- it’s always a surprise.”

            Ferids, Aerids, Astral Aerids, and Gaharots. So those seem to be the four—three major races on the planet. “And what of your form?”

            Right. This was coming sooner or later- best get it over with. Hopefully it will be the last time she has to explain this. “… Mine is special. I am a Silver Aerid, which is a very important one- right underneath the gods themselves. You see, Silvers are…. What’s your equivalent to them?” She asked aloud.

            Finally, Bran could chime in. He thought he was going to have to stay silent forever. “From what I’ve seen and what you told me, I think the term would be Demi-Gods.

            She never heard that word before, but it sounds right enough. “Sounds right. Anyway, we are, as Bran put it, Demi-Gods- we are almost as powerful as a god- in the past, some could destroy whole mountain ranges and others decimate an entire area or fight an entire army by themselves. I’m still new- I’ve only been a Silver for several days now. I wasn’t aware I could do those moves earlier until I did them.”

            Sounds like a Demi-God to them, and really powerful ones too that would give Hercules a run for his money. “Are they many like you?”

            “No. There is only one at a time. Silver Aerids are very important- we are considered harbingers of great change coming to the world. Our last one was a tyrant named Xelut, who went mad with power 500 cycles ago. I’m a Silver and clearly, change is coming. or is already here- new visitors from another world would count as a great change.”

            Belfast nodded in agreement, as did everyone else behind the two-way mirror. “Sounds appropriate. We did come to your planet to colonize it. I would call an advanced alien race making a home here a great change.”

            She sat up- now it was her turn. “Now it’s my turn to ask the questions. Why did you come to Dragenia? Why choose here? And why didn’t you know there was a civilization here before you came?”

            Dragenia… now they know what to call the planet, too. This girl is currently a wealth of information. “I would assume Bran told you, seeing as how you’ve been secret friends for a week.”

            “He did. But I want to hear it from you. You know… just because.” She snickered.

            Belfast smirked internally. This girl has guts for someone her age, and is smart for her age too. She must not take crap from anyone. Either they mature mentally faster here or she is just like this. “Huh. You got a attitude, girl.”

            “When you’ve been what I have been though, you’d have one too.”

            On top of that Phagos monster, there must’ve been more to her past then they know to give her a attitude. He’ll ask her later. “Alight then. To answer your questions: we came to Dragenia to find a new home. Ours is… well, dying and we needed to leave it before we went with it.” She may be smart for her age, but talking about pollution, dwindling resources, and overpopulation would be boring for a kid. “We sent probes to all of our neighbor galaxies, including Messier 32, the one yours was in. Your planet was chosen entirely by chance by the probe itself- we could’ve easily ended up on one of your moons or in an entirely different system. And we didn’t know you or anyone else lived here because our probes suck. They just- they just suck. I’m amazed it didn’t break in the 150 years it’s been scoutin’.”

            “What would you have done if you encountered someone that already lived here, someone who wasn’t as kind as me?”

            “We would try to open dialogue for living in peace. We are foreigners in a strange land we know nothing about, searching for a new home. We don’t have the manpower or resources for a conflict, and if there was one, the natives would have a clear advantage in numbers and knowledge of the terrain. You saw what we were like- we couldn’t do a thing to that Phagos thing.”

            “To be fair, neither can we.”

            “But anyway, we would try to establish some sort of agreement or a treaty or something that would allow us to co-exist. We’re not expecting your kind to be as friendly as you, but we’re hoping we don’t get into a fight.”

            Sokuro looked to Bran. She didn’t want to lose him; he was a good friend to have. “Neither do I.”

            Belfast grabbed a cookie himself. “Well, with that, I suppose we better move on to the obvious questions about your civilization. If we are going to be sharing the same planet, we should learn about you all that we can.”

            She shrugged. “I guess.”

            “Great. So… get going.”

            “Oh, I gotta start it? Alright… hmm… well, you don’t have to worry about a fight out of the gate. We are a kind, peaceful race. … as far as Misken and Evioly goes. The mainland…. You’d have trouble there, but as far as Evioly goes, you have a shot.”

            “Is the mainland a bad place?”

            “I’m not really sure- I have never been there myself. I’ve only been on Evioly my whole life- usually at home or shopping at Roko Harbor. The mainland…… you want the detailed version or the short version?”

            “For now, let’s keep it short. We don’t want to keep you any longer than necessary.”

            “Alright.  Well, there was once a large empire that ruled over Dragenia for thousands of cycles, or in your tongue Years, until 500 cy—years ago when the last Silver Aerid, my predecessor Xelut, rose to power and became a tyrannical despot. He was overthrown and the empire divided into smaller kingdoms and republics, but some policies he left in place are still used to this day, such… as a slave trade focused entirely on Gaharots.”

            “Ouch.” He glanced to the window- he knows that some of them behind it would be feeling bad about that. Every race has a dark history, it seems. “And what of Evioly?”

            “We are so far away from the mainland, the policies never made it here. It takes four months for a ship from the mainland to arrive, and vice versa. We never learned of Xelut and his tyranny until a few decades later. Here, we live side by side with the Gaharots in peace- several of my best friends are Gaharots. It still makes trips to Roko Harbor frightening for them, though. Roko Harbor is the only piece of land the Bokural Kingdom has here and the slave trade is there. Gaharots from Evioly wear a special collar to show they are Evioly natives and not to be touched. If they are… well, you can expect our wrath to come down hard.”

            “What about Evioly. Can you talk about this place for some time? We’ll be living here so we should know what it is like.”

            “Right. Well… from what I remember from talking with Bran, the tribes of Evioly are similar to what you would call… eh, what were they called……” She snapped her fingers, remembering the analogy. “… that’s right, Native Americans. We are like Native Americans from Earth - we live close to nature, we live in relative peace, we use everything we can, and we can be fierce fighters when we need to be. I personally am from Misken, which is a village on top of a mesa not far from here.”

            A mesa-top village. He hasn’t seen that before. Sounds very interesting. “Huh… interesting. And just to clarify, I am not from Earth. I am not even human.”

            “Huh?” She looked him up and down. He looks human… except for several things. “Now that you mention it… you do have strange ears on the top of your head, and a tail like mine, but fluffy. Are you a Ferid like me?”

            “No no no. We don’t change into a special beast like you. No, I am what is known as a Kitsune. We are an immortal race that has been described by earthlings as space elves due to how beautiful and graceful we are. In fact, when some of my kind went to Earth during humanity’s infancy, the people of the country Japan thought my kind were magical shape shifters. They thought our technology was magical. I’m not sure where they got the shape shifting part, though…”

            “Oh.”

            Arlene appeared suddenly again, scaring Sokuro once again as she fell out of her seat. She was not going to get used to that. “I hate to ruin this lovely little interrogation, but we have company. Lots of company.”

            Back behind the mirror, Arlye had gotten his rifle out and was already out of the door to get his security team ready. Sokuro hit her head on the side of the table on purpose. She was worried she was going to happen. “Oh…. No… they must’ve seen it…”

            “Huh?” Bran and Belfast went.

            “My tribe… they must’ve seen me fight the Phagos…. Land here… and get, for lack of a better term but it is accurate seeing as how you put me like this, Captured! They must’ve come here to rescue me or look for me or… this won’t end well…”

            “Will they attack us?” Belfast asked.

            “I don’t think so. They’ll probably be confused and disoriented from seeing such new, strange, and puzzling creatures like all of you, living in strange buildings, wearing strange clothes, and speaking a strange language…” She bit her lip. “I should get out there.” She broke the cuffs with ease, like they were nothing but tissue paper, and ran out the door with Bran following, leaving the leaders to be stunned by her feat of strength. It is hard to break cuffs- she did it like it was nothing.

 

            Sokuro ran out of the building she was in and out into the lanes of the colony. She was barely a few feet away when she looked to the sky. The sky was clogged up with a entire flock of Aerids and a small fleet of Gaharot airships. It’s like everyone from home came to get her and see what was going on here. The size of all of this made her more than a little uneasy. “This won’t end well…” She whimpered.

            She ran back down the crowded streets to where she dropped off Bran when she first came. The security personnel were getting ready for a fight, as if it wasn’t obvious enough with how they treated her. The turrets were peered up at the fleet of dragons and ships, but did not fire- Arlene made sure of that.

            One of the airships was setting down at the edge of the colony, where Sokuro had landed earlier. She reached the edge just as it touched down and a ramp descended. She panted heavily, worried what was going to happen. She didn’t want to lose Bran, not after all they had done.

            Bran eventually caught up, wheezing heavily as he put his hands on his knees. He has been running so much in the past hour- when all this is done, he is taking a nice warm bubble bath. “I… am starting to hate running. Whe…. Heeeeeeeeeea…” Arlye and Crox soon arrived as well. The others, Bran’s parents included, were keeping back- they wanted to keep their distance in case things go south.

            “Bran, get out of here.” Sokuro hissed though her teeth, not wanting him to get harmed.

            He looked up and wiped spit from his mouth. “Wh… wh… what? Why?”

            “Because my chief isn’t--”

            “SOKURO EL’FETAN!!!” Sokuro went as stiff as a board when she heard that yell. When the chief yells like that, you know you’ve done goofed. She hesitantly looked back and saw him approaching with way too many warriors, some of which were Gaharots. “YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXPLANING TO DO, LITTLE LADY!!”

            “.... The… most stable of people…” Sokuro hesitantly finished.

            Naturally, the humans were freaking out over the fact that Dragons and Dinosaurs are on the same planet, living side by side. “DINOSAURS!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” This isn’t a new world- this is ancient history heaven. What next, a Kraken? “This place continues to get more interesting…” Arlye commented as he thought to himself, putting a finger on his chin.

            Sokuro quickly ran over to Inouye, wanting to avoid trouble. He is a kind leader, but when he is angry…  “I’m sorry, Chief Inouye, I know going after a Phagos was suicidal, but I had to try something! Also, I didn’t want them to die!”

            Inouye wanted to yell, and so he is going to yell. “What the Uela were you thinking!?! You are an inexperienced Aerid going after a centuries old monster!?! You could’ve been killed! And what’s worse is all of these strangers!! And just who are they, exactly?” Inoute demanded. “They wear such strange clothing, live in bizarre boxes, and…” He noticed Arlye and was surprised by how big and buff he was, which translated to danger. He gestured to his warriors, prompting them to ready their weapons, just in case. “Are they dangerous?!”

            “Nonononononononononono.” She zipped in front of him, waving her arms around. “They are not dangerous! They are not hostile! They are not here to cause any sort of trouble!”

            He walked past her, ignoring her words. “We’ll just see about that!” He approached the crowd, which backed away out of nervousness and fear, except for Crox, Arlye, and the Security Force. “Who is in charge here!?”

            “That would be me.” Crox said as she stepped forward. She exhumed a air of confidence around her- she needed to. She doesn’t want things to go back. “The name is Georgia Crox- I am the mayor of this colony. We don’t not wish to create trouble for all of us- we just want to live  here. We have traveled a long way and we are tired. We had no idea others lived here.”

            Does she think he is stupid, he thought. Surely, she cannot be this dumb. “How could you not know?!”

            The answer was simple, and probably over their heads. “With one really… really… really crappy scout that is bad at its job.”

            The remainder of the airships began to lower as they ‘chatted’. Inoute’s eyes darted around, taking in the picture that was before him. So many bizarre things- there is no telling what one of them could do. There was one obvious one. “You treat me with such hostile intent. Is that your true purpose?”

            Arlye stepped forward. His size made Inoute feel a little intimidated. “You march into our home and ask if we are hostile? We’re not the ones who came with a small army of Dragon warriors.”

            “Dragon?” He repeated, the word confusing him. “You come onto our land and desecrated a sacred site- how can we not think that!?!” This is the first Bran is hearing of any sacred site. He looked to Sokuro, wondering if she knew what it was. She did not either- this is the first she is hearing of such a site around here too.

            Crox got in front of Arlye. “I apologize. Like I said, we had no clue anyone lived here until an hour ago, when that thing attacked us and she saved us.” She gestured to Sokuro. The girl slowly sank out of view, not wanting to be the center of attention in this war of words. “And we had no idea we were on sacred land. We came here after a century in space and--”

            “Liars! Rr… you lot must be from the mainland- they always have no respect for the sacred past! There is no way  you can be from beyond the Great Light- it is impossible!”

            This was getting out of hand. Inoute’s temper was beginning to flare and it was making her worry. “It is not! We have proof!”

            “I’m sure you do…at being nothing but liars!!” He was about to transform.

            A loud and mighty booming voice rang out, making him stop. “ENOUGH!!!” Velx ordered as he touched down hard on the forest floor, creating a small quake.

            Inoute gulped- he didn’t want him here. “L-Lord Velx! The- these strangers claim to be from beyond the Great Light and they trespass on sacred ground!”

            Velx lowered his head and breathed out enough smoke to cause some trouble. “Inoute, I have studied them for the past week and I have deliberated with my fellow gods about this, and her words speak true. They have come from another world, from across the black abyss that stretches along our skies at night. They seek not to fight, but establish a new home as theirs was dying. They wish to do it though peace and understanding, but they are afraid from what they have seen- the Phagos, Sokuro’s power, and your anger are giving them worry.”

            “B… but Lord…”

            He rose his head back up. “I believe you should all follow the example of these two children.” All eyes once again fell on Sokuro and Bran. This wasn’t the kind of attention they wanted, being put in the middle like this.  “She was able to make friends with one of the colonists with zero effort and he was not afraid to talk with a foreign race. If the two children from two different worlds can do it, I am sure everyone here can too.”

            “………” Inoute was hesitant to reply. He didn’t want to reply: he knows what Velx’s next words will be.

            “And I give them permission to live here. This land is special, but never sacred. Therefore, they shall live here with my blessing. And you should learn about them- they are interesting, to say the least. I trust you have no objections?”

            That wasn’t what he expected Velx to say, Inoute threw his hands up regardless, giving up with all this. “Fine…. Fine… they can stay.” He looked back towards Crox, who was holding her ground, but inside, she was shaking like a leave in the wind from all of this.  “I’ll be back tomorrow, when the sun is at its highest peak. We will talk then.” He slowly backed away before turning around to walk back.

            He passed by Sokuro and Bran. He gave Bran a vindictive scowl, which sent a shiver down his spine. Sokuro was scared of what his reaction to all of this will be. He’s got a temper, that much is proven.  “Sokuro…. You are coming home right now…” He snarled as he walked back to his ship.

            A depressed Sokuro lowered her head and slunk back with him. “Yes, Chief…” She whined as she followed. She looked back and gave Bran a daintily little farewell wave.

            Bran sulked as he waved goodbye back. Moments later, the ship took odd and it and the rest of the airships took off and headed back towards their home. First Contact with an entire civilization and it did not go well. They did not bring their a-game.  

He turned to head, only to dive headfirst into Arlye’s gut. He slowly looked up and saw the massive Argalith starring down at him with his arms crossed. Crox and Belfast were there was well and they did not look happy. “Bran. In my office.”

12: Chapter 10: Aftermath
Chapter 10: Aftermath

Chapter 10

Aftermath

2/18/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

Dragenian history changed forever earlier today, when the native Ferid and Gaharot races met aliens from another world- another galaxy- for the first time. Visitors from beyond the stars- that changes not only everything, but also… no, everything pretty much covers it. To think that everything they had known to be a lie, that the Great Light in the sky was nothing more than just that- a giant light, would bring mass confusion to a populace.

For the moment, at least, the knowledge of these otherworldly visitors and all that they will forever change is known to only a small village on a small sub-continent all alone in a vast ocean, though not for long. These things have a habit of getting out.

But said village is not exactly feeling overjoyed at this new prospect.

They are freaking out.

 

Everyone from the village had gathered in the town hall, which was the bunker they had created to survive against Phagos attacks. It doesn’t have to be a bunker all the time- it can have multiple uses. And everyone was indeed there, even the children and the merchants Sokuro saved from the attack.

It was a mass uproar, with everyone trying to figure out what this all means- unknown, dangerous beings from beyond the black abyss and the Great Light? That is impossible- their scriptures and history says so. Their gods say so. It should not be at all possible, but it is. They want answers.

A loud bell-like noise sounded though the hall, shutting everyone up and turning their attention to the front of the hall, towards Inoute and Ifil, Hela, and Fayin, as well as the village doctor- a male Gaharot named Ocous, and their head hunter, a female Ferid named Polosa. These six held the most power in the village, behind Velx, of course. They play very important roles in the town, which is obvious from their titles and positions.

As for Sokuro, she stayed out of sight. She didn’t want to cause any more trouble then she may’ve already had. It’s her interactions with Bran that led to this mess. She and the rest of the kids were staying in the back, away from the adults, though the ones not from the orphanage were keeping their distance from her.

The screaming and the shouting was getting to Inoute’s nerves, and it was showing. He grabbed their version of a gavel and slammed it down hard. “QUIET!!!” Inoute shouted, banging a large rock on the stone desk in front of him, making the bell noise. The rock is called a Qoule and when they hit something, they can make a bell-like sound. He spoke loud and true- everyone grew quiet. “Thank you… now, I know everyone here is scared by these new visitors--”

“Scared isn’t the word I would use.” Someone called from the back. “More like frightened, mortified, scared to death!” The crowd agreed with him.

Ifil spoke up. “I know everyone is scared, but devolving into a panic won’t help anyone, so let us all just calm down and act rationally.”

“Make them leave!” The same guy shouted. The vast majority agreed with him.

“You can’t just make them leave.” Fayin replied. “We have no idea where they came from- they claim the Black Abyss, but that is impossible. Besides, Velx gave them permission to stay.”

“But we know nothing about these strangers.” Ocous said, leaning forward in his chair. “We don’t know what they eat, how they sleep, - they may be carrying a infectious disease that could kill us all, for all we know.”

“We also don’t know what weapons they use.” Polosa said. “Do they hunt with arrows they launch out of those shiny sticks they got? And their strange shiny village wasn’t well guarded or heavily defendable. For all we know, this could be the staging ground for an attack by a kingdom on the mainland.” That created a panicked uproar.

As much as she wants to stay out of it and avoid being ridiculed, Sokuro had to speak up. Everyone is freaking out over the colonists and only she knows who they are, what they want, and why they are here. If this keeps up, something bad will happen- she can just tell.

Thankfully, she wasn’t alone in that line of thought. She had Hela. “Well… why not ask someone who has been in contact with them for the past week?” Hela said. She looked towards the back of the room. “Am I wrong, Miss Sokuro?”

As if on cue, everyone looked back to here, which made her extremely nervous. She gulped out of fright and nervously smiled. “N-no… you are not wrong. I’ve interacted with them… well, one of them, but he taught me a lot.”

“Then please speak up and help calm some heated minds.”

“Oh. Ok…” She slowly stood up. “Um…. Well, they are not from anywhere on Dragenia. They are from another world… from far across the Black Abyss, or Outer Space as they call it.” That created a horde of murmurs among the entire crowd. “See… their home was dying and they needed a new home before they died with it. They spread out to lots of other worlds in other… what was the word he used… galaxies.”

            “Where did you learn all this?” Ocous asked.

            “From a boy named Bran. He’s a human and he says he is smart for his age. He is also a very talented drawer. He taught me everything about his colony and where they came from using a tablet made of light that has information- generations full- recorded on it. Anyway… he told me that they came here to establish a new home since they can’t go back to their old one. Like I said, their home was dying and they needed a new home. Thing is… they didn’t know we lived here.”

            “How could they miss that?” A villager asked.

            “With a, and I quote, ‘a really crappy Scout’, whatever that is. It wasn’t until the Phagos earlier today that they learned there was a civilization here. Bran told them about me but they didn’t believe him. I told my friends at the orphanage and they thought I was making up stories.” Her fellow orphanage friends sank out of view, some of them whistling nonchalantly and others just sliding away. “If I told anyone about them before we met them today, would any of you have believed me?” There was a long silence from the crowd. “That’s what I thought.”

            “Are they like us?” A Ferid villager asked. “Like, are they similar to us?”

            “Kind of. From what I saw, the main population is that of Humans. Humans are like us Ferids, except they do not have a tail. They also can’t transform into Aerids, or Dragons as they call them. Humans are not the only ones there: There is also a race called the Argalith- Bran described them as if a crocodile and a shark had a kid. I have no clue what those two are, but they are kind of like the Gaharots, except a lot taller and with a lot more muscles, and an attitude to boot. Another is called a Kitsune, which are again like us and humans, except they have the ears and tail of a fox- again, I don’t know what that is. But unlike everyone else, Kitsune’s are immortal- the one who brought them here, Belfast, is pushing 3 million cycles.” That peaked interest among them all. “There are two others I haven’t seen or met yet- the Hesk and the Adlez. From what Bran told me, the Hesk are… well, does everyone know what a Vitos looks like? Well, take away about 4 tentacles, make the head smaller, and put it inside a floating bubble made of water. As for the Adlez… all he said was that they were ugly. That’s all he said about them.”

            “Are they dangerous?” Polosa asked. “Will they eliminate us or subjugate us?”

            “No. They just want to live here. They have weapons, yes, but not for warfare, but to survive. Let’s face it, Dragenia is not a calm place to live- just look at the Phagos. Their weapons had no effect against it- I saw that first hand. Heck…” She rubbed her neck, where the Phagos bit her. “I couldn’t even lay a scratch…” She stopped rubbing. “Besides, I think we can survive their weaponry. They use…. Bran called it concentrated plasma, but it looks like balls of electricity. It looks like the blasts a Phagos launches out of its mouth, but more… I dunno, smaller.”

            “That doesn’t answer the question: are they dangerous?”

            “To us… I hope not. I think it all depends on what you do tomorrow, chief.” Inoute tapped his fingers on the table. “I trust Bran, and while I was only in their village for a short time, I saw what they were like. They had things we have never seen before and it is mind boggling- a woman appeared out of thin air and their doors open on their own. But despite that… they don’t want to fight. They have strange things, but they are new to our home and they know nothing about the land or us and how we fight. They are scared of us. They have a violent past, but they are putting that behind them. They are here only to find a new home and learn and explore.  And like Fayin said, Velx has given them permission to live here.”

            “And I can vouch for their wanting to stay nice.” The captain of the merchant ship from this morning walked in, followed by her crew. “Our ship was disabled and one of their own appeared, offering to help. He said he was a Ferid who lost his tail in an accident, but looking back, it’s clear he was a Human, as the girl here put it. He even tried to save us when the Phagos attacked, giving us time to get repairs done and escape.”

            Inoute was resting his head on his hand, growing tired. “…. You make a compelling argument,  but they are still a dangerous unknown.”

            Sokuro sucked her lips in as she tapped her fingers on her legs. She was losing him, and possibly the crowd too. Time to break out the big guns. “Alright, consider this. I am a Silver Aerid- I am destined to bring great change to Dragenia. What if these visitors are that great change? And just think of what we can learn from them: new ways of exploring, of thinking- I don’t know how they did it, but the room I was in was nice and cool all the time, even though it is hot outside.” Inoute was getting impatient, tapping his fingers again. “Chief… they could have medicine long ahead of ours. They could have a cure for Froypes Disease.”

            That caught his attention, and the attention of everyone else. They hadn’t considered what medical advances and remedies they could possibly hold. They were so focused on the dangerous side, they forgot the kinder, more welcoming side. He rubbed his wrist, or rather what was on it. “A cure for Forypes…” He closed his eyes and loudly exhaled. “…as strong an argument as you make, Sokuro… what happens tomorrow will ultimately depend on them and how they act.”

            “I think they’re thinking the same thing about us.” Ifil said.

            “You said they call us Dragons? What is a Dragon?”

            And here come the questions that have no bearing on tomorrow. She doesn’t want to continue with this- she is still exhausted from her fight with the Phagos.“Yeah... On the Humans homeworld of Earth, they have tales and stories about Dragons, which are our Aerid forms, only without the ability to change back into Ferid forms. They came in all shapes and sizes- some are as tall as Evioly, while others smaller then the palm of your hand. Some are friendly, others evil. Some are monsters, while some are gods. Bran was really surprised when he found out I could become one, and his villagers were as stunned when they saw me change back into Ferid form. Seems none of the others back at their home have what we have.”

            “What’s a galaxy?”

            Sokuro rubbed her neck again- there was a tingling feeling this time. “Can’t you ask them after everything is dealt with tomorrow? I am exhausted and I need a nap bad.”

            Inoute exhaled again. He was getting tired as well and tomorrow was gonna be a long one. And it’s not even noon yet. “… You are right.” He banged the rock on the table. “This meeting is adjourned. I have to get ready for tomorrow when I encounter those beings again.”

            “Their leader is named Georgia Crox.” Sokuro quickly put out. He rolled his eyes and got up. “Everyone, try to go about your lives and, at least for today, avoid their village. I don’t expect anyone would be welcomed on friendly terms, not after the show of force we displayed.”

            Sokuro got down onto the floor, as did the rest of the orphans, as the crowd murmured to themselves. She looked up to the merchant captain, who was looking down at her. “Thanks for speaking up, miss un…”

            “Dexyl. Captain Dexyl.”

            “Dexyl.” Sokuro left, ready to put her head on her pillow and get a nap.

            At least, that’s what she said, but not how she feels. She still has energy- she just wanted to get out of that meeting as quickly as she could and get as far away as she can for the day. She wanted to be alone and she needed some space.

She rushed on home and closed the door to her room. She grabbed some throwpillows and stuffed them under her blanket. To complete it, she put her dress on it, with the hood up to make it more believable. She put on her ceremonial dress- the white robe from the Ascension ceremony, opened up the window to her room, and jumped out. She ran to the dock, making sure she wasn’t seen, leaped off, and transformed when she neared the bottom. Her wounds were still present as she flew away.

 

            Back at the colony, the reactions to their first encounter with such strange and mysterious creatures were much more positive. Almost everyone was excited at the prospect of meeting two new races, especially one that had long been thought extinct back on Earth, and another said to be only in mythology.

Dinosaurs and Dragons, both on one planet. Just the mere thought of it alone was making the humans of the colony giddy with delight and anticipation for tomorrow, especially for one particular person. First contact could’ve- should’ve gone more smoothly then one of their leaders yelling in Crox’s face, but they can think of worse things than a all-consuming monster and a chieftain with a short fuse. Some first contacts erupt into violence on the spot, so this was already a step in the right direction.

But that also did bring up thoughts: what if this does erupt into violence? They are completely outnumbered- 20000 colonists against an entire planetary population. Even going by this sub-continent, they are outnumbered. Not to mention outgunned with the humanoid races being able to transform into mighty Dragons, along with an impressive fleet. But what the colonists did have is the technology advantage. They have better… well, everything. Of course, given how the Phagos was able to take all that head-on speaks volumes of their odds here.

To that end, Crox had called an emergency meeting in the command center with all of the higher-ups of the colony, along with Bran: he’s the one with the most experience with the native races and what he knows could be valuable. She, along with everyone else here, want to avoid a confrontation: they don’t have the manpower or resources for a fight.

“Well, that could’ve gone better.” Arlene smirked as she hovered on her back with her hands behind her head, floating over the holographic table.

“I agree… that is not how I anticipated First Contact with an alien race.” Crox said. “Barely surviving the living equivalent of a natural disaster with that Phagos thing, discovering new life with a impressive function, and having a leader yell at me in the face.”

“At least it wasn’t violent, except for that Phagos thing.” The one in charge of agriculture, a female Hesk named Iragi, commented. “That’s already a plus in my book.”

“Agreed.” Belfast said. “I’ve seen plenty of First Contacts erupt into violence quickly. Be thankful this one wasn’t worse.”

“Regardless… we find ourselves in a precarious position.” Crox said. “I’m meeting with that loud and obnoxious brute again tomorrow and I’m hoping we can come to some sort of understanding. If this erupts into violence, we don’t have the manpower nor the resources for a fight, especially against advanced Dinosaurs and humanoids that can turn into Dragons, of all things. We need to keep this as diplomatic as they can.”

“But didn’t that feathered Dragon said we could live here?” The head of continuity, a extremely old female Kitsune named Kitsunagi, said. Due to her age of 3 BILLION years and sharp mind, makes sense she’d be in charge of their history. “He did give us his permission.”

“He gave us permission, but he didn’t say it had to be peaceful.” Arlye said. “It’s like he knows this can go either way.”

“That is why tomorrow is so important. We can’t afford a fight. We need to do this peacefully and diplomatically. That is why he is here.” She gestured over to Bran, who was sitting as far from them as he could. He never counted on being in this predicament, nor being the center of attention from all of the leaders of the colony, including his own parents. “He knows more about them then we do.”

“That’s because he has a girlfriend among their ranks.” The scientific lead, a Adlez named Xcoilix, joked as he playfully jabbed Violet in her shoulder. Due to them always being inside suits, nobody truly knows what gender is under there. Having their voice filtered through an electronic voice box doesn’t help things either.

As for that joke, he should’ve jabbed someone else, for he was hit hard in the back of the head by Violet, sending him to the ground. “He does not have a girlfriend!” She shouted.

Xcoilix got himself up and rubbed the back of his helmet. “Ow… it was a joke!”

Violet crossed her arms and looked away. “Well, I didn’t find it funny…” Leopold silently lowered his head into his hands.

            Crox rolled her eyes and walked around the table. “Anyway… we have a source of information that we need. Bran, if you would please…” He got up from his chair and stepped to the table. He was hesitant to speak. “Please speak up.”

            He moved his hands into his coat pockets, squeezing a stress ball he has hidden away. It always came in hand. “Ok… well… where do you want me to start?”

            “Well…” Arlene brought up some screenshots of Sokuro’s impromptu interrogation. “We know about the Aerids, the Phagos, some bits and pieces about this land we’re on, and the mere fact that the world’s inhabitants are Dinosaurs and Dragons.”

            “I still find that so utterly fascinating.” Belfast commented, completely going off script and preventing Bran from speaking for some time. “For the longest time, Dinosaurs were considered to be extinct and Dragons only a myth. Who would’ve guessed they lived on another planet in another galaxy?”

            The leading medical physician on staff, a female Hesk named Lorimi, was perplexed by their actions. “Un… I’m confused. What is so important of Dragons and Dinosaurs? I haven’t been to Earth, so I don’t know what the big deal is.” Bran frowned in the background- are they seriously doing this?

            Arlene hit a fake computer hologram and brought up images of both species: for dinosaurs, it was drawings from books and textbooks. For Dragons, she brought up ancient drawings from European dragons such as Fafnir, and the Hydra, Asian with Orochi and Shenlong, Meso-American dragons with Quetzalcoatl and Piasa, and fictional ones such as the Jabberwocky from Alice in Wonderland and the Dragon from Beowulf.

 “Well, Dinosaurs are native only to Earth.” She went on to explain. “They ruled the planet LONG before Humans were even a blip on the universal clock, for approximately 100 million years, give or take a few million. Heck, they were around when Kitsunagi was alive. They ruled the planet until their ultimate extinction 65 million years ago. What caused it is still up for debate: freak natural disasters? Oversaturation of deadly gases in the atmosphere? A giant meteor hitting? All of the above? It’s still debated and there’s proof for all that and others.

“Dragons are more tricky. There is no proof they have ever existed, but legends and tales of them permeate though every civilization and religion, and strangely most of them shared the same theme: they were lizards, had thick scales, and could fly… most of the time. Some had wings and others were wingless. Some were gods, others were demons. Everyone had some type of drake on Earth… heck, even some of the races of the Milky Way have their own version of Dragons. The Hesk have Propospo, the massive world-eating serpent destined to fight their god Voullatua. The Argalith claim to be descendents of a cosmic Dragon named Farouatalutatunagtin and…”

Crox rolled her hands down her face, snatching her eyelids and pulling them down before letting go. “We get the picture, please stop talking.” Arlene pouted and sent the pictures away.

            Arlye sat back in his seat. “And yet, both Dragon and Dinosaur are on this planet millions of lightyears from Earth, in another galaxy no less. How the heck is that even possible? Dragons are mythological and Dinosaurs are Earth exclusive beasts.”

            “Now I have a few guesses on that.” Belfast said. He’s been alive almost as long as Kitsunagi. Almost. “For the Dinosaurs, we can safely assume that an ancient race visited Earth millions of years in the past and snatched up some Dinosaurs for whatever reason- to use as pets or zoo animals, or to protect them from extinction- who cares. Eventually, the ship somehow ended up here and the Dinosaurs slowly evolved into what we see today. Of course, they all seem to be… what did you call them again?”

            “Utahraptors.”

            “Those. Time or hunger must’ve killed off all the others, leaving them. As for the Dragons…. Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. Same origin as all of us, likely: some Cro-Magnon brute that slowly evolved into what they are today, but… Magic scales bestowed by living gods that can turn a humanoid into a fire-breathing lizard is a first for me. If anyone can come up with one, I am all ears.”

            “… Everyone knows we went completely off topic here, right?” Iragi asked. “We were trying to learn all we can for tomorrow, not delve into hypothetical origins. If we screw up, our gooses are cooked, you know that right?”

            They were and they did. They felt like idiots. “Oh. Right.”

            Crox sighed as she rested her head in her hands. “This is gonna be a problem, I can tell… we cannot afford to get sidetracked.”

            Arlene clapped and rubbed her hands together. “Well… time for you to start up, Bran.” They looked to him… and saw that he was no longer there with him. The door to the CIC center was open- he was long gone. “He left.”

            Crox tapped her fingers on her forehead, having not changed her position. “…..I cannot exactly fault him for leaving.”

 

            Bran had retreated to the pond where he and Sokuro first met and have hung out since then. Seems like yesterday when they met, two kids who just wanted to know each other. Now look at him: already roped into the big-wigs plans for contact. They’re talking about hypothetical origins to a species they barely know instead of learning what could be useful for tomorrow.

            “Uuuuuuuugh.” He hit the back of his head on the tree behind him.

            He heard movement from behind: doesn’t take a genius to know who it was. “You too, huh?” Sokuro asked, sitting on the other side with her legs curled up.

            “Yep…”

            “Grown-ups?”

            “Yep.”

            “Yeah…… they always ruin everything…”

            “Yep.”

            She sighed as she buried her face in her knees. “How is this so hard? Getting to know someone you met shouldn’t be this hard. We were able to do it easy: why can’t the grown-ups just be…. sane?”

            “Because they are grown-ups and have to do everything the hard way. I mean… why do they always have to overcomplicate things to the point they are near impossible to do things?”

            “Well, keeping with the theme we’ve been running the last minute, they’re stupid.”

            “Yep…”

            Bran got up off the ground to stretch, stretching his arms above his head until he heard his shoulders pop. “Igh…. Ah. I needed that- I’ve been like that for a long time.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Wow… it’s not even noon. This is going to be a long day.”

            Sokuro sat up and walked back around, feeling thirsty from her flight. “Tell me about it. I had to pretend I was falling-down tired so I could quit being asked every question under the sun. I had to sneak away just to get some peace and quiet.” She bent down, cupped her hands into the water, and took a drink. Following that, she dunked her head in it, feeling the pressure of life kicking in.

            That is when Bran took notice of her new attire. This is the first time he’s seen that. “Is that why you are wearing a white robe?”

            Sokuro was able to hear that underwater- Ferids have really good hearing and Aerids enhance that fourfold, and pulled her head out of the water. She shook it dry while blubbering. “Yeah. Had to use my dress to disguise some pillows under a blanket.”

            Bran chuckled at the concept- seems sneaking out that way is a universal thing. “Ah, the old ‘pillows-under-the-blanket’ trick. It’s a classic.”

            “Have you done it before?”

            “Personally, no. But I’ve seen it done in movies. I have no clue it’s actually effective or not, but I guess you’re gonna be the guinea pig for that.”

            “Guinea pig?”

            “It’s a saying.”

            “Oh.” She rubbed her neck again.

            Bran noticed that she had been rubbing her neck ever since this morning. “Are you ok?”

            “Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” She lowered her hand.

            It didn’t take a genius to figure out why she was rubbing. “That’s where the Phagos bit you, isn’t it?”

            “… When I was in Aerid form, yeah. He also bit me on the back and that part is aggravating with these short little arms. On my flight here, I noticed they were still there. They’ve been tingling since then.”

            He patted her on the shoulder- it seemed better than her back if she’s still got the wounds there. well, wounds on her dragon form, but phantom wounds in her human form. Pain is transferable, it seems. “The way you described the Silvers from ages past… I wasn’t sure you could get injured. You needed the Gods to take him down- I assume that they did the same trick they just did on the Phagos.”

            Sokuro rubbed her neck again- the itching was getting annoying, but every time it flared it, it reminded her of the fight and how easily she got them. “Truth be told… neither didn’t think I could get hurt. I thought the same thing you did. Now….”

            They heard rustling in the bushes behind them, rustling that was moving around at a rapid pace. Given what they have been though with the Phagos, they were on edge over anything and everything strange and potentially dangerous. “What was that?!” An on-edge Sokuro yelped, jumping behind Bran.

            “I don’t know.” He said confidently. “And why are you hiding behind me? You can transform into a giant monster- I think something small in the bushes would be childsplay.”

            Her eye twitched. “Given what I’ve been though today?!”

            The rustling was louder this time. Whatever the thing was, it was closer. It seemed to come from one direction and then from another, then another, then another. They were trapped by something. Bran pulled out his stun gun and got ready- it worked against the Phagos. Barely. It should work against something a lot smaller.

            Right?

            They didn’t have to wait long to find out where it was coming from because the rustling was coming straight for them.

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BikEwlP1ewM Dream Eaters – Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance OST

 

            A tiny little reptilian head popped out of the bush, blinking its large, piercing black eyes as it held a struggling rodent like creature in its jaws. “The heck?” Bran went as he tilted he and Sokuro tilted their heads. The rodent got free of the jaws and tried to run, but the head, and its body, leaped out and caught the rodent again.

            “Heeeeey… it’s a Kalamanker.” Sokuro cooed as she bent down to pet the lizard on the head, making it purr. “All that rustling must’ve been her chasing after the rodent.”

A Kalamanker is like a Earth salamander, but the size of a dog- the size of a chocolate lab or a golden retriever. All Kalamankers have the same body structure- short stubby legs with barely any claws, a finned tail like a eel’s, small fins that are nestled in front of her ears, and four horns- two directly out of the top of the head and two behind them. This particular one had three different shades of blue: sky-blue scales with a dark deep-sea blue underbelly and regular blue markings running along her back and tail, and a single one on her forehead. They are known around the planet for being friendly and extremely cute, but they can be ferocious when angry. It doesn’t take much to appease an angry Kalamanker, though- just feed it and its as docile as a sleepy cat.

“Kalamanker?” Bran repeated as he knelt down.

“Yes. I’ve never seen one in person, but I’ve seen a lot of pictures. They’re friendly creatures that are loyal and ferocious, despite their small size. If you get one angry, however, all you need to do is feed it and it’ll calm right back down.”

“Huh…” He looked though the databsse on his phone, finding a species from Earth that looked similar to hers. He bent down and petted the little darling on the cheek, making it purr like a cat and her tail to wag. “She looks like a salamander from back on Earth.” He zipped up a picture of a Axolotl salamander on his phone before she could ask what a salamander was. “And the way you described her, she seems to act like a dog, with elements of a cat to boot.” That, he could not zip out fast enough.

“Cat and dog? What are those?”

“Pets. You keep them, take care of them, feed them, train them, and give them a place to sleep, and they give you love and attention in return. There were a lot of options to choose from, but dogs and cats were the most popular.” That did bring up a curious subject. “Are pets a thing on Dragenia?”

She scratched the top of her head. “Yeah, kinda. We don’t do what you said here on Evioly- we don’t control animals, we just let them live and let live. And I can’t speak for the mainland because I haven’t been there, but based on what I saw at Roko Harbor, it’s somewhat similar to what you described. Kalamankers like her are valuable pets, but they are rare to find. They can be found on the mainland, if you are lucky- they seem to be rare there, but they are concentrated here on Evioly. Again, if you can find them. They may be friendly, but they are tenacious little buggers who have good hiding places. Most of the time, poachers come and try ot snag some to take to the mainland. It’s a pain in the rear to deal with them, or so I heard Polosa said.” He tilted his head, wondering who that was. “She is our head hunter. Mm… probably similar in position to your, un, security chief, I think was the term you used. That big guy, Arlye.”

“Yeah, I know who you were talking about.”

The rodent, thanks to the lack jaw from all the pets, wiggled free yet again and made a beeline for the nearest tree, burrowing under a root. It resembled that of a common Earth rat, except it’s snort is more angular, the tail is split at the middle, it has 6 legs, and a fin on its back like a Spinosaurus. “And the rat?”

Sokuro knew he was talking about the rodent. “That was a Mols. They are pests that always get into our food supplies.”

“Yep. Sounds a lot like rats.” He quickly pulled up an image of them. “They were everywhere back on Earth and did… well, pretty much the same things those Mols you described do. While it is a misconception, they are believed to be the source of a plague that wiped out millions of people long ago.”

Dragenia was no stranger to plagues- the last one occurred under Xelut’s rule, when he horded the medicine for a nasty breakout of the Qopls virus for his armies. Qopls is like chicken pox as you break out into spots that itch like crazy, but with the added negatives of insatiable hunger and small bouts of insanity. It’s not a disease you want. That was the last straw that lead to the rebellion. “Ouch. The rats really caused that?”

“No. The fleas and ticks they carried did.”

The Kalamankers stomach growled, which made it look down to its belly, and which made the children swoon. “Aaaaaaawww…” They both went. Sokuro saw pearl-colored berries in the bush the Kalamanker popped out. There’s a field of these berries growing on top of the mesa. “She’ll like these.” She remarked as she picked them, popping a few into her mouth in the process.

“What are they?” Bran asked.

“Brokl Berries. They are really, really good.” In just a few short minutes, she picked enough to where she needed to cradle them like a baby and walked back over. She carefully saw down and poured them into an outstretched part of the robe she had draped over her knees. The Kalamanker trotted over and eyed the berries with her big black eyes. “Try some.” She tossed a few over to Bran before taking some herself and dumping the rest in front of her.

Bran caught them in his hands and looked at one. “Huh… they look like pearls.” He commented. He tossed it into his mouth and chewed. “And… it tastes like a blackberry. Huh. You are right- they aren’t bad.” The Kalamander was going crazy as it munched up the berries in no time flat. “Whoa!” He laughed. “She must’ve been really hungry.”

“Yeah. I was hoping the berries would work and I’m glad they did.” Sokuro said as she ate the last of hers. “And what did you say? What are pearls? You said the berries looked like them.”

“Oh. Un, well, pearls are like… organic gemstones. They grow inside a living oyster, who takes a tiny grain of sand and turns it into a white ball that is really expensive and really valuable.”

“…….. I have so many questions to ask.”

“Please don’t.”

The Kalamanker ate up all of the berries Sokuro had gathered, and it was a hefty amount, and turned her attention to the berries in Bran’s hands. She leaped on over and snatched them right up with her claws. She rolled onto her bottom and ate the rest. “Wha- hey!” Bran cried out. Sokuro was laughing hard at that display the animal pulled. She laughed so hard, she held her sides and fell over.

Finishing those off, the Kalamanker looked around for more like a inquisitive puppies, only to find there wasn’t any more. At least no more free ones, as they were still a couple more bushes around she could eat off of. Kalamankers are not smart animals. Bran rolled his eyes and got up to go pick some more just for the little girl. “You are lucky you are cute…” He tossed a few down to her, which she leaped up and snatched in her jaws.

Feeling satisfied with this free meal, the Kalamanker was warming up to him. She walked over and nuzzled up alongside his legs like a cat. Having finally calmed down form laughing, Sokuro wiped slobber from her mouth. “No, that is cute.” She said. “I think she likes you… even though I’m the one that fed her.”

He just shrugged back to her as he has no clue why the Kalamanker was doing this and clearly Sokuro doesn’t either. He looked down at the chibi-dragon, who was still nuzzling away. “I’m reading too much into this, but I think I just got humanity’s first Dragenian pet. I just know you are going to follow me home.” The Kalamanker purred as she continued to rub up to his legs. “She is, isn’t she?”

“I think so.” Sokuro said.

“Right…. then, you need a name.” And he took no time at all to think of one- there was an inspiration growing right next to them. Her basic scales even have a identical color to them. “How about I call you Pearl? You like that?” She continued to nuzzle against his legs. They know one thing about this tyke: she is overly affectionate. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Sokuro got up and wiped the fruit juices from her dress. “Well… I better get back home before they get wise and start looking for me.”

“Yeah… I know they’re gonna be searching for me. I left before I could provide any information about your world to them and I still need to do that, if they’ll stop going side-tracked.” He sighed as he took a few steps forward. Pearl followed right after him like a loyal kitty. “Tomorrow is going to be a long one as well, isn’t it?”

“Yep…” Sokuro nodded with a exhaling sigh. “At least until they meet.” She crossed her fingers as she turned to leave. “Please go well, please go well, please go well.”

13: Chapter 11: Second Chance at First Contact
Chapter 11: Second Chance at First Contact

Chapter 11

Second Chance at First Contact

2/19/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

Sleep was the furthest thing from anyone’s mind as the hours lead up to Inoute’s and Crox’s meeting. The future of the colonist’s role on this planet rests on this. Will their stay be friendly or violent? Will they make friends with the native races of Dragenia, or will the anxiety of the last 29 hours have been for naught? Only the next couple of hours will tell.

While the native races are eager to see what will come of this, it’s the colonists that are feeling the bigger pressure- depending on how this goes, this could very well turn into a conflict, and it’s something they do not want. As stated earlier, they have not the manpower or the resources for fighting on this foreign land. They have firepower, but the Phagos yesterday showed how ineffective that can be. And they can’t just up and leave- it took them a full week to get everything set up. And they don’t have enough fuel to go planet hopping- this was a one way trip, after all.

As for the native races, this could change everything about their history. For their entire history, they believed the Black Abyss was just that- an abyss, where the souls of the truly evil are tormented for eternity; the lights of the stars serving as a torture chamber of sorts. They never pictured anyone being able to travel across it, along with the Great Light being just a simple galaxy called Andromeda. The arrival of the colonists will change so many things they accepted as fact. It’s been met with be nausea and intrigue- nausea because this changes everything they thought they knew, and intrigue to see what these new people see as fact.

After all, there could be some interesting similarities. They already have three: The Aerids and Gaharots look like Dragons and Utahraptors, respectively, and the Ferids are humans, but with lizard tails. Who doesn’t want to know what caused these similarities?

That all depends on the next hour as the sun reached its peak of noon.

 

The security force from the colony had set up a simple white tent on the beach, far enough away from the surf to where the water won’t bother them.  From the perspective of the water, guards from both sides stood watch on both sides of the tent- the colonists on the left, facing their new home, and the natives on the right, facing Marsen. Much like with their arrangement around the tent, the peoples were situated on either sides as well- again, the colonists on the left and the natives on the right.

The situation was tense, with so many lives riding on this. Velx may’ve given the colonists permission to stay, but this meeting determines how that stay will be: peaceful or violent.

The inside of the tent was simple enough- only a single table flanked by two stools, each for Crox and Inoute to sit on. On it was a tray holding two bottled waters- one was brought here from the Milky Way and was for Crox, while the other was filled with water from the pond for Inoute. Only hers had a label, however basic and generic it was.

Along with Crox and Inoute was one other person they could bring: Inoute brought his advisor Ifil, obviously, whilst Crox brought Kitsunagi, hoping her 3 billion years of experience would help. Surely she must’ve been a part of some first contact missions in that long time.

            Crox grabbed her bottle and took a drink out of it. She saw that overtly peeved Inoute, with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed, wasn’t drinking from his- he must not know how they work. “It’s a twist cap.” She showed him how it worked by screwing it back on. “See?” He wasn’t all that impressed. So it’s a clear canteen- nothing special there. Crox pursed her lips to the side as she set her bottle down. “I… think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. Everyone was still on a contact high by that monster and weren’t thinking clearly… and showing up with an armada doesn’t help much either…”

            “You held one of my own captive.” He snorted.

            She rapidly swung her hands around. “No. Nonononononono. No we didn’t. If we were, we wouldn’t have let her run free when you showed up, would we?”

            Inoute leaned back and crossed his legs. “Just what are you people? We received some information about you from Sokuro, but it would be best to hear it from the mouth of those who came here.”

            “You sound just like her.” She sat back up. “We are colonists from the Milky Way Galaxy, a collection of planets and stars far away from here- very far away. It took us 100 years to reach here in search of a new home. It was a one way trip, so we couldn’t head back even if we wanted to.”

            Just like what Sokuro said. How long has she known them? “Why did you leave? And are there others?”

            “Because the Milky Way was dying. Eons of overmining and, and pollution, and fighting are killing what few planets are left the galaxy. They most are cold and lifeless, while others just crumble away. Very few could support life now. And yes, there are others. The governments of the galaxy initiated a plan to insure our survival: we would spread out to our neighbor galaxies and colonize them.”

“So you can repeat history on someone else’s home?”

“We don’t plan, or want, to kill this world- what we did back home was terrible and we want to avoid all that. It’s after losing it that we see how important it was and how something similar should be avoided at all costs. Surely you know what that is like, right?”

He does. But it doesn’t prove anything. “Actions speak louder than words, foreigner. And right now, your actions need to prove you won’t cause us harm.” Crox gulped. She worried this was going in a bad direction. “And so far, you have done nothing to convince me otherwise.”

She wasn’t getting though to him. This was going badly. “Right…” Crox got up out of her seat and walked over to the opening to the tent, which faced out into the sparkling ocean. The native races have it made- she would’ve killed to be on a planet with fresh air. “… Have you ever seen your home crumble away? Have you had it happen underneath your feet? Have you ever seen the ground open up and tear itself apart until all that was left were fragments unable to sustain a single plant, let alone an entire ecosystem? I have… I have seen a planet destroy itself right out from under me and countless other people. If not for my husband Belfast, I would be a frozen corpse, drifting though space for all of eternity. And the few planets that could sustain us like Vega or Earth were overpopulated and polluted to unbearable levels. It wouldn’t be long before they crumbled away too. That is what we wish to avoid doing here. We messed up in the Milky Way… all we want is a second chance.”

Ifil leaned forward and whispered into Inoute’s ear. “Sir, I sympathize with their plight, but do not forget- whatever medicine they have could benefit the entire world greatly. Try to work that in somewhere.” The chief glanced back and nodded. Kitsunagi was able to hear that hushed talk- Kitsune’s have amazing hearing.

“So… stranger…” Inoute leaned forward and grabbed his bottle. “Why did you choose Dragenia? Out of all of the so-called worlds that you claim exist, why choose this one?” He took a drink out of it.

Crox sat back down. “It was entirely at random. Scouts, these mechanical orbs, were sent in completely random points in the neighbor galaxies, to see if they could encounter any that support life. When they do, a ship capable of housing 20000 people is built. Everyone are sent into cryosleep- a sort of forced frozen slumber that prevents aging. While the Scouts succeed… it’s clear that they have some problems. They just declare that a world is habitable after a few scans and just bunker down until we arrive. It was the Scout’s fault we had no clue people lived on this planet. Darn thing fluttered for a couple minutes, saw green and some wildlife, declared the air clean enough to support life, and just dug in. And before you ask ‘why this place?’ again, random. It could’ve easily landed in the middle of the ocean or high atop a mountain peak or…… square in the middle of your village.”

Inoute slowly drank from the bottle, wondering how to work the medicine talk into this. “I’m glad that last part didn’t- I can only imagine the panic that would bring.” Crox subtlety nodded. “… I imagine the mere thought of beings from across the Black Abyss, sprouting all of these ideas that would threaten our way of life, would do that.”

“Yes… that is a bad part of first contact- the breakdown of native ways. It’s…. happened many times before on my home planet. It has never ended pretty - something we wish to avoid here.” She knows this would be a sensitive subject, but she knew it would be brought up sooner or later. “… just… what is the structure of your civilization? Just so we can avoid walking on eggshells.”

“Ifil.” He gestured him to come forward. “Tell them.” Kitsunagi glanced to the Utahraptor-like being. Inoute must not know much of their religion or history. Makes sense, if you think about it: a leader is busy caring for the well-being of his people- you don’t have time for everything. Some things will slip though the knowledge cracks. That or he was a miserable student when he was younger.

Ifil handed them a book- a very old and leather-bound book- at least they think it’s leather, or whatever was a Dragenian equivalent of it. Crox opened it up to the first page. There were images- images that looked similar to ancient Native American drawings.

“In order to know things the way they are now, you must first know our history. Long ago, the Creator Hovo’agi created Dragenia out of nothingness, bringing together all the known elements to create this place. The remains not used went on to form the three Celestial Spheres. Then came his children, the Astral Aerids- the gods that live among us to this day, to shape the world and give it life. That told us that when we die, three paths are open to us depending on how we lived: If we were truly good and kind, then the Great Light, what you call Andromeda, would welcome us with open arms and take us to a paradise. If we were wicked and vile, then the monsters of the Black Abyss, what you call Outer Space, would torture us for all eternity. If we met none of the criteria’s to enter, then our soul would enter the Soul River that circles underneath Dragenia we would be reincarnated.”

“Hmm…” Crox went, rubbing a finger on her chin. “That sounds similar to what we Earthlings have. Earth is special back home: there are almost thousands of religions. What you described sounds like Christianity or Greek, with that concept of a paradise- Heaven or Elysium- or unbearable torture- Hell or Tartarus- waiting when you died, mixed with a little Hinduism by the sounds of it, with the reincarnation you mentioned. There’s nothing about anything similar to Soul Rivers, though… at least I think so. I think you are unique on that front.” She sat back. “Please continue with the history lesson.”

Ifil nodded and continued. “The Gaharots, my race, were the first: we spread out among the planet, building up a great civilization that… we ultimately destroyed ourselves though hubris. Then the Ferids came. Why they weren’t as physically powerful as us, they were more numerous. Conflict came soon thereafter, one that lasted for years.

“One day, a Ferid named Nascent approached one of the Astrals and beseeched a special scale that granted him special powers- he was the first Aerid. He was able to turn the tides and score a victory for the Ferids, who, as time went on, were granted scales of their own. The war ended not long afterwards and a peace treaty was formed. Eventually, a day was created for Ferids who come of a certain age to be granted scales of their own- this became Ascension Day. Each Aerid has power over all of the elements, but the color determines what they are most proficient with. For example, a Aerid who is red is strong with fire, but weak with everything else- water formed would turn to steam, rocks would melt, things of that nature.

“Then one day, a young boy was granted his scale, except his was special. His Aerid form was colored silver and he was capable of extraordinary feats no normal Aerid could do, along with mastery of all elements along with a couple only seen by them. Not long after that, a great change occurred in Dragenian history: the birth of the Phagos, a nasty species you had the misfortune of encountering yesterday. It wasn’t until the 3rd Silver Aerid 10722 Cycles later when they learned one thing: when a Silver Aerid is chosen, a great change will befall Dragenia. And every time, it has been true. Good, bad, and everything in between- it has happened when a Silver appeared. You encountered the current Silver Aerid yesterday- the child Sokuro.

“In the centuries since the war, Gaharots and Ferids have lived in a beneficial co-existence. We were highly advanced technologically but they had the superior numbers, and with threats like the Phagos, working together was the best option. A new empire had been born and ruled Dragenia for countless eons.….. that was, until 500 cycles ago.

“The heir to the imperial throne, a young lad named Xelut, was granted his scale. Almost immediately after, his father was assassinated by an enemy of the state and he was made Emperor at the young age of 14. No one is sure if it happened then or much later in his life, but during his reign, Xelut went mad, becoming a tyrannical dictator. He enacted many terrible laws, including the subjugation and slavery of my kind. A massive war followed, in which even the Gods had to become involved in. Xelut was ultimately defeated, and the empire broken up, divided into smaller kingdoms and provinces. Unfortunately, the idiots back then kept the slave trade in place, which still exists to this day. The reason why has been lost to time, but the leading theory is that members of Xelut’s council found a way to stay in power and made sure it stayed this way for reasons. Some nations have banned slavery or loosened the policies over the years, but the vast majority of them still hold onto it.

“And that brings us to present day.” That was where the images ended. “The birth of the current Silver Aerid Sokuro, the second death of a Phagos, And the arrival of you.”

That was quite a history, to say the least. It’s hard to find a civilization that has such a complete record of their entire history. The Kitsune’s have a complete history, thanks to old ones like Kitsunagi, but for the vast majority of races, humanity included, it’s hard. “Wow…” Kitsunagi looked at the book while Crox talked. “What of Evioly?”

Inoute spoke up. “With the exception of Roko Harbor, which was an outpost established hundreds of cycles ago and is now a part of the Bokurol Kingdom, the slave trade does not exist here on Evioly. We live so far away- four months by boat, if case you were wondering- the matters of the mainland rarely, if ever, affect us here or give us pause. The battle against Xelut didn’t reach us until 3 cycles after it ended. And even if it did, we wouldn’t allow it. We’ve built our own way of life here and we wouldn’t let our Gaharot siblings be thrown to the Dokas.”

Wolves, they think is what he means. “So, there must be plenty who oppose the slave trade on the mainland?”

“Indeed.” Ifil said. “They are called Janissaries- they are a resistance group that seek to bring down the slave trade completely. They’ve had their ups and downs as a group for the last 420 cycles, but their current leader has turned things around. And we made sure Evioly Gaharots cannot be touched by the slavers. When we go to the mainland, we wear a special green collar on our necks, to show we are from here and not to be touched. If we are taken… well, you can use your imagination.”

“I unfortunately am…” She said to herself. History does not place her kind in a favorable light with this. “… I may as well get this out now before you find out later, my homeworld… went though the same thing with this whole sordid business. In fact, it lasted far, far longer then it should’ve. We were not a… great species thousands of years ago.”

“The worst.” Kitsunagi said in passing. “You were the worst long ago.”

Crox made her a scowl- they weren’t that bad. “But time made us better. Slavery is no longer a thing and we’ve grown.”

“I would hope so.” He looked to Kitsunagi, who felt cold as he looked her way, like he was staring into her soul. He thought up of one way on how to bring up the talk of medicine. It needed to be brought up anyway. “Switching subjects, how many races came with you?”

“Four other races came with humanity. Kitsunagi here is a member of a race called the Kitsune, a race of immortal, fair, and beautiful creatures. My own husband is a Kitsune, and Kitsunagi here is over 3 billion years old.”

“Billion!?! Inoute and Ifil exclaimed in unison. They don’t recognize the word year, but billion is familiar- Dragenia isn’t even 140,000 years old, at least according to their history and religions. “That is impossible!”

“Ah, but it is.” Kitsunagi said, spinning around to show how beautiful she still is. “And I am still as spry and as pretty as a teenager. But despite my age, I am not the oldest: I am the 4th oldest out of the entire Kitsune race. But as far as this planet goes, yes I am the oldest.”

Crox chimed back in. “The other races include the Argaliths. Our head of security, Arlye, is one of them. They are tall, muscular lizard brutes who are also the inventors of artificial intelligence, or A.I., as they are more commonly called.”

“A.I.?” The two natives muttered in unison. Ifil laughed that off as some kind of joke- no intelligence can be faked, assuming that is what they meant. “Sounds made up.”

Kitsunagi pursed her lips to the side to hide a chuckle and a grin. “Just wait. Arlene will surprise you.”

Crox continued. “There are also the Adlez- they are the UGLIEST race you will ever meet- just nasty; I saw someone lose their lunch just be looking at them. They live inside special suits that help them live- they lived on a very low gravity world and their bodies aren’t used to normal gravity. But they are the most brilliant engineers you will ever meet, and they eat just about anything.

“Lastly, there are the Heakaluesly, or just Hesk for short. They are telepathic sea creatures that are the best healers in the galaxy. They’re pacifists and used their non-violent ways to build up their medical prowess- they are able to cure diseases long thought incurable.”

And there it was. A species entirely devoted to medicine. Surely they can be of some help with what they have. “Oh? They can cure anything, you say? As in, anything at all?”

“Well… curing EVERYTHING is putting it on a high pedestal. They are really good, don’t get me wrong, but there are some things that can’t be cured. But for the wide majority, yes they can cure it, given time. They’d have to go though the procedure of analyzing and developing a way to deal with it- most places can take decades, if not centuries, before they would find a cure for anything- it took humanity centuries to find a way to fight the Flu. The Hesk, on the other hand, can do it in just a few years, if they are in a bad slump. Why ask?”

He glanced over to Ifil, who nodded in agreement- this was the best time to bring it up. “We have a disease that slowly kills any who contracts it. We haven’t been able to find a cure, nor a way to even slow it down. It’s called Froypes and it’s a…” He rubbed his wrist. “… it’s a nasty one.”

Ifil stepped forward. “Nobody knows how it is contracted; air, water, food, mere contact- nobody knows. Any attempts to stop it from spreading have failed over the years. It is also a slow disease, taking it’s time killing those infected. It can take years before you die from it. And it doesn’t discriminate- both Ferids and Gaharots can get it, and I’m assuming the colonists will too someday down the line.”

Inoute chimed back in. “What it does is that it slowly turns your body into dust. First, it starts with an irritation that can appear anywhere on your skin. Then it slowly spreads, appearing like a dried-up lakebed. After some time has passed, it spreads inside to your organs, slowly giving them the same treatment. At that time, you begin coughing a lot. Then you start to vomit up blood. Not long after that… poof. You crumble to dust and faded away.”

The two ladies were horrified by that- it sounds like a truly horrible way to die, and they’ve heard of some nasty ways. Slowly dying, likely in agony, to something that turns you to dust sounds mortifying? “That sounds horrible.” Kitsunagi gasped, holding her hands over her mouth.

Inoute crossed his arms. “Well… if there is any consolation, it is rare. Only one in 500 can contract it.”

“But there was a really horrible plague long ago in the mainland city of Potya.” Ifil said. “Wiped out hundreds of thousands. The entire city was cut off from the world and its citizens left to die. From what I hear, it’s a ghost town now.”

Crox gulped out of fear- that sounds like something that should be cured pronto. She doesn’t want any of her colonists to get it. “I see why you brought it up… it sounds like a horrible way to die. I can see why you would want to cure it.”

“Why else would I have brought it up?” He got up from his chair. “I think I have learned all I need to from you, Mrs. Crox.” He leaned forward, pressing both hands on the table. “So let’s cut to the chase now, shall we?”

“I assume you are talking about terms of our staying here.” She looked to Kitsunagi, who nodded. “Makes sense- this is your world we are building a new home on.” She leaned back in her seat. “Tell me them, then.”

“First off, I want you to find a cure for Froypes. It has been a menace to our world for far too long and it needs to be stopped.”

“Well, of course we’ll help with that. We don’t want to get that disease ourselves- the process sounds incredibly painful.”

“It is.” He glanced down for a moment. “Also, I would prefer if your people caused as little trouble as possible. There is no denying that there will be questions about most things, but I would like it if you kept trouble to a minimum.”

Crox nodded- those seem like reasonable demands. But what trouble he is referring to, she didn’t get a clear answer. She’s gonna run with he doesn’t want incidents. “I have some demands of my own.”

Inoute snickered- of course the visitors would have some. May as well humor them. “Alright.”

“We are strangers in a strange land and we know next to nothing about Dragenia or it’s customs, nor have a full understanding of your believes, wildlife, and so on. Help from your villagers would be greatly appreciated. We can learn from and grow off of each other. And since we are new neighbors, we should let our citizens mingle. Learn, laugh, grow, and maybe even fall in love- it is going to happen if we try to deny it or not, so we should just go with the flow and accept it will be a thing. It has already happened with the two children, Sokuro and Bran. It’s thanks to them we’re even having this discussion.”

He forgot about her. It was thanks to them that this is possible. “Right… heh. Two little kids are responsible for our races meeting. If anyone told this story, people would think they were nuts.” The two of them shared a mutual chuckle.

“I’d say this is going quite well.” Kitsunagi said to Ifil, who nodded in agreement.

 

Outside of the tent, the situation was much more stressful. They had no clue what was going on inside the tent or what was being discussed- anything could come of this. There’s no yelling- that is a positive sign. The adults were terrified about what may happen, praying this doesn’t lead into a conflict. The kids… well, they’re just being kids. They are hanging out as if nothing was wrong, and truly, more people should follow their example.

And fortunately, it didn’t come to pass. When the four of them came out of the tent, they were roaring at a joke Ifil told. That was a REALLY good sign. It wasn’t long before they relayed the good news of a potential cooperative future between the two civilizations, and that was a huge sigh of relief- there wasn’t going to be a conflict between the two civilizations and the colonists have a new place to call home now. That was amazing news to hear. The tension was lifted like a cloud. Sokuro and Bran were proud…

…or they would be if they had been around to hear the good news. They had disappeared, as did Taled. Nobody knows when they vanished, nor were they aware that they did vanish.

 

The tension and the anxiety was getting to Sokuro and getting to her bad; it was so bad, she needed to leave to get some air- being around so many people was not helping the tension. She needed some space- her mind was racing with so many worse case scenarios that could play out if conflict was the only future they could have. She couldn’t take it. She needed room.

And no better place than the gorge. She was curled up on the edge, holding her arms around her knees and legs, staring blankly out at the woods across the grove- the woods that had been ravaged from the Phagos’ rampage. Hard to believe that was only yesterday- feels like a lifetime ago. She rubbed her neck again, feeling a tingling sensation again.

Taled fidgeted with his fingers from behind a nearby tree, watching from a distance as he was worried about his sister at this moment. The last time she was like this was when their parents died. It took her forever to break out and return to the ball of positivity she usually is. “Sis…” He whimpered.

Bran sat close to her, but he was a few feet away, sitting behind a boulder. His cousin gave him advice on how to deal with girls; a large chunk of it involved in him getting slapped. His cousin was not the brightest toll in the shed. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back?” He asked.

She tightened her grip. “I can’t… I’m too scared…”

“Nothing bad is going to happen.” He assured her.

“How can you be sure?” She buried her face. “You don’t know Inoute like I do. You saw it yesterday- he has a nasty temper.”

She hasn’t spent a lot of time with the colonists, so she doesn’t know what they are like. “Well, Crox has a lot of patience. She can handle a jerk with a temper. Besides, he’s nothing compared to Mom. She is a nightmare in the morning.”

“But what if the worse comes to pass?” She buried her face to hide her fear. “What if this all erupts into a conflict…? I don’t want to hurt anyone. I won’t want to harm people.”

Trying to keep miss positive still positive is getting hard. “I know… but hey, try to think on the positive side. If things work out, your village will have new neighbors. I’m sure they’ll hit it off swimmingly, like us.”

“We’re just one village. Even if we do try and succeed in getting along, that’s no guarantee every other village will be like us and just accept you. There’s still Roko Harbor, Mocurot, Toto, Meoho, Zocho, Masl, Teek, Maco’Mes, and Poqua, and that’s just on Evioly. There’s still the Outpost, the Akinad Isles, and the entire mainland. Someone somewhere won’t take kindly to you all and it won’t end well… I just know it won’t…”

Bran won’t say it out loud, but she makes valid points. Just because Marsen will be cooperative doesn’t mean every other village will. Someone will resent or hate him and the other colonists for some reason and that will erupt into something bad. But he is nothing if not an optimist. “Well… if that does happen… I know we got you looking out for us.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

“I’m not talking though fighting, but what you represent. Like you said, you are a Silver Aerid, a harbinger of great changes to come to the world. And there’s no denying that us showing up is a sign of great change. They’d have to listen to you, and if they won’t hear your words, then by reputation of your title alone will make them realize we’re important.”

She lifted up her head and looked to him. “… You think so?”

“Yes. This is going to be rough going forward, there is no denying that. There are going to be some bumps on the road, but it’s to be expected. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know.” She lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head in confusion. “It’s a Earth saying- it means the best things take time.” He lightly chuckled to himself. “You should probably prepare- I am going to be breaking those out a lot.”

She lightly chuckled at that idea. “… I guess if worse comes to shove, you can just hide out in that ‘space ship’ of yours or whatever it’s called until the angered crowds die down.”

That never occurred to him, actually. He wonders if the leaders had considered that if the worst comes to pass. “Right, yeah, right.” They heard loud cheering coming from the beach. That could only mean one thing. There is only one thing it could mean. “Well… sounds like we’re neighbors after all.” He got up off the ground and dusted off his coat. “Guess we should be heading back before they get scared.”

“I guess.” Sokuro hesitantly said, still worried that somewhere down the road, this will get worse before it gets better. She uncurled herself and got up off the ground, dusting off her skirt.

Suddenly, and without warning, that was a very brief but very bright flash of light that came from the heavens- a blink and you’ll miss it flash. Seconds later, the ground violently shook as a Magnitude 12 quake ravaged the land, sending both kids back onto the ground. Trees snapped in half in seconds, mountains crumbled, and deep sink holes opened up.

It wasn’t just Evioly that was affected by this sudden and violent quake, but the entirety of Dragenia. It was felt the world over and causing untold damage. Even Velx was shaking up by this violent quake, and he’s a God.

The ground underneath the two kids violently opened up, tearing itself apart as it crumbled into the gorge, making it wider. Sokuro and Bran had no time to try and run- the ground underneath them fell away, sending them into the gorge. Sokuro glowed and changed into her Aerid form. She flipped around and caught Bran on her underbelly. Large, sharp boulders fell onto her wings, piercing the leather and breaking bones in the wings, leaving them with no way out as they fell into the gorge, screaming in terror all the way down.

 

The quake affected the planet deep, deeper than anyone thought possible. An ancient secret was unearthed by this sudden chaos, a secret that had been long buried since the beginning of time, and one that should’ve remained buried.

Everyone thinks the colonists from another world would be the only change Dragenia would experience under Sokuro’s current tenure as Silver Aerid. They were wrong. There was more to come. An ancient threat was about to rise.

And there would be no peaceful solution to it.

14: Chapter 12: Discovery of Universal Proportions
Chapter 12: Discovery of Universal Proportions

Chapter 12

Discovery of Universal Proportions

2/19/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

            The massive quake brought forth from out of nowhere encompassed the entire planet, and even farther still. Buildings cracked and crumbled, foundations were rocked to dust, and new fissures were born. Even the Argo Marquis in orbit shook violently from the quake. Deep within the planet, the quake woke something up, something that wished to remain asleep.

           

            Back on the beach, everyone was falling over and hanging on for dear life as the area shook under this magnitude 10 tremor. None of them had felt a earthquake like this before- not the native Dragenians, nor the colonists. This was scary. The tent had collapsed on itself and several of the Aerids had taken to the air, only to find that was shaking as well.

            The world seemed to shake for an eternity until it finally subsided a couple minutes after it had begun. It had left its mark, as they shall see soon enough.

            The quake had ended. Everyone at the beach cautiously began to move, fearing an aftershock. They had quakes before, but nothing on this level. Almost everyone was unharmed. There were scrapes and bruises all around, but nothing that can leave a scar or take something out.

            Inoute, who had held Crox down during the quake, slowly got up and let her go. “Is everyone alright?” He called out.

            “I think so.” Ifil said as he looked around, giving a visual check of the surroundings. Everyone was alright, for the most part. “I don’t see any injuries.”

Nothing but scrapes and bruises all around for them. They are lucky- most of the planet isn’t this well off.

“What the heck was that…?” Hela asked. She was thankfully unhurt by the quake- the orphans she cares for were fast to protect her. Her unborn baby was kicking up a storm, however. The quake scared even it.

“That was a quake.” Vela coyly responded.

Hela rolled her eyes and slowly got up, slowly getting attention from everyone. “No, I mean… it came out of nowhere. Usually there’s some kind of warning like abnormal waves or fleeing birds. And we never had any that powerful. And did anyone else notice the flash of light before it kicked off? Quakes don’t do that.”

Kitsunagi got up off the ground, dusting off her shoulder. “You’re right. I’ve seen just about everything, but I ain’t seen a earthquake that began with a flash of light. Least none that weren’t caused by bombs.”

Inoute looked over at Crox, who was offended by him actually insisting this was her fault. “Hey, don’t look at me. The defense turrets at the colony are the biggest weapons we have.”

This was going to be a interesting mystery to solve, but first they had something else to do, and it was running at the beach group as fast as his tiny little legs could carry. Taled burst though the tree line, tripping over Vela’s tail and making the Gaharot scream. “AGH! Hey, what are you—oh, Taled. Where the heck did you disappear to?”

He got up onto his knees and held up a single finger while he panted. He ran all the way here from the gorge and it was a long way away. “E… it…” He was close to clearing his guts. He wiped his mouth and got up. “It’s Sokuro and that Bran guy. There was a giant quake and…. And Sokuro hurt her wing. They fell into the Gorge.”

Everyone on the beach, from the colonists to the native populace, all had the same exact reaction to the news that the two children responsible for them meeting are in mortal peril. “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”

 

            Mortal peril is stretching it a little bit, but the two kids were in a really bad situation. Dirt and small rocks fell among the giant boulders that lined the bottom of the chasm. They fell far. So far, there was no light here, save for the bioluminescent yellow algae that covered the ceiling

            There was no sound for some time other then falling rocks. Groaning soon creeped though. Some dirt and stone shifted as Bran pushed out a rock, finally getting some air. He collapsed on one below him and coughed, finally breathing in some fresh air. Kinda.

            He slowly crawled out, sliding down the other side of the rock. His clothes were ripped to shreads and his goggles were smashed. He held his head and felt something wet. He looked and it was blood. “Ugh… this can’t be good…” He lowered his hand, staining the rock with it.

            The ground rumbled beneath him, making him fear it was another quake. Thankfully, it wasn’t. It was just Aerid Sokuro shifting underneath the large pile of rubble. She very slowly shook some of the heavier stuff off her back, exposing her head and some of her back. “Ow… everything hurts…” She winced in pain when a pebble hit her wing. “Why does everything hurt…?” She looked up at the ceiling. There was a dragon-sized hole in it. “Oh….. right…”

            Bran grunted in pain as he got up, holding his aching side. “Sokuro…? Are you alright?”

            “What do you think…?” Sokuro winced. “We must’ve fallen… gods, I don’t know how far. Nobody’s even flown down this gorge before, or at least in centuries. It’s forbidden to try and descend into it.”

            Bran looked up at the hole. “Yeah, I think I see why… I can’t even see sunlight. We must be hundreds- thousands of feet underground.” He sat down on the boulder he crawled over. “Can you fly?”

            Sokuro tried to move out of the pile of rubble, but couldn’t. She yelled out in pain when she tried a second time. “I think I’m stuck… and even if I could… ow, it feels like my wing is broken.”

            “Crap. How long can that take to heal?”

            “Broken bones? A long time. If we somehow make it back, I won’t be flying for a long while.”

            “Double crap… Then we’re gonna have to hope there’s another way out of here.” He looked around and saw an opening not that far from the cavern they were in. It seemed to lead somewhere, which was a good thing. They can’t stay in the pile of rubble like this. “You said nobodies been down here in centuries, right?”

            “I think so. Nobody has been down here since the days of the Gaharot Empire and the War with my kind that ended it. It was after the dissolvent of it that this place was deemed forbidden and a holy site. They didn’t give a reason why.”

            “Or maybe they did and it was lost to time.” He forced himself up off the boulder. “If I were a betting man, I’d bet that maybe the Empire left behind something we can use to get out of here: an ancient airship, a prototype or unconventional teleporter- I’d even go for a long flight of stairs if it meant getting out of here.”

            “You sound certain.”

            “Well, we don’t have any options to go off of, so we gotta hope for the best. And since you won’t be able to fly in the foreseeable future, we need a deus ex machine.” She tilted her head and lifted up a eyebrow at the same time. “Earth saying. It usually means a solution to a problem that arrives at the last minute- like how Velx saved you from the Phagos.”

            “Oh.”

            “Yeah…” He winced as he held his shoulder. This was one nasty tumble. “Ergh… can you move.”

            She shook her head. “No. I told you, I am stuck. My tail is caught in a something and I can’t get it out.”

            “Alright. Alright. Mmmm…” He thought one up on how to get her out of there. “Ah, I have an idea.” He walked back over to the hole. “Can you put a claw where I crawled out?”

            While clearly puzzled by his request, she did just that. “Ok…? Where are you going with this?”

            He grabbed the claw. “Can you transform back into your Ferid self?”

            “What are….” She finally caught on to what he was suggesting. “OOOOOOOOOH… I get ya. Hold on.” Her body glowed brightly as she shrank in size. The pile slowly grew smaller and smaller as she did,  leaving it on the verge of collapsing in on itself. Bran’s plan was that she could shrink in the vicinity of whatever she is touching her diminishing body would focus onto, I.E. his hand.

It actually worked as her Ferid body materialized, holding Bran’s hand. The pile began to fall in. He pulled her out before the pile could crush her under the falling rocks. He pulled her out a little too quick- his side erupted into pain, forcing him to let go and drop her. “OW!!!”

Sokuro, looking only bruised with a black eye, her dress torn on the skirt and the hood, and a limped tail, quickly crawled over to him. “What’s wrong?!”

“Agh… ugh…” He exhaled sharply over and over until the pain went away. “Argh… everything hurts.” He sat down. “Ugh… we need to get out of here.”

Sokuro exclaimed in pain as she reached to grab her back, or more specifically, her wings which weren’t there. She still felt the pain. “Ah… ow… ow…” She softly sat down. “it’s not going to be anytime soon. My wing is still broken.” She looked up to him and saw blood. “You’re bleeding!”

“Oh… right, yeah.” He rubbed the bleeding spot. “I’m not dead, so that’s a good sign. I hope.” He rummaged though his pockets and found his phone. He held it up and saw that it was completely damaged- the screen was flickering, making it almost unusable. “Dammit… so much for calling the surface. I doubt I would’ve gotten reception this deep in a chasm anyway.” He heard cloth ripping. He looked and saw her ripping off a part of her skirt. “What, un… what are you doing?”

She got up onto her feet and walked over to him. “Making an impromptu bandage.” She took off the goggles and set them aside. He saw how broken they were. “Now hold still.” She got behind him and gently wrapped it around his forehead like a bandanna.

Bran did as she said and sat still as she bandaged him up. “When did you learn to do this?”

“Mom. She was a safety nut, especially with Taled. Always kept an eye on him, making sure he was safe. When I was old enough, she made me practice healing methods every other day, when she and dad weren’t out exploring some ancient ruins or something.”

“Oh.” He vaguely recalls her saying something about her parents being explorers before they died. Did they travel around the world and just settled down here after they had Sokuro? He doesn’t remember seeing any ruins on Evioly. “Well, hopefully you learned some exploration skills from them.”

She couldn’t help but agree. She never imagined herself in this situation. “Here’s hoping what they taught me stuck.” She finished bandaging up his forehead, tying it up. “There we go. That should hold until we get out of here.” She backed away.

“Thanks.” He slowly got up. He looked up at the ceiling again. If she could fly, they would be out of here in no time, but with a broken wing… He then noticed the bioluminescent algae on the ceiling. “At least we won’t lack any light or air.”

“That’s if they are spread all over the cave.” She rubbed her neck- the Phagos bite was still burning. It made it hard for her to get to sleep last night. “Here’s hoping we can find a way out before we starve.”

            “Same. I did not have a big breakfast and I am already hungry.” He slowly turned and limped down the cavern tunnel with Sokuro beside him.

 

            Back on the surface, a small crowd had formed around the giant gorge. The Gaharots and Ferids were stunned at how different it looked. It seemed to be bigger than it was before. Large chunks of land were missing and some were still in the midst of falling away. Most of the people had gone home to tend to their things, see if anything was destroyed or damaged from the quake. The ones that were at the gorge were security personnel and hunters from both villages that were used to this kind of thing. It was mostly colonists, though: Bran is a colonist like them and, while nobody is hoping this becomes a possibility, he could be the first colonist death on Dragenia, and nobody wants that. The thought of losing her son had sent Vivian into a state of panic, hyperventilating into a paper bag as all she could do was wait for any sort of word.

            The natives were hesitant to let them so close to the gorge- this is a sacred site and it is most important to their history. But Velx gave them permission to live near it, so he must know what he is doing. And given their technology, they may be able to find them in there. They wouldn’t dare fly in there- it’s over 900 masps (1400 feet) deep  

            Crox had ordered some Beatle dropships to be brought here so they could scow the gorge. Thanks to all that armor plating and built-in headlights, they should be able to find them without having to worry about being hurt. She could see that this had Inoute worried, if not for the sacred site, then for Sokuro. Silver Dr—Aerids are important to their culture, after all.

“Don’t worry, Chieftain. We won’t desiccate this place… though I’d say nature took a good whack at it already.”

“Make sure that you do. This is a most sacred site.”

“Why is that, anyway? I don’t think you gave a reason for that.”

“Because this is where my kind came forth.” Ifil said as he walked up from behind. “This is where the Gaharots, the Ferids, and the Astral Aerids came from. It’s sacred because it’s said that the Wellspring of Life originated from down there, and is the concentration of the River of Life, where souls not bound for paradise or torture are purified and reborn again. At least, that’s what the ancient texts say.”

“Huh…  and now? What’s down there now?”

“Nobody knows. But I would hazard that ruins are all that remain down there, but they could find something. We may not look it, especially with the problems on the mainland, but we Gaharots are tricky beasts. I’m sure the ancients left some way for their people to leave. Maybe the children will be lucky enough to find it.”

“If they survived.” Arlye commented with his arms crossed.

The three of them looked at him with concerned glances- was he always this down?  “… you are just one bubbly person, aren’t you?” Inoute jokingly said. Arlye rolled his eyes.

“So you don’t go down there for historical and religious reasons?”

“And natural. Up here, the air flow and currants are fine and decent. But once you pass the cloud barrier, it’s a wild, violent, deadly time. There are powerful gusts and sheers under there that would slam you into the canyon walls and possibly kill you- it’s a localized hurricane basically. In this case, we better hope there were rocks on them as they fell, otherwise they would not have made it to the bottom.”

The roar of rumbling engines quickly grew loud as a Beatle dropshop roared over the treeline, picking up and scattering leaves thanks to its powerful engines. The appearance of a Beatle may be old hat to the colonists, but the natives were in amazement at this metallic sight. They knew the newcomers were advanced, but to have something like this was astounding.

The Beatle maneuvered around so that it could have a nearly-clean descent point. Given the colonists behavior around this place, they needed to do this as cleanly as possible. They also needed to be careful in case of aftershocks.

Crox pressed her ear so she could use a hands-free radio to speak into the pilot inside. To the natives, seeing her do that was strange. “Alright, Adalay, remember to descend slowly. We don’t want to cause an incident with the native folk. But we don’t want to let those two suffer any longer, so speed is of the essence. Remember, fast and safe.”

Inoute and Ifil shared glances, wondering if she actually was speaking to someone. Their answer came milliseconds later when they heard a disembodied voice which made them jump in their skin. “(Fast and safe… you know this is a ship, right? you can only have one or the other.)”

“Adalay…”

“(I’m joking, I’m joking. I’ll try my best.)”

The Beatle hovered on down to the cusp of the gorge and stayed there. a light came out from beneath the bottom of the container and began moving in a circle. “What is it doing?” Inoute asked.

“Scanning for natural hazards like crumbling walls or a spiked pillar in the clouds.” The two natives stayed silent- it took her 2 seconds to  learn that they had no clue what they were talking about. “It’s kind of like sonar.” She explained, hoping they would know that.  They did not, causing Inoute to tilt his head to the left. “Echolocation?” Now Ifil followed his example. She was running out of examples. “What blind animals use to see?”

“Oh.” Inoute said, followed by a wry chuckle. “Why not just say that in the first place?” He and Ifil walked off to see if they could help in some way.

Crox tapped her fingers together. “……. You’re joking, right?” She asked before following them.

 

Along with most parts of their bodies, Sokuro’s and Bran’s feet began to hurt from this long trek though the caverns. Like he predicted and hoped, there was algae present all throughout the cave, so light was not going to be an issue. What will be an issue soon is the lack of food and water. They couldn’t eat with all of the stress and anxiety leading up to the meeting. They were worried things would erupt into war.

The two kids kept themselves busy by talking about the more common things, nothing planetary or political, just random things they thought was interesting. Amazing- only took a week and they are already acting like long friends spouting random stuff they read from a phone. This was a good way to pass the time and not be all gloomy all the time.

“So, these moving pictures- these ‘movies’- you can make just about anything on them?” Sokuro inquired.

Bran lightly shrugged while waving his hand around. “Pretty much. As long as you have the money, the passion, the drive, and no one on your back, telling you what you can and can’t do.”

“Did you try to make one?”

“On my phone with a few friends back on Vega- a very low grade horror movie, but it was terrible. And in the end, my phone got destroyed and I had to buy a new one. We never tried again.”

“Horror? What is horror?”

Ok, that seems like something they would have here. They already share so many things, but not horror? Really? “Oh, don’t tell me you don’t have horror stories here. It’s a genre where you are trying to scare people on purpose, usually in very disturbing fashion. I can’t stand them- one of them gave me intense nightmares when I was a kid for weeks.”

“Ooooooooooh. You mean Comlore.”

That sounds so made up, it had to come from this planet. “Comlore? I am hesitant to ask.”

She lightly chuckled. “We have stories too. We call them Lores. There are words we put before them so you know what kind of stories they are. Com are stories made to deliberately scare people. So… I guess in your term, Comlore is Horror Movie.”

“Huh. What about action?”

“Veitlore.”

“Mystery?”

“Marchalore.”

“Romance?”

“Kannalore.”

“Historical?”

“Lomolore.”

“Animated?”

“What the heck is Animated?”

This went on for some time. He asked every genre he could and he always got some sort of response. Obviously, they wouldn’t have genres based on historical times from his world, like World War 2, The Wild West, the days of the Samurai, so he just left those out. They would be genres his folk would have to introduce themselves.

“OH, right!” She exclaimed. “Do you have any based on Aer—pbbt,  I mean Dragons?”

Do they have any- of course they have movies based off dragons. “Of course we do. In every conceivable genre imaginable. On Earth, Dragons are one of the most popular mythical creatures on the planet. Every culture seemed to have one. So of course we were going to make movies out of them.”

“I’d like to see one, see what humans thought of us. You know, before you met us.”

“Yeah. Though I’d have to look for ones that painted Dragons in a very favorable light. That could take a while- there are thousands of years to comb though.”

“There’s no hurry.”

“I know. I know.” He looked up ahead and saw that they were nearing some kind of exit- the cavern’s linings seemed to be opening up. “Wow. All that talking was a good distraction. Look, we reached some kind of exit. We passed a lot of time.”

“Oh, thank Velx. I was starting to get a little claustrophobic.”

The two of them continued unto the exit. As they got closer, they heard the sounds of rushing water and could smell a mist, meaning that they must be near some kind of waterfall. That is a really good sign- they could be nearing a underground reservoir that could lead somewhere, if they are lucky. If their luck holds out, a good indicator would be ocean fish. They slowly picked up the pace, eager to get out of these caves.

What they saw when they emerged from the cave is nothing they could’ve expected.

The cavern opened up to reveal a MASSIVE underground world as far as the eye could see. The ceiling to this place was far, far, far above them- almost 7000 feet tall. The waterfall nearby fell into a natural river that fed into a cupped valley filled with trees and even clouds. Beyond that was an extensive cavern of linked stalactites and stalagmites backed by a white mist. 

The children were at a loss for words at this natural wonder that had laid beneath their feet. This was something out of a fantasy- an extensive and complete underground world with its own ecosystem. Such things are not unheard of, but they are very, very, very, very, very rare. So rare, they are believed to be non-existent.

“Whoa…” Sokuro breathlessly gasped as she held her mouth. “This is… this is incredible!! Hahaha… have you seen anything like this, Bran!?!”

He was still processing what he is seeing. This was a unseen beauty behind the sight before them, one that only those who lost their home could know. “It’s… it’s amazing…”

Sokuro lowered her hands, still breathless in utter amazement. “This is…” A thought creped into her head- one that would probably make sense of what she had been told for years. “Wait…   Everyone said this place was forbidden and sacred. They said it was to preserve the birthplace of life here on Dragenia… this must be it. The Astrals, The Gaharots, the Ferids, all of them... this must be where they all came from.”

“I’ll accept that… because this is just wow.”

Calming down from her excitement, she looked to him. “You know, you didn’t answer my question earlier.” He looked to her. “Have you seen anything like this before?”

He shook his head. “No. Not personally, anyway. But I heard that before our exodus, the Milky Way was chock full of splendors just like this. They even made lists on the best ones.” He crossed his arms as he thought about it. His phone is busted, so he can’t do surfing for any. Even if he could, no reception this deep down. “I think there was a underground world like this back on Earth.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I studied Earth history extensively, so I have a good feeling I’m right.” He took a few steps forward. “In Vietnam, there was a cave just like this called Hang Son Doong. It was the largest cave on Earth, stretching in at 5.5 miles. I don’t know what your unit of measurement is but, heh, trust me, it’s big. For Earth, anyway. Hang Son Doong had a jungle and a river and its own ecosystem. When we get out of here, I’ll find some videos to show you. But… I can already say that this place, this… Elysium… is far, far bigger. Probably 10 times bigger.”

Sokuro stepped forward. “I won’t be able to fly here with my broken wing, remember? That means we’re walking all of this. We’ll be here for days.”

            “At least we won’t die of hunger, thirst, or lack of air.”

            “True… and for the record, this place does have a name. It is called T…” She paused as she remembered the name. She never thought of it before, but that’s because she never truly thought of it before.

            “What?”

            “This place… it’s called Tay Sokuro Besen…”

            “Whoa. You were named after this place?”

            She looked out to it. “I think so, yeah…”

            Well, that is an unexpected connection, but they had no time to think about that now. They still need a way out. “… You said that this was the birthplace of all life on Dragenia, right?”

            “It was also the center of the First Gaharot Empire until it fell, but yes. Why ask?”

            “Well, life had to get out of here somehow to get up to the surface, right? They sure as heck didn’t climb up that gorge. Which means there must be an exit here we could still use. And if this was the center of their empire, we might be able to find a ship that could take us there or something to heal your wing faster. Anything that could be useful.”

            She nodded. “Yeah, but we need a way down…” The two thought long and hard about this. The sound of the gushing waterfall made it hard for them to think of a way down. Then, of course, it came to them. They have a way down. “… THE WATERFALL!!!” They ran to the cliffedge, slowing down to a harty walk as they got closer- this is one place they don’t want to slip, and for good reason. They looked down and saw hard, sharp spires jutting up from the river the waterfall was exiting into. “……. So much for that idea.” Sokuro said.

            He tapped her on the shoulder and pointed behind them. “Guess we’re taking the long way down.” There was a natural path carved into the side of the rock wall that surrounded the hidden valley.

            She exclaimed loudly as she hung her head backwards. “UUUUUUGH…. On top of everything, our feet are gonna die.”

            “It’s either that or jumping and hoping for the best.”

            The two of them looked over the edge and saw more jutted spikes sticking out of the ground. Yeah, no, they weren’t going to try jumping. It was a mistake to suggest that in the first place. “… we’re walking.” They both said.

            “But first, we are taking a dang break!” Sokuro proclaimed. “My feet are sore and I am thirsty and we got water right here!” She sat down at the waterfalls edge, took off her shoes, and stuck her feet in. It was cold to the touch, but as her feet were on fire, it was needed. “Ooooooo….. so cold.”

            Bran shrugged. A break did sound good right now. He sat down next to her and put his feet in as well. “A break does sound heavenly right now… especially with all the walking we are going to have to do.” He reached up to his head and rubbed the ‘bandage’ Sokuro put on there. It was completely wet from all of the blood. He took it off and looked at his reflection in the water. He stopped bleeding, so it must’ve scabbed over. He moved his hair around and found the culprit: a nasty wound in his scalp. “Ew…” It stopped bleeding, so that’s a good sign. Still, he doesn’t want to close his eyes anytime soon.

 

            Hours passed above and night was beginning to creep up. The sun was in it’s twilight state and the Beatle was now coming up from another expedition down. Anxiety tore though the group at the canyon’s edge. It had been hours since the children had fallen in and it was getting scary.

            Vivian was on the verge of insanity- her baby boy hasn’t been found yet. There were no words to describe the mind-breaking terror she was feeling. It was a worry only a mother could know. Leopold was doing all he can to comfort her, but he has seen her like this before. It was when Bran went ‘missing’ during a sleepover at a friend’s house. He just fell asleep in the other room and nobody looked hard enough.

            The Beatle touched down near them, landing on it’s landing gear that had extended down from the box. “Well?” Crox asked via her communicator.

            Adalay replied, “{This thing is far, far, far deeper then we had originally thought. It goes down for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Add in the jutted spikes and the strong wind speeds and we never even made it to the bottom. And with the wind, they probably aren’t in this spot anymore.}”

            Crox lowered her head in defeat. This is getting very worrisome. They can’t leave the kids down there, but with night approaching, they won’t have much of a choice. “Crap…” She cursed. “{We have no choice- we’ll have to call it a day and continue tomorrow.”

            “WHAT!?!?!?!?!” Vivian yelled before heading on over. “YOU CANNOT JUST LEAVE HIM DOWN THERE!!!”

            Crox knows she is concerned for her son, but the way she is acting is not a state of mind for flying a ship. Besides… “I’m sorry, Dr. Shikirando, but there is nothing more we can do right now. You heard them- the scans showed a lot of dangerous hazards to work around. And it is getting dark out, that will make it even more difficult to see.”

            “They are in a giant metal box that can fly- they’ll survive!!!” She ran her hands down her face before offering them up to Crox. “Gimme the keys, I’ll fly the thing myself!”

            “Dr, please, I--”

            Arlene suddenly appeared thanks to the holographic projectors on the Beatle, thankfully stopping this exchange before it could go any further. The colonists were freaking out by the sudden appearance of this flickering creature. She looked human, but something… something was very off. “Whoa… did I come at a bad time?” She asked.

            “No, thankfully, you came just in time.” Crox turned her attention to her, much to Vivian’s disgust. “But on that note, why ARE you here? I didn’t call for you.”

            Arlene summoned up a seismic chart. “I ran some simulations on that quake that had just hit us and…. Well, I think I found the origin point.” She summoned up a map showing Evioly.

            “Where is it?”

            This was gonna a tall tale to believe. “It wasn’t from this planet.” The map zoomed out to show the planet. The quake that caused all this- it wasn’t from Dragenia, and not the solar system- hell, even not the same galaxy.” The map zoomed out dramatically when she said Dragenia, Solar System, and Galaxy, stretching out until it showcased the entire known cosmos. “I have been running a ton of simulations and tests on this since it happened, and I keep coming to the same answer: It’s from outside the universe.”

            “What?” Leopold said as he walked forward to pull his fuming wife away. “There is no way that can be possible. Quakes don’t come from ‘Outside the Universe’; that’s just impossible.”

            Crox had her finger on her chin as she thought this over. “Well……”

            Leo looked at her with a dilapidated scoff. “Oh, don’t tell me you believe this?”

            “There’s so much about the universe that unknown to us. We still don’t know how it operates. For all we know, it could have come from outside the universe. And if that’s the case, planets other then Dragenia were affected.”

            Arlene put her hands in her ‘pockets’ as she spoke under her breath. “Giving strong credence to the multiverse theory, I’ll tell you that.”

            The natives were, naturally, confused by everything that was being spoken by the strangers: Universes, Multiverses, whatever this flickering human is. Inoute’s brain was hurting, trying to make sense of it all. These new people have so much to teach them- it could probably take years to get though it all.

Arlene remembered the other reason she appeared. “Also, there is a strange energy signal coming from the nearby mountain range. It doesn’t match any known signatures and the power levels are breaking my equipment. Could it be too much to ask you check it out?”

 

            The two children have been walking along the road in the wall for what felt like AGES. Their bodies were in pain from everything and they were begging to whatever god was listening to get them back home. Whatever injuries they have, it felt like they were getting worse. Bran’s head began to pulse in pain every few seconds, and Sokuro felt like her wing was more then ust broken.

            They tried to keep positive about their situation- they did find a hidden lost world, after all, but it was getting harder and harder to keep it up. Bran was keeping himself distracted by drawing in his journal about his fantastical hidden land and the large rock pillars that stretched out beyond.

            “I swear, this is like something from a movie or a video game…” He said as he put on the finishing touches.

            And yet another new term she doesn’t know. “Video game?”

            “It’s like a movie, but you control how it plays out.” He put in the finishing touches by drawing a few flying birds.

            “Oh…” She reached back to rub her back, but her arms couldn’t bend that way. Instead, she looked at her necklace. The scale was dimmed a bit, likely in reference to her injuries… or maybe it was something much worse she doesn’t want to figure out. “I hope we get out of here soon. My wing is killing me.”

            “Same with my wound…” He rubbed his head. “I could be wrong, and I hope I am wrong, but I think I have a concussion.” He closed his journal and put it away. “Don’t let me close my eyes.” She nodded in agreement. You never want to close your eyes when you have a concussion- it’ll be made worse, far far worse.

            The path kept going on and on, but it seemed that the path was almost coming to an end. They saw it peter out into a smooth flattop- a rather sizeable one, at that. It stretched out over the valley’s walls, almost like it was deliberately made like that. Maybe something is there they could use or… well, anything.

            A strange sound tickled Sokuro’s ears, making her scratch at it. She looked around, wondering where it came from. “Do you hear that?”

            “Hear what?”

            “It… it’s like a ringing, except it’s coming from inside my head and it has a strange sound to it.” She lightly smacked her head and it stopped for now. She stuck a finger in, believing she was just hearing things. “Has that happened before to you?”

            “I think that is static. It could be coming from my phone.” He pulled out his busted tech. “But this thing is broken beyond repair. If it’s not this, then I don’t know how you are hearing static.”

            “Weird…”

            They finally reached the flattop. They rounded a large edge to head in to see what they could. It didn’t take them long to find something that immediately caught their eyes- something so grand in scale, it would make the Airship look tame by comparison.

 

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzkxr-icmJ8 Temple of our Gods – Oblivion Soundtrack

 

 

            Built into the rock and earth was a GIGANTIC golden door, measuring at 300 feet in height and more than 77 feet in length and 213 feet in width. The rims of the door were coated in fine jewels that sparkled, even though there was no light other then the white mist far far far away. It was so massive, you could fit a battleship though it and have some room leftover for PT boats and fighter escort.

            The two of them were dumbfounded by the sheer scale of this door. They’ve been around big things before- Sokuro notwithstanding-, but they were not as grand or as stunning as this was. There were no nicks, no scratches, not even a blemish. It was still as shiny as it was when it was first made… whenever it was made.

            “Ho… Ly… Mo… Ly…” Bran breathlessly gasped, unable to take it all in. First the lost world and now this? This has to be a marvel of engineering and construction. You can’t build this in a short timeframe. This had to have be planned out over decades, if not centuries. The Pyramids of Earth were just as tall as this, but not as grand or as stunning. Well, not anymore thanks to time, anyway.

            Sokuro gasped with each breath. So much has happened today, and it felt like it keeps adding on. “You… took the words right out of my mouth…”

            They approached the goliath monument, absolutely amazed at how stunning it was. Bran was trying to rationalize this, but it was a hard task when you already had two civilizations meet, a hard tumble to the bottom of a deep canyon, and the discovery of the birthplace of life on this planet. “This… this must have taken hundreds- no, thousands of years to create. You can’t get gold into that perfect a shape and color in a short amount of time. Even those crystals- they had to take ages to carve and implant.”

            It was even bigger up close. They had to stretch their necks back all the way to even see the top. “Wow…” They both gasped.

            Sokuro lowered her head- her neck was getting stiff from being bent that way. She rubbed where the Phagos bit her and looked along the base. There were pictographs built into the door, carvings of a reptilian race worshipping the thing. “Gaharots… they must’ve built this back during their empire.”

            Bran lowered his head and walked over to it. “They’re worshipping it.” He looked back up. There were so many questions running though his head right now, which was working fast to try and rationalize it. “…This must be where the Astrals came from.”

            “Really?”

            He shrugged in response. “I’m just guessing, but it would make sense. No mortal would ever be able build something this. Except for this pictographs carved into it, everything is so smooth, despite being here lord knows how long. With that evidence, it makes sense for the Astrals to have built it. And why else would they worship it if it wasn’t a gateway to the realm of the gods?”

            It was as good a explanation as any for this jeweled mountain of a door. “I guess that’s true….” She took a few steps back to take it the monolithic sight once more while Bran walked along the base. “But… there is so much about the ancient Gaharot Empire we’re still discovering after all this time. They could’ve built this as well.”

            Bran walked along the base of the door. He saw that there were more Pictographs carved into it. It showed strangely-shaped airships and weaponry that resembled guns. They must’ve been advanced long ago, before the war with the Ferids that sent them back technologically. If they were at the stage of firearms, then it may be possible for the ancient Gaharots to have built this.  They weren’t going to get any answers speculating.

            He didn’t notice it before he made it, but he reached the bottom rim of the door and saw something peculiar. “Hmm?” It was an deep indent, like a shelf, but unlike the door, which seemed to be made out of solid gold, this indent was white, like marble. He put his hand in it, wondering if something would happen.

            Nothing did.

            “Why is this here..?” He said to himself as he pulled his head back. “Why put this in here?” He looked around the indent, to see if there was anything in the door that would explain this. All he could find was a slit to the left of it, almost as thin as a cats. “Hey, Sokuro…? Can you come here for a m--” He looked back and saw that Sokuro was gone. “Sokuro?”

            “Over here!” She called out. Her voice echoed far. He looked in the direction of her call- she was around the other bend.  “And you are going to want to see this…!”

            Bran lightly jogged over as fast as his wounded body could. He could only move so fast thanks to his injuries. It didn’t take him long to reach the bend and make his way around it, but it still took longer than normal. But eventually, he did round the bend, and saw something that should not even be here.

            Half covered by the rock face, and seemingly destroyed recently by the quake, was a temple. But it wasn’t some random temple that could’ve been built here. No… this was a Aztec/Mayan Temple- a stone pyramid with steps that led to the top, which housed a chamber. It looked exactly like the temples back on earth, minus the destruction.

“What in the…” He gasped. “This…. this shouldn’t be here…” He saw Sokuro standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up with her hands over her eyebrows. “Sokuro.” He went as fast as he could over to her, which wasn’t very fast. “How is this here…?”

“I don’t know. I’m guessing it was covered by the rock wall until recently and--”

“No, not that. This temple… how did it end up here?”

She lowered her hands and looked to him. “…. You aren’t talking about the wall, are you?”

“This is a Aztec Temple… or a Mayan Temple, or both- a temple that is supposed to be exclusive to Earth. How can Dragenia, which is in another galaxy that is… I don’t know how many light-years away, have a perfectly identical version of their own?! It’s impossible!” He held his head with one hand- his mind was starting to hurt form all this- as if a giant golden door and a hidden world wasn’t enough..

The same static ringing pierced its way into Sokuro’s ears, making her rub the inside of them again. It was louder this time, and seemed to be concentrated at the top of this temple. Without so much as a word, she started climbing up it. Bran would’ve protested this, but this was something they could discuss later. Their escape from this place could be up there.

Sokuro bounded back and helped Bran up the steps- with his injuries, he needed help going up a long flight like this. This added on some time, but after spending what felt like an eternity down here, they didn’t notice.

The two of them reached the top and saw that there was no chamber at the top. Instead, what they saw was an alter- an alter inscribed with very, very, very ancient writing… and hovering above it was a simple looking arrow with a crescent-shaped head. It was giving off an unearthly, ethereal glow that sent shivers though their souls.

“Is… that an arrow?” Bran pondered as Sokuro let him go to get a closer look. He slowly approached it. He looked to his feet and saw multiple arrows carved in, shaped just like the one floating in the air. “Why is a temple dedicated to an arrow?”

“Maybe it belonged to somebody important?” Sokuro asked back as she got closer. The light it was giving off felt warm, relaxing. “But… yeah, it is strange that a temple- a temple from your world, of all places- would be dedicated to just an arrow.”

Bran approached the alter and wiped away some of the dust to get a good view of the writing. It was so ancient and foreign to him, he couldn’t tell what it was. Sokuro couldn’t either- this was way before her time. “This must be really old… and it certainly isn’t Mayan or Aztec.” He looked to her. “They wrote using Hieroglyphics- they used pictures instead of words. These certainly aren’t pictures.”

He took a step back- this mystery was getting more and more puzzling. “Just why…? Why is there strange language, on a Aztec/Mayan temple, in a underground world on a alien planet in a different galaxy? Nothing about this makes sense…” He looked to the arrow- he sensed a forbidding dread emanating from it. Like if he were to grab it, something horrible would happen. “…. I think we should go…”

Sokuro wasn’t focusing on his words at the moment- her attention was completely taken over by the arrow. Something about it felt warm, familiar. She couldn’t explain why, but this arrow… it’s like it’s calling to her. She could feel power- untapped, unbridled, indescribable power inside that simple looking weapon, waiting to be unleashed. But it felt… safe. She din’t feel threatened by it.

Without thinking, she reached out to it. Bran noticed too late as she leaned forward and grabbed the shaft.

An electric jolt surged its way up Sokuro’s spine, making her freeze as she gasped and shivered.

All of the Astral Aerids felt it as well. They all felt jolts go up their spines, making them freeze and pant in gasps. Velx collapsed onto his knees, sweat visibly dripping down his face, something that spooked his handmaid- Astrals don’t sweat, as far as they know.

 

Elsewhere, in a far off land, a cloaked figure in red was reaching for a book on his desk when he felt that same jolt go up his spine. He knew it meant only one thing: “Someone… has finally found it.” He looked out the window, which showed a majestic port city outside. “Now this mudball is getting interesting…”

 

When the jolt stopped, Sokuro took a few steps back, gasping in breathless pants as she struggled for air. She never would’ve anticipated that to happen. She looked down at the arrow in her hand- the glow had went away. “Sokuro…” She looked back to Bran. “Should you have done that…?”

She looked back down to the arrow. “I… I don’t know why I grabbed it. I didn’t have control- it just… happened.” She tilted it and saw her reflection in the arrowhead. She had no reason to grab it, nor did she have any control over it.

She saw something else in the reflection as well, something massive. Her eyes went wide as she quickly spun around.

A massive serpentine head had made its way through the massive misted cavern and was staring right at them both. It was covered in green and yellow feathers and adorned in strange turquoise trinkets. A pair of horns stuck out its head.

“What the heck is that!?!??!?!?!?!?!!” The children shouted at the top of their lungs. The giant snake gave a guttural growl. The arrow suddenly began to glow bright, as did the eyes of the goliath serpent. Energy surged out of arrow, encapsulating both confused kids.

The two of them screamed as they were engulfed in a bright white light.

 

End Song.

 

            The next thing Sokuro and Bran know, they had appeared in the middle of a rocky ledge in the middle of a large mountain range in the early hours of night. Their hearts were racing as they struggled to come to terms with what they had just witnessed. They were visibly shaken by that surprise encounter- Sokuro’s knees were shaking like maracas.

            “W…..hat was that…?” Sokuro shakingly panted.

            Bran gulped, feeling his heart rising up his throat. “I don’t know… but if that is lurking around down there, I don’t want to go back!”

            Sokuro rubbed her face, trying to hide her terror with little to no avail. She realized that she still had the arrow in her hand. The glow had died down and had gone dormant. There are sooooooooooo many questions, all of which will have to wait until later until they calm down and…… finally process all this. She looked at Bran, who was still shaken as well, and noticed something off about him.

            She then realized: He was healed. “Whoa…”

            Bran looked back. “What?”

            “Your head. It’s all healed.”

            “What?” He reached up to take off the bandage… only to discover it’s not there. He then realized he wasn’t in any pain anymore. Everything was like new. He patted himself over and felt no pain. “How the heck…” he looked to her and saw she was patched up too. “… How is your wing?”

            “My wing? I told you, it’s br--” She ‘felt’ her wing, only to discover that it was no longer broken. The pain was long gone. “How did…” She looked down at her dress and saw that the part she ripped off to use as a bandage was back and completely washed, as were Bran’s clothes. “Ok… this is getting weird…” Bran yelped as he felt his pocket vibrate. He reached in and pulled out his phone… his fully functional, not broken phone. “I… thought that was broken.”

            “It was. How the heck did it repair itself? On that note, how are we all better?”

The two of them instinctively looked to the arrow at the same time. They found it hard to believe that this little thing could do that. “There is no way… was it the arrow?” She asked as she held it up.

He rubbed his poor head. “Maybe… but that snakes eyes also glowed…”

The snake… it wasn’t going to eat them? “You don’t think…?”

Bran rubbed his eyes- they felt like they were strained. “Ugh… right now, I just want to go home and try to process all of this madness. Giant golden door, a hidden lost world, a magic arrow, a giant snake, and a Earthen temple on another planet in another galaxy- it’s a lot to take in.”

She somberly nodded. “Yeah…” She held up the arrow and looked at it again. “What should we do with this?”

A thunderous roar blazed by overhead, kicking up a lot of wind. The cause was a Beatle dropship that flew overhead. The energy signature Arlene picked up: it was them appearing suddenly.

Bran thought to himself for a moment, realizing that there is no way they could believe them about all this. “We have to hide it.” Sokuro was about to protest but he continued talking. “If we tell them everything we saw, they’d think we’re suffering from some bad internal problems. A way out that suddenly landed us out here, they’ll accept. The golden door, the giant snake, the Earthen temple… the magic arrow…” Sokuro looked back down at it. “…they’d think we are crazy- I’m starting to think we went crazy from our tumble and all that was just in our heads…” He shook his head. “Nope… still here.” She didn’t find that the least bit amusing. “We don’t know what that thing is or does. It could be dangerous. If it is, we don’t want it falling into the wrong hands, do we?”

She looked at the arrow again. “You have a point…” The Beatle turned around and headed straight for them. Sokuro quickly jogged to a nearby pile of brown rocks and lifted some away. She stuffed the arrow as deep into it as she could before putting the rocks back.

The Beatle landed awkwardly on this narrow ledge, with most of it hovering off the side. The ramp didn’t even touch down before Vivian burst on out and tackle hugged Bran, who was completely caught off guard. “BRAN!!! OH, MY BABY,  YOU HAD ME SO SCARED!!!” She picked him up and waved him around like a ragdoll.

“Agh… agh… nice to see you too, mom… please let me go… I can’t breath.”

Inoute, Ifil, Kitsunagi, Crox, Leopold, and Arlye filed out of the Beatle and onto the ledge. Leopold ran out and over to his son, who was still getting the life squeezed out of him by Vivian’s boa-like grip. “Are you all ok?” Inoute asked. Sokuro didn’t hear him. She was looking at Bran and his parents and how they were concerned for him and his well being. Her heart sank as she watched- she’d never experience anything like that ever again. “Sokuro?” He asked again as he approached her.

She looked away, regaining her focus. “Un… Yeah, we’re ok. Somehow.”

“Good.”

“But that doesn’t explain how you are up here.” The large Argalith said as he approached. “You fell into the giant crevice, and yet you are here on top of a mountain? How is that possible?”

The two kids looked at each other, wondering how they were going to explain all they went though. “Eh… well… we’re not entirely sure ourselves, but I can try.” Sokuro said. “Well… we fell in and we got hurt- Bran got a nasty head wound and I broke my wing, so either way, flying out was not an option.” Vivian held her son tighter- this was getting ridiculous, he thought. “With no options, we followed a cave that lead us… it lead us to a paradise of an oasis. It was bigger than this mountain range- taller too. For all I know, we could be standing right on top of it.”

“So it is down there.” Ifil said. “The Birthplace of Life and the center of the Gaharot Empire- it is down there?” She nodded in conformation. “… we’re living on top of it.”

Bran went on to explain what they saw- heavily edited, of course. “We explored to the best we could and found some old ruins. We explored those and we must’ve done something we didn’t know about, because next thing we knew, we were up here with our wounds healed and our clothes repaired. We don’t know how or why it happened, but…” he lightly chuckled. “Well, we’re not complaining.”

“It sounds like a teleporter.” Leopold said. “But they are scientifically impossible- they only exist in science fiction works.”

Vivian gave him a scowl while still holding the helpless Bran in a vice grip- he had given up at this point. “Leo, stop complaining, we have our son back.”

“It’s still a perplexing tale, to say the least.” Inoute said. “That site is sacred for a reason, children. It’s where we came from and who we are. I know you had no choice, but in the future, give it the respect it deserves.”

“Yes, Chief…” She said dejectingly, not really caring. She almost died and he’s still focused on protecting the hidden world. “How are things up here? We didn’t really hear about what you all decided… but since you are all here, I would assume you’ve come to a peaceful solution?”
            “Indeed we have.” Crox said. That was a huge load of Sokuro’s back as she exhaled the biggest sigh of relief anyone could have mustered. “Now only time will tell how beneficial it is for everyone.”

“Indeed.” Inoute said. “But it has been a long day and I’m sure everybody is exhausted.”

“You have no idea…” Both kids said in unison.

Inoute turned into his Aerid form, put Ifil on his back and flew off to head back to the village. The colonists boarded the Beatle dropship, with Vivian still holding onto him like a snake. The ramp retracted and the large door slowly closed.

Sokuro changed to her Aerid form and got ready to fly, her wings spread out. They were no longer broken, making her feeling from before too. She got ready, but hesitated. She looked back at the pile of rocks the arrow was hidden under. She never planned today was going to be both so important and mysterious. Just what the heck did they find down there? They weren’t going to find the answers today. She flapped her wings once and took off, following Inoute home.

 

The two of them didn’t realize it at the time, but they had made the biggest discovery in universal history that day. Not only will it have ramifications for Dragenia, but also Earth and the entire universe as well. The quake that lead them to it was not by accident, but of coincidental design. Everything happens for a reason, and for the two kids and the next few years, that reason will be a big one.

15: Chapter 13: The First Day
Chapter 13: The First Day

Chapter 13

The First Day

2/20/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the chaos that was the earthquake yesterday, the future of the shared existence between the native Dragenians and the Milky Way colonists had been put on hold while they assessed the damage done to both the colony and Marsen.

Turns out, not a lot of damage had been done.

The Milky Way Pre-Fabs were built to last- that speaks highly of their manufacturer, which may or may not still exist.  As for Misken, it was built on top of a mesa- a very, very sturdy mesa built out of solid bedrock. It shook, but thanks to their height and sturdy base, it was subdued. There were still some destroyed buildings in the village, but nothing that couldn’t be rebuilt, and if you call listing destroyed, it won’t take long.

As for injuries, there were some, but nothing life threatening or that could result in someone being crippled. Same can’t be said for the rest of Evioly or the planet, but as far as the village and the colony go, they got off relatively unscathed.

But as stated earlier, thanks to the earthquake, the start of the comingling had to be delayed for a day so that the damage could be ascertained. It also didn’t help that they leaders were busying looking for Sokuro and Bran. Now with them rescued they can finally get started.

Speaking of the two kids, Sokuro went on over to the pond the moment she woke up, needing some time to think about everything they went though yesterday. Bran had the same idea. Their minds had been racked with this every since they got back to the surface, still trying to process what they had been though.

They’ve processed it all the way up to the mountain where they left the mystery magic arrow.

 

The arrow was pulled out of the pile of rocks that Sokuro hid it in by Sokuro herself, who had just landed just mere seconds before. It had been on her mind since she left it behind and that little voice in the back of her head was telling her to go back and get it, which she now did. This thing looked so common, yet something about it was drawing her to it. “So… are we gonna try to talk about yesterday?”

Bran was sitting on the edge of the ledge, with his face buried deep in his hands. “What is there to talk about? We both saw what was down there- we are both crazy.”

“I meant trying to make some sense out of all of it. Isn’t that what you do- trying to make sense out of things?”

He pulled his hands down his face, pulling down his eyelids as he did so. “There are things down there that make no sense at all.”

“I know. I was there. But we have to try to make sense out of this or else we’re gonna go crazy with all the wild ideas going in our heads. Mom taught me that we should try to make sense out of the unexplainable or else risk our sanity.” Bran raised a eyebrow in perplexion. “Let me put it another way: whatever remains, however implausible, must be the truth.”

“That makes more sense that what you said earlier.” She just shrugged in reply. He cupped his hands in front of his mouth and exhaled deeply before lowering them. “Ok…. let’s go down the order of least cross-eyed tinfoil hat crazy…” He pulled back from the ledge and stood back up. “Let’s start with that snake… what the hell was that!?!?!?!”

She slowly shook her head. “I don’t know. There are no legends or history about a giant serpent living so far down below.”

“Do you think it could’ve caused the earthquake?”

“I don’t think so. It snuck up on us down there. and the ground didn’t rumble the entire time we were down there, meaning that it must’ve crawled around down there for…. who knows how many cycles. And you heard that program on the way home: the quake came from outside of… everything. The snake wasn’t the cause, but…” She shivered as she felt a chill go up her spine. “Whatever it was… I don’t think it was hostile.”

“Heh? How can a thing that big not be hostile?”

“Well, he didn’t attack us- he just looked at us. And before we were teleported out, his eyes began to glow. If the arrow teleported us out, then… then maybe that thing fixed everything about us: our torn clothes, my broken wing, your head wound and your phone.”

“You think that thing did that?”

“I’m not really sure… but it makes the most sense in my head. And like I said, I don’t remember anything in our history and our legends about a giant snake living so far down below. Whatever it was… I don’t know what it could be.”

Speaking of the giant snake, a pair of large, menacing yellow eyes glowed brightly out of a ridge out of sight from the kids. The eyes moved to look their way. Velx silently glided in and touched down on the edge of the ridge. He looked down at the eyes for a moment before turning his attention to the kids, crouching down to stay out of sight..

Bran put a finger to his chin and thought for a moment on their next topic of discussion. “Now… what about that giant door…? There was absolutely no way that thing could be built by mere mortals, not with that much gold and jewelry.”

“Now, actually, there is some ancient story about something like it. Dad found it in one of the libraries over in Fernios, the largest city in Dragenia. A legend about a grand, jeweled portal that opens up to far off lands thought only to be fantasy, but to operate it you need a key, and a item from said land.”

“Hmm… well… the door down there was bejeweled… and it certainly is grand.” He began to pace back and forth, coming up with what may be a logical explanation. “Maybe… maybe they think it’s a portal to other parts of Dragenia? Or maybe even other worlds? Did the ancient empire even know about other worlds back then?” Sokuro didn’t reply because she didn’t know. If the ancient Gaharot Empire did know about other worlds, that tidbit had been lost to time at this point. “But by the sounds of it… you need a key to operate it, along with a item from said land, likely to serve as some sort of focal point or something like that… This is sounding like a fast-travel system from a video game.”

“A what?”

“I’ll explain later. But let’s assume I am right and that it’s a portal to other worlds. That would mean the Ancient Gaharots knew about life on other planets, and may have artifacts from said planets hidden somewhere. At which point, a key to it should be somewhere here… and…”

“And what?”

“That would segway into the other strange thing down there… the temple.” He pulled out his phone and used it to access the database at the colony. “I told you when we were down there that there is no way that kind of temple should be down there. It is exclusively something native to Earth.” He found a picture of a Mayan/Aztec temple and showed it to her. “See?”

Sokuro leaned in and looked at it- it is an exact match of what was down there. “… you don’t think that maybe… maybe that the Ancient Gaharots found a way to reach Earth, do you?”

“I honestly don’t know…” He put his phone away and went back to speculation mode. “But it would explain a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Like where the stories of Dragons came from. There is no animal on Earth, living or extinct, that looks or acts like a dragon from popular culture and ancient myth. Yet here is Dragenia, a planet of people capable of transforming into said beasts, along with other things like a, a, the Bifrost from Nordic Myth… no, that’s all I can think of. And if that door did connect to Earth, that would explain that, and it would also explain the temple down there- they must’ve visiting Central America at some point in time and liked the architecture. So much so, they attempted to copy it, but we saw only one. The Civil War must’ve begun before they could build more.”

“Wow. You think fast.”

“So I’ve been said.” He tapped his forehead. “Benefits of being autistic: you think fast.” He looked down at the item in her hands. “Now that just leaves…”

Sokuro held up her hand, holding the arrow in it. There was a brief glow and a ethereal hum around it. “…The mystery arrow.” Velx leaned in to get a better view of the arrow. The snake’s eyes narrowed like a cats. “Do you have any ideas on what this thing could be?”

“I have no clue. But if it was the whole reason that copycat temple was built, then it must be really important.”

“Or really dangerous.” She felt a pit form in her heart as she thought about it, about how dangerous this seemingly normal weapon might be. “You probably don’t feel it, but I feel such an… overwhelming amount of power in this thing. Nothing malicious or honest, just… pure, untapped, uncontrollable power. So much so, I feel… I feel like I’m going to overflow and, and faint.”

Bran was getting scared by that description. How can something so small house that much power? “What do you think we should do with it?”

Velx leaned in closer, digging his claws into the rock, waiting for her response. Sokuro thought long and hard about this. The arrow doesn’t look it, but she feels like it is too dangerous to be left out in the open. “… I think we should hide it.” Velx took his claws out of the rock, calming down due to her answer. He was expecting something far worse. “I know I’m coming off like a raving lunatic, but… I feel like this thing is too dangerous to be kept out in the open. If someone bad finds it…”

“You really believe it’s that dangerous, don’t you?”

She held the arrow tightly near her chest. “Yes, I do.”

He tapped his fingers on his thighs before nodding in agreement. He never saw her this scared before, not even against the Phagos. She was very brave against that thing, up until she got bit, but this…. she looks mortified, like she is staring face to face with the Grim Reaper.  “Yeah… we probably should. But where should we hide it?”

She lowered the arrow down, taking some deep breaths to calm herself down. “I know a few good spots back home in the orphanage I could hide it in.”

“It sounds like we’re going to Misken.” He took a few steps back so that Sokuro could transform to her Aerid form, creating a gust of wind. Velx used that brief window of soundlessness to fly away, and for the snake to retreat back into the deep. “That’s cool- I’ve always wanted to see what your home looked like.”

“Its not all that impressive.” Sokuro said as she lowered her paw down for him to climb on. “Certainly not when compared to yours.” The arrow was in that same paw. He reached down to touch it so that he could carry it back, but it burned his hands with a loud sizzle, rendering that idea pointless. Strange- it doesn’t hurt her.

Bran hopped off onto her back and took a tight grip on her neck. “But what do we say if they ask about the arrow?”

She looked down at her paw and gripped the arrow tight. “We’ll tell the truth and tell them we found it. We’ll just leave out all the magic stuff.” She spread her wings wide. With a powerful flap, she took off for home.

 

Meanwhile, at Misken, things were more than a little…. awkward. The civilizations have agreed to co-exist side by side for the foreseeable future- which is forever-, and so that means people will have to travel between the two villages: to set up trades, and try new foods and clothes. It is also a good chance for the three different peoples to get to know one another.

They may’ve met each other the day before and had time to get used to their appearances, but… well, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will cooperation between two wildly different civilizations.

 

Since they have seen strange flying contraptions the day before, the people Misken were not surprised when they noticed several Beatle craft approach earlier, carrying important members of the colony: those with important roles, such as teachers, cooks and chefs, doctors, and fighters, so they can learn what they can here to be used back home, like what medicines to use and what’s poisonous. It wasn’t only them, but also several normal people who just wanted a change of scenery from all of the sterile grey back home.

They cannot wait to paint their homes.

It was also in play vice versa: several peoples from Misken had headed out to the colony around the same time the colonists came to the village. They even passed each other on the way. It was going to take some getting used to, seeing humanoids transform into mythical titans of power, and actual living breathing Dinosaurs, even if they are only Utahraptors.

 

A screen flickered to life. In its center was Velx’s magnificent temple, with his handmaid Fayin in the middle of the shot as she attended to trivia matters like sweeping. The video was shot on a floating camera hovering in front of someone.

A voice spoke over the video, narrating what he was seeing. The voice belonged to 16 year old Mukembe, one of the last people ever to leave Earth before it died. He walked into view to give the temple a kind of scale. “{And here, we see a magnificent and glamorous temple that, from what I am told, is the mortal home for one of their gods….. I think his name was Velx, you know that white dragon that kicked butt the other day. As you can see, it is attended to be a Dinosaur of all things, or a Gaharot as they are called here.}”

The talking attracted Fayin, who looked over at first and then approached with an inquisitive stare, staring directly into the camera, wondering just what it was. “{Un… what is this?}”

“{It’s called a camera. I’m transmitting video to Arlene, who is transmitting this to everyone in the colony. I’m taking a tour of the village and am letting everyone know what it looks like.}”

There were so many confusing words in that statement, it made her head hurt just trying to understand it all. She tilted her head in pure confusion. “{Un…………………………………. Ok. You do that. I’ll just be over here… attending to my duties.}” She went back to sweeping.

“{…. Soooo… un… what does a Handmaid do, exactly?}” She lifted up her head with a eyebrow raised. “{What? It’s for the people back home to learn about- not just for your job, but everything else in this village. Not everyone could come- we are still setting up. I’m sure you have some scholars over at my colony doing the exact same thing.}”

She stopped sweeping. “{That’s… a fair point, and most likely a true point.}” She rested her claws on the handle and her head on her claws. “{Well, I am a handmaid. I serve Lord Velx, attending to his every need.}”

“{That sounds more like a servant then a handmaid to me.}”

“{… well… it can be. A handmaid is a very respectable position- it’s not easy by any means, but it’s still sought after by the most devout followers, for serving a Astral like him is the highest honor someone can receive. Sometimes, the jobs will be dirty, like polishing his scales or sweeping his temple, but to serve a Astral is such a high honor.}” She went back to sweeping, slowly moving her way up the stairs to the flat arena.

“{Is it hard to become a handmaid?}”

“{It can be, especially for a Gaharot like me. I’m sure you’ve heard but my kind hasn’t exactly had a…. stellar time the past few centuries, thanks to the maniac that was Xelut and the corrupt politics on the mainland.}” She took a few deep breaths to calm down. “{But… yes, it is a hard process to become a handmaid, but the god has the final say. I never met the others, but I hear some can be rude and crude. Velx is one of the nice ones.}”

“{Unless you’re a ugly turtle monster.}”

She looked back to him. “{What’s a turtle?}” He didn’t get a chance to answer when they heard a loud flap of wings crack overhead. A large gust of wind kicked up as Velx landed at the top of the temple, sending the camera into a bush. The leaves covered most of the vision. “{Lord Velx, how was your flight?}” She asked the feathered dragon as Mukembe ran over to pull his camera out of the bush. He dusted off the leaves and set it again to hover next to him. Velx was clearly distracted by something, it was clear to see on his face. “Lord Velx?”

“{Huh? Oh… sorry. I was distracted.}”

“{By?}”

“{It’s a private matter, one I need to discuss with my fellow Astrals soon.}” He then noticed the stranger with the floating device. He leaned forward, getting right up in Mukembe’s camera. His breath fogged up the lens.  “{What in Dragania is this?}”

“{It’s called a camera.}”

He tapped it with one of his Buick-sized claws, making it fall to the ground on accident. Thankfully, these cameras are extremely durable, so that ‘tap’ didn’t do much to damage it. “{What is a camera?}”

“{I asked the same thing.}” Fayin said. “{He said it transmits audio and video, whatever those are.}”

“{You’ll know someday.}” Mukembe said as he picked his camera up again. “{But I’m wasting too much time here. I gotta go showcase the entire village for everyone back home.}” He wiped off the lens. “{Gotta go make sure everyone is behaving and blah blah blah blah.}” He headed off to the rest of the village.

The two of them waited until he was out of hearing range before talking. “…. What in the world was that all about?” Fayin asked.

“I honestly have no clue.” Velx said. “But he is right: their ‘colony’ is still in the process of being built and settled. They still have a lot to do. Not everyone could come- just the important members and a few of the younger members… which I am guessing the ‘camera man’ was. At least that is what Inoute told me before I left for my flight.”

She went back to sweeping. “He was asking me about it was like to be a handmaid. I think he misunderstood me- thought it was a fancy title for servant. I mean, he’s not far off, but still.”

He went back to the top of his temple and laid down on it. “He’s a foreigner. It will take some time for all of them to learn our ways. And it will take some time for us to learn theirs.”

“That may take even longer…” She said under her breath.

 

Back over in the colony, almost half of the village was there, gawking at every technological marvel present there. While it’s all old hat to the colonists, who are so used to this they could care less how it all works, it’s all completely brand new to the natives of this planet. Lights that don’t require fire, a fake person they can wave their hand though, strange cylinders that shoot light. This was a wonderland to them.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a splendid day for one certain chief of security. He had been ungraciously volunteered to watch over the children that were brought to the colony.

And they.

Were.

Relentless.

 

Arlye angrily grumbled with lidded eyes, crossed arms, and a sour disposition as he was bombarded endlessly by questions by the planetary youth. If this is how just one village of kids are like, he dreads getting to know the rest of the planet. He should be over in the village, making sure nobody was going to try and start an incident by killing Crox or keeping an eye on the visitors here.

But nope… he’s on kid detail. And he hates it. At least they can’t cause any damage over here inside a Beatle ship.

Can they?

“Oh, what’s this?”

“This is shiny.”

“What happens if I press this?”

“I wanna see more shiny things.”

“WHAAAAAAAAA!!!”

One of them was a baby- a cranky baby who had been woken up from his nap. The rest were kids from parents who didn’t want to cause a fuss with their kids, and a large chunk of the rest were from the orphanage- Sokuro’s friends.

“When will it end…?” Arlye droned. “When… will… it end…?”

He felt a tug on one of his pant legs. He looked down and saw that one of the children, a small Ferid girl, was tugging on it and looking up at him. She stopped when he looked and held up her doll- one that was torn in half by a mean kid. “My dolly broked.”

“I don’t know how to fix dolls.” Arlye bluntly said. “You’ll have to ask your parents when you get home.” The kid sadly frowned. Her eyes began to water as she looked down in sorrow. She didn’t want to wait- she wanted her dolly repaired now. The sad kid hit him with a deadly guilt trip, one that made him grumble and sigh as he gave up. “Sigh… alright, I’ll try to fix it. But I’m not making any promises that I will.” He reached down and grabbed the dolly from the girl, who was now smiling.

Almost as if on perfect cue, Arlene’s hologram suddenly appeared, frightening the kids by her sudden and bizarre appearance. “Aw, Arlye. Who knew you had a tender side? Goes to show- behind that hard shell lies a great big ol’ softie.”

Arlye would be arguing with her by now, creating some sort of heated back and forth that would irritate most, but he’s happy to see her as a thought entered his mind: finally, a distraction. He could walk off and… find some way to fix the dolly- he’s nothing if not a keeper of his word. “Un, children, this is Arlene, the colony’s artificial intelligence.”

Her sudden and unique appearance attracted the children, but they were still confused as to who or what she is. “What’s an artificial intelligence?” Vaset asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“That is a interesting question. Arlene?” He used her explanation to sneak away.

“Well, an artificial intelligence, or A.I. for short, are a living program of coding, instructions, programming, and memory given an avatar that we can chose to suit our liking. We can be programmed to perform a wide variety of tasks, though all A.I.’s are divided into two categories: Dumb A.I.’s, who are made to perform only one task, and Smart A.I.’s, who can perform multiple tasks at once. To put it in layman’s terms, we are fake beings of light and knowledge created to serve those who made us, with varying levels of programming.”

            She can tell that she lost the crowd, but she can’t blame them. These are children she is talking to, after all. “Soooo……. Which one are you?” Berut asked. “And who made you?”

            “I am a Smart A.I.- I have to be, seeing as how I am in charge of a whole colony. And truth be told, my creator died a long time ago. But if you are asking what species here… well, you already heckled one of them.”

            They all looked back towards Arlye, who was rummaging through the onboard crates, looking for a needle and thread. He looked the aprt of a warrior, not a…… whatever it was she said.  “HIM!?!” The children exclaimed in perfect unison.

            “Them, and yes. His kind are a lot smarter than their warrior history and appearance would lead you to believe. It was they who created artificial intelligence like me thousands upon thousands of years ago.”

            She was starting to get their attention- now she just needed to keep them hooked. Thankfully, the next question allowed her to do just that. “So… is everyone here from that Earth place?”

            “No. Everyone here are from different worlds. Humanity is the only race here to come from Earth… heh … even for our galaxy, Earth was a unique planet. It was in the center of a region of space known as the Dead Sector. All life in one select region of space was completely wiped out in the blink of an eye and nobody has figured out why. All the planets were rendered lifeless, except for Earth, earning it the nickname of the Oasis Planet. And Earth has had a colorful history.” She looked Verut over. “In fact… you Gaharots look remarkably similar to that of the Dinosaurs.”

            “The what?”

            Arlene accessed the database and pulled up dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pictures of Earth’s dinosaurs. “Long before humanity existed- long before any known race today existed- Earth was ruled by a race of ancient avian monsters known as Dinosaurs. They dominated the planet for millions of years until they died out mysteriously 65 million years ago. There have been dozens of theories put forth as to their extinction: The most popular one is that of a giant asteroid striking the planet, and there have been evidence to back that up, along with evidence for the other theories: global climate change, methane buildup, natural disasters- the list goes on.”

            She brought up a few pictures of a select race, one that look eerily just like the Gaharots, except more savage and brutish. And the Gaharots were all scales, while the Utahraptors, along with almost every other Dinosaur, were discovered to have feathers.  “You Gaharots closely resemble a race of Dinosaur known as the Utahraptor. The tallest fossil found is around the same size as a full-grown Argalith, like Arlye back there.” Arlye rolled his eyes as he found something to fix the doll. “They were tribal creatures, living a tight-knit packs. This allowed them to take down Dino’s three times their size… which would be roughly about the size of what we are in right now.”

            Some of the kids went ooh and aww. The older ones had more questions to ask. That’s what Arlye was hoping for- for them to be so distracted by this, they ignore him. “What’s a Raptor? And what’s a Utah?” Vaset asked.

            “That is a whole other can of worms, and that will be saved until after the presentation.”

            “What’s a can?” Vaset again asked.

            Arlene was silent for a few moments as her mouth hung open. The kids thought they broke her, but she wasn’t. Arlye knew what she was doing- she was playing this for a laugh. Either that or she was dumbstruck over the question. It’s clear the natives aren’t at a technological state where they can process aluminum, so why act so surprised? “I… un… wow, really, no cans? Yeow… we have a lot to teach you.”

 

            Meanwhile, over in another part of the colony, those brave enough to try and hunt for wild game out there in the wilds were being briefed by Pelosa, the head hunter of Misken. She is teaching them what local animals are docile and which ones are violent, what plants are safe to eat and which ones are poisonous, where is the best place to plant crops, the nearest sources of clean drinking water, and what places are glorified death traps.

            Currently, she is showing all of the monsters that call this part of Dragenia home. According to her, some of these critters are unique variants to what exist on the mainland, while some are native only to Evioly itself.

            She slapped down a drawing of a local monster- a large blubbery creature with tusks the size of a room. The drawing was a couple centuries old, but the paper on this planet is durable. “This is called a Meilfes.” Pelosa went on to explain. “They aren’t aggressive by nature, but if they are attacked, they are some nasty customers. The meat is terrible to taste unless cooked right for a couple of weeks, but the blubber and the oil make for some good fuel.”

            One of the brave ‘hunters’ of the colony, a Adlez named Tzz’tat, picked up the drawing and looked it over. “Lookz lieke a easy foely. Geehee.” He spoke though a filter, giving it an electronic auto-tune sound. “Ank whan we run oot of genrathiers, it’lk be nich to have a bakup.”

            Pelosa stayed silent as he talked- she didn’t want to say something that could set him off, if they can be set off. But she had to ask someone about the way he was speaking- it was nothing like what is heard around here. “Um… what is that?” She whispered to one of the human colonists.

            The hunter she was talking to, a human named Ton Mosk, took it to mean what kind of species he is. “That’s an Adlez. They are ugly- really ugly. Like ‘I wanna rip my eyes out’ ugly. But they are loyal to their comrades and their technological prowess holds no equal. They can build a functioning ship capable of interstellar travel from scrap metal.”

            She shook her head. “I meant the way he was speaking. It’s certainly more… bizarre then how the rest of you talk.”

            “Really? I never notice anymore. But yeah, the universal translators have difficulty translating the Adlez language, especially since they speak though that filter in their suits. Nowadays, everyone just attributes it to a strange quirk. You’ll get used to it.”

            Pelosa doesn’t think she’ll get used to this anytime soon. Such a strange way of talking- she’ll need a translator just for them. She can barely understand what he said just a moment ago. She better get used to it soon. “Anyway… the Meilfes usually inhabits the shoals that lie just off the northern shore. That would be that way, in case you were wondering.” She pointed in the direction of the shoals. “And I don’t know how long this…… light magic will last for you…”

            “Electricity.”

            “…Thank you- I don’t know how long this electricity will last, but if it ever runs out, you’ll have some natural backup.” She placed down another drawing, this one depicting the same deer-like creature Sokuro and Bran saw long ago. “This is the Felm, a herbivore creature that is widespread all throughout here. We’ve tried taming them, but we’ve had better luck with the Grek Gea birds. They still make for some good eats. Also…” She drew a third eye on one of them. “If you encounter one with a third eye, called a Isono, do not harm it. They are sacred animals- killing one is considered sacrilege.”

            “Alright. Don’t touch the one with the third eye.” Ton said. “But if I could ask, why are they considered sacred?”

            “It is said they have connections to the Gods- they have a connection to the Orobos, or the River of Life in your tongue: a series of ethereal rivers that run far, far below. To put a long story short, when a Ferid or Gaharot dies, their soul has three options awaiting them, depending on how they lived their life. Those pure of good are sent to Paradise in the Great Light- or what you call Andromeda. Evildoers are tortured in the Black Abyss. The third route is that we get reborn into new bodies after our souls are purified in the River, giving us a fresh start.”

            The impromptu hunters were more then intrigued by that explanation, but they got things they need to learn about the animals on this rock. They can save the metaphysical stuff for later. “… don’t touch the important deer, got it.”

            “So how do these things even work?” Pelosa asked, gesturing to one of the rifles on the table. “Sokuro said they shoot light.”

            “More or less.” Ton picked it up and checked the ammo battery. “These are plasma rifles- they shoot concentrated energy that can wound or kill a target while leaving no surface wounds. It can be very effective. They run off of a specialized mineral called…” And he saw that he lost her. There were so many places to lose someone unfamiliar with the topic. “… yes, they shoot light.”

            “And how did you manage that?”

            “For us humans? Thousands of years of trail and error.”

 

Back in Misken, Mukembe was still recording what he can to show those back in the colony. Someone needed to take the job, and lucky for them, he’s pretty good with cameras, knowing what shots to take and whatnot.

 “{The heck is this?}” A male Hesk named Delosy commented as he looked at a really strangely colored fruit with warts and leaves that look like knives. Mukembe pedaled back when he heard that-this could lead into the first Colonist-Dragenian argument.

Delosy is one of the many cooks over at the colony and he is looking at what the local population has to eat- they’ll need to eat this when their stores run out in three years. Plenty of time to get used to it, yet not enough time to learn how to grow it, especially with winter predicted to come soon.

“{That’s a Tomtom fruit.}” One of the villagers, a female Gaharot named Isisi, said as she tended to her stall. “{Careful with it- it is very delicate. If you drop it, it will break open like an egg. When that happens, it will unleash a noxious fume that will make you cry.}”

Delosy eyed the fruit in his hands for a moment before putting it as far away from him as he can. Mukembe stepped as far back as he could. Delosy gently set it back on the stall and backed away from it. “{Great… a rotten egg fruit. How wonderfully.}”

“{Oh really?}” Isisi gave him a disbelieving scoff as she put her claws on her hips. “{You mean to tell me that there are no foods like that where you are from- nothing smelly enough to make nosehairs singe and eyes water up?}”

“{… touché.}”

“{To-what?}”

“{It’s a saying- it means ‘good point’. And I know the human’s do- something called an Onion. I don’t know why, but I’ve seen people cry when they cut it. They say it’s a fume the vegetable gives off or something.}”

“{Must be one smelly item.}”

“{Must affect humans only, though. I cut them before and I never cried from… I want to say fumes, but I feel like I am wrong.}”

Mukembe decided to comment on this. “{No. you’re right. It’s fumes.}”

Isisi jumped back when she saw the strange flying object beside him. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.

 

Sokuro flew though the skies high above, feeling as free as a bird, despite the passenger on her back and the potential weapon in her paws. She flew slow and methodical, letting the wind currents carry her back home.

Bran had put on his goggles to protect his eyes from the wind. There’s no telling what could be up here, such as a bug or a stray leaf. Now that they didn’t have a giant turtle monster trying to kill them, he could now take in the view of Evioly, and it was a splendor.

“Wow… I can’t wait to get the hover bike out and get it working.”

She looked back to him. “What’s a bike?”

“wha… really? I figured you would’ve have bicycles on this planet.” She just shrugged, still not knowing what a bike truly is. “Oh my lanta, this atrocity cannot stand. Moment we’re done hiding this thing, I’m taking you to the colony and I am gonna break out one of those bikes.”

“Wow… ok then.” They flew in silence for some time. The mesa wasn’t that far ahead, so they still had time to talk. “Why would they name me after that…?’

“Huh?”

“Tay Sokuro Basen… why would they give me the same name as the birthplace of all life…?”

He can’t say- he never knew her parents. All he knows is what she told him. “I wish I knew what to tell ya. It’s possible that they felt it had some hidden meaning.” She thought about that as they flew- that could’ve been it. “That or they thought it sounded cool.”

“No… I think it was the first one… in my language, Soku means ‘Oath’ and Ro means ‘Keeper’. So, in a liberal sense, my name is Oathkeeper- Tay’s meaning has been lost because nobody is called that, and Basen roughly translates to God-Land. But there must’ve been more than just naming me Oathkeeper.” She looked back to Bran. “Do names from your home have a meaning?”

“Of course they do. I assume they do at all cultures. My full name is Brandon Shkirando: Brandon which is an old Welsh and Irish name. It means Prince, though obviously, I am far from a prince.”

“Clearly. And what are a Welsh and an Irish? Are they names of far-off lands?”

“Eh……. Kinda. They are a term for people who grew up in a certain place. Welsh grew up in a province called Wales and Irish, a land called Ireland.”

“Huh… so that would make me an Eviolease? Eviles? Evoick?” that last one sounded bad. “Eh… we’ll figure it out. So what about you? Are you a Welsh or a Irish?”

Not even close. “Well, that is complicated. I have blood from a wide array of other cultures and races flowing though me thanks to thousands of years. But near as I can tell from our genealogy, I am mostly Russian, from my father’s side. My voice even has the faintest whisper of an accent.”

“What accent?”

“I said it was a faint whisper of one- I never said I had one fully.”

After several minutes, the two of them reached the village. Bran looked down to take in the view, and he was impressed. Building on top of a mesa couldn’t have been easy, but they are half dragons and their neighbor race does have airships, so it couldn’t have been that hard. Sokuro flapped her wings to keep herself aloft.

“Wow.”

Sokuro looked back to him. “Yep. This is my home: Misken.”

“It’s an impressive little town. Very homely.” He looked at the many buildings that littered the top. He recognized the style. It’s more far along then it was back on Earth, but the style is nearly spot on. “Huh… it has a Native American vibe.”

“A what?”

“Native American. I’ll give you the full details later but, the short version; they were a race of people who lived on the continent of America. They lived very close to nature. Their homes look just like yours, though yours are more developed.” He thought to himself for a moment, crossing his arms and putting a finger on his chin. “Hmm… this adds more evidence to that theory- that that giant golden door is a portal to other worlds- someone must’ve visited Earth far in the past to learn this style. And not just for these buildings, but also for the temple we saw. It’s the only way this makes sense.”

She looked down at the many huts and houses that she calls home. She can only go on his word that he is right. If this is true, then Earth and Dragenia were already connected before they even met. The Ancient Gaharots were amazing, she thought. And if all that speculation is indeed true, then the ancient Ferids made a mistake. “If you say so… but we have no way to test that since we don’t have a key. We don’t even know what a key looks like. It could be in that giant serpent, for all we know.”

“Then this is one mystery we’re gonna have to shelve. We can’t do anything more about it until, pssh… something happens.”

“I guess…”

The two of them neared the orphanage, heading for the docks right next door to it. Her body glowed as she began to change back. Once they were close enough, Bran jumped off and landed on the docks. He looked back and waited for Sokuro to turn back into her Ferid form. She appeared, shivering and still holding the arrow. “OOoooo… that always sends shivers up my spine.”

“I can only imagine.” She walked past him and headed towards the orphanage. He looked over to the village, foolishly wondering which building over there was the place she lives. “So which of those houses over there is the orphanage?”

She turned around and gave him a puzzled look while walking backwards. “Over there? The orphanage isn’t over there.”

“You sure? Because on Vega, the orphanages were small and cramped. They were barely livable, if at all.”

“Then that Vega place sounds like a really bad one.”

“… Yeah, it down there as one of the worst planets in the galaxy. But again, if it’s not over there, then--” He looked back to her and saw her going up the path to a rather large building located on the outskirts of the town. It was easily the biggest building of this place he had seen, and the design was something original- not at all Native American inspired. “… it’s that building right there, isn’t it?”

“Duh.” She replied. Bran lightly scowled before running up to catch up with her. She was already at the door when he caught up. “It is a lot bigger then I had imagined.”

“Well, obviously, this isn’t Vega, especially the way you described the orphanages there.” She opened up the door and went inside. He followed and closed it behind him.

The inside was a lot more spacious then he had anticipated. There must be enough space to fit both a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen in this large area, and sure enough, it is what it was described. He was burnt logs in the fireplace on the far side of the room, a fully function kitchen for their technological level, lots of bookcases and books, and he swears he saw some sort of board game tucked away. “Wow… This is bigger than my room back in the colony.” He walked over to the dining table, which was smack dab in the middle. He counted how many chairs there were surrounding it. “There are 13 orphans living here?”

“No. One of them belongs to the Headmaster Hela. The other is her son’s, Vela’s. One of the orphans, Matan, was old enough to leave and strike out on his own. Last I heard, he’s at Camacu, a small desert border town, on the mainland. The other nine are indeed other orphans like me. One of them is my little brother Taled. The rest, I don’t think you’ve met yet. You probably could’ve today- they mentioned joining the group that was going to check out your colony.”

“So we’re all alone here.”

“For now, yeah, but I don’t think for long. Hela will be back any moment. She’s pregnant, so she can’t go far from the shaman or home. She’s actually ready to give birth any day now, but that kid is stubborn.”

“That tends to happen. But we should have enough time to hide that Arrow.”

She had forgotten she had that in her hands. She looked down at it. The arrowhead seems to have gotten even shinier, at least to her. “Right…” She seemed displeased about it. “Well, let’s go see if my little hidey-hole is big enough. Come on.” She headed on up the stairs to the second floor. Bran bounded up after her.

“Here we are.” She opened up the door and bounded inside to close curtains, just in case they were being watched. While she moved on to light some candles, Bran looked around the very spacious room. The orphans of Misken aren’t lacking for room. He can’t speak for the rest of the planet, or even Evioly, but he hopes they follow the same example. “Wow. This is quite homey.” He noticed there were two beds here. “Who else lives in here?”

“Vela.” Sokuro said as she lit up the candles. They were much brighter then Earth-made candles- must be a better wax or wick they make. She waved out the match and went to her closet. “With the baby coming, he moved in here with me. It used to be Taled’s bed, but he sleeps with me.” She opened it up and began moving some stuff around.

Bran let her do her things and continued to explore around. There was a small table off in the corner and several dressers, both assigned to each of them. He went to one of them and saw that it was Sokuro’s and Taled’s with the small painting that was on top. He grabbed it and looked at it in the candle light. It showed a younger Sokuro- can’t be older than 4 years, and her brother in the arms of their mother. Based on his size, he must’ve been bore just a few weeks prior.

“You guys have paintings on this world. Guess that’s one thing that is universal.”

She looked back and saw that he was looking at their family portrait. “Yeah… I guess so …” She went back to moving the random junk around.

He looked over the two grown-ups in the center of the painting. The father was regal and proud, and it showed in his attire, his sleek brown hair, his facial hair, and piercing purple eyes. The mother looked like Sokuro, except much much older. She had blue hair that was down to her knees, soft brown eyes, and rather voluptuous. If genetics works the same on Dragenia as it does everywhere else, then Sokuro is gonna extremely beautiful when she gets older. She’ll be beating suitors away with a stick. “And I’m guessing these are your parents.”

She stopped what she was doing and sighed, clutching the locket of her parents in her hands. “Yeah… that’s mom and dad. Dad… Amosit, was once a member of a noble house in the Erel Republic over on the mainland. Mom, Imilae, was once a handmaiden in training, or so I heard. She never looked like one who could take orders. They both had a passion for history and knowledge- they met over in Xoelsa while studying and fell in love. And, well, obviously, they got married and had me and my brother. And before then, they became famed explorers and archeologists, finding ancient texts and ruins and fossils. Heh… our home was filled to the brim with all that old junk.”

“That would explain your knowledge with history, then, given your heritage.” He put the painting back where he found it.

“Yeah. They began teaching me when I could speak. I’m pretty much a walking history book at this point. Although…” She looked at the arrow again. “What we found down there in the Basen confounds even me.”

“And I’m assuming it all got burnt up in the fire.”

That was still a hard subject for her. She still remembers what happened. Taled, fortunately, was too young to remember. “Yeah… only a few trinkets survived…” She shook her head, getting back into the now. There was no sense going back into that painful memory. “And now, me and Taled live here. It’s not all bad. There are worse places I could’ve gone, and I love the other kids who live here, and Hela is amazing.” She moved the last of the things to the side and found her hidiy-hole. “I just wish it was under better circumstances…”

She lifted up the hidden floorboard. Bran walked over and peered in. There was some random junk, most likely from her old home, but it was big enough to hide the arrow. “That seems big enough. And it’s in the closet, underneath tons of other stuff. The only way anyone is going to find this is if they know where we hid it.”

“Yeah.” She grabbed the arrow and moved to put it in. She hesitated putting it in and just looked at it. It is such a simple little thing, yet she is so afraid of it? Why? Why be afraid of such a majestic and… gorgeous and…… magnificent weapon…? The arrowhead reflected her appearance. Her eyes slowly began to glaze over. She could feel the power emanated from this seemingly benign weapon. It feels so… good. Really good… almost like her problems do not exist and she… exists in an ethereal bliss that comes only from this arrow. It seems to make them go away.

The arrowhead very slowly began to glow and--

Bran snapped his fingers in front of her, knocking her back to reality. “Hey, you in there? You stopped mid movement.”

“Huh, wha, huh?” She blinked several times and the glaze went away. “Un, yeah, I’m here. I’m just, un… felt like I was gonna sneeze.” She scratched the back of her head- she can’t remember a thing of what just happened.

She placed the arrow inside the cubby and grabbed the fake floorboard to put over it. She saw the shine in the arrowhead dim and fad away, like it had lost all of its shine. Her gut was telling her that this was wrong, but her heart was telling her this was right. Her mind… it was a rollercoaster of emotions right now. She shook her head again and placed the boards back in place. She and Bran put the closet back the way it was before closing it.

“There we go…” Bran said. “Perfectly hidden.”

“Yeah… hidden…” She spoke as if she was completely out of energy.

“You ok?”

“Huh? Un…. Yeah. Just hungry, that’s all.”

“Alright. Then let’s go get something to eat. I’m dying to know what you guys put into a sandwich, if you all do sandwiches.” He headed out the room and went the wrong way towards the stairs. He turned himself around and went the right way this time.

Sokuro reached the door and put her hand on the handle. She looked back at the closet, feeling… wrong. She felt a knot form in the back of her head- a tight contraction of a knot that feels like it’s putting immense pressure on her mind. She shook her head for a third time and closed the door behind her as she went after Bran.

She should stop him from causing trouble in the village. He may know things, but he s still brand new to experiencing them.

16: Chapter 14: Eagerness
Chapter 14: Eagerness

Chapter 14

Eagerness

2/20/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

The sound of cranking tools came out of the airship that saved Bran from the Phagos the other day. Since the beast made a mess of their ship both inside and outside, the crew had been hard at work on repairs. Despite their need to get their ship repaired, they are still reeling from recent events just like everyone else. Visitors from beyond the Black Abyss- that’s impossible, yet there is living proof living not that far away.

“Nobody on the mainland is going to believe this.” The galley cook commented as he went around serving a Dragenia version of chowder to the crew, which were taking a break from all the repair work.

            “I still can’t believe it.” The loudmouth technician from the other day said as he dunked his spoon in. “And I experienced it.”

“Word of this will spread like wildfire.” Captain Dexyl said as she sat on the railing. “First it will spread all over Evioly, and then to the Mainland. When it reaches the ears of kings and presidents, you know they’re gonna want to come to see the new people.”

            “And that’s adding onto the news of a new Silver Aerid.” The cabin boy said as he was given his. “Nobody is going to believe this.”

            The loudmouth swallowed his spoonful and was about to repeat himself. “You’re telling me. I still--”

            “We get it!” The whole crew said in unison.

            Well, almost the whole crew. The girl who saved Bran from falling was looking out in the distance, lost in thought as she thought about that boy she saved. He was cute, for some non-Ferid… thing. She wonders if she will ever meet him again. “Eia, you in there?” the armored female asked.

            “Huh? Oh. Yeah, I’m fine.” She started eating up. “I’m… just thinking about that visitor boy the other day. I think his name was Bran.”

            “OOOOO…” The cabin boy teased. He scooted over and playfully elbowed her on the side. “Is our little Eia falling in love?”

            “I am not!” She yelled as her face turned red. That solicited a chuckle from the crew. “I don’t- I don’t!”

            Dexyl was enjoying the laughs too, but it was just mean, making fun of such a easily-embarrassed girl. “Alright lads, alright. We had our fun. We should stop before she turns as red as a kuoquat, and we all remember what happened last time that happened.” A chorus of dismissive ‘yeah yeah’s’ came from everyone. “But still, that boy was interesting.” She added as she tapped her spoon the side of her bowl. “What did he have? He used something to tear a scale off the Phagos. I never saw a thing that could shoot light.”

            The technician sputtered as he messed with his spoon. There was some news he didn’t want to share with the crew, but he needed to. “Well, you may be able to ask him soon. Repairs are going to take longer than anticipated. One of the tal’ko gears is busted beyond repair. I need to get a new one and the closest place that sells them is Roko Harbor. I need to ask someone here in town for a ride there.”

            “Crap.” Dexyl rested her head in her hands and tapped her claws under her eye. “That’s gonna eat up a good chunk of change. We’ll be stuck here for a few days, lads. Better get comfortable.” She looked amongst her shipmates and didn’t see a dismayed face. The crew wasn’t all that dismayed by the news, actually. This means they can stay and learn about these new people alone with the people of Misken. Eia was certainly happy, even if she wasn’t showing it. “Although… I don’t think you all mind. You want to see the new folks.”

            The cabin boy, out of the side of his eye, noticed a couple of particular someone’s leaving the orphanage. “Speaking of new folks…” He pointed in that general direction. “I see the new kids leaving the orphanage.”

            “Really?!” Eia exclaimed, rushing over to the side to see them heading off into the town, with the girl trying frantically to keep up with the eager boy. She realized her excitement was a bit too much and dialed it back a bit. “I… un. I mean, we should get to know him.”

            “I think you mean you should get to know him.” Dexyl said with a mischievous chuckle. She placed her bowl down and headed over to the rigging that hung over the side. “Well, come on. If you want to meet him, let’s go meet him.”

            Eia didn’t even try to hide the excitement in her voice. “You mean it!?!”

            “You’re gonna jump out of your skin if we don’t. I can see you bouncing like you saw a cute dress in the window.” That solicited another chuckle from the crew, which made her turn red even more. Dexyl wasn’t even on the rigging before Eia started climbing down at a record pace. “Heh… hold up there, lover girl.” She started down. “Keep an eye on the ship while we’re out.” She told the crew.

            “Yeah yeah.”

 

            Meanwhile, Bran had left the orphanage with a bright-eyed smile on his face. Now that the whole deal with the arrow had been dealt with, he can now finally do what everyone else is doing and mingle. He had never seen the town yet and is quite eager to see what Sokuro’s home is like. From the air, everything had a Native American feel and he wants to know if they share some, if not most, of the same culture. If their hypothesis is true, then that Golden Door down below may link Dragenia and Earth somehow. Why, how, and when is still a mystery, but it’s better to just take things one day at a time.

            He was already heading towards the village as Sokuro ran out of the orphanage and ran after him. He already had a big head start by the time she had run outside. “Will you wait a second, Bran!?” She called out as she hurried on over to him. She caught up and panted lightly, exhaling as she wiped her forehead.

            “What? I’m a eager beaver- I want to see what this place is like.”

            “… ok, first off, what is a beaver? And second… why the rush? It’s not going anywhere. Misken has been here for hundreds of cycles before and it will be here long after we return to the River. You have plenty of time to--”

            “SOKURO!!!” She was tackle hugged from the side by a overly-enthusiastic Taled, which sent them both to the ground.

            Sokuro winced in pain as she felt a sharp rock poking her side. “Ow… not cool, Taled…” She struggled to get him off, but he was grasping on tight.

            “Sorry about that.” A familiar angelic voice said. Hela walked up with several wrapped bags of Dragenian vegetables. “I turned my back for one second and he just took off.”

            “It’s… agh, alright, Hela!” She had her free hand moving around underneath her to grab the rock. “Except I’ve landed on a sharp rock and it’s poking me in the kidney—get off of me for just one second, Taled!” She struggled with loud grunts. Bran lightly chuckled to himself as he watched. “Enjoying the show, useless?!”

            “Yep.” Bran chuckled.

            Hela took notice of him finally and turned to talk to him. “You must be the famous Bran we keep hearing so much about.”

            Bran gave a sly chuckle as he crossed his arms. He’s already famous? Celebrities on Earth take longer than this. “Barely a couple days and I’m already a celebrity?”

            “You could say that. Sokuro never stopped talking about you for over a week. The other orphans all thought she was making up stories or that her new position as a Silver was giving her some unintended side effects.”

            “Hey!” Sokuro shouted as she sat up. Taled had finally let go of her, allowing her to do this. “Not funny, Hela!”

            “I never said it was.”

            “Wait, Hela?” Bran repeated. He leaned to the side and saw that her belly was enormous. “So you’re the headmaster of the orphanage.”

            “Why yes I am. Has Sokuro mentioned me before?”

            “Yes. She mentioned you were pregnant, and boy do you look it.” Hela looked at him with a perplexed raised eyebrow. “What? I never met a pregnant lady before, let alone a pregnant Gaharot. The only other Dino people I met were on the ship that saved my life…” He noticed the girl that saved him before coming to him. “… and speak of the devil, here comes one of them now.”

            Eia was on them in mere seconds. “Hiya, Bran!” She said with such a upbeat attitude. “It’s nice to see you today!” She said with a wide smile.

            Bran felt uncomfortable with her sudden appearance and her strangely overly-upbeat attitude. “Hiya… you… I don’t know your name.”

            “It’s Eia. I don’t blame you for not knowing… you were taken before we had a chance to talk.” She shot a glare to Sokuro, which made her feel more then uncomfortable.

            “Right.” Uncomfortable situation got even more uncomfortable. “Un, Sokuro, others, this is Eia. She saved my life during the whole Phagos business. I fell off the ship and she caught me before I plummeted into the things mouth.”

            “It was my pleasure!” She exhaled with a pant, getting nauseatingly close to Bran. He was getting anxious about all this- he doesn’t like people who are those close to him. She’s practically on the verge of grabbing his hand; that will send him overboard.

            “Girl, you need to dial it back a whooooole lot.” Sokuro commented, thankfully breaking the tension. “You’re coming off as creepy.” Eia shot her another glare that made Sokuro shiver.

            “She is right, Eia. You could calm down a bit.” Dexyl said as she approached seconds behind her. “It’s not like he’s going anywhere.

            “S-sorry, captain.” Eia stepped away from Bran to give him some space, much to his internal relief.

            “You’re the captain of the ship that saved my behind, aren’t you?” Bran asked.

            “I am. The name is Dexyl. I am the captain of the merchant ship Talkos.”

            “And one of the people who saved my life.” Bran said yet again. “She was a baaaaaaa…” He almost said a bad word in front of kids. He knows they probably won’t understand what it means, but still, it’s best not to spread bad parts of a culture this soon. “…aaad mamajama. She wasn’t afraid to go up against that thing to save my bacon. Well, the least afraid, anyway.”

            While she is thankful for the glowing comment, some of his words confused her to no end. It confused everyone else present. “What in the world is a mamajama? And on that note, what is bacon?”

            Mamajama, he can understand for not knowing. It’s a nonsense word, in every sense. But bacon? Seriously? They don’t have bacon on this planet? They don’t have some kind of strange pig-like creature? Boy, they are in for a treat when they try it. But now he has to explain it. If only he knew what the first word even meant. “Un…….mamajama is a term. It, un, means… ‘awesome, fearless person’…?” That is not what it means, but he doesn’t know what it means either. At least he knows this one. “And bacon is a food from earth. It’s made from a pig and is one of the tastiest foods from my homeworld. It’s a really tasty meat…” He then realized that they may not like meat on this world. He never saw Sokuro eat anything meaty during their many rendezvous. “Wait… this isn’t a planet of vegetarians, is it?”

            “No, we eat meat too.” Dexyl confirmed while leaning forward. “And for the record, kid- none of us were buying your ‘tail lose in a accident’ story. Ferid tails have a tendency to grow back if they are lost.”

            “It’s true.” Sokuro said. “I lost half of my tail in a accident as well- accidentally knocked a knife off a table when I was young. Hurt like holy Abyss when it happened, and it hurt even worse when it grew back.”

            Bran shakingly chuckled to himself as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “I, un…. Well, you believed me, right?”

            “What did I just say?” Dexyl bemoaned.

            He looked to Sokuro. “And it hurts that bad?”

            “Those bites I got from the Phagos? Those were nothing compared to a regrowing tail.” Bran winced in sympathetic pain. First he wanted a tail, now he is glad he doesn’t have one if it hurts that bad to regrow one. “You can back me up on the pain, right Eia?” All Sokuro got from her were more hate-filled glares. “(Sheesh… what is with this girl?)”

            While none of them anticipated this day going this way, they are stuck in this awkward situation, all stemming from Eia’s intensity. “… moooooving on.” Bran said in a thinly veiled attempt to try and get out of the awkwardness, and out of Eia’s intense stares- what is up with this kid? “Soooo… un… I was going to do something… I don’t remember what.” He was coming up with nothing.

            Sokuro to the rescue- she had a decent idea on how to get out of this. “I was gonna give you a tour of the village.”

            He quickly jumped on that bandwagon. “Yeah, that’s it. Sokuro was going to give me a tour of the town and show me all of the sights.”

            “Aww….” Eia pouted. She wanted to spend more time with him.

            Dexyl was going to regret this later, but it’s best for her crewmate to get this all out of her system before it gets bad. “You can go to, Eia.” Eia happily gasped as she clasped her hands together. “Just be sure to return to the ship when it is done.”

            “Yes ma’am!” She gave a salute before rushing over to Bran’s side. “I never saw this village either, so this’ll be fun, right Bran?”

            “Un… right?” He took a step away from her and she took a step forward. She has officially crossed into creepy stalker territory. “So… shall we, Sokuro?”

            “(So much for getting rid of the awkwardness…)” Sokuro thought to herself. Given Eia’s actions, it’s probably best not to get on her bad side. “Yeah, let’s get going. There are some impressive sights to see.” She looked back to her little brother. “Coming, Taled?”

            He sadly frowned. “No. I gotta help Hela with the food.”

            “Alright then. I’ll see you later.” She waved goodbye to him as she and the other two walked off.

            Once they were out of earshot, Hela had a brief conversation with Dexyl about her crewmate. “You need to reign that girl in, captain. She made everyone uncomfortable with how she was looking at the new kid.”

            Dexyl knows that more than anyone when it involves that girl. “Yeah… Eia has no social skills. We’ve been trying to help her since her father asked her to keep an eye on her, but… merchants aren’t exactly the best role models when it comes to personal space. And you are telling me that you haven’t acted like that when you were younger, fawning over your first crush?”

            Hela pursed her lips to the side, knowing she can’t really argue with the captain about this when her belly said it all. “…Not as creepily as her.”

 

            Velx looked out to the sky, lost in thought over the events that had transpired in the last few days, more specifically this morning. He and the rest of the gods were dreading the discovery of that weapon. It was hidden for a reason. But… there are worse people it could’ve ended up with. Sokuro is surprisingly strong willed for her age, and the arrow wasn’t having a negative reaction to her as it did with the past few users, so she must have a pure heart, at least pure enough for the arrow to allow it to be held by her.

            “Is something the matter, Lord Velx?” Fayin asked as she looked up at him.

            He blinked once as he returned to reality. “Huh? Oh, I’m fine, Fayin. Just… lost in thought.”

            “About that camera thing that guy was touting about? I knew it could suck out souls.”

            “Not that. It’s… about other things.”

            “Astral related?”

            “Yes.” As much as he wants to keep this hidden until he knew for certain what Sokuro would do with it, he had to inform his brothers and sisters about this development. They felt the same surge he did, so they are going to want answers. “Listen, Fayin, I need to go and seek counsel from my fellow Astrals. If anyone comes by to ask, tell them I’m at the Astral Plains.” With a flap of his wings, he vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind ethereal feathers.

            Fayin tilted her head, wondering what had him lost. “That was strange…” She said to herself.

 

            Dan was as giddy as a schoolgirl as he bounced around the village square, absolutely high on adrenaline and joy as his childhood fantasy was coming true. Dragons. Real life, honest-to-goodness Dragons. They exist! They exist!! This has been a dream of his for years, to see Dragons in real life- to touch them, to fly on one, to… well, any further would be going overboard.

            There was no denying that he was in heaven. He watched Dragons fly away to hunt some game, oblivious to the five-dollar tour being given by the new chosen one until he turned around and saw them. He grinned like the Cheesier Cat before hopping on over to them.

            “These are the docks.” Sokuro said to Eia and Bran as she gestured to them. The docks hung off the edge of the mesa, hanging precariously over a loooooooooong drop to the ground below. The shipwrights weren’t worried. There were only five docking moors here and one over by the orphanage- they must not get a lot of ship visitors around. “We get airships from Roko Harbor and the inner villages all the time. Most of them are merchants like Dexyl, but some carry other things, like other Ferid children about to undergo ascension.”

            “Wait, they come here to become Aerids?” Bran asked.

            “The ones on Evioly, yes.” Eia said in an attempt to impress him. “There aren’t a lot of Astrals in the world- each one governs a region. Velk looks over all of Evioly.”

            “Velk? I thought his name was Velx.”

            Eia realized her mistake and covered her mouth in a dainty manner. “oops.”

            “That was his ancient name.” Sokuro explained. “Back during the Gaharot Empire, the Astrals went by different names, but after the Empire was overthrown and time marched on, the people began calling them by different names. Velx was lucky- he just had a letter changed.”

            “Huh.”

            “Gotcha!” Dan appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Bran’s head, locking him in a chokehold. Sokuro and Eia with both confused by what is going on and just watched as it happened. “Thought you could get away from me, drake boy? You got one on each arm- surely you can spare one.”

            “Agh! What the heck are you talking about?” Bran choked, smacking his hand on Dan’s shoulder. “Please stop… I can hear my skull cracking.” Dan let him go, letting him faceplant onto the ground.

            “You know what I am talking about, Brandon.”

            Bran picked his head out of the dirt and spit it out. “……. Don’t ever call me that.” He grumbled as he got back up off the ground, dusting off his frontside, with Eia helping. “What are you doing here, Dan?”

            As if he needed to ask. “Are you kidding me? I am in heaven right now!!” He spun around with his arms spread wide and a equally wide smile on his face. “I didn’t go to a new world- I died and went to paradise.” Bran moaned and facepalmed while the girls tilted their heads, lost in more confusion than ever. “So, un, Bran… are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?”

            Bran lowered his hand down his face, giving him the evil eye. As for the girls, Eia blushed profusely while Sokuro was further down the rabbit hole of confusion. “She is not my girlfriend… geez… but since you are insisting…” He turned to the girls. He was not enthusiastic about this, not in the slightest. “Sokuro… Eia… this is Dan, a certifiable nutjob I’m regretting being friends with.”

            “And Bran’s only friend.” He pulled Bran over into a brotherly embrace. “Don’t forget that, dude.”

            “Though now I’m having second thoughts.” Bran droned.

            “HEHEEEE… he’s a kidderrrr!” Dan pinched his cheek and shook him about for a brief moment.

            “Um… Hi?” Sokuro struggled to say. This Dan fella has so much energy, it’s mind-boggling. “Un… Bran, what’s with him? Why is he acting like this?”

            Bran was gonna try to answer with a straight face and a humble attitude, but with Dan and how he is acting right now, he gets the barebones version. “Because… ugh… he’s in heaven.”

            “How?” Eia asked.

            It was just now that Bran realized that explaining Dan’s… fascination with a certain mythical species was going to be hard. Moments like this, he wishes they landed on a desert world where the most sentience life had to offer was a giant worm. “Because he is into Dragons…….. waaaaaaaaaaaaaay into Dragons, like… disturbingly so.”

            Eia never heard that term before. “Dragons?”

            “It’s what they call our Aerid forms.” Sokuro said. “On their world, Aerids- or Dragons, as they like to call us- are considered mythological monsters that are all over the spectrum- good, evil, godly, beastly, blah blah blah blah, we’re all over the place. so you can imagine their surprise when they find Dragons, aka us, here.”

            “Oh. But that doesn’t explain why this Dan fellow is so… strange.”

            Dan suddenly appeared beside Eia, putting a elbow on her shoulder as he spoke in a highly sophisticated manner. “Because I am in love with Dragons. I have had a strong fascination with them ever since I was a wee little pup, barely old enough to say my first word. Then I played a video game about a little draggy hero, and I was instantly hooked.” He broke character. “Plus, Dragoness’ are s--”

            Bran covered Dan’s mouth before he could go any further on that front, this time putting him in a chokehold. “Ok, time for you to stop, nutso!”

            “Heh?” The girls both went. They were back to being absolutely lost.

            Dan pulled Bran’s hand away and gave him a scoff. “Plebian.”

            “Lunatic.” Bran replied with a sigh. “So… yeah. Dan really likes Dragons and this world is pretty much his dream come true. Just… bit of a warning: don’t be alarmed when he starts flirting. Just smile and nod.”

            “Flirting?” Eia asked.

            Her answer came in a visual representation as Dan offered her a bouquet of flowers that appeared out of nowhere and offered them to her whilst taking her hand. “For you, Mon Cherie.” He said in the fakest French accent possible as he took her hand and daintily kissed it.

            Most girls would be flustered and happy a guy was this interested in her, pulling off moves like this. Eia is not like most girls. Whatever Dan was doing was completely lost on her. Instead of feeling adored, she was instead creeped out. “This guy is scaring me…” She whispered with a hiss.

            Bran wished to saw it was going to get better, but it wasn’t. Not with Dan. “Yeah… you don’t get used to it…” That wasn’t the good news Eia was hoping for. They needed to get away from Dan pronto. Thankfully, they were in the middle of something that was right in that line of thought. “Sooooo… back to the tour?”

            “Back to the tour.” Sokuro said as she and Bran walked off, trying to get away with all haste. Eia was able to break free and run after them. Dan, of course, followed. As if he was going to be left behind in this amazing place.

           

Crox, Belfast, and Kitsunagi were lead inside of Misken’s magnificent meeting hall by Inoute and Ifil, which also served as a shelter in case of disasters or Phagos attacks. Something that always puzzled Crox is how ancient civilizations were able to build such a impressive underground habitat. Civilizations on Earth thousands of years more primitive were able to do this with near perfect precision and skill, often times making entire villages down deep beneath the earth. It’s a mystery she will never understand.

“And this is our town hall.” Inoute showed off the large rectangular room. “It took decades to create this place, but if it can protect us from Phagos attacks, it was worth it. Though with it dead, now it’s just for village meetings and storage. Pray that another one won’t come by.”

“That Phagos was that bad of a threat?” Belfast asked with his hands in his pockets.

“There’s more than one, you know. And you saw what happened. Your light weapons did nothing to its shell; neither did the airship or Sokuro. It took the interference of a God to finally slay that beast.”

“And I take it that doesn’t happen often.” Kitsunagi said.

“They forbade themselves from interfering in the lives of us mortal folk. They live amongst us, but other then the Ascension ceremonies, they do not interfere.” Ifil said as they reached the center- a ceremonial fire pit. “There have been several exceptions, but that was only when things were at their most dire.”

“Like that Xelut creep?” Crox asked.

“Yes.”

“So why don’t they interfere?” Crox continued.

“Because if they did so, interfering on every single matter down to the baseless and trivial, life would become too static for us mortal folk. We would be stuck. We would rely on the Astrals for everything and if we did that, we’d be in our homes, doing nothing but eating and sleeping. We wouldn’t be able to create architecture like this hall or the Connecting Bridge or even the Valaveil Colossus. Surely you humans and…” He was blanking on Kitsunagi’s and Belfast’s race. “…What was your race called… Kitsunes—I’m sure your races have faced situations like that in your past.”

“Actually, yes. We have.” Belfast said. “But obviously, we aren’t like that here.”

“Clearly.” He and Ifil sat down on one edge of the firepit. The colonists copied his moves, making sure they don’t offend him. Ifil tossed a small red rock into the branches that filled the pit, lighting them on fire, creating a very small blaze. “Now… let’s get down to business.”

“Knew this was coming. I’m actually surprised you didn’t bring it up sooner.” She crossed her legs and her arms. “I’m gonna assume you’re gonna start us off with that Froypis disease.”

“I was going to start with your food situation, but sure, we can start there.”

“Whoops. Well, I brought it up.” Kitsunagi took down a touch pad to take notes on the dicease. She was gonna add on to what they got the other day. “So, how does it spread? Is it airborne?”

“No. it spreads though contact. I know what you are thinking- ‘if it spreads though contact, how can anyone still get it when they can just avoid the infected person?’ Well, the mess they leave behind still needs to be cleaned up after they… ahem, expire. And since it is dust they turn into, it can spread about though the air. only one particle needs to make contact for someone to contract it.”

“Yikes…”

Inoute somberly nodded, making sure to hide his hand up his sleeve. “Are you sure your… what were they called again? The Hesk?” Belfast nodded. “Are you sure that the Hesk can create a cure for it?”

“Pretty positive. They’re leaders in medical sciences back in the Milky Way, so if anyone can find a cure to this, they can. All they need is a sample to work off of.” She tapped her fingers on her side. “That being said… they aren’t godly. It will take time to find a way to cure it, so… anyone who is in the late stages on this island or living on the mainland are… unfortunately still going to die.”

Inoute sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Guess it was too much to ask for it to be finished soon. “Right…” He put his hand behind the other. “Let’s switch topics. What is your food situation?”

“Still good. We got three years—cycles of food before we run out. After we cross that threshold, we will need to know how to grow and cultivate local flora. Hunting won’t be a problem, but farming will be.”

“Flora?”

“Fruits, Herbs, and Vegetables.”

“Ah.”

“Therein lies the problem… we don’t know how the local flora… well, works. Food back on our homeworlds, we know how to grow. We brought seeds and such. The local stuff, on the other hand… we’re going to need some help with that. Surely some of your farmers will be able to help.”

“They will.”

“Good.”

Belfast chimed in. “Does your planet have money? Currency you trade in exchange for goods and services? If we can’t grow food, we’re gonna need to trade it with others.”

“Yes, we have money.” He nodded to Ifil, who pulled out several coins of varying size and gave one to each of them. “They’re called Sels. It’s a currency that has been in service since the Ancient Empire- it’s one of the few things left over from those days. They come in varying prices based on their size. The bigger they are, the more valuable.”

“Huh.” Crox said as she looked hers over. It was the smallest of them all, so it must be the least valuable. “We’re gonna need to figure out an exchange rate…” She put her coin down on the ground and pulled out the currency of the Milky Way- small finger-sized bars of varying metal. “This is our money- credits. Each world had its own coin currency before they joined the Galactic Community of the Milky Way, where they then conformed to this standard currency.”

“Hmm…” Inoute took one of the bars and bit it. “I… don’t know how this would work with our money.”

“Yeah… I had a feel that was going to be a problem. Unless we melt our money down and mint them in your style of coinage, I… wait, you know what, that does sound like a good idea.” Belfast would disagree about that- he’s seen what happens with cultures with too much cash, but he was coming up empty on ideas as this point. Hopefully this is one culture that doesn’t revolve around cash like humanity.

“It’s the best option I can think of at this moment, because I can see no value in these bars.” Ifil said as he bit one for good measure. “Other than decorative paperweights, that is.” He tossed it back over to them.

“We should’ve thought the money situation before we left the galaxy.” Belfast said. “Not every culture operates off of currency the same way the Milky Way does. Even among the various races, we handle money differently. The Adlez, for example- they don’t operate off of a monetary system. They work for scrap, which they can use to turn into lord knows what.”

“And the Adlez- they’re the race that live inside suits?” Inoute asked.

“Yes.” Kitsunagi confirmed. “They come from a planet where they can only breath a mixture of methane, helium, and sulfur. They can’t breathe any other kind of air, even standalone versions of those elements. So they live inside those suits, which regulates and creates the air they breathe. It also hides the fact they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO UGLY! They are the ugliest things you have ever seen! They are masters with scrap metal and technology, but lord almighty, they are UGLY! I threw up when I met my first suit-less Adlez.”

“Heh… that’s an exaggeration, right?” Ifil asked. “Nobody can be that ugly.”

They were going to regret asking that. Belfast pulled up a profile picture of a Adlez he knew long ago on his phone and flipped it upside down to hide the suspense. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.” He droned ominously as he handed it to Inoute.

Ifil rolled his eyes as he and Inoute looked at the picture on the phone. What they saw made their faces turn to white, their eyes turn red, and their lunch to regurgitate out. That was the ugliest thing they ever could’ve seen. Inoute dropped the phone and Belfast caught it before it hit the floor.

I’m gonna spare you all the pain of describing how hauntingly ugly an Adlez looks like. Trust me, you don’t want to know what one looks like. You will have nightmares for the rest of your natural days. These two will, I can guarantee you that.

“How… how do you co-exist…?” Inoute frowned, trying to keep his lunch in.

“You get used to it.” All three of them said in a drone-like unison.

            They heard the doors open wide at the entrance to the hall. Inoute didn’t know it was in use today. He should’ve left a note on the door.

            “…and this is the Town Hall / Emergency Shelter.” Sokuro announced with her arms spread wide as she walked backwards, allowing Eia, Bran, and Dan to get the full effect of the magnificent hall.

            “Whoa.” The two boys said in impressed unison.

            “Wait, emergency shelter?” Eia interrupted.

            “Yeah. This place was originally built into the rock to serve as a shelter against all kinds of disasters, like hurricanes, volcanic eruptions from Mocurot Crater, Phagos attacks, and so on and so forth. But this soon became the town hall. Meetings and celebrations are held in here all the time.”

            “Sure is spacious enough…” Bran said, feeling like he was back on the Argo Marquis again. “…but it is kinda moot when half of the population can fly.”

            Sokuro just shrugged. “Well, grown-ups are weird.”

            “And how.” The three of them agreed in unison.

            “Ahem.” Crox went, finally catching the attention of the children. “What are you all doing here?”

            “Sokuro here is giving us the five dollar tour of the town.” Dan said as he rested his arm on her head, much to her chagrin. “We didn’t know anyone was in here- you guys should’ve left a note.”

            “Well, we are in the middle of an important discussion.” Ifil said. “If you could kindly leave and come back later, we will be finished by the time you circle on back around.”

            Sokuro pursed her lips to the side, finding this to be a bunch of bull hocky. They were discussing about the two civilizations, obviously, so why keep her out? She is an all important Silver, after all. Ah, whatever. She wasn’t going to argue and ruin this mood. “Ah, fine.” She spun around and pointed to the exit. “Next stop, Velx’s temple.” They headed that way. “You know, I don’t think Velx has met one of you colonists in person. Maybe he’ll like ya.”

            If he was actually there. Instead……

17: Chapter 15: In a Name
Chapter 15: In a Name

Chapter 15

In a Name

2/20/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

            “WHOOOOOOOOAAA….!!” Dan and Bran exclaimed in amazement as they gazed at the large and magnificent temple that belongs to Velx. Like down below in the Basen, it looked so much like a Mayan/Aztec temple. Bran was more interested in that then Dan. It’s more humongous then what he and Sokuro found in the Basen, but it is the same design. How? Why? Trying to figure it out wasn’t going to help.

            “It’s gigantic!” Dan chortled. “The big guy that lives here must be huuuuuge!”

            “You can say that again.” Bran gasped, taken aback by how big it is. It’s as big as the Great Pyramids of Giza, if not a tiny bit bigger. How can ancient folk build these giant structures?

            “I think this thing is a small castle instead of a temple.” Eia commented.

            Bran lowered his head- his neck was hurting from staring up for so long, and turned towards Eia. “Are these everywhere on Dragenia?”

            “Yep, and each are the Astrals home.”

            “How many Astrals are there?”

            Eia tapped her finger on her chin as she thought. “Counting Velx… I think it was 35 in total. Each one serves as a lord for each region of the world. Velx is a lucky one- he has the entirety of Evioly all to himself, though that wasn’t always the case. He once shared this land with Evivo, their Sire.”

            He tilted his head. “Evivo? Sire?”

            “Yes. He’s… eh, how can I explain this to newcomers? He’s… their leader- their king. He rules over them.”

            Now it made a whole lot of sense. “OOOOOOH… a King of the Gods. Yeah, we actually have those in our mythologies from Earth- Zeus, Odin, Amaterasu, Osiris- it is really very extensive. The Hesk have Voullattua, the Argalith have Comsoca, the Kitsune have Wuial, and the Adlez… well, ok, they don’t have a ancient religious hierarchy, so each individual piggy-backs onto what sounds best to them.”

            “Huh.” Eia reached into her vest pocket and pulled out a journal to take some notes about Bran’s culture- it’ll be very useful in the long run. Bran took notice of her little mannerism. “I never knew more than one religion could exist.”

            “Well, they do…” He said in passing. “You keep a journal?”

            Eia finished transcribing the names Bran had just put forth, put her charcoal pen in the middle, and closed it. “Yeah. It’s a…. habit of mine when I encounter something new. It’s more of a force of habit nowadays, but it’s still useful in the long run. Dad used to be a scribe for a court over in Yu’lotan before he lost his arm.”

            “Ouch.”

            She put her journal away. “Yeah.”

            Bran pulled out his own journal- the family heirloom that has lasted for centuries. “I do it too. I guess some habits are universal.”

            Eia took a good long look at the journal. “It looks basic. And beaten.”

            Bran flipped it around to look at the dingie old cover. “Well… it is over almost 4000 years--- I mean Cycles old.”

            Eia was taken aback by that statement- she has never, ever seen something that old before. She knows there are artifacts in the temples that are that old, and older, but she never saw any in person. “Whoooooa… how can it be that old?”

            “Well, one of my ancestors laminated the cover.” She tilted her head. “That’s the plastic covering around the binding.” He bent the edge of one to show her. “Keeps it airtight and prevents it from aging. Yeah… the binding is old, but the paper is new.” He flipped open to the drawing he did of his and the colonists first ever night on Dragenia, with the three moons and Andromeda nestled in the sky.

            Eia was simply amazed by the drawing. She took the journal and looked the drawing thoroughly, seeing how skilled he was. There are so many drawings in here, it was astonishing. “Wow… did you draw all these?”

            “Every single one.”

            “You are really skilled.”

            He playfully shrugged like a important individual. “Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but… yeah. I am.” He finished with a chuckle.

            The two of them had completely hit it off, ignoring and forgetting their… strained first meeting earlier when she was acting really strange- all she needed was time to cool down.

They had completely forgotten about their little compatriot to this temple, and he was glaring at Bran. It was a threatening glare, but he wasn’t going to do anything. He’s more of a tell, don’t show kind of person. He angrily mumbled under his breath, “…a girl on each arm- give me a break, casanova…”

            Meanwhile, Sokuro wasn’t as interested in the temple she had seen thousands of times- she was asking Fayin where Velx disappeared too. He never leaves without good reason.

“He just up and left for the God Realm?” A puzzled Sokuro repeated.

“Yeah, and it was the strangest thing.” Fayin commented as she ate her lunch, which consisted of a Gea leg and water. “He said he needed to go talk with his fellow Gods and just went like that.”

“That’s unlike him.”

“Yeah… he’s been acting weird since he came back from his morning flight. Maybe he’s got something on his mind or things aren’t going too swimmingly in the God Realm. Either way, he’s not here. He may be here tomorrow, but I assume you’re gonna be busy keeping those three in check and make sure they don’t wreck things.” She pointed towards the new folk, just as Bran was showing his journal to Eia.

“Bran, you don’t have to worry about. He’s really nice, and smart too. Dan and Eia… I don’t know what to tell you about them. Dan is from the same place as Bran, so he’s gonna come off as weird, though his fascination is… concerning. Eia, I know she’s from the merchant ship, but she hates me for some reason.”

Fayin looked at the Eia girl who had taken the journal out of Bran’s hand to take a gander at its pages. It’s perfectly clear to her. “Aww… she thinks you’re trying to steal her man?”

That line puzzled Sokuro because it made no sense. “Steal my man?”

“Yeah. You better hurry up before he gets swiped by someone else.”

This confused her more and more and more. “What are you talking about?”

Fayin giggled to herself as she booped Sokuro on the nose, making her go cross-eyed for a second. “Oh, to be so innocent again.”

“You are a strange person.”

Fayin grinned as she chuckled again. “What can I say? I’m a romantic.”

Sokuro was to react to Fayin’s strange little retort when her stomach growled loudly. Her face turned bright red as she scratched the back of her head, chuckling nervously. “Hehehe…… well, this is embarrassing.”

Fayin raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head. “Being hungry is embarrassing?”

“It is when the stomach is as loud as a Lokix. I need something to eat.” She took a step back to go after the others. “Catch ya later.” She said before running off to the others while Fayin returned to her duties. She looked back towards the group with a snicker- she smells a love triangle forming. 

A quick summery, a Lokix is a type of bird native to the Froao Desert on the mainland. To give it a Earth analogy… take a chicken, make it 3 times bigger, give it fangs and a long tail, and a fin like a Great White Shark, and you got a Lokix. When they aren’t hungry, they are as calm as a… well, chicken. But when hungry… they are ferocious to their prey. They haven’t killed a Ferid or a Gaharot yet, though there have been close calls. They are best knwn for the loud howling squawks they make during the night. They can get so loud, they can be heard for miles. You could say they are a chicken-wolf hybrid, but that wouldn’t be accurate.

Sokuro arrived back at the others just as Dan said the Casanova line. She was going to ask what that meant, but she didn’t care. It was likely some Earth thing that would be confusing. “Are you guys hungry?” She right-out asked. “I don’t know about you guys, but I am starving! I only have a piece of fruit and those don’t last long.”

Bran took his journal back from Eia and put it away. “Now that you mention it, I am feeling a little puckish. You?” He asked Eia.

She shrugged. She should’ve eaten her food on the ship when she had the chance. “Eh, I could go for something to eat.” The three of them walked off back towards town…

… and they had completely forgotten to ask Dan if he wanted to get anything to eat. He was right there with them, listening to the same question. He waved his arms up in exasperation. “… AHEM!! I’m hungry too!” He ran after them. “HEY! Will you ‘Burros’ wait up!?!”

 

            The Realm of the Dragenian gods was a grand vista to behold: a snow-topped mountain range that stretched out for miles and rose up far above the clouds and into the stratosphere- it is remarkably similar to the Tibetan Himalayas. At the top of the tallest peak- “Everest”- rested a grand golden-colored marble temple, with several dozen smaller temples floating on clouds, surrounding it at varying heights.

            The smaller temples are the homes of the Astral Aerids. The big one belongs to their King, Melousea’loautan-soku’evivo. Everyone calls him Evivo for short because nobody can say that name with a straight face. Evivo was… well, you could say he’s the Odin of Dragenia. He is passionate, knowledgeable, and all-knowing, yet he is born of war and would welcome it. He knows the value of peace and tries to keep it as long as he can, but when that itch hits… he’s gotta have it. He doesn’t cause wars, but he doesn’t do anything to stop them, either. The war against Xelut had placated him for some time and would for a couple more years.

            And at the end of those two years… he’ll be satisfied for a long time, but I’m cutting ahead.

            Inside the temple stood a looooooooooooooooooong hall- a full mile long, with a equally long reflecting pool in the middle- it’s so big, it puts the pool in Washington D.C. to shame.

Evivo was the true physical manifestation of a Dragon god- gigantic, intimidating, and strong. A soft glow emanated from inside his body, stretching out to all the points of his platinum-colored feathers, giving him an ethereal nature. His warm yellow eyes looked down from his throne and towards the young Astral that sat before it, looking out at the reflecting pool as they waited for the other gods to arrive…

            …which wasn’t that long, actually. The 33 other Astrals heard the summoning call from Evivo and arrived posthaste. Appearing on floating platforms that littered the entire length of the hall, they were all feathered like the two of them, except their colors were in a wide array.

            “I hope you called us for a reason, Father.” Bekio, a light brown-colored female Astral, commented as she picked her ear. “I was just about to have a nice warm supper when you comments.”

            “And I see you are just as crass as ever, Bekio.” Zeolua commened. She was another brown-colored female Astral, but darker in color with some yellow stripes running along her body and a flower crown.

            “Gotta love my people.” Bekio chortled with a smile.

            A male Astral with a light mint green color scheme flew forward to speak over the two bickering women. “Is there a reason you have called us all here, Father? Has something happened?”

            Evivo nodded in confirmation. “Yes, events have transpired that require our attention.” He said in a calming, soothing voice befitting the King of Gods. “Velx here will inform you as it is in his domain it is transpiring in.”

            “Really? It’s in the Runts domain? I didn’t know anything interesting happened on that rock.” A rather brutish looking Astral bellowed. That was Calcota, and he is as rude as he sounds.

            Velx flew to the front of the reflecting pool and brandished a single claw. “Things of great importance have transpired, brother… and they affect us all.” He tapped a single claw in the pool, causing ripples that turned the still water active. “I shall start with the good news.” The water returned to it’s still state, but this time a image of a certain girl was floating in the middle of it. “A new Silver Aerid has been chosen. Sokuro el’Fitan, a orphan girl from Miskin.”

            The other Astrals leaned in to get a look at the new Silver Aerid. “She’s certainly… small for her stature.” The smallest of their group, a pure-blue female named Quil, commented.

            “And an orphan, too. I think she’s the first orphan to become a Silver.” Gfoula, a male gray Astral, pointed out.

            Calcota stood back up on his platform with a single question in mind: “She’s not going to turn into her predecessor, is she? We don’t want another Xelut on our claws.”

            Velx shook his head. “No. She is absolutely nothing like Xelut, even during his childhood days. She’s a kind-hearted soul with a pure heart, a clear understanding of right and wrong, and a strong, unwavering will.”

            Bekio stepped forward to near the pool. “Why go into detail about her being?”

            “I’ll get back to that- talking about that would ruin this news.” He tapped the pool again, causing it to ripple. “I trust you all sensed the disturbances in the past week: the surge of power yesterday, and the sudden appearance of over 20000 souls last week?”

            “It was felt all the way here, so I believe we all did.” Evivo said. “Are they connected?”

            Velx pursed his lips to the side. They are connected and yet they are not. “Mmmm… maybe, maybe not. I hope maybe not… but given recent events....” He tapped the pool again, making the ripples stop as the pool focused on the colony established by the colonists. “… The past has caught up to us. Peoples from Earth have returned.”

            “WHAT!?!” Every Astral, minus Evivo, shouted at the tops of their lungs.

            Velx waited for them to calm down before continuing. He understands their shock- they believed all connections to the outside worlds have been cut off and destroyed eons ago; they never planned on the past coming back. “If you will all calm down… I can explain.” Velx walked back to the throne.

            “They are not a part of the old Empire.” He turned back to them. “By all sounds of it, the Empire is not even a thing anymore- lost to the annals of time and history, completely forgotten. No, these are a mixed group of colonists seeking a new home.” He tapped the pool again, this time showing a planet memory- it is as it sounds. It shows Sokuro’s first… painful encounter with Bran. “Sokuro made contact with one of the colonists, a boy named Bran. From what I have been able to ascertain from her interactions with him, the Milky Way is now devoid of all natural resources and the planets are now slowly disintegrating. The races of the galaxy put for a initiative to colonize all their neighboring galaxies. The colonists that came here had no idea that it was inhabited- seems the robot they sent was garbage. It was a couple days ago when the colonists made contact with the people of Misken after a Phagos attack, which I was forced to step into to prevent it from killing Sokuro.”

            “Wait- you interfered in mortal affairs?” Calcota exclaimed.

            The pool changed to show the fight between Phagos, the merchant ship, Sokuro, and him. “To save the new Silver Aerid. She had just become a Silver- I wasn’t going to let that die. When word reaches that mainland that the new Silver had died only a week later, which would be a major blow. But back to the subject at hand: the colonists came to Dragenia in hopes of establishing a new home and avoid repeating the mistakes they made in the Milky Way.” The pool changed to show the meeting between the two leaders and their advisors in the tent. “The first meeting between the colonists and the people of Misken didn’t… go over well. The following day, when Sokuro and Bran filled their respective peoples about the other, things went much better and they agreed to a mutually beneficial partnership.”

             “Well, they chose a good spot to land.” Malala, a female crimson blue Astral, commented. “People from Misken are some of the friendliest around, and smart too. If the colonists landed elsewhere on the planet- heck, even on other parts of Evioly, then they’d have some trouble.”

            “Especially Meoho.” Quil joked. “A complete culture of adrenaline junkies.”

            “…moving on.” Velx mumbled before tapping the pool again- he likes the compliments to Misken, but not the insult lobbed Meoho’s way. “After the agreement was made, the planet spanning quake struck. From what the Colonists were able to figure out, it came from off planet- from another universe entirely, and it affected everywhere in ours as well.”

            That caused a lot of confused murmurs from the gathering. Even Evivo was perplexed-- How can a quake come from another universe? It doesn’t seem possible. It goes against… well, all laws of physics. “Is that even possible?” Zeolua asked.

            “They seem to think so.” Velx said. “After the quake, Sokuro and Bran fell into the fissure, finding themselves in the birthplace of civilization: Tay Sokuro Basen.” This put the entire congregation on edge- ever since the fall of the Gaharot Empire, that place has been forbidden, and for good reason. “They came across the Golden Portal, but found no way to work it, thank goodness… but…” He paused, which caused some concern. He was hesitant to bring this to their attention, as he knows the panic that this will cause. “… the Quake did something… more.”

            “More? More what?”

            Velx very hesitantly pressed the pool for the last time, changing it to something that was sure to spark fear. “The Quake unearthed something that should’ve remained buried till the end of time, something that Sokuro has found and taken back to the orphanage.” The pool showed her grabbing the arrow. “…She found the Pashupatastra.”

            And just like that, as he predicted, everyone in the hall screamed out in fear. Some fo the smaller ones even hid behind their platforms, knowing full well what that thing is. Some, like Calcota, weren’t afraid, but… suicidal.

            “We need to get that thing away from her, now!!!” He bellowed.

            Velx used his powers to block all of the exits. He figured they would panic and so he was gonna keep them here until they calm down. “I understand you are all scared- I am too. But for now, just calm down and breath.”

            “Calm down? CALM DOWN!?!” Calcota flew up into Velx’s face. “That girl has the most destructive weapon the universe has ever seen! It was hidden for a reason, and you want us to calm down!?! WHY!?!”

            “Because Sokuro isn’t affected by its magic.”

            “What?”

            Velx slowly walked away from him and towards one of the pools edges. “I… don’t know how or why, but… the arrow isn’t having an effect on her. We all know what it did to any other mortals who would try to use it- they become addicted and think only about it. They fall in love with the power it holds and become obsessed just from a mere touch. Even we gods can fall prey to its folly, and yet… when Sokuro touched it, nothing happened other then the surge we all felt. She must have some natural immunity to its powers or she may just be that strong willed. This is why I went into detail about her being earlier- because somehow, it is resisting the negative magics of the Pashupatastra.”

            “How in the world did she even find it!?!” Quil screamed. Bekio patted the little one on the back, making the screaming stop and be replaced with hiccups. “I thought that snake was supposed to keep it guarded.”

            “I don’t know… it has something to do with the Quake, that much I can be certain of. As for the serpent… he encountered them. He saw the arrow in her hands, and instead of doing anything about it… he teleported them away as the arrow healed them up. He knows something we don’t. He was also with me earlier today, when I followed the two kids. We heard them talking and agreeing to hide the thing- she can sense the pure power coursing though it as well and fears what it may be. She’s afraid of it- the exact opposite of how the others who held the arrow felt. The kid Bran tried to pick it up, to carry it to their hiding spot, but it shocked him instead.”

            “Shocked? Like an electrical shock, like those zappers?” Velx nodded. “That… has not happened before, ever. It didn’t want that Bran kid to pick it up- he seems like one who would be obsessing over it by now.”

            Velx shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you, sister. All we can do is speculate. The thing isn’t behaving the way it usually does… I propose we watch her, see what develops from this strange situation. The arrow acts strangely around her. I want to find out why.”

            Calcota wasn’t having none of that- he saw the power of that thing first hand when it created that giant rift that separates Evioly from the mainland, leaving only a thin spit of land to serve as a bridge. They needed to get it away from her NOW! “That’s not good enough! That thing is dangerous and you know it!” He turned to Evivo. “Sire, with your permission, I will go and ransack that orphanage until I find it and hide it once more!”

            Velx angrily snarled and pushed his shoulder. “You do that and you’ll make things worse! The arrow reacts to violence- you know that! This could cause a incident that won’t end well for anyone on the planet! They’ll think Bokurol is invading and Evioly will fight back, and with the Silver on their side, it won’t end well for Bokurol- the people who don’t know of the colonists yet will think that Bokurol’s fall is the Great Change she is to bring for this generation. You don’t want that, do you?”

            Calcota was going to retort, angrily, but didn’t. He doesn’t want Bokurol to be destroyed in a battle he wants to avoid. “… I see your point, but we cannot leave the weapon in the hands of a little girl!”

            “I think that we should.” Evivo spoke up, silencing the two of them. He spread his wings and slowly glided down the long long steps in front of his throne. “While I agree with your thoughts, Calcota, Velx has a point. The Pashupatastra is behaving very strangely in the hands of that girl and I wish to know why.” He landed at the base of the throne. “That point aside… if you move an army to invade Evioly for no discernible reason to the populace, our enemy will get wise to this. He will learn it is there.”

            Calcota looked away and to the ground, having forgotten about all that. “… I forgot about him. I guess it’s too much to ask old age finally took care of him, but that’s wishful thinking.”

            “Correct. Now if what Velx said is true and the girl has the arrow well hidden… then only she, the colonist kid, the Serpent, and all of us here know that it has been found.” He looked to the rest of the Astrals. “And I trust you are all going to keep this a secret, correct?!”

            “Yes, sire!” They all replied in unison.

            Evivo nodded before returning his attention to Velx. “Return to your region, Velx. We’ve a long road ahead of us. And for all our sakes, I pray you are right about leaving the weapon with her.”

            Velx exhaled sharply as he glanced down- he’s not the only one who’s hoping for the best. “You and me both, sire…” He briefly glowed before vanishing in a bright white light, leaving behind only a few floating feathers that slowly vanished.

            “And the rest of you, speak word of this to no one, not even your handmaids. It’s bad enough that two children know it exists- it’s worse if our enemy learns where it is. We don’t want that monster coming to Evioly and massacring everyone, do we?”

            “Of course not…” They all left one by one, vanishing in the same manner Velx did. Calcota snarkly scoffed before vanishing last.

            Once he was all alone, he looked down at the pool, at the seemingly innocent little girl, completely unaware of the ultimate destructive power in her hands. “… You better be right about this, leaving it in her hands. We’re all dead if you aren’t.”

            He glanced back to his throne, or rather, to the humanoid person with a thousand arms sitting atop it. “I hope so too.” He said once before vanishing in a blue light. Evivo tapped the pool, turning the still image into a live feed of Sokuro and her friends having lunch.

 

“Mmm… This isn’t all that bad.” Bran chewed as he turned the fish on the stick he was eating. He and the others were down in the Misken bazaar. Eia bought them a cheap but effective lunch of Gifgif fish on a stick. The size of salmon and sharing the same taste mixed with soy sauce, Gifgif fish are the edible cousins to the Tonton. They are bright grass green with various stripe colors- some are red, others brown, etc etc.

“Yeah.” Dan said with a full mouth. “It’s like un… salmon with some sort of internal soy sauce.”

Bran pointed to him. “Thank you- the name was slipping my mind! And really? Soy Sauce?” He looked at his fish again. He shrugged it off and kept on eating.

“Salmon?” Sokuro asked.

“Soy Sauce?” Eia added.

Dan swallowed, hard enough to where you can actually hear it, following it up with a loud exhale. “Explain later. Busy eating.” He took another bite.

Bran held his mouth as he swallowed the current bite. “So after we’re done, you wanna come check out the colony?” He asked the girls.

Sokuro looked at him with her stick sticking out of her mouth. She stuffed the rest of her fish in and was chewing away. “Phat thoug phe inthersthin.” She mumbled with a really full mouth.

“… what?”

She pulled the stick out and spit out all of the bones, which weren’t much. Unlike Earth fish, Dragenian fish have only 3 bones- the skull, the spine, and the tail fin. “I said that would be interesting. It will be nice to go, provided I don’t get locked up again.” She joked with a grin.

Not wanting to be outdone by the runt, Eia chimed it as well. “Yeah, that does sound fun!” She tossed her stick away. “And my Aerid form is quite stunning. I’ve been told I am very beautiful! Not just one solid color like some other Aerids.” She sneered at Sokuro.

She leaned away from Eia, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Ok… it’s not a contest.”

She chuckled as she reached into her vest and show it off, but it wasn’t there. “Uh-oh.” She stood motionless whilst her hands looked in all of her pockets- nothing. “Oops… I, un… must’ve left it on the ship.”

Bran tossed his stick into the nearest can- it just crossed his mind: do they use trash cans? Anyway, he tossed it away and walked towards the smallest one among them. “Well, that’s ok. You can show us another day.” He said, completely unaware of Eia’s hurt self-esteem. “Think you can carry all three of us, Sokuro?” The face Sokuro gave him said it all: Really, do you need to ask that? “… Never mind. Stupid question.”

Sokuro lightly chuckled as she threw her stick over her shoulder. “Alrighty then, next stop…” She paused for a moment. “… you know… I don’t think you ever gave me a name for your home.”

That’s right, they had forgotten in all this madness- there was this little write-in contest on what to name the colony that everyone forgot about during the Phagos attack and the days afterwards. “I don’t think we decided on one.” He turned to Dan. “Did we?”

“Nope. We were going to, but with the giant demon turtle, the dragon girls here, and talking dinosaurs for alien neighbors, something as trivial as a name fell through the cracks.”

“Oh.” Is all Bran said. The girls, however, lifted their eyebrows in puzzlement, wondering what a turtle is.

“Really?” Eia snickered- time to show Sokuro up. “Because I am GREAT at naming things. I could come up with a name for your abode easy peasy. Just gimme some time and I will think of one.”

Dan left his stick in his mouth like a bayou or country lad with a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth. “Or we could just ask Crox.”

Bran pursed his lips to the side, looking at Sokuro and Eia, who were doing the same thing. “… That could work too.” They said. And they knew just where to find her, assuming she hasn’t left for the colony.

 

And she hadn’t. She, Kitsunagi, and Belfast were finally leaving the town hall with Inoute and Ifil. She spent most of the day bending over forwards and it did a number on her back. “Ugh…” She cracked her back. “I haven’t sat like that since high school… did hell on me then too.”

“What she means to say is that it was a pleasure talking to you.” Kitsunagi said. “Today has been very productive and hopefully today’s little exchange let us learn about each other in some unique ways.”

“Yes, it has.” Ifil said. “Only time will tell if this proves to be beneficial to both parties.” He folded up the papers he used and put them away. “And I just realized, we don’t know what to call your home. I doubt you want to keep calling it Colony till the end of days.”

Belfast took a few steps back. “We were actually holding a little contest where everyone would pitch in names for our new home and we’d draw the winner. But between EVERYTHING in the last few days, it’s slipped out minds. Hopefully the names are still in Arlene’s databases.”

Inoute looked ahead and saw Sokuro and Bran running their way, along with a couple of new faces. “Alright kids, alright. You can go inside now. Just don’t wreck things, alright? We have enough breakable things in there already.”

It wasn’t about that. “We have an idea for a name!” Sokuro and Bran shouted as they skidded to a halt. Dan and Eia couldn’t keep up- they stopped to pant before they got close.

“Name?” Crox asked.

“For the colony!” They shouted again. Ifil exclaimed while he stuck his claw in his ears.

Kitsunagi smiled as she walked forward- it’s so nice to see children so eager. “Funny you should mention that, we were just discussing the same thing. Though I’m surprised you are eager to name our new home.”

“Anything is better than just calling it colony.” Bran bemused. “It’s not even a catchy name to stick with.”

“True. So, what is the name you came up with?”

“Well, we didn’t come up with it. It was Eia who did, she--” He looked back and saw Eia was a ways back, still panting heavily. He backed up and brought her forward. “Eia here was the one who thought it up. She’s the one who saved me from that Phagos brute.”

Belfast would go to shake her hand, but it looked like she wasn’t the touchy type. “Then we owe you are thanks… Eia, was it, for saving him.”

“It was nothing.” She panted. She never had this problem before- all that time on the ship must be making her soft. She composed herself and straightened herself up. “It was the least I could do.” She playfully smiled to Bran. “Anyway, you are visitors from across the Black Abyss and are finding a home here, right? Though… heh… that’s all impossible, but that’s not important.”

“Can you please get straight to the point?” Crox grunted in pain as she rubbed her back. “I need to go soak in a bath.” She could tell the natives were giving her a puzzled look. “I have a bad back, ok? Surely people get bad backs here as well.” Sokuro raised her hand- her back was still sore from where the Phagos bit her, but it’s in a spot she cannot rub. “Thank you.”

Belfast twisted her lips, wondering why his wife went so far off tangent. “…the name, kid, before someone goes off into a tangent about some fruit. Please.”

“Un… sure. And I hope you guys like it, because I think it fits. Well, based on why these guys told me.” Sokuro and Bran playfully smiled. “So, anyway, the name I have thought up is…”

 

Pause for dramatic effect and one cut over to the colony at twilight later…

 

Arlene had put the name Eia had suggested into the city’s new database. It popped up on the center of the holographic table, with her sitting on top of it. “Novalle Ecrosi Soku’ama; translated, it means Oath of the Wandering Scions.” She nodded in approval. “It’s a good name, though I question why she chose Scion to put in it.”

Crox shrugged. “To make it sound fitting? Whatever the case, we finally have a name for our new home. Though I’m sure some people are pissed we didn’t go with any suggestions they put forth.”

Arlene summoned up a ‘hat’ that had the names everyone put forth inside. “That was probably for the best; some of the names put forth were pretty bad.” She pulled a few out to use as examples. “Cool Awesome Ville, Dragon Land, Boredom…”

“Some people just aren’t as creative.”

Outside, the native populace was heading home for the day. The sun was setting and for the children, it was close to bedtime.

The children on the Beatle, being educated on Earth’s ancient past by Arlene, were being escorted out by one of the hunters from their village and onto a nearby airship. The girl who asked Arlye to fix her dolly passed him by, sad because she didn’t get it back. She passed by Arlye, who held his hand down, dangling the dolly by its hand. The girl smiled brightly as she took it and hugged it. “Thank you.” She squeaked before running off to join the others.

Arlene appeared with a wide kid-like smile, ‘laying’ on her front with her legs in the air. “Awww… you’re such a big softy.”

“Are you ever not annoying?” He droned.

“Hehe… what can I say? I’m a stinker.”

Elsewhere, Sokuro and Bran leaned on one of the airships as it was being boarded. “So, I guess we weren’t able to give you the tour of Novalle.” He grinned. “I really should thank Eia for a cool name.”

“Yeah. She wasn’t wrong. Though Scion, I have questions with.”

“Eh, don’t. Adds to the cool factor. I’ll thank her tomorrow.” The last of the people climbed up onto the ship and the engines started up. The two of them pushed off the ship to avoid getting hurt. “Guess I’ll show you around tomorrow.”

Sokuro somberly looked to the ground. “Yeah, I guess…”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s that arrow thing. I don’t know why, but that thing scares me. They hid it or worshipped it for a reason, but… I don’t know why.”

Bran exhaled sharply as he scratched the back of his head, wondering why she would feel so afraid over something so small. “I don’t know what to tell you. But I hope you are wrong about it being dangerous.”

The ship lifted off and headed for Misken. Sokuro used the space to being changing into her Aerid form as sparkles erupted around her. “Me too…” She transformed into her dragon form and took off, heading for home, leaving Bran to wonder why an arrow would scare someone.

They won’t find out what it is and why she’s so scared of it anytime soon, but when they eventually do…

18: Chapter 16: Roko Harbor
Chapter 16: Roko Harbor

Chapter 16

Roko Harbor

2/21/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

Novalle Ecrosi Soku’ama.

Oath of the Wandering Scions.

Not the first name anyone would’ve come up with for a new colony, but the young folk don’t care; the name sounds epicly cool to them. And since it’s a name from a native, it holds special meaning. Regardless, nobody else was coming up with anything better, not that they could top this. Novalle itself was a epic name; the rest was just ear candy.

There were some questions about the rest of the name, though: Oath of the Wandering was clear enough- the colonists did “wander” here from another galaxy, and they are starting to attempt to co-exist with the natives, hence the oath part of the name. Scion, on the other hand, is raising more questions than answers. What exactly are they Scions to? They didn’t come to claim anything or restart something ancient. 

It was chosen just for the cool factor, that’s it. If you are having a child name something, you know you’re gonna get something to appeals to them. At least the name fits.

But no sense to focus on the name; work still needed to be done to make this colony self sustaining. They needed to make a fertile farm to grow both their crops and the local crops, which was going to take some time, what with winter a few months away. That’s what the scanners said, and now it’s been backed up by the locals.

But while the adults were toiling away to get a farm up and running, the kids were having fun… Or in Bran’s case, being introduced to the rest of the orphans at the orphanage. 

 

Bran awkwardly stood in the middle of the central room as the rest of the Orphans looked at him from comfy seats in the main living room. They all looked at him and judged him; he felt so uncomfortable. 

“Everyone, this is Bran.” Sokuro introduced as she stood beside him. “Bran, these are the louts who didn’t believe you existed.”

“Hey!” They all exclaimed.

Sokuro puffed out smoke. “OH, come on, you all thought I was making a story up!”

“How old are you?” Zalet started, ignoring what was said just now.

“Are you strong?” Aka continued. 

“Are humans stinky?” Taled continued. 

“Can I get my hands on one of those ship things?” Leoi asked.

“Is the Abyss scary?” Vaset finished.

Hela softly chuckled to herself- barely a few seconds in and they are already bombarding him with questions. She spoke calmly as she lay in a large beanbag chair. “Be nice to him, children. He’s our guest and we shall treat him kindly. Understood?”

They lowered their heads in shame. “Yes, headmaster…” 

Hela smiled as she turned her attention back to Bran. “Go on, newcomer.”

Bran exhaled sharply- he never was good with crowds and with all eyes on him. He wanted to get even with Sokuro for putting him in this uncomfortable situation. “Um… well… who, who are all you guys? I barely know anything about you guys.”

They all glared at Sokuro, who felt that this was hateful stare was unearned. “Well, he didn’t ask! We were more focused on getting to know each other!” She exclaimed. Zalet and Set crossed their arms in anger while Vela, Leoi, and even Taled resorted to hateful glares. Everyone else just stayed as they were. “Wow… geez. Ok, ok. I’ll give you the quick short version: you already know my little brother, so we’ll skip him.”

“Hey!” Taled exclaimed.

“That is Hela. She runs this orphanage. She is kind and generous and very motherly. You will not find a nicer person in all of Dragenia. Next to her is her son Vela- he loves to pull pranks, and I mean loves them. He and Matan were evil little stinkers back when he lived here, and now Vela is flying solo. It’s chaos almost every day...” Vela smiled evilly, almost giving in to do the finger pyramid of contemplation. 

“Matan?”

“An orphan who lived here until he was old enough to leave.” She moved on to the next person. “That is Vaset. She is…. brave and stupid at the same time.” Vaset gave her a glare. “Well, it’s true, miss run-off-a-cliff. And also, she has a short fuse, and once she blows… run.”

“Hey! Not cool!” Vaset exclaimed.

Aka snickered to herself. “Oh, you know it’s true, don’t deny it.” 

Sokuro moved on to the twins. “Those two are Set and Aka.”

“Uh-oh.” They both went, knowing that she wasn’t going to shower them with compliments.

“They are identical twin sisters. Aka is compulsive and brash- if something pops into her head and she wants to do it, she will do it no matter what. If she wants Gea for dinner, she WILL have Gea for dinner, regardless of what is actually on the menu. Set is shy and a major worrywart.”

“… that’s true.” Set cooed in passing as she hid her ace in her coat. 

“And mine isn’t!” Aka exclaimed.

“No, it is.” Vaset confirmed. “I remember we had Lostala and you were deadset on having Gea Steaks for dinner. You went out and bagged a wild one yourself.”

“Talk about obsessive dedication.” Bran joked.

Sokuro moved on to the next one. “That… is Buron. She’s nice enough… when she is not being scary. She may not look it, but she can turn into pure terror.” Buron crossed her arms and snorted out smoke for her nose.

Bran had a good idea what kind of Buron is- scary. Here’s hoping she’s a scary looking person with a heart of gold. “What do you mean ‘pure terror’?”

“You don’t want to know.” Sokuro shivered. “Moving on… that is Zalet. You will always see him buried in his books. The guy loves to read. He’s almost read every book in the entire village. I swear, if we let him loose at the Grand Library in Xeolsa, it would take him lots of cycles, but he will read them all.”

“Wow. Sounds like a brainiac.” He knew they were going to be confused by that term. “It’s a saying- it means really smart. And you won’t have to go all the way to the mainland for that- we have plenty of reading material over at the col— Novalle. That new name is going to take some getting used to.”

Sokuro appeared beside the next person. “This is Eroid. He is a really obsessive and compulsive neat freak. Like… he has it BAAAAAD… if anything is out of place, he will try to straighten it out. It… gets annoying, especially when you are sitting in a chair and he moves or cleans it while you are still on it.”

“Sounds more like he has OCD mixed with ADD.” Bran said, again knowing that they would have absolutely no idea what he is talking about. “I’ll explain it later. So who’s left?”

“Him. Leoi. He is a mechanical savant. From what I heard, when he was only four cycles old, he once constructed a fully operational crossbow, with a telescope attachment. And it worked.”

“Wow. Sounds like he created a sniper rifle.” He commented while Sokuro ran off to go get a couple of chairs for him and Bran.

“Sniper rifle?” Buron asked.

“Human weapon. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.” Bran sucked air in though his teeth, not sure where to go from here. “So… what has Sokuro told you about me?”

Vaset spoke as she leaned back in her chair. “Well, she said you were really smart and had all of these magical items that seem like something out of a fairy tale, including this small glass thing that allowed you to do anything, and that you were from Black Abyss, which… isn’t really an abyss anymore. Now we know it’s something from your colony, but you see why we thought she was making this stuff up.”

Hearing it from them does make him sound like some magical oracle. “Yeah, I guess I can. Well, I do have some kind of glass thing.” He pulled it out and everyone, even the grown up and mature Hela, ooo’d like kids seeing candy for the first time. “It’s called a cell phone. Eons ago, they were very primitive. You could only talk on them. Nowadays, they can do pretty much anything. Such as…” He pressed an app and a hologram appeared. He flattened it in the palm of his hand and let the hologram of a galaxy hover in his hands. Now came a bunch of aaa’s from the gang. “Display holograms.”

“Like that Arlene woman?” Zalet asked.

“Yeah, except she’s more powerful. And smart. Anyway, this is how Sokuro learned about so much about where I am from, and I’m sure you can all learn too.”

“So it is true. You truly are from the Black Abyss.” Set commented. “Is it not as dangerous as they say?”

The hologram zoomed out, showing off bboth the Milky Way and Andromeda, and all their satellite galaxies. Messier 32, the one they are in, has an arrow pointing at it. “The Black Abyss, or what we call Outer Space, is still an abyss of black. We just have a way to cross it without dying. Without special gear or ships built to withstand its pressures, you will die in seconds. But from what Sokuro told me, it sounded like it was some type of Hell in your mythology.”

“Hell?” Hela asked.

“Bad eternal fire place bad souls go after death to be tortured. That is… all of the detail you are going to get because going any further would likely traumatize you.” He can’t stop them from looking it up in the future, but no way he’s going to show Dante’s Inferno to them. 

And they believe him on Hell being a bad place. But if the Black Abyss is just… well, what he calls Space, then what about everything else? “So then… what is the Great Light?” Set asked, referring to what Bran knows as the Andromeda Galaxy. 

“That would be Andromeda. It is a galaxy- a cluster of billions of billions of worlds- some have life, like Dragenia, while others are lifeless, like the moons. I came from the Milky Way, which is Andromeda’s neighbor. Given the AMAZING view you guys have of it at night, I can see how that can become a vocal point in your beliefs, with it acting like Heaven or Valhalla.” 

Vela held up a claw as he exclaimed. “I think I got this.” He thought to himself. “That is a… eternal paradise for those who earn it.”

“Yes.” He pressed a few buttons and the hologram changed to show a artists rendition of Valhalla. “There are so many different interpretations of the afterworld; any number of them could be true- Earth alone has hundreds of different possibilities. Ours could be true, yours could be, another alien civilizations could be. Point is, it’s all a great big mystery what happens next. Who knows, maybe our souls do get reincarnated. Nobody knows except the Gods, and I don’t think they are going to give any answers.” 

He closed his phone as Aka raised her hand. “Um, so, like, reincarnation is a thing with your mythologies?”

“With several of them, yes. It’s--” He shook his head, realizing that got off topic. “Wait a minute; I thought we were talking about me. You can learn about this stuff later, at school.”

That is a word nobody recognized. They know what an academy is thanks to Xeolsa being a city that is entirely that, but school? Foreign word and concept. Bran is in for a major shocker. “What’s school?” Everyone asked.

Did he hear that right? He must’ve, because it sounded like they asked ‘what’s school’? “W-what? What’s school?” He breathlessly gasped a chuckle. “What do you mean, what is school?” They all looked at him with puzzled expressions. The implications were… expected, given their level of technology, but also completely surprising. “…. Oh my lord, you don’t have schools.” He popped his lips. “Oooooooh, dad is going to flip….”

“What’s so important about school?” Sokuro asked. 

“What’s so impor—it’s very important if you want to have a life. Everything revolves around……” He lowered his head and facepalmed. “Right… different world. Completely forgot.” Now this was just confusing everyone. Why is he freaking out over this? He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Well… to give you an idea… schools are places you go where you can get an education, where you can learn to live your life… but I guess it’s just a Milky Way thing…”

“Learning?” Vela said as he pursed his lips to the side. “……. Sounds like Xeolsa.”

“Xeo- what now?”

“Xeolsa.” Hela went on to explain. “It’s a city on the mainland. The entire city is an academy, focused on the prospect of learning and bettering your mind. It’s also where we learn new things about our world, either about our past that we forgot or of the nature that surrounds us. It’s also where I met your father, Vela.” She petted his head.

“Same with my parents.” Sokuro said. A knock came from the front door. She walked over to check who it was while everyone else kept talking.

“An academy city?” Bran said to himself. “That sounds like a cool place to visit. And you said people go there to learn? A school is like that, except more condensed and… long. 13 long years of your life long.” That got some winces from the crowd. With Xeolsa, you can just come and go as you please.

Sokuro answered the door to see Eia standing at the entrance. She was dressed in a more standard, frilling dress that was like Sokuro’s, except it didn’t have the hood and was yellowish orange in color. “Eia? What are you doing here?”

Eia pulled down on her skirt. “Well, I heard Bran was here and I wanted to come say hello.”

“You came all the way here for him?” Sokuro asked with a raised eyebrow.

Eia poked her head in and saw Bran standing before a group of kids. She forced her way in, pushing a more confused Sokuro aside. She’s starting to get a clearer understanding of what Fayin was joking about yesterday.

“Hello there, Bran!” She giggled with a smile.

“Huh? Oh, hello, Eia.”

“Sokuro, who is this?” Vaset asked, wondering about the new girl in their home. 

Sokuro walked back as she scratched the back of her head. “You saw her before, at the town meeting the day we learned of these guys. Her name is Eia- she’s a crewmember on the merchant ship that the Phagos attacked. Matter of fact, Eia here was the one who saved his life.”

Eia chuckled to herself like an idiot. “Heeheehee… It was no trouble.” She spun around once. “Do you like my dress, Bran?”

He took a step back to get a clearer look at it. “Un… yeah, it’s very bright. Very bubbly, like a summer day.” Eia smiled brightly. The women of the house were getting the impression that Eia has a major crush on the new guy. “So, why did you come by?”

“Well, I wanted to see you, of course. Duh.” As if that wasn’t obvious enough. “Also… I’m taking Halix down to Roko Harbor so he could fetch some parts needed to fix our engine and I wanted to know if you wanted to come.” Internally, her mind was hoping he’d come. “(Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes.)”

Bran thought about it for a moment and realized that it may be a good idea. Eventually, word will reach the other towns and cities on Evioly that there are new neighbors from the ‘Black Abyss’ living on the planet, and then it’ll spread out to the world. The closest town that isn’t Misken is Roko Harbor, so him going in could possibly serve as a kind of reconnaissance for those back at the colon planning on going. It worked for First Contact. “You know what, I think I will go. I’m curious to see what that place looks like.” The children all whined at the thought of him leaving- they wanted to hear so much more. “Sorry, guys. Guess we’re continuing this tomorrow.” 

“Boo…” Taled whined.

Eia was cheering internally, happy that he was coming with her. Then the feeling tanked thanks to this; “I wanna come!” Sokuro cheered as she hopped over. “I haven’t been there in so long!”

Eia frowned with lidded eyes. She just can’t catch a break. “Oh… great… I guess I can’t stop you from coming.” 

“Sweet.” Sokuro giggled. She turned to her friends and asked, “Anybody else wanna come?”

Much to her surprise, there were no takers. Nobody wanted to go to Roko today. They had bajillion chores to do today, if they ever decide to do it. Today just feels like a lazy day- just sit back, relax, and catch a few zzz’s. Besides, her Gaharot friends didn’t want to go- Roko is still a part of the Bokurol Kingdom, and that means the Slave Trade goes on there. Thanks to all of the strict rules and regulations the Eviolians placed on the city, it’s almost non-existent there, but that won’t stop slave traders from trying to snag a few unfortunate Evioly Gaharots. Some people are just that heartless.

In short, all of their responses were the same: a lazy ‘naaaah’, which, as was said, surprised her. “Wha—really?” She said with a slack jaw. “Nobody wants to come to Roko Harbor?” She shrugged it off. “Alright.” She looked back to Bran. “I’m gonna go grab my coin purse. Be back in a second.” She bounded up the steps towards her room. 

And while Sokuro was away, Eia got closer to him. “I know you were disappointed for not seeing my Aerid form yesterday, Bran, so I made sure to bring my scale today. I’ve been told I’m a fast flyer, so we’ll get to Roko in short time.”

“That’s good to know.”

Back among the orphans, theywere noticing Eia’s attitude towards Bran and Sokuro; she is buttering up to him while completely peeved at the little girl. They knew what was going on here with that Eia girl, even if Bran and Sokuro were completely oblivious to it.

Sokuro jumped down the steps, landing on the floor, something Hela has forbade the children from doing over and over again, and for good reason. One slip and *crack*, a lot of pain. “Ok. Ready!” She said with a smile.

“Great…” Eia droned. She picked herself back up as she returned her attention to elsewhere. “Halix is waiting outside- come on.” She headed out the door with Bran and a very bubbly Sokuro bouncing behind her.

And now that they were gone, the orphans would gossip. “... Are Sokuro and Bran that oblivious?” Vaset asked out loud.

“Yep.” Everyone said in almost perfect unison. 

 

Eia jogged on ahead so that she could meet up with the mechanic of their ship Halix. Bran recognized him from the day of the Phagos attack: this was the golden-brown Gaharot with the sailor mouth that was on the ground trying to repair the propellers. He may not know what curse words he was saying that day because his Translators wouldn’t… well, translate, but Sokuro will know them. 

“Hey there, Halix.” Eia jogged up. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought some friends.” She gestured back to the approaching duo.

Halix recognized the boy in black instantly. Hard to forget someone you saved in the midst of a chaos-infested warzone. “Hey, isn’t that the boy we saved from the attack? That kid from the Black Abyss, right?” Eia nodded in rapid confirmation. “Then that must be Sokuro, the new Silver.”

“Yep…” Eia droned for a brief moment before sparking back to life. “They’re coming with us to Roko Harbor.”

“Yeah, and I’m curious to see what it looks like.” Bran said as he and Sokuro finally caught up to their new hyper friend.  “Since Roko is the second closest city to Novalle, I figured, eh, may as well do some scouting for the colony, see what any of our merchants will be getting themselves into if and when they go.” He pulled out his phone to make sure the camera app loaded in and working. “That and I want to see if it’s anything like the image I have in my head.”

Halix would comment, but he just wants to get this trip over with. Dexyl woke him up early for this and he’s none too pleased. “You made sure to bring your scale this time, Eia?” He bluntly asked.

Feeling embarrassing, she grimaced his way. “Yes, I got it! Geez, I’m not going to forget twice.” She tapped against one of her earrings which Bran had just noticed and saw that the scale had been whittled down to fit inside the jewel casings. What Sokuro said was true: as long as they remain on the body in some way, you can do whatever you want to the scales and they still have their complete magic. In Eia’s case, it seems, it’s whittling it down until it could fit into a pair of earrings.

Eia took a step back to the edge of the docks and spread her arms wide. “You’re in for a treat.” She snickered, obviously directed at Bran, as she fell off the side. Bran started to run over to catch her but didn’t, knowing that would’ve been stupid. They can change into dragons- what does he have to worry about?

One bright glow and a dazzling light show later- Sokuro isn’t the only one to do the dance of the sparkles- Eia flew back up as a Dragon. She was a slender purple dragon with brown wings and a angular head that had hair of all things. If Bran’s memory serves him well on the explanation Sokuro gave him, then she must be proficient with electricity or energy if her color is purple. 

Truth be told, it is Plasma the purples on Dragenia are most proficient with. The same type of Plasma that lightning strikes are made out of so, yes, in a sense, the Dragenian Purple Aerids are most comfortable with electricity. 

Also, Dragons with hair… it’s also so jarring and offputting. Dragons shouldn’t have hair- they are scaly beasts with flight and fire breath. Hair should not be associated with them. It’s… sorry for going off topic.

Aerid Eia landed down on the dock and bent down to make sure they had a sort of natural staircase to clime made out of her biceps. “Alright, hop on. Next stop, Roko Harbor.” Bran was first on, followed by Halix, and finally Sokuro. “Hmm? You’re not flying, Silver?” Eia jested. 

Sokuro climbed up and sat behind Helix. “As fun as it is...... Nah… today feels like a lazy day. I think the others are having the same mindset.”

“……..un-huh.” She so wants to throw her off her back- roll upside down and send her plummeting to the world below, but it wouldn’t work. Sokuro can transform and fly as well. And she’d be putting Bran and Halix in danger, so that was not an option. 

Bran had to do this; it was too perfect a opportunity to pass up. He held his hands up to his mouth and made a static noise like a captain on a airplane, all the while the other three slowly turned their heads to give him a supremely puzzled glance, wondering what he’s on. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are about to take off on runway 18- United Dragenia Airlines nonstop to Roko Harbor. Please keep your tray tables in their upright position until we are in flight and please fasten your seat belts.” 

He lowered his hands with a dopy smile. He looked at the three of them and saw that they were so confused and bewildered; they have absolutely no clue what he just did or why he did it. “What?” He asked cluelessly. “I was just playing a joke.” They weren’t laughing. He tapped his fingers on his thighs as he popped his lips. “…. I think I know the first movie I am going to show you guys.”

“What’s a movie?” Eia and Halix asked in unison. Sokuro stayed silent- she got this explanation before. 

“You’ll see.”

Eia blinked blankly for a moment as she turned her head forwards. “…… ooo… kay… Let’s get going before anymore… weird happens.” She spread her wings and took off into the sky. 

 

“There they go.” Dexyl said as she watched Eia fly into the sky. “We should have that part by the end of the day. Assuming she doesn’t get distracted by that Bran kid.”

“She only met him once, and it was while we were in danger.” Mefia asked. He was the blue Gaharot Bran encountered the Phagos attack day and is the cabin boy of the ship; Eia is the cabin girl. “How is she already completely enamored with him?

“You don’t understand love, Mefy.” She collapsed her telescope and set it down. “The heart wants what the heart wants.” She booped him on the nose. “That’s a fact.”

Mefia snorted as he twisted around his nose, all the while wondering where she was going with this. “…ok? But this is still a bit fast, isn’t it? She’s only known him for a half hour and a day. Love can’t work that fast, can it?”

Dexyl sighed as she slowly shook his head. “And like I said, you don’t understand women.” 

Mefia still doesn’t fully understand just what is going on here, but it would just be a cycle of questions and non-answers at this rate. “Guess that explains why she was badmouthing Sokuro when she came back yesterday. She probably sees her as some kind of threat… though I think Sokuro is a wee bit too young to be worrying about this.”

Dexyl slowly nodded in agreement. “It’ll be interesting to see when she gets older. Though Eia will be pissed that we will leave after we get the ship fixed.” She walked back towards her cabin. “Price of being a merchant.”

Mefia followed after her. “I can already picture Eia’s freakouts.”

 

True to her boastful claims, Eia was a fast flyer. Coasting along the wind currents, her slender form allowed her to make great speeds as there wasn’t too much wind friction against such a bulky form. The travel time for a more bulky Aerid like Velx or Sokuro would take around an hour, hour and a half to travel from Misken to Roko Harbor. Eia is shaving that in half- they were already half way to Roko, and they hasn’t even passed the 25 minute mark. 

Eia flew up above the scattered clouds, giving the passengers a great view of the green and blue land below. “So what is Roko Harbor like?” Bran asked as he looked down. 

“It’s like every other port town in the world.” Eia said in passing. “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

“But this is the first time I’m going to see a Dragenian harbor. And harbors back home involved space ships- the vessels that can fly across what you call the Black Abyss, so it’s not the same thing.”

“Oh. Right.”

Sokuro went on to explain what would hopefully be the final time. “Well, like I told you earlier, it’s the only spit of land the Bokurol Kingdom controls here on Evioly. Roko is also the only port Evioly has. You may not see it from this high up, but there are really sharp and really dangerous crags just off the shoreline. They can slice though ships like they are nothing. This stretch of Evioly is lucky enough to not have any crags- well, not as many.”

“Oh. But wouldn’t it make sense to just blow up the crags? If they’re that much of a hassle, not to mention that dangerous, then get rid of them. Not to mention, you have ships that can fly though the air. You can build a harbor in the middle of the dang continent.”

“We could, but there are some locations that are just too dangerous to set up a harbor. There are some really nasty monsters here. None as near invincible as a Phagos, but just as scary and almost as tough. The Northern Expanse is the worst of it, though. There is a constant wind storm that keeps people from heading up that way. the only way into the storm is on foot, and even then the winds can pick you up if you are not careful. I doubt even your fancy ships can survive those winds.”

“The winds stretch as far as Meoho village.” Halix interrupted. “I think it plays a role in the Koloron.”

“Koloron?”

“I’ll explain later.” Sokuro interjected, returning attention back to her. “It’s coming up in a couple months time anyway. But back to what I was talking about, there are some places that would make for good locations for a harbor, but there are a lot of dangers that prevent another ones construction; monsters, crags, natural stone pillars that are a pain to navigate. On that note, Roko Harbor directly faces the natural bridge that crosses the massive trench separating us from the mainland, and the trading post there is owned by Bokurol too.”

“Sounds like they don’t want anyone else making their own port on Evioly so that they can have their own little monopoly.” Bran pointed out. “And even if anyone could found a port, there’s a bunch of natural dangers they gotta deal with.”

“Pretty much.” Halix said with twisted lips.

Bran sputtered as he put his hands behind his head in boredom. “Well, I didn’t expect this little geography and history lesson, but I guess it killed the time.” He looked over the side and saw one of the natural stone pillars that were mentioned. It jutted out of the water like a…. well, like a pillar. It was naturally made by Mother Nature and looked like a haphazardly put together stone club made up of dozens upon dozens of rocks glued together. He saw something else- it looked like a port city to him, but they were still a ways away. “So is there anything I should know before we reach Roko? The Do’s and the Don’ts?”

Eia held up a single claw. “Just one and it’s a big one.” She looked back to him. “Don’t bring up the Erharn Republic. They HATE those guys. They have been enemies for centuries, even before Xelut. If you are talking about anyone or anything from Erharn, you better be badmouthing them or putting them down.”

“Why do they hate them?”

Eia ‘rested’ her head on her claws as she tried to remember what it was that sparked it. “I honestly don’t remember. And asking someone at Roko wouldn’t end well for me; I’d get reamed for asking. You’re better off hitting a archive.”

“Right.”

Halix looked over the side and pointed ahead. “There is Roko Harbor, dead ahead.” Sokuro and Bran leaned over and saw the harbor dead ahead of them. Sokuro saw it only once before, and that was before Taled was born, so seeing it for the second time is still as amazing as Bran seeing it for the first. 

 

Roko Harbor, as described many times before, is Bokurol’s only claim on the sub-continent of Evioly. But while it’s the only city from the mainland, and separated by a 4 month journey by sea, it is not lacking in size and grandeur after centuries of construction. 

Roko Harbor was built into a 80 foot tall rising cliffside that encircled around the entire 2-mile radii bay in which it calls home. Carved out of natural elithu- Dragenia’s equivalent to limestone- the port city could house hundreds of ships and house thousands of people, while the carved buildings rose up in layers, separated by roadways and the port below. Over the centuries, more buildings have been added into the land behind the cliffs, making the harbor one of the biggest in modern Dragenian history. 

To give it a Earth comparison, the harbor and the city in the cliff face would be like the Cappadocia Cave Houses from Italy, the city of Petra from Jordan, or the Ancient Rock City of Matera. As for the extensions on the other side of the cliffs, it would be pre-Revolutionary War Boston 

The governor of the harbor lives in a magnificent mansion located on a hill just out of the city. Even among a new planet, the rich are snobby and showboaty. 

Bran took note of the mansion as they flew over it. It resembled an plantation mansion out of America’s past, which makes sense considering Sokuro’s claims of there being a slave trade on the planet. Seems kinda cliché. 

This is adding some more credence to the hypothesis that Earth and Dragenia shared a distant connection in the past. Once again, the architecture resembles something from Earth- in this case, a plantation mansion. Either it’s a big coincidence, or it’s actually true. As with all things, time will tell.

 

Eia flew down into the city from above, hugging along the cliffface as she looked for a roomy place to land. While this was going on, Bran was amazed at how this place was made. It must’ve taken them hundreds of years to make the harbor what it is now. “Whoa… it’s carved right into the rock.”

“Yep.” Sokuro went on to say. “Thanks to the abilities of the Brown Aerids- those that can control rock and dirt with superb ease- they were able to build this place in such a magnificent way. Were there any cities like this on Earth?”

“None on this scale.” He spread his arms, gesturing to the entirety of Roko Harbor. “But yes, we had megalithic structures. Some were just basic towns, Others were painstakingly carved by hand over hundreds or thousands of years.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to give them some visual references. “Like this place.” He brought up a holographic image of the Al-Khazneh, a grand temple built in a canyon in Petra, Jordon. The building was best known as the location for the final confrontation in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 

“Whoa…” Halix cooed. He wasn’t amazed by the temple, but rather Bran’s image. This is his first time seeing a hologram and, like everyone else back in Misken that saw it for the first time with Arlene, he tried to stick his hand though it. “It’s a… image of light?”

“Eh, more or less.”

“That’s an interesting temple.” Sokuro said, focusin on that and not the hologram. She quickly grew used to it by now, which is amazing as everyone else back home were still having their minds blown. 

“It’s actually a crypt built for a king, but its magnificent design made it a popular tourist attraction… until Earth went belly-up, that is…” He shut off the hologram and put his phone away. “I’m just saying that Roko Harbor reminded me of that.”

Eia glanced back to her task, having been taking in Bran’s explanation. She’s interested in hearing more about Earth, but first she needed to find a good spot. And she found one in less than a second. She turned towards and landed in a park located near the exit of the harbor that led out behind the cliffs. 

Halix, Sokuro, and Bran slid off her back, landing on the dirt below. Eia transformed back into her Ferid form and cracked her back. “Ooog….. It’s been a long time since I changed, my back is stiff.” She turned around. “Can you push on my back?” Sokuro shrugged and did that, not really sure what good that would do. She pushed in on Eia’s back until they heard a *pop*. “That’ll work.” Eia grunted as she stretched her arms and legs.

“You would make a good chiropractor.” Bran commented Sokuro’s way.

The two girls shared the same ‘what?’ glance to each other. “What’s a chiropractor?” They both asked.

“It’s someone that specializes in easing back problems though massages, needlepoint, etc etc. I think the database would explain it best, but I don’t want to get anyone here spooked.”

“Why’s that?” Halix asked as he began tying a green ribbon around his neck. 

“They haven’t heard of Bran or his fellow colonists yet.” Sokuro concluded. “They will most likely have heard of a new Silver Aerid from Misken, but there were a couple of weeks for that information to get here. The village and you merchants have only known of Bran and the new folk for a couple days. No way word can spread that fast.”

“She has a point.” Eia agreed, surprising herself for agreeing with her rival.

“Which brings me to this.” Bran said. “If anyone asks why I don’t have a tail, the story is that I lost it in a bad accident when I was a kid and I lost my scale. It worked for these two when I met them.” He gestured to Eia and Halix. “At least… before I got exposed by that demon turtle.” He snorted like a pig in irritation. “… Anyway, that’s the story until…” He took notice of Halix’s ribbon. “… something happens- what are you doing with that ribbon?”

“Well, you know that the slave trade is a thing, right? These are to identify that some are not to be touched, like me. Gaharots from Evioly, Eria, Lkios, and Croxhs all wear these to show they are not to be taken.” He finished tying it up in a neat little bow. “Of course, that won’t stop any rogue slavers who don’t bother. Hopefully none are here.”

“Here’s hoping.” Eia whimpered. Bran took notice of her anxiety, gulping out of fear and anxiousness. Something must’ve happened to her regarding this. 

“Alright…” Helix slapped his paws together and rubbed them together. “Let’s go find us that part.”

“We could try the markets.” Eia suggested.

“Good point there. Let’s get going.” He walked between Bran and Sokuro while Halix and Eia walked off. “You can come, if you want.” Halix called back to them as he passed. “Or you can just go and explore.”

“You don’t need any help with that part?” Bran asked back, referring to Sokuro and her immense strength. 

Eia turned around and walked backwards. “I am a lot stronger then I look as an Aerid, Bran. A single gear is child’s play to me. So you can either come or do whatever the heck you want. But I know you will want to explore- you seem like the inquisitive type.” She turned back around and walked off with Halix.

Bran left that decision up to Sokuro- she’s going to be the one doing the flying, after all. “So… what do you wanna do?” 

Sokuro playfully smirked as she looked back. She grabbed his hands and bounced around in front of him. “I wanna go exploring! It’s been cycles since I’ve been here- ever since I was just a little pup. So come oooooon. You said it yourself you could learn interesting things for the others at Novalle when they eventually come.”

“That is true- I did say that.” He thought to himself for a moment. “… well, we could try out the markets. That will be the first place anyone from the colony will go when they come.”

The two of them looked down the path Eia and Halix took before looking back at each other, before turning in their direction. “Wait up!” They both called out as they ran after the two crewmates. 

 

The harbor was far, far grander then the two of them could’ve anticipated. It was so huge, and with so many people. It was staggering, to say the least. 

Bran never saw a city constructed in layers like this before, with each ‘layer’ getting smaller the further up along the Cliffside it went. Near as he can tell, there are five layers: the port down on the sea level, and four ascending layers of homes, taverns, warehouses, and other things, though to be technical, there are six if you count the extensions outside. He can see why they chose it- excluding the extensions outside the bay, this can be a natural defense against windstorms and even tsunamis. 

Though what confuses him are the ships he sees down in the port: he knows that they have ships that can fly though the air, so why are there ships with natural sails? And he sees they have propellers in the masts, so what gives? Then he remembered what Sokuro said on their flight here: there is a constant and violent windstorm in the Northern Wastes, which he assumes is the northern half of Evioly, or at least part of it, and the winds stretch over the whole sub-continent with varying degrees of speed. Roko Harbor must be in the winds radius, making air flight difficult or downright lethal. He didn’t feel any strong winds when they flew in; it must exist on a cycle or something. He’ll have to ask Sokuro about this later to assume it’s true.

Right now, he was enjoying the scenery, all the while trying to avoid the crowds. He hates crowds. There wasn’t this many people in both Novalle and Misken combined. It’s very discomforting to him. It wasn’t this bad back in Misken- most everyone there was checking out the new kids on the block.

Sokuro was just as amazed as him. She had been to Roko once before, but she was really really young when she did. “Whoooooa…” She gasped in amazement with eyes wide. “This is so much bigger then I remember.”

“I thought you’ve been here before.” Eia asked.

“I’ve only been here once, before mom was pregnant with Taled. I don’t remember why, though. I think mom and dad went on a trip and left me back in Misken with a nanny and we were welcoming them back… or we came here to meet a friend… I don’t really remember. It is hard to remember things were you are that young, right?”

“Speak for yourself.” Bran snarcked. “I have an eidetic memory. I can remember everything in perfect clarity and detail. Except newborn stuff- I don’t think even geniuses can remember their past that well.” Eia and Sokuro glanced at each other with puzzled faces. 

The group passed by dozens upon dozens of shops and stores carved into the lower level of the city. It was at this moment Bran noticed something off about this city: he hasn’t seen any Gaharots around. There are Ferids for miles and miles, but he hasn’t seen one single Gaharot. He glanced on ahead to Halix, who was more than uneasy being here. Like he said, just because he has that ribbon doesn’t mean rogue slavers won’t try to snatch him. As for the absence of intelligent dinos, the answer was obvious: slave labor elsewhere.

“We haven’t run into any Gaharots yet… have we…?” Bran hesitantly said, not wanting to bring up a sensitive subject.

“Yeah…” Eia said. “There were Gaharots when we came though a few days ago, but… I haven’t seen any. Could they be inside, forced to run shops?”

“We’ll see when we meet with the part shop owner over there.” Halix gestured to a shop up ahead that had a gear on a wooden post outside. That must be where they’re getting their part. “But it is strange… it’s like they up and vanished. Slave or not, 2,000 Gaharots don’t disappear this fast. Something is going on here.” 

After several minutes, they reached the shop. “Eia, you’ll come in with me. I don’t trust that guy in there.” She nodded. “You two wait out here and don’t get into any trouble.” The two shipmates walked on in, leaving Sokuro and Bran outside.

Bran immediately turned around and sat down on a ledge, pulled out his journal, and began sketching the port, starting with the docks and all the ships at anchor there. “Straight to the drawing, huh?” Sokuro asked as she sat down next to him.

He periodically looked up from his journal to get a fresh look before looking back down at the paper. “This place is impressive. I want to get it down while it’s here. If it wasn’t for the slave trade, I’d say this place is downright gorgeous.”

Sokuro sighed as she looked down out of shame. “Yeah… I wish it was abolished… my predecessor really screwed things up.” She slapped a stone off the ledge and into a bush below.

Bran stopped drawing for a moment before looking over to her. He tapped the back of his feet on the stone beneath him. “… This Great Change that Silvers bring to Dragenia… does it only have to be one change?”

“… no, there can be more than one, though that is a rarity.” Her tail perked up. “Wait… you think I can abolish the slave trade?”

“I don’t see why not. Xelut started it- you can end it. It would be a poetic full circle.”

She never really thought about it. She thought Bran and his ilk would be the only changes she’d bring. She never considered ending the slave trade. “huh… yeah, I guess so. And here I thought you and the colonists would be Dragenia’s only great change with me.”

“As if that was ever going to be the only thing you’d bring to the table.” Bran chuckled before going back to drawing.

While he sketched away, Sokuro thought about how it would work. Like she said, Evioly doesn’t support it, but the rest of the world does with varying degrees of severity. While some have abolished it all together, there are those who not only support it, but have put in increased pressures on the Gaharots. Thankfully, Bokurol is not one of those places, but Roko Harbor is far enough to where it can get away with treating their slaves horribly without any governmental oversight. And the slave trade has been part of their culture for over 500 years; giving it up won’t be easy for the other nations.

Sokuro grumbled as she rested her head in her hands- this was going to take a long while to come up with an answer to this global problem.

But right now, she’ll have to deal with a more local problem. Well, not so much a problem, more like an annoyance, one that’s been hating her ever since Ascension Day.

“Well… well… well… if it isn’t the Silver twat.” A very familiar and very irritating voice said. Sokuro recognized it instantly and lowered her head in aggravation. She had forgotten she came from Roko Harbor. She slowly turned her head to find Gallna standing there with a smug grin and crossed arms. Beside her was a Gaharot slave- she could tell because he has a collar around his neck and he had a sad expression. 

“… Hello, Gallna…” Sokuro droned flatly. Bran heard her flat voice and looked back to see someone standing over them. The two of them noticed that her scale has been turned into a brooch. 

“Here to see how us normal folk live?” Gallna hissed with disdain. “I’m not sure why someone of such ‘high caliber’ would want to mingle with the common folk.”

Bran’s first impression of this girl: complete and utter jackass. “… Sokuro, who is this and why is she talking to you like this?”

“Bran, this is Gallna, one of the other Ferids from Ascension Day. Her father is the leader of Roko Harbor and, as you can see, she is a jerk. I never met her before until Ascension Day, but ever since we got our scales, she’s thought I was some snobbish little twerp who looks down on others, all because I became a Silver.”

Bran looked at Gallna with lidded eyes. “… If you ask me, she’s the snob.”

Gallna looked at him the same way he did at her. “And who is this, your servant? Or is he your plaything? Or better yet, your lover?”

The two of them exclaimed loudly, stunned that she would even ask such a question. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, nononononononononononono…” They both went.

“We are just friends!” Bran exclaimed.

“And I’m shocked you would even ask that!” Sokuro said in kind.

“… un-huh. Sure. Whatever you say, Silver. I’m sure you are able to do whatever you want, seeing as how you no longer live amongst us mortals.”

“She still lives in an orphanage.”

“Probably she can make them lord over her hand and foot.” She smugly finished with a grin.

That did it. That ticked Sokuro off. She has a lot of nerve acting like this to her, Silver or not. She doesn’t even known her. Sokuro bounced up off the ground and got up in Gallna’s face. “You have a lot of nerve talking about my friends like that, jerk!”

Gallna didn’t take kindly to her being this close. She wanted to punch, but instead resorted to verbal attacking. “Look at the Silver, acting all high and mighty. Heh… it’s hysterical.” She started to walk away.

Sokuro growled with gritted teeth as steam hissed out of her ears. Literally. When a Ferid gets too angry, steam literally erupts form their ears. Bran never saw that happen outside of cartoons. “You know the Great Change I’m going to bring?! Well, I’m going to work to make it so that it’s the abolishment of the slave trade!”

“Yawn…” Gallna went. “Tell it to someone who cares, or actually believes your bogus tall claims. Come along, 13.” She walked off as if she was high and mighty while the Gaharot slumped after her, not really wanting to come with her. He looked back at Sokuro, hoping she’s telling the truth about ending the slave trade, even if it is just to show his master up. 

“Jackass.” Sokuro and Bran both said. 

“And you only knew her for, what, an hour?” He asked.

“At most.” Sokuro snarled. “She claims I’m high and mighty when she’s the daughter of Roko Harbors magistrate! At least I don’t flaunt it!!!” 

Eia and Halix had exited the shop just as they watched Sokuro’s little freakout there. “Whoa…” Eia cooed. “What happened to her?”

“We had an unfortunate encounter with the biggest jerk I have ever met.” Bran slammed his journal shut. He doesn’t care about sketching the harbor, not in the mood he is in. He’ll finish it later. “And there is a HUGE emphasis on Jerk!”

“Gallna?” They both asked.

“You know her?”

“She tried to buy Halix and Coloume from us- says she loved her colors. That girl thinks she’s the best thing to happen to Roko Harbor since Teegls.”

Bran would ask what a Teegl is, but he was in too foul a mood to ask. Sokuro took a deep breaths to calm herself down; it’s not worth having a episode over. “… did you get your part?” She asked.

Halix held up a filled-out voucher. “It’s being held at a warehouse in the extensions. We show this to the guy in charge there and we have our part.” He handed it to Eia, who folded it up and put it in her pockets. “And I take it you two want to head back home already.”

“You think?” Bran snarked. “I was interested in seeing all Roko has to offer, but after encountering that horrific jackass, I just want to go back to someplace that’s pleasant.” He walked on over to them.

Sokuro followed suit. “Next time we come to Roko, let’s avoid running into her.” Eia transformed into her Aerid form and everyone climbed on. “But geez, what is her problem?”

As if it was that big of a mystery. The answer was plainly obvious and Halix knew it; “I’d say half of it is spoiled rich kid, and the other half is just a bad personality.” 

“That would do it.” The three children said in unison. Eia spread her wings and took off to go get that part. 

“Oh yeah, did you figure out what happened to the missing Gaharots?” Sokuro asked.

“Yeah…” Halix droned. “Except for those owned by the magistrate, all of the enslaved Gaharots are on direct orders from Councilor Asaip to construct a brand new airship, one that can withstand the windstorm of the Northern Wastes, on a island just outside of the harbor.”

“Councilor?”

“To the king.” Sokuro added. 

“Oh…” This doesn’t sound like good news. “So is this for the king or just for this Asaip guy? Because if it’s just for this Asaip, then he may be up to no good. He could try to do something bad on the mainland.”

“Maybe… or it’s to hide from the Janissaries.” Eia chimed in. “Asaip is a known supporter of the slave trade and they made several attempts on his life on more than one occasion. Hiding in the wind storm in the Wastes would be a good place to hide from them.”

“Either way…” Sokuro droned. “… using the slaves to construct a new airship that can withstand those strong winds means it’ll be tough and it’ll take a long time to build. Even the toughest military airships we have today can’t stand up to the Windstorm.”

“Well, whatever the case, it’s not our problem.” Bran said. “It’s all problems on the mainland and we’re months away from the mainland. Whatever happens there won’t affect us here, right?”

“Here’s hoping…” Sokuro crossed her arms and slumped down her head. “… but I still have a bad feeling about this.” She felt a shiver run up her spine, sending a chill though her. It felt like someone was watching her. She didn’t bring it up because they had other things to focus on, but it was still chilling. 

Her intuition was right on the money. She was being watched from the top of the cliffs, by a male figure with flaming red hair with orange streaks, wearing a plain brown travelers cloak. “Sokuro el’Fitan…” He sinisterly said. “It will be interesting to see how you change the world…” He turned around and gave a wicked smirk. “Assuming you don’t destroy it.” He vanished into thin air, leaving behind a single tuff of green fur. 

19: Chapter 17: Hunting
Chapter 17: Hunting

Chapter 17

Hunting and Farming

2/22/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

 

A lone Felm grazed in the forest glen, surrounded by nothing but tall trees, singing birds, and yummy grass to call breakfast. It was the same Felm that Sokuro and Bran encountered some time ago, back before the civilizations knew of each other. It was a old creature, to be sure. Felm’s have a average lifespan of 50 cycles/years- this one is going on 90 and it’s not slowing down. It doesn’t even look a day over 20.

Unaware to the Felm, it was being watched though a scope; a scope that had a crosshair pointed right at its chest. The scope flipped to x-ray vision and the scope sloooooowly made its way over its heart.

“Ah… you’ll make good eatin’…” A lone Kitsune man with three black tails commented as he aimed his custom RR Sniper Rifle at the unsuspecting fauna. Dressed in a gillie suit, his finger hovered over the trigger as he waited for the animal to lift its head so he could get a clear shot at its heart.

The Felm lifted its head and the otherworldly hunter pulled down on the trigger… as it was suddenly jerked back by a hunter from Misken and fired harmlessly up into the air. The sniper exclaimed in pain as the rifle was pulled out of his hands, almost dislocating his fingers while the hunter that found him getting ready to kill a sacred animal was rightfully perturbed.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?!” Polosa yelled at the top of her lungs. Her scream scared the Felm and it jotted off.

The sniper snarled and growled as he got up off the ground. “I was hunting dinner!” He took his gun back from the native. “You almost dislocated my fingers!”

Polosa scowled at him. She had on several pouches holding berries, spare arrowheads, and medicine for wounds and poison. All hung over her hips on a belt, over a black leotard that left little to the imagination. A green poncho was draped over the outfit, leaving it obscured. A crossbow and quiver hung off her back, over the poncho.  “We told the lot of you before- Felm’s are sacred to us! To kill one is to commit an unforgivable atrocity to the Ferid people!”

The Kitsune grumbled as he checked the barrel, making sure she didn’t do anything to wreck it. No telling how strong these Ferids actually are- they could bend metal with their bare hands, for all he knows. “Well, I didn’t know that!”

She found that hard to believe. “How in the heck could you not know that? Me and the other hunters went over this in great detail when we went over the animals of Evioly!”

“Yeah, well…” He had no argument. “I was not there. I was asleep.”

“ASLEEP!?!” She screeched. “How could you have been asleep- from what I heard, meeting us Ferids and Gaharots was a highlight!”

The sniper grumbled as he rubbed his fingers in his ears- she was LOUD! “Hey, I had a long night before, ok?! We just set up a bar and I was very thirsty!”

She tilted her head. “A bar?”

“It’s like a tavern, only more rowdy.”

She is interested to see what a Bar is, but chastising this idiot lout was first and foremost. “Well, like I said, Felm’s are OFF LIMITS!!! Especially Aspoula!”

“Who?”

“The one you almost shot.” She looked to where he was grazing to find him gone. The shot must’ve scared him off. “He’s the king of the forest- he’s been alive far longer than me and continues on, even well into old age. You know it’s him because his horns are far bigger then a normal Felm’s.”

The Kitsune turned his back to her so she wouldn’t see him roll his eyes. “Ok, ok, I won’t hunt one of these special deer’s, especially sacred Bambi there.” He ejected the used laser clip from his gun and loaded in another one. Like their Earth projectile cousins, these only have one shot before reloading.

Pelosa exhaled in exasperation as she felt herself get drained as she talked with this newcomer. She then noticed the ears on top of his head and the blue fluffy tail sticking out of his suit. She looked back at her own tail, which was also blue, but had scales instead of fur.  “You’re not one of the humans, are you?”

“Nope. I am a Kitsune. We are an immortal race- we don’t die of old age, but we can still die from… basically everything else. Anyway, I am still a young Kitsune- only 14000 years old. By human standards, I guess that would put me around 16, 17 years of age.”

Even if she doesn’t know what a year is, that is still a high number. “Whoa. You’re that old and are still so young?”

“Yep.”

“Why are you out here all alone? I thought your food stores were good for more than 3 ye—cycles. That IS going to get annoying…”

“We do. I’m what you would call a lone wolf- I do things my way, and right now, I’m hunting because I am STARVING! The crap they served for breakfast this morning was really bad and I need something filling! Besides, I need the training.”

“Then eat some Fogoya Berries-they’ll fill you right up and prevent you from hunting a very sacred animal! Especially one as old as him!”

“Back to this, are we?” His stomach growled loudly. He wasn’t kidding about the breakfast they served this morning being absolutely terrible. It suffered from freezer burn and was almost completely inedible, even after cooking it. Most flocked to Misken to get something remotely decent there, something he didn’t know they were doing as he left to hunt right after he discovered his dish was horrible.

Polosa rolled her eyes in aggravation while making a like-wise grunt. “Uuuuuuuugh… this day is going to take forever…” She tossed him one of the berry pouches. No use hunting on a empty stomach. “Come with me. If you need something to eat, it may as well be something that isn’t sacred.”

He looked down at the pouch for a brief moment before returning his attention her way with a raised eyebrow of puzzlement. “Why would you help me?”

“Because if you stumble around in the forest as you are, you’ll likely fall into a crevice and become trapped or end up encountering an animal you are in no position to tangle with like a Yulak or, Velx forbid, a Turquoise.”

“Turquoise?”

“If we encounter one, I’ll tell you. And besides, I’m doing some hunting myself. I could use the extra help, even if you are, as you say, training.”

“Huh… well… thanks, I guess.” He put his rifle on his back. It attached to it via a magnet that is built into the vest he had under the gillie suit. “My name is Ventus, by the way. Ventus Argist. But you can just call me Vent for short.”

Polosa smirked as she pulled out her crossbow. It was originally to only be used by Gaharots, but she made modifications to let her use it. “Alright, Vent. Let’s go huntin’.”

 

Meanwhile, a small survey group from the colony, flanked by a pair of Gaharot farmers who know the land well, and a pair of security forces for protection- including Arlye himself who was carrying some garden hoes, were making their way through the forest to find a perfectly good spot to start a farm for the colony. If breakfast from this morning is any indication, a good chunk of their supplies may’ve gotten bad freezer burn, making them virtually inedible.

One of the survery corp members stomach growled loudly. The poor Adlez frowned underneath his helmet as he rubbed his belly. A quick refresher; Adlez are humanoid aliens that live their entire lives inside impressive space suits for the atmosphere on other planets are poison to them. That and they are the ugliest species to ever exist in the universe. If you met one out of the armor, you’ll be losing your lunch for a week. It’s a good thing they are also the best machinists in the known universe, otherwise they would be avoided like the plague. “I’m so hungry…” She moaned. Her voice came though an electronic filter. “Remind me to kill that idiot chef…”

“It’s not his fault that the seal on that crate wasn’t air tight.” Arlye commented. “If anything, blame the person who boxed up the crate to begin with.”

“I would if I could.” The Adlez mumbled under her breath.

The two Gaharots who were accompanying them wondered what they were talking about. It sounds like their breakfast was terrible, but they haven’t been told why. “Un… why was your food terrible?” One of them, a brown male, finally asked.

“It was freezer burnt.” Arlye replied.

“Freezer?” The two dinos asked.

“You don’t ha—wait, what am I saying, of course you don’t.” The agitated Adlez commented.

“Ignore her.” Arlye said. “She’s just hungry. Anyway, a freezer is a machine you can store food in. It freezes them to sub-zero temperatures that allow them to last for LONG periods of time. Meat can spoil in a few days if left out, correct? Well, a freezer can extend that time to months or even years. And before you ask, the reason we haven’t eaten another batch after this bad one is because we’re trying to make our supplies last.”

“Wow.” The other Gaharot, a purple and black male, exclaimed. “Wish we had something like that.” He said to the other one. “We’d save food for a long time.”

“No kidding.”

Arlye didn’t want to rain on their parades, but he had to bring up the bad stuff. “But… if you aren’t careful in storing it, it will get freezer burned, making them virtually inedible. Think of it as Frostbite for food.” The two Gaharots winced. Based on their reactions, it was no secret that they get frostbite on this planet. “Yeah, it’s not pleasant to eat.”

“It sucks!” The Adlez exclaimed. “And I don’t see you complaining, big guy!”

“Built-in nutrient tanks.” Arlye said as he pointed to his back. “Just like one of Earth’s Camels.” The Adlez mocked him, mimicking how he spoke and acting rude as she said it in a child-like ‘meh meh meme’ manner.

In the lead of the pack was another Adlez, this one in charge of a in-depth scanning device. It was set to scan deep into the earth to find the best soil content for the crops they brought from the Milky Way galaxy to grow, assuming they weren’t freezer burnt as well. Given their luck today, it’s likely a given.

The PDA in his hand beeped as they walked over a potential farming spot. He tried to access the soil contents, but the blasted machine was turning on and off. He smacked it to try and turn it on, but that didn’t do a thing. “Well… I think I found a potential spot to set up a farm.” HE said. “But the dang thing is on its last legs- I can’t access the soil content.”

“What’s so important about soil content anyway?” The rude female Adlez grumbled.

Arlye slowly shook his head. “You are not a pleasant person hungry.” He slammed the hoes into the ground. They stuck up like fence posts. “It’s to insure that whatever we grow here actually grows and is edible. If the soil is bad, then the food will be bad.” The two Gaharots nodded in agreement.

The PDA hissed as smoke seeped out of it. “Well, we’re not gonna find out with this.” The other Adlex commented. “This thing has seen better days.”

“Well, it is over 100 years old at this point.” Arlye commented. “I’m amazed it still worked to find us a potential farming zone.” He turned to their two Gaharot companions. “What do you think? You’re the expert farmers around here.”

The purple and black Gaharot took a walk around the land to get a feel. The grass and dirt felt right enough. The land around them is nice and flat, and the trees could be cleared away to make more room and give good sunlight, and they are not that far from a river. Odds are that the newcomers have a way to transfer water from the river to farmlands, so that won’t be a problem. “Well… if the soil is good and the trees are cleared, this could make for good farmland. You’re feeding, what, 20000 people? You’ll have to clear a lot of trees to make room, but this place should be doable.”

“I have a question.” The other Gaharot interrupted. “Why didn’t you use the area that the Phagos flattened? It’s practically made for planting.”

“We tried, but nothing would grow. Something happened there that turned it into a dead land. Scans indicated that it was dead land, which was puzzling. Maybe the Phagos did something to it, like corrupted it with it’s sheer presence or maybe its blood had corruptive properties. We’ll never know now.”

The natives looked each other, wondering if that was even possible. They’ve never heard of a Phagos corrupting the land before. This has some disturbing implications. Whenever the Phagos attacked their village, it didn’t corrupt or kill the land it tore though. Maybe it does have something to do with its blood, but they don’t really know- nobody had wounded a Phagos before. The villagers at Calo-Calo killed theirs with something that the thing found poisonous, though they haven’t quite figured out what- nobody wants to experiment on another one to find out. If it does have something to do with its blood… then the Phagos is a perfect killing machine; it not only kills animals and plants, but also the land too.

“At least this place is closer.” The female Adlez commented. “The places the Phagos flattened were further than this. But without that scanner, we won’t tell how much of this land is fertile.”

“Oh, we can.” Arlye said. He activated his transmitter in his ear. “Our ship has a advanced mineral scanner- it can scan the area. Hopefully Solstice is in a good mood.”

“When is he ever…?” The other colonists with them commented.

“Who’s Solstice?” The brown Gaharot asked.

 

Solstice is the Smart A.I. of the Argo Marquis, the colony ship that transported the colonists from the Milky Way to Messier 32. Ever since the colonists left for the planet, the ship had been in geo-synchronous orbit around the planet, remaining directly above Evioly. Nobody remained onboard the vessel anymore, nobody except for the A.I. that was assigned to it.

And he. Was. BORED!

There was nobody to talk to and nothing to do on this dang ship. He’s done the same tasks over and over and over and over and over and over and he was getting sick of it. He’s rather pissed that Arlene got to do down instead of him- he’s the one who got them here, for Creator’s sake.

“{Solstice, are you there?}” Arlye’s voice came over the communication system. That prompted Solstice’s hologram to appeared on the viewing table. As he had nothing better to do, he decided to try and take up napping- see how that organic pastime worked for him.

A.I.’s can choose the form their holographic bodies can take. With so many templates and versions they can take, each A.I.’s body is almost always unique, none more so when it comes to Solstice. His avatar body took the form of a Eluet.

An Eluet is a type of creature from Argalith mythology. They are bird-like in nature, with large encompassing wings that are five times larger then their own body, with a large head and a equally large beak with teeth and fangs. Unlike most birds, Eluets have a pair of large yet slender arms hidden underneath their feathers, a single horn coming out of the back of the head, and even a second mouth hidden inside the beak.

In Argalith mythology, Eluet’s are pure powerhouse monsters- they are tough, they are ruthless, and they can snap a frigate clean in half… if they ever existed. The story goes is that the first Eluet came when a Argalith woman was a little too… reckless when it came to her nightly prowess and was impregnated by a Argalithian demon called a Tokas- think of it as their version of a Ifrit from humanity’s Arabic myth, but with feathers and much more evil; this particular one did it because it was bored. The Argalith gave birth to the monster, which was a female, and the subsequent offspring from the first Eluet would go on to become monsters that live to sow chaos and give in to their bloodlust. That’s how the story goes, anyway- there’s no proof that such a beast existed in their fossil record or recorded tomes. The paintings it inspired are something to behold, though. They are really detailed and… really graphic.

The Argalith who programmed Solstice was a jerk who always cracked wise. So, keeping with the form he chose, the Argalith programmed his personality to be that of a trickster; a joker that can usually cause trouble, often on a large scale. And Eluet’s are just that: tricksters, but with sadism and are much more sociopathic. 

“{Solstice, I know you are there.}”

Solstice grumbled awake, rubbing his eyes. “That was a pointless endeavor…” He grumbled to himself as he stood upright. “I basically did nothing for days- how is that productive?” He snapped his claws, activating the internal comm. system. “What do you want, you overgrown lizard?”

“{That’s a fine hello.}”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I am just up here, minding my own business… because I got nothing else to do because you all LEFT ME ALONE up here with nothing to do and no people to talk to. No, I’m not bitter- not in the slightest.”

“{No… you clearly aren’t bitter. We’ll bring you down when we can, but right now, I have a task for you.}”

Every fiber in his conscience was telling him to tell Arlye to bounce right off and go jump in a lake of acid or something similar to that. But, his coding didn’t allow him the luxury of refusing his task. He had to do it. “Alright… what is it?”

“{We need you to scan the ground at my GPS coordinates. We are testing soil viability and the device we brought broke.}”.

“And you are surprised? It’s over a century old- of course it’s going to break! Be amazed half of the crap we brought still works.” Even though he can’t see it, he can tell Arlye is giving him the stink eye. He’s predictable that way. “Alright, alright, alright. Gimme a moment. Guy can’t take a joke…”

“{I heard that.}”

“You were supposed to.” He activated the passive ground scan and focused in on where Arlye was. There was a underground laydar scan, along with cameras that are just cameras. “Let’s see… I’m detacting seven heat signatures that belong to the colonists and one major jackass.”

“{Ha ha… not funny.}”

“Wh… are those dinosaurs? Arlye, do I see some of Earth’s Dinosaurs with you?”

“{Un… not really. It’s a long story, but we discovered a native civilization. The fact that one of the races looks like Dinosaurs remains a mystery, some with--}”

“More like they found us.}” Solstice interrupted. “{Did the Scout even bother to scan the entire planet before sending the all clear, because I doubt this is something it can miss that easily.”

“{Solstice, please, while we’re young?}”

“Ok, ok, ok…impatient prude. Let’s see…” The scan penetrated deep into the ground. “We got a healthy balance of Potassium, Nitrogen, Phosphorous- the perfect among to start growing, actually. And the ground seems to be covered in a type of peat moss- you organics are really lucking out with this rock … along with a mineral that’s not in the database. It must be one native to this planet.”

“{…do you fellas have any special minerals in the dirt?}” Arlye asked one of the Gaharots. “{Like, are there anything special about the food you grow that may be specific to Evioly?}”

“{Mmmmm……. Well, our crops can grow fast compared to the rest of Dragenia- Uela, to the rest of Evioly, actually, but I think that’s about it. And there is no guarantee the same will be true for yours.}”

“{If it can still grow crops, it’ll work. Thanks, Solstice.}”

“Whatever. Now, if I may be so bold as to ask, HOW MUCH LONGER AM I GOING TO STAY COOPED UP IN THIS EMPTY SHIP!?!”

“{Wow… temper today. Alright, I will personally come up tomorrow and bring you down. will that make you happy?}”

Solstice crossed his arms and mumbled. “I’d rather you did it now, but since you are busy, I doubt that’ll happen… fine… but you better come tomorrow, otherwise I’m gonna tan your hide with a laser cannon.”

“{… duly noted.}”

Solstice was about to shut off the scanner when it picked up a MASSIVE flare of energy coming from a tall mesa, overpowering the laydar scans he was in the midst of doing. He focused the scanner there and zoomed in on the source: a house on the outskirts of a small village. “What the heck…?” He tried to zoom in further, but all he got was a detailed image of the home’s shingles. It didn’t matter- the energy was gone. He was going to tell Arlye, but decided not to and completely ignore it. It’s not his problem. He shut off the scanner and went to work installed basic subroutines that can run the ship when he leaves.

 

Back down on the ground, Arlye shut off his comm. and flexed his arms. Time to get to work clearing out these trees. “Alright… seems this ground is good for planting.” He rubbed his hands together. “Now we just need to remove a good chunk of foliage.” He walked over to one of the trees.

“Alright, and how are we going to do that?” The brown Gaharot asked. “We didn’t bring a hacksaw or even a Ferid, so… what, we should leave and then come back with--” They heard the ground beside them rip open as Arlye effortlessly pulled a tree right out of the ground, stump and all. Their mouths dropped at this sheer display of this unparalleled strength. “Holy moly…” Arlye walked past as if nothing was different, except for the large tree he was carrying on his shoulder. “How in Evivo’s name….?”

“Yeah, he’s strong.” The male Adlez said.

“But HOW is he that strong?”

“Well, I don’t really know for certain… but rumor has it that he was a test subject for a Hesk experiment to create implants that can enhance a person’s strength. Arlye is rumored to be one of them, though I can’t really say for certain- it is just a rumor, after all.”

“Huh… alright, but that brings up another question: what are implants?”

The female Adlez decided to speak this time; she had been pouting too long and still doing it won’t make food grow faster. “Machines that are… mm… planted, I guess would be a familiar term for you? They are machines that are implanted into a person’s body. They are still HIGHLY experimental and can still kill a person, if you’re not careful.”

“Then why take the risk?” They heard a loud thud beside them and felt the ground underneath them shake. They looked to their left and saw that Arlye had slammed down several more trees beside his growing pile. “… Never mind. I see why. And you said he’s one of the lucky ones?”

“Really lucky. He hasn’t had any problems with his implants… if he actually has them cause, again, rumor. He could just be unnaturally strong, and Argalith’s are strong enough as it is.”

“So either way, he’s a powerhouse.”

“Pretty much.”

Arlye picked up his 7th tree in as many minutes and he hadn’t even broken a sweat. He is scarily strong- he could probably tangle with a Aerid and actually put up a fight. Nobody wants to find out, of course. He looked to the others and spoke up; “Hey! Are you seriously just going to stand around, doing nothing? Do something. Make a borderline or something- just don’t stand around looking like idiots.”

The Gaharots nodded and went out to establish a perimeter for this new farm. They came with colored sticks with crystals on the top to mark their territory. The male Adlez pulled out a combat axe, which on it’s own is just a little twig until he pressed a button. The twig extended into a staff and a large energy broadaxe came out of it. He started chopping off the trees to use for the perimeter, with any spares to be used as kindling.

The female, on the other hand, was soooo hungry, she wanted food now. She rummaged around the bags of the Purple Gaharot and found some kind of granola bar. She opened up a slit in front of her mouth and took a bite. Around the mouth was grayish-purple skin with warts and gashes. The mouth was worse- it’s like a sharks… but worse. The bar tasted sweet—too sweet for her taste. But she was starving, so she could not complain. She needed something in her belly. Once she finished it up, she burped and closed her helmet back up. “That’ll hold me until dinner… unless that’s also freezer burnt… in which case, crap.” She ran after her fellow Adlez to lend a hand.

This was going to take a few days to clear out and get ready for fertilization and plantation. But as long as the farm works and grows the food they need to survive, the wait will have been worth it.

 

Meanwhile, Polosa and Ventus were on the hunt for an elusive prey that she had been hunting for some months now, but never came close to nabbing it for one reason or another, but not this time. This time, she was gonna get it for sure. She didn’t tell Vent that is what they are hunting, not that he would’ve minded, she thought. He’s too hungry to argue- he wants something to eat badly.

While they walked down a animal trail, Polosa was looking over Ventus’ sniper rifle. She saw weapons like this back at the colony, but never up close, and not of this model. She looked down the scope- she remembered from her brief lesson the other day to never look down the barrel when it is loaded. “Wow… this can see far away.”

“It’s called a telescopic scope for a reason.” Vent said. “You saw sniper rifles before, right? Back when you were at Novalle, explaining the various animals?”

“Yes, I did, but I didn’t touch one. This is the first time I’m holding one.” She looked at the mechanism and saw that it was different from the others she saw. “You don’t have a gun like the others.”

“Yep. This is a family heirloom. It’s a custom made sniper rifle my great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather made himself. He named it the Arbiter and he made it to be a lethal powerhouse. For some reason, he loved the Human’s Bolt Action rifles from long ago- he said it provided better accuracy and stopping power, but you have to reload every single time you fire. It’s a hassle, but you can’t argue with the results.”

“I guess I’ll believe it when I see it.” She handed it back to him.

After several minutes of walking around, they came upon a lone Yulak eating away at a dead Grek Gea, a body that was thankfully out of sight thanks to tall grass and a perfectly placed tree from their angle. Vent winced in disgust- he had never been to Earth himself, but he’s seen images of the various animals that existed on that planet, and this moose had taken a demonic and ugly turn. “This is why you keep the ugly stick away from nature.” He commented under his breath. He asked aloud, “Those aren’t sacred, are they?”

Peloso scoffed. “Of course not.” She pulled out her crossbow. “Yulaks are not sacred. They aren’t even friendly beasts. They are vicious and unpleasant. If one is truly agitated, you can kiss your arm goodbye.” She took aim at the beasts head. “They make for good eating. They have tender meat that can be quite succulent.”

“I guess I’ll believe that when I try it.” He readied his sniper rifle in case she missed.

Peloso took some time as she got her aim just right. “Yulaks have terrible senses of smell. You can be right up next to it and it won’t make your scent. I know cause I tried it- I hadn’t bathed in days and I was right up beside a Yulak that was wide awake. He had to visually look at me before he realized I was there.”

“So the trick is to cripple them by going for sight or hearing to prevent them from fleeing, right?”

“You’re not that far off. But that likely won’t be a problem with this one. He has a gimp leg.” Vent peered though his sniper rifle and saw that one of the beast’s back hind legs was mildly deformed. “He’s not going to run if we miss.”

“Good. I am in no mood for a chase.”

She daintily moved her crossbow up the Yulak’s neck. “Now… a kill shot on one of these creatures… is to go for the brain or the heart, which are obvious for any creatures. The neck is also a good spot… but I’m in a beneficial mood today… I’m gonna make his end quick and painless.”

Vent looked at his sniper rifle for a moment and then to her crossbow. “Then let me take a crack at it.” He boasted. She didn’t dare look up from her crossbow lest she lose her perfect shot. “These can fire plasma bolts. They can kill instantly, and any wounds they leave are cauterized instantly from the heat.”

That intrigued the young native huntress. She saw these rifles in action and was mesmerized by what they fired- beams of pure light called lasers, if she recalls correctly- but it was at a target, not a real animal. “Alright then, newcomer… let’s see what that thing can do.”

Vent nodded and got low. He went prone, lying flat on the ground as he nestled the rifle in front of him. He closed one eye and hovered a finger over the trigger. “Sniper rifles- psh, all modern weapons in general have a kickback. Same holds true for this heirloom. But as I said… it’s got real good stopping power.” He activated modifications to the scope- a passive scan that outlined everything in a yellow line and a grey everything. The vital organs of the beast showed up on the scope, colored red.

He took the shot, striking the beast in the head. It was a painless death that left no entry and exit wounds. The Yulak went down milliseconds after the shot rang out. Vent got up and shouldered his rifle. “And that’s how it’s done.”

She twisted her lips and pursed them to the side. “Ok, I admit, it would’ve suffered with my shot.” She put her crossbow away. “And that will make some good meat.”

“If you say so.” They started walking over towards the body. “This will be the first time I’ll try this… what’s it called again, a Yulak?” She nodded in confirmation. She glanced away for a moment and saw something in the distance that made her frown angrily. She walked in the direction she looked while Vent continued to the body. He looked at the face and groaned in disgust. “Ick… it’s uglier up close.” He put the sniper on his back and pulled out a handle. He pressed a button, activating a laser knife. “So what part has the tenderest meat?” He looked back when he asked that question and saw that Peloso was gone. He looked around to see if he could find her.  “Un… dragon lady?”

Peloso pulled back hard on the launching mechanism and slammed a crossbow bolt into place. She tossed her poncho away and raised up her crossbow with villainous intent. She was about to fire when she heard loud, clunking footsteps behind her.

“There you are.” Vent commented as he ran over. Each step made a loud clunking noise from the boots, light armor, and sniper. “What are you--” Peloso spun around and slammed him against the trunk of a tree, which shocked him to say the least. “Whoa.”

“Will you shut up!?!” She snarled though her teeth.

This was a complete and utter shock to him. She seemed so nice before. What changed?  “… whoa… what’s with the sudden change of attitude?”

“Him.” She snarled, pointing across a small creek. On the other side was a Felm that had a darker fur color then the others, but that wasn’t the only thing odd about it. Its right eye had been clawed out long ago, it had claw marks all over it’s pelt, and its horns were blood red. “I’m gonna kill that dastard!”

This is a complete 180 from what he had been told about these creatures earlier. “Um… I thought Felm’s were sacred… so why are we stalking one?”

She let him go and he slid down to the forest floor. “They are sacred…..… except him. Dresco has lost his sacred rights long ago. Nobody knows how it happened, but he started killing Ferids and Gaharots out of the blue one day- his first victim was my cousin. He has been killing for over 10 cycles now and nobody could do a thing about it because he was a sacred Felm. It wasn’t until Velx’s former handmaid was killed by that prick three cycles ago that he finally declared that Dresco is not sacred anymore- he is a monster that needs to be put down. Thing is… that thing is tough to kill. That bad eye of his- that was from a bolt I fired at him.”

“… You really hate that thing, do you?”

“I despise it. My cousin was going to marry the love of her life three months before her death. And before then, she was a kind girl who never hurt anyone, and even if she wanted to, she was frail. Even her Aerid form was dainty.” She lifted up her crossbow. “Don’t get in my way- I’m gonna finally get that mohako!” You don’t want to know what ‘mohako’ means. It is a very, very bad curse word.

“I’m not even going to try. You are a scary lady when angry.”

Peloso scoffed and went to aim her crossbow at the demon beast but saw that it had escaped. It must’ve been when she was explaining things to him. This fueled her anger. “AAAGH!!!” She fired the crossbow into the tree- she needed something to let her rage loose on. “YOU IDIOT!!!” She bellowed. “I HAD HIM!!!”

“How was I supposed to know you had a vendetta against that thing?! I’m not psychic!” She angrily mumbled to herself as she paced back and forth. “And don’t take this out on me- you’re the one who went off to kill this thing without at least saying a word. ‘hey, I gotta go deal with something, I’ll be right back.’ It’s not that hard to say!”

“RRRRAAAAGH!!!” She punched the tree hard, creating a large hole right in the middle of the trunk. Vent whimpered in fear as he gulped and looked up- a few feet lower and that would’ve been his head. She angrily snarled as she pulled her hand out of the hole. “So close…. I was so close…” She scowled at Vent, who is feeling like maybe he should’ve just stayed quiet. “…” She walked off without another word. There was no way she can track it now, so she returned to the Yulak body.

Vent, on the other hand, couldn’t move. He was quivering in fear at just how powerful a Ferid can get. This was a full grown Ferid, and a hunter at that. He can only imagine what warriors for armies are like, or even special guards- they have to be the best of the best since they are guarding royalty and the like. “N-n-n-n-n-n-note to self: d-d-d-d-don’t piss Peloso off…”

 

Later that day, with the day entering twilight, the Yulak body had been properly taken care of and turned into meat to be consumed, and its bones and organs set aside in leather bags. Two Yulak steaks had been cooked up on a makeshift rotisserie over a open fire. The two of them ate in uncomfortable silence, with Peloso still fuming over missing her chance to take out that beast.

She looked up to Vent, who was glancing at the ground to avoid making eye contact. She exhaled with a sigh. “… I’m sorry for yelling at you- I didn’t mean to take my anger out on you. I was just angry I missed my chance to finally kill that monster.”

Vent gulped down a piece of the meat he had been given. “You… aren’t the first person to have a grudge against an animal. Just... you don’t let that thing consume your life, do you?”

“Of course not… I’m not an obsessive, vengeance seeking, blood thirsty psychopath. I hate Dresco, but I don’t let it take control of my life. I have a life of my own. This is the first time anyone’s seen that thing for months, actually. I just… I don’t want my cousin’s murderer to get off without consequence while she’s lying in a grave.”

“You must’ve really loved your cousin.”

She lightly smirked. “She was the best. She was the nicest girl in Roko you could meet. She was always willing to help others, despite her body being so frail. She constantly got sick and she had no strength in either form, but she always lived with a smile on her face and a warm feeling in her heart. Despite that, she met the love of her life and the two of them were set to get married here in Misken. But… as I said…”

“The rogue Felm killed her…”

She nodded. “… Yeah… that’s why I’m so angry with that thing. And it wasn’t just my cousin it killed- she was the first. There have been dozens of others afterwards. The most recent was three months ago; another hunter that hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings got skewered by its horns.”

“Ouch…” Vent winced. “Sounds like this thing has a grudge against Misken’s people, even those who visit from other cities, it seems.”

“Yeah. And like I said, nobody knows why it became a murderer. Though I have heard theories- he’s seeking revenge for its dead family or he ate something it shouldn’t have and it messed with its mind or he was born this way.”

“If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s the revenge angle. There’s proof that animals can hold a strong grudge, but this Felm went too far and has officially gone Rogue.”

She sighed as she leaned on her meatless skewer stick. “I guess…” She tossed her stick into the fire and got up. “Well, that’s enough gloom for one day. I should be heading back to the village.”

“I should be heading back to the colony as well.” Vent tossed his stick into the fire as well. “That was some surprisingly good. A bit salty, but not bad.”

“Yeah, you need to soak it in a brine to get rid of the salt, but otherwise, it can be good.” She walked over to the bags and lifted them up. Vent tilted his head in puzzlement about why she would take bags of bones and internal organs. She knew the question that was coming and beat him to the punch. “We don’t waste. We find uses for these.”

“I wasn’t even going to ask.” He said as he got up. He kicked dirt into the fire, putting it out. He grabbed his sniper rifle and put it on his back.

“Same time tomorrow?” She asked.

That made him stop in his tracks. “What?”
            She looked back with a smile on her face. “Wanna go hunting again tomorrow?”

This is the first time Vent saw a smile on the gruff and stoic Peloso’s face. That’s when he noticed how cute she was. “Un, sure.”

She shouldered the bags with a warm smile. “Until tomorrow then. Bye.” She walked off, heading back towards Misken.

Vent lightly smirked to himself before pulling out his GPS locator. He found the direction back to Novalle and walked in that direction. By the time he got there, dinner would be served, and it wasn’t freezer burnt this times.

 

Now I know what you are thinking; where the heck were Sokuro and Bran this chapter? This story is about them. Well, they were back in Misken, with Bran finishing up his explanations to the rest of the orphans that he coaxed his way out of doing yesterday thanks to the trip to Roko Harbor. After that took virtually all day, they sat down for dinner, which was Gea legs.

“Wow… this is actually pretty tasty.” Bran commented after trying Gea for the first time. “The first Dragenian food I tried made me dunk my head into the nearby pond in a failed attempt to cool it off.” The rest of the orphans looked to Sokuro, who nervously chuckled to herself as she sank in her seat and out of sight. The girl loves her spicy foods- practically lives off them.

While putting a piece of Gea in his mouth, Bran got a idea- an idea of how to introduce the local populace to Milky Way style living without having to go into such long and drawn out explanations.

All he needed was the projector up on the Argo Marquis, and complete access to the movie library in the database.

20: Chapter 18: Dragons in Space
Chapter 18: Dragons in Space

Chapter 18

Dragons in Space

2/23/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

Early into the morning, with the sun just about over the horizon completely, Bran was awake in his bed- has been for the past half hour, and has been flipping though the massive library of downloaded movies in the Argo Marquis’ databanks. There were millions installed; most of them were human made, but there were some from other species as well: Kitsunes, Dracons, Veleis, even Argalith’s had movies of their own.

His room completely black from a lack of light both from inside and outside, Bran was surfing though the stock because he believes that this could be one way the native peoples can learn about another peoples if they look at what they consider entertainment. It makes absolutely no sense to anyone else- you can’t learn an entire culture just be watching a movie, but Bran was determined.

He left out Horror and Thrillers- he wants to entertain them, not scare them. Animation, Comedies, and Family Friendly flicks are what he are looking for. It narrowed down the search significantly. It helped more because he was looking at a specific type of movie: those that involved Dragons. It would be interesting to see how the natives would be react to movies depicting…. well, themselves, in a sense, in how humans saw them long ago when they were just mythical monsters.

He just needed to find the right one. The first impression is always key. But the question is which one? He didn’t want anything too kid friendly- that’s just personal preference. He hates it when people explain what the audience had just witnessed in front of their own eyes. Besides, he wants to ease the natives into this: this will be the first time they’ve seen a movie and he doesn’t want to go all the way in and give them the wrong impression that all of the movies, and how humans depicted them, are about… bad things.

He passed by ones that would be good for some reason or another. “Too scary. Too action heavy. Paints Dragons in a bad light. Too childish. Too Earth focused- I need pure fantasy. Too--….. Mmmm…. Maybe.”

He heard a tapping on the window behind him. He tilt his head back and nearly jumped out of his bed when he saw Eia and Sokuro dangling upside-down off the roof. Their faces were pressed against the glass as their eyes darted around. “Geez louise…” He hissed. “Almost give me a heart attack…” He pressed a button on the windowsill behind him. Part of the glass opened up on its own- a process that fascinated both of the natives. “What are you two doing here?!” He snapped.

“We wanted to surprise you.” Eia said in a cheerful tone.

“By nearly scaring me to death? And this early in the morning?”

Sokuro grinned like a idiot. “Sorry. It just felt like a good joke. Besides, she was insistant. She came to me while I was still sleeping and was begging me to find your place for her.” She pushed her hands off the glass and swung a couple of times before letting go of the piping she had her tail wrapped around and flipped right in. She landed effortlessly and gave a playful bow. “So this is what your room looks like… is what I would say if it wasn’t as dark as a cave.”

“You’re not supposed to be in here!” He snapped.

Eia fell right in effortlessly as well. “You are not a morning person, are you? You should just like Sokuro.”

“You’re not supposed to be in here!” He snapped again. “Get out, please! Before my parents come in and start getting ideas!”

Sokuro tilted her head in puzzlement. “What ideas?” Rather then wait for an answer, she noticed his phone on the bed and snatched it. “Heeey now…”

“HEY!” Bran shouted. He shot up to try and get it but Sokuro was too fast. He remembered he was in his boxer shorts and curled back up underneath his bed.

“Ooooooo…” Eia proclaimed, her eyes lit up at the sparkling new device that was a common cellphone for the 5699 era. “What is it?”

“He calls it a ‘cell phone’. It’s what allows everyone here to communicate long distances. It also has a wide wealth of information that he can access on a whim.” Eia looked on, completely enamoured by this new technology while Sokuro tried reading what was displayed on the screen at the moment, but she is still a basic beginner at this. What may be Basic for the Milky Way’s inhabitants is still brand new to her. “Ugh… I can barely read it. What does this say, Bran?”

Bran snatched it back in a huff and hid it away underneath the bedsheets. “First off, don’t take other people’s property without permission.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “And if you truly must know… I’m looking up a movie that would be perfect for a first viewing to the native races.”

The two girls tilted their heads in bewilderment. Sokuro heard the word ‘movie’ before, but she had forgotten what it meant. “Heh?” They both went.

Bran pursed his lips to the side. He brought his phone back out and, without looking, put on a old family video from back home. “In layman’s terms, it’s a moving picture with sound.” He played it and showed it to them. “See?”

“Whooooooooa…” The two gasped, completely mesmerized by this stunning feat of technology. The video showed a much younger Bran playing with a previously unknown girl at a park in Ferous, the now former capital of Vega.

The first thing Eia noticed was the girl. First there was this runt gunning for Bran? How many others does he have to contend with? “Un… who’s the girl?”

“My cousin Elena.” Eia internally breathed a sigh of relief. So her only ‘threat’ is Sokuro- she can work with that. “She and her family were visiting Vega that time for… something I don’t remember. I was four at the time- so sue me.” Eia raised a eyebrow at that turn of phrase. “But yeah, she never had many friends- she was a shy girl. Last I heard… she was on a transport heading for Andromeda, so… well, I’m hoping she got there ok, first and formost.”

The first thing Sokuro noticed, on the other hand, was how depressing the surroundings all looked. The sky and the ground were a dead brown color, as were the leaves on the trees and the side of the large buildings. “That’s Vega?” She asked. “It looks so… depressing.”

Bran pulled his phone back and paused the video. “Yep… that’s Vega… and that’s what pollution will get ya…” He somberly closed out the video, hoping she was ok. Even before cryosleep and the hundred year nap, it had been a few years since they saw each other. No sense dwelling on it now. “Back to what we were talking about, I’m trying to find a movie that would… work for newcomers to the artform like you two. Something that would be entertaining, yet not too… overly taxing. Something that won’t overload your senses; to ease you all in into this strange new world. And so far…” He slapped it down on the sheets. “…it’s been rough.”

“How many are there?” Eia asked.

“Millions.” Both girls mouths dropped. “But I’ve narrowed it to Family Friendly, Comedic affairs for the first time out. And to make things more interesting, I’m focusing only on Dragon movies.”

Sokuro picked up the phone and looked again. These are movies based on them? “Wow. There are movies about us?”

“What? No no- you forget, before we met all of you, we all thought Dragon’s were a myth, and there are barely any stories about those who can shift forms like you can.”

She was disappointed by that. “Oh…”

“And besides… I need to get one of the projectors up on the Argo Marquis.”

“Argo Marquis?” Eia asked.

“The ship that helped them cross the Black Abyss from their home to Dragenia.” Sokuro explained. “It’s supposed to be high up in the sky, in… what did you call it, ‘orbit?’It’s up there in orbit… whatever that means. With that out of the way, what is a projector?”

“Well… mm… it’s like the holographic projectors to project Arlene around Novalle, but it’s made for movies. I know there is one big enough on there- they needed to entertain us before we reached the Milky Way’s edge and entered our 100 year nap. And I already have a place big enough to show it off. I just need to get the dang thing.”

“Why can’t we just fly up?” Eia asked. “You know we can.”

“Because the ‘Black Abyss’, as you call it, is just that- an abyss. There is no air, no gravity, no… anything to keep us alive in a void that is completely cold. If we go up as is, we’ll turn into popsicles while we suffocate to death.” The two girls winced in pain; Sokuro held her neck while Eia gulped out of fear. “Now you know why we use ships.”

“Then just take one of those Beetle dropship things.” Sokuro suggested.

“I would, except I don’t know how to fly one.”

“Then ask someone to take you up.”

“I can’t exactly force anyone to take me.”

The two girls looked at each other and came up with the same devious idea, portrayed by such a devious grin that was painted on their faces. “We have an idea.” They said in unison. Bran sank in his bed as the two of them adopted creepy faces- it is NEVER a good sign when someone does a creepy face.

 

Despite being sore from doing all of the work clearing out the trees yesterday, Arlye made his way to the little port they had set up on the outskirts of Novalle, where the Beatle dropships were being kept. He had to keep his word to Solstice and bring him off the ship. He can’t exactly fault the lonely program for wanting off the ship; he would be a bit antsy if he was stuck up there alone for weeks as well.

The whole reason they kept him on the ship in the first place was in case they needed to make a quick getaway if things took a sour turn here. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. The Misken people are a nice enough bunch so far, but from what Bran said about Roko Harbor, not everyone on the planet is like that.

He approached the little airfield and saw a perplexing sight- two of the native girls trying to force one of the colonists onto one of the Beatles. Immediately, he recognized two of them as Sokuro and Bran, who was now fully dressed. “What in the world…?” He walked on over just as the girls pulled him into the ramp. “What’s going on here?” He asked aloud.

The three youths stiffened up, frozen solid as they tilted their heads down the ramp to see the biggest person in the colony looking up at them with crossed arms and a gruff stare. “Un…” Sokuro went. “Un….. unnn…………..uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun…………..” She turned to Eia and whispered harshly, “I can’t think up a good lie!”

“I can’t either.” She replied in kind.

Bran hit his head on the ramp, creating a loud metallic thunk. “Thanks a lot, you two…” He mumbled. He lifted his head and looked down to Arlye. “If you must know…. I need to get something off the Argo Marquis… and these two idiots thought they could fly a Beatle.”

“Well, we can fly ourselves.” Eia proclaimed, turning around to show off her tail. “And I live on a airship, so flying this thing should be a piece of… un… what’s a Milky Way dessert?”

Arlye slowly shook his head and disappointment as he started his way up the ramp. “Flying a Beatle is far cry from working the spinning wheel on those airships of yours. There are a lot more variables you need to take into consideration, not to mention that they are entirely different designs.  You would’ve crashed on take-off.” He passed by them. “But lucky for you, I’m heading up there myself. I could find what you want.”

But Bran wants this to be a surprise, even to him. From what he had heard in passing on the ride to the edge of the Milky Way, he’s not a movie person. He’s hoping to change that. “Eh… thanks, Arlye, but it’s a surprise I got in mind. Something you will see with everyone else tomorrow night.”

“Why then?”

“Because it will take me a while to set it up and get everything together, that’s why.”

That sounded very suspect. At the top of the ramp, he crossed his arms. “Just what do you have planned?”

“Like he said, it’s a surprise.” Sokuro insinuated. “But it’s nothing bad, if that’s what you are wondering. If anything, it’s hopefully something beneficial.”

“… un-huh.” He didn’t have time for this. The sooner he gets Solstice, the sooner he can get back. He hates zero gravity- makes him feel like a paperweight. “Fine, whatever. Hurry up and get on before I change my mind.” He went up the ramp into the ship. The children snickered with grins as they clamored on board. “Just don’t bug me in the cockpit.” He ordered as he reached the ladder. “And don’t wreck anything.”

“I won’t.” Bran said. Behind him, Sokuro had tapped a stack of barrels holding holokh’s- the Adlez version of whiskey- while Eia was messing around with a pair of night-vision goggles. The stack of barrels fell over while Eia was temporarily blinded and fell back. “…………. Them, on the other hand…”

Arlye slowly shook his face in disgust. “Ugh… this is gonna be a long day…” He grumbled as he climbed up the ladder.

            Bran moaned as he went back to the girls. Barely a few seconds on the ship and they are already wrecking things. That has to be some type of new record. “Can you two please not wreck everything?”

            “We were curious.” Eia said as she stuck a finger up.

            “I get that, but can you please not destroy everything? This is expensive and, currently, rare and irreplaceable. We have no way to remake these for now.”

            “Fine fine.” Eia put the goggles back where she got them and rubbed her eyes. “What even were those things? I can barely see 3 feet in front of me.”

            “Night vision goggles. It’s pretty self explanatory. And they are meant to be used at night or else… well, you experienced it.” He heard Sokuro clamor over one of the barrels. “Those, on the other hand, aren’t for us.” He put one onto its side. “This is a grown up drink- a highly flammable one, by the way.”

            “Why the heck is that on this thing, then?”

            “Obviously, they didn’t unload it.” The ship lurched for a brief moment, which scared the girls. Bran remained unfazed and walked over to another barrel as the ramp behind them began to close.

            They heard a loud hum in the back that was progressively getting louder. As they had not experienced this before, the girls were frightened by what was going on. Eia ducked underneath the table that had the goggles. “S-s-s-s-should that be happening?”

            “Yes, of course.” Bran said as he stood another barrel up. “The ship is warming up- Arlye is going though preflight checks.”

            “So…?”

            The ramp came to a close, latching shut with a loud hissing noise. Sokuro jumped in her skin, slipping on the slick floor. Bran breathlessly chuckled with a slack smile. “Wow. You two are jumpy today.”

            “This is our first time on this thing, ok?!” Sokuro exclaimed. “You may be used to this but, again, this is the first time we’ve been on these things!”

            “Ok. Ok. Relax. Sheesh. So loud.” He picked up the last barrel and set it upright. There were some dents, but nothing to worry about. He looked over to her and chuckled again. “Ok, if it’ll help, I’ll tell you what to expect. First, there is going to be a roar in the back- that is the engines igniting. Next, you will feel the ship move under you as it lifts up off the ground. And you don’t have to worry about faceplanting into the wall back there- these things speed up gradually. It doesn’t go from 0 to 400.”

            “0 to what?”

            The engines in the back roared to life, just like Bran had predicted. “Just hold on and keep your hands and legs inside the ride at all times.”

            The girls looked at each other in confusion. “What ride?” They asked nervously.

           

            Outside, the Beatle slowly lifted up off the ground. It slowly turned so it wouldn’t hit anything as it positioned itself in the direction of the Argo Marquis. Once it was far above the skyline of the colony, the engines kicked into high gear and the dropship blasted off, heading up into space.

 

            The inertial dampeners kicked in, keeping everything inside the hold from bouncing all over the place. It lessened the blow of the sudden speed boost. Somewhat. Bran’s warning about faceplanting into the wall should’ve been said to him as well as he hit the wall. But it was on his back, not a faceplant, so there.

            “Ow… what’s the rush, Arlye?”

            Sokuro and Eia were spared from that thanks to their little hiding spots, but the sudden and strong thrust of speed pulled them out of their spots- Sokuro held onto a pipe while Eia didn’t really go much anywhere. “Yeowza!” Eia exclaimed. “I thought you said it was a gradual thing!”

            “I thought so too.” He groaned as he slid down the wall. “Arlye must be in a rush or something…”

 

            Velx lightly slumbered on his temple, lost so deep in dreamland, it would take something big to wake him up. And something did. He opened his eyes as he sensed four life forces, two of which were Dragenian natives, fading away from the planet- they aren’t dying, but they are moving away from Dragenia, like they are leaving the confides of the planet. He lifted his head and saw, in the distance, one of the Colonists ships heading up into the air and towards the Abyss. He rested his head back down and snorted. “This is going to take some getting used to...” He muttered to himself before closing his eyes.

 

            Breaking though the atmosphere, the Beatle dropship broke free of the confines of Dragenia’s sky and entered the near-infinite mass of space for the first time in weeks. Its destination, the Argo Marquis, was dead ahead. Ever since dropping off the colonists, the extra-galactic vessel has stayed in orbit up here, floating in the cold expanse between the planet and its three moons.

            Too bad the Beatle doesn’t have windows- Sokuro and Eia are missing out on a spectacular view. The entirety of Evioly could be seen and it was something to behind. As it was told before, there is a constant windstorm on the northern most part of the sub-contient, and it was visible from space as a large hurricane that stretched out from epicenter, slowly dissipating the further away the winds got, until it was non-existent when it neared the volcano in the center.

            The Beatle made its way towards one of the hanger near the front of the vessel. It was large enough to hold five of these dropshps. The dropship flew right in without a fuss. Steam hissed out of the bottom of the ship as landing struts extended out. They attached to the pad and the ship touched down.

 

            Arlye climbed down the ladder to see the three of them groaning in pain as they laid on the floor. “… ok, I get why the native girls are on the floor- they never experienced spaceflight before, but why are you?”

            Bran groaned as he rolled onto his front. “You’re the one who went from 0 to Lightspeed in seconds. Ugh…”

            “I know. I just want to get this over with.” He walked over to the exit ramp- more specifically, the button to lower it. “I have a lot of things I need to do today, and this deal with Solstice just wormed its way in.” He pressed the button and the ramp slowly began to lower itself. “You won’t take long finding your mystery item, will you?”

            Bran pulled himself up off the floor and cracked his back. Not even in puberty and his back is already going to give him troubles thanks to this. “No no. I know where to go.” He looked to the girls and saw them getting up. “I just wish I had a video camera so I could record their reactions to Zero G.”

            Arlye hit his head on the wall. “Ugh… I forgot we turned that off when we left to preserve power…” The ramp hit the pad. He turned to the children, “Alright, the moment we step off the Beatle and onto the Argo…. There will be weightlessness.”

            “Weight-what now?” Eia asked.

            “You’ll see.” Bran grabbed some extension cord and tossed them to the girls. “You’ll want to tie those around your skirts.”

            Sokuro raised an eyebrow as she looked at this bizarre looking piece of flexible plastic. This was nothing like what they have on Dragenia. “Why?”

            “In Zero Gravity, everything floats. Even objects as heavy as, as… Eia’s ship would weigh nothing in space. And like I said, everything floats, including loose articles of clothing… and skirts are loose articles.”

            Eia and Sokuro looked down at their clothes and, after sharing a concerning glance with each other, tied the cord around their skirts. “You could’ve warned us about that before we came up.” Eia asked.

            “Eh.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up the text message reply he received last night. “Here’s hoping that his directions are correct.”

            “Whose?” Sokuro asked.

            “Another colonist named Mukembe. He’s a movie buff and has his own cameras. I asked him if there were any projectors on the ship that could work for what I got planned, and he said that the one on the Observation Deck would work. They weigh a ton, but with us floating in Zero Gravity and with your Aerid forms down on the surface, getting it and finding a perfect spot will be a breeze.”

            With the cord wrapped around her skirt, Sokuro tried to move, but found it pretty difficult to do so. She hopped like a rabbit over to him. “Ok then… so, shall we?” She hopped down the ramp. The moment she reached the landing pad, she slid backwards and floated in midair. “WHOOOA!!!” She exclaimed. She felt her hood float off her head. She looked around before flipping around, facing the pad. She couldn’t help but chuckle. “This is reeheheheally weird.” She guffawed. The fun soon faded as she found she can’t go backwards and forwards. “Um… I can’t move. Why can’t I move?”

            Bran pulled her back in. She fell onto the ramp as she had no legs to brace herself. “You need momentum to move in Zero G. Watch.” He hopped off the ramp, having the momentum needed to reach the wall that was opposite of the Beatle’s ramp. He grabbed a pipe and floated around to look at them. “Like that.”

            “Huh… seems easy enough.” She knelt down before bouncing off the ramp. Like with Bran, she had momentum to reach the wall on the far side. This sensation of floating is really, really weird. She had never felt anything like this before and it’s doubtful she ever will again. she grabbed onto the pipe and held on for dear life. “Whooooa.” She chortled. He legs floated up without her trying. She held on tight. “This is super weird.”

            “You’ll get used to it.” He commented.

            “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!” Eia smashed into the wall. She had come in too fast and she hit the wall hard. Sokuro pulled her head out. Eia awkwardly groaned as her eyes spun. “Mommy… can I go to the fair…?” She croaked. She shook her head hard, coming back to reality. She blinked once before rubbing between her eyes. “Ugh… that hurt.”

            “Well, this is your first experience with Zero G’s.” Bran commented. He moved his hand down and grasped the horizontal railing that ran across the entire wall. He took Eia’s hand, who blushed upon impact. “Grab Sokuro’s hand.” That ruined the moment. Eia grumbled under her breath as she grabbed Sokuro’s hand. “To the Observation Deck.” He said aloud. The girls raised a eyebrow in puzzlement for a brief moment before a light appeared on the railing. The light pulled the three of them along, much to the girls shock and amusement.

 

            Having left the children to their own devices, since they can’t get into too much trouble or they’ll end up in space, Arlye reached the server room to withdraw Solstice from the massive server farm that rested at the end of the ship, near the engine room.

            Solstice’s hologram popped up on the only holographic projector in the server room. “Took you long enough.” He snarked with crossed arms. 

            Arlye rubbed his eyes. “Don’t start with me. I had to wake up early to grab your sorry butt.” He reached the center console and inserted a chip into one of the many slots. A computer screen came to life and he began typing in the command to download Solstice to the chip for transfer.

            “Early? Strange, I thought children loved to sleep in.” Arlye looked up from the screen. “Security camera’s still work.” He ‘kicked back’ on a lawn chair and rested his head in his hands. “Everything still works, he mumbled under his breath.”

            “You’re not funny, Solstice.” Arlye commented as he continued. “And those kids insisted that they come along. The boy, Bran, has something planned but he won’t tell me what he needed.”

            Solstice looked at a invisible screen that showed the security footage of the whole ship. He saw that the three kids were trying to tear something out of the overhead- the manifest lists it as a film projector. They were installed into the two observation decks so that the passengers would be entertained until they got to the edge of the Milky Way, and into cryosleep, and so that the immortal Kitsune’s could be entertained during the 100 year voyage. “If I were to guess, I’d say it would have something to do with the theater-grade projector they are trying to force out of the wall.” He made it visible and showed it to him.

            Arlye looked up again and tilted his head ever so slightly. “Why would they want that?”

            Solstice looked at him with lidded eyes. “Really? It’s a movie projector. It, you know… projects movies?”

            “I’m not a movie guy.”

            Solstice slowly shook his head in a disappointed manner. “…… you are a sad little man.” Arlye grumbled and hit a button he wasn’t to. The A.I. yelped as he felt an electric shock course though his hand, like static charge when touching something metal. “You also have a short temper.” Arlye did it again. “Agh! Fine, I’m shutting up. Sheesh. No sense of humor.”

            And once more for the heck of it. “AH!”

 

            Meanwhile, having caught a ride on the transfer system, the kids arrived at the observation deck. The momentum shot Eia and Sokuro past Bran at the same speed they were traveling, but Bran held on to Eia’s hand and the railing to keep them from slamming against the glass and breaking it.

            “WOO!” Sokuro cheered. She ran her hands though her hair to try and get it back to normal, but that was a lost cause when in Zero Gravity. “That was FUN!” She laughed. “Let’s do that again!”

            Eia, on the other hand, felt dizzy. “Can we go home yet…?” She croaked.

            Bran let go of the railing and pushed himself into the laaaaaarge observation deck. “Soon. Soon.” He said as he lightly pressed against the glass. “But first… take a look at this.” He said with a wide smile.

            The two girls looked his way. Their lights lit up in astonishment and wonder at something they could only see from space: the best view on Dragenia with the best spot on the ship.

The sunlight was in just the perfect position, lighting up the three moons and the planet in a ethereal orange glow, and catching Evioly in just the right balance of morning twilight. In the background was a purplish-red nebula that encircled Dragenia’s seven planet solar system, and beyond that, the grand majesty of the Andromeda Galaxy, resting on its ‘side’. It’s all relative, but to them, the galaxy was on its side like a collector plate.

            “Whoa…” the two girls gasped in astonishment.

            “This is… this is amazing…” Sokuro breathlessly gasped.

            “That’s our home…?” Eia gasped just as equally. “It’s… amazing.”

            “And there’s Evioly, right down there.” Bran said as he pointed down. The girls looked in the direction he was pointing. They can’t tell where they came from down there- they can see the volcano and the hurricane-style storm clear as day, but nothing else. All of the villages and the towns were too small.

            “Wow… everything seems so… so small from up here.” Sokuro rested her head on the glass, feeling the weight of it all come down on her. “(It makes our problems seem… small and… insignificant…)” She looked down at her scale, resting it in the palm of her hand.

            “This is a spectacular view…” Eia gasped, with the two of them oblivious to Sokuro’s little episode. “Is it like this all the time up here in the Abyss?”

            “Yep.” Bran pulled out his phone. “Yes it is.” He angled the phone just right and took the most spectacular photo he could.

            She looked his way when she heard the ‘snap’ on the camera phone and tilted her head. “Hmm? What did you do?”

            “I took a picture of this stunning view. It’s like a painting, except its instant, easier to move, and doesn’t take a century to make.”

            “Oh. Why not sketch it?”

            “I would.” He checked his phone to make sure he got the photo, and nodded in confirmation when he saw he did. “…But there are just some things that cannot be caught with pen and paper.” He put his phone away.  He clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “Ok now…” He looked around the room. “Where is that projector?”

            “Where should we look?” Eia asked as she gently pushed off the glass and over to him.

            “It would need to be someplace that gives everyone in this room a good view of what is being shown… so it would be somewhere up high and far in the back.” The two of them looked up to the ceiling. “This is going to take some time.” He pulled himself up by grabbing a railing and gently grabbed the edge of a light. Eia floated up and he grabbed her hand.

            “So what are we looking for?” She asked.

            “Un… oh.” He pulled his phone back out and showed her the camera lens that is installed on it. “Something that looks like this, but bigger. Like as big, or bigger, then your fist.” She looked at her hand and formed a fist with it. She has such small, dainty hands- not what you would expect from a cabin girl. “Yeah, like that.”

            As the two of them looked along the back ceiling for the lens, Sokuro was still looking out the gigantic window and towards the stunning view that is Dragenia. Seeing everything like this, seeing it on this grand a scale, it makes everything seem so… miniscule. Their entire history, their beliefs, ever her… it all seems so tiny in comparison to everything else that exists out here.

            She wondered if the individual races among the colonists went though this same thing when they were able to travel across the Abyss- to find that all of their disputes and conflicts are just nothing compared to the near-infinite scale Bran built the universe up to be. Did the Humans, Argaliths, Kitsunes, Adlez, and Hesk all go through this same period of realization, that their squabbles over land and power were nothing? How will everyone else on Dragenia react when they realize just how big everything is compared to their small marble?

            She pressed her hand on the window and tapped her forehead on it. She feels like her status as a Silver Aerid means absolutely nothing compared to the grand scheme of things. What Great Change could she bring to Dragenia that would be worth it or even last? She never realized how lonely having such a destiny is before now. She’s the only Silver on Dragenia and she’s got the future of her whole race on her shoulders. The Colonists were one thing, but who’s to say that what they brought would be good for Dragenia’s future? So many things could go wrong and Dragenia would end up like the moons- lifeless. And nobody would even bat an eye if it happened; extinction on a planet is inconsequential to the larger universe.

            “(What am I even doing…?)” She thought to herself, feeling downtrodden. “(We’re nothing compared to this…)” She glanced on down to Evioly. “(The daily lives we all live… is it just for nothing?)”

            “Is this it?!” Eia shouted from across the room. It made Sokuro look back to the two others she came with.

            Bran floated over to where Eia was, in the center of this steppe ceiling. “Is this it?” She asked, pointing towards a machine resting inside a glass case. It had an identical lens as the one on his phone.

            Bran pulled up a photo of the projector he needed on his phone and compared it to this. A perfect match. “Yeah, that’s it.” He put his phone away. “There should be a button around here that will open the case and detach this.”

            “I hope so.” Eia smiled. “I’m dying to see what a movie is like.” She giggled as she helped look around the case for the button.

            Sokuro looked away from them before looking back out onto the grand view. “(Maybe all we live for and what we are are inconsequential, and nobody will care if my home becomes a wasteland…)” She closed the hand on the glass into a fist. “(But so what? It’s still my home. Bran, Eia, Taled, Vela, Velx, Gallna… everyone calls this place home. Maybe we are nothing to the scale of the Abyss, but so what? That’s not going to stop us from living our days to the fullest.)”

            She looked down at her scale again. “(I already brought Great Change to Dragenia with the Colonists… this will be our future someday… but nobody said that had to be my only Change.)” She looked out towards Dragenia again. “(This is still my world… and I can change it for the better. There are many things I have to do on Evioly before I can move on to the rest of the planet… but I will make things better for everybody, regardless of how miniscule it’ll seem. And once I do… the Abyss is next. I’ll be the most famous Silver Aerid of all time. I’ll-)”

            “Hey, Sokuro!” Bran shouted. She was snapped out of her little inspirational trance and blinked once before looking back. She looked back and saw that they had gotten the case open and are now trying to pull the machine out. It’s half as big as them- how are they going to move it on the gr—Aerid form, never mind. “Are you going to help or not?”

            “Sorry.” She looked back one last time. “I was distracted by the view.” She pulled herself up towards them the same way they propelled themselves to the ceiling. “So what do we need to do?” She asked as she reached them as Eia tried to rip it out of its socket.

            “We gotta try to get this off the ceiling…” Bran looked the thing over. “Sigh… but of course, we don’t have screwdrivers.”

            Eia grunted one last time as she tried to get it loose, but nothing happened. She panted and rubbed her sweaty forehead. “What’s a screwdriver?”

            “It’s a tool that is needed to take these out.” He pointed towards the cross-head screws that are holding the projector in place. Eia frowned at him, wondering why he didn’t bring that up sooner. “And we don’t have those, so we’re stuck.”

            “{You have to hit the yellow button located next to it.}” Solstice ordered over the ships intercom. “{It’s a emergency release function.}”

            The girls jumped in their skin from that sudden and unnatural voice. It sounded so… abnormal. Bran was taken aback by the sudden help form the shipboard A.I., but he’s not complaining. He looked around the projector and found the button in question. He pressed it and, like Solstice said, it detached from the ceiling effortlessly and cleanly. It was attached to a pole that had it connected to the shipboard databanks. There were no power cords to worry about- these projectors are Logoron made; they have internal power sources that can last for millennia.

            There aren’t any among the colonists of Dragenia, but I’ll give a quick run down anyway. Logorons are beings of pure energy that reside inside gas giants. Jupiter and Saturn were once Logoron colonies millions of years ago, during the time of the Dinosaurs, but they died out just like the thunderous giants. Like Kitsunes, they are immortal, as they are beings of pure energy. To exist alongside the other races, they wear a special suit of armor that allows them to interact with everything that isn’t gas or energy based.

            “Sweet.” Bran smirked. “Now we just need to get this to the surface and stage one will be complete.”

            “Then what’s stage two?” Sokuro asked.

            “We find the perfect place to set this up. Then comes stage three: Showtime.” He pushed it down to the floor. “Come on, let’s get back to the shuttle.” He pushed off the ceiling and floated towards the projector. The girls followed suit. “This thing will be heavy when we get down to the surface, but that should be nothing for your Aerid selves.” He’s not wrong- Aerids can lift up to 50 tons.

 

            A half hour later, the Beatle dropship landed back down on the landing pad it took off from earlier. The rest of Novalle was beginning to wake up and begin a new day. The ramp lowered and Arlye was the first one off. “Finally.” He grumbled as he looked at the chip containing Solstice’s complete A.I. “You better appriciate all I do for you.” He said to the chip. Solstice can hear him- just because they are in chips doesn’t mean they can’t hear what goes on outside.

            He heard commotion coming from the ship and looked to see the three of them trying to move the now heavy projector. The hold was too small for one of them to go Aerid, so they needed to get it outside before they can do that. Arlye rolled his eyes and walked back up. He picked up the projector effortlessly, shouldering it without a fuss. “You know, if you told me you needed one of the projectors, you should’ve just said so.”

            “I know, but we wanted to keep it a secret until tomorrow.” Bran explained.

            “It’s just a movie.” He said as he walked back down and put it down on the ground. “Our future doesn’t hinge on it, so there’s no sense in keeping it so secretive.” He said as he walked off towards the command center.  

            “He won’t blab, will he?” Eia asked as she was the first down the ramp.

            “Nah. He can keep secrets.” Bran followed after her. Sokuro tried to follow but forgot she had the cord rapped around her skirt. She tore that off and followed back. “Right now, we need to find the perfect spot to set this up, somewhere where everyone from Novalle and Misken can see it without obstruction.” Reaching the ground, Eia’s scale began to glow. “Good thing we’re going by air- it’ll cut all of this searching in half the time.” A few seconds later, Eia’s Aerid form took the scene. “I’ll ask Mukembe to help set up the projector after we find the perfect spot. And maybe the four of us can find the perfect movie to show everyone.”

            “Sure…” Sokuro sighed.

            Bran looked back to her. “You ok?”

            “Huh? Yeah… I’m just… dwelling on things.” She shook her head to get her mind back on track. She doesn’t want to bring Bran down as well. “Come on; let’s get this thing set up.” She climbed up on Eia’s back as Eia grabbed hold of the projector. Bran was going to ask what she was thinking about, but ultimately decided to not to. It’s probably private. He climbed on Eia’s back as well and she took off moments later.

21: Chapter 19: Movie Night
Chapter 19: Movie Night

Chapter 19

Movie Night

2/24/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            When Bran, Sokuro, and Eia returned to the surface of the planet, they went right to work getting everything set up for the big night, or as Bran is putting it, the grand opening. The first thing they had to do was find a perfect spot. After flying around for a few hours, looking at both the mountains near the colony, and at Misken Mesa, they had found a spot. It was a cliff face on the northern side of the mountains. The smooth wall of stone faced a series of rolling hills that had been untouched. There were some trees around, but there were barely any. If anything, the trees are extra seats. The cliff has some problems, but nothing that would affect the viewing experience. They hope.

            Once they found the perfect viewing location, they had to find the right place to set up the projector. That was easier said than done for the first few hours because of the direct sunlight, and they needed to recruit Mukembe into Bran’s little plan to run the thing because he’s the only one who knows how to operate cameras. As if by some decree from the heavens, grey clouds rolled in. It didn’t rain, but it helped them. Besides, the projector is waterproof. A downpour wont’ hurt it. When there is nothing playing, the projector emanates a blue screen with a exclamation point. It actually helped them out as they were able to find a good spot.

            Aerid Sokuro and Eia flapped their wings towards the sea, clearing the hills of anything loose that anyone could sit on. After that was done, Sokuro flew up to the cliff face and smoothed out the rest of the cliff with her firebreath. The scorch marks helped blacken the cliff, which made things a lot better for the screen.

            It was around twilight by the time they were done setting up surround sound speakers over the viewing area, but at that point they were exhausted. As it was their first time in outer space, Sokuro’s and Eia’s bodies were aching and sore; they couldn’t handle the G-Forces. Bran was just exhausted- he’s been in space before. Mukembe, unlike the other three, wasn’t pooped. They’ve been moving non-stop all day. It was a good thing Bran set the grand opening for tomorrow night.

            But now came the truly hard part: what movie to pick.

            “I am exhausted!” Sokuro exclaimed as she fell face first into a pile of leaves. “Guess there is a limit to how long someone can fly…” She reached back and rubbed her back. “I can still feel my aching wings…”

            “You and me both…” Eia whined as she rested her feet in a small puddle. “When I get back to the ship, I’m sleeping till noon…” Bran was beside them as well, front down on the ground and stretched out like a slinky.

            “Really?” Mukembe asked as he looked at them from the projector. “The three of you are pooped from all this?”

            The girls gave him a evil stare; Sokuro a glare and Eia a leer. “We’ve been moving since early in the morning.” Eia groaned. “And me and Sokuro left the world for the first time in… EVER, and the trip was not a pleasant one, I can tell you that much. Add on flying for most of the day and smoothing out that thing, I’m amazed I’m still awake.” She yawned. “You’ve only been here a couple of hours.”

            “Details, details.” He ducked under the hefty branch the projector was resting on. “So what is he going to show tomorrow?”

            “He hasn’t said yet.” Sokuro said. “He’s having trouble deciding.”

            Bran lifted his head up. “It’s hard to find the perfect movie to show people who never saw a movie before. I’m trying to find one that’s appropriate for a first viewing.”

            “So…. Family friendly?”
            “Pretty much. Along with romance, action, adventure, comedy, maybe a little drama. All involving dragons, of course.” He plopped his head back down. “That’s why it is haaaaaaaaaaard.”

            Mukembe rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone to look though the selection of movies they have. He put in those criteria into the search engine and found a selection of moives under that category. He scrolled though and found one. “Will this work?” He asked as he dangled his phone in front of Bran’s face.

            Bran looked up from the dirt and saw the movie he had suggested. It was a perfect one to show the natives: plenty of action and comedy, with romance. Best of all, it’s not set on Earth, so they don’t have to worry about explaining everything. “Wh—yes, that is perfect!” He sat up and grabbed the phone. “How did you find this?”

            “You do know you can edit the search engine, right?”

            “……………………………….. I did not know that. But still, this is perfect!”

            “What is?” Eia asked as she looked his way.

            Bran hid the phone. “Oh no no no. That’s still going to be a mystery. I want you to be as surprised as everyone else.” He handed the phone back to Mukembe. “But trust me, you’ll like it.”

            “We better, after moving all day today.” Sokuro rumbled. “This whole movie thing better be worth it.”

            “It will be. Trust me… again.” He stood up off the ground and wiped all the dirt off his front side. “And tomorrow is going to be easy. All we need to do is spread the word that this is going on. It’s just telling people. Simple, right?”

            “Sure. Simple. Right.” She grumbled as she rested her head down. “But first… I’m gonna sleep.”

            “It’s not even dinner time yet.” Mukembe commented.

            “That’s how tired I am…”

 

The Next Day…

 

            “A movie night?” The orphans all replied in unison.

            Not long after Sokuro woke up from a really long night’s sleep- she was lucky enough to make it home and eat dinner before plopping down on her bed; not even the burning sting in her neck could wake her up- she had her breakfast and told them about what she and Bran have cooked up for tonight, even if she doesn’t’ understand it herself. She knows that they are moving pictures… but so far, the only one she has seen was Arlene, and she wasn’t really a picture, but some mist ghost thing.

            She chugged down the last of the water. She was asleep for so long, her mouth was arid. “Yep.” She panted as she wiped her mouth. “Movie night.”

            “Uh, what’s a movie?” Hela asked from her soft chair in the living area.

            “I believe they call them moving pictures.” Eriod commeneted. “Isn’t that Arlene whatchamacallit a moving picture? “

            “No.” Sokuro said as she lifted her head off the table. “She is a… what did Bran call her?... eeeerrr… A Hologram. She’s a hologram, ergo not a movie picture.” She swiped her brothers cup and drank out of that, much to his dismay. “Look, I’m as curious as the lot of you.’

            Vela found that hard to believe. “You mean to tell me that in the weeks you’ve known each other, he hasn’t showed you what a moving picture is?”

            “We were busy trying to understand what we were saying.” She chugged down the last of Taled’s drink, which irritated him. He took it back when she placed it down and went to fetch another glass for himself. “Look, we’ll all find out tonight at the site on the north end of the Vichizi mountains. The entire village is invited, and Bran is doing the same for the colonists. He wants it to be a bonding experience.”

            Nobody could find any reason to protest; their curiosity about what a movie is is overpowering any other second thoughts they are having. It could be a lot of fun. But telling the entire village… that’s going to be a pain. There are over 250 people in the village; an almost 50/50 split between Gaharot and Ferid, plus or minus a few dozen from either race. And who knows if even Velx will want to come.

            Still, the payoff would surely be worth it, she hoped. She got up out of her chair and stretched her arms over her head. Way she has it planned, she should tell everyone and be done before lunch.

            And she was pretty spot on. She was able to tell everyone in the village about what Bran has cooked up and their curiosity was as infections as the orphans. Even Velx was curous what a movie is like. She also relayed what Bran told her and that everyone should bring their own snacks and drinks.

            Back at the colony, Bran was doing the same thing, except his was a lot easier. Rather then going from person to person, telling them about this, he instead told Arlene, who made a colony-wide baordcast, telling them about the event tonight. He wished she didn’t turn this into a spectical, but there weasn’t much he could do about that. Besides, they’re going to a spectical tonight, so it’s surprisingly appropriate, maybe?

 

            After lunch time, Bran was at the projector, installing the movie that Mukembe had found into the device. He plugged a data drive into the side and it was at 50 percent, last he saw. The rate it was installing, it should be done in 10 minutes.

            He heard the sound of flapping leather wings up above, followed by a small gust of wind as a shadow passed him by. He didn’t even look up from his phone- he knew who it was. One flash of light later and Sokuro jumped down from the trees onto a lower branch with her arms still glowing from the transformation for a few seconds.

            “How did I know you would be here?” She smirked with a light rhasp in her voice.

            “I’m guessing because of the giant blue screen on the cliff face?” Bran commented without looking up.

            “Hehe…” She leaped down to him.  “So, what is this thing doing now?”

            “Right now, it is currently installing the movie. It’ll be done before everyone comes over.”

            “Cool. Speaking of which, I was able to tell everyone back in Misken about this and they are all very curious about this whole ‘moving picture’ thing. Even Velx is interested.”

            His head darted up from his phone. “Velx?! Wow, if he likes it, that’ll be a high honor…. It will be, right?”

            “Yeah, it will.” She rubbed her still sore throat. “Though my throat hurts from talking too much.”

            Wait, did she go around telling everyone in the village? The native people may be primitive, but don’t’ they have pamphlets or brochures that she can hand out? They have flying machines, but no newspapers? “Wait, you told literally everyone in Misken?”

            “Yep… and my throat is on fire. Uugh, there isn’t enough water in a river to--” She stopped talking as she crossed her legs and did a little dance. And here’s the downside for drinking too much water and having a small bladder. “And there’s the downside for the chugging. Be right back.” She zipped off to find the nearest bush to use as a restroom.

            “Find someplace that isn’t around here!” He called out to her.

            “I know!”

            Bran took a gander at the machine to see how it was doing. It was at 71 percent, so it was downloading at a rather fast pace. Should be done in a few minutes, by his calculations. He sat back down, only to be startled by the sudden appearance of the other girl.

            “Heya!” Eia squeaked from behind, hanging upside down off the tree.

            “WHOA!” Bran nearly jumped off the branch, but thankfully didn’t. He looked back to Eia, who was softly giggling to herself. “Not funny, Eia.”

            “It was a little bit funny.” She snickered. She flipped herself upwards before landing down on the branch right beside him. “So, what’s the word?”

            “It’s currently downloading into the projector, but it’ll still be awhile.”

            “Oh. Alright.” She hung off the branch with her tail. “… sooooo… you think the movie that big fella chose will work?”

            “Big fella? You mean Mukembe, right?” She shrugged. “Well, he’s the biggest movie buff in the colony, so I would assume so. Even has his own camera.”

            “Ok.” She looked to the projector. “You do have such interesting technology, Bran. Too bad I won’t be able to experience it for myself.”

            “Huh?”

            “We’re leaving first thing in the morning. Captain’s orders. We’ve lingered here for too long, making repairs on the ship.”
            “Oh. Well, that’s a shame. I hope I get to see you again.”

            So quick on the goodbye. She was actually a little hurt that he was so quick on the goodbye. “I’m not leaving now, graka. We’re leaving tomorrow morning- they are dying to know what a movie is themselves. And we will meet again. We’re going to the other towns on Evioly, so we’ll be back this way before leaving. Well, I will at least. Captain always likes to make a stop at Roko. I can fly here while she’s getting plastered.”

            “Un….. ok.” Eia booped him on the nose with a light chuckle. A few seconds later, the projector beeped. Bran looked at it and the movie had finished downloading. “Well, the movies ready to go. Now we gotta wait for tonight.”

            “Aw…” Eia whined. “The wait is going to kill me.”

            Bran chuckled as he got up off the branch. “Try waiting years for a new movie in a franchise you like.” A small thought creeped into his head, which made him put a devious smile on his face. “Hehe… oh, I need to learn how to make CGI.” Eia tilted her head in puzzlement.

           

            Twilight creeped up a lot sooner then expected. The people from Misken knew where the Vichizi Mountains were, but the colonists sure didn’t. Thankfully, they were easy to find: They were right next door. They are the same mountains Bran and Sokuro appeared on after their subterranean escapade, as well as the same mountains Sokuro rammed the Phagos into. Regardless, all they had to do was follow the Aerids and Airships heading that way.

            The hills that were chosen weren’t big enough to fit everyone. 20250 people are a bit too much for a few hills to handle. Thank the Gods for Airships. They can hover in place and they offer the best seats in the house. Hearing the sound will be a hassle, but that was easily remedied: just hook up more speakers and put them on the ships. Easy peasy.

            The landscape was filled with chattering voices, most of which were from the natives, eager to see what kind of technology this will be. Everyone from Misken was here- EVERYone. They even brought the babies and the very old.

            “What do you think this whole movie thing is about?” Inoute asked his assistant as they sat underneath a tree with others.

            “I wish I knew.” Ifil commented as he set of bowl of covicas beside him. It’s basically Dragenian popcorn, except the popcorn is boiled Tonton fish eggs. Cooked caviar- not exactly tasty to humans, but very tasty to them. “But if Arline is any indication, I’d say we have a good idea of what it’ll be like.”

            “Hmm. True.” He looked to the cliff face. “But still, moving pictures. It sounds so ludicrous and… well, impossible. But given what we have seen in the past few weeks with these newcomers, moving pictures sounds a lot like childsplay to them.”

            “True enough, true enough.”

           

            “I’m a little bit nervous.” Leoi said as he messed with his fingers as he and the other orphans sat on a tree branch, giving them a steller view. He always gets a bit nervous when about to try something new, and this movie experience is completely new. “Do you think it’ll be scary?”

            “Scary how?” Buron asked as she hung upside down by her tail.

            “Like what if it’s a portal to a alternate universe where demons will come and snatch us up and take us to their world and use us for food?”

            Zalet looked at him with lidded eyes, knowing full well what’s causing this panic kerfuffle. “… You read Ato’ricke again, didn’t you?” Leoi lowered his head in shame. “Oh geez… there’s a reason it’s scary: it was made scary. You know that.”

            “What’s Ato’ricke?” Dan asked. He was up there sitting with the rest of the orphans, leaning back on a comfortable pillow.

            “It’s a very scary story.” Aka went to explain. “It’s about a poor Gaharot merchant who makes a deal with a demon called a Gudush for fortune, but he ignored, or just flat out didn’t hear, the demons warnings and the deal he was to keep. The Gaharot has a curse put on the fortune by the demon that will continue to affect him, driving him to madness until he lives up to his end of the deal, which is a sacrifice. One of the scenes that Leoi mentioned has the Gaharot suffering a VERY vivid and realistic hallucination. In the end, the Gaharot sacrifices his fortune, which appeases the demon.”

            “Huh… throw in a twist ending and it sounds like it could make a interesting horror movie.”

            “Do you Milky Way people have any scary stories?” Set asked as she swung her legs back and forth.

            “Peegh, you kidding me? We have nearly limitless scary stories from back home. Some with happy endings, some bittersweet like that Gaharot synopsis you just told me, and some where the monster or evil force wins. Those were strangely popular for a time.”

            “This isn’t going to be a scary movie, will it?” Taled asked, feeling a little bit worried about what they are to watch.

            “No no no. Knowing Bran, he found something lighthearted that you could all probably handle. And knowing him, he probably picked one with Dragons, too.” He got comfortable on the tree branch. “I giuess we’ll find out in a few minutes.”

 

            Vent sat by himself on the leftern-most side of the crowd, sitting beside a large tree while leaning on his upright sniper rifle. He never was a fan of crowds; that was part of the reason why he became a hunter for this trip- he would spend all his time out in the wilds and away from people.

            “I’m guessing you’re not a people person.” Poloso asked as she walked up to him from behind.

            Vent looked back and saw her approaching him. He turned his head back to the screen, waiting for things to get started. “You are spot on. I don’t like crowds. I always feel claustrophobic and like I can’t breath.”

            “Sounds like you got some bad anxiety.” She commeneted as she sat down on the other side of the tree.

            “Only when it comes to large crowds. Everything else, I’m as fine as a clam.”

            She raised a eyebrow in curiosity. “Clam?”

            “It’s some Earth animal now extinct- all I know is the name and that it is some kind of shellfish.”

            “Huh. There is a lot I need to learn about the Milky Way races. That is such a odd name to call a home- the Milky Way. Who came up with that?”

            “I don’t know. It has something to do with a country called Greece back on Earth. The Earthlings adopted that for the name of the galaxy for some reason. Anyway, that’s what they called home, but we all had various names. We Kitsunes called it Koltatu, which means the Grand Expanse. The Argaliths called it Xoco, the Hesk the White Field, etc, etc.” He pointed back behind them. “You lot call Andromeda the Great Light, which proves my point.”

            “Yeah yeah.” She looked to the screen. “So are movies a human invention too?”

            “Nope. Every race had some form of visual entertainment. You must have something too, like picture books or, or paintings, and I’m sure some day, you’ll make your own version of movies too.” He pulled out a canteen and took a drink. “But that’s gonna be a long ways away.”

            “I think we’ll be satisfied with just these for now.”

 

            Velx rested comfortably behind the large crowd, having found a good spot with a good view of the cliff face while leaving everyone else with enough room. He had to clear out a few trees to make room. The other leaders- Georgia and Belfast- were with him. Inoute was doing his own thing, as you saw, while Arlye liked his own privacy.

            “I’m honestly surprised you are curious about this, m’lord.” Georgia commented as she rested on his head. “No offense, but… you’re a god. Surely something as trivial as moving pictures is beneath you.”

            “Not really.” He said back. “Like everyone else here, I’m curious to see what this will be like. Just look- everyone from Misken is here because they are as curious as me.” He smirked to himself. “Imagine… barely a month after the ceremony and we’re co-existing with otherworlders and acting like we’ve been doing it for years.”

            “And that’s strange to you?”

            “I can see his point.” Belfast said, knowing full well what can happen when two civilizations mingle. “To us, the Ferids and the Gaharots are a unknown species, with one of them being able to perform something long though impossible back home. And the same holds true vice versa- we are not of this world and we have technology that should be scaring them. I’ve seen it on countless first contacts; if the race is too underdeveloped, they’ll either fear the newcomers or worship them as gods. Even with civilizations with the level of technology as this planet, it should be a all-out fear frenzy. Yet it’s not happening here. By all rights, the people from the village should be attacking us, not setting up trade rules. It’s a puzzling anomaly.”

            Velx chuckled warmly. “Well, the people of Misken are a peaceful and friendly bunch. Has been for eons. That’s one of the main benefits of living so far from the mainland, and so far from all of the chaos that occurs like Xelut’s rampage. Misken is the friendliest place I can think of on this planet, though there are some other contenders on the mainland: the desert oasis of Tokoi comes to mind.”

            “And if we were to land anywhere else other then Misken and this Tokoi place?”

            Fayin chimed in, laying on top of Velx’s head. “Then you would’ve had the trouble you feared would’ve happened, especially if you landed near Aflhegeu. That’s the worst place to be.” Shivers in distaste- it truly is that bad a place. “And as Velx was saying earlier, living so far from the mainland has it’s benefits. But it can also have its drawbacks. With the exception of the fall of the Gaharot Empire, nothing in interest ever happens on Evioly. People can get bored. The arrival of all of you shook things up more then the new Silver Aerid ever did. But just be ready- not everyone is going to give you the same steller reception we did.”

            “I expect the worse to happen some day or another. You can’t introduce an unknown to a working system and expect things to keep going swimmingly. Things are going to shake up, there is no denying that. The question is when.”

           

            Bran and Sokuro waited on the branch right near the projector, waiting for the right moment to activate the movie and get things going. Everyone was here to see what could be the start of a new tradition, he hopes.

            It would’ve happened a few minutes ago if Bran wasn’t feeling anxious. There’s no telling how the natives will react to this; what if he is making a huge mistake? This could go so wrong so quick. “…iiii’m not so sure about this anymore, Soky…” He whined as he messed with his fingers. “What if things go wrong? I could be starting something really bad.”

            “They won’t.” Sokuro said as she laid on the edge with a leg dangling off the side. “You give us too little credit. If puzzling machines, strange new races, or the fact you are from the Black Abyss didn’t scare us into combat, I don’t think moving pictures will.” She sat back up. “You give us too little credit.”

            “You know I didn’t mean that. I just…”

            “You’re just getting cold feet.” She grunted as she got up. “Nothing bad is going to happen. Everyone is just going to have a good time.”

            “I hope so…” He rubbed his hands together and breathed into them. It was starting to get chilly; the perfect time to start the movie. The sun had set behind the mountains, so it’s pretty much the perfect time to get this started. “Alright… let’s do this, Sokuro.” Sokuro snickered. This was going to be interesting. Bran grabbed a microphone off the projector and switched it on. There was loud feedback, which made just about everyone cover their ears. Even Velx flattened his ears from the ear-piercing sound.

            “{Um… hello, everyone.}” He said nervously. Several Miskenites moved away from the speakers, shocked to hear someones voice come out of it. One of the children poked a speaker’s side. “{For those who haven’t met me, my name is Bran Shkirando and, un, I set up this up with my friend Sokuro as a, un, attempt to bring us all closer together. We’re going to be neighbors going forward and, while everyone has been getting along, I am hopng this movie night thing will cement that.}”

            “{A lot ofyou may be wondering what movie I picked for Dragenia’s first ever movie night. Well, I wanted to choose something that would make a good first impression on people who had never seen moving pictures before. A fellow colonist named Mukembe actually picked it out and I thought ‘yeah, this could work.’ So… for Dragenia’s first ever movie night, we present the 3131 award winning classic, The Dragon Sworn.}” He hit the button on the top of the projector and started the movie as Eia sat down beside him.

 

            The Dragon Sworn is a award-winning and record breaking action-comedy-fantasy-romance epic from the year 3131. It was the first Earthian movie to be directed by an alien- an Argalith and Kitsune duo, in this case. The Kitsune provided the emotion while the Argalith provided the action. It won multiple awards, including best costume design, best screen play, and best picture.

            The movie follows a prince named Fitheiral as he is about to be crowded king of his expansive kingdom. His first act as king is to make peace with the Draconian nation of Vo’tis, which his kingdom was at war with for some time. The Dragon King Dulas believed the new king to be a vile trickster and chose to ignore him, believing that their kind could never co-exist. His daughter, Coulae, believed otherwise and wanted to prove her father wrong. She volunteered to go to prove that they can co-exist. Knowing she would sneak out anyway, Dulas accepted her proposal. She even took on a more human form to better fit in amongst the humans- she looked like one, except her tail, wings, and horns were all exposed.

            Around roughly 30 minute’s worth of awkward hyjinks ensued as Coulae tried to fit in with the humans, with…. moderate degrees of success. It was tough for her to fit in with humans, especially with hatrid for her kind still high, despite there being a truce. While most of the peoples on both sides of the conflict are wreay of the constant fighting and wished for peace, there are those who wanted the conflict to keep going; most notable the human guard captain Dralo and the dragon vizier Talaka.

            On the human side of the equiation, Dralo attempted to assassinate Coulae in her sleep while in a disguise, but was stopped by a Dwarvin mercenary hired by Dulas to protect her. Eventually, the Dwarf was discovered and Coulae kept her around, knowing that her father would just send more to protect her. Later, when they were heading into town, he attempted to kill all 3 of them using a runaway wagon. He had clearly underestimated Coulae’s strength- even in a human form, she could wreck that thing with her pinkie.

            On the dragon side of things, Talaka was ploying with Dulas’ worried state, telling him that Coulae is not safe among the humans and that she will pay the ultimate price for his stupidity. He pleaded with his king to launch a rescue assault or else humans will slay her, but Dulas refused, knowing his daughter is much stronger then that. Talaka tried again and again, but kept getting the same result.

            Things came to a head in the third act. Talaka learns of other like-minded indivituals over on the human nation. He learns of Dralo and contacts him via crystal ball. The two form a plan to reignite the war. At the same time, after spending months together, Fitheiral and Coulae had fallen in love with each other and shared a passionate night together. That same night, Dralo took refugees back to their home village on the border, telling them that the war was over. When he left, Talaka started his end of the deal and destroyed the village, killing everyone.Dralo ‘launched’ a counter-attack by going into the Dragon lands by himself, only to be ‘captured’ by Talaka’s trustworthy guard and brought to Dulas. Talaka tells their kind that the human was attempting to cross their border to slay their children while word of the village attack reachs the capital.

            Left with no choice, both sides ready for war. Coulae, not wanting to lose both her father and her new boyfriend, seeks out the Temple of Eia, a goddess who all races worship, to find answers. 2 months pass and both sides amassed at the border to do battle, to reignite the war despite Fitheiral’s best attempts to stop this. Dulas brings for Dralo as a hostage, demanding his daughter be returned. When Fitheiral said that she wasn’t there, Dulas took that to mean she’s been captured, now believing Talaka’s false words.

            The battle was to ensure when Coulae appears out of nowhere with a new glowing form and visibly weak, creating a temporary barrier to prevent the fighting. She pleads with both sides and tells them they have been tricked by their own who wanted the war to continue. Before she could reveal who they are, Talaka sacrifices Dralo and uses hisbody to create a giant monster made of rock and lava. Both Human and Dragon are forced to unite against this new giant foe while Coulae went after Talaka.

            After a long 10 minute battle, Coulae was able to defeat Talaka by making the monster swallow him whole, which was then destroyed by a combined blast of human and Draconian magic. While they won, it was a hollow victory. Coulae had been mortally wounded by a dirty move by Talaka and, as she laid there dying on the battlefield, she had proven her father right: their two races can co-exist; the battle served as that proof and, to a lesser and not as great of an extent, Talaka and Drola too. Her final words to Fitheiral and Dulas were ‘I love you both… and I left you a gift at the temple’ before succumbing to her wounds.

            A few days later, after mourning the loss of Coulae, Dulas and Fitheiral formally declare that the war was over and that a permanente truce was to be made. Assigning their most trusted officials and advisors to draw up the truce, the two kings set off to the temple to find Coulae’s last gift: 3 eggs containing the first ever human-dragon hybrids.

 

            The film was well regarded, obtaining high reviews. It was able to blend a perfect mesh of action, drama, and comedy while having stunning battle sequences and gorgeous cinematography. It got several sequels following it’s high box office take, which followed the hybrid children, but that is a story for another day. There were attempts to remake this in a more contemporary setting or futuristic, but everyone agrees that the original saga was the best version.

                                                                                                           

            Bran was on edge, wondering how the natives would react to something like this. This was a movie with a lot of laughs and a lot of tears. All he heard was stunned silence, even from Velx. This was either a good thing or a bad thing. It wasn’t long until he started hearing cheers from everyone around.

            “W-wow…” Sokuro cried as she wiped her teary eyes. Bran and Eia looked her way. “That was… that was something.” She sniffled. “I laughed, I cheered, I cried… are all movies like this?”

            “A good chunk of them.”

            “That ending…” Eia sniffeled as she wiped her eyes. “That was… wow, that was bittersweet.” She looked back. “Even Velx is speechless. I never though a God could get speechless.”

            Sokuro hugged him from the side. “This was a good idea, Bran. I loved it and I’m sure everyone else does too.” Eia pouted in annoyance at this sight of affection. “Are there more like this?”

            “Un, yeah. It got several sequels.” Looking around and hearing nothing but praise from the natives, it’s a safe bet that the first ever Dragenian movie night was a resounding success. “Well, we got ideas for the next movie night, if anyone wants to do it again.”

            Everyone really wants to do it again. The natives fell in love with this new thing and they want more. He just needed to find a free night for everyone.

22: Chapter 20: Lurking Evil
Chapter 20: Lurking Evil

Chapter 20

Lurking Evil

                                               3/5/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

           

A couple of weeks had passed since the movie night and things were slowly starting to become routine between the colonists and the natives. Learning of each others culture was taking precident. They know for a fact that the Miskenites won’t go into a frenzy if the colonists say something or do something bad because they are still brand new to this world. Anywhere else in the world and they would be in jail, dead, or worse. Thanks to this strange learning environment, the newcomers can learn what to not say or do around other natives on the planet to avoid causing a conflict.

The same holds true vice versa. Since there are Humans, Argaliths, Hesk’s, Kitsune’s, and Adlez’- five distict and different races- among them all, the natives have to be careful on what they say as well. They could offend someone and, while they don’t have numbers, they do have superior firepower when compared to crossbows and cannons.

Learning what NOT to say- that’s more difficult then just learning to talk, but given the last month or so, they are on a good track. But trying to cooperate with the rest of the world, which has been told numourous times by multiple people to be a lot rougher then Misken, was going to be tougher, especially when it comes to those who speak for the Astral Aerids. Mouthpieces can be bought and their messages corrupted.

They had a lot of work to do before trying to make contact with the other regions. It took a lot of work, but Georgia was able to convince Dexyl and her crew to keep the colonists a secret from the other villages on the sub-continent before they left. The colonists like their chances with the sub-contineint tribes, especially with the Miskenites on their side. It’s everything past the scar in the sea that’s going to be a problem.

Sokuro and Bran may’ve laid the groundwork, but both civilizations still have a lot to go though before they can truly co-exist without any problems. Speaking of whom…

 

            Bran and Aka watched from the table in the orphanage as Sokuro put herself though a vigerous training regiement: for two hours a day, it was nothing but squats, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and crunchs. For the first hour, it’s as a Ferid. Second hour, Aerid, and that one has additional flying lessons to deal with. There was a reason for this sudden bout of exercise.

            “So… is there a reason for her to be doing this?” Bran asked as a piece of Keks Grass hunt ouf ot his mouth. Kek’s Grass is like Wheat from Earth- it can be made into bread and other pastry products. Unlike Wheat from Earth, eating it raw has some health benefits. At least the cinnamom-like taste wasn’t bad. “I’m starting to regret showing you all of those excercises.”

            “I need to… improve on… my stamina!” Sokuro grunted as she did push-ups. “Fighting the… Phagos last month… showed me… that I still have… a long ways… to go.”

            “Well, weren’t you only a Aerid for a week at that point? That’s how long we knew each other before the craziness.”

            “True… but I figured… once I got my form… I’d be unstoppable… that proved me wrong… that doesn’t’ even… bring into the fact… that the trip to… the Black Abyss… wore me out… if I go… up there again… I don’t want to… risk getting exhausted… again… especially… when new threats come… like another Phagos… or lord forbid… a even worse monster…”

            “Not to mention the Koloron is coming up next week and she wants to be fit for that.” Aka commented as she read her book.

            Bran looked towards her. “The Koloron?”

            Aka put the book down so that she could explain it. “The Koloron is an extremely dangerous race that takes place in Meoho Village over to the east every year. The contenstents, whose numbers range from year to year, must fly though a treacherous mountain range of sharp, knife-like peaks and jutted cliffs amid high winds. There is only one rule: no killing. Other then that, everything is fair game.”

            “Do people actually die during this race?”

            “Not in recent cycles. But there have been dismemberments. Like I said, it is extremely dangerous and should not be taken lightly. Only the bravest of the brave dare challenge that race.”

            Bran returned his attention to Sokuro. “And she wants to try and go though that—why the heck would you want to go though that if it is so dangerous? Is it because of that Gallna chick from Roko Harbor?” Sokuro stopped exercising for a moment, giving him the answer he needed. “Oh for p—it is because of Gallna, isn’t it?”

            “What’s this about Gallna?” Aka asked as she closed her book.

            “When we were in Roko, waiting for Eia and her friend to get the part needed for their ship, we encounted a girl named Gallna, whose father is the mayor or governer or whatever term you use for a person in power. She was a total snob, treating Sokuro like she was the one acting all high and mighty because she became the Silver Aerid instead of her. She even thought Sokuro stayed here so you can all wait on her hand and foot.”

            Aka was offended to her core, and when she tells the others, they will be too. They know Sokuro and they KNOW that she wouldn’t act like that. “Say what?! Ooooo, I hate her already and I never met her.”

            “Pray you never do.” His attention turned back to Sokuro. “But doing a dangerous stunt just to show up a spoiled rich kid is a really bad idea. You could get hurt, or worse.”

            Sokuro briefly shook her head before getting back to her excercises. “You worry too much, Bran. I’ll be fine. Nothing is--” Her neck began hurting again, making her wince in pain. She stopped her excercises and sat on the floor, rubbing where the Phagos bit her once again. The wounds are long gone- why is this still hurting, and why does it feel like its getting worse?

            “Like heck, you can. Your neck is still hurting from your fight with the turtle demon thing, so flying though mountains with the bad winds and knife-sharp cliffs and jutties are just a seriously bad idea.”

            “I agree with him.” Sokuro, still holding herneck, got up off the floor and headed towards the kitchen to get a drink of water. “Also, you should have that looked at. It’s been nearly a month now and the wound is still hurting.”

            “I don’t have a wound anymore. And I told you, I am fine.” Though it is making her wonder. The giant snake that teleported her and Bran to the surface after their discoveries underground- it healed their wounds and repaired their clothes, but she is still dealing with this burning sensation? Did the thing not know it at the time, or was this something else, something physical?

            Their conversation was interrupted when Vela came out of one of the nearby rooms with a bowl. He rushed over to the kitchen, poured out the water in it, and refilled it. He was in a state of concern and panic, especially with what was going to happen today.

            “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Bran commented, seeing Vela in such a state.

            “Wouldn’t you be in this situation?!” The dinosaur-lite boy barked. The bowl was filled up and he went to grab something to heat it up with.

            “Mmm… yeah, I guess I would. Anyone would, really.”

            Sokuro grabbed a Pisj- the Dragenian equivalent to grapes; they are orange in color and strangely taste like caramel- and tossed one in her mouth. “How’s Hela doing?”

            “Still in pain.” Vela panted as he put the bowl of water on top of a coal bed. “Who knew labor would take this long?” Sokuro raised her hand, seeing as she was there when her brother was born. She was too young to see the process- thank Velx- but she remembers it taking a really long time. Vela didn’t want to hear none of it. “You shush up.”

            Yesterday night, just as they had finished up supper, Hela had gone into labor. The first contraction hit and it was a doozy. The next one came an hour later, so she still was on the long road before she was going to hold her second child in her arms. To make matters tenser, she was two weeks late, so this was going to take longer then usual. Fast forward to the next day, at this hour- the contractions were 5 minutes apart. The baby was close to being born, but it’s already being stubborn. Gotta give props to Hela; she is a trooper. She went though worse when she had Vela, so this was a cakewalk for her. Still, this was going to be a long and painful one. It’s already going on 20 hours.

            The other orphans had left to take care of their own things. Sokuro made sure Taled wasn’t here to see the process- she practically begged one of the others to take him for the day. Set, Aka’s twin sister, went to go get the healing shaman once the contractions reached 5 minutes. Aka stayed to help things out and Bran was here because he was curious to see what is different between the Gaharots and Earth’s old Utahraptors, aside from speaking and being technological. On Earth, all of the old Dinosaurs laid eggs. He wanted to see if that was true here or if they had evolved to live births. All he had heard and read seemed to be pointing to the latter, and he knows the doctors and nurses back at Novalle will kill him if he doesn’t bring back any useful information.

            Sokuro lifed her shoulders with a shrug. “I’m just saying, I know from experience. I don’t remember much, but I know Taled took ages to be born.”

            “I highly doubt you remember that. You were, what, 3, 4 at the time?” Once the water was heated up to the right temperature, Vela took it off the coalbed and went back to his mother’s room. “I just wish there was a way to speed this up. The wait is killer.”

            “It always is, but it won’t be long now.” Aka reassured him. “I’m certain of it.”

            Vela heaved up the bowl and quickly walked towards the door. “I hope you’re right.”

            “And if you need help, just holler.” Sokuro said. Vela nodded before bumping the door to his mother’s room with his tail.

            Bran turned his attention back to Sokuro while the stick hung down. “Do you even known how to deliver a baby?”

            Sokuro lowered her head in shame. “No… and I was too small and too young to see Taled being born- dad says I would’ve gotten nightmares.”

            Aka pattered the poor girl on the back. “Just be glad you don’t remember it. I, on the other hand, have had my fair share.” Bran raised a eyebrow, wondering what the heck and how the heck she could see the number he’s imagining. She rolled her eyes and went on to explain. “I volunteer at a farm, a’ight? It’s this small place just off the mesa- I hitch a ride down on the cargo lifts. I do what I’m told to do with little fuss, usually with feeding the animals or tending the fields. I’m usually rewarded with free fruit.” She plucked one such piece out of the bowl, a Belu, and ate it. “And the animals there can get pregnant and I, on occasion, help with the deliveries. It’s really gross and I almost threw up a few times, but darnit, if the babies weren’t cute as a button, I’d quit.”

            “But those are animals.” Sokuro said. “This is Hela we’re talking about- a Gaharot. Last I checked, those two don’t really mix.”
            “It’s the same basic principle.” Aka responded with a full mouth. “To repeat Bran, do you know how to deliver a baby?” Sokuro pouted as she crossed her arms. “Thought so.”

            Sokuro pouted as she sunk in her seat. “I would if I could, you know.”

            Bran scooted over and patted her on the back. “We know you could.” Sokuro gave him a glare that made him stop. Those are never good.

           

            Meanwhile, Velx was fast asleep on his temple, waiting for the new baby. He can sense the new life coming, and he can sense it was going to be soon. Once a new life is born, a Astral Aerid christens it with a single touch of a claw on the forehead, promising a long and happy life.

            His eyes shot open when he heard a bloodcurdling scream of agony. His head darted up and he looked form side to side. That was not Hela. He heard her screams before when she had Vela and during the current one. This was not her. This was someone in pure agony… and it was someone from here on his domain.

            He could sense the identiy of the person in question and the pain being dealt should not be felt by mortal hands. He could sense the very lifeforce of the person disappear completely, as if it never existed- as if it was being… eaten.

            There is only one person he knows that can cause this much suffering and deliver such a horrific end… and he’s here on Evioly. He must’ve heard about the new Silver Aerid and came to see if he can do to her what he’s done before to countless other Aerids. Or maybe… maybe he sensed the same energy he and the other Astrals felt. There are only two reasons for him to be here, and either one of them is bad.

 And the scream… it must’ve been his new victim of the year. He dug his claws into the stone, infuriated that he can’t do anything about it. He and his fellow Gods know he is still here on Dragenia, but he keeps hiding his location somehow, and even if they were able to do a thing, their strict rules would keep them from doing a thing about it.

Fayin approached with a plate of food and saw the furious look on his face and his claws dug into the temple. “Um… lord Velx?” That snapped him out of his pained train of thought. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I am, Fayin. I’m just… lost in thought.” He took his claws out of the temple. “I”ve been thinking about something from the past… something that always angers me.” He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “… I’m fine now.”

“That’s good to hear.” She said as she approached him. Velx subtlely nodded along, guilty that he can’t just tell her the truth- that he can’t tell anyone the truth. He hopes Sokuro can do something about this soon… otherwise, they will all pay the price for their silence. He sent his sympathies to the poor soul- they deserved far better then this.

 

Out of nowhere, Sokuro felt a shiver go down her spine. “Brrrrrrr…” She shivered feeling off and hollow from it. She held her hands to her shoulders and shivered.

Bran, who has just now eaten the wheat-like thing, noticed that. “What’s wrong?”

She slowly shook her head, not knowing why this happened. “… I don’t know. I just felt… cold, like a chill had slithered its way into my very soul.”

Aka looked at her oddly- she didn’t know shivers could do that. “… I’ve had chills go down spines, but never a slither in my soul. And it’s not cold today- the cold season doesn’t start for another month.”

Bran rested his head on his fist. “You know, there’s a superstition about chills up spines back on Earth, with a lot of different meanings. From what I looked up, it can be a sign from up above that you are on the right path in your life, or a warning that something ghostly, and more then possibly violent and evil, was around and you were being warned.”

Sokuro felt a shiver just from that explanation. “Well, that last part is creepy.”

“I never said they were all good.”

“And you just happened to look that up out of the blue?” Aka asked with twisted lips.

“When you are bored out of your mind, you do whatever it takes to entertain yourself.”

A loud shout came from Hela’s room, and it wasn’t her, but instead Vela. The sudden scream and the high pitch surprised the three of them, even knocking Aka out of her seat. He was freaking out because it was game time. “AKA!! I NEED YOUR HELP- IT’S TIME!!!”

“Oh shoot!” Aka quickly burst up off the floor and ran towards Hela’s room. Sokuro and Bran followed after her to help in whatever way they can. She found Hela leaning against her bed, panting rapidly as she felt it was time. Her entire body was covered in sweat from doing this for almost an entire day. She really is a trooper.

Aka slid in and put a blanket down on the floor. She then helped Vela lay her down on the floor. “Ok, keep on breathing, keep on breathing.”

“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” Vela asked with such strong concern for his mother.

“Yes, I know. I helped deliver farm animals all the time.”

Vela looked at her with lidded eyes. “… mom isn’t a farm animal.”

Aka rolled her eyes with a annoyed grunt. “Well, the Shaman is busy, so I’m all you got.” She handed him the bowl. “Fill this back up with clean warm water- this next part is going to be gross.” Vela took the bowl and ran out the door. “Ok, Hela, when I tell you to, I want you to start pushing.”

He passed by Sokuro and Bran, who had just arrived. Aka is the fastest person in the orphanage, so she reached Hela’s room before they were even halfway. Bran pulled out his phone and turned on the recorder- the medical staff back home better thank him for this. The two of them entered,  “Alright… is there anyway we can--”

“Alright, Hela, push.” Hela screamed and grunted as she did.

The sight Sokuro and Bran saw made the color drain from their faces, left them short of breath, and made Bran drop his phone.

They immidately relocated outside to the orphanage steps, catching their air as they panted as if they saw something traumatizing, which they did. Aka was used to it- this was their first time seeing the miracle of birth, and they… well, you see their reactions.

“That was horrifying…” Sokuro grunted as she held her hands to her knees as she leaned forward.

Bran breathed into a paper bag, freaking out. “Who knew the miracle of life would be so gross?”

Sokuro put her head between her legs, feeling like she was about to throw up. “Now I know why Dad kept me from watching Taled being born…” Bran passed her the bag, which she took.

 

Velx sensed the new life beginning to enter the world. He knew this was important to the family, but his mind was elsewhere. The scream of agony from earlier- it was followed up by a few more, which infuriated him even more. He was able to pinpoint the origin point for the anguish- Foloa, a fishing village on the island of Dor off the eastern coast. He had a obligation to uphold here… but sensing the agony there took presidence. He needed to go. He needed to handle this before things got worse.

Fayin was busy washing the plate she had the food on when he heard Velx shuffle. She looked up and saw him getting up. “My apologies, Fayin, but I need to depart.”

“Wait, what?” She put the plate down. “But the new baby is due to arrival any minute now. It’ll need your blessing.”

“I know, I know… but this is something I cannot put off.”

“… then what do I tell the haidmaiden of the Orphanage?”

Velx thought about that for a time before coming up with a solution. He gestured Fayin to approach with a small bowl, which she did. He put his claw over the bowl. A orb of light dripped out like water and splashed down on the bowl. “Here. This is pure essence of light. It is the same magic I would’ve used.”

“Huh…. that’s new.” She tapped a claw in it- it felt otherworldly, which sent a shiver up her spine. She looked back up to the god and saw that his wings were spreading. “If you don’t mind my asking, m’lord… why ARE you leaving?”

“…… it’s a personal matter. I’ll try to be back as quick as I can.” In a single flash of light, he vanished, leaving her confused more then anything. She looked down at the bowl and, seeing nothing else to do, began walking towards the orphanage, wondering what was so important that would cause him to leave in a rush.

Walking slow enough to where she didn’t spill the liquid light, but still fast enough to reach the orphanage before sundown, Fayin reached the orphanage… and saw Sokuro and Bran sitting on the steps leading up. Sokuro had her head between her legs while Bran passed a bag to her, which she breathed into.

“Children…?” She inquired in a puzzled tone. “What are you doing out here?”

Sokuro breathed into the bag again before putting it down to speak. “We… are trying to get a very haunting image out of our minds.” She breathed into it again.

“Un…… what is she talking about?” a clueless Fayin asked Bran, seeing as how he saw the same thing since the two kids share the same expression and color-less faces.

Bran rubbed the back of his neck, still traumatized himself. “… Take a wild guess.”

She didn’t need to. There is only one thing going on in that orphanage that would facilitate their response, and while it is understandable for someone so young, she doesn’t understand why they would be so distressed. “Oh… but it’s a beautiful miracle of nature. New life is created this way- how can you not be excited?”

“It’s gross.” Sokuro yelled from the bag. “And sounds so painful.”

Fayin popped her lips and tapped her claws on the bowl. “Well… ok, there is that, but holding that new life in your arms for the first time must be worth it.”

Sokuro gave her a leer as she rested her head on the palm of her hand. “…either way, I’m waiting for a looooooong time.” She finally took notice of the bowl in Fayin’s hands and wondered what was with that. “So what’s with the bowl?”

“Heh… confusing story, actually. Velx left.”

“Left?” Bran asked. “They can do that?”

“Of course they can. The temple’s are only their homes in the mortal realm. They don’t live live here on Dragenia with us. They are not bound to one specific place all their lives. If they were, Sokuro would be Phagos chow.” Sokuro gave her antoher leer. “Anyway, Velx said he had sensed something happening and just left.”

“He left?” An unbelieving Sokuro asked. “Just like that?”

“Just like that. It was odd, too. I asked him what was wrong, and he just said it was personal. He didn’t give anything else before he vanished.” She gripped the bowl as she felt it slipping in her claws. “Before leaving, though, he gave me this.”

“What is it?”

“I believe it is pure essesne of light. All I do know is that it is to be used to christen the new baby.”

Bran put his hands into his pockets. “So it’s like Ambrosia.”

“Ambrosia?” the two girls asked.

“Saw that coming. In Earth’s old Greek mythology, Ambrosia is the name given to the food or the drink of the gods. It’s said to be so heavenly, one bite or drink will give you infinite wisdom and/or immortality.”

“Wow. That sounds actually cool.”

“Yeah, and now it kindof exists. Kinda.” Bran got up and took a look in the bowl. The water was perfectly clear and formless- his reflection was caught in a white light inside it. He could feel the divine powers emanating from this- it made him lightheaded. “Whoa…” He gasped as he staggered backwards. “That is some intense stuff.”

“Really?” Fayin asked. “I don’t feel a thing and I’ve been carrying this for an hour.”

“Well, you work for a Astral.” Sokuro interjected as she put her hands in the pockets on her skirt. “You’re exposed to their energies all the time. And from what Bran told me, the Gods of Milky Way haven’t existed with them for a really long time, so a few thousand years would make them lose their tollerence for pure magic.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“That makes sense?” Bran droned. Fayin began walking up the path towards the orphanage. While hesitant because they don’t want to be scared again, the kids slooooowly followed after her. Bran recalled something Vela said earlier. “So… correct me if I’m wrong, but Vela said the Shaman was busy. Shaman’s exist here?”

“Yyyyeah?” Fayin asked, wondering why this was a big todo. “Why ask? Don’t you have Shaman’s?”

“Not in the way you are probably thinking of… why don’t you describe Dragenian Shamans to me and we’ll see if they line up.”

“Ok…?” Fayin and Sokuro shared the same awkward expression- how can they not have Shaman’s, they wondered. “Well… I guess to explain what Shaman’s are, we should explain something that courses deep beneath the world: The Mystic Rivers. Invisible to the naked eye, the Rivers course though the world, imbuing life and soul to everything. It’s there that the soul is purified for reincarnation if it was denied into the Great Light or served it’s sentence in Uela if they were evil. Certain people are able to access the Rivers with magic. All Ferids access it when they become Aerids, but that is the limit for the vast majority. The rare cases are able to use it to perform certain feats of magic without going to their Aerid form, such as conjuring fire in their hands or walking on water- feats like that.”

The way she described it sounded familiar, and he realized what quickly. “Huh… sounds a lot like Ley Lines.”

“Ley Lines?” Sokuro asked.

“We have a similar story about… Mystic Rivers, as you would call them, back home. They are supposed to crosscross and zigzag across the planet, and where the lines intersect is where intense magical craziness is to happy. But nobody on Earth uses magic and there was no proof Ley Lines existed at all- it’s all just conjecture and philosophical.”

The three of them reached the top of the path. “Well, not here.” Fayin went on to explain. “You’ve seen what we are capable of. You said it yourself- Dragons, as you call them, are myths from your world, yet they are real here.” Sokuro grinned as she held up her scale.

Bran lightly shrugged along, agreeing with them. “True.”

“Anyway, those certain people with access to magic without changing are known as Shaman’s. They are a rare breed- they aren’t as rare as Silver Aerids, but there aren’t a lot of them. Last I heard from Velx, there’s like 24 total in the whole world at the moment. They serve the Astrals by acting as their… liasons, if you will. Don’t forget, an Astral cannot interefere in the affairs of us mortals, except in really, really, really rare cases. Shaman’s, on the other hand, can.”

“Huh… sounds like prophets. So what does the Shaman do?”

Fayin hugged the bowl as she thought about it, tapping her claws up against it. “Well… they are healers- they can channel the magic from the River and use them to heal the sick and cure the broken. They can bless an area to protect it from harm and rid evil spirits from our lands. Every decade, they can see visions and prophecies of the years to come, though they are incredibly cryptic, though after meeting the colonists, the ‘metal men from the sky’ bit makes sense.”

Bran crossed his arms. “Yeah, sounds like we share similar descriptions of Shaman’s, at least as far as roles and abilities go, but none back home could conjure fire with their hands.”

“Evioly has a Shaman too and he lives here in Misken.” Sokuro went on to interject without prompt. “He’s an elderly sort- pushing up on 80-something. His name is Ohloar’Keqpushopa, but everyone calls him Hopa for short. Right now, I think he’s at the Bokural trading outpost on the sea bridge, overseeing a funeral for one of the Bokurol soldiers. They said he died from mysterious circumstances. He just stopped living.”

“Sounds like natural causes to me.” Bran commented.

“And how in the world did you hear all that?” Fayin asked with a tilted head. “That was a private meeting between the soldiers and Hopa.”

Sokuro grinned as wide as the Cheshire Cat, feeling rather proud of herself. “I am that sneaky. I can be so light on my feet, I scare even myself.”

Fayin slowly shook her head in disbelief. There is no way that can be possible. Even thieves aren’t that light on their feet. “There is no way someone can be that sneaky. Not even hunters or thieves are that silent.” Sokuro pulled her hands from behind her back, having plucked Fayin’s coin purse on their way up the stairs. She held it up, prompting Fayin to check her pockets to see that it was, indeed, in Sokuro’s hands. “You little sneak.”

“Told you I was that good.” She tossed it back to her. As Fayin’s hands were full with the bowl, she let it drop onto the ground. “And you let it fall.”

The Gaharot looked at her with lidded eyes. “Full hands, genius.” Sokuro rolled her eyes and silently repeated her as she picked up the coin purse for her.

As she straightened back up, they heard the door open. The three of them looked towards it and saw Vela standing there, looking beaten and disheveled- if you’ve been on your feet for 20 hours with no sleep, you would be too.  

Vela breathlessly chuckled to himself. “It’s done… heh, I’m a big brother…”

“Aaaawwww…” The girls both swooned.

 

Back in her room, the exhausted and physically drained Hela laid on her side with one arm drapped over her newborn son. The baby had the same coloring as his older brother, except with a purple stripe running down the spine and in the cracks on the claws. It was a tiny thing, too, barely a foot long from head to tail. If this was a litter, he would be the runt.

Hela looked at him with a tired smile while Aka put the dirty linens and towels in a nearby basket. These are in desperate need of a washing. “He’s so precious…” She swooned as she lightly petted him.

“He is a cutie.” Aka commented before she sat down on the bed. The two heard the door open and saw the group enter. Sokuro and Fayin were just about to coo when Aka put her finger to her lips, keeping them quiet. “Quiet.” She whispered. “Tired mother here.” Points down to Hela.

They nodded as they tip-toed in. When they saw the newborn baby upclose, they just had to do it- they cannot resist. “Aaaaawwwww……” Fayin and Sokuro cooed. “Soooo cuuuuute…”

Aka leaned back on her hands. “10 seconds… I’m surprised they lasted that long.” She commented to Bran.

Bran softly chuckled to himself before picking up his phone, which had the camera facing down. He checked the recording. There was no picture- it was nothing but black, which was to be expected. The sound was muffled, too. The medical stuff back home were gonna hate him for this. “They better be good with a vague description.” He huffed as he put his phone away.

He went and sat down at a nearby tea table while Sokuro was enamoured with the new baby. It was the cutest thing she had ever seen. “Soo cuuuute…” She whimpered. “You’re so lucky, Hela…”

“I know…” She gently replied. She heard Vela plop down on the bed and immideately go to sleep. She can’t blame him- he’s being working almost a day to keep her comfortable. It was an intense 20 hours, to be sure. She lightly chuckled before speaking to her newborn. “You’re lucky to have a older brother like him.”

“Have you thought up a name for him yet?” Fayin asked as she set the bowl down on the floor.

Hela softly nodded before looking back down to her new baby. “His name is Tela.” The baby squirmed about, making Sokuro go ‘aaawww’ again.

Aka smiled before she noticed that something was off before Hela did, not that she could probably notice given her exhaustion: They were short one massive feathered deity. “Un… correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Velx supposed to be here to christen the new child?”

Fayin shrugged. “It’s the weirdest thing, actually. He was ready to come, but before we left, he looked so… harsh, like he was hiding his rage or something. He said he needed to go take care of something, and then he just vanished without saying where he was going. He gave me this divine water to use, though.”

Aka felt fretful. What would force a Astral to leave without divulging any information? The very least he could’ve done was tell her where he was going, but he didn’t give that too. “That’s… odd.” She bit her lip.

“I know. It was really weird.” She looked at the bowl before looking to the baby, then abck to the bowl. “Hmm…I guess I have to bathe him in this.” She reached over and veeeeeeeeeeerrrry gently picked Tela up. She slowly and gently put him into the liquid, keeping his head up above it. The water began to softly glow like a sunlit reflection. The glow slowly went into the baby, causing the body to briefly glow. This was nothing new- the same thing happens to all babies when they are christened by an Astral, so Fayin did something right here.

Sokuro walked over to Bran’s table and sat in the chair next to his. “Crazy day, huh?” She asked.

Bran simply nodded. “Yeah.” Sokuro repeated what he said and looked at the baby’s first bath with a smile. That smile slowly turned nto a frown. She tapped her fingers on the table, thinking about what Fayin said. Astral’s do not simply leave, not without clear provocation or explanation. The tapping caught Bran’s attention. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s what Fayin said…. She said that Velx just up and left without any clear warning and that he looked angry. It had to be something big if he isn’t here to christen Tela. Velx is one of the sweetest fellows around, so to hear him be mad without any clear reason is offputting. What do you think could’ve caused it?”

It could be any number of reasons, but it was clear Velx wanted to keep it a secret, whatever it was. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not our place to know. Even God’s have private lives they don’t want to share.”

“I guess…” She solemnly sat back in the chair, wondering what could’ve done it. “But I just can’t help but worry…” She felt a pit form in her heart, worried that this is something much better then they think.

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtlalymx848 Full of Unrest – Tales of Vesperia OST

 

Velx appeared seconds later high above the island, which was a bad idea as the isle was in the midst of a violent thunderstorm. Most people would write off the thunderstorm as the cause of the screams he head, but they didn’t sense the souls being devoured. He knew the cause lay on the island itself.

He glided down to the island and landed near a bay, the location he’s sensing the disturbences. He took a few steps towards the water before coming across a ruined house- embers were still smoldering, so this just happened. This was no Phagos attack- it had to be him, otherwise there would be no ruined house. It would be eaten too. This was destroyed pure and simple. There was no other explanation.

            “I know you are here.” He said aloud, not caring if any innocents were around to hear him. He felt a few droplets touch down on his feathers, but he didn’t care.  “Why don’t you show yourself?”

            “And miss the fun of the dramatic reveal?” A smooth and confident voice with dark and sinister undertones said. Velx looked in the direction of the voice and found him sitting on a boulder facing away from him, his clawed hand clutching the head of a dead man. There was no color or life in the corpse’s eyes- they were pure white. He was in a cloak, but the voice made it a dead giveaway who it was to him. “Now where is the fun in that?”

            “You…” Deep rage filled Velx as he bared his teeth and the rain slowly began to increase in intensity. “… I knew it had to be you.” He brandished his claws. “What are you doing here?”

            “Oh, Velk, you wound me. Or did you change it again? The lot of you change your names all the time, it’s agonizing, really.” Velx wasn’t having any of it. He was in a permanent battle stance. The figure grunted a sigh. “You want the long version or the short version?” He got up and tossed the body away like it was nothing. “I sensed one of my Phagos being killed here on Evioly, so I had to come and find out why. Except for those lucky louches at Colo-Colo, nobody had killed one before, so I had to know if someone found out a way to slay one. Imagine my surprise when I found out YOU were the one to kill it. I thought gods weren’t supposed to interfere in the affairs of mortals… but then I saw the reason in Roko some time later… the new Silver Aerid had finally come. You were protecting the inexperienced whelp, but what i don’t understand… is why. She is just another Silver.”

            “And you will never know why.” Velx snarled as the rain reached a downpour. “The new Silver isn’t so easily manipulated. The new one is--”

            The cloaked figure threw his head back and grunted in boredom and aggravation. “Oh, save the mystery, I already know it’s a little girl from your favorite village. She was not very discreet when she came to the harbor. And that’s when I saw reason number two…” He turned to face Velx. Sinister silver eyes could be seen under the hood. “The past has finally caught up to us. Earth has once again branched out to the stars. Took them long enough- I was getting lonely.”

            Energy sparked between Velx’s teeth- he was getting ready to blast this evil lummox to kingdom come. “You are not going anywhere near them!!”

            “As if I’d risk destruction at the hands of Q’uq’umatz. I know he’s taken a strong interest in the Milky Way peoples. I’m fearless, but not stupid.” The cloaked figure took a few steps towards Velx. “But I would risk my end… because I know what you know: I sensed the energy surge when someone finally grabbed it... the Pashupatastra has been found.” He snickered to himself. “And thanks to you, I know it’s in either the Earthly colony or your favorite village.”

            There was no way he could know that. He could sense the energy, sure, but there is no way he’d be able to sense its location: the energy was that great. “How did you know that?” a stunned Velx asked as the rain increased to a torrential downpour, obscuring their vision.

            “Hmhmhm… You just told me. Your tone and your question said it all.”

            Velx snarled like a wild animal. He didn’t like being played for a fool. He reared his head back and fired a beam of energy from his mouth. The beam struck the stranger and melted away a large part of the beach. Velx kept his guard up- there’s no way it was this easy.

            And he was right, but he wasn’t prepared for the sneak attack from behind. A large clawed hand hit him in the side before grabbing him and slamming him into the ground, making him lose his breath when his neck hit the bounder the stranger was on. He was then stabbed in the shoulder by a red gem, which encased him in a energy field, rendering him completely immobile.  

Wheezing away, Velx peered up and saw a large Aerid form standing over him, but this onc was…. different. He couldn’t see the body due to the heavy rain, but he could see the upright, bipedal  sillhouette. “You… changed Aerid forms…?” Velx wheezed.

            “You mean my apperence? I had to- all you Astrals knew what I looked like as a Aerid, so I had to change it. It was painful, but worth it given how much more flexable I am.”

The Stranger bent down and got in Velx’s face. Velx felt a shiver go down his spine as the stranger whispered in his ear. “You’re not as powerful as you once were. Age is inally catching up with you all.” He felt a claw go across his neck, scrapping it like a razor. “I could end you right now… It would be that easy… But I won’t… out of respect for the snake…” He removed his claw. “And out of respect for the old man in charge, I won’t go after the girl or the arrow either. Not for a year, anyways. I still have affairs on the mainland I need to attend to, and I want my new conquest, this… Sokuro, to be a challenge. Xelut was a weakling.” He shoved Velx’s face into the dirt and removed the gem. Velx slowly lifted his head up to see the stranger walking away. “I’ll be around… old man.” He vanished in a flash of negative energy.

Still panting and wheezing, Velx stood back up off the dirt and scowled in the direction he saw his foe leave in. He knows of Sokuro, the colonists, and the Pashupatastra… but he doesn’t know where the last one is. That much is a gurantee and their only trump card at the moment, but he knows it won’t last long. “Nachsa…” He dug his claws into the mud. “Next time we meet… I won’t hesitate… rules be damned, I will kill you before I let you near my people.” The rain was at a fever pitch, drowning him in water.

23: Chapter 21: Koloron Part 1 Departure
Chapter 21: Koloron Part 1 Departure

Chapter 21

Koloron Part 1: Departure

3/10/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

As it had been described before, the Koloron is a race of endurance, skill, and speed, to see who could make it though the razor-sharp and danger filled Meoho Mountains alive... that is how it was back then, but now efforts are made to keep the flyers alive throughout the race. The objective used by the ancient people was to weed out the weak and the stupid so that they could make better the strong and smart. It worked, for a time. Before they made the mistake of allying themselves with Xelut.

Once upon a time, Meoho had some of the fastest and strongest flyers on Dragenia, who have the best stamina and durability of all Aerids. They still do these days, but now it’s all inclusive to everyone all around the planet instead of being exclusive to Meoho only. That said, there have been efforts made over the years to try and make the race a bit safer. They aren’t perfect by any means, but the mortality rate has dropped a bit since their implications.

The mountains themselves were something else. Stretching for miles up into the air and being an incredibly long range, stretching for 30 earth miles from the sea all the way inland, nearly cutting the peninsula Meoho, Roko, and Misken inhabit off from the rest of Evioly, save for a small 10-mile gap on the southern edge. The race is to go from the southern gap all the way up to Meoho village to the north, avoiding dangers along the mountain range such as the aforementioned razor-sharp edges, gusts of wind that can reach 100 miles per hour on a bad day, and a rumored albino Yeet that had been “seen” by eyewitnesses in the last few years.

And it is this race that Sokuro is getting ready to participate in so that she could get better endurance and stamina, something she needed after the fight with Phagos. Over a month and she is still feeling the consequences of her failure of a first fight, one she hopes she won’t ever repeat. She needs experience and she needs it now.

 

            “You coming or not, Sokuro?!” Vaset shouted to the top of the path leading to the orphanage. She, Eriod, Set, Zalet, Dan, and Bran were all waiting out front for her to come outside. They were accompanying her to the race to cheer her on. Vela, who really, really, really wants to go, can’t this year due to the new baby, which left Hela so exhausted, she had been sleeping non-stop, waking up to feed Tela and use the bathroom. 

As for the other orphans, they had already left, as did a sizeable chunk of the village who wanted to see the race this year. Everyone else stayed behind to prepare for the coming winter. Much like Earth, the seasons differ based on the hemisphere. Evioly is on the southern hemisphere. The Koloron is not only an famous endurance test, but it takes place before the turning of the seasons, from summer to autumn, that means it’s time for harvests to come in and for everyone to get ready for the harsh cold…

            …Something that the dumb Scout once again failed to deliver. The data it recoded made it believe it was in the northern hemisphere, not the south. They REALLY got the short end of the proverbial stick. Thanks to this little revelation, everyone in the colony is getting ready for the cold climate too, with some a little pissed cause they established their farm too soon. This will be a good test to see if the pre-fabs could handle cold weather, and thankfully they got plenty of food to last for 3 years, so going hungry isn’t a problem, and the Beatles are rated for all kinds of atmospheres, high-octane blizzards included. Scouts, however, are not adept at withstanding the force of thousands of bats to the chassie.

“I’m almost ready!” Sokuro shouted from inside.

            “So this Koloron thing…” Bran went on to ask, seeing it as a perfect time waster. “… It’s some sort of endurance race, right?”

            Zalet flatly waved his hand- he’s not that far off. “Eeeeeeeh… more or less. It was established thousands of years ago by an ancient king named… well, Meoho, who wanted STRONG, BRAVE FERID WARRIORS!!!” He pulled off poses that showed off the exact opposite. “Even after his passing, it has become so engrained into Meoho Village’s culture, they continue to do it to show off their might. Any Ferid can participate… so long as they aren’t afraid of dying.”

            Set slowly shook her head in disapproval. “I still think it’s stupid. Why would Sokuro want to participate in such a dangerous race? It’s too dangerous for her- she was only able to start flying weeks ago- some of the flyers doing this have years, if not decades, of experience. So why is she taking part?”

            “Well, the answer is quite obvious.” Dan said with his arms behind his head.

            “… and that iiiis?”

            “She’s an adrenaline junkie.” That wasn’t even close.

            Set slowly shook her head again in disappointment. “Well, when I get my scale next year, I am SO not going to do that.”

After a couple of minutes, Sokuro came outside and strode on down the path with knapsack in hand. “Sorry for taking so long. I just had to say goodbye to Tela.” She reached the bottom of the path. “I hope Vela and Vaset will be fine by themselves here.”

“They’ll be fine.” Eriod assured her. “And it’s taking care of one baby- how hard can that be?”

“Very.” Everyone replied in unison. Bran and Dan have seen enough television and movies to know how hard something like that can be… often it’s for comedic effect, but it still stands.

“Well, at least it’s still a newborn, so it can’t be that tough, right?” Bran oh so innocently asked, not knowing how wrong he is.

The natives all laughed to themselves, leaving the new kids confused. “Haha… you’re in for a surprise.” Sokuro chortled as she pointed at Zalet. “They can grow fast, and they have ravenous appetites after the 3rd week.” She walked past them and started heading down towards the docks, where an airship was waiting to transport them to the Koloron. “I bet you when we get back, the little stinker will have broken Vela and Vaset.” She chuckled with a grin. Sokuro could fly them over, but she wants all her strength for the race.

“Wow.” Bran whistled. He looked on over to Zalet. “So how old are you? Just for reference sakes.”

“I’m going to be 8 years old in a few weeks time. Vela is, what was it, 10?” Eriod nodded. “And Vaset is the same age as me, but she’s ahead of my by a few months.”

The group reached the airship as the crew was loading up the supplies needed. It’s a full day’s ride to the southern gap. They climbed on and joined up with the last of the passengers that were departing from Misken today.

 Despite this being a significant cultural event, barely any of the colonists from Novalle are going. They needed to prepare for the coming cold months… while also taking pot shots at that crummy Scout- the best way that pile of trash can be useful now is as target practice. The Argalith’s and the Hesk are especially bitter about it- they hate the cold, for more the obvious reasons. Only Bran and Dan are able to head to the race, and they’ve been tasked to record everything they can so that those back home can learn what they can.

While the coming cold was a concern, there was also another reason. What Velx said to Georgia and Belfast got to them, about how they were lucky by choosing Evioly, and more specifically Misken, to touch down at, and landing everywhere else would be… less then hospitable to beings from the Black Abyss. The two of them took that to mean that if the rest of the natives learn they aren’t from Dragenia proper, there would be riots and attacks by those who view them as demons and monsters sent to destroy their way of life, and if they saw a Argalith and a suit less Adlez, they would jump to that conclusion. Belfast had seen this happen on primitive worlds before: the primitive natives reacting violently to a technologically advanced race.

Right now, until they can get a gage on how the rest of Evioly would react to their presence, they needed to play this safe. At least it’s only Bran and Dan that are going to the Koloron; they are young enough to pass as orphans, and if anyone asks where their tails and scales are, they can say they lost them in a tragic accident. It sucks to lie, but again, they want to play it safe.

“So why isn’t anyone from the colony coming?” Set asked as they found spots on the ship to sit and relax.

“Who knows?” Dan shrugged. “The cold is coming, so they need to prepare for that. The Argalith’s and the Hesk aren’t big fans of the cold. They are cold blooded, so they require heat to do things… well, normally. A lot of people are angry at the Scout for delivering the wrong information, so much so they’re beating the snot out of it.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, we got a really bad model.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

Bran leaned back on the railing, resting his head on the pole. “And for some reason, the mayor doesn’t want us to reveal who we are to the general population yet. She’s having us lie about being orphans who lost out tails in freak accidents.”

“Why?”

“I think I know why.” Eriod said, having some knowledge in this regard. “Everyone on Dragenia believes in the Word of Umatz, and in it, it states that the Black Abyss houses nothing but death and desolation for those who have done evil before being reborn. It’s also believed that demons and monsters live out in its infinite void.”

Dan twisted his lips. “Well……. They’re not wrong. It’s not where vile souls go to be reborn, no no no, but everything else is mostly true. Without special gear, you will die, it is VASTLY empty, and there are a lot of monsters, mostly friendly and benign, but there are some nasty critters lurking about.”

Eriod sucked in his lips. He wasn’t expecting that to be true. “… Well…. That’s cheery… Moving on… people think nothing but bad things exist out there, and if they learn you were from there, they may freak out and possibly attack you, especially if they see your more… monsterous cohorts- I forget what they are called. The big ones that look like the Gaharots but BIGGER, and those in special weird suits.”

“The Argalith and the Adlez.”

“Yeah, them. If people outside of Misken see them, they could panic and cause all sorts of trouble for your kind. Worse yet is if the Druids of the Word learn of it.” He shivered in fear. “That is a scary thought.”

Sokuro groaned loudly as she hit her head on the railing behind her. “AAAAGH…. Why are we talking about all of this gloomy political stuff on our way to the Koloron?! I just want to have fun! Save this mess for the grown ups- it’s not our problem.” She jumped up and began stretching her arms up. “We’re going to Meoho- we need to be ready for the insanity.”

The airship lurched as the propellers up top slowly began to spin like helicopter blades. The ship was untied from the docks and slowly drifted away. The sudden movement caught Bran and Dan off guard, who should be used to sudden movement after all the time they spent in space.

 “Eh, she’s right.” Set said. “Let’s leave all of this messy stuff for the grownups.”

“Agreed.” Everyone said.

Bran laid out on the floor, sputtering his lips. He looked up at the spinninger propellors. They looked similar to old 20th century propellers on boats stretched out like helicopters. With nothing else to do on the flight over, he pulled out his phone and hit record. Once again, he, and now Dan, had been asked to recording all of the videos they could of the event. It was going to be difficult explaining this strange device to the native population. While the name Umatz sounds strangely familiar, he decided to save those kinds of questions for another day.  “Insanity? So what’s Meoho like?” He asked as he pointed his phone to the orphans.

What WAS Meoho like? Eriod had never been there before, neither have Taled or Vaset. Sokuro and Set have been there before, and with Sokuro’s eidetic memory, recalling what it was like was a snap. “Well… it’s full of adventure seekers.” She went on to explain. “Like, everyone in town is just so pumped up. Even the elderly have a lot of energy. You can’t go one step without running into something just full of energy, ready to do the impossible.”

“Huh. Sounds like my kind of place.” Dan snickered.

“When have you EVER excercised?” Bran retorted, remembering times when Dan found ways to get out of gym class.

The airship reached a certain altitude, prompting the propellers to spin at tops speeds. The ship lurched forward and began its flight towards Meoho. “… here’s one: shuddup. I just exercised my mouth muscles.”

Bran only rolled his eyes. “Ok, that’s the people you described… but what about the village? Where’s that located? The Evioly map Sokuro showed me is… well, difficult to read… I really need to learn how to read Dragenian.” He shook her head to get back to the train of thought. “ There’s like a dozen spots in the mountain range. Are they all landmarks?”

“Yes they are.” Eriod said, taking Sokuro’s thunder. He pulled out a book, making the orphans moan as they kno what’s up next: another long Eriod lesson. He flipped the book, ‘The History of Evioly’, and went straight to the back, which had comprehensive maps of the sub-continent. He flipped to the page with the Meoho mountain range. Based off the sketchs, it’s very jagged and very tall. “The village proper is located on the northern-most side of the mountains, carved and built directly into the rock itself. It’s just a straight beeline to the beach from there. The other dots are landmarks and locations in the mountain range, such as outposts and camps. The one in the center is the halfway point of the Koloron. It’s the safest place in the range, so it’s used for a lot of things.”

“Huh…” Bran leaned on his arm. “I never knew a mountain range could have so many dangers. Makes me glad I was raised in a huge city.” He turned his attention back to Sokuro. “So, what are the people of Meoho like? I know you said they are adventure seekers, but there has to be more to it then that. Are they as friendly as the folks back in Misken?”

“Eh…” She twisted and pursed her lips to the side. Set sucked in her lips while the others just whistled non-chalantly. “Well… they take their competitions VERY seriously. They pretty much built their whole lives around it. The more you win, the higher your ranking in the village is and how respectable others treat you. I don’t even know how they decide on chiefs, and I don’t think I want to know. As for outsiders like all of us, it still holds true. But they give outsiders more leeway since they aren’t from around there, but proof that you did win something is a plus. Did you two win any games from your homes?”

The two colonists thought to themselves for a moment. There were games back on Vega there were privy to. Unfortunately, they were video games, which won’t count here. Even the Miskenites were having trouble trying to understand video games, so no, they can’t use that. They needed something physical… thing is…

“Um… does backgammon count?” Bran chuckled. Dan only shook his head. No, it doesn’t.

 

The airship passed over the temple, where only one of the people there looked up. “Are you not going, Lord Velx?” Fayin asked as she returned to washing the brooding Astral’s claws. Ever since he had come back from his sudden mystery trip, he had been acting weird- brooding and moody and strangely wet and covered in mud, like someone ruined his day. It has left her more than a little concerned about her masters’ mental mood. “Lord Velx?”

“No, I’m not going.” He mumbled.

Fayin stopped washing a claw and put the cloth back in the bowl of water. “Is something the matter? You’ve been acting distant ever since you returned.”

“It’s been a… difficult week.”

“Clearly…” She let the cloth sink to the bottom of the bowl. “What happened?”

Velx looked her way, seeing the concern she has for him on her face. He wanted to tell her- he wanted to tell everyone what was going on, but he couldn’t: Voul’s orders, and the king’s word is law. Besides, it’s so ludicrously farfetched, she probably wouldn’t believe it. “Let’s just say I… made one of my fellow gods angry and they took it out on me.” The one who did this to him wasn’t a god, but with his strength, he may as well be.

“What did you say?”

“… It’s private business. That’s all you are going to get out of me.”

“Oh… alright.” Now she was really worried. Velx was being secreitive- that can only be something bad happened. It has to be. But a fight with his fellow Astrals wouldn’t leave him gloomy- she’s seen how he acted after bouts with Alta. He would be cussing and fuming, but never gloomy. Just what in Dragenia’s name happened out there? But orders are orders and she wasn’t going to pursue further. “So… do you think Sokuro will win the Koloron?”

Velx picked up on what she was doing and internally thanked her for that. “Well……. I don’t know. She’s still new as a Aerid, and she doesn’t know any of the tricks her Silver heritage can perform. I know she had been training, but there’s only so much training can do. Besides, she said that experience is what she is looking for.”

“Well, she’ll get it there… thought I’m unsure why she would want to partake in the most dangerous race in the entire world.”

Oh, the answer to that was so simple, it may as well have been in morse code to present a challenge to him. “She’s a daredevil. You’ve seen how she acts.”

“I think everyone in both villages got that idea when she took on a Phagos single-handedly.” She pulled the cloth out of the bowl and went to another claw. “That wasn’t brave, that was stupid.” Velx stayed silent. He thought it was very brave. Most would cower and flee, but not her. She had someone to protect: her colonist friend. As Fayin thought about it, the slower she washed his claw. “… Now that I look back on it… She got bit on the neck by the monster.” She lowered it. “I… honestly don’t think anyone has been bitten by a Phagos… ever. They usually eat things whole sale.” She looked up at him. “Nothing bad happens when bitten by a Phagos, right?”

That is actually a good question. Fayin’s right, Phagos tend to eat almost everything whole. It’s very rare that they actually bite and chew. And looking back on the last few weeks, Sokuro had been constantly rubbing where she was bitten, always looking like she was in pain. And Astral noses are a lot more potent then regular Aerid noses. He always smelled something horrible when she was around, like rotten eggs mixed with death.

“In all honesty, I don’t know… but I honestly hope not, for her sake.”

                                                   

As the day wore on and the ship continued on its trek towards Meoho village, now only a few hours away, the orphans were getting bored by a lack of nothing to do on this ship. They should’ve brought a game. There’s only so long until a game of I Spy gets reeeeeally old. It’s enough to drive a person bonkers.

Bran, meanwhile, wasn’t having any trouble staving off boredom, because he was busy trying to figure out the mystery behind that giant door underground. He looked at the sketch he drew in his book, wondering why such a thing would exist down there among ruins. Everything around it was delabitated and barely holding together, while the door was still shiny and golden, like it was brand new. Then there’s the mystery arrow. Could the arrow be the key to opening it? If it is, he can’t use it. Only Sokuro could, for some strange reason. Granted, they didn’t try to let anyone else grab it, so it could’ve been a fluke, like unusually strong static electricity. Even then, there’s still the mystery of what is behind the giant door. When it comes to reading Dragenian script, he always draws a blank- show’s what a week of lessons will get you.

“Coin for your thoughts?” Sokuro asked as she stood over him, rubbing her neck as it began to hurt again. She knelt down and looked at the sketch. “The Golden Door again?”

“Yeah…” He scratched the side of his head with his pencil. “It’s still bugging me. I keep trying to figure out what it is in my mind, but it’s easier said then done… it is way too big and way too extravagant to be just a decorative piece. No one would waste that much gold and jewels on just art. There has to be a reason for it. Everything has a reason, but trying to find out this one is proving to be a challenge.”

“You are going to blow out your brain if you keep this up.” She said to herself before sitting down beside him. “Well, it IS a door. Doors ope to places. If we can find the key, we could get the answers.”

“But the queston is, what does it look like? It would need to be something pretty thin to slid on in there.”

“Hmm… I’m at a loss. We may never find out what that thing is or what the door does.”

“Ugh… that’s what aggravates me the most. I hate not knowing things… and this is a big mystery that is going to keep eating at my mind until we solve it somehow.”

“And that seems like a really big problem with you. If you don’t know something, you just need to find out the answer. I don’t know if that’s a problem with you alone or with everyone from the colony, but Voul alive, you’re all gonna run yourselves ragged.”

“You do know a good chunk of the questions are for our survival, right?”

“And the other half is just random stuff that comes to your mind.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m a curious boy. Speaking of which, does Meoho, The Southern Gap, or the outpost in-between have a library?”

She snorted a laugh. “A library? Among the hard heads? You must be joking.” She snorted again. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of them read that didn’t have pictures. Besides, you have so much trouble reading baby books.”

Bran rolled his eyes as he closed his sketchbook. “Given where we are going, I suspect there will be a lot of pictures. Unless Meoho is secretly a village of genius’s?” Sokuro waved her hand from side to side. They are genius’s alright… just not the brain kind. “Then yeah, I suspect they’ll have a lot of pictures.”

 

It was close to twilight when the airship finally arrived at the Southern Gap. To the left of the approach was the Meohic Mountain Range, a large and grand expanse of steep, sharp mountains and cliffs with snow covered peaks and many, many, maaaaaaaany caverns and caves. According to what Bran and Dan would later tell the colonists, they look similar to the Rocky Mountains from North America, but with a lot more razor sharp edges for cliffs. The mountains are so enormous from long range, it makes the Southern Gap look miniscule by comparison.

10 miles from the last mountain to the shore, the gap, as explained earlier, serves as the connecting bridge between Misken, Meoho, and Roko to the rest of Evioly. Nestled at the foot of the range rests Konkor, a small trading village, serving as the epicenter of trade between the three villages to the rest of Evioly. Despite the village being few in buildings, the people who live here are a hearty bunch.

A red glow could be seen off in the distance, barely breaking over the horizon. The colonists thought it was the sunset, but the sun was setting over the Mountain Range. The glow was coming further into the land.

“What’s that glow?” Dan asked.

“That is Mokurot Crater.” Vaset explained. “A volcano that has been active for eons. It is always filled with lava, but thankfully, it has never erupted. …. Well, not in a village ending manner.” She rested her head on the railing.

Dan was on the verge of freaking out. He never really understood why people would live near such horrendously dangerous locations. “Wait, there’s a village there? Near a active volcano? That is so stupid and insane.”

“Un, Dan… we had cities near active volcanos back on Earth too.” Bran interjected. “Tokyo, Naples, Hilo, Shimabara, Auckland, everything that was near St. Helens and Krakatoa when they blew, and there was Yellowstone a century ago that wrecked the planet, and who can forget Pompeii?”  Sokuro and Eriod shared glances, wondering how crazy people back on Earth were to live near so many volcanoes… assuming those were the names of volcanoes, and by the sounds of it, Yellowstone and Pompeii were really nasty volcanos too.

“… then why live near them and risk getting burned alive and turned into living art? It’s insane.”

While his fear is understandable, he’s ignoring the benefits. “Volcanic soil is really good for farmlands.” Zalet explained. “It’s full of nutrients and is excellent for growing crops. Besides, the Mokurot’s don’t’ like on the volcanic rim. They live in stone houses and live a respectable distance away to flee if it erupts.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “It’s still a terrible idea.”

“Oh, unclench already.” Bran droned. “We’re not going there, so get off your worry horse. You aren’t in danger. Besides, if the people that have lived here for hundreds of thousands of years say it’s ok, then it’s ok.” He looked over to Sokuro and saw that she had dug her hands into the railing. That’s right- her parents were killed by a stray ember from the volcano. Seeing the glow and being near it, and quite possibly hearing that many people back on Earth were stupid enough to live near there like the Mokurots, is probably not a good thing to hear. “You ok…?”

“Yeah. Just some… bad memories about this place. Among… other things.” She shook her head, clearing her mind. “When we land, let’s find the others. They should be here with Ifil. After that, I’ll go and register for the race.”

“When is it supposed to begin?” Set asked.

“Early morning.”

Dan, Vaset, and Eriod all groaned like whiny children, with Dan lowering his head. “uuuuuuugh….. Just kill me now already… I hate mornings.”

“And it hates all of you.” Sokuro joked. Her neck began to burn again, prompting her to rub it. She’s hoping that this won’t interfere with the race in any way. She really needs to get it looked at, too.

24: Chapter 22: Koloron Part 2 Preparations
Chapter 22: Koloron Part 2 Preparations

Chapter 22

Koloron Part 2: Preparation

3/10/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

Konkor, a small trading village established eons ago to serve as the meeting place for the villages of Misken, Roko, Meoho, and now Novalle, to the rest of the Evioly sub-continent.  Despite it being so important, the village is very small. REALLY small. There are only seven buildings that rest near a pond and a natural mountain trail wild animals use. Each building is three stories tall with a basement, and a nearby shelter built into the mountain for safety from threats, so there’s no space problem. Though it begs the newcomers to ask why there are so few buildings to such an important place, to which the people who live here would reply, “because we like it that way.”

Konkor is more then just a trading village, though. It also serves as the launch point for the Koloron, which is why they share similar names. And tonight, it was lively with all of the participants for this year’s race. From all over Evioly, they came to partake in this event for fame and bragging rights, knowing full well the dangers and troubles. The winner also receives a hefty prize of 30000 Sels- converted, that’s about 10000 Galactic Units, or around 9000 dollars American.       

“Small place.” Dan commented as their ship slowly began to set down near a docking tower, where a few more ships were nestled. “I thought a trading village would be… you know, bigger.”

“Since when does the size of a village matter?” Eriod asked. “If it still functions, that’s all that should matter, right?”

“But it… you all said… agh, forget it.”

Bran walked over to the edge of the ship and saw a lot of people down below, most of them family and friends from other participants, to just casual observers of the race. There was a lot of people, which made him uncomfortable. He hates large crowds and this is a biggen. “That… is a lot of people.” He looked around. “And a lot of tents. Are we going to be camping out?”

“You guys are, but I’m not.” Sokuro said as she stretched her arms. “All participants get to stay in that big building over there.” She pointed to one of the three story buildings, the only one with a tower. “I didn’t make up the rules, but that’s how it is.”

“Aw maaaan.…” Dan lowered his head in sadness. “And I didn’t bring a sleeping bag.”

“A what?” Leoi asked.

He perked one eyebrow up as he lifted his head to give Leoi a glare. “… seriously? You guys don’t have sleeping bags?”

Bran slowly shook his head, knowing that Dan was going to make a big deal out of this. The volcano argument was understandable, but this is just going to be petty and grasping at straws. “Dan.”

“What?! They do a lot of traveling, so why haven’t they invented sleeping bags? They should have them, right?”

Wow, he is really invested in this. It’s rather scary, to be honest. “… un-huh.” He quickly turned to Sokuro, knowing she has firsthand experience with this. “Sokuro, tell me, when you are in your Aerid form, are you warm on the inside?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but if I were to guess, I’d say it’s a… let’s call it a storehouse of all the magical energy I have. I assume all the other kinds have their own, like warm water or a warm breeze.”

“Guess that means the ice Aerids are cold on the inside.” Zalet joked.  

“That would explain a whole lot.” Eriod joked back.

Sokuro was looking out at the view. She had been to Konkor several times before with her parents when they came to trade artifacts that weren’t worth much on the historical side of things.  Now this is her first time here without them, making her hurt inside. She kept it hidden while also knowing that Taled may be feeling the same way.

“Thinking about tomorrow?” Set asked as she walked up beside her.

“You could say that.” Sokuro replied. She shook her head to change her mind. She then recalled that one of her fellow Ascendants was going to be at the Koloron as well. “Wonder if Alled is here.”

“Alled?” Bran asked as he and the other kids approached.

“Remember back to Ascension day?” Everyone but Bran and Dan nodded. Of course they don’t know it- they never saw it. “There were four other kids with me: the twins Amz and Temz, the annoying jerk Gallna, and the most hyperactive person I’ve ever met, Alled. I got to talk to them before our performance skit and Alled mentioned he was from Meoho. Knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was going to partake in the Koloron as well. That kid is so hyper; I think he could win it on the first day, if not the first hour.”

“Sounds like you got some competition.”

She brushed him off. “Nah. I told you, I’m not looking to place. I just need some experience, and the Koloron is the best place to get experience in a short amount of time. If anything, I’m gonna help him win. I’m nice that way.”

The ship finally touched down, allowing the crew to throw ropes to the docks so that it can be tied off and the ganeplank to be attached. “If you can find him in this crowd.”

“True…” Once the gangplank was attached, Sokuro was the first one off, eager to get herself registered for the compition. “But right now, I gotta go find the registraitors.” She jumped off the last step and onto the dock. “Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.” Leoi called out as he politely waved.

The group reached the bottom of the ramp, almost hitting a really nasty looking blue colored Gaharot with a scar over his eye. He looked at Bran and gave him a nasty snarl before walking off with a large crate on his back. “Yikes. Scary.” He gulped.

“Yeah.” Dan agreed. “He looks like someone I don’t want to mee tin a dark alley.” They looked around and saw that there were several other rough looking… er, ruffians here, all looking as nasty as the Gaharot. “um… is Konkor a gathering spot for bad looking people?” He asked the bookworm.

“No?” Leoi responded. “Why?”

“Then we should probably keep our distance from the bad crowd.” He pointed over towards what he were hoping were dock workers.

“And don’t forget our cover story.” Bran said to him. “We lost our tails and scales in a freak accident.”

“I know, I know. I’m not stupid.”

“Just making sure. and I never said you did… though you do have a habit.”

“I do not.” The rest of the entourage gently waved their leveled hands. He does have a bit of a habit of forgetting things on a regular basis. “I don’t!” He exclaimed to them.

 

Making her way through the impressively sized crowd, Sokuro looked around, wondering where the sign-up for the race was. Last year, she saw it was near one of the ponds, but it wasn’t there this year, making her think that it may’ve moved. She wandered all around town, wondering where it could be. Her first thought was to check the central inn and see if it was in there.

She passed by some rather unscrupulous characters which gave her the heebie-jeebies. “(Just keep your distance from them, Sokuro. You don’t bother them, they won’t bother yo--)”

Suddenly, the world came to a screeching halt.

She took a step and saw that everyone had frozen in place. She looked around, wondering what was going on. Drinks being gulped out of flagons hovered in midair, there was a group about to get into a fistfight over someone cheating at a gambling game called Niton- it’s basically Poker, and she saw a hat frozen in place as it was being flung off of someones head.

“You…?” She finished. She took a few cautious steps towards the building, hoping she was just hallucinating. “What in the world is going on…?” She whimpered as she continued on, passing underneath a Ferid that was being tossed like a ragdoll into a barrel by what one would assume to be his companions.

It wasn’t until she reached the front entrance to the tavern that she finally saw someone who wasn’t affected by this strange freezing. She could tell because the cape to the persons cloak was moving. Their back was to her, so she couldn’t see who it was. And even if he was turned, he was in a cloak, so it was doubtful she could see her face.

Even just by looking at him, she could tell this guy wasn’t friendly. “Who… who are you?”

“I am no one special.” He spoke. His voice… it sounded nice and friendly enough, but hidden behind it was enough venomous intent, enough to kill a whale. “I just wanted to see the new Silver Aerid without getting interrupted by… them.”

Sokuro clasped her scale in fear. She didn’t want to risk transforming in this strange occurance, and even if she could, there’s no way to know for sure everyone around her won’t be affected. “Again… who are you?”

“If you must know… just someone who is observing. For now, anyway.  But sooner or later, I will make my move.” He began walking over to the tavern while she was left even more confused. She watched him walk over to the building, frightened by all of these confusing things. The cloaked stranger stopped in front of a pregnant Ferid woman. By the looks of her clothes, she must work here. “Life is a fragile, fickle thing.” He placed a single finger on top of her stomach. “It could be taken away as easily as stepping on a grape…” He ran his finger down the belly. “…And as harshly as tearing off a head.” With his other hand, he summoned up a dark fireball, which put Sokuro on edge. Her scale began to glow, causing a light sprinkling of sparkles to arise. “Like this woman and her unborn child… I can easily snuff them out of existence.”

Not wanting to risk the woman, Sokuro ran over and slapped his hand away from her, getting between him and her. “Like Uela you are!” That resulted in a smirk on the only part of his face she could see under the cloak. “I don’t know who you are or what in the world you are prattiling on about, but like Uela I’m going to let you hurt someone.”

“Hmhmhm… Such a vuger mouth on a little child. Hmhm… you are going to be a intereting Silver, to be sure. Maybe even more fun then Artox or Xelut.”

“What?”

The stranger sent the fireball away as everything around them began to distort and blur out.  Not letting her guard down, Sokuro moved away from the woman, believing that everything will be returning to normal soon. “I’ll be seeing you around, Sokuro el’Fitan. You’ve interested me enough to make this time freeze worth it. But before we say our farewells, I want you to deliver a message: Tell Q’uq’umatz that I know it has been found, and that there is nothing he or Tripura can do to hide that fact.”

Sokuro lerched forward with a tilted head, confused by what the stranger was saying. She has never heard those two names in her life, and what has been found? Nothing this guy is saying is making any sense. “Who… what…. Who?”

“Hmhm… you’ll know them soon enough.” He took a few steps forward, “exposing” his tail- a sharp blue Gaharot-style tail. She took notice of that, which he was planning on. “And before I leave… I’ll give you a little warning. You interest me enough to where I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Well, not yet, anyway.” He coldly chuckled to himself. “My warning is this: there are a number of unsavory characters here that will make this race a little more… dangerous.” Sokuro lightly let down her guard, thinking back to the louts she had passed before being… frozen, was that the term he used? Are they up to something no good? They sure look the part. “Have fun at the Koloron, girl.” He vanished before she could ask anything and time began its normal flow once more.

“---nd don’t forget the linin!” The woman the stranger threatened called out to whoever was out there before turning back to head inside the inn, not noticing the stunned and confused girl to her right.

Sokuro was clearly shaken up by this. Her mind rapidly wandered, wondering if it was all some sort of a hallucination or a vivid vision… but that wouldn’t explain everything. If nothing else, she was left with more questions then answers. What was this stranger talking about? How did he know who she was? Why does he act like he knew Artox and Xelut, two vile despots from the distant past? And who was Q’uq’umatz?

All lingered in her mind as she held a hand over her wildly beating heart as she shivered while panting. Whoever that guy was… he was scary. Despite not seeing any part of his body other then the hand and the tail, she could tell he was a horrifying being if he was going to attack a pregnant woman without remorse. That’s what she feels would’ve happened if she hadn’t stepped in, anyway.

She had to put that aside for now. Once she registered for the race, she’ll go find her friends, get something to clear her mind from the confusion, and hopefully try to make some semblance out of any of this.

“Well, if it isn’t a small continent!”

But first, she was going to have to deal with a out-of-nowhere reunion. And by out of nowhere, it’s meant literally as jumping in from out of the blue was none other then Alled, the boy Sokuro mentioned when they landed. Sokuro fell back out of surprise and shock, still on edge from her puzzling encounter.

“I never thought I’d see you in this kind of place.” He said with a snicker on his face. Sokuro shook her head to clear it up. She feels like she could trust him and the other three that ascended with them, but… she doubts that she’ll get any of her friends to believe her.  At least this was a much needed distraction, but her delayed response puzzled the simple boy. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“N… no.” She got up off the ground. “I was just… lost in thought when you scared the living daylights out of me.”

He put his fists to his hips as he got a big, giant grin on his face. “Heh. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Never thought I’d be able to scare a Silver.”

He wouldn’t be the first one. “Heh… like I said, I was lost in thought.”

“I heard you the first time.” He leaned forward, getting in her face, which made her feel uncomfortable. “You do remember me from the Ascension, right?”

“Yeah. Your name is Alled., a hyperactive minx from Meoho.”

“Minx?” He tilted his head. Sokuro realized her mistake and sucked in her lips. She heard one of the colonists say that phrase when Taled tried a parculiar drink called Coffee, being the first Dragenianite to do so. He was bouncing off the walls all day after that. She later learned that a minx was a wild cat from old Earth that was very active. “What’s a minx?”

She thought to herself, concluding that she didn’t need to lie. She just had to tell a half-truth. “Un… it’s a Misken saying. Heh… it means that you are like a… like a cat, but with so much energy.”

“Huh. Yeah, I can see that.” Sokuro internally breathed a sigh of relief, glad he was able to buy it. Hopefully his reaction will be just as mellow when the colonists are finally comfortable to expose themselves to the rest of Dragenia. “So, are you here for the Koloron?”

“Yeah, I am. I was just on my way to get registered before I got lost in thought. You?”

“Already done.” Alled reached into his back pocket and pulled out his number. Tied to a looped rope like a necklace was a wooden plank that read 112 in Dragenian script. “Did it before running into you.”

The memory of this mysterious and scary meeting was still fresh on her mind, but she needed to focus on the race at the moment. If she doesn’t sign up in time, she won’t be allowed to race at all. “Um, mind showing me where the registries are? I’m turned around here.”                                      

Alled nodded and began by turning her around. “Well, for starters, you’re facing the wrong building. The place you want is over there.” He pointed over towards another building… one that had a moderately sizeable line in front of it. Sokuro hunched over, wondering how she missed that.

 “How… did I miss that?” She can’t really blame herself. That scary interruption by the stranger was a giant distraction if there ever was one. “Heh… guess I better go get in line, huh?” She sheepishly scratched her cheek before walking over in the same.

Aled followed her with his hands behind his head. “So, why are you going to participate in the Koloron anyway? You know it is extremely dangerous, right?”

“Everyone else does and they still join up by the thousands.”

“But not everyone is a Silver.”

Ugh, that argument, she thought. That is why she’s not revealing herself to be a Silver until the race. She wouldn’t be able to hide it then, not when they are going to fly through a mountain range. “Right…” She grunted.

“So why would you want to enter?”

“Well… sigh, about a week after the Ascension, I had my first battle… and it was a really bad one.” She rubbed her neck where she was bit. It still stung whenever she touched it. “The Phagos attacked and I fought it.”

Aled sucked in his lips. He saw the Phagos before when it came through his village when he was a toddler. It scared the living daylights out of him, seeing such a pure, destructive force of nature rampage through town, destroying and eating. “T-t-the Phagos? What would possess you to fight that devil to begin with?”

“It was endangering one of my friends, along with a then crippled merchant ship. I couldn’t just stand by and watch them be killed. I had to try something, and I thought my Aerid form would be what was needed. Boy, was I wrong… thank the gods Velx stepped in. He killed the Phagos, but it delivered a cryptic warning before dying that I didn’t really hear all that well.”

“They can talk?”

His surprise was appropriate, as nobody ever knew that any of the Phagos could talk. Normally, people are trying to live when a monster like that attacks. “Apperently.”

“And Velx intervened? I thought the Astrals couldn’t interfere with mortal affairs.”

That’s what she thought too until later the same day as the battle. “I doubt he was going to let the new Silver, and a orphaned kid at that, be killed a week after ascension.”

That’s as good of a reason as any. “I… guess that’s a reason.”

The two of them arrived and got in line. Sokuro put her hands in her skirt pockets and pursed out her lips, sputtering and popping. “I’m gonna be in line for awhile, aren’t i?”

“Eh, it won’t be that long.” He patted her on the back with a leg outstretched to make a run for it. “Have fun waiting for an hour.” Sokuro made a very audible grunt as Aled ran as fast as his little legs would let him.

“AN hour!?!” She exclaimed, knowing he was still within earshot as he ran away. He KNEW it was going to take a long time to get registered- the little runt set this up. She couldn’t help but respect that. He’s not some hyperactive monkey after all. He has some smarts. “That sneaky little dillweed, he’s trying to sabotage me. Oh ho ho... he must trying to keep me up later then usual so he could get a headstart. The joker must think Silver’s have enhanced speed. Hoho… tricky little sneak.” She crossed her arms. “He just got himself a rival for this little shindig…” She snickered.

With no choice but to wait, Sokuro turned around to face the fella in front of her. She took this time to think about before, not her conversation with Aled, but with that mysterious stranger. The way he talked… they’re going to meet again someday, that much she can be certain of, but why? The best answer she can come up with is that he’s planning to try and use her for her power. He obviously won’t be trying anything now, not with all of these people around. And even if he did try to do the time freeze and take her now or during the race, people will notice. There are witnesses like Alled who saw her. She’s hoping that time freeze has limits, too. It didn’t look like he was controlling when it would end, so hopefully that means there is a limit to how long it can last, and hopefully a long recharge time. If this is magic, then it must follow the same rules the Shaman’s go by. But she had never heard of any Shaman, past or present, that can freeze time for a short amount of time. Either this stranger was a rogue Shaman or someone completely off the spectrum.

“Hey, you mind moving?!” A voice yelled from behind, breaking her out of her train of thought. She looked back and saw that there were others behind her. “You’re holding up the line!” She looked ahead and saw that the line had moved forward into the doorway, and she was holding it up.

“Oh. Sorry.” She nervously chuckled before jogging ahead to catch up. The line moved at a really good pace- she made it to the sign-up desk faster then Aled would’ve expected. He shouldn’t have tricked her the way he did, now he’s gonna lose the race.

“Name.” The male yellow Gaharot recruiter said in a extremely bored and tired tone with his tired head on his equally tired hand. You would be too if you were doing this for most of the day.

“Sokuro el’Fitan.”

The recruiter looked up and slightly raised a concerned eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little young to be partaking in this? It is the Koloron, after all.”

“I am well aware of that, sir. The thing is, I’m signing up because I need some experience. I had a.. nasty encounter with a monster and--”

The recruiter interrupted her by handing her her badge- the wooden plank with a rope tied like a necklace chain. Sokuro’s number was 612 in Dragenian script. “I didn’t ask for a life story…” He checked a few boxes on the tab. “… though I do need it to check this off… next of kin?”

Kin? She had never heard that word before. “Kin?”

“Family?”

Oh, that’s what it meant. She could’ve guessed worse. “Um, only a brother- Taled. Um… why do you need to know that?”

“Because if you die in the Koloron and your body is identified, your next of kin will receive a fair compensation of 2000 Sels.” He stamped a box next to Sokuro’s name, clearing her to participate. “Next…”

Sokuro bit her bottom lip as she got out of line and headed back out the way she came. She never thought of that. She had been so focused on preparing for the Koloron, she never thought of him. If she dies, that Taled will be all alone. If she was in it to win, she would be in extra trouble. Thank Velx she is doing this only for experience. And on the morbid side… at least Taled will get a decent wallet if she does…

She shook her head, getting rid of that throught process before it could go to the worst case scenarios. Between everything that happened in the last half hour, she needs to go find her friends and get some positivity going.

 

Speaking of her friends, the ones that came with her had found and met up with the others from Misken, having been able to claim a table for their very own, and then they had found one of the buffets set up for everyone here for the race and were scarfing their faces full of yummy, delicious food. It tasted so much better then then food back home. Bran and Dan were taking their meals slow because this is all stuff they are going to be trying for the first time, like Vooc, which is… coagulated blood pudding. Yeah, disgusting, but if people on earth can it supergross stuff, they can try to eat this… that was the thought process until their first bite, but it was so nasty, they had to push it away and move on to other stuff they can actually stomach.

Aka looked up from her food and saw the puzzled Sokuro walking around as she was trying to find them.  “Over here, Sokuro!” She called out, waving to her. It caught her attention as she waved back and walked on over. “Got you a plate.” She moved back into Vaset, who was busy eating, She was elbowed in the side, forcing her and the others on their side of the table to move over to give Sokuro room.

“Thanks…” Sokuro distantly said as she sat down.

“Hmm?” She watched as Sokuro, with her heavy head n her hand, lazily bit into her Gea leg. “You ok?”

“Yeah… just…” She set her leg down as she sputtered her lips, wondering how best to tell them. “…something weird happened.”

“Weird how?” Buron asked as the orphans undivided attention was on Sokuro.

“Well… I ran into someone really, really weird. He was wearing a traveler’s cloak, so I couldn’t see who he was, but… I think he was a Gaharot because he had a tail just like theirs, but he was standing upright like a Ferid or human.”

“That’s weird?” Dan asked.

“You’ve seen dinosaur movies.” Bran replied to him. “When was the last time you saw one of them upright, or evidence that their skeletons could even do that?”

“Point taken.” They looked back to her, to find her glaring at them with her fingers tapping on the table. “… sorry. Continue.”

“Anyway… what’s weirder is that he could use the same type of magic that Shaman’s use by summoning up a dark fireball, but Gaharots can’t use magic, right?”

“No we can’t.” Buron said.

“Yeah, but the strangest part about it is that he actually froze time.”

“Froze time?” the kids all responded in the same level of confusion and perplexion.

“Yeah, I was surprised too. But I don’t think it can last long, and I don’t think he can control when it ends as well… but that’s not what is important right now. He froze time so that he could talk to me, saying he wanted to see the new Silver before, and I’m paraphrasing here, had his fun.”

“Had his fun?” Leoi asked.

“Yeah, it freaked me out too. He was… really scary. He went on and on about life being fragile and even threatened a pregnant lady. He then spoke like he knew Xelut and Artox personally.”

“I know who Xelut is, but who’s Artox?”

“Another Silver Aerid who went mad with power. Unlike Xelut, who wanted to control the world, he wanted to destroy it. Thank Velx that never happened. But back to what I was talking about, this… creep then spouted some noncense about ‘knowing something had been found’ and someone called Q’uq’umatz.”

“Who?” Everyone responded.

“I had that same response.”

“Wait, Umatz?” Eriod replied. “Like the Word of Umatz?”

“… I honestly never caught on to that. I wish Hela was here, though. She studied the Word of Umatz when she was younger.” She grunted like a gorilla as she rubbed her hands on her neck like a massage. “But… in all honesty, I don’t know if this really happened. I could’ve only just hallucinated. I was training like crazy for the past few days, so I’m hoping I’m just sleep deprived.”

“If you think a Gaharot can use the powers of a Shaman AND stop time, you must’ve been.” Taled said.

Bran rested his head on his hand as well, wondering if this could all be true. Given what he and Sokuro had seen, it could be likely that she did experience this for real. “Alright, but let’s say this wasn’t a hallucination and is real. What do you think it could mean? What do you think he wants?”

“If I knew, I would tell ya, but my best guess… power. he kept going on about Silvers and he brought up Artox and Xelut, so it’s more then likely.” She shook her head and slapped herself several times on the face like someone waking up and putting on aftershave, bringing herself back to her usual cheerful mood. “Alright, that’s enough of that. Real or hallucination, I need to forget about it so I can focus on the Koloron.”

“Distracted flying is bad flying.”

“And how.”

“Everyone’s gonna be surprised when they find out a Silver is competing this cycle.”        

“I think they’ll be more surprised when they see me lose.”

 

Meanwhile, the stranger had appeared on a mountain peak, looking down upon the trading village. In his left hand, he held his tail… a fake tail made out of paper-mache and paint. He held it up and looked it over. “Well, this was enough to throw her off cue.” He tossed it away like it was trash.

“Ah… Sokuro, Sokuro, Sokuro…” He knelt down, putting his arms on his knees. “You’re more important then you know. You’ll have the glory of being my first kill once I obtain what I seek.” He looked at his right hand, feeling it shake with anticipation. “Assuming you survive the Koloron, that is.” He stood back up and put his inquisitive hand to his shadowy chin. “But now to the question of the century… where IS the Pashupatastra?  I know it has been found… but Dragenia is still a big place, and there are some knooks and crannys I haven’t looked.”

He would’ve paced as he thought, but the peak he was on was barely big enough for one foot, let alone to pace.  “Hmm… No skin off my back… I’ve waited a long time for the Pashupatastra to be found- I can wait longer till I can find it for myself.” He snapped his fingers, summoning up a portal made of dark flames behind him. He looked back down to the village, focusing on Sokuro in particular. “Sokuro el’Fitan… you’ll go down in history as Dragenia’s LAST Silver.” He walked into the portal. It closed and disappated after he walked through.

 

Down below, Sokuro sneezed into her food, spraying gravy onto a unsuspecting Dan. She snorted as she wiped her nose with her arm. “Ugh… ish… that came from out of nowhere.” She looked up and saw that Dan’s face was covered. “Oops…” She chuckled sheepishly. “Hehe… sorry, Dan.” He wiped most of it off in one swipe while giving her a mean glare.

“Yuck. That looks gross.” A familiar voice said from behind Sokuro- well, technically behind everyone on her side of the table, but you get the idea.

She and the others on her side looked back and she had a light smile cross her lips. “Heh… Eia. Been a while.”

Dressed in a amazing-looking blue and yellow blouse with a puffy skirt with lace, Eia smiled as she waved at the group. “Hey guys. Long time, no see.”

“I didn’t expect to see you this soon.” Bran commented with the faintest of red on his face. Eia walked on over to the front of the table, grabbing a chair from a nearly empty one along the way. “I take it you were all able to deliver the shipments?”

“Yep.” Eia said as she placed her chair. “We delivered the last of it to Mokuro. We were passing by when we overheard that the Koloron was a day away, so we decieded to stick around and see the race before heading back to the mainland. I take it you all are here to see it as well?”

“Yeah. Though Sokuro here is going to participate.”

Eia rapidly shook her head in stunned belief before looking towards the girl who was stuffing a piece of meat into her mouth. “Her? Why in the world are they letting her race? She’s too young, and a Silver no less.”

“The recruiter didn’t care what my age was.” Sokuro commented as she sucked on her fingers. “And nobody here knows I’m a Silver yet, so shush on that. Mum’s the word, got it?”

That was a confusing and puzzling phrase for the young natices, leading to scratched heads and puzzled murmers. “Mum’s the word?” Eia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s a human saying. I have no clue what it is, but it means keep the secret. Right?” Both Bran and Dan nodded. “Yeah, it means secret keeping.”

“Huh. ok.” Eia grabbed a piece of meat off Sokuro’s plate, making her exclaim loudly. “I certainly grew some perplexing eyes when we arrived at Mokurot, though.” She ate it up. “I forgot I borrowed one of those phone thingies to learn how they work. One of the dock workers saw it and we told them that there are visitors from the Black Abyss living near Misken.” Eveyrone’s hair stood on end every part of their body froze out of shock. “You should’ve seen the look on their faces when I told them about moving pictures with sound. They were in complete disbelief.” She chuckled before looking up, seeing that the colonists were… not happy. Dan faceplanted his face into his plate while Bran just sat there with a eye twitching. “What?”

“Ooooh, Eia…” Sokuro whined as she buried her face into her hands. “Eia, Eia, Eia, Eia, Eiaaaa…”

“I did something bad, didn’t i?”

“They wanted to keep all of this a secret to avoid causing a huge incident. How do you think everyone else on Dragenia will react when they learn that what we know of the heavens was wrong? And that a new civilization just magically appeared out of nowhere, with technology that far superceeds ours, with strange sticks that fire glowing bolts or metal beasts? They lucked out when they landed at Misken, but even then, everyone in the village, even Velx, was afraid. So imagine, just imagine, how everyone outside of that area would react if they learned of this?”

She did and it was not pretty. “… oh… crud.” She hung her head back off the chair. “Oh my lord, I did a bad thing.”

Bran lifted up his own head form his hands and held up a single finger from each hand, trying to find some silver lining in all of this. He did eventually think of one. “Ok… ok… no need to painc… I think we can salvage this…”

“How the heck can you salvage this?” Vaset asked.

He held one of the fingers to her to quiet her up. “Eia, where was it that you told that there were aliens living on Dragenia?”

She lifted her head back up from the chiar, with her left eyebrow cocked up in puzzlement. “The local tavern of the village.” She sat back up. “It was funny too- there were a lot of drunkards trying to play Loclin… heh…” She saw that they were not thrilled about that. “Heh… I’ll come back to that…. it’s not important. But yeah, they were really out of it.”

That helps them out a considerable amount. “Yeah, I was hoping they were drunk because, drunk people are never known to have good memories of the night before at all, especially if you get blackout drunk.”

She twisted her lips as she sat back. “Huh… I guess that is true.”

“And did anyone else on the crew mention us, or was it just you?”

“Just me.”

“Even better, becusae they were think you have a active imagination. When I told the people in charge of the colony I had encountered a native girl- I.E. Sokuro here- they didn’t believe me. They thought I was making up a story- even my own parents didn’t believe me. And while Sokuro only told the others at the orphanage, they didn’t believe her either. It’s possible that the people at that tavern who weren’t wasted probably thought you were making up a interesting story about a technologically advanced civilization that came from has traditionally been a place where the souls of the dead reside.” He stoped for a moment as he really thought about it. “Huh… now that I say it out loud, I wouldn’t be surprised if they start calling us zombies.”

“Zombies?” The native orphans responded in the same bewildered tone.

“The undead. Reanimated corpses. They eat brains. And are completely fictional.” He got back on track. “Not important right now. What is important is that hopefully everything I said will be true and people will be either too wasted to remember what Eia said or think she was just making up a story.”

“But what if someone does believe her?”

“Then it is a 50/50 shot between the person fearing us enough to try and hurt us, or being friendly and welcoming. And as we have no place else to go and no way to leave since we’re out of fuel, I’m strongly rooting for the friendly part.”

“Me too. I don’t want to spend another century in space.” He rubbed his neck. “The cryopod has no support.”

“Cryopod?” Taled asked.

“And here come the questions again. I swear, we should just handout brochures.” Bran just shrugged it off. “They are… well, beds that freeze you so that you can be revived much, much later. It’s really useful if you want to live to see 3000 years into future.”

“And no, you are not going to try it out.” Bran interjected, which disappointed the kid. “It may be refined in the modern day, but it is still dangerous. One wrong step and you are a dead popsi—oh, right, you guys don’t’ know what that is, un… a dead icicle from where you can’t be revived.”

Sokuro held her hand to her throat, feeling some sort of sympathy pain from that description. “Yikes. How can something so useful be so dangerous?”

“Asks the girl who’s about to fly through a fatal mountain range tomorrow morning just so she could get some intensity experience.” Eia said in a smug tone.

Sokuro sank her head into her shoulders. “… I’d like to withdraw my previous question.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” She scooted closer to an oblivious Bran.

 

            Later, when the celebrations and preperations were starting to die down for the night, Sokuro was brought into one of the buildings so she could sleep in one of the fancy beds for the contestents. She was sharing the room with several other contestents, all of whom were asleep. She sat down on the edge of her bed and lifted up her locket. She clicked it open and looked at the image of her parents.

            “Well, mom… wish me luck tomorrow…”

            She heard shuffling feet out in the hallway. She looked up and saw a shady character walk past, looking inside to check up on things. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she got a really bad feeling: why are there so many shady people here? It wasn’t like this last year. Something was going to happen tomorrow, to be sure.

            She got up out of the bed and headed to the desk readily available in the room. She opened a few drawers and found a nail file. She took it and began shaving her scale. Even if nothing happens tomorrow, it would be nice to have a contingency plan. She had planned this for some time, but never got around to it till now.

25: Chapter 23: Koloron Part 3: The First Leg
Chapter 23: Koloron Part 3: The First Leg

Chapter 23

Koloron Part 3: The First Leg

3/11/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            The moment morning broke, the racers for the Koloron were up and about, getting ready for the start of the event. Everyone knew they had equal chances to get killed by all of the hazards, but they were pumped with adrenaline and anticipation, so any warning bells going off in their minds were ignored.

            Those who weren’t participating had relocated to the many airships that had brought them here, giving everyone a bird’s eye view of the race. The orphans, Dan, and Bran followed Eia towards the Rose Shatter so they could watch with her and the crew. The kids are a little snippy because of how early they had to be woken up.

            “This looks friggin NUTS.” Dan exclaimed, seeing all this from up above. It gained a whole new sense of fear from the colonists now that they are seeing it from a different angle.  “I feel sorry for any unlucky sap who turns into… well, sap.”

            “Why would anyone want to do this?” Bran whimpered, holding onto the railing so he wouldn’t fall into the mountains.

            Well, that was obvious. “Fame, glory, bragging rights, the smug satisfaction of surviving a death trap.” Leoi counted down. “Need I go on?”

            “They should at least give a age restriction.” Bran continued to whimper. “Sokuro and Alled are insane for attempting this when they’ve only been Dragons for, what, a month now? There is no way this would fly on our world!”

            Buron grumbled loudly, having grown tired of his insessent whining. “Well, this isn’t your world, is it?” She snapped. “This is Dragenia, not… whatever your rock was called. Things work differently here- accept that, mfalsha!”

            Everyone was taken aback by how harsh she was, but none more so then her fellow orphans. Mfalsha is a derogatory term, meaning something that I can’t repeat. To try and put it simple and cleanly, it’s a really, really bad term for foreignhers. How someone her age could’ve learned it is anyones guess. Since Bran and Dan don’t know what that word means, they’re just stunned by her shouting. “Ok.. ok… forget I said anything.”

            “I don’t care…” Buron tiredly rubbed her forehead. “Sorry… I am not a morning person.”

            “Really? We hadn’t noticed.” Eriod snarkily replied.

            Buron growled towards him, “Hey, watch it, or else you’re eating wood.”

            “Sheesh. From what I’m seeing, none of you are morning people.” Dexyl commented from behind, drinking a piping hot cup of Dragenian-style coffee, and it’s no joke on the hot factor- both races have steel stomachs. If a human, Hesk, or Adlez tried it, there would be holes with their guts would be- a Hesk would immediately shrivel away. Kitsunes and Argaliths would be able to stomach it. “And where did you learn such a horrid word?” She asked Buron, only to be answered by her crossing her arms and darting her head the other way in a huff. “… Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cot this morning.”

            “Is she always like this?” Eia asked the colonist boys.

            “This is a first for us.” Dan replied. “And what was that word she used?”

            Eia wasn’t sure she should tell them. She heard it before and felt hurt when she was called that to her face. “It’s… bad. Let’s just leave it at that.” She went to someone else for information, tapping Set on the shoulder to get her attention. “So why’s Buron so… hostile today?”

            “She’s like this sometimes.” She whispered back. “She can switch emotions on the fly. It’s rather scary, seeing her go from happy to sad and then to angry in a second.”

            The two boys overheard her and came to the same thought: she’s bipolar. EXTREMELY bipolar, if that claim of going though three emotions at once is true.

 

            Back down on the ground, Sokuro could feel the tension in the air as everyone prepared for the race. She could see everyone was ready to either win big or become a stain. It was now that she was starting to get cold feet, thinking that this was a stupid idea. She needed experience, sure, but there were other ways of accumulating experience. She had just become a Silver, and while they are powerful, they are not invinsible.

            It just dawned on her that she was going to expose her identity as a Silver Aerid to everyone here- the only one here who knows is Alled. They all going to look at her and likely throw the race to let her win, and that’s the best case scenario. Worst case, almost everyone will come to her, begging for special magic to win the race. She didn’t want special treatment then and she doesn’t want it now, but in all that adrenaline, she didn’t think all of this though.

            On top of all of that, her mind still thought back to last night, and that mystery time stopper she encountered. Until she fell asleep, she tried to figure out what he meant, but couldn’t come up with any answers. Even then, the way he talked and carried himself was… frightening. Whoever this was… he was danger.

            In stressful times like this, she always looked at the image of her parents in the locket, thinking back to more peaceful times. In this large crowd, she needs it.

            Alled noticed her in the crowd, looking at the locket. Without making a sound, he walked on over to her and looked over her shoulder, staring at the people in the locket. He didn’t need to say or do anything for Sokuro to know he’s there. “Can I help you, Alled…?” She asked jadedly without looking away.

            “No. Just wondering what you were doing all by your lonesome over here.”

            “Sure it’s not some other way to sabotage me like last night…?”

            “Now why would I do that again? Heck, how could I do it again when the Koloron is about to start? Hard to sabotage wh…” He stopped talking when he noticed that she didn’t look at her not once. “Are you ignoring me?”

            “No… I’m just… worried…”

            “About the race?”

            That was half of it. The other half was the stranger, but like her friends last night, there’s no way he would believe her. Doubtful any of her friends believed her as well. “Yes. I was excited for it last night, but as I was going to sleep, I realized that... a whole lot of people are going to see me transform into a Silver Aerid. I know they must’ve learned a new Silver had been chosen by now, but… I doubt they know who. I just know that the moment I change, I’m going to get swarmed by everyone, begging me to do something to change their lives, or giving me special treatment like throwing the race or something like that. I didn’t think this though…”

            Alled put his arms behind his head. “It sounds to me that the pressures of being a Silver is getting to you. Or you just don’t like crowds, especially ones that surround you en masse. And didn’t a lot of people already see you transform back during the Ascension Ceremony? They must’ve spread the word that you were it. And they didn’t swarmyou back then, or now. And I never heard of a Silver being some magic wish granter. You’re worrying over nothing.”

            “Maybe…”

            He could see that this was really eating away at her. He never saw such black marks under someones eyes before. This is the opposite of the excited girl he saw last night. There’s no way this could be just from the fear of being swarmed. Something else must’ve happened last night, and he feels she isn’t going to tell. The whole swarming thing could just be some sort of ruse.

            He turned around for a brief moment and scratched the back of his neck. With the Koloron about to start any minute now, giving the competition some advice wouldn’t be prudent, but she is clearly struggling with something more then just the Silver thing. “I’m gonna regret this…” He turned back and tapped her on the back to get her attention. “Hey… I’m gonna give you some advice, but don’t you dare repeat this to anyone.”

            This can only end well.  “Ok?”

            He pointed to a spot towards the left of the range. “When he was my age, my grandpa found a secret route over there- a tunnel that leads deep into the mountain range. It goes deep and you come out near the bottom, where the dangers are non-existant.”

            “Huh…” That would be the perfect place to transform where nobody could see her. She won’t be able to repeat this during the second leg tomorrow- nobody can get that lucky twice. At the very least, this is a delaying tactic for what is something completely pointless to him and later everybody else. No sense in putting off what can be done today, but that’s something she doesn’t know. She’s still a kid.

            She slowly began closing the locket. “But I want the danger… I need the experience. That’s the whole reason I came to participate in the first place.”

            “If you say so.” Sokuro mostly ignored that until she was poked in her cheek, making her look at him. “But un… you’re not gonna win first place. That honor is mine.”

            Sokuro scoffed a smirk, clicking the locket shut. He’s still thkining she’s a threat? Well, it’ll be more experience in the long run. “I didn’t want first place to begin with. But after the trick you pulled last night, I made you my rival, so if that means getting first place… hehe, you’re gonna regret it.”

            Now it was on. “You must be joking. I’ve been training for this since I could remember. I memorized the maps inside and out. Meanwhile, you decided to do this on a whim. I’m gonna win.”

            “Not when I beat you to the finish line.”

            “We’ll see how long that cockiness lasts by the time you reach the midway house.” Sokuro slyly coughed a laugh. Alled took notice of a disturbing green mark on the back of her neck. “Hey, what’s--”

            All of a sudden, a red Aerid swooped in, flying up and over the crowd. Sokuro saw a multitude of scars on its underbelly, along with a dazzling jeweled necklace with hanging beads. Whoever this is has seen a lot of action, or got all of these from the Koloron. Either way… she was both in awe and unsettled. She pulled her lips inside her mouth, wondering how many she’ll accumulate in her life. She can still feel the bite.

            The red Aerid flew up towards a airship and began to change form as he settled down onto it. Out of the twirling sparkles came a really old man with grey hair everywhere. Really up there- well into his 80’s. He sported a very fashionable green and orange robe with fanciful markings, along with the same necklace but smaller, symbolizing his status. Despite his age, he was still spry. He wasn’t going to do any jumping jacks anytime soon, but he can still fly like the best of them. Experience comes with age, they say.

            “Everyone.” He proclaimed out to the eager crowd. Despite his age, his voice was still loud and clear. “Another cycle has come and gone, and with it another Koloron has come around, and just like the countless times before, I see that we have a lot of eager participants this time, along with some young blood ready to try this for the first time...”

            While he spoke, Sokuro whispered a question to Alled, “Who’s that?”

            “My grandfather, Mokati. The current chief of Meoho.”

            “So what makes you what, a prince?”

            “Eh, not nessicarily.”

            “…For those among the participents or the onlookers that are new to the Koloron, the race itself was founded many eons ago by Meoho, the founder of the village that he named after himself. A ruthless conquerer with a ego to match, he invented the Koloron to weed out the weak and the lame, and to use it to make vibrant warriors out of the strong who survived. Ultimately, it proved to be his end as he attempted to fly though the Sawfield, losing his life...”

            “Sawfield?” Sokuro whispered to Alled again.

            “A part of the range where the rocks just jut out and are as sharp and brutal as saw blades. Just as straight, too. Nobody except the wreckless or the suicidal would attempt to fly though there.”

            “And you?”

            “I’m brave, not stupid.”

            Sokuro slightly and breathlessly laughed to herself. “… Where is it so I can avoid it?”

            “It’s not until the second leg, so you got nothing to worry about today.”

            “…Nowadays, the Koloron is a friendly competition, held once a year among the villages of Evioly and those visiting from across the sea, to see who among you all are among the best of the best. While we have worked diligently to lessen the many dangers you can experience and suffer in the vast Meoho Mountain Range, it is not perfect by any means. You can still die. I hope you have made peace with your life if the unfortunate were to occur…”

            Sokuro felt a chill go though her body and up her spine. It felt like somebody was watching her. She moved her head around to see if anyone was looking her way. Everyone here was so violent looking and dangerous, any one of them could be. Could it be that strange cloaked guy from last night again? No, she thought. She didn’t feel a chill then.

            A cloth hung off the side of the ship- a flag emblazoned with the sigil of the gods, which was a coiled serpent. The Word of Umatz, the Shamanistic order that the Astrals created to do spread their blessings and work, use the same sigil, but theirs has wings.

            “Here we go…” Alled said to himself as he jumped in place, warming himself up to what is to come, but all Sokuro saw was just him leaping up and down like a doofus. “When that flag drops, it starts.”

            “Oh.”

            Mikati walked to the ropes hanging the flag over the side. One of the crewmen handed him a saber for him to cut it with. “When this flag drops, the Koloron shall begin. The prize this year is 150,000 Sels, along with, as is tradition, the right to govern and rule Meoho for a whole year. This year will be the last time I race the Koloron, so will it be one more year of me ruling Meoho, or shall some new blood finally beat me?”

            So that was how they chose their new chiefs- the Koloron. Given its history, it makes sense. This was once a torturous method to weed out the weak and supliment the strong, so it would make sense that the one to emerge on the other side first would be the strongest and wisest out of everyone involved.

            Sokuro looked around at everyone participating in the race. Most of them are so brutish looking- having one of them rule an entire village for a year doesn’t sound very appetizing. Then again, neither is her ruling. She doesn’t want that, not in the slightest, so as much as she was teasing Alled earlier with, if it comes to be that she was to cross the finish line first, she would just skid to a halt and let him win. And yes, the money would be helpful in fixing up a lot of things around Misken. And even if she did want to rule, Xelut and Artox did not paint ruling Silvers in a kind light.

 

 

Begin song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP3xY3iYY1E Break the Ice by John Farnham – RAD soundtrack

           

 

            Mokati cut off all the ropes but one, making the flag hang there by the fabric of it’s stitching. That signaled every one of the racers to get ready, transforming into their Aerid forms. So many colored sparkles danced together as they rose up in to the air, mesmerizing the young folk in the crowd, especially the colonist boys. Bran and Dan made sure their phones were recording so they could capture this from their hiding places.

            Sokuro watched everyone transform, but she didn’t change yet. Her body was in the process of glowing and giving off the sparkles, but she wasn’t changing yet. Even if she didn’t want people to know she’s a Silver at the moment, she had a stylish flair.

            She looked down at her locket one last time, which was overly illuminated by the glowing scale. “Well mom… wish me luck.” She put it and the scale under her dress. She cracked her fingers and got ready for the flag to drop.

            Mikati raised the saber over his head and then swung down, cutting the last rope with one single and clean slice.

 

            And so, the Koloron was on.

 

            Aerids of all shapes, sizes, and colors took to the air, kicking up enough wind to make the airships high above list and shake. Eia took the opening to fain a dilemma and “accidentally” fell right into Bran, who caught her before she could hit anything.

            As everyone took to the air, Sokuro was running as fast as she could along the increasingly empty streets, her glow increasing as she neared what she designated her launch site. She looked up and made sure she had enough of a opening to do this:

            On the last step, she had transformed into her Aerid form and launched off the ground with all the force her wings could muster, rocketing right into the area Alled had advertised: a cave opening that she hoped would lead to the other side. And she looked like a rocket, too- the sparkles and the glow left a impressive trail behind her as she went from 0 to 120 in seconds from the village to the opening.

            And Alled’s information was spot on- there was an opening large enough for several Aerids to fly though. It was smooth and lacking any stalagtites and stalagemites, as if it was carved yesterday despite being hundreds of years old. By the time Sokuro was dozens of feet inside, she had fully formed into her Aerid form. She looked back and saw that she was the only one in the tunnel, leaving her more then a little apprehensive. Did Alled trick her yet again?

            “Ha… I can’t believe he fell for that trick.” She giggled to herself, feeling a small ounce of shame for leading him on like that with her depression. She is scared of people clamoring to her for being a Silver, sure, but she knows it’s all overblown hooey. She can’t change people’s lives- its overactive imagination.

            That’s what she is forcing herself to believe, anyway.

            She looked back on ahead and saw that there was someone else here in the tunnel with her- the red Aerid that began the race, Mokati. How did he get here ahead of her? They all went at the same time, didn’t they? Or is he just that fast?

            She flapped her wings and caught on up to him. It was the same guy- the necklace was the same, as were the scars. Mokati noticed her out of the corner of his eye and looked. “Well, the rumors were true after all: a new Silver Aerid is among us.”

            Sokuro kept silent for a moment, unsure how she should respond. Ultimately, she decided to play it safe and cool for now to avoid appearing rude. “Um, yes, your elderness. My name is Sokuro. Sokuro el’Fitan.”

            “Ah. This is a fine name for a Silver Aerid. Far better then many of the other ones, in my opinion. Wait, did you say Sokuro? Alled spoke of you last night. He said you were in this just for the experience, correct?”

            “Yeah, you’re right. I am in this solely for the experience. I’m not in this to win and I don’t want to rule anyone.”

            “You are one of a kind, then, to be in this for fun and not for a reward.” He looked on ahead and saw light at the end of the tunnel. “Well, you are soon to get the experience you want. We’re about to join the others.”

            Sokuro noticed it too, but she looked back and saw nobody else with them. They were all alone in the tunnel. “I’m surprised nobody else flew in here. This is a straightforward route.”

            “Well, it is a easy route, and they usually want a challenge. I’m taking this route due to my old age… but then why are you in here?”

            “I can believe that. And I took this route to ease my way into this.” She chuckled to herself. “I had to trick your Alled into telling me this shortcut by telling him I’m scared about being a Silver due to all the pressure and everyone clamoring to make me change things for the better.”

            “And are you?”

            “No. I’m happy as a clam.”

            He tilted his head in bewilderment at that line. “Happy as a clam?” Sokuro realized her mistake and sucked her mouth in. “What is a clam?”

            “Un…” Sokuro was cursing herself out on the inside. The colonists told everyone to keep their being not from this world a secret for fear of bad consequences and she just about blew it. Clams don’t exist on Dragenia, and she just used a human saying that involved them. “Un... it’s… just a phrase I made up.” She nervously chuckled. She really didn’t want to try and explain it- she’s quick witted, but not that quick. “Um… first one to the midway house is a rotten egg.” She flapped so hard, she accidentally created tornado-force winds that knocked him back a bit.

            In seconds, she burst out of the exit and right into a veritable minefield, almost colliding with a pillar. She instinctually tucked her wings in and rolled to the right to avoid hitting it. She ran along the side of a hill for a few brief seconds before spreading her wings and heading back into the air.

            The old man had plenty of time to warn her about that.

            The innards of the Koloron are a geographer’s nightmare. There is no way any of this should exist in this manner, but it does. Underneath the extremely dense fog canopy was a twisted and deranged mess of cliffs, deaddrops, deadend caves and valleys, and upside-down mountains balancing precariously? There is no way that should be possible, but it is.

            She spiraled though a… well, a stone spiral and spread her wings at the right time to avoid hitting another racer that sped by, only to be blindsided by dozens of others that blaed by, making her spin like a top. They didn’t notice she was Silver- they didn’t  notice her at all: that color in dense grey fog is really good camouflage.

            The other colors of the Aerid rainbow were not and she saw hundreds of other colors all up ahead of her, and also trailing far behind. She flapped her wings and followed the guy she almost hit, since he’s going in the right direction.

            This was truly a a no-holds barred race as she saw several of the competitors slamming their rivals into the sides of mountains to knock them out of the race. Even though she was virtually invisible in this fog, she took care to avoid them to avoid being smacked. It can be fatal here. 

           

            Alled was barreling his way through the competition, having studied maps of the range inside and out. He knows them so well, he felt like he drew them himself. He rolled to the left, passing right between a couple of Aerids that almost collided with each other.

            He tucked his wings and dove into a narrow tunnel lined with sharp spikes. He got though it with ease. Ever since he obtained his Aerid form, he had been training non-stop for this- he’sonly going to get one chance at this.

            He emerged on the other side and spread his wings wide, almost coming face to face with a outcropping shapped like a roaring head. He rolled away, almost a pitch-blue Aerid. He barely had time to course correct, almost hitting another.

            “(I knew it was going to be crowded, but geez…)” He flapped his wings to ascend upward. He steeled himself, seeing the rest of the competition as insignificant. “(I’m going to win this year… nobody else…)”

            He flapped once more, and then pulled his wings in to divebomb the two Aerids he almost hit. At the last moment, he spread his hind legs and brandished his claws. As he dove past, he scratched them on the wings, making flying more difficult for them.

            He flipped onto his back and flew backwards. “You know there are no rules in this!” He called back to them. “Anything goes!” He flipped back around and sped on ahead.

 

            That is true. This is a no-holds barred race. Except for killing, anything goes. That allowed some of the contestants to get really, really nasty with their tactics. Some were simple, like simply tricking people into going in the wrong or longer direction.

            Others…….. weren’t like that.

            Others were in this for more… bad purposes.

            Flying on his side though a narrow corridor, one of the competitors, a slender and intelligent blue Aerid with a mark on his right shoulder, looked back and saw several young Aerids right behind him, He scoffed a smirk- this was almost too easy.

            Exiting the corridor, he spun around, launching a blue blast out of his mouth and into the air, puzzling the two behind him.

            This was a signal.

            Out of sight from both the racers and from the spectators above, several mysterious and dastardly troublemakers were doing nasty things. From the protective confinds of several caves, unknown goons tossed down weighted nets to ensnarl whoever they were able to get. The unfortunate ones that got caught in the nets were sent plummeting towards the bottom of the range.

 

            Alled noticed one of the nets coming for him. He spun out of the way in one directiong to avoid and Sokuro, who was following him, rolled in another direction, sending the two down separate paths.

            “When were nets added in…?” Alled pondered to himself, looking up to see who would throw weighted nets in the middle of a dangerous game. He kept on flying, not going to let him get caught in these nets. There was no way his grandfather would approve of nets during the race- absolutely not.

            He rolled hard to the right, avoiding a mini avalance that almost took him out, but did take out another. Based on the size of the rocks, she was going to survive, but her body was going to hurt for a long time. He blasted another that was falling his way before continuing on.

 

            Up on the airships, the audience watched in anticipation, eager to see who was going to win, and more importantly, who was going to survive.

            “How can they tell what’s going on?” Bran commented as he looked over the side. The camera of his phone poked out of the top of his pocket, trying to record what was going on, but the fog was so thick, he can barely make out the colors.

            “We can see in the dark.” Zalet mentioned. “I’m guessing humans don’t.”

            “Very astute observation.” Dan joked. Bran rolled his eyes at that lame response.

            “Well, it’s true. Both Ferids and Gaharots can see in the dark. Gaharots are much more adept then we are, so they can see in more detail and distance. Not so true in Aerid form- it’s equal footing there.”

            The onlookers exclaimed in agony. The humans heard this noise before. There were already several fatalities before, not it sounds like someone else bit the proverbial dust. Spcialized airships floated over.prompting special airships outfitted with craw cranes to retrieve the dead. Some of the deaths were pretty gruesome, so I’ll spare you the details.

            It made the younger members of the procession gag as they felt bile come up. “Oh gods…” Taled gagged. “That… is nasty…” He gagged again. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

            Dan could barely keep his lunch down as well. “I thought that guy said the Koloron was safer then before.”

            “SafER, not free of danger.” Buron scoffed. “Get your head out of the clouds.”

            Bran kept his lunch down. He looked back down over the side, trying to find hair or hide of Sokuro, worried about her. If everyone isn’t screaming out in terror over a death, then she’s still alive. On that note, nobody’s commented that a Silver is a part of the roster this year. Maybe nobody noticed her- her scales ARE the same color as this really dense fog.

            “You better be safe, Sokuro…”

 

            Sokuro sneezed out of nowhere before she was suddenly blindsided by a sudden and violent gust of wind. It pushed her towards a mountain with a razor-sharp cliff ready to slice and dice. She tucked in her arms, legs, and wings, and changed back into her Ferid self. That was a good move as she missed the cliff edge and rolled safely on top of it.

            She picked herself up and shook off anything she had accumulated on the crash landing. “Huh. I can’t believe that worked.” She commented to herself. She saw Alled blaze on by, banking to his right, not really seeing her on the cliff. Showboating, yes, but it showed her that the wind had died down if he didn’t go though the same thing she did. “And there goes the trickster…” She wiped her thumb across her nose and leapt off. She transformed back into her Aerid self and flew after him.

            While flying at breakneck speeds to catch up to him, she heard screaming coming from above. She looked up. She looked up and saw someone falling- someone was caught in a net and wasn’t in a position to use his claws to help him escape. He fell straight towards the ground, with no way to save himself. When he hits, it is going to cripple.

            As much as Sokuro wants to beat Alled, her nice nature demanded that she dove to save the helpless contender, and she did. And even if her nature wasn’t a thing, this was only the first leg of the Koloron- tomorrow is where it counts.

            She flew down as fast as she could, flapping her wings hard as she went her fastest. She had no clue nets were going to be a problem in this race- this complicates things considerably.

            “Come on…” She grunted to herself. She didn’t need to stop him complete- if she can cut a few ropes, he can get out himself. She reached out with brandished claws. “Almost… got it…” Once she felt she was close enough, she swiped at it. The claws sliced though it clearly and not a moment too soon.

            He managed to pull the net off and flap his wings to catch some air seconds before they were ever close to the ground. Sokuro pulled up as hard as she could, drafting off a small pond and creating a large splash when she flapped her wings to head back up.

            “Holy moly, that was close.” She grunted with a pant.

            “Thanks for the save, kid.” The guy she rescued flew above her. “But you do know this is a no-holds barred race, right?”

            “So?” She flapped her wings and flew on ahead.

 

            The blue Aerid looked back and saw several more racers had been caught by the nets. This is turning into a rather productive day. He smirked to himself before flying up to a outcropping to meet with someone.

            “This is turning into a productive haul, boss.” The one hiding in the shadows commented with a sniveling, conniving voice.

            The blue Aerid spoke in a smooth, slimy voice that would send shivers down your spine. “Good. Once the second leg begins tomorrow, haul them out…” He looked down and watched as a certain red Aerid blazed on by, heading into a nasty part of the Koloron. “…After you get him.”

            “Him? Mokati’s grandson?”

            “He’s got strength. That’ll come in handy.” He pushed off the outcropping and flew down a different direction to prevent Alled from getting suspicious in the offchance he noticed him.

            “If you say so, boss.”

 

            Next on the path was a truly dangerous part of the mountain range- the Den. Aptly named because a race of wall-crawling nastiest called Rokh roam around here, ready to snatch any poor fool foolish enough to enter their territory. Ugly in their own right, these monsters, which look like a cross between the lower body of a spider- the eight legs and the enlarged abdomen- and a upper body of a praying mantis- the pincers and the long torso- and with a face that combined all their creepy qualities- the large bulbous eyes of the mantis divided into eight, and both mouths morphed into some nightmarish combination, are nasty business. They are carnivorous, but the scales of the Aerid are too tough for their pincers or fangs to break though- they rely too heavily on their pouncing to take care of their prey. And they are easily susceptible to the elemental attacks an Aerid can dish out.

            Alled knew this was coming from all the stories his grandfather always told and he was prepared. He had fire under his belt, so he’ll burn whatever Rokh’s are foolish enough to try and pounce on him.

            And as bad luck would have it, they were in a pouncing mood today. Alled heard shrieks up above like nails on a chalkboard, sending shivers up his spine. He looked and saw one of these ugly beasties jumped down on him from up above, sending him down into the swampy ground. With only one wing available, he tried to keep himself aloft, but the Rokh are heavy as ships.

            The Rokh shrieked like a insectoid demon from hell before trying to bite Alled’s back. As stated before, they rely on their pouncing to weaken their prey because they aren’t physically strong. And if what they got was an Aerid, they wouldn’t be able to do any real damage because the scales are tough as diamonds.

            The bite bounced off Alled’s back, disorienting the monster long enough for Alled to grab one of its legs with his tail and swing him off, sending him straight into a deep pond. He prepared a firebreath to take it out, taking his guard down for another monster to try and get the jump on him.

            A beam of light suddenly shot from behind, hitting the Rokh in the back and smashing it against the mountainside. The sudden act caught Alled by surprise, but it didn’t last for long as a familiar sight flew by him. She flapped up and turned around to hover. “What in the world are these things?” Sokuro panted, seeing them scurry along the mountain.

            “Rokh’s. Nasty bugs.” He flapped away from the site to avoid getting pounced again. “Thanks for saving my hide, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to win the race.”

            “I did it to be nice- sheesh. But I’m still going to beat you.” With a flap, she was away, leaving behind a dust cloud shaped like her. Alled snorted like a bull before flying after her… as did a swarm of the Rokh’s as they creeped along the ground and the sides of the mountains after them.

            Sokuro looked back and saw the bugs were chasing after them. “Are you kidding me?!” she exclaimed.

            Alled looked back and frowned. “They’re nothing if not persistant. One is nothing to be afraid of, but a whole swarm- the force will knock you out for the more dangerous predators” He launched a fireball back at them, taking out one of the big ones. He looked on ahead and saw they were nearing a narrow canyon. Up above were natural bridges as thin and as sharp as swords. “Great… this’ll make things worse… This lasts all the way to the Midway House.”

            Sokuro flipped onto her back and fired a fireball. “We can use it to our advantage. It’ll force them to single-file in. Right?”

            “One way to find out.” The two of them flew into the canyon with the swarm in hot pursuit.       

 

            After hours of intense flying though the most dangerous race on the planet, the racers were nearing the end of the first leg, which ends at the Midway House smack-dab in the center of the mountain range: a single house nestled near a small lake with a waterfall. The airships were already hovering above the place, waiting for the contestants to appear.

            The blue Aerid scumbag was the first to appear, cresting down the edge of the range. More soon appeared, exhausted but triumphed to have survived the first leg.

            “That was too easy.” Mokati commented as he landed on top of the house. “I could’ve done it in my sleep.”

            “You practically did, old coot.” The blue Aerid said to himself.

            Suddenly, an explosion burst out of the side of one of the mountains. Sokuro and Alled fell out of it, riding on top of the dead Rokh in their Ferid forms., with several alive Rokh’s behind them, leaping down to them.

            The dead Rokh sledded off a outcropping, prompting the two to leap off. In unison, the two changed back to their Aerid selves, spun around, and fired a pair of huge fireballs towards the opening they had made, blasting it shut to prevent more from coming in.

            As for the three bugs that fell after them, Sokuro spun upwards, slicing one from abdomen to head with her tail while Alled used his wing to knock one of them into a spiked pit.

            As for the last, the two rolled backwards and kicked it it with all their might… accidentally to the Midway House. The bug shrieked all the way to the house as it flew faster then a jet. The blue Aerid caught it by the throat and crushed it with his bare strength.

            Flying at top speed, Sokuro and Alled skimmed along the ground as they shot towards the Midway House. Sokuro’s claws dipped too close to the ground. She caught on something, which disoriented her. Before she knew it, she was rolling head over heels towards the House. Several of the racers moved out of the way as she slammed back first and upside-down into the body of the dead bug.

           

 

End Song.

 

 

            Alled landed without fuss, scoffing a laugh as Sokuro’s eyes spun around like dinner plates on a stick. “Mommy… can I have a piggy-back ride…?” She croaked. Her friends on the airship moaned and groaned; Bran, Baset, and Leoi faceplamed, covering their eyes.

            Mokati chuckled to himself as he looked down from on top of the House. “Not the best way for a new Silver to make a first impression.”

            The blue Aerid was more interested in the fact she was a Silver then the rest. They can be insanely powerful. Maybe she should be among the others as well. Along with the grandson, of course… “I don’t think she can hear you, Grandpa.” Alled said as he splashed water on her to try and snap her out of it.

26: Chapter 24: Koloron Part 4 Rest and Kidnapping
Chapter 24: Koloron Part 4 Rest and Kidnapping

Chapter 24

Koloron Part 4: Rest and Kidnapping

3/11/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            Soon, the first leg of the Koloron came to an end. Nearly everyone that went through the first half of the mountain range came through. And while this may’ve been the first leg, it was a bloody one. 3 racers lost their lives- one to a runaway boulder, another drowned in a river after being dragged down by one of those mysterious net traps, and another dragged into the darkness by something you don’t want described. 21 other racers were unaccounted for; their bodies missing and presumed dead.

            Another typical Koloron.

            Everyone was resting before heading back out tomorrow to deal with the second leg of the race, and it’s going to be harder then the first leg, by far. If the first half of the race was already this dangerous, then imagine what the second half will be like.

            Sokuro and Alled made a spectacle when they came blasting in, becoming the talk of the house tonight. Sokuro made even more of a splash with word spreading she was the new Silver. They heard rumors that one had showed up, but they never would’ve guessed an orphan. The last few dozen Silvers were important even before ascending to their new role: princes, nobles, magicians- one was even the daughter of a super famous hunter at the time. Ask a historian and they’ll agree that none before were orphans: Sokuro is the first. That’s now lead to rumors that the change she will bring about will not be as grandiose as the others- as terrible as they were, Xelut and Artox did bring about some world-shattering changes.

            If only they knew.

            One already happened and another will happen soon.

 

            Inoute sat down at a table next to Ifil and Polosa, with a tray loaded to the brim with food. The sheer amount of it disgusted Polosa, who only had a small protion compared to his king’s feast. He clapped his hands together and got ready to chow down.

            “What happened to watching your weight?” She snidely commented as she popped a berry into her mouth.

            He turned her way and spoke while pointing a fork at her. “Do you know how much I burn off from stress alone? I can eat all of this and be fine because I’ll burn it off by midday tomorrow.” Polosa leaned back, as did Ifil. She silently gestured if that was even remotely a thing that can be done. He slowly shook his head- it was all bogus. He fell off the wagon.

            Ifil pulled himself back. “Or we could ask our new neighbors if they have a machine that can extract everything you ate.” That part was overheard by another racer. “I bet even they have issues with over-eaters.”

            “Are you trying to be a killjoy? It’s the Koloron- let me eat in peace.” He got reach to take as huge a bite as he could of this feast.

            “Alright.” Polosa had a wicked plan to make him stop. “We’ll just get the pyre back home ready for when you croak. Our miraculous chief, dead to overeating.” She snickered a sneer.

            Inoute was stiff for a moment, hand inches away from grabbing his first meal of the night. He lowered his hand and glared at the head hunter with devious-looking eyes. “I hate you…” He grumbled a growl as he pushed the plate away.

            She playfully patted him on the head and ruffled his head, distracting him while she grabbed a Gia wing off the pile and brought it over to her plate. “You’re too kind.” She chuckled as she held it up.

            Ifil  tapped his claws on the table. “Well… switching topics from this morbid conversation, do you think Sokuro has woken up yet?”

            “I dunno. She did take a nasty tumble on the way in. Couple that with exhaustion from the first leg and she’ll probably be out till tomorrow.”

            “I wouldn’t worry too much.” Polosa mentioned. “She’s a tough gal. If she can survive being bitten by a Phagos, a little spin won’t keep her out for long.”

            “I hope so.”

            She tapped the side of her plate, quickly getting lost in thought. She did survive a Phagos, yes… but that was a nasty bite she suffered. She noticed that she frequently rubs her neck- where the Phagos bit her. And it had been increasing in frequency too. Did that thing leave something behind to cuase this? She doesn’t look like she’s in pain when she does it.

            She was hoping it wasn’t anything too bad.

 

            The burning sensation on the back of her neck woke Sokuro up. She was in one of many beds given to the racers, feeling absolutely dizzy. Her little tumble earlier knocked her out cold and rattled her brain. She felt loopy and unfocused- it felt like her eyes were spinning uncontrollably. She could hear a lot of commotion outside the room she was in. It didn’t take long for the reason to be made known.

            The door opened up and there was a crowd forming outside, all eager to meet the new Silver, but her fellow Miskenites and the guards to Meoho’s chief were keeping them back as best they can.

            “Back. Back, I tell you!” She heard someone shout. The shouter was Dan, and he and all her friends were shoving their way though, working diligently to avoid suffocation. They managed to push out and into the room, falling down onto the floor, though they felt like they just escaped an enemy encampment. Dan got up and went to the door. He jokingly spoke in a Bostonian accent, “I said back, ya vultures!” He slammed the door shut. “SHEEEEESH!”

            “Hey, she’s up.” Aka said as she approached the bed.

            Sokuro sat up and rubbed her aching back and her head. “Ugh… I feel like blowing up chunks…” She sat forward, exhaling loudly. “I hate somersaults… and I hate that darn rock I hit…”

            “I think we noticed.” Set said.

            “Errrrrroooffh…… someome stop the spinning…”

            Alled crossed his arms. “It’s only been a couple hours- how can you still be dizzy? And how could it be that bad- it was only a few dozen dofes.” It took Bran and Dan no time to figure out that dofes meant either feet or meters. Considering the distance between Sokuro’s roll to the house, it was most likely meters.

            “Well, she did roll a long way.” Vaset commented.

            Sokuro put her head between her knees and took several deep breaths. Doing this, most of the dizziness had dissipated. Somewhat. “Errgh… did I hear yelling when you guys came in?”

            “Well, I wouldn’t call it yelling, per se…” Dan tried to play it off, but even a dizzied Sokuro wasn’t going to fall for that. “But there is a crowd of people outside wanting to meet you.”

            Sokuro tilted her head up, looking queasy. “Everyone came to see me?”

            Aka shook her head. “No, they had their own things to take care of, like finding a place to sleep with this huge crowd of people. Most of the others went to the funeral of those who didn’t survive the first leg. Only 3 died this time, so that’s… good or bad, depending who you ask. But… then again, the race isn’t over, so… moving on from the morbid talk. So, people are doing either that or eating or sleeping.”

            “Then who’s outside my room?”

            Leoi sat down on the bed. “A few reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally devout followers of the Word of Umatz, along with the superstitious who believe you will grant every single wish they ask for.” That caused Sokuro to grumble and moan as she lowered her head back down. Can’t be more then a few dozen or so- the chief fella ordered a couple of his guards to keep them from bothering you.”

            “Huh… I could’ve sworn I heard hundreds…” She lowered her head further, knowing full well what that means. “Heh… I’m hallucinating…” She croaked. “That’s not the sign of a healthy mind, is it?” Her friends all shook their heads ‘no’. “I was afraid of that…”

            “Has this happened before?” Bran asked.

            “No… least not that I can remember… though I did imagine that I saw Velx in a Ferid form. But that is impossible- the Gods don’t have Ferid forms. ……. Though to be fair, there was a talking Gea bird.”

            “Dream.” They said in unison as it was the very obvious answer. “Any other times?” He asked.

            Sokuro thought about it and the only thing that came to mind was that weirdo yesterday, the one that seemed to stop time itself. She could’ve hallucinated that- she was awake and she was under a lot of stress; still is. That could’ve done it, but she never mentioned him to her friends, and given what happened the last time when she explained the colonists to her fellows, she’ll likely get laughed at for having an active imagination again. “Mmmm… not that I can think of.”

            “Well, to be fair, you did take a nasty tumble on the homestretch.” Dan commented das he made himself comfortable by leaning back on a chair and putting his feet on the bed. “I didn’t know Dragon’s could spin like that.”

            Alled raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. Yet another word these two strangers have said: first was vulture, now dragon. On that note, he took notice that they didn’t have their scales, despite being of age, and that their tails were gone and that they were dressed funny. “Dragon?” He pondered aloud. “What’s that?”

            Everyone froze, forgetting that Alled doesn’t know that Bran and Dan weren’t from Dragenia, but from another planet. And they were under strict orders to keep mum about that until things settled down enough to where nobody outside of Misken would attempt to slay.

            Right now, with him, they needed to play it safe. Fortunately, Alled is a simple lad with simple thoughts. He should be easy to handle. Sweat coursed down Dan’s head like a cartoon; he’s that nervous. “Un… it’s a word I made up.” He laughed nervously as he looked away. “Un, yeah, that’s it. It’s a word I made up to describe your----- our Aerid forms. Heh…”

            Everyone was worried he was smarter then he looked, like he was a genius savant behind all of that gusto and bravado. “Ok.” … or he was just that clueless. Everyone present internally breathed a sigh of relief- that’s one crisis averted. “And I’m guessing Vulture is a made-up word as well?”

            Dan could feel the scorn coming his way. He forgot that he dropped vulture when he slammed the door shut.They really need to tape his mouth shut to keep him from doing this. “Un… yep. It’s my term for a scavenger bird… not that I’ve seen any yet on this pl--” He got pelted in the head by Sokuro’s pillow, sending him down. They placed Taled on top of the pillow to sit on him. Dan muffled a scream as his arms and legs flailed.

            Alled was lost by all this. Was this commonplace? “Um… what?”

            “Sorry, but the idiot doesn’t know what to shut up.” Sokuro rubbed her throat, feeling parched. “Hey, I’m feeling a little thirsty. Think you can get me a glass of water?”

            He looked at her before returning his attention to the screaming loon on the floor. “I’m guessing you want to talk to him in private.”

            “And so he doesn’t suffocate, so could you be a doll?”

            Be a doll? He’s never heard that phrase before. Either these two tail-less boys are some of the weirdest people in Dragenian history, or everyone at Misken are crazy people. “Um…….” He’s leaning heavily towards crazy. “Ooooook…” With a hesitant step, he went out the door to get that drink.

            Once the door closed, and after Alled was somehow able to make his way though the crowd, Taled got up off of Dan and grabbed the pillow. He shot up and took in a gasping deep breath. “Are you trying to kill me!?!”

            “You almost blabbed!” Eriod grunted.

            “It was a slip of the tongue!”

            “Whatever. You’re lucky that Alled guy was easy to trick.”

            Sokuro rolled her eyes and nabbed her pillow back from her brother. “Moving on…”

            “Yes, thank you, let’s move on.” Dan brushed his nose with his finger, knowing that Taled must’ve done something to it. “What in the seven hells were those bug things?! They look like a mantis and a spider had bus-sized babies and beat them with an ugly stick.”

            “They’re called Rokh.” Zalet went on to explain, not even going to ask what a bus is. “They are nasty bugs, but they keep to the depths of wherever they lurk, preferring the muggy and dark to everything else. They are carnivorous too, so if you are a Ferid or Gaharot and find yourself somewhere in those depths, you’re not coming back. The teeth aren’t that strong, so Aerids stand a much better chance when one on one. Swarms, however… that’s pushing it.”

“Depths? Swarms?! As in plural?! You mean there’s more out there?!” Dan bit his fingernails, sawing though them like a cartoon character. 

            “He’s not a bug person.” Bran pointed out. “As if that wasn’t obvious enough.”

            “Then stay away from Effied Marsh on the mainland.” Zalet continued. “That is a haven for those pests.” That prompted Dan to slide under the bed, making it shake with his shivers. “… exactly how big with the bugs where you came from?”

            “Bigger then Rokh’s, I’ll tell you that.”

            Alled soon returned with the cup of water. “Here.” He handed it to Sokuro.

            Sokuro was about to take a drink when she was stopped by Buron. “… you didn’t put any sleeping powder in it, did you?” Alled stayed silent for a moment as he stood there, insulted that they would think that… but it was ultimately true. He tossed the drink away and wealked back out. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

            “He’s quite cute.” Aka commented.

            Sokuro sat back on the pillow, crossing her arms and puffing her cheeks out. “Annoying is more like it. He’s the one who kept me in line for so long yesterday. Why was he here with you all, anyway?”

            “Well, you did make that dramatic entrance.” Eriod said as he sat on the floor. “And you are technically his rival…”

            “That doesn’t really constitute checking up on someone they knew for the collective time of 3 hours.” She rapidly put up three of her fingers, one at a time.

            “Maybe he likes you.” Aka teased, playfully elbowing her on the shoulder.

            Sokuro, however, wasn’t so enthused by that. This was, by far, the last thing on her mind. “…un-huh.” She slapped her hands down on the blanket and pulled them off. “Ok, the dizziness has subsided mostly and I am feeling cramped.” She leaped off the bed. “I’m getting some fresh air.”

            “What about the crowd of Word followers outside that door?” Buron smirked.

             “...right. Forgot.” She popped her lips, twiddling her fingers. There was only one other option, and while the crowd is only a few dozen and not everyone here as she thought, it’s still one too many for her to want to deal with. She was gonna have to take the rebellious approach. She flapped her hand on the bedsheets, getting an idea. “Mmmm… I’m going out the window.”

 

            The Blue Aerid from the race, the one that crushed the windpipe of the Rokh the children launched his way, stood alone, away from the crowd. His Ferid self was quite handsome- having the appearance of that of a 28-year-old man with a face full of a five o’clock shadow, he smoked on a Dragenian equivalent of a cigar called a Alix. Like its earth cousins, it’s cylindrical, but that’s where the similarities end. Alix’s are pure white, made out of a malleable plant that doesn’t exist on Evioly. And like earth, children are not allowed to have them because the effects on younger bodies are nasty.

            The man was dressed in what could be passed for a business suit on this planet: a yellow tunic with green overlays accompanied by a dark-blue overcoat, a red stripe of a scarf that could be mistaken for a tie by the earthlings, skin-tight pants, and hard yet stylish leather boots made from Vocoks: Dragenian cows.

            Off in the distance, he could see the funeral being given to the three unfortunate souls who died during the race. Three bonfires were lit, with the bodies of the dead on top. It’s tradition on Dragenia to cremate the dead, so that their souls could be judged to be either refreshed or reborn, or to move on to paradise.

            He heard flapping behind him. He recognized the flaps as simple and tepid. He knew who it was. There was a brief glow as the Aerid that came to him changed back to his Ferid self. The person who approached him had a haunched back and a drag in his left left- nothing of which affected his Aerid self. This poor young lad was born this way, and modern Dragenian medicine had no way to help him. He usually stayed in his Aerid form whenever he can.

            “Did I thee that there wath a thilver Aerid, bothth?” The hunched man asked with a strong lisp.

            “Indeed you did, Iore. She was one of the racers.” He took a puff of his cigar. He then let out a puff of smoke. “Young, too. I don’t recall hearing a Silver that young. Well, except maybe Lolye.”

            “Thilver’th are throng, aren’t they? Thould we catch her along with the otherth chothen?”

            “Hmhm… a man after my own heart.” He took another puff. “But given her status, it’s going to be difficult. She’ll likely be in the best room of the place and be surrounded by throngs of fans and followers…” The two of them noticed one of the windows open up. Tied up sheets were tossed out, creating a rope to freedom. The first to climb out was a very familiar figure because they recognized the purple and black clothes. “… or she can make it easier and sneak out for some reason.”

            “What in Velx’th name are thee doing?” His boss was at as similar a loss as he was. They had unknowingly borne witness to Dragenia’s first bedsheet rope. They say others climb out of the window as well. “What about them?”

            “As tempting as that is, ignore them. You all have your list of targets- we go any higher and they’ll notce. Besides, two of them have lost their tails and their scales. Not worth it.” He pushed off the boulder he was leaning on and put out his cigar. “Tell Alaxe and Vozeir to get off their behinds.”

            “Which one thall I go after?”

            “Go for the Silver. I’ve seen that she is a sympathetic helper. Use that. Try to do it away from prying eyes, though.” He headed back towards the house and the crowd that surrounded it.

 

            Sokuro grunted when her feet contacted the ground. She must’ve seen one too many human movies to think of this. She really needs to cut back on that. She walked away to let the rest of her friends climb on down. If the mob wasn’t at the door, they would’ve just left that way… but they’re not so fortunate. Her Ferid and human friends would be able to climb down easy. Vaset… since she was the only Gaharot here- Vela and Buron were still back home in Dragenia- had two options; be the last one down or risk the door.

            As if there was any other choice.

            Dan was the next one down. He slipped on the step, but quickly shot himself up to prevent himself from looking bad. A screaming Vaset from above dashed any thoughts of that as she slammed down right on top of him.

            “Oooooh.” Most of the kids winced.

            “That had to hurt.” Eriod said.

            Their eyes spun like dinner plates as they made a strange croaking noise.

            Sokuro chuckled softly to herself. She pressed on Dan’s shoe, bringing him up like a plank of wood. “Owowowowowowowowow. That actually hurts.”

            “You’re the one on the ground.” Sokuro coldly sneered. Behind him, Vaset got up, wobbling as she worked to keep her balance.

            “I was flattened!” He exclaimed, gesturing back to the dino that fell on him.

            “Agree to disagree, now let’s go eat- I’m starving.” She clapped her hands together and rubbed them as she turned to head towards the crowd, leaving behind a stunned Dan as he was confounded by how little she cared.

            “That was rather cold.” Eriod commented.

            “I’ll say.” Leoi agreed.

            Vaset was finally able to obtain her balance. She had barely taken a few steps when she smelled something off. “Anyone else smell something bad?”

            “You know darn well we can’t.” Set brushed off as she and the others followed after her. Bran patted Dan on the back before he and Aka dragged him along.

            Vaset twisted her lips in uncertainty. She smells something bad and she knows its here… but what around here would smell like sulfur? Mokurot is still days away, even by flight, and there are no springs around here. “Hmm…” She followed suit, still smelling that smell.

            Sokuro found the nearest open table and took a seat. Well, open is a strong word as there were still people sitting here, but they were talking with people at the next table. “I remember dinner being good last year, so here’s hoping it’s the same cook.” She rubbed her hands together and licked her lips. Her enthusiasm slowly faded when she saw the size of the crowd. “… yeesh, though the waiter will probably take awhile.”

            “I think it’s a buffet.”

            Music to her ears. “Oooooooh, ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho. Time to earn my dignity back.” She lept off the chair and sped off to find the buffet, leaving behind some confused fellows.

            “Diginity?” Dan repeated.

            “What does dignity have to do with a buffet?” Taled asked.

            “That tumble must’ve scrambled her brains.” Bran said. “She’ll return to normal soon… assuming Ferid brains are like humans, that is.” One of the Moeho villagers overheard that little tidbit at the end there. He acted like he wasn’t overhearing things.

            “Well, we look similar.” Set pointed out. He simply shrugged back before following after her to make sure she’ll be ok.

            “Yeah, but you can change into giant fire-breathing lizards.” Dan added. He snickered with a wide grin. “And it’s so dang epic, I need a picture.”

            Set slowly shook her head in disapproval. She pushed back on his chair. He yelped as he fell backwards “What you need is a time-out, drago-nut.”

            “Witch.” He retorted.

            Vaset pinched her eyes, annoyed. “Anywho… Sokuro may’ve only just woken up, but she’ll need to go back to sleep soon to be well-rested for the final leg tomorrow.”

            Sleep? Just after she woke up? This may be a different world, but it’s just about universal that when kids get wired, they STAY wired until they work it all out, and unless Sokuro was about to run the rest of the race tonight, she wasn’t going to sleep. “…. Yyyyyeah, going back to bed after a several hour nap isn’t going to happen.” Dan said as he got up. “You saw her a minute ago- she is wired. She’s like a hamster on coffee.” The Meoho native kept on listening in, puzzled by all these strange words.

            Leoi: “A what?”

            Taled: “On what?”

            “… ok, bad analogy.”

           

            Sokuro skidded to a halt in front of the buffet table, her eyes all aglitter and her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth. She came in so fast; she bumped the guy in front of her out of the way. “Heeeeeeeee… free food, free food. So many choices, so little time.” She grabbed as many plates as she can carry and went to town, loading up on the free food.

            And all completely unaware that the guy she bumped was Alled. “Un… this is a sudden turnaround from a few minutes ago.”

            “Whaa!” She was startled by his sudden ‘appearance’, making her drop several of the plates. They didn’t shatter- they were made out of wood. “You scared me!”

            “You bumped me onto the ground!”

            Sokuro then remembered the task she asked him to do. “Hey, wait a tick; you were supposed to be getting me water!”

            “I got hungry. And the well is right there.” He pointed to the water well that wasn’t too far from the feasting area. He got up off the floor and dusted off his side, where he landed. “How did you get past the crowd? They would’ve eaten you alive if you tried to leave.”

            “We didn’t deal with the crowd. We climbed out the window.” He tilted his head. “Yeah, we made a rope out of the bed sheets and used that to climb out.”

            “Huh. That’s… actually ingenious.” Sokuro grinned from ear to ear before picking up the plates she dropped. “But you know it’ll be a matter of time before someone recognizes you from your tumble. You changed back after you passed out, so everyone knows what you look like... Though I’m amazed nobodies surrounded you yet.”

            “Maybe I’m just that lucky.” She began loading up on food. “Or everyone that really wanted to quote unquote “meet me” is still at the door.”

            “Quote unquote?” She froze up and she could hear her rapid heartbeat in her ears. Now she was doing it too. This was going to be a lot harder then she thought. “What is with you amd these weird words?”

            Sokuro is lucky she’s a fast thinker and he’s a simpleton, otherwise this would’ve gone a lot harder.“It’s, un… something my friends made up. Heh... yeah…”

            “Like dragon?”

            “Y-yeah. One of them has a really active imagination. Heh heh… I think he should write a fantasy book.”

            “The guy in all black or the one who wouldn’t shut up?”

            “Guy who wouldn’t shut up.”

            “Who wouldn’t shut up?” Bran asked as he finally approached. He saw the plates and grabbed one of his own, hoping that there will be something from this planet that looks edible. Except for the oversized chickens, nothings really spoke to him.

            “Your friend, the loud one.”

            “Oh yeah. Him. Yeah, he’s… energized.”

            Sokuro breathed a sigh of releief. Bran provided a much needed and very fortuitous distraction. “(Whew. That was too close.)” She went back to filling up her plates, calming down to more comfortable levels.

            “That said…”

            “(Aw, come on!)” She stopped loading and slowly looked back his way.

            “You and he do wear such strange clothes.” He pulled on Bran’s scarf, prompting him to pull it back. “I’ve been to the mainland and I don’t remember people wearing clothes like this. And the lack of tails and scales is puzzling, to say the least.”

            “Un………………” Sweat beaded down their heads like a stuck kaches over a fire- kaches are Dragenian pigs. Like Felm’s, they have three eyes, along with antlers and a long spiked tail. Fortunately, they both had the same idea, “We need to get back to our friends.” She took what she had and walked as fast as she could back to the table, feeling like they’re close to being busted. Bran tried to get something for his plate first before he was pulled away.

            They returned to find that Set had Dan in a choke hold. “……… should I even ask?”

            “Not really.”

            “All the pain I took in the last 10 minutes cannot be good for me!” He grunted. Set finally let him go and he fell to the ground. “… I was sat on by a pillow, crushed by a dinosaur, and put in a choke hold by a psycho! I’ve had enough of it!”

            Set mocked him in his own tone of voice, “Oh, don’t be such a baby.”

            Dan hauled himself up and planted his forearms and head on the table. “I will end you!” He snarled like a hungry dog. This banter made the kids laugh. These two should be a comedy troupe- their chemistry is just too perfect.

            Sokuro sat down on her seat and set her plate down, still feeling on edge. Bran sat next to her and bit his lips. “Meanwhile… we may have a problem.”

            “Problem?”

            “Alled is a lot smarter then we give him credit for.” Sokuro added before taking a bite of her food.

            “What, did he finally learn how to tie his shoes?” Eriod joked.

            “No, he’s piecing two and two together because we won’t shut up. The way me and Dan look and the odd words we’ve been using around him- even a simpleton would figure some things up if they listen in hard enough.”

            “I don’t get why we need to be hush in the first place.” Leoi commented.

            They were told why by the heads of Novalle, who were told by Velx. Clearly some need a refresher. “… aha, Dragenia has to have had colonists in the past, right?” Bran asked. “You explored the planet to colonize new lands, correct?”

            “Yeah.”

            “And did those lands have people already living there?”

            “Yeah.”

            “Then tell me, how did it work out for them?” Nobody answered- they remained silent, which was all the proof he needed. “See? It’s universal: whenever someone invades to claim your land, the natives tend to fight back. It happened on Dragenia, it happened on Earth, and I imagine it’s happening on loads of other planets during this exodus. We were lucky that Misken is as friendly as you are, but imagine what would’ve happened if a different group landed, one more… mmm… intense? Or if they landed somewhere else on Dragenia- or if we landed somewhere else on Dragenia.  History shows it wouldn’t end well. Again, we were lucky with you all, but I doubt people elsewhere on the planet will be as homely and welcoming.”

            “Did you forget we were freaking the Uela out?” Vaset said. “You didn’t see it that night, but everyone in the village was on edge. If it wasn’t for that ship captain…”

            “Dexyl.”

            “… and Sokuro… I bet things could’ve gone a lot worse.”

            Sokuro gagged as she held her mouth. “Uuurb… speaking of Sokuro…” She gagged again as she held her stomach. “Maybe having a feast after waking up from a nasty tumble wasn’t such a good idea. My stomach is doing somersaults… erb… I need a bathroom.” She bolted upwards and sped towards the house.

            “Ew.”

 

            A repeatedly puzzled Alled returned to his grandfathers table, which was located near the front of the large crowd. As he was the chief… well, for one more day until the new chief is decided tomorrow. The chief’s table was more or less like everyone elses, except that it had a green tablecloth with a darker green trim.

            Mokati, slowly eating a bowl of flokes pudding- blood pudding- noticed his grandson approaching. “Ah. There you are, Alled.” He gestered his grandson to sit down next to him, which he did. “How is your Silver friend doing?”

            “She’s awake, but just as strange as ever… maybe the tumble scrambled her mind. She keeps sprouting these weird words I never heard before- her friends do it too.”

            That sounds familiar. “Oh?”

            “Yeah, words like Dragon and Vulture and something about ‘being a doll’. Her friends are strange, too- two wear really strange clothing and they lack scales and tails. They say they lost them in a accident, but for both of them to lost two vital parts- it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

            “Yes, she said a strange word to me too when we encountered each other in the tunnel. Something about a clam, whatever that is.”

            Alled lowered his head and slowly shook it. “Father was right- people from Misken are crazy.”

            “I wouldn’t call them that. More like… eccentric.” Alled looked at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. “All words are made up, my lad. We just use them so commonly, we don’t give it a second thought. Maybe she’s writing a book.”

            “At her age?”

            “I’ve seen and heard weirder things.”

 

            Like right now.

            About 20 minutes later, after she had bolted to find the bathroom in the midway house, Sokuro came out of it, green in the face and looking terrible. She rubbed both her belly and her forehead, hoping she wouldn’t have to upchuck anymore. “Ugh… scarffing down food after a nasty tumble and still dizzy was not my smartest decision…”

            She had unknowingly passed by the hallway the room she woke up in was located. One of the devout followers noticed her as she passed by the hallway. “Hey, there she is!” He shouted. The rest of the followers looked and saw her as she mozzied on by. They ran after her.

            Sokuro barely made it to the lobby when she was swarmed by her…….. let’s say overzealous fans. She heard loud noises behind her and foolishly looked back.

            Big mistake.

            She was swarmed like flies to honey. She hates crowds, so this is going to be hell.

            “Holy Voul, it’s really you!!!”

            “A Silver Aerid, as I live and breath!”

            “A cutie, too. She’ll be a heartbreaker when she gets older.”

            “Can you make me rich?!”

            “Can you find me a lovely bride?”

            “Will I be able to make good on my project?”

            “Oh, me too.”

            Internally, Sokuro was screaming her head off. She REALLY hates crowds and being surrounded by devout followers of the Word of Umatz is doing hell to her. And what do these people think she is, a wish granter or… what did Bran call those creatures, genies? That’s not how Silvers work. Not that she cares at the moment- her first instinct is getting out of here. Least this is a much smaller crowd that she had imagined.

            “Please… I w… can i… st…. please stop!”

            “Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey!!!” Most of the crowd was ripped back by an unknown person. Sokuro looked to see who her savior was and saw that it was a hunchbacked person. “Leave her alone! Can’t you thee thee ith thcared?!”

            One of the followers leaped into the hands of the other, scared stiff. “What in the world is this thing?!”

            His scale began to glow. Green sparkles began to emanate from it- he’s an air Aerid. Whenever someone transforms, the sparkles that come from the scales are the color of the Aerid they represent, and Air can be scary costumers. It’s never fun to suffocate. “Thomeone who’th about to kick your athth if you don’t leave!”

            Scared for their lives, they fled. Air Aerid or not, they don’t want to be around a hunchbacked person. Running over each other, they bolted for the exit. Sokuro stood still, feeling her heart trying to beat out of her chest; that’s how scared she was. “T…. thanks for the save…” She croaked. “I thought I was going to die.” The hunchback helped her up. First a tumble, then a swarm- what next, an explosion?!

            “It wath no problem. I dealt with devouteeth before. They’re like leecheth.”

            “Heh… won’t argue there… though I’m wondering where they got the idea I can grant wishes. Do they not read history books?” The hunchback only shrugged. “Again, thanks for the save… un…”

            “Iroe.”

            “Iroe. I owe you big time.”

            “Well, you can pay that back now. My friend- the’th trapped in that row of thpiked pillarth that you blathted that Rokh into. Thee really wanted to thee what one looked like thkewered and tripped.” Sokuro gasped in fear. “The’th clinging to one of them for dear life, worried the’ll fall in and I heard Rokh clickth when I left to find help. I athked everyone I could find, but nobody would believe me or thimply ignore me. I can’t rethcue mythelf becauthe I’m not that throng ath a Aerid and if Rokh’th are around, I’ll get dogpiled mythelf.”

            “Oh no. Oh, how can people ignore you on matters like this? I’ll help, but if there are Rokh’s, I’ll go and bring Alled. I think he owes me a favor too… come to think of it, he’s the only one I can ask- none of my friends have their scales yet.”

            “Oh, yeth yeth. He’th throng. If Rokh’th do attack, he’ll come in handle.” She nodded and ran off to get Alled for this rescue mission. Iroe watched her leave. He waited until she was out of range. “That wath almotht too eathy. I feel thortof bad.”

 

            A few long minutes later, Sokuro, Alled, and Iroe arrived at the row of stone spikes the two of them launched the Rokh into. “You’re certain it was here?” She asked the hunchback.”

            “Yeth. We were looking in from up on a cliff when thee thtepped on a bad thpot and fell in. Thankfully, thee didn’t hit anything and wath able to grab onto a thpike. I couldn’t do a thing, tho I left to find help.”

            “Well, we can rescue her.” Alled stayed silent. He had been in enough situations to know that something was off here. She patted him on the shoulder, distracting him. “This’ll be easy.” She approached the pit and peered in. She winced when she saw the Rokh body, still skewered on top. “Ew…”

            Alled approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. With both of them focused, Iroe took a step back and his scale began to glow. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

            Sokuro rolled his eyes unbelieving. “Oh geez.”

            “No, really. Why haven’t we heard any screams for help? And he said cliffs when we got here… but you said she tripped in off the side… both things are somewhat impossible because of those huge boulders. Don’t you find that a bit odd?”

            She crossed her arms. “Are you telling me that you are scared of spikes?”

            “Pbt. I’m rarely scared. No, I’m saying this feels like a setup.”

            She rolled her eyes again as she shook her head. “Now you are just imagining th--”

            And then there was darkness.

            The two of them fell to the ground, knocked out and asleep as a pink mist hovered around their heads. Behind them, the silloute of a Aerid tossed aside a pink flower that had just released a powder.

27: Chapter 25: Koloron Part 5 Escape
Chapter 25: Koloron Part 5 Escape

Chapter 25

Koloron Part 5: Escape / Where’s the Fire

3/12/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)

 

 

 

            Tha-pum.

            Tha-pum.

            Tha-pum.

            A deep, throbbing headache and a parched throat were what awaited Sokuro when she finally woke up. She was face first into the dirt. “Ugh…” She whined. She struggled up from the ground, seeing nothing but blackness all around. “W… what hit me…?” She opened her eyes… or at least she thinks she did. All that was around her was darkness. “Wh… where am I…? Alled? Alled, are you here?”

            “I’m here…” He grunted in pain. “Wherever here is…”

            She looked around but couldn’t see him. She couldn’t see 4 inches in front of her. “Are we dead?”

            “If we were dead, we wouldn’t be in pain… or cold and wet… I get the feeling we’re in a cave.”

            Sokuro moved her hand and splashed her hand down in something wet. “… Please let this be a water puddle…”

            Torchlights suddenly came on, illuminating the cold, damp cave they were in. It was so sudden; it took some time for their eyes to adjust to the light. Sokuro looked down and silently thanked Voul; it was indeed a water puddle. Sokuro turned her head to the right and saw the torch. She turned left and saw Alled, sitting against a wall… next to someone else around their age.

            Alled looked and saw the kid next to him. She looked so depressed and shaken. “What in the world…?” They looked around and saw they were in a closed room big enough to hold the crew of a airship, and there were other kids and even teenagers in here, all of them Ferid. No grown-ups, no Gaharots, no babies. “… This is freaky…”

            Sokuro reached down to grab her mother’s locket for emotional support, but didn’t feel it there. She looked down and saw that her locket was gone, along with her scale. Naturally, she started to freak out, having lost her only momento. “OH no, oh no no no no no no no.” She frantically moved her hands along the floor, holding it was in the dirt somewhere.

            “What’s wrong?” Alled asked.

            “My locket is missing. I need it back.”

            “Your locket? Why is that so imp--”

            “It is to me! My scale is also missing too. Do you still have yours?”

            Alled moved his hand to his eat to see if he still had the earrings he made out of them. He did not- they were gone. “Uh-oh. Oh, no no no. Those were grandpa’s earrings. He gave htem to me. Don’t tell me I lost them.”

            “How do you lose earrings? They’re in your ears.”

            “Don’t ask me.”

            “You lost your scales too?” One of the captured kids asked. “I lost mine as well.”

            “What about something important to you?”

            “Hey, I see light.” Another of the kids pointed out.

            Sokuro looked up to see light pouring into the room they were all trapped in. She ran over to it as quickly as she could and saw that the opening was a window… a window that is too small for anyone of them to fit through, not to mention that it has been barred up like a jail cell. “What the…?” She took a few steps back and saw that the light shining in was that of the moons. She tilted her head right to left, seeing nothing but black to the sides of the celestia objects. “It’s moonlight. It’s still night out… and by the looks of their placement in the sky, it’s almost sunrise.”

            “That’s rather smart.” Alled said.

            “I had smart teachers…” She reached for her locket, forgetting it wasn’t there. Her clasping at air reminded her of that.  “Ms. Hera and Leoi combined have a ton of books- perfect for when you are bored.”

            “It doesn’t really help us at the moment, now does it?” Someone else among the captives spoke up. It was a girl around the same age as her, but with flaming red hair. “We’re still trapped in here with no way out.”

            “If they didn’t take our scales, a ground-affiliated Aerid would’ve been able to get rid of this wall.” Sokuro smacked her hand against it.

            “Aren’t we missing the bigger picture here?” A teenaged boy with vibrant green hair spoke. “Someone kidnapped us- kidnapped children. Why else would we be in this makeshift cell to begin with, because this doesn’t look like a palace suite to me. Someone took us away from our friends and family and we don’t know why.”

            “For ransom, then?” The girl suggested. “There must be some people here worth some big Sels.”

            “Well, my grandfather is chief of Meoho.” Alled modestly mentioned. “But even if he wins this cycle, it will be his last.” He gestured to Sokuro. “She’s the--” Sokuro silently and rapidly shook her head. She made a buzzing sound while slicing her hand across her neck. “… Servent to the god Voul.” She lowered her hand- that’ll work. “Maybe some other kids here have important backgrounds too. If Gallna was here, that would certainly back up the hostage angle. Her dad is the majestrate of Roko Harbor, after all.”

            The boy wiggled his finger for a moment. “You may not be far off… maybe its slavery.”

            “Impossible.” The girl proclaimed. “Only Gaharots suffer from that, and I don’t see any here. Besides, slavery is illegal on Evioly, except in Roko Harbor.”

            “Well, then I’m at a loss then.” Sokuro hissed in aggirvation. “If it’s not slavery and if it’s not for a ransom, then what? They wouldn’t do this for no reason.”

            The sound of crunching stone caught their ears. The group of children saw a door open up on the far wall. Another kid was tossed in, rolling in as the door closed behind him.

            “Hey!” Alled and Sokuro shouted as they ran towards the lowering entrance. It closed right in front of them. The two of them still shouted.

            “It won’t work.” Another boy among those captured spoke up. “I tried.”

            Sokuro scrunched up her face, unwilling to say give up. She pounded her fist against it, shouting as loud as she could while Alled tried to push it open. “HEEEEY!!! Let us ooooooout!!!”

            There was a sudden boom as they were launched away from the door. Sokuro landed on her back while Alled rolled onto his front. On the door was a huge pawprint- much bigger then any Aerid they’ve seen.

            “Thhut up in there!! You’re giving me a headache!” An all-so familiar voice shouted back.

            “A lisp?” Alled cocked an eyebrow.

            “Wait…” Sokuro got up off the floor. “I recognize your voice- you asked me to help you save your friend.”

            “And what of it?”

            “You lied to me?”

            “Yeth. I lied. Welcome to the real world.”

            “Why are you kidnapping us? What use would you have for Ferid children whose scales you likely stole?”           

            “I’ll answer that question.” Another voice, one smooth and suave, said from a distance. A slit near the top opened up like bars on a jail-cell window. A face came into view, but the light was behind him, so his face was obsruced by shadows. “You are going to be tools. Seems a shame to waste it on the two of you: Alled ef’Chan, Grandson of the soon-to-be former Chief of Meoho. And Sokuro el’Fitan, the newly christened Silver.”

            Murmers came from the children in the back, at the revelation that one of the captives is the fabled Silver Aerid… but given their situation, it has led most to believe that her change was their uncertain fate.

            Sokuro could feel their looks on her and it weighed down on her, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the lout behind the door that kept them hostage for... “Tools…? What do you mean by tools?”

            “It’s rather simple: am leading a dangerous project and I require cheap labor, and what’s cheaper then children?”

            “Then why not Gaharots?” Alled pointed out. “You can still buy them at Roko Harbor.”

            “I have, but my project requires more, and there aren’t enough Gaharots in Roko Harbor for that. I could try to enslave Gaharots from other parts of Evioly, but then I’d have the authorites on me faster then you can say ‘Voul sucks’.” Sokuro snarled as she closed her hands into fists. “On top of that, Gahraots have so many protections here on Evioly, they’d notice if one went missing for a hour. Children, and especially orphaned children, can be easily misplaced.”

            “But I’m not a orphan.” Alled said. Several of the other kids spoke up, agreeing with him. “My Grandfather is still alive and my mother is at Mokurot on business.”

            “True… but this is the Koloron… and you all know the reputation this race, and this mountain range, has…”

            They all knew, all right- this is the most dangerous game in the world: people have a reputation of dying. And this… this explains what Sokuro witnessed during the race,  “... The weighed nets…” Sokuro said to herself. She spoke up, “…that was your doing?!”

            “It was my underlings doing, yes. Those we captured during it are already on their way to the project. Shame, too- some of them are powerful mercenaries.”

            “You won’t get away with this!” Alled snarled. “Even if he loses, my Grandfather has enough respect to mount a search and rescue, and you don’t want to tangle with an angry Meohinite. He may be old, but Grandfather is the toughest nut I know. And to top it off, you kidnapped the new Silver too- even the Gods will look for her if she goes missing.”

            “We’ll be long gone before they notice you two are missing. Besides… don’t the Astral’s have a rule against interfering with mortal affairs unless absolutely necessary? So unless your girlfriend here is planning on destroying the world with a doomsday weapon or enslaving us all, I doubt they’ll get involved.” He let the finality of their situation sink in. He could see the terror slowly seep into their eyes. “Hmhm… Now… if you will excuse me, I have a race to win.”

            Alled felt a chill run up his spine as he freaked out, “Wait… you’re in the Koloron too?!”

            “Indeed I am… yet an even better way to get cheap labor. Then I’d have an entire village under my thumb for at least a year- long enough to finish the project.”

            “Grandfather won’t let you get away with this.”

            “Your old man won’t be able to do a damn thing. Rules are rules: Whoever wins the Koloron is the new chief of Meoho, no ifs, ands, or buts. As long as I cross the finish line first, I’ll be safe from his wrath.”

            “You don’t know grandfather very well then…”

            Their captor scoffed a laugh. “Yeah. Like I’m that afraid of a dying man.” He turned to talk to his underlings. “Look at me; I’m shaking in my boots. Hahahahahahahaaha…” His laughter faded as he walked away from the cell, leaving the children to except their fate, that they were never going to see the light of freedom again…

            Some of the kids began to cry, begging for their mommy or daddy to save them, while others just cried or stayed silent from heartbreak. Even Alled was stunned by all this, mostly by one of the last things he said: his Grandfather was dying? He closed his hands and went to find a dark corner to cry in.

            Everyone had given up.

            All except Sokuro, that is. She was going to find a way out, even if it kills her.

 

            All it took was an hour and a half for the moons to set and for the sun to rise, bringing forward another day and kicking off the second and final leg of the Koloron. The racers were up, ready, and fed. So many were raring to see who was going to be the new chief.

            The leader of the brigands that captured the children was among them too, having arrived an hour earlier so he could ‘fit in’ with the crowd, so that nobody would get suspicious if he appeared from out of nowhere. He kept mostly to the back so that he could talk with someone who would be shipping the children to the location.

            “Well?” Drexyl asked as she non-chalantly ate a piece of bread.

            “The merchandise has been rounded up. The ship just needs a skilled pilot.”

            “Then I’ll tell my crew I’ll be going away for a couple of days to meet a suitor. They’ll be none the wiser.”

            “Good. We don’t want any suspicions, especially with Eia being a never-ending gossiper. Otherwise, our employer will have our hides.”

            “I’m well aware....” She was on the verge of telling him about the colonists, about how there’s 20,000 fresh souls from beyond, most of which are really strong, just eager to try and fit in with the native races… but that would ultimately be a bad idea; given their highly advanced technology, they would very easily tell if any of them vanished. Their weaponry would be a huge issue too, as would their ability to communicate long distances. They’re a open target, but one with enough force to bite back… just not worth it, even with Iroe. “…It was a lot easier stealing away Gaharots.”

            This always felt cold to the boss- how can she be so cold to her own kind? It’s a lingering question he doesn’t want to ask. “I am well aware of that, Drexyl. Just be sure to follow Iroe when the race is over. Long as we remain discreet, we’ll be sure to have some new blood by the end of this.” Drexyl nodded before walking back towards her ship. He rejoined the crowd and got ready for things to begin.

            “I’m surprised she didn’t ask about the cargo.” He said to himself. “She would’ve been amazed to learn we captured a Silver.”

 

            The orphans, Bran, and Dan had returned to the Rose Shatter, which was waiting for Drexyl to return before taking off. Eia came out of the hold, yawning loudly from all of the noise. “Yaaaaaawn… the second leg is about to begin already?”

            “Yes, and we tried waking you up.” Dan commented. “You are a heavy sleeper.”

            “So I’ve been told…” She rubbed her tired eyes. She saw Bran, which perked her up a bit, but noticed that he was in a concerned mood. “What’s with you…?”

            “It’s Sokuro… I wasn’t able to find her anywhere. None of the people that run this place have seen her since the feast. And I haven’t been able to find Alled as well. It’s like they both vanished.”

            Eia yawned again as she approached. “Maybe they’re still sleeping. Either of them could’ve found someplace private to hole up to avoid the crowd. I know I would’ve.”

            “Then they would’ve been here by now.” He said as Drexyl climbed on board. She glanced towards the kids. Except for Eia, all of them would be perfect for the project… but Misken would be aware of all their orphans went missing. As for the colonist kids, terrible idea. Everyone back there would be up in arms. Plus, how would she begin to explain their lack of scales and tails? “It’s just not like her to be late.”

            “I wouldn’t worry too much.” Drexyl said, unaware that her partner in crime had captured Sokuro. “She’ll show up sooner or later. I’d bet on it.” She walked away, waving her finger around as a signal to her crew to begin take off procedures. Bran, on the other hand, was still concerned. He just can’t help but feel like they’re missing.

            He didn’t have long to ponder as he felt the ship lerch. He saw the motors up top begin to spin. Time for the Koloron to begin once again… but where in the world was she?

 

            Sokuro pounded her fist on the wall for the umpteenth time, growing tired from the constant shouting and pounding. “Let us out…” She shouted in a hoarse voice. She took a few steps back before ramming her body into it again. Her entire body was feeling sore from all the slams she had been doing.

            “Will you knock it off already!?!” One of their captors shouted, hitting something had against the wall that made her fall back.

            Sokuro panted heavily, wiping her mouth. Her shouting made her throat sore to the touch; she needed water to sooth it. But she wasn’t going to get that anytime soon. She rubbed her forehead as she stepped away, instead heading over to Alled, who was tucked away in the nearestcorner. “I’m making some good progess.” She croaked like a frog. “I think if I keep shouting, they’ll come storming in to shut me up and we can overpower them.” She heard nothing from the unusually silent Alled. In her diminished state, she took it the wrong way. “You got a better idea, I’m all ears.”

            “I don’t care…” He curled up. “I’m a hopeless loser…”

            Well, this is a complete 180 from his chipper self. “One bad thing happens and you’re already shelling up?”

            “It’s not that…”

            “Then what? Am I going to have to force it out of you?”

            His eyes moved to look at her, with his eyelids closing like he’s getting furious at her. But he’s not mad at her; he’s mad at himself. “… last cycle, when grandfather won the Koloron… we found out that Cylus had contracted the Froypes virus…”

            Sokuro gasped, knowing that anyone who contracted that was already dead. The only thing anyone can do when they contracted it is get their affairs in order. “Oh dear… and… who’s this Cylus?”

            “My brother. He kept it hidden from us for cycles… none of us knew he had it until he started coughing up dust. I was mortified- we already lost our parents to a Phagos attack; I didn’t want to lose him too. The day he died… I swore to him that I would enter and win the Koloron in his honor and the honor of our parents- to show I wasn’t the weak kid he knew and that I would be fine with him gone… I wish he lived to see this… he died the day before the Ascension ceremony.”

            “… o… oh…” Sokuro felt horrible. All this time, she didn’t know how terrible he must’ve felt. He looked so cheerful during the Ascension- half of that could’ve been from actually gaining his scale, but… could he have been putting on a brave face all this time? He seemed to be genuenty loud and obnoxious back at Konkor. “I’m… so sorry…” She leaned in close to him and rubbed his back. “I know how you feel… losing someone that close to you is… is a horrible feeling.”

            He wiped his eyes. “The promise to my brother was one of the reasons I wanted to win. The reason before was to show my grandfather that I can be a worthy successor. He may not look it, but he can be hard to please. I can’t count the number of times he was a knucklebuster. He is old… I know he’s dying… and I entered hoping that if I won, he would be proud of me.” He buried his face into the back of his hands. “I failed them both…”

            It was Sokuro’s turn to wipe her eyes.            “Damn, Alled…”

            Alled sniffled as he wiped his eyes once more. “I still miss Cylus… you would’ve liked him. He was a evil little jokester, like you. He would often swipe grandfather’s scale without him noticing.” He warmly chuckled. “One time… he tricked grandfather’s bodyguard to give it to him, saying he was going to make it all pretty. Grandfather was so angry… heh…”

            Sokuro wiped her eyes yet again when an idea slowly began to manifest itself. “Wait… trick…” Alled raised his head ever so slightly as she got up off the floor. “Wait… haha, Alled, you are a genius.” She ran back over towards the wall with the bars. He got up and slowly made his way over, watching as she did whatever she was going to do.

            She hit her hand on the wall again, annoying their guards once again. Their guards were both men; one, Alexe, was as thin as a stick and the other, his partner Vozeir, was as stout as a cauldron. “Sir, pleeeeease. Please, giveme back my locket!!”

            That wasn’t her usual cry. “Locket?” Alexe repeated. He reached into the crate that had all the children’s scales and accessories. “You mean this?”

            “No, it’s the one that’s burnt.” The guard pulled it out. He and his partner looked at each other, wondering what could’ve burnt metal. “Pleeeeease… please give it back…” She strrted breaking down into tears. “It belonged to my mother- it’s all I have left of her! PLEEEASE!!!” She started to sob.

            They had grown so annoyed with her constant shouting; they honored her request since it will shut her up. They removed the scale from the string before heading over to the bars. “Fine already!” Vozeir screamed. He took the locket from Alexe’s hands.  “If it will finally shut you up!” He threw it into the cell as hard as he could.

            Sokuro wasn’t worried about it being thrown; it survived a fire, it can survive a toss. She ran over to where it was thrown and picked it up. She held it close to her heart, happy to finally have it back. “You did all that for a locket?” A very baffled Alled inquired.

            Once she had settled, she looked back towards him with a mischevious grin. “First off, I want to say thank you for the idea.”

            “The idea? You mean from my story?”

            “The one where your brother tricked the guard, yes.”

            “But all that for a burnt locket?”

            Sokuro got off her knees and leaned on him, putting her left elbow on his right shoulder. “Oh, Alled. When you grow up like I have, you always learn to plan things in advance. When I saw a lot of unscrupulous characters back in Konkor, I got scared-scared enough to make a contingency plan if I were to be captured and my scale taken, which obviously did happen. Anyway, you know how you can modify your scale to be whatever it is you want, like a bracelet or a tiara, just as long as it stays on your person?”

            “Yeah. Wait, are you saying…?”

            With a grin, Sokuro clicked open the locket. On one side was the picture of her family… and on the other were rainbow-colored shavings from her scale, compressed and compacted nestled within.

                 The two kids looked at each other and got the same evil smirky grin on their faces.

 

                 Time for a prison break.

 

 

Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7XCQCfXQG8 Where’s the Fire – The Wraith soundtrack

 

 

                 Down below, Iroe felt a really strong tremor as he walked down in the hidden hanger for their airship. He very nearly fell over, but kept his balance. He looked up, sensing that it came form there. “What are thothe nitwitth doing now?” He snarled before heading towards the staircase.

 

                 Before the guards had any chance to know, the wall burst open and they were pinned to the opposite one by the clawed paw of a really furious Silver Aerid. They were pinned so hard, they couldn’t move a finger. While they were pinned, Alled shot towards the crate holding everyones scales and accessoried.

                 Sokuro’s massive girth filled up the cell they were in and then some, leaving the children feeling trapped. She tried best as she could to have them crawl underneath to get to Alled, but it was hard. “Hurry up.” She grunted. “You have no idea how tight this is.”

                 “Let us go, you halfwit!” Vozeir shouted. Sokuro dug them further into the wall, making them grunt in pain.

                 “You’re not in much of a position to demand things.” Alled retorted as he rolled the crate over to a more roomy and open spot- AKA the hallway. “Ok, everyone, come get your things. We’re getting the heck out of here!”

                 “But… how do we tell whose scale is whose?” One of the younger captives asked, seeing that the scales and accessories were thrown in without a care in the world.

                 “My brother taught me this.” Alled said. “He said if you concentrate hard, your scale should float over to you.” He closed his eyes and held out his hand, concentrating on his scales immense magic.

                 A sharp red glow came from the box. One of the kids walked over to it. “Un… one of the scales in here is glowing.”

                 “Is it floating?” Alled grunted in a constipated manner.

                 “Nope. Just glowing.” He reached in and grabbed the scale and the accessory that was glowing with it.

                 Alled stopped concentrating and took back his things. “Glowing, floating- either way, we know how to tell ours apart.” He put his accessory back on- fit perfectly. “Ok, everyone, just do what I did and we’ll find them in no time. Do it one at a time, so you don’t overlap. Let’s have one of the ground ones go first.”

                 “Why?” Another kid asked.

                 “So we can tear down the wall keeping us from the outside.” As he said it, one of the children concentraited and found her scale. It had been fashioned into a belt. As she put it on, another kid concentrated and found his as well. “Though… now that I say it out loud, transforming now is a bad idea since we don’t have a lot of room.”

                 “You think?!” Sokuro grunted, feeling her back starting to cramp up..

                 Before long, everyone was able to get their property back. Alled peered in the crate and saw one scale left, and since everyone got theirs, it must be Sokuro’s. “And lastly, our lovely leading lady.” He threw it like a frisbee to her. She caught it in her mouth, between two fangs. She pushed the two guards further in, trapping them in the stone, kinda, before transforming back to her Ferid self. She stretched, undoing the knots she had accumulated, before grabbing a nearby glass bottle of water and chugged the whole thing down to sooth her aching throat.

                 “So what’s the plan?” She asked Alled, slipping her scale and locket back onto the string and proceeding to tie it back around her neck.

                 Alled pounded his fist on the wall separating them from the outside. Thanks to the window, this should be the easiest spot to blast open. “We run, find anyone who will listen to us, and warn them about all this. Find a racer, find a airship, find whoever and tell them.”

                 She finished tying her necklace back on. “What about the race?”

                 “We got no time for that.” One of the kids shouted.

                 “Yes we do.” Alled affirmed. “You heard their boss- if he crosses the finish line first, he’ll enslave the entire town. I don’t care who crosses it, as long as it’s not him.”

                 “But we don’t know what his Aerid form looks like.” Another one pointed out. “We don’t even know his name.”

                 Sokuro walked forward. “Then we better make sure He crosses it first.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “We can serve as a distraction if they get loose and come after us while the lot of you get away. Cheap labor is one thing, but there’s no way they’ll pass up a Silver and a chief’s grandkid if they decide to go for a ransom.”

                 It was a sound plan, and it was the only one they had. As they spoke, Alexe was able to get his hand loose and started removing the rock around his neck.

                 One of the tougher looking teenagers stepped forward and pounded his fists together while cracking his neck. His shoulder band began to glow. “Enough chitchat- let’s get out of this dump.”

 

                 Having climbed up the myriad of stairs as effortlessly as a hunchbacked man could, Iroe had reached the top of the flight and ran as fast as he could. He fell over when a powerful explosion ripped through the side of the mountain they hid in.

                  

                 A combination of earth and fire sheered off a large chunk of the mountain with the ferocity of a volcano, followed by a reverse waterfall of sparkles of every color under the rainbow. With a way out, the kids all took to their air, transforming into their Aerid forms as they leaped out to freedom, something they feared would never see again. True to their plan, they left to find whoever they could to warn them about the rogue slavers.

                 Sokuro and Alled remained to insure that everyone got away before they did their part. They didn’t have long to wait for as the alst of the kids were away, they heard shouting behind them. They recognized the voice as Iroe.

                 The two looked at each other and nodded. Their scales began to glow. Almost in perfect unison, the two ran towards the exit and jumped as far forward as they could go. Sparkles engulfed them both as they fell.

                 Just as they leapt, Iroe arrived and saw the two massive holes in both walls, along with both guards trapped in the rock. The thin one had already worked his way to his chest. “What in Uela’th pith happened here?!”

                 “I-it was that girl!” Alexe shouted. “The one with the hood. T-t-t-t-t-t-t-the Silver! She and that chief’s kid planned a breakout!”

                 Iroe glared out the holes that had been made and snarled like a wild animal. Children are a lot smarter then people give them credit for. He could see a pair of fliers off in the distance, booking it towards the mountains. It was them- no doubt about it. He bared his teeth as his scale began to glow.

                 The two guards yelped in fear as their second in command changed to his formidable form. A huge clawed paw tore into the stone, freeing them both. “Transform…” He spoke confidently and without the lisp. “We have a Silver to catch.”

 

                 A fountain of sparkles enveloped both Sokuro and Alled as they fell along the side of the mountain they were held captive in. Halfway down, their Aerid selves erupted out and kicked off, flying away at the toppest speed they had accumulated. They took a quick look around and saw that the kids had all split up, and they all kept to the mountain tops. They didn’t see any airships in the immediate vicinity, so the Koloron must not be going through here.

                 They were a sizeable distance away from their prison before they slowed. They needed to serve as a distraction, but more importantly, they needed to know where they are.

                 “Got any clues where we are?” Sokuro asked.

                 “We must be in the Sehu region- it’s the only part of the mountain range that is mostly devoid of death traps.”

                 “Mostly?”

                 “The bug’s thrive here.” He turned his head and caught a glimpse of floating dots in the distance. “And I think I found the race.” He pointed in the direction. Sokuro leaned in and looked down his arm to see the dots of moving, flying ships far off in the distance. “If that is the race…” He turned his hand to the right. “Then that way must be Meoho. If we fly at max speed, we should reach it before their boss.”

                 “And if we don’t?”

                 “Then hopefully they’ll listen to us and declare this race illegitimate due to the circumstances. That is our only option if we lose.”

                 “We won’t lose.” Sokuro assured him. “Even if it’s not you or your grandfather, anyone would be better then this rogue slaver.” He nodded in agreement. He knows many people participating in the Koloron this cycle and he knows what their Aerid selves are. He doesn’t know the slavers boss’, but they’ll cross that bridge when they get to it.  “Now, how long do--”

                 Suddenly, a green bolt shot between them and struck against the mountain in front of them. The two put their heads together and looked in the direction it was going and saw it hit the top of a mountain. One kaboom later, no more peak.

                 In unison, the two truend their heads to look backwards and saw a really, really furious Green Aerid barreling towards them, with barred teeth and glowing vine-like markings running up and down his extremely buff body?

                 “… He’s an Ajixis.” The two gulped.

                 An Ajixis is a Dragenian term for an Aerid that is able to control an element other then the big primal eight of Fire, Water, Air, Ice, Energy- or Lightning if you prefer, Earth, Light, and Darkness. You can tell what one apart because of the markings. Like normal Aerids, their color determines what they are strongly affiliated with; since he is Green, that means he can control Air with ease. The markings indicate he can control something just as dangerous.

                 The kids didn’t wait around to find out. The moment they said what he was, they flew as fast as their wings could flap as the Green Aerid barreled after them at top speed, and then some. Since he can manipulate air, he has a HUGE speed boost.

                 He caught up in no time.

                 The inside of his mouth glowed for a brief moment before he fired more bolts at them. Sokuro and Alled banked and rolled in every conceivable direction to evade the seemingly endless onslaught of bolts. Green colored explosions dotted mountainsides, creating craters and evaporating

                 The duo passed under a hanging row of vines, flying as fast as they could through. The Green Aerids paws glowed and he thrust his left one out. The vines came to life and shot towards the fleeing kids. He was trying to puncture their wings so that they could fall.

                 The kids heard movement above and saw the pointed ends of vines launch towards them. They dodged the best they could in this confined space. “I think we found what the markings control!” Alled shouted.

                 “Vines or all plants?”

                 “I think all plants!!” He shouted as a huge flower blossomed from one of the vines. A powder fell from the open bulb. Alled fired a fireball at the plant; it hit the powder instead, creating a massive kaboom that engulged the entire cave.

                 The kids and their pursuer dove to avoid the flames. Once they neared the cave floor, they pulled up and skimmed along it. “At least they still light up the same.” He spun around and fired a fireball at their pursuer.

                 His paws glowed again and he swung his right one to the side, creating a gust of wind that put it out and almost sent them careening to the floor, but they were too low to get hit.

                 The two flew out of the cave first. They spun onto their backs and let loose a pair of energy bolts that struck the top of the entrance. The rubble from the explosion caused a cave-in that trapped the Green.

                 “YES!” Sokuro shouted.

                 That was very short-lived as merely seconds later, the rubble of stone and rock blasted open like they were hit by a really powerful bomb, sending tiny meteors everywhere in the vicinity.

              Sokuro’s face melted after seeing that display of power. How can a Green Aerid be so powerful?               “Nope.” Alled winced. The two spun back around to their rightside and flew as fast as they could, which isn’t much given that their foe has speed.

              Sokuro looked back and saw that two more Aerids had joined in the chase, and they are clearly allied with the Green Aerid. One was orange, which indicated a affinity to fire- red and yellow work in the same regard, while the other was purple like Eia, meaning another lightning Aerid.

              “Are those the guards?” She asked out loud. The gears turned in her head, piecing together who their chaser was. “Oh sweet Caseiye, it’s the hunchback….”

              “What?” Alled shouted back.

              “The Green Aerid is the hunchback!”

              Alled looked back. There’s no way that’s the same guy… but it would explain how they were captured so easily… but more importantly, at least in Alled’s mind,“I need to know his workout routine.”

              “Focus!”

              Iroe reared his head back before launching antoher barrage of energy bolts their way. Alexe and Vozeir joined him by launching their own elemental attacks. The duo moved to dodge newly increased barrage of hailfire. There were much more to dodge and some got in a few good hits. One hit Sokuro in the wing, but only barely. She was still able to fly.

              The chase sped around a steep mountain side, and straight into a flat box canyon that is nothing but marshland. The first thing they hit was a terrible noxious smell. HUGE mistake on the kids part to fly this way as Iroe’s paws glowed again.

              The two of them knew he was going to use the marshland as soon as they saw it down below. “We’re dead.” Alled croaked. “Wait, I recognize this place. This is Lokshey Marsh- this isn’t that far from Meoho.”

              “How close?”

              They saw the grass and algae of the marsh begin to glow green as Iroe began to take control. “Still far enough to where we still need to worry.” They caught with a singe-kind of smell. Only one thing that could be: a fireball of death. They dropped down to avoid a surprisingly huge fireball.

              Sokuro looked back and saw Iroe smack the back of the red Aerid, then yell at him over something. “Why is he…?” The smell hit her again, making her exclaim. IT smell familiar, too. Almost like… “Wait… Alled, this marshland… why does it smell?”

              “It’s because it’s a natural gas pit. It was lit on fire several times in the past. Fire Aerids would be suicidal to fly this way because one wrong spark and this entire place would become …” A light went off in his head. “A raging inferno…”

              Another barrage of energy bolts came their way, as did growing vines and grass to constrain them from below. They looked back and saw the two guards fly towards them at breakneck speed while Iroe covered them with his breath attacks.

              “This is insane…” Sokuro mumbled. She looked to Alled and saw that he was getting ready to launch his own breath attack as the inside of his mouth glowed. “Will we survive?”

              “Survive, yes. Come out unharmed…well…” The hesitation spoke volumes.

              He reared his head back as the guards came closer. He then lunged forward, firing the biggest fireball he could muster… down towards the ground. Alexe and Vozeir screamed like fightened little children while Iroe went wide-eyed in horror. The fireball tore through the growing plantlife.

              The five of them flew at top speed in the same direction. Iroe used his powers over air to increase the speed of him and his flunkies, blazing towards Sokuro and Alled at insane speeds.

              It wasn’t fast enough for the fireball struck the marshland before they got close.

              In seconds, fire spread throughout, igniting everything ablaze, including the pockets of gas below the surface. The fire turned into an EXTREMELY POWERFUL explosion that torn the land apart like a zit being popped.

 

              A pair of the Koloron’s racers darted out of a small cave, having gained the lead over the rest of the competition. High above, the audience for those two cheered them on. Bran and Dan can’t tell who’s who in the fog because they don’t have special eyes, and they can’t use any outside tech do to what had been stated so many times before. Regardless, they can see why everyone enjoys the Koloron, despite the dangers: it is very vigorous.

              Drexyl looked down on the race… more specifically, at the first five. The slaver boss was high up in the lead, along with Mokati and several others. Colored Blue in his Aerid form, he used water to condense the water in the fog and clouds to slow down his competition. A sound strategy, but one of his competitors can use wind, and she blasted most of his tricks away, much to his chagrin.

              He was getting ready to blast a water bolt her way when he sensed something off, as did she and the other racers.

              Suddenly, a humougous kaboom echoed through the mountain range, followed by a enormous gust of wind on par with a category 5 hurricane, sending most racers crashing into the sides of the mountains.

              Up in the sky, the airships rocked and spun uncontrollably; the passengers and crews of the ships screamed as they hung on for their lives. Several unfortunate souls were flung off by the spinning- Buron being one of them. Fortunately, several good samaritans were able to catch them once the wind had died down enough for them to fly.

              Once the wind had died down, everyone took the time to assess what on Dragenia happened. Nobody had to look hard as the evidence rose up like a bloom. In the distance rose a humongous, voluminous wall of fire- the sheer size and magnitude had it on par with the same blast that covered Pompeii, minus the lava and ash.

              “Holy crap…” Dan held back the urge to chortle with his exclamation.”I didn’t know Aerids could be that powerful.”

              “They aren’t.” Eia commented back. “But something happened…”

              “What’s over there, anyway?” Set asked.

              Drexyl held a finger to her chin as she remembered what was over in that general direction, “If memory serves… it’s a huge marshland. It’s dangerous because it’s over a natural gas line. Someone may’ve accidentally ignited it.”

              “An explosion that size would kill someone.” One of the crewmates of the ship commented.

              “No, I never heard of anyone dying. Getting horribly burned, yes, but that just means the Aerid form can’t be used until it healsup. And I heard that it’s been ignited several times in the past. The gas… well, it doesn’t last long when ignited, as if that wasn’t obvious enough. I’m sure whoever was over there is fine. Burned, but fine.”

              “Here’s hoping.” Bran said. “I know I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of that, and Sokuro’s not that stupid. I think. ….. is she?” Taled and Aka casually shrugged.

                 

              Sokuro and Alled flew away of the rapidly expanding plume of fire as fast as their wings could flap. They should’ve flown away a lot sooner because the flames were catching up at a dangerous pace.

              “Coming this way was the worst move we did!!!” Alled shouted, feeling the flames right on his tail. He may be a fire elemental, but flames can still hurt him. He can use it- it doesn’t mean he’s immune, nor is he anywhere near powerful enough to even attempt to stop this rapidly expanding plume; he suspects only the gods can, however briefly.

              “I NOTICED!!!” Sokuro screamed.

              Against all odds, the duo had reached the edge of the marshlands, much to their relief as their lungs and wings were on fire, figuratively. The plume of death stopped there- there was no gas to burn beyond there, so it stayed in the marshlands.

              The duo had no time to rest for Iroe and the guards were still on their heels, with Iroe using his affiliation for air and Vozeir’s over flame to get through the violent blast… barely unscarthced. Alexe took a hard blow, scarring his entire left side. This is only for his Aerid form, though; Ferid, he’ll still feel the burning sensation on his skin, but he won’t have burn marks.

              Once out, Iroe dropped the barrier. With the wind acculmiated, he creted a localized vortex, in the form of a miniature tornado made of white strands. He swung his paws, sending the wind towards the escapees.

              The rough current of wind hit the duo hard, picking them up and flailing them about against their will. They screamed like scared kids on a crazy roller coaster. Iroe smacked them hard against the sides of all the nearby mountains. They exclaimed in pain with each hit, accumulating a lot of bruises and cuts.

              Getting fed up, Sokuro’s mouth began to glow. Waiting for the perfect shot, she opened it up and let loose a beam of light. Iroe went wide-eyed. He had no time to cancel his powers and dodge. The beam struck him in the left wing, punching a big enough hole to make him lose his lift and fall to the valley floor. Alexe and Vozeir flew down after him.

              With their newfound freedom, Alled and Sokuro flew away from the scene as fast as… er, Aeridly possible. With this new headstart, they didn’t have to worry about shortcuts and such- they just needed to get out of the range. They came to the same idea that skirting the top of the mountains would be the faster route- less death traps, too.

 

              Meanwhile, Iroe landed in a puddle of water- more specifically, in a pile of seaweed and grass. It was shallow enough to where he can stand on his legs, but it was still deep enough to where it was up to the top of his chest- from a distance, he looked like a boat.

              “Iroe!” His underlings flew down and landed on the banks.

              “What are you idiots doing?!” Iroe snapped. “Go after them! Don’t let them get away!”

              “But boss would kill us if so--”

              Iroe hit his clutched paw so hard on the banks of the bog, he created a miniature crater the size of a two-person car. “WILL YOU GET GOING ALREADY!!!?!!!” Out of fear, the two guards flew after them. Iroe gave them a speed boost with his wind affiliation. “Those two idiots are going to botch this up…” He grumbled. His paws glowed again, this time controlling the seaweed and grass. The plant life moved along his body like leeches towards the hole on his wing.

 

              “HEEEEEEELP!!!”

              The audience for the Koloron looked up and saw a flock of Aerids fly towards them at a recod speed. A Yellow Aerid streaked towards the Rose Shatter, followed by several others. He clasped onto the side of the ship, making it spin around more then before.

              “Can my ship stop spinning for one second already!?!” Halix demanded as he clasped the wooden railing for the stairs. Drexyl gave him a glare that he didn’t notice- it was her ship, not his… but seeing as how he’s their only mechanic- least the one that’s competent- she lets that slide. Usually.

              The Yellow gathered his breath before speaking, “T-There are rogue slavers hiding in the mountains! They’re kidnapping children and anyone lost in the race!” The yellow Aerid shouted, shocking virturally everyone. Drexyl, knowing that they don’t know she’s involved, took a few steps back. Just in case.

              “And it’s worse!” A younger Aerid, this one colored grey- still rock affiliated- squeaked as she struggled to get her breath back. “Their boss is in the race and if he wins, he’ll have the entire village under his thumb! That’s… I don’t know how many new slaves, but it’s bad!”

              “Really bad!” Gormonia shouted. As a former slave herself, she can’t even wonder why some monster would be taking kids- Ferid kids, no less- to use as slaves, and she doesn’t want to know. All she wants is to kick their butts.

              The Yellow spoke up, still panting. “The Silver and the chief’s son are rushing towards the village to keep that from happening, but… Umatz knows if they’ll make it in time. They also said they were going to serve as a distraction for whoever would come after us.”

              “The Sil—wait, he kidnapped Sokuro!?!” Zalet shouted.

              “If that’s her name, yes. She was really protective about a burnt locket.”

              “That’s her.” Baset, Dan, and Taled said in unison with a droning tone.

              It quickly dawned on Bran’s mind that the explosion was related. “Wait… then it must’ve gotten really dangerous!” He pointed towards the still-rising explosion of fire and smoke. “Why else would that have happened if not to shake of pursuers?!”

              Drexyl had hidden herself under the stairwell, biting her claws. “(Those idiots captured a Silver- the same Silver who has clout in two separate villages with enough force to turn this island to dust?! What were they thinking!?!” Sensing that this was uncouth and moreover unneeded behavior to a captain who is not “related” to these crimes, she walked back out, keeping her compusre. “Helmsman, set a course for Meoho.” She ordered to keep up her ruse. “If what they say is true, then we’re in for a lot of trouble.”

              “And knowing Sokuro, she likely IS in trouble.” Leoi commented.

 

              And how right he was as she and Alled flew underneath a crumbling natural bridge that had been blasted apart by Alexe and Vozeir seconds ago. Alled flew straight through while Sokuro pulled a barrel roll to deflect any that came much too close. The two slavers flew over the crumbling bridge.

              Alled recognized the area- they were close to Meoho. They just needed to get past this mountain. Sadly, there are no shortcuts and caves here lead into dead ends. They gotta go up. “We’re gonna have to fly up.”

              “Up?”

              Alled rolled into a ball and spun forward, stricking at a outcropping with his tail. He uncurled himself and blasted the rock towards the two chasers, distracting them. With a hard flap of his wings, he scaled up the side of the mountain with great ferocity. Sokuro followed suit, and so did the slavers seconds later.

              The grey and white of the mountainside sped by them as they ascended like rockets. The duo entered the upper blanket of fog. They burst through, breeching the clouds like a whale coming up for air.

              They were at the top of the mountain range, which offered a great view of the surrounding area. Meoho village was half a mile to their left, resting on the shoreline.

              “There’s Meoho.” Alled pointed out. Sokuro looked in the direction he was pointing and saw the village; a charming little fishing village built entirely out of stone, with the town stretching from the water up towards the mountain, where the remains of a castle could be visible seen.

              Speaking of said castle, a group of Aerids blasted through the gates, speeding down towards the village. One of them was Mokati, and they can only assume that one of the other five was the head slaver.

              “The finish line is on that islet off the shore.” He pointed towards a barren black rock just off the shoreline. It had a couple of airships hovering beside it. “There is no way I’m going to make it in time; we’re not fast enough. I know it’s a good shot grandfather will win, but… but you see how many racers are there- any of them could be the slaver.”

              He’s right; it took them all their energy just to get here and they don’t have any abilities to give them a speed boost like the Green Aerid had. Sokuro then had an idea, snapping her claws like fingers. “I have an idea. It’s crazy, but it’s the only shot we have, but you are going to have to trust me.”

              Trust her? That doesn’t sound very assuring. Just what does she have planned?

 

             Alexe and Vozeir burst through the cloud cover and snapped their heads around to find their quarry. “There they are!” Vozeir shouted.

             Alexe snarled and flew in the direction he was looking… but stopped and held his companion back for a moment. “Hold on. Something’s not right.” Their quarry was only the Silver, and she was alone. “There’s only one of them here… and…” They saw her raise her front legs over her head like a dancer. “What the heck?” They tilted their heads in bewilderment.

 

             Clasping her paws together as if she was holding a ball, Sokuro took a calming breath to clear her mind. She saw the colonist’s play this several times and she’s hoping what she saw was transferable. Snapping her eyes open, she raised her front legs up and put the rear left one out, as if she was standing on a mound. Bringing her arms down to chest height, she then reared back, holding back her right arm as far as they can go while lifting up her read left leg.

             She thrust forward as hard as she could, pitching the Ferid form of Alled out of her hand as fast as she could possibly throw. She said this was crazy, but it was surprisingly working as this gave him an immense speed boost.

             Encased in a red aura, Alled shot towards the village as fast as the pitch would allow him. Once he was nearly there, sparkles erupted from his scale, turning him back into his Aerid self.

             Sokuro had underestimated her strength as Alled was going right overhead. He banked had to the right, skimming his wing along the ground, kicking up a lot of dirt. The kicked up dirt got in the eyes of one of the racers, making him exclaim in annoyance as he covered himself.

             It was neck and neck between Mokati, the head slaver, and another racer. It was anyones game…

             …up until Alled came in right out of nowhere, blazing over the top of their heads. He reached the island first, slamming his feet into the ground. His momentum was still too much and he skidded along, digging his heels into the rock. He tripped over a protruding boulder and spun into the water.

             The slaver and the other racer exclaimed in pure aggravation and anger that the race they were so close to winning was taken away at the last second. Mokati, however, was stunned that he was beaten by his own grandson. He knows he was getting old, but still… beaten by his grandson.

             Alled poked his head out of the water and shook it off. He looked to his grandfather, who warmingly smiled to him. Alled awkwardly smiled back.

             Despite how… messy it was, Alled was the winner of the Koloron- the first youngter to win in a couple hundred years.

              The group at the islet could hear cheering coming from far away. Many panned their heads around, wondering who was doing it. Alled chuckled with a scoff, knowing full well who was doing it. He, Mokati, and the slaver looked in that same general direction.

 

             Sokuro whooped and hollered in victory that Alled crossed the finish line first. “WHOOOO!!! Go Alled!” She put some claws to her mouth and whisteled loudly. She kept cheering, dispite knowing full well that the slaves were sneaking up on her. “She stopped cheering. “Now then…” She said with a gasp to reclaim her breath. She snapped her head towards the guards, making them freeze up. “… who took my locket back at the cell?”

             The slavers exclaimed in fear before flying downwards towards the floor to escape her wrath. She followed after them. It’s amazing how quickly the hunters can become the hunted once things change. Halfway down the mountain, the two idiots flew into a cave, with her following them inside.

 

End Song.

 

             Alexe and Vozeir scrambled over each other as they entered the cave. It was just big enough to move around on foot. Flying was complicated as their wings touched the ceiling, so on foot it was for all three of them.

             The duo made it a good ways inward before Alexe tripped over something, making him fall on top of Vozeir, and making them both tumble onto the floor. They scrambled to get up before she caught up, but it was too late.

             Sokuro stomped her paw on the floor hard, making a loud boom that made the slavers freeze up. They slooooowly creaked their heads in her direction. Her eyes glowed brightly as she had a breath attack all ready and waiting. But first, she had some questions.

             “Alright!” She bellowed. “Speak up.” She stomped over to them. “Who is your boss?! What is he planning?! Why go after kids only?!” She got up in their frightened faces. “Speak up!”

             “We don’t know!” Alexe quivered. “We’re just underlings- we just do what we’re told!”

             “Festv!” She cursed. “You know something! And you are not leaving until you tell me!”

             Panicking, Vozeir fired a fireball towards her. She jumped to the side to avoid it. The light from the fireball illuminated the cave walls. The slavers didn’t notice it, but she did- the walls were covered in drawings, and one of them looked scarily familiar. But she didn’t have time to marvel at the artwork; she still had these two miscrients to deal with. “Bad move.” She snarled. The two slavers held each other in fear as they quivered as such.

             She got ready to launch her own breath attack at them when she was suddenly hit by a gust of wind that carried a overkill amount of a powder-like substance. Normally, this would take minutes, but she breathed in a unearthly amount. She fell over instantly.

             The two guards stopped their groveling and calmed down, waiting an appropriate amount of time to make sure she was indeed knocked out. Alexe moved to the side and saw Iroe standing at the entrance, with a familiar bloomed flower hovering beside him. This particular yellow bud is called Flazious, which is a ancient Gaharot word that roughly translates to ‘binding plant’. It puts whoever breaths its pollen into a temporary state of paralysis if you are a Aerid. For Ferids and Gaharots, you are knocked unconscious. “Oh, thank heavens.” He let go of Vozeir and headed over to their savior. “I thought we were dead.” His adulation was short lived as Iroe snarled and puffed out smoke from his nostrils. “W…. what?”

             “This whole operation was a waste of time.” He snarled as he forced his way past the clueless underling, tossing the flower away. “The cargo is all gone and they likely warned everyone they could about what happened. When word reaches Mokati, he’ll declare this Koloron insubstantia.”

             That was a big word the guards didn’t recognize. “… in-what?”

             “The short version is that it means no matter who wins, they won’t be made chief as this will be declaired false. And once word reaches Velx, we’re doubly screwed.”

             “So what do we do?” Vozeir asked as he got up.

             “We meet him at the rendezvous point, as planned. We just won’t have any cargo…”

             “Not even her?”

             Iroe shook his head. “No.” He flared his left wing. The hole she had made had been patched up by plants and seaweed, but it wasn’t much. There were several smaller holes- none that would hinder flight. “Until this heals up, I can’t carry a thing without extreme difficulty.” He furled his wing back up. “And I know you two can’t lift a bundle of wood without complaining, even in your Aerid forms, and if all three of us did carry her, we’d be going too slow and they’d spot us instantly. Besides, she tricked you two into giving her scale back and inciting a breakout- who’s to say she won’t do the same thing at the dig site?”

             “So we leave her.”

             “Unfortunately, yes.” He approached her paralyzed self. Her panicked eye looked towards him as he got uncomfortably close. “I know you can still hear me, Silver. You may’ve won this round, but if we meet again, you won’t win the next one.” He stood back up. “Let’s go.” He ordered the two guards. They nodded and ran towards the cave exit. Iroe lingered whilst looking at her before following after them.

 

             Back in the village, Alled was warning everyone about what had transpired. More Aerids began to gather as they finished the Koloron. Naturally… there were a lot of shocked and frightened expressions. Slavers kidnapping Ferid children-such a thing had never been heard of, not since the Ancient Gaharot Empire at the dawn of time.

             “SLAVERS!?!” Everyone present bellowed. The slaver leader kept to the back of the gathered crowd. While the lad doesn’t know what he looks like in both forms, it’s best to play it safe and follow along.

             “Yes!” He said with confidence. He was antsy to get back to Sokuro; every second here is another second they have to kidnap her again. “They kidnapped me, Sokuro, and a couple dozen-or-so other kids! We were able to escape thanks to some quick thinking from Sokuro, but… I’ll be honest, I was scared we weren’t going to see anyone friendly again. I don’t know why they were doing it- they kept mentioned something about a project.”

             “Do you know who the slavers are?” Mokati demanded.

             “Only four. I don’t know if that’s the full crew or a small amount. I… I don’t know their names, but I do know what three of them look like. One of them was a skinny fellow- he was a walking twig. Another was as big as a cauldron. But the most dangerous one out of all of them was the hunchback. He plays the sympathy card well; that’s how he got me and Sokuro. Worse of all, he’s an Ajixis; his affinity is to air, but he can also control all plant life. He’s half the reason that’s a thing at the moment!” He gestured over towards the still-erupting marshland.

             “What about their leader?” The leader innocently asked. He’s lied plenty of times before, so this was nothing new to him. He raised his voice a couple of octives to avoid being recognized.  “Did you get a look at him?”

             “No. I don’t know what he looks like in both forms. All I got was his voice and maybe his eye color, and even then it was behind a thick wall. He had us held captive in a stone prison in a mountain deep in the range. And I forgot to say this before, but their leader was planning to win so he could use the entire village as cheap labor.”

             “How are we supposed to believe this?” One of the more buffed Aerids proclaimed. “You’re just a kid.”

             Alled puffed out his cheeks; this guy is being a right jerk. He went through all this and he’s being ridiculed? Now of all times? It was a good lead into thinking he was the leader, even if he would be wrong in the future, but if they weren’t going to listen to him… “Then ask them!” Alled pointed behind them, towards the sky. They saw a flock of Aerids flying towards them. He recognized most of them as the kids from the race. Airships flanked behind. Without another word, he flapped his wings and flew back towards the mountain range.

             Mokati watched his grandson fly away for a second. He looked towards one of the chieftain’s guards. “Go with him.” The guard nodded and flew after Alled.

 

             Minutes later, Sokuro groaned as she regained control over her body. This was the first time she was paralyzed and it was a really strange feeling. She had trouble moving as she stood back up, but slowly regained full control. She was noxious in her stomach, and hot in her head. Sweat dripped down from her scales, prompting her to rub it.

             “Ugh… that is… not a good feeling…” She stammered like she was going to vomit. This was worse then being unconscious; at least the noxious feeling she’s feeling would’ve gone awhile while in that blackened state. She heard voices coming from outside. She worried it was going to be the slavers again, but that soon faded away as she heard Alled’s voice among them.

             Before leaving the cave, she looked towards the wall to her right. Why would there be drawings on the cave walls, and in the Meoho mountain range, no less? She’d have to come back later to look things over… and would likely have to bring Bran, mostly for his image device.

             She made her way towards the cave entrance when shadows hovered out front. “Found her!”Alled called out to the guard that came. He then ran in, seeing that she was staggering in her steps. “What’s wrong? Where are the slavers?”

             She wiped her forehead. “G… gone. The big guy caught up and got me with a Flazious flower- paralyzed me instantly…” She wiped her forehead again. “They left after he said that carrying me would just slow them down… I mean, they’re not wrong, but you took your sweet time getting here.”

             “Sorry. I had to rush what happened to everyone. Good news is that they believe me and that the kids made it to the town.”

             That is good news- at least they believed him from the beginning and didn’t need extreme proof like she did. “Whew… that’s one crisis averted…” She sighed in defeat. “…but they did get away.”

             “But I told them what they looked like. … Well, their Ferid selves, anyway. I couldn’t tell which guard was which Aerid… and we were speculating that the Ajixis is the hunchback.”

             “I know. But it’s something. But at least they know an Ajixis is among the bad guys, so that narrows it down the list of suspects considerably.”

             “True.”

             Sokuro rubbed her forehead again. “Ugh… I’m gonna need to drink a gallow of water…  While in my paralyzed state… the Ajixis spoke about a dig site… I’m guessing that’s the project they are referring to.”

             That is puzzling, to say the least. They need cheap, easy slaves for a dig site? “Dig site? Why would they go through all this trouble for cheap labor over a dig site?”

             “I know… something doesn’t add up.” She exhaled again as she rubbed her forehead once more. “Ugh… can we continue this after I get something to drink? That plant did a number on me…”

             Alled turned around. “Change back. You’re in no condition to fly.”

             Normally, Sokuro would protest, but she did breath in too much of the pollen. It’s a wonder she’s still able to move. “Sure… sure…” Her body glowed in a soft tornado of sparkles and she changed back to her Ferid self, shrinking down right onto Alled’s back. Alled walked out of the cave entrance and spread his wings to take to the air.

             Sokuro took one last look at the cave as they flew away, memorizing its location. She would have to return here to check out those paintings when she’s feeling better.

             But the lingering question remains: what were they kidnapping Ferid kids for? If it’s for a dig site… what in the world are they digging up? What is worth all this craziness? Something just doesn’t add up. Something doesn’t make sense. It is a question that won’t be answered today, but it will be in time.

28: Chapter 26: Koloron Finale - Glimpse of the Past
Chapter 26: Koloron Finale - Glimpse of the Past

Chapter 26

Koloron Part 6: End of the Race / Glimpse of the Past

3/12/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)




 

        At long last, the Koloron was finally over, and it was going to be one to remember. With the revelation that rogue slavers were interfering with the race, this years Koloron had been declared false, meaning Alled's win wasn't going to be recognized. He didn't mind, though- he came in first place, impressing his grandfather; who would once again be ruling for one last year, and honored his promise to his brother. That's all that matters. Even though the race is now declared false, the families of those who died would still get their compensation. 

        After things had calmed down, the freed children lead the more seasoned warriors back to the mountain where they were held captive in. There was evidence that this was used as a base, but everything had been cleaned out fast. They must've moved fast to get back and clear out before they got here- benefits of having a wind-affiliated Aerid on your side. They left behind no clues on where they were going, leaving only the children's overheard claim of a island all they had to go on. Thing is, there are more then 5 dozen islands circling Evioly, and hundreds, if not thousands more out in the Great Sea. Finding the dig site would be next to impossible, and even if they find it, how can they be sure it's one operated by slavers and not archaeologists or a group establishing a village? There was nothing nobody could do, so they went back to Meoho.

        And to make matters worse, they don't know who they are or what they look like. All they have are the descriptions the kids gave of three of them: one was as wide as a cauldron, another was as thin as a stick, and the last, and the most dangerous in terms of Aerid abilities, was a hunchback. They can work with that last one- as with humans, it is a rare disorder. And his Aerid form will stick him out like a sore thumb too since he is an Ajixis. But there's also the chance the slavers know this too and may keep him hidden.

        Speaking of the slavers, i wonder how their leader is reacting to losing the race...

        ...the answer is not well.



        Being forcibly dunked into a bathtub on main deck of a Gaharot airship, Alexe and Vozeir struggled to get loose from it before it became their watery grave. Their boss was keeping them dunked in personally. He was so close to winning the race, but their incompetence allowed the grandson to win in the end. He was the Blue Aerid near the lead- he was so close to the finish, he could taste it. Their arms and legs flung over as they desperately wanted to get out of this and breath. He waited until the bubbles stopped popping on the surface before he pulled them back out. The duo coughed water up violently.

        "I swear, i don't now why i keep you idiots around!" He snarled.

        "W... we're sorry, boss..." Alexe coughed. "We didn't plan on her being so cunning."

        He picked him up by the collar of his shirt. "She's a kid- they're always cunning!" He shoved him back down. "Rrr... she played you two like a clovlidl." That is a Dragenian instrument that closely resembles a fiddle. He pinched his eyes, wondering what he was going to do with them.

        "We're away from Evioly." Iroe said as he walked down the middle stairway. "We're in open waterth now."

        "Wait a tick, why isn't he getting punished like us?" Vozeir demanded to know. "He messed up just as bad as us."

        His answer came after he was shoved back to the deck floor by the boss' boot to his face. "Are you sure you want to be saying those words right now, Vozeir? Because from what i heard, he put up more of a fight then you did getting the children back!" He dug his heels into Vozeir's cheek. "It was you two who fell for her trick in the first place while he was in the hanger. He could've handled the Silver and her boyfriend while you two went after the rest, but no- you had to play 'follow the leader' and lose them anyway. If it was a 2 on 1 fight, i would accept that loss as he would've been going up against a Silver, but no... you two had to put your noses in it and fail when you had a golden opportunity to at least catch the Silver when she threw that boy. So not only did we lose a free and easy claim for slaves for the project, but we also lost everyone we captured." He kicked his foot off Vozeir's cheek, walked over to the railing, and slamming his hands down. "This whole diversion was a complete waste of time! They'll be looking for us and be cautious on who they let participate next cycle... We won't be able to come back to Evioly for awhile..."

        "At least they don't know about Dexyl." Iroe pointed out. "And the children only thay your eyeth and they never thaw your Aerid form."

        The boss took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I supposed that's true..." He tapped his fingers on the railing. "She'll keep us updated... for however long she stays, anyway."

        Feeling like they weren't going to be punished anymore, Alexe got up while still coughing up water. "So... what now...?"

        "Now, we head back to the site." He pushed off of the railing and walked to the captains quarters. "When we get there, you two are still going to be punished for this massive screwup." They whined in fear as they lowered their heads. "... there is one thing that puzzles me, though." They looked back up. "You said she used a very strange pose when she threw that boy. What was strange about it?"

        The two of them looked at the other, wondering how best to explain it. "Well... just the way it looked, i guess." Alexe said. Vozeir nodded and proceeded to act out the strange throw they saw her do as best as he could. It wasn't spot on, but it sent the point across: It was a odd pose. "It's kinda like that."

        "What odd throw was that?" Iroe asked with crossed arms.

        "Your guess is as good as mine." The boss commented. "But it was effective if it made the kid win." He walked into the fairly fancy captains quarters and locked the door, wanting some space from this nincompoops. He leaned on the door and ran his hand down his face. His quarters were spacious and decked out- comes with being a slaver as long as he. There was a fancy bed made of quilchin silk- the Dragenian equivalent to Egyptian Cotton-, and the curtains covering the windows were made of the same material. There were a number of swords on the wall, and a carved desk custom made. "Uuuuuuugh... i swear, these nitwits are going to give me a heart attack... Uuuuugbbbbbrllla..." He ran his hands down his lips. "I need a hard drink."

        He walked over to the wooden desk at the end of the room and headed around to the seat. There were several drinks on it already, but none would have the right amount of kick necessary. "...... i need some of the good stuff." He pushed the chair out and bent down til he was on all fours. He got under the cubby and bumped his fist on the left side first, then the top, then the right, then once again on top. A hatch on the right side opened up after the right combination was put in, revealing several bottles of high quality Dragenian booze. These already have a kick with Ferids and Gaharots- if one of the colonists drank some of that stuff... well, who knows what'll happen.

        He grabbed the neck of a big bottle nad pulled it out. "1113. Good year." He backed out of the seat and sat back up, nearly having a heart attack when he saw a familiar someone standing in the middle of the room. There was no noise when he entered, so his sudden appearance scared the boss enough to make him lose his grip on the bottle. He yipped as he caught it before it hit the floor- this was some good stuff, and expensive too. 

        "Good catch." The cloaked stranger commented, his face obscured by the hood. "Too bad you couldn't catch the kids."

        The boss growled as he put the bottle back on the desk. "Hakan... to what do i owe this... disturbing pleasure?"

        Hakan slowly approached. "I was told you were the best of the best on the mainland, that you would never lose your catch..." He grabbed one of the cheap bottles. "So then... when i came by this morning to check on the progress... i find out that you lost all of them... and even your best man couldn't stop them from blabbing everything..."

        "That wasn't my fault. I was close to winning the damn race. It was the two idiots out there that lost them all. Iroe did everything he could, but there were too many to go after and the Silver and her boyfriend were a lot more cunning then we had anticipated."
        
        "Ah, yes... Sokuro... i encountered her before the race started..." He tapped a finger on the bottle. "... i just have one question about your selection process..." He gripped it tighter. "ARE YOU STARK RAVING MAD!?!" He tossed the bottle to the wall, shattering it upon impact. The boss was about to protest but was slammed into his seat via magic that doesn't exist on this world. "What would possess you to try and kidnap a damn Silver?! You know how important they are and you know the gods would've come looking if she went missing! If they did, your operation would be found out and busted, all your crew would've been tried in Loklis, and i would be exposed after years of planning!"

        "B... but i thought she would be a great boon in the excavation."

        Hakan tightened the grip HARD on the boss, making him soundlessly exclaim in pain. "She would only be helping if she was in her Aerid form. As a normal kid, she would be as weak as you. All that would've happen is everything i pointed out!" He shoved him back out of his seat. The bottle rolled out of his hands. "... you're as clueless as your subordinates...."

        The boss rubbed his aching chest as he got up, grabbing the bottle as he did. "So what happens now...? Do we cancel the dig?"

        Hakan tapped a single finger on the wood, wondering what the wisest course of action would be. "... No. We continue as planned. It'll just take a lot longer then we planned, but i'll survive. I'm a patient man. You won't be able to try and pull any slaver operations on Evioly for a good long while, not until the heat dies down at least. You will have to resort to more drastic measures." He uncorked a bottle of the cheap stuff. "As for Sokuro, leave her to me. It shouldn't be that hard to corrupt a Silver." He took a drink straight from the bottle. 

        "Silver's cant' be corrupted." The boss said. "They're either born good or evil."

        Once his drink was done, Hakan loudly exclaimed as he felt the kick hit. He put down the bottle and chuckled darkly. "Hehe... if only you knew..." He then vanished in a flash of black fire. 

        That always freaked him out; never before had anyone been able just...... vanish like that, and in such a scary manner too. "... and i don't think i'll ever want to know..." He forgone the glasses and just drank the expensive stuff out the bottle. One hearty swig and he shook his mouth, making a noise like a rapid dog. "Rrrrpbbpbpbpb... that is a strong flavor."



        Back at Meoho, the contestants were all being congratulated by Mokati on survived yet another Koloron and a moment of silence was given to those who died during both legs. After that, he made the announcement that the race was to be declared false due to the heavy interference from the rogue slavers, much to the detriment of all involved. Sokuro and Alled were congratulated for exposing the slavers and freeing the kids, even if they weren't able to catch the slavers themselves. 

        As for the children who escaped, they were reunited with their families. Most of them were kidnapped during the Koloron, like how Sokuro and Alled were. The rest were taken from other villages and were to be escorted home tomorrow.  They were hungry, thirsty, and tired- all bad things when flying. According to some, they had been held captive for over a week, so this had been going on for some time but for how long?

        Normally, a celebratory feast would be given for the new chief, to celebrate his or her's ascension to power. As this years Koloron has been declared false, it's just a giant meal with no celebrations involved, like at the Midway house. The giant meal was on the Meoho Beach, a stretch of sand starting at the eastern edge of the city and stretched the entire length of the range heading that way. 

         As for Meoho proper, the mountain range had extended all the way to the sea. The founder of the village- Meoho himself- had carved it out of the rock, building the homes right into the northern-most mountain side, similar to the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, the Mogao Caves in China, and the Ajanta caves in India. Every single original building were carved right into the mountains. Additional add-ons, like dockyards, ports, and additional homes, were built out of wood and placed along the coastline.
         

        Sokuro sat with her friends at a table at the eastern-most part of the beach, looking at the trinket she had been given for what she and Alled were able to do. Sokuro was given a necklace head, designed by the three moons in the sky. She saw something like this when a trader came to Misken last year- they were said to be a romantic gift for your special someone. Her's was just a reward. She was lost in thought, feeling oblivious to the fact that she didn't eat for over almost 16 hours.

        "You must've been so scared." Aka said, having not touched her food. 

        Sokuro had been so entranced by her new trinket, she had lost track of what they were talking about. "Sorry, what?"

        "Being kidnapped by slavers and having your scale taken- that must've been so scary."

        "It... it really was." Sokuro said as she began untying the cord to her necklace. 

        "What happened out there?" Eia asked. She, like the rest of the crew, were oblivious to what their captain was a part of.

        "It's a long story, but i'll try to keep it short." She finished untying her necklace and set it down on the table. "Well, after i left for the bathroom, i was ambushed by devout Word followers. I was able to escape thanks to Alled, but then we were approached by this guy- a hunchback with a lisp- begging us to help his friend. We went out to where he said his friend was, but he was a slaver- knocked us out. We woke up inside a carved-out mountain with a bunch of other kids and we all had our scales taken away, most of whom were trapped for who knows how long. They had all given up, but i was tenacious. I pulled out the charm and was able to convince them to give back my locket." She held it up and clicked it open. "A locket that has part of my scale inside."

        "How did you manage that?" 

        "Well, when i saw those nasty looking people back at Konkor, i thought something bad would happen. I used a nail file to shave off some of it and packed it into my locket." The inside of the locket door had a mirror sheen. "Perfect planning, no?"

        "Yeah, it kinda is." Taled said. "I should remember that when i get my scale."

        Sokuro chuckled as she ruffled up his hair. "Heh... but anyway, i was able to get my scale back and i used that to pin our guards to the wall while Alled got everyone's scales back. By the way, did you know that you can call it to you if you lose it?" Eia shook her head- this was news to her. "Yeah, surprised me too." She put the trinket on and let it slid down till it was in front of her scale. "So, we all got our Scales back and a ground-affiliated Aerid created our exit by blasting open the side of it. They left to go find any who would listen while Alled and I stayed to distract the guards by having them chase us. ... that almost turned bad... because the hunchback chased after us as well. Turns out, in Aerid form, he is DEADLY! He is ruthless and almost got us a couple times. To make matters worse, he's an Ajixis."

        "A what?" Dan asked.

        "An Ajixis is a Aerid that has control over a element that isn't that common or is something really specific, like salt or clouds. This guy- his primary elemental affinity is wind, but his Ajixis is over all plant life- flowers, vines, the whole she-bang. And like i said, he was deadly. I thought i was going to die at one point. Alled got the crazy idea to cause that huge explosion everyone saw. But, somehow, against all luck, we were able to get a lucky shot in and ground him. His two buddies chased after us, but they were no match for us. When we got close to the finish line, we saw a lot of people neck and neck, and we knew the slaver leader was one of them because he told us. With little options, i threw Alled as hard as i could using a... what do you call it? that sport thing i saw you do a couple days ago."

        Dan twisted his lips as he remembered back to find what she was referring to. A sport thing? Was she talking about Baseball? They played a impromptu game. "You mean a baseball pitch?"

        "Yeah, that. I threw Alled like a baseball and it worked. With that extra speed, Alled crossed the finish line first and ruined their plans." She slid her locket back on. It stopped in front of the trinket.

        "But why were they kidnapping kids in the first place?" Eriod asked.

        She began tying her necklace back around her neck. "Something about cheap labor for a dig site- that's why they wanted to win the Koloron too. An entire village of free workers: who wouldn't want that?"

        "Well, they certainly made the mistake of taking you." Bran said, with a cut-up piece of tentacle on his fork. "I mean... you're globally famous by title alone. If you disappeared, i'm sure the entire planet would've launched a rescue operation. And knowing you, you would've found a way to incite some sort of revolt. Probably would've freed more kids and take down that whole operation. And Meoho isn't tied to any leader, are they? They don't blindly follow whoever's in charge, do they?"

        "Why didn't i think of that? Oh, yeah, i didn't want to toil away at some dig site for months on end. Besides, i didn't think that far ahead. I was scared too- i wanted out of there." She finished tying it back up as she thought about what could've happened if she had been taken to the dig site. "... though in hindsight, it probably would've been a good idea... Meoho doesn't blindly follow... and the gods can sense us individually, so he would've tracked me down quick.... Ugh..." She faceplanted on the table. "The more i think about it, the more i think i should've been taken..." She leered towards Bran. "Thanks for ruining my mood."

        Bran felt terrible about taking away her. She felt so positive about herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be a downer."

        "Yeah, nice going, Bran." Zalet scoffed.

        He sucked in his lips and tapped his fingers on the table, wondering how he can fix this. Before long, he had a answer. "...w... well, they could've killed some people who resisted, like the chief. And who's to say the revolt would've worked. They could have fighters much worse then the Abilis..."

        "Ajixis."

        "...and then things would've been far worse. And-- why didn't i lead with this?-- you said the gods could sense people individually, right? Then can't they just focus in on that guy? A wind Aerid that can control plants should be easy to find."

        And like that, Sokuro's mood perked back up. He's right- the Astral's can pick anyone out of a planetary crowd thanks to the unique life force everyone gives off. With that logic, finding an Ajixis should be easy. "...yeah, he would be easy to find. Bad feeling averted- i just need to talk to Velx about this when we get home."

        Dan was the one to open his mouth to point out the contradiction, "But didn't you say that the gods don't interfere with the affairs of mortals unless it's really important, like the end of the world or that ascension whatsits?"

        And the depression is back again, but it didn't last long. "Eoh... right..." Sokuro sucked through her teet. "Well... he can still pinpoint the location. That'll be enough for the governor of Roko Harbor to go on and launch a rescue mission... provided he does anything about it."

        "Lazy?"

        "Yep." She put a forkful of food in her mouth.

        "Well, i can agree with that." Mokati said as he and his guards approached. "I've never known Foli to be one to actually do things."

        Sokuro almost choked on her food when he approached. She wasn't expecting him to come to her; he's the chief and they'are always busy. "M-Mokati!" She gulped it down and gasped for air. "This is a surprise. W-what are you doing here?"

        "First off, i just wanted to thank you for saving those poor children. I don't know what those vile slavers would've done, but they're safe now, thanks to you and my grandson. I was hoping we could have a talk. We never were able to finish our chat in the tunnels before you sped off."

        "Chat? Wha--" She recalled that she used a human saying, one completely foreign to Dragenia, when they met in the shortcut tunnel when the Koloron began. Is this about that? If so, she's going to have a hard time lying her way out of this. "Oh... wwwhat do you want to talk about?"

        "You mentioned that your name is Sokuro, yes? You have a younger brother and you are from Misken, correct?"

        She and Taled looked at each other. Why was the chief asking about their name? Why is he even asking all of these stuff to begin with? Some of her friends were getting a creepy vibe. "Yeah? Why ask?"

        "I knew your parents- Amosit and Imilae."

        "You did?" Taled asked.

        "indeed i did. They came by a number of times to check for ruins and such in the mountains. They were kind-hearted people. It saddened me to hear that they died."

        "Thanks, but... why bring all this up?"

        Mokati reached into his robes and pulled out a big book with a number of added pages that stuck out. This thing was huge- he had to hold it with two hands, it was that heavy. And in height and width, it's as big as a platter. "The last time they were here, they were investigating a cave with murals lined along the wall. They accidentally left cycles of research notes behind when they left. I had planned to give it back when they came by next, but since they died, i wasn't sure what to do about it. When i heard you mention your name in the tunnels, i knew i should return it." He handed it to her. "It should stay in the family, after all."

        Sokuro took it with both hands and flipped it open. Each page was littered with notes, remarks, drawings, and observations. The drawings were not that great- she was spoiled due to Bran's expert skill. "Thanks." 

        Taled stood up on his seat so he could get a look into the notebook. "Wow." He snorted. "Mom was... she was not that great at drawing."

        "I think Bran spoiled us." She closed the book. "Well, thank you, Mokati. It's nice to have something of theirs that... isn't broken." She was, of course, referring to her locket, somewhat forgetting about the dagger and the jar she got for her birthday. "(At least he's not bringing up that human saying slipup.)" She closed the book. "And i wish you luck on your final year as chief."

        "Thank you. It's rare to see someone so polite at this age. Your parents raised you well." Sokuro lightly blushed from embarrassment as he walked away.

        As she watched him depart, she caught a glimpse of Alled off in the distance, sitting on the rooftop of one of the nearby dockyards. She never did get a chance to talk to him after the race finished. "I'll be right back. Make sure Taled doesn't destroy the book." She got out of her seat and headed over to him. She climbed up it the nearest ladder. Reaching the top, she approached him from behind. He was curled up into a ball for some reason, staring out towards the sea. Given everything they've been through today, she approached kindly and made her presence known instead of surprising him. "Hey."

        He turned his head to see her there. "Hey." He tiredly responded before looking back out towards the sea.

        "Long day?" She said as she sat down beside him.

        "Very. What i would give for a nap right now." She can agree to that- she can feel her eyes struggling to stay open. "I'm still amazed that we were able to do it."

        "Same. Though i still head a headache-- hedd a--- havt... pbbt... you know what i mean." She sputtered like a horse, irritated she was having trouble speaking. "Blegh..."

        Alled warmly chuckled at her tongue-tied self. "Hehehe... heh..." He looked back out towards the sea. "... i kept my promise, at least. I may not be the new chief, but i still won the Koloron, like a promised i would." He opened up his left hand, looking at the trinket he had been given. It looked exactly like Sokuro's. "I just wish he was here to see it."

        Sokuro warmly patted him on the back before pulling him over to a slight hug. "I'm sure he did somehow. At least you'll have one heck of a story to tell your friends. Mine are still flabbergasted it happened to me."

      "I can bet." He looked back out to the sea, wondering where the rogue slavers would've gone since their operation failed.  "... do you think we did the right thing? It didn't sound like this was the slavers first foray into stealing kids. They could have other kids working at that dig site of theirs. If we were there, we could've led some kind of revolt or something."

        "Bran said the exact same thing and it depressed me, but he pointed out that if we did go, we probably would've encountered someone stronger or worse in personality then the Ajixis that chased us, and that guy was already a demon." Alled nodded in agreement on that one. "Besides, he was able to turn it around. The gods can sense us individually, so if they focus on the Ajixis, we should be able to learn where the dig site is."

        "Huh. That is a good point. And of course, a few villages of pissed off people would be a scary army to go against those slavers. Most would probably quiver in fear."

        "Wouldn't it for anyone?" She fell backwards onto her back, feeling exhausted. "Ugh... i can't wait to go to sleep..." Her mind wandered as she laid there, eventually returning to the cave she had those two losers trapped in, but was knocked out cold. When the fireball passed her by, she saw murals lining the walls. That must've been the same cave Mokati was referring to that her parents investigated. She had inherited her parents curiosity: she needed to know what she saw. "Hey... that cave i chased the bad guys into... Is there something special about it?"

        "What, the Red Cave?" Crummy name, but it's not the worst she's heard. "Why would you want to know about that?"

        "My parents were researchers and archaeologists- i got their natural curiosity."

        "That explains a lot. Bet you also inherited their ability to make up bogus fears on the fly, miss fearful." She playfully stuck her tongue out. She honestly was afraid exposing the fact to everyone here, and what happened at the Midway House was proof of that, but after saving those kids, she feels better about the whole matter. "Well, from what i heard, it was a refuge the ancient Ferid's used back with the Gaharots ruled the world, before Nascent got the first scale and become the first Aerid. The Gaharots who lived here hunted Ferids for sport."

        "So it's an important cave."
    
        "Eh, kinda, sorta, not really. It's been ages since it was used. I bet half the people who live here don't even know it exists."

        "Forgotten to time, then." He slightly shrugged in passive agreement. History was never his strongest suit- he only knows about the cave thanks to her parents coming to investigate it. Sokuro put both of her hands on her belly and thought to herself while tapping her fingers. There's just something about that cave... about those murals. It wasn't going to let her go until she goes to check it out.




        Soon, night fell upon Meoho and everyone who partook in the race fell asleep out of exhaustion as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon. It wasn't long for the rest of the townsfolk and audience to fall asleep as well. Those that stayed up were having romantic rendezvous's, or were traumatized by losing a family member in the race. Those families knew the possibilities with the Koloron and had a number of chances to talk their loved ones out of it.

        Sokuro couldn't get to sleep. She tossed and turned on the main deck of the Rose Shatter, unable to find a glimpse of drowsiness and slumber. Her mind was begging her to return to that cave to ease her curiosity. It wasn't going to let her gone and she knew it. She rolled onto her back and grumbled to herself, "Yep... i got their curiosity, alright... won't let me sleep..." She got up off the deck and stretched her back. She's learning to hate hard floors.

        Knowing she won't be able to get to sleep anyway, she needed to go investigate that cave. But first, she would need Bran's phone for its flashlight. Torches aren't the most reliable things and there's no way she can keep a light source lit for long in her Aerid form, not to mention they are all combat related.

        She tip-toed her way over to the sleeping colonist, who had an arm over his eyes. Eia slept close beside him, but that was after Bran had fallen asleep- she snuck over. Sokuro was careful where she stepped- the slightest creak could wake everyone up, and ships are notorious for that... though to be fair, people would assume a ship would creak and just accept the noise as is. Still, she was careful where she stepped.

        She got to the slumbering kid and went to reach for his phone when she realized that she has no idea where he puts it. He has pockets, but his wardrobe has about a dozen of those. She was gonna have to look for a rectangular bulge somewhere. She put a finger to her lip, trying to figure out where he would keep it.

         Left with little options, she stuck her hand into one of his back pockets to try and find it. No phone, but there was something. Felt like... what do the humans call it? Popcorn. She pulled out a few kernels to confirm that. "Movie night was days ago... gross." It wasn't in there, so she moved to his other pocket. Nothing there either. She moved up to one of his shirt pockets... and saw that his arm had moved up and he was looking at her with glazed-over eyes. She stood still for a moment as she gave a fake smile. "Hi."

        "What are you doing...?" He drowsily asked.

        She responded in a hushed tone, "I'm looking for your phone." 

        "Why?" He replied in the same tone.

        "Reasons."

        "Which are?"

        She twisted her lips- she may as well tell him. "Well... after the race was done, i chased those slaver louts to a cave. Before i was knocked out, i saw a large display of murals on the walls and it's been bugging me all day. I can't sleep because of it- i got my parents curiosity and i just need to know what is in there."

        "... so you're trying to steal my phone because...?"

        "Well, torches suck and all my Aerid stuff are all combat related and i don't want to blast it to smithereens. And in both cases, i won't be able to look at my parents book."

        Bran looked at her with lidded eyes, annoyed that she couldn't do this before in the day time, or just come back later when it's daytime out. No, she had to do it tonight. "Do you have any idea what time it is...?"

        "I know and i'm sorry, but... i won't be able to sleep unless i go look."

        He sighed in pure aggravation before resting his head back down on the hardwood floor. "Ugh... fine..." He got up off the floor. "Let's get this over with so i can get back to bed..."

        "Wait, what? I just need your phone."

        "I don't want you to accidentally delete all the video i recorded of the race. I'd get a lecture from everyone back home, especially after i was specifically told to record for them to watch and study." 

         She crossed her arms. "You don't trust me?"

        He rubbed his eyes. "It's late at night and i know for a fact that you aren't that great with electronics yet." She stuck her tongue out in protest. "Now let's go... the sooner we get this over with, the better."

        "Alright." She had planned to transform here, but intimidate realized that was a bad idea. "Now, let's see if we can find a private spot so i can transform."

        "Why?"

        "Because there tends to be a big light show when we transform, even if it's a quick one, but i'll let that stupid question slide because you're still half asleep, now shush. We need to be quiet."

        The two of them slowly made their way to the ramp, tip-toeing carefully to avoid waking anyone else up. When they reached it, he had the same fears about the creaking, but came to the realization that they're all used to it, just like she did. Upon reaching ground level, they turned their tip-toeing into a stride as they made their way towards the village: plenty of spaces to transform there without being seen. 

        Their first bet was the dockyards, of which there are several small boat hangers. The first hunch was the right one as it provided good enough cover for her to change into her dragon self and enough height to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling when she did. Her scale glowed and she kept the sequence as short as she could.

        It wasn't until Bran was about to climb onto her back when he realized something. "Um, won't people hear us flying away?"

        "Well... true... but-- ok, you know Aerids can control all the elements, but they have natural mastery over one or two, depending on the color of their scales- Eia, for example, may be strongest when conducting energy, but she can also manipulate water and fire among others, to a minuscule degree. So, i'm hoping to use wind to glide us to at least the top of the closest mountain before flapping."

        First she escaped a guy who used wind to a dangerous degree, now a newbie is going to use it to glide? This can only go so well. "Can you even use wind?" He asked as he climbed into the paw she offered.

        She wasn't quite sure about that. She knows she can do energy, fire, and even light- a element reserved for the gods- with ease... but never really tried all the rest. "Eh... i guess we're going to find out." She replied with a lack of confidence as she placed him on her back.

        Then... why is she risking it in the first place? She could blow the roof off this place if she wasn't careful. "Then why are you risking using it if you don't know if you can?"

        "You got a better idea?"

        "Yeah. Just flap as softly as you can, like a dove or a swan. We can test what other elements you have some sort of control over at home."

        She tilted her head. "A swan?"

        Right. They don't have swans here. He never saw one himself, but he's seen pictures. "... just fly so we can get this over with and i can go back to sleep." She stuck her tongue out and gave a soft raspberry. She slowly exited the hanger and climbed up onto the roof.  Following his advice, she flapped as soft as she could. It worked, barely, but getting to the cave was going to take some time now. She ascended to a good enough height to where she can flap normally without worry of waking anyone up.



        With the race over and his grandfather now ruling Meoho for one last year, Alled had retired to his room back into the chief's spire, which was carved at the top of the tallest mountain, sleeping soundly after the insanity he had went through today. A flash of light peered in through the window and hit him in the eyes. It woke him up as he rubbed them. He got out of his bed and walked over to the window to find a certain dragoness ascent up into the sky and fly towards the mountains. There's only one reason why she would be heading there- it's the last thing she talked to him about before heading back to her friends.

        "She couldn't wait till morning to check the cave...?" He groggily said to himself. "That girl is not patient." He returned to his bed and plopped down on it, letting dreams take him away once again.

        

           Reaching the rim of the mountain range, Sokuro started flying normally. With no one in ear shot, there was no risk of her waking anyone up. She retraced her path from chasing the slavers and followed it back towards the cave. It was extremely dangerous to fly at night, especially in a dangerous mountain range, but they safely made it thanks to a brief fireball she launched that illuminated the way. It dissipated into nothingness- she launched a really small one- before finally arriving at the cave entrance.

         "How far in is this mural?" Bran asked.

        "It wasn't that far. I think. Turn on your light thingie."

        "Flashlight." Bran pulled his phone out of his back pocket- the one she didn't check- and scrolled through until he found the app. "I don't know why you can't use your breath stuff. It would probably be a lot more effective then my flashlight."
        
        "If i do, i'll be too exhausted to fly back and we'd be spending the night here, and i'm already sore from two days of non-stop flying through dangerous perils."

        He turned on the flashlight. It was much brighter then any torch she would've made, illuminating all the sides of the cave. "Ok, i was wrong: flashlight better." Now that there weren't any danger to worry about, she finally took notice of the cave's design: it's just like the tunnel she and Mokati used back at the beginning. 

        "It's like a perfect tunnel." Bran commented as he moved his phone around, shining the light everywhere he could.

        She began walking into the cave. "Alled did say this was used as a refuge for the ancient Ferids back when the Gaharots ruled the planet... but we didn't gain the ability to transform until the end of their empire. This must've been carved out by the Loflat's."

        "The what?"

        "A worm species that was hunted to extinction. They were cavernous and would destroy any village they came across in search of food, which was usually us. They were wiped out more then 1700 years ago. They haven't been seen since."

        "And now you got a giant dragon turtle demon that's near invincible."

        She twisted her lips- he's not wrong. With the worms, they can at least could be hurt. "Yeah, that was a bad trade off."

        After only a minute of walking, which was further into the cave then she originally thought, the duo finally came upon the mysterious mural Sokuro had been tortured by her brain to see. It was blood-red in color and covered the entire left wall. They were looking at the edge of it, which roughly showed a Gaharot in armor. At least that's what it looks like. Bran moved his light to the ceiling and to the other side- it covered all those area's too. 

        Bran was freaked out, not by the fact there is a mural, but what it was drawn with. "Is that... blood?"

        "Looks like it." Sokuro confirmed. She sniffed some of it. "Smells like it too."

        "Eeew. Gross." He slid off of Sokuro's back so she could transform back into her Ferid self, which she did as he slid down, changing back when his feet touched rock. "That is a lot of blood they used." He returned his light to the mural. 

        "Yeah. It is. But doesn't blood dry up and fade away after a few days?"

        "Normally, yeah." He moved the light to the other side of the tunnel. "Maybe your ancestors found a way to make it last as cave paintings; mixed it with a compound, maybe."

        "Maybe. Alright, hand me the book."

        Bran looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What book?"

        "My parents book. Mokati said they were investigating this place, so i was hoping it could shed some insight."

        "You didn't give me the book."

        "Yes, i did. I.. gave it to Taled to hang on to before..." Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick ding. She slouched over when she finally realized, "We forgot the booooook..." She fell over in a melodramatic way, crying dramatically.

        Bran was dumbstruck that she would forget something as important as a family heirloom, especially one that seemed tailor made for spelunking like this. "Are.... you kidding me? You had a book that you could've just read anyway? Why did you need me to come along?"

        "Because the book was incomplete..." She whined as she collapsed onto her back. "I skimmed through it beforehand- i plan on reading it in full detail later." She let her arms fall to her side. "Everything cuts off after a certain point and this was the last thing they were investigating before they died."

        "Oh. Oooh..." He looked away for a moment, thinking to himself. This must be why she is so antsy about wanting to do this now: she wants to follow in their footsteps. She misses them so much, she's trying to continue where they left off. Feeling guilty for arguing with her when she woke him up, he decided to open up a new video file on his phone and began recording. She can try and put what wasn't put into the book from looking at the video he was taking. "So... what do you think these murals tell?"

        "I don't know- i only skimmed through, remember? I only looked at the pictures- i didn't read what they wrote."

        "I meant just by looking at these murals." He moved the light around, shining everything that he can. "They always have a story to tell, right?"

        "I guess..." She got up off the ground and dusted off her back. She let her prior years of her parents teaching take over. "Well... that looks like a Gaharot decked out in ancient armor, so this must've been when they controlled the world and the Ferids were newly born. If i were a betting girl, i'd say this was telling the origins of our modern world."

        "I assume there's a tale behind that."

        "And you would be correct. There are three tales for how things came to be: the first is that Umatz created the Astrals, the Astrals then created the Gaharots, and the Gaharots, in turn, created us. The other is we were first, but the Gaharots rose to power later, then we took it back, sort of like a bloody cycle of highs and lows."

        "And the last one?"

        "The last one... that seemed far'fetched to me, but after the lot of you arrived, i think it's the correct tale." They continued on down the mural, with Bran continuing to shine a light on them. Miraculously, the images painted on the walls seemed to tell the same story she was to give. 

        "It's said that long ago, the Gaharots, known back then as the Saureeds, were a advanced race, with flying airships that didn't require propellers and towers that stretched to the skies. Their empire stretched to all corners of the globe, with Evioly as their capital. Then, one day, from beneath the ground and dirt, the first Ferids came: a pair of brothers named Nazhka and Nascent. They claimed to have come from a underground society that was dying out and needed help. While the general populace and the Astrals were sympathetic, the emperor of the time was corrupt and refused to help and sought to control the brothers. They fled back underground and stayed there for many a cycle until they returned with thousands upon thousands of their kind. The emperor tried to destroy them in a purge that was slow and systematic. 

        "The Ferids had no way to fight against their weaponry and were close to extinction until one of the Astrals- it's still debated on who was the first to give,but most people believe it to Zolomile- be bestowed upon Nascent one of their scales. He unlocked the magic inside and used it to become the first Aerid, and the first Silver as well. Soon, the rest of the surviving Ferids were granted scales to give them a fighting chance against the Saureeds. After a long war that resulted in the Great Chasm separating Evioly from the rest of the world, the Ferids somehow won, killing the emperor and dissolving the old ways. The Saureed empire was no more and their amazing advances were lost, never to be recovered again. Not long after, the Ferids enslaved their former foes and renamed them Gaharots, which was a word they made up to mean 'subjugated'. That was almost 7000 years ago. And things have been like that ever since."

        "Wow. And i thought our creation myths were bizarre." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I'll tell you later." They continued on down the murals. "Whatever happened to that Nazhka guy? He seemed to have been dropped completely."

        "Nobody really knows for sure. There's no explanation as to why he is excerpt from the story. Maybe he did something terrible that had him stricken from the record, or maybe he died by illness or battle. Unless concrete evidence is found, it's all speculation."

        "And Zolomile? I don't remember that name being listed when we were being taught about the Astrals."

        "That's because he was killed in the war. And here i thought Gods couldn't be killed."

        "Well... we have some religions on Earth that had gods die. I think it's to show they can be as fallible as us."

        "I guess." They continued walking in until they reached the end of the murals. It looked like they were to continue, but it was suddenly cut off. The walls after that were devoid of color and drawings- it looked like they were destroyed. "I guess this is the end." She sighed. "Guess the image in mom and dad's book was right all along. I was hoping it wasn't... but i guess it was...."

        "What... the hell...?"

        She looked back to him and saw that he was mortified in fear. "What?" She followed the light to what it was pointing at and was struck by fear as well.


Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtlalymx848  Full of Unrest - Tales of Vesperia Soundtrack


        What they saw at the end sent shivers down their spines and through their souls. The last image they saw before it cut off was that of a frightening monstrous dragon laying waste to Gaharots, Ferids, and the Astrals. Since these were all crude, the proportions could be misconstrued... but for some reason, this thing had extra detail, adding more to the nightmare. 

        It had scales or feathers like scales that went all the way to the back of the wings, while the inside were leathery with bones shaped like trees. It had a long serpentine tail- even with it wrapped two times around round its waist, it was still incredibly long, and razor sharp talons, all of which were used to slaughter its foes, with the end of the tail piercing the chest of the Astral being depicted. The most puzzling aspect was the head. Antlers poked out of the top, and...

        Bran gulped. "Is... that a human face...?"

        The face of this face was more human like then having a snout like most dragons. It's not... that uncommon, but it's incredibly jarring when most media depicts dragons with long snouts. The eyes were locked in a furious rage while the mouth was gaped open in a furrowed scowl, like a Japanese demon called the Oni. A thick, bushy beard flowed down.

        "What in the hell is that thing...?" Bran quivered, feeling afraid over what is just a drawing.

        Sokuro didn't have much of a response- her soul feels like it was being tied up and thrown into the coldest waters around. "I... i don't know. I never saw anything like it." She moved her attention to those it was fighting, or rather slaughtering. It had a person in its jaws, either to kill or to eat. "Is it... killing all of them...? Did it slay a Astral...? Is that Zolomile...?"

        Those are questions he had no chance to answering with such limited information. But there is one positive note here, "W.... well... i think we can safely say it's dead.... i... don't think that's.... anywhere around here. Right?"

        He's right. She has never seen or heard anything about this thing at all. "R-right... only Astrals are immortal... we don't know how old the Levaithan is and the Phagos... well, they're an unknown. This thing... it must be dead... i hope..."

        Bran pulled the light away and panted. How can a drawing be scaring him like this? Why is it... why does it feel like it wants to kill him? Drawings can't harm.... can they? He looked to Sokuro, who looked like she had the life sucked out of her- she was so pale. "... not what you want to find...right?"
        
        She finally managed to look away. "R-right..." Why does she feel like she's about to pass out or that it's going to devour her any second now? She shook her head and rubbed the side of it. She looked to Bran and saw he was as scared as her. "How is... how is a drawing doing this to us...?"

        "I don't know..." He rubbed his eyes, feeling heavy like rocks. "I'm feeling like the endless fire out there has something to do with it..."

        "The endless fire?" Her mind pieced together that he was talking about the still erupting swamp she and Alled ignited to escape the Ajixis. It's no secret that the fire caused by it can last for weeks on end. Due to its position in the mountain range and the wind flow sending the smoke south, Meoho itself had nothing to worry about. "... right... it... it must be the gas from the swamp that is doing this to us. Yeah... i should've thought of that before coming..." She wiped her forehead, praying to all the gods that this is from the gas and not the drawing. "... we should get going before we breath in too much."

        She changed back to her Aerid form as Bran approached. He shut off the flashlight as she lowered her paw. He got on and she put him on her back. Bran regained his composure as he cleared his throat and messed with his collar. "So... is your curiosity satiated?"

        "Yeah..." She looked back to the scary drawing and felt another shiver. "Though i feel like i'm gonna have nightmares for weeks..." She flapped her wings and flew towards the cave entrance. Come morning, they would head home and put the Koloron behind them, which she wants: between being kidnapped and this, she's had enough. She got the experience she wanted; it just wasn't the way she hoped she'd get them.


        If they had waited a little while longer, they would've heard thunderous footsteps echoing through the cave, slowly approaching the mural wall. Razor sharp talons came down on the frightening dragon image and clawed it out. A guttural growl followed as menacing red and yellow eyes peered through the darkness.

29: Chapter 27: Secret Wounds
Chapter 27: Secret Wounds

Chapter 27

Secret Wounds

3/14/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)




 

             A single airship made its approach to Misken from Roko Harbor, flying up to one of the docks on the eastern side of the mesa. The propellers slowed down as it came in to dock. Rope was tossed down from the ship and caught by dockworkers who tied it off to the pier. Soon after, the ramp lowered and passengers began to disembark. Kids who hung out at the docks scattered to let the crew do their job.

        Among the passengers was a elderly man, deep into his late 80's. Hunched over by old age, he slowly descended down the ramp, using his cane, modeled to resemble a ancient magic staff, to hold him up. After 2 months in the air, going to the trading post between Bokurol and Evioly to attend to a funeral, the Shaman Hopa had finally returned him, and it did his aching bones good. He prefers the warm climate of Evioly to the cold, un-ending cold and wind of the trading post.

        Despite being someone as important as a Shaman, Hopa was dressed rather modestly. The only thing that differentiated himself from a regular Ferid was a special headdress he himself had made out of Gea feathers and fur from a Felm and Yulak. A leather crown with feathers in place of jewels, it could be grossly called.

        He took a deep breath as he walked off the ramp. Kids ran by as they played among the crew. "Ah... good to be home." He spoke a old, gravely, almost gravely voice. He's old, so his voice has aged up with him. It doesn't help that he grew up in Mokurot, and living next-door to a active volcano can do some damage to your lungs. He made his way towards home, letting the crew of the ship handle his luggage. Late 80's, remember?

        "Who do you think won the Koloron?" He overheard some of the crewmen speak. It was mostly Gaharots, as usual, but there were a couple of Ferid's here and there. Sometimes, you need the extra maneuverability that a Aerid can offer.

        "I don't know." Another crewman replied in a exasperated tone. "Ask around- i'm sure someone will tell ya."

        Hope let them continue on about their talk about sports and went into town, ready to return home and have a nice, long rest after a combined 2 months of travel. But first, he would have to visit Velx. The Ascension Ceremony was to happen some time after he had left and he was curious to see what new Aerids had come from it. He would also have to check in on the other Shamans of the town. 

        See, Shaman's have the ability to gift someone with a light magical ability. It is nowhere near the level of what a naturally magical Shaman is capable of doing. To put it in perspective, the full range of a natural Shaman's magic is like a full grown tree, but the gifts they can grant unto others is a sliver; a stick to play fetch with, if lucky, and even then it's only temporary: it'll fade after some time- three months, at max. More then enough for his helpers to survive his absence. Ocous, the village physician, is a Gaharot and isn't able to channel magic like Ferids, but his aides can. For lack of better terminology, Hopa refills the aides fuel so they can continue for another month.

        Reaching the end of the stone path that connected the eastern docks to the town, he immediately went towards Velx's temple, eager to inform him of his return and learn what had transpired during his absence. A strange glint got him in the side of his eye, making him grumble as he raised his hand, shielding himself from the glare. 

        Soon enough, he had arrived at the temple and saw Velx resting on top. Fayin was busy, as usual, chasing away bugs from the steps.  "Hey hey hey, get out. Shoo. Shoo." She proclaimed to the bugs called Blghs. Take a cricket, make them 3 feet long, and annoying as hell. And like bugs on Earth, they are easily startled and flew off when they were shooed off. She put her claws on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. "Hmph." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the approaching elder. "Shaman Hopa?" Velx opened one eye. "When did you return?"

        "Just now, young Gaharot." He said with a light, but concealed disgust of contempt in his voice. "My luggage is at the eastern docks- be a dear and fetch them for me, will you?"

        She crossed her arms. "What's the magic word?"

        "Fayin." Velx said form atop the temple.

        Fayin chuckled nervously; she was only playing around. "I'm going, i'm going." She ran off towards the docks- the soon she's done there, the sooner she can get back.

        Hopa watched her leave and slowly shook his head in a barely noticeable way. Why would Velx make someone like HER his handmaid? It's puzzled him since it happened. "Lord Velx, i have returned from the trading post."

        "I can see that, Shaman." The Astral said nonchalantly. He got up and made his way down the steps to the temple base. "I trust you had a pleasant trip."

        "The ride was decent enough, but the sea air does Uela on my old bones." He used his magic to lift himself off the ground and approach the temple steps. The two old men intercepted the other at the base. Velx summoned a chair-shaped cloud for the elder to sit in. "Ah... much better."

        "You could've flow there yourself." He was referring to Hopa's scale, which he had turned into the centerpiece of his little crown. While a Ferid body can get old and worn as time goes on, a Aerid body remains more or less the same until death. That's due to the fact that the Aerid form is usually hidden away in the scale until called on. Thanks to this, they remain just as durable as the first day they were obtained.

        "Eh. Didn't feel like it." Velx subtlety rolled his eyes. "So, what transpired while i was away?"

        "Well, you know the Ascension Ceremony was to take place while you were gone." Hopa nodded. "And it was more or less the same as every other ceremony- the children of age received their scales, the celebration went off without a hitch... but one or two interesting things of note took place."

        "Like what?" He yawned, getting as close to an equivalent to jet-leg a Ferid can get. 

        Velx chose his next words carefully. Hopa is a Shaman, but there was no rule that said Shaman's had to be pure-hearted or virtuous. Hopa is a big of a grouch as they come, and it's no secret he has.... less then stellar views on the Gaharot race. There's no telling how he would react to all the new races they live next door to. So, he lead with something easier to digest. "A new Silver had been chosen."

        That perked up the tired elder. "Say what?"

        "Yes. A new Silver has been born into the world, and right from this humble little village."

        "And i was away for it? Why did that soldier have to die at the most inopportune time? Made me miss the biggest historical event of the century." While Velx on the outside remained the same, inside he looked at him with lidded eyes. He was gonna dial this up to grouchiness. "Well, who is the new Silver?"

        "A orphan by the name of Sokuro." That name sounded familiar to the Shaman. "She left to go participate in the Koloron, but she's currently on her way back with her friends. I bet she will be terribly exhausted, given every--."

        Hopa raised a hand and stopped him for a second. He recognized the name. He knows everyone on Evioly and can recognize them by their face. "Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wait. Wait... Sokuro? The annoying brat Sokuro? The hyper-attentive troublemaker who's always causing mischief?"

        "An annoying, hyper-attentive troublemaker? I admit, she's got a low attention span and has played a few tricks with her friends, but i don't remember her doing one thing that would constitute her being an annoying troublemaker. And even so, she's turned herself around when she obtained her scale. She knows how important her new position is."

        "Regardless, i must check on her." He tried to mutter under his breath, but he always forgets that Astrals have hte best hearing of anything on the planet. "Gods above, there's no single worse person to make the new Silver. She's going to be a disaster." Now Velx looked at him with lidded eyes on the outside. "Where is she?"

        "Like i said, she should be back from the Koloron any moment." As if on cue, the Rose Shatter flew overhead, flanked by several other Misken airships. The sudden gust of all the propellers caught the attention of the two. The ships all headed to the western docks, while the Rose went away from the village and out towards the countryside. "Speaking of which...." Velx returned his attention to the elder, only to find that he had vanished. 

        "He can move fast for a old man." Fayin commented as she returned with Hopa's luggage, of which there were many. There must be a dozen bags, at least, each containing something important. She had used a shortcut to get to the eastern docks and back in a flash, something that not a lot of people know about, even though it's for public use.  

        "Wind abilities, most likely." Velx started back up the steps of his temple. "With it, he can move faster then anyone around."

        "Yet the old curmudgeon loves that cane." She set the luggage down and cracked her back. Most were a lot heavier then they looked. "Where did he go in a such a rush, anyway?"

        "He learned of the new Silver. Surely you can guess."

        "...... yyyyyep. Poor Sokuro."


          "Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed..." Sokuro croaked like a frog as she collapsed onto her bed, happy to finally be home after such a wild, crazy, eventful week. If she had the energy, she would kiss her pillow, but she's just glad to be back home. She got the experience she wanted to obtain and helped expose a secret, illegal slave ring, so she feels good. She can't enjoy that feeling as it was overpowered by a sore body. "I missed you, bed..."

        Taled came into the room and collapsed onto his bed as well. He's not as exhausted as his older sister; he's just happy to be back home. He's never liked traveling to other towns. If he could, he'd stay home all the time. Besides, the beds at the Koloron don't hold a candle to the orphanages. "I missed the soft..." He purred.

        The siblings heard a knock at the door. Vela soon came in and saw the hero of the day facedown into her pillow with her arms spread wide. He leaned in the doorway and crossed his arms. Taled had already fallen asleep, snoring away. It wasn't even midday. "I don't get a 'nice to see you, Vela, we missed you?' I feel hurt. You didn't even bring me back any souvenirs?"

        Sokuro responded, but her reply was muffled by the pillow. She realized it halfway through her speech and turned her head to look at him. "I've been through Uela and back, so get off it."

        "I know. Everyone filled us in." He walked into the room, with arms still crossed. "You were really kidnapped by slavers?"

        "Yep." She moved her head to follow him as he entered. "Narrowly prevented them from taking a bunch of kids, freed said kids, kept them from getting the entirety of Meoho... got flung around by an Ajixis like i was a doll..."

        "I know. Like i said, everyone filled me in." He spotted the musty old book at the foot of the bed and picked it up. "I'm amazed you were able to survive battling an Ajixis. I heard those things are nasty fighters."

        "And they are... and this one had plant-based abilities too..." She buried her face back into the pillow. "I still feel dizzy..."

        Vela chuckled to himself before beginning to flip through the book. "Sounds like I missed one heck of a show. Just be glad he didn't have any Djklosia. You'd be throwing up non-stop." If she could, she'd stick her tongue out at him, but a lack of energy kept that from happening. Djklosia is a kind of herb- very good; a more powerful Thyme. Sokuro, however, can't stand it. She always ends up throwing up whenever she has it. At the very least, it's not a common herb, and she can always ask if she ends up in a tavern if their food serves a dish with the herb. Regardless, Vela continued to flip through the pages. "Where did this book come from? You didn't leave with it."

        Now she obtained enough energy to move. She creaked up like a vampire rising out of a coffin and snatched it out of his hands. "No. No touchie. My bookie." She closed her eyes and fell back down with the book in her hands.

        Vela was at a loss of words. "Un..."

        She opened one eye and snickered. "Heh..." She sat back up and put it on her lap. "If you are that curious... it belonged to my parents." She opened it up to the last page- the last part they filled in. "A week before they died, they were investigating a cave lined with murals. They left after the Koloron, but left their book behind by accident. Mokati had been looking after it until me or Taled came along."

        "And i take it that is the mural." Vela said as he pointed towards the drawing.

        "Yep. Bran and I investigated it the night before we left. Two of those slaver goons ran in there and i chased after them, but got knocked out by flower boy. I saw the mural before i conked out and didn't have a chance to look before i was carried back by Alled. I couldn't sleep- the mural just kept on calling to me. I think Bran mentioned something about something called OCD on the flight home." Vela made a face that was all the telling: what is OCD? She doesn't know either. "Well, anyway, we went to investigate- he tagged along because i wanted to use the light no his machine, because it's a lot brighter then a torch... then we got to the end..."

        "The end?"

        She nodded. "At the end of the mural was a very... disturbing drawing that they weren't able to put in before they left. It was some... THING, some Demon Aerid that was killing everything around it: Gaharots, Ferids, even a Astral. It may've been just a drawing... but i could sense evil coming off that thing... everything else looked like it was drawn in a red ink or paint. This thing... it smelled like blood, and was more detailed then everything else."

        "A drawing scared you that much?"

        She shivered and nodded. It's not uncommon to feel any emotion when looking at art. But this thing... this thing generated pure terror. "I felt like it was gonna come for me next... though most of what i was feeling may've been coming from a gas leak."

        "What did it look like?"

        "Like some... like a Aerid covered in feathers, a tail with a stinger, and a..." She stopped talking when her gaze fell upon the Lithograph her parents left her for her birthday. It was more basic then the mural drawing, but it had the same image, more or less. "It looked that thing." She pointed to it.

        Vela headed towards the Lithrograph on the dresser and picked it up. The image was a side-profile, but he could see how this can be a demon. "Brrr... that thing?" She nodded. "Yeesh... well, it's dead now. I doubt that thing was immortal. If we never heard of it before now, it must be dead."

        "I came to the same conclusion." She looked back down to the book and realized that the Lithograph could fit perfectly in here. Were her parents so scared by the original mural, they had to give it its own drawing? She had to move on from this feathered monstrosity- this was creeping her out. "... moving on." She flipped back through the book. "I had planned to look through this on the ride home, but i got so exhausted from the whole ordeal, i could barely move an inch. I'm amazed i made it back to my room."

        "You seem to have energy now."

        "And i'm gonna regret it later." She closed the book and set it on a nearby lamp desk. Suddenly, the back of her neck began to burn. She hissed when the burning sensation struck, instinctively running her hand to the back of her neck. "Ow..."

        "You ok?"

        "Yeah. Just some... lingering pain from the race." She grunted. "I took a lot of punishment from that Ajixis fella and it's..." The burn stung like crazy as it sizzled, causing her to exclaim yet again. "Agh..." She inhaled through her lips.

        Vela smelled something nasty in the air, making his face twist in disgust. "If it's nothing, why do i smell sulfur and rotting fruit?" Sokuro rubbed the back of her neck again, wincing in pain as she did. That's when he pieced it together: the smell was coming from her. "...... take off your hood."

        "What? No." She replied, feigning a flabbergasted tone.

        He put the Lithograph down walked over to her. "I wasn't asking."

        "And i said no." He pinned her down with one hand and moved to pull back her hood with the other. Gaharots are physically stronger then normal Ferids, so this was easy for him. "Hey, get off me!!" She kicked her legs, struggling to keep him away from her hood, but his superior strength didn't leave her much of a chance. She could go Aerid, but that would wreck the whole house.

        He pulled the hood back and saw what was going on with her neck, which made him sick to his stomach. The back of her neck was a nasty, gnarly, pukish-green color. A nasty odor came from it. "Gods above, that smell..." He backed away. She got up and pulled her hood back up. "Sokuro..."

        "It's nothing." She stubbornly looked away. "Like i said, it is a wound i got during the race."

        "Nothing, my behind. There was no way an Ajixis could leave a wound like this, like alone a R--" He stopped talking as his mind wandered back to the battle that introduced their world to the colonists, the day the Phagos attacked. Sokuro fought against it, but was no match... and she was bitten on the neck. He had no clue wounds from Aerid forms could transfer over. "... it was the Phagos... It bit you and left that nasty gift!" She stayed silent. "How... how in the Uela could you keep this a secret?!"

        "Because it's none of your concern." She rudely responded. "It hasn't bothered me for days now- it'll go away. It's nothing."

        "No it is not! If it was nothing, it would've healed up by now. But it's not: it's festering and it looks like something out of a nightmare. What if the Phagos poisoned you or it left behind a parasite?"

        "I'm fine, alright!?!" She sharply barked, catching him off guard. The two were fully unaware of a mysterious glow coming from Sokuro's hidey hole in her closet. "I'm fine, this is all fine, so just drop it!"
 
        Why is she acting like this, he wondered. Why is Sokuro being so stubborn and stupid about what is clearly a very bad, possibly life-threatening wound? There is no reason for her to be acting like this- she should've let someone check it out ages ago. There was no way he would let this linger. "... i can't." He backed up to the door. "You need to see Ocous right now." He ran out the door to go find his mother. "Mom!!!" 

        Sokuro angrily squinted at the door before plopping herself down into her bed with her arms crossed. Now this was going to be made into a giant spectacle, she thought to herself. The burning sensation came back, worse this time, making her lose her train of thought. The glow from the hidey hole intensified, yet still did not catch her eye.

        She grumbled angrily to herself before she got up. Maybe she can catch him before he gets to anyone. She pulled her hood back up and ran out the door as fast she could, knowing that she still has some sort of a chance to stop him. She came around the corner and reached the stairs when she saw someone standing in the doorway, talking with Hela. Vela was there, but he could get a word in edgewise. She realized it was the shaman in record time and tried to screech to a halt, but came in too fast. she fell down the flight, hitting each stair with a different body part. By the time she crashed onto the bottom, she was sore all over. She landed facedown, which hurt even worse.

        The headmaster of the orphanage and the shaman looked to her as she bounced down the stairs. "There she is right now... falling down the stairs, for some reason..."

        "...Which is what i am trying to tell you!" Vela exclaimed. "Sh--" He was shoved aside by Hopa, who came in as if he wasn't even there.

        "That hurt..." Sokuro groaned. She raised her head off the floor, just as a armored boot came into view. She moved her sight up and saw the robed elder standing over her. "... Shaman Hopa?" She rolled onto her back and sat up. Her hood fell down as she did, but she turned before he or Hela could see. "When did you get back?"

        "Today. And Velx filled me in on what happened during my absence. As i understand it, you are the new Silver."

        "Un, yeah, i am. No one was more surprised about it then me."

        He presented such a false smile, but she fell for it. "That makes the two of us. Because i thought if a new Silver were to be chosen, i would've went with someone much better."

        "Sokuro has been a good Silver so far." Hela said. "And the ch--"

        "So far, Hela. That's the term. And i find it unlikely that someone like her will bring about a positive change to Dragenia. Someone so mischievous will only bring about ill changes."

        "You are just a ray of sunshine today, aren't ya?" Sokuro joked, keeping up a positive tune to hide the anger Vela stirred up. Speaking of which, he tapped his foot impatiently in the doorway, waiting for someone to find it so they can point it out. It would be rude to interrupt the conversation, which is why he's kept silent. "And how can you be so sure? I've only been a Silver for, what, a month? How can you be so sure i'll be bad if only a month went by? Besides, it doesn't so--"
    
        "OH, i do know that you will fail as a Silver. You are short-sighted, easy to distract, hyperactive, mischievous, devilish little troublemaker. Those are ill qualities for something as important as a Silver."

        She puckered out her lips as she crossed her arms. This stubborn ol' goat needs a reality check. "Really? Re-he-he-heeaaaaally? Did you forget about Artanla? He brought about a grand new age to Dragenia that lasted until Artax, and guess what, he was pretty much from the same background as me."

        "He doesn't count."

        "Doesn't count? It so does count! And what about Karli, a circus performer?"

        "She doesn't count either." 

        "Quik-Qa; she was living in dirt, for Velx's sake!"

        "Still a no."

        While he was worried about Sokuro's health, Vela couldn't help but be blindsided by Hopa's extremely stubborn attitude. He and his mother looked at each other with the same perplexed looks that left them slack-jawed. Why would he say that three Silvers that brought positive changes doesn't count? It makes no sense at all. Even Sokuro was awestruck at how much of a stick-in-the-mud he was being. She knew he was a old grump, but this is something new. This must be something the colonists call "stupidity". Whatever made Sokuro stubborn must've transferred to him. "... you're kidding me, right?"

        "As i said, you--" Everything stopped when a foul stench reached his nose. He snorted in disgust as he wiped it. He waved his hand in front of his nose, sticking his tongue out. "Oh, Gods, what is that smell?!"

        Hela sniffed the air. "What sm--" She sniffed again and caught the bad scent. Sokuro looked away in shame and reached back to pull her hood back up, but was stopped by Vela. She wasn't feeling stubborn anymore- she wasn't sure what caused it to begin with. "Vela? Why are you holding her hand?"

        "Because i know what's causing the smell." He turned her around, much to her inner grief, revealing the horrific Phagos wound to her and the Shaman. Hela gasped in fear as she held her hands to her mouth. "She got this from her fight with the Phagos and it's been festering ever since."

         "She fought a Phagos?" Hopa said but the two others weren't listening to him. They had more serious concerns. 
    
        "By the gods..." She looked towards the somber girl, who looked at the floor. There's no way she can hide it now. "Sokuro... why would you hide this?" She stayed silent, not wanting to respond. "... Sokuro?"

        "Because she's exhibiting the same problem all the past Silvers do: over-confidence and quiet vileness." Hopa so rudely interred. "She kept a grievous wound like this a secret and foolishly tried to battle against a Phagos- even a baby knows not to try and battle one of those things. And that's just the beginning: who knows what else she is hiding."

        Hela grimaced at the old crow with glaring eyes when she realized something off about all of this. "... wait... she was bitten in her Aerid form... how can she have it as a Ferid?"

       Sokuro finally spoke up. "... while the more simple wounds can be kept to our Aerid forms...... the more egregious wounds can sometimes transfer over..."

        "But why hide it at all?" Vela asked.

        "... i think i know." Hela said after figuring out the probable reason behind her deception. "When i was around Taled's age, i did something really stupid. Before i moved to Evioly, I lived on the mainland- at the Oasis in Ruthalek Sands. My friends dared me to take a dive into a pit of water in the nearby mountains and, like the kid i was, i did it without thinking of the consequences. I ended up breaking half of the bones in my body. I didn't want to tell my parents; they would be disappointed in me and reprimand me, possibly even ground me for doing something so stupid. So... i tried to keep it hidden for as long as i could. It didn't last long- i ended up collapsing and passing out from the pain. If it wasn't for our Shaman, who was trained in the healing arts long before she became one, i would've died. It was the fear of my parents disappointment and disapproval that kept me from speaking about it sooner, and i almost paid for it. I think that, coupled with her new Silver status, kept her from speaking."

        "Why would her Silver status keep her from talking?"

        "Because she IS a Silver. All the ones before her brought great changes, both good and ill, and were paragons of their time. She was gravely injured and almost killed by the Phagos after only being Silver for a week." Hela approached the somberly quiet Sokuro and patted her on the head. "You need to have this looked at, dearie... it will kill you if you don't..."

        "... i know, Hela..." She blankly stared at the floor. "And you are right about... about all of that... a Silver only for a week- that would've looked bad in the history books. Paxxon had a short run as a Silver too with only a month under her belt, but she brought down her tyrannical father of a dictator."

        Vela brought his hand to his mouth and coughed to get the attention of his mother and his friend. "I hate to be that guy, but... should we tell anyone else about this?"

        "No." Sokuro demanded. "I don't want to scare anyone, especially Taled. If anyone does ask about this, tell them it's from the Ajixis."

        "Ajixis?" Hela replied. Even Hopa is surprised to hear of that. "There was an Ajixis at the Koloron?"

        "Yeah. There was. It's a long story." The burning senstation came back again, making her wince in pain as she rubbed her neck. "Ow... if i live long enough to say it."

        Hopa, who everyone seemed to have forgotten was here, stood at the doorway for a moment, tapping his foot. "Right..." That got their attention for a brief moment as he turned around. He's not going to be Sokuro's biggest fan in the near future- he can sense that will be the case- but he knows having a Silver die would look bad on Misken. "ii'll go grab my supplies from the temple. I should be able to cook up a healing incense that could work, or maybe a ointment, or--"

        They ignored him as he rambled and spoke among themselves as he started to leave. "We know nothing about the Phagos, so there's no telling what it did to you." Vela said. "Maybe someone at Novalle might know, like that living construct Arline or whoever their healer is. Or maybe there's something in their records."

        Hopa stopped in his tracks when he heard words that no Dragenian outside of Misken had heard before. If he had been here when it happened, things might've gone differently. "... who and where?" He asked as he turned around



        Back at the colony of Novalle, Bran and Dan were showing footage of the Koloron race to the rest of their people. They had plugged their phones into the main terminal and Arline was transmitting the footage to everyone in the colony so they could see it on... whatever they can see it on; television screens, phones, what have you. As they were high up above in the airships, the recorded footage was grainy from the distance and the zoom function. Arline and Solstice were able to clean it up as best as they could, but some parts were just too pixelated. 

        The videos showed a yellow Aerid slamming a black one down into a shallow body of water. "This is better then most reality shows." A Hesk colonist commented as he ate from a bag of shells- their digestive system can devour shells like oysters and clams no problem. They can't handle berries for some reason, though- especially cherries.

        "But those are all staged." A Argalith colonist replied as she ate a bag of popcorn.

        The camera violently shook as the camera were knocked on their backs by the sudden and violent explosion that left a still-ongoing plume of fire in the middle of the Koloron mountain range. The audience was caught by surprise by the sudden explosion. Finally, some actual excitement.

            Arline and Solstice worked to repair the audio- ever since the race began, it's come out in a monotone way. The phones may be over 100 years old, but they were cryofrozen, like everything else on the ship. They should still be working, unless this was a side-effect of the cryo-freezing process. They were able to upgrade the audio to stereo, but that was as high as they could get it. Everyone was gonna have to suffer.

             {{{"Holy crap…” Dan held back the urge to chortle with his exclamation.”I didn’t know Aerids could be that powerful.”

             “They aren’t.” Eia commented back. “But something happened…”

             “What’s over there, anyway?” Set asked.

             Drexyl held a finger to her chin as she remembered what was over in that general direction, “If memory serves… it’s a huge marshland. It’s dangerous because it’s over a natural gas line. Someone may’ve accidentally ignited it.”

             “An explosion that size would kill someone.” One of the crewmates of the ship commented.

             “No, I never heard of anyone dying. Getting horribly burned, yes, but that just means the Aerid form can’t be used until it heals up. And I heard that it’s been ignited several times in the past. The gas… well, it doesn’t last long when ignited, as if that wasn’t obvious enough. I’m sure whoever was over there is fine. Burned, but fine.”

             “Here’s hoping.” Bran said. “I know I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of that, and Sokuro’s not that stupid. I think. ….. is she?” Taled and Aka casually shrugged.

             “HEEEEEEELP!!!”

             The observers on the ships looked up and saw a flock of Aerids fly towards them at a record speed. A Yellow Aerid streaked towards the Rose Shatter, followed by several others. He clasped onto the side of the ship, making it spin around more then before.

             “Can my ship stop spinning for one second already!?!” Halix demanded as he clasped the wooden railing for the stairs. Drexyl gave him a glare that he didn’t notice- it was her ship, not his… but seeing as how he’s their only mechanic- least the one that’s competent- she lets that slide. Usually.

             The Yellow gathered his breath before speaking, “T-There are rogue slavers hiding in the mountains! They’re kidnapping children and anyone lost in the race!” The yellow Aerid shouted, shocking virtually everyone. 

             “And it’s worse!” A younger Aerid, this one colored grey- still rock affiliated- squeaked as she struggled to get her breath back. “Their boss is in the race and if he wins, he’ll have the entire village under his thumb! That’s… I don’t know how many new slaves, but it’s bad!”

             “Really bad!” Gormonia shouted. As a former slave herself, she can’t even wonder why some monster would be taking kids- Ferid kids, no less- to use as slaves, and she doesn’t want to know. All she wants is to kick their butts.

             The Yellow spoke up, still panting. “The Silver and the chief’s son are rushing towards the village to keep that from happening, but… Umatz knows if they’ll make it in time. They also said they were going to serve as a distraction for whoever would come after us.”

             “The Sil—wait, he kidnapped Sokuro!?!” Zalet shouted.

             “If that’s her name, yes. She was really protective about a burnt locket.”

             “That’s her.” Baset, Dan, and Taled said in unison with a droning tone.

             It quickly dawned on Bran’s mind that the explosion was related. “Wait… then it must’ve gotten really dangerous!” He pointed towards the still-rising explosion of fire and smoke. “Why else would that have happened if not to shake of pursuers?!”}}}

        The video sped forward to the end of the race. With the new knowledge of the slavers, the people of Novalle were at the edge of their seats, hoping that they would be stopped. Bran and Dan may be home, but that doesn't mean the slavers were still stopped. Soon, the video showed a sprawling view of Meoho proper. The scale was staggering for the planet's current technological tree. A red orb soon rocketed into view and blazing out of it came a red Aerid- Alled. Skirting along the ground, he sped past the leaders and crossed the finish line first. 

        That was where the videos ended. While there was a happy ending, it didn't answer the questions the colonists were already forming in their heads.

        "Wait wait wait, what happened with the slavers?" Belfast asked as he looked away from the screen he and the rest of the command crew were watching in the command center. "Why were there even slavers to begin with?" Arline and Solstice activated the PA system so that the words the two kids speak will be heard by everyone.

        Bran decided to speak,covering Dan's mouth before he had a chance to speak. He knows him- he knows Dan would play it up for more grandiose then it was... which was already grandiose, and somehow make it convoluted and hard to follow. "Well, we didn't know about the slavers until the kids showed up. According to Sokuro and Alled, they were kidnapping Ferid children of all ages to send them off to some dig site on a island somewhere. They employed nets as well to catch racers in the mountain range; since they weren't among the escapees, i'm guessing they were taken. They also planned to win the Koloron so they could have an entire village of slaves: whoever wins the race is chief for a year; until the next race. Sokuro and Alled were actually kidnapped by the slavers, which was a big mistake because... well, you saw how it ended."

        "Did they catch them?" Arlene asked as she got uncomfortable close to him- passing though his body close.

        "Sadly, no. They didn't know what Aerid form the slaver leader had, nor do they know his Ferid self- they only saw his eyes through a narrow viewport. However... they know who his goons are, but they escaped as well. Two of them could melt into a crowd, but the third... he could be picked out. He's a hunchback in Ferid form, and as a Aerid, he's known as an Ajixis."

        "Ajixis?"

        "A rare type of Aerid that can control uncommon elements. Most Aerids can do the primal stuff- fire, water, air, what have you. Ajixis' broaden their horizons, being able to control specific things like animals, clouds, and i just know there's a blood one somewhere in the history books. The one that chased them, the hunchback, he has control over wind and all things plant based."

        "Plants and wind?" Solstice responded. "That sounds like a very deadly combination. He could use the wind to spread a sleeping pollen."

        "Which is what he did. Least that what Sokuro says. And i know someone is going to ask this, so i'll beat whoever it is to the punch: thanks to the slavers, this years Koloron was declared invalid- unsubstantial. It's like it never happened at all, so the entire race was a waste of time."

        "Not necessarily." Georgia commented as she took the boys phones out of the servers. "She did stop a criminal plot to enslave children and an entire village, so i wouldn't say it was for nothing."

        "I guess." Bran said as he took his phone back.

        "It does sound like it was a interesting time. Hopefully more of us will be able to go next year... if we're lucky."

        Belfast patted her on the shoulder. "One step at a time. You know we can't rush this."

        "I know."

        "Thought Sokuro did kinda screw up." Dan oh so bluntly said. "If she let the slavers take her, the gods would've tracked her down in a flash because she's a Silver. they can personalty single people out thanks to energy signatures from the magic scales or whatever- i wasn't paying attention all that much when it was explained by the dullest storyteller ever."

        "That would've been helpful to them." Arlene said as she put her hands into imaginary pockets. "...but too late now."

        Bran got an idea: maybe Arline or Solstice could track down islands with strange signs of activity. "Wait, can't you--"

        She held up a single hand. "Ep. Stop. I know what you are going to say. No, i can't track down unique energy signatures like magic scales because my sensors aren't calibrated that way. If they were, we would've been able to detect all those transformations that were apparently happening on our doorstep. But therein lies the next problem: on the approach, i saw dozens upon dozens of islands between this land and that giant water canyon. Any one of them could house some hidden dig site, and who is to say they aren't already populated with a small community to begin with? But all this talk is moot because of one thing: we don't have any satellites in orbit, and we won't until we get the communication tower constructed. If we did, Solstice or I would've been able to do this no problem, but no satellites, no search."

        "Ok, ok, I get it." Bran grumbled. "It was just a thought."

        "Well, until all three of those problems are dealt with, it'll remain a thought."

        Arlye got up off the seat he was using and shut off the feed from the control room to everywhere else in the colony, effectively ending this little session. "Well, if that's all for the Q&A, we should get back to work. We still have a few months till our first winter here, and i want to get everything set up before hibernation season."

        As if it wasn't obvious by their basic appearances, Argaliths and Hesks are cold-blooded creatures, as in they take in their temperature from their environment to function. Argaliths strongly prefer warm, tropical, or arid climates for maximum productivity- their ships are even past temperatures a normal human would find tolerable. Hesks- they have water-proof heaters in their bubbles to help, but it has a limited battery life of 7 hours. Even then, the temperature they prefer in their water is tropical. To keep themselves warm during the winter months, they are constructing several "heating stations" around the colony for them to take shelter in during the truly cold days. The most extreme cases can just go in and hibernate until the first thaw. They don't know how many months winter will be, only that, according to their Misken friends, it's gonna be long.

        The two kids walked out of the command center and headed into the steadily growing town. Dan walked with his hands behind his head, with his elbows sticking forward. Bran looked down at the ground, with his hands in his pockets. Dan could see he was sad, and it's obvious why. "Hey, it was a good idea- she said it herself."

        "I know. Just not used to being put down."

        Dan raised a single eyebrow. "What?"

        Before Bran could respond, a shadow was cast over the town. Unless it was an eclipse or a rampaging demon dragon turtle, there's only one thing it could be. They looked up and saw a Aerid flying towards them. It landed at the outskirts of town and offloaded its passengers before changing back. This sight has happened so much since their arrival, everyone in town had grown used to it and kept going about their business.

        Bran, however, took notice cause it was of Silver coloration, and that only meant Sokuro. He jogged over to where the dragon landed and reached the sight as she changed back into her Ferid self. Her passengers were threefold- Hela, Tela, and a mysterious man dressed in odd garb, even for Dragenia.


        While they were on approach to Novalle, all Hopa could do was look on in shock at the mysterious new village of metal that appeared during his absence. When they got closer, he grew more and more nauseous at how... disturbing everything looked. Everything looked so shiny and white... it was unnatural. Such buildings do not exist anywhere in the world. When they landed, the queasy feeling grew much worse as he took good notice of the slowly growing town. 

        That is when he took notice of the machines- strange contraptions that seemed to hover and lifted objects that could only have been lifted by powerful Aerids. Strange sparks seemed to come from them as they put things together permanently. What was even more shocking were spinning... THINGS on top of these puzzling buildings.

        But the thing that scared him the most were those that inhabited this scary town. There were Ferids that lacked their tails completely, then Ferids whose tails were covered in fur and had strange protrusions coming out of the tops of their heads. Then came the odd ones: strange creatures that wore strange suits that covered their bodies, humongous reptilian creatures, and hovering aquatic monstrosities. It's like he was in the depths of Uela itself.

        "Sokuro?" One of the tailless Ferids said as he approached. "What are you and... un..." He snapped his fingers over and over, trying to recall the names of her Gaharot entourage. "... sorry, but your names are alluding me. Anyway, what are you doing? I thought you were going home to take a nap." 

        "She was." Vela said. "But... but we have a bit of a problem and we're gonna need to see your doctor."

        "Our doctor?" He tilted his head. "Why? Aren't your Shamans enough?"

        "Not for this one." Hela said as she held her newborn baby in her claws. The two of them looked to Sokuro, who was rubbing her arm. "Show him."

        She didn't want to... she REALLY didn't want to... but if they are right and this is truly serious, then she can't play around anymore. She needs to show him and get this dealt with. With a somber sigh, she took her hood down and turned enough to show him the egregious wound on her neck. "What the..." he gagged from the god-awful smell. "What the hell am i looking at...?"

        "A wound... one that she kept hidden from everyone."

        It was all he could do to keep his lunch down. "But how... ergh... how could she have got--" It soon dawned on him- out of all the times they spent together following their meeting, there is truly only one time where she would've gotten such a wound. "The Phagos did this?" The Gaharots nodded in confirmation. "B-but that was in her dragon form..." The Shaman cocked a confuzzeled eyebrow. "...and it's faded away, so how could a wound from THAT be on her now?"

        "We don't know." Vela said. "We were hoping your advanced medicines could figure out what to do about this."

        "I, un... i really don't know how much of a help it'll be... we still don't know much about Dragenian physiology, but un.... i guess it can't hurt to try. But i'm no medical expert, so you will have to see the doc.... assuming i can find where he set up shop..." He led Sokuro and the two of them into the town. 

        Hopa followed slowly, still amazed yet horrified by everything he is seeing. None of this, NONE OF THIS... should be at all possible... yet it is, but how? It makes no logical sense. Towns of this magnitude don't just pop up overnight. It took centuries for Misken to get as big as it is, and it's still nothing compared to Roko Harbor, Meoho, or Mokurot.


        Later, after Bran was able to finally located where the doctor was after 10 minutes of wandering around aimlessly...

        Sokuro was sitting on the edge of the examination bed, waving her legs in the air while the doctor, a Adlez female named Harseen, took a close examination at the wound on her neck. While they would be gushing at how clean and sterile everything felt in here, they kept it hidden due to their friend's current predicament. As for Hopa... he vanished when they walked in. Bran never noticed him the entire time other then the innitaial meeting, but the wound's reveal took precedence. 

        "You weren't kidding about that smell." She gagged. "It's sifting into my suit. Ugh... geez, and i though Hetions smelled horrible. Gag..." 

        "Hetions?" Hela repeated with a tilted head.

        "I'll give you a brief rundown." Bran said as he pulled a picture of one on his phone. "Hetions are another race of aliens that require suits. Unlike the Adlez, who wear them to hide their many, many deformities and problems from us, Hetions require them to survive, for they are a mysterious race of beings that is comprised of both gas and energy- think ghosts that can create laser beams. The suits, while more clunky then those belonging to the Adlez, are capable of channeling the laser energy. And to beat you to the punch, none of the Hetions came with us, and given how forested this planet is, that's probably a good thing."

        "We didn't really need a biology lesson, you know." Harseen coughed as she activated the filters on her suit, getting rid of the rancid smell. "Ugh... much better."

        "Yeah, for you, but we still gotta smell it." Bran said while he plugged his nose. "So what's going on with her?"

        "Simple. It's poison."

        "POISON!?!" Everyone in the room shouted in pure shock and terror.

        "Poison." With a press of a button, a floating orb took a quick full-body scan of Sokuro, something that surprised her by the lights going over every inch. After it was done, it floated over to the center of the room and showed a X-ray of her skeletons, her nervous systems, and her muscles. A gross green patch appeared around her neck. "Near as i can tell, it's very slow acting. She got bit a month ago, right? It hasn't left the mark on her neck-not yet anyway."

        "But she was bitten while in dragon mode." Bran pointed out. "How can a bite mark appear on her as she is now?"

        "Well, as she said after the battle, they can feel phantom pains- like someone will still feel their busted wing even though they are hu--- Ferid. This terminology is going to take some getting used to. And we don't know anything about how these Phagos things work."

        "You aren't the only one." Vela said. "We barely know anything about the Phagos as well, other then they are eternally hungry and nearly impossible to kill. I wasn't even aware they had poison."

        "They do." Hela said. "At least, i heard they do. I guess this confirms it."

        "Back to the matter in question..." Harseen brought it back on track. "Right now, the poison remains in her neck, but it's only a matter of time before it spreads to the rest of her body." She played a little animation of what the spread would look like. "Since the lot of you barely knew about the poison, i'm going to assume there's no antidote." The three natives shook their heads. "Thought so."

        "Well, why would we have one in the first place?" Hela said. "Whenever a Phagos appears, you either survive through luck or turn to lunch. There's no in-between. If anyone knows how to make an antidote, it would have to be someone in Xoelsu. They're studying the Phagos. And even then, you colonists barely know anything about Dragenia to find the right supplies."

        "That's more truer then you know." Harseen shut off the orb and caught it in her hands. "Well... if anything, the poison is slow, so i wouldn't worry too much at the moment, but unless someone finds a way to create a antidote... well, i think you can imagine."

        Sokuro somberly looked down at the floor. She's really screwed it up now. She'll go down in history as the Silver who died to Phagos poisoning. "... yeah."

        "Wish there was more i could---" A loud, obnoxious thumping noise came from the walls. It sounded like something was hitting it repeatedly over and over and over and over and over. It changed the mood in the room, that much was certain. "What the hell is that?" She put the orb down and headed for the exit. The other four followed her.

        Outside of the small building she had turned into a makeshift hospital, they saw the old man that came with them whacking his cane against the side of the building as hard as he could, and given his age, it wasn't very hard. The whacking had attracted the attention of those nearby. "Hey hey hey, stop that!" Harseen shouted as the three natives came out.

       Sokuro grabbed the staff before he took another swing, which angered him greatly. "Shaman Hopa, what are you doing?"

       He pulled the cane out of her hands. "Trying to get rid of the evil that permeates this place."

       "Evil? They aren't Evil."

       "Yes they are! None of this is natural. None of this is as it should be. This is pure evil, simple as that. I don't know what foul dark sorcery cooked up this place, but it needs to go!"

        "No it's not. They're friendly." Hela explained. "They've done nothing to harm us and they've been very helpful."

        Sokuro walked around and headed back to Bran. "They're just looking for a new home and found one here. They traveled so far across space to--"

        He held up a hand, shutting her up as he tried to process everything he was being told. "Space? What in the world is this 'space'?"

        "It's their name for the Black Abyss. They traveled for over 100 cycl--- years to get here and it's-"

        "THE BLACK ABYSS!?!" He slammed his staff into the ground, shutting her up and frightening the observers that had gathered. He looked around and got more tense. "We're leaving! Now!"

        Bran scratched the top of his head, confused as to why this new fella is acting so aggressively to all this news. He's from Misken, right? They're supposed to be a friendly lot. "What's got you freaking out?"

        Hopa thrust his staff into his face, scaring him. He backed up when it stopped mere inches away. "You are, Demon! Only evil, vile monsters exist in the Black Abyss!! The fact you desecrate holy ground with your presence is proof enough. If this entire town came from that place, then this world is doomed! I will not let your evil ways destroy Dragenia!"

        "They are not demons!" Sokuro exclaimed as she got between the two of them. "They are friends! I mean, yeah, they're weird and the fact they can record moving pictures is freaky..." Hopa staggered backwards at the mere thought of moving pictures. "... but they have done nothing to harm us. They've healed me after i battled the Phagos and have shown us all plenty of amazing things. I've been to the Black Abyss in one of their ships and it was one of the most beautiful sights i have ever seen. If they are demons, as you say, then they are the friendly type."

        Hopa was stunned, not from all the good points she brought up... but from the fact she had been up there. "Unbelievable..." He gasped. "... i never dreamed that a Silver would be corrupted by a demon and taken in the Abyss." Sokuro went slack-jawed. Is this guy for real? The tip of his staff glowed. "This whole place is vile and must be purged... if it can corrupt a Silver, then it can corrupt anybody..."

        "They're not evil!! How many times to i have to say it!?" Sokuro felt the back of her neck flair up again, but she powered through it. "Look... they've been here for close to 6 weeks now and the only bad thing they have done was ALMOST shoot a Felm, key word being ALMOST. And besides, Velx knows about this and he approved of it."

        He staggered back even more. "....... Velx knows that demons live here?"

        She rolled her eyes into the back of her head before planting her hand on her forehead. Talk about stubborn. "Yes he does. And he gave them permission to use this land."

        A myriad of thoughts raced through Hopa's diseased mind. "(Velx knows... and he approves...?)" He slowly backed up as the scale in his leather crown began to glow, surrounding him in brown sparkles. "This... wait till i speak with him... until then, all Miskenites are forbidden from setting foot in this hellscape."

        Vela crossed his arms. "Yeeeeah. Good luck with that."

        "Shut it, wyrm..." Hopa snarled, baring his teeth. He transformed and flew away in his dirt-brown Aerid form as fast from here as he could. The group craned their necks back and watched him fly away.

        "What did he call me?" Vela asked as he craned his neck back all the way. Once he was out of range, he brought his neck back to it's regular position and rubbed where it hurt.

        "He's not going to let up, is he?" Bran asked.

        Sokuro pursed her lips to the side and sighed. "... nope. The old man is as stubborn as a rock, but he's also predictable. He'll go complain to Velx, then after that... who knows." She slowly shook her head as she pinched her eyes. Its not even noon and she's already had a trying day. "... well... i no longer need a nap..."

30: Chapter 28: No Rest for the Weary
Chapter 28: No Rest for the Weary

Chapter 28

No Rest for the Weary

3/14/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)



 

        
        A loosed arrow missed its target, causing the herd of Ueelius to scatter- think of them as turtles with longer legs and are as fast and strong as bears. They had come onshore to prepare for winter, which is the best time to hunt for them. The hunter who let the arrow loose cursed at herself as she hit her fist on the nearest tree. "Aaaagh, Velx bless it." Polosa snarled. 

        "That was lousy."

        Polosa quickly readied another arrow and aimed her crossbow at the shocked colonist Kitsune who had appeared out of nowhere. He swiftly thrust his hands up into the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey. Put the crossbow down."

        She did lower it, only after seeing who it was. "... that wasn't funny, Ventus." She scoffed as she put her weapon down. "You could've been killed if it was someone else."

        "I'll remember that for next time, sheesh." He stepped clear of that thing and went to the tree. "So what are these things you are hunting?"

        "Ueelius. They usually keep themselves in the water, but they come onto the short to prepare for winter. we use their shells to fashion our bowls, and their shells are durable- the biggest ones, we use as firepits."

        Vent put his arms behind his head. "Humans did the same thing, except they called those ashtrays." Polosa raised a eye towards him. "I don't know what those are either, but they were apparently popular for a time." He awkwardly popped his lips. "Moving on... do you use these.... Ueealikus's's's's for anything else?"

        She checked her crossbow bolts to see if she still had enough for the hunt. "Ueelius. And yes- their meat makes for a hearty soup."

        He stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Yuck. Not a soup guy or a turtle guy... And wait a ticket, you said they came up to prepare for winter... but i thought winter wasn't for months."

        "So your fancy magical instruments say, and they're wrong." She picked up her crossbow and heaved up her sack. "Winter comes twice a year. You all came after the Snowmare months. We're approaching Frostnight in five weeks time."

        3 months of spring before a second winter? What is up with nature on this planet? "What's the difference?" He asked as he pulled out his phone to record what she says.

        "Plenty. Frostnight occurs when the three celestial bodies..." She pointed up to the three moons still visible in the daytime sky. "...come together. The massive combined size blocks out the light of the Zatchies..." Obviously, that was the Dragenian term for the sun... which doesn't make sense as they said sun before, and even then the word provided was different. He chocked it up to his translator being frigidity. "... sending Dragenia into a month-long darkness. Frost slowly encroaches in, and that's what gives it its name: Frostnight."

        Ventus' ears drooped at the description. They just got here, and already they got a month-long permafrost situation coming. "....... wonderful. Now people back home will have to worry... And i'm just going to assume to Snowmare is just regular winter, with the snow and the sledding and the fun stuff." She tilted her head as he put his phone away. "You know, that information would've been nice to know earlier."

        "You honestly didn't know?" He rapidly shook his head. "Huh. I assumed you did. And don't you have special things to combat the cold?"

        He lifted up his arms in a flapping motion before pacing to the tree. "It'll be very difficult. We're not even done finishing up the town, so to work in a month-long permanent darkness with deep frost is a bit of a setback." He hit his head on it purposefully. "Uuuuuugh..."

        "You REALLY didn't know?"

        "Does this sound like someone who knows?" He lifted his head away from the tree and rubbed his injured forehead. "... ugh..." He walked around the tree and walked away.

        "Heading back to warn your people?"
        
        "Yyyyyep!"

        She watched him leave and prepared to go back out on her hunt... but didn't, knowing that he'll end up getting lost somehow on the way back. "Sigh... you're too nice for your own good, Polosa..." She said to herself. She then ran after him to lead him through the forest.


        Sokuro sat back on the crate she was sitting on, resting on the side of one of the food storage bins in the center of town, burying her head into her shoulders. Bran had gone inside the storage shed to look for something, but wasn't told what it was, only that she needed some cheering up after the bombshell that she was poisoned dropped. She had let the world drown out until it was nothing but noise as she kept to herself. She didn't even known where Vela and Hela were.

        She felt the back of her neck burn up again, making her wince. Ever since they found out, she's been thinking over how could she have been so stupid to keep this a secret. She should've told someone the first time the burning sensation hit her. Now it may be too late to do anything about it and she could be dying a slow death. She doesn't know where or when, but she knows its coming.

        She hit the back of her head against the bin, cursing herself for being so stupid. She's hoping that Velx may have a way to handle the poison, but given her luck with all things Phagos related, she's not holding on to much. She closed her eyes and hit her head against the bin again, wishing this was just a dream.

        The sounds of cheering broke through the noise, prompting her to open her eyes and look down the direction it was coming from. She saw colonist kids around her age playing some sort of game where they were kicking a black-and-white ball around. Her curiosity was enough to break her out of her stupor. She slid off the crate and made her way towards the field where the kids were playing. She saw Humans, Kitsune, Argalith, and Adlez children playing. She didn't see any Hesk children playing- to be fair, she still hasn't met one, but from what she heard about them, being telepathic squids, it's likely they would do well at this game.

        She reached a fence post and leaned on it, watching them play their little game. On the far side of the field, a Argalithian boy kicked the ball into the opposing teams net- the goalie was nowhere near close enough to stop it in time. The Argalith and his team cheered. "Whooo... now that's how we do it on Walith." Walith being the Argalith homeworld.

        "Well, we're not on Walith." The Kitsune goalie for the opposing team said as she picked up the ball. 

        "Yeah yeah yeah, just throw the ball." The goalie stuck out her tongue. She dropped the ball and kicked it as hard as she could... all the way over the teams and straight to the edge of the makeshift field. It hit the ground, bounced a couple times, and rolled to Sokuro's feet. She looked down the ball as it touched her ankles. She looked down at it, blinking mindlessly. "Hey!" The Argalith boy shouted to her. "You wanna toss that back?"

        She bent down and picked up the ball. "What is it?" She asked back.

        "It's called a soccer ball, now are you gonna throw it back?"

        She did one better and walked onto the field. "I'm guessing that's the name of the game you are playing." She gave the ball back to the kid.

        "Smart cookie." A female Adlez said. "Yes, that is the name."

        "Huh. So.... how do you play it?"



        Back home in Misken, Velx stood atop his temple, spreading his mighty wings as he got ready to take a flight to strech out his body and work out the kinks from constantly living here. At the same time, Inoute, Ifil, and Ocous were being informed by Fayin that Hopa knows about the colonists and they.... well, like Velx and Fayin before them, they weren't too enthused that he knows.

        "Oh lords above.... oooooh, oh, we're gonna be in the middle of it now..." Ifil whined as he paced back and forth, biting off the claws from one hand while running the other over his head.

         Ocous tried to comfort, but shrugged in uncertainty, "Maybe he'll take it in stride?"

        He got a nasty pair of glares from the two Gaharots, which made him regret that statement. "This is Hopa we're talking about." Fayin said. "Hopa... the same lunatic who almost started a war when Velx took me as his new handmaid. The same maniac who almost turned in runaway slaves. The same--"

        "We get the picture- he's nuts." Inoute rudely interjected. Fayin looked at him rather sternly. "Sorry, but you were going to take forever." She puffed out her cheeks and looked away with crossed arms. 

        "It's bad enough he'll learn about a orphan being the new Silver..." Ifil whimpered. "But when he learns about the colonists, he's going to lose it."

        "Well, there's no explosions or loud yells." Inoute pointed out. "So maybe we're in the clear."

        "VEEEEEEEEEEEEELX!!!!!"

        It's alomst as if that was on purpose. The two Gaharots whimpered as Ocous lowered his head in shame. "............................. then again, i could be wrong."

        Velx's muscles went slack when he heard Hopa's crazed yell. So much for taking his flight- now he's gonna have to hear the ramblings of a madman and shoot them all down. Again. He looked back just as Hopa, a ground-affiliated Aerid with brown scales, came in at high speeds, digging his claws into the ground as he skid to a halt. "To what do i owe this pleasure again, Hopa?"

        "You stupid idiot!" Hopa yelled. "You didn't tell me that we had... THINGS living right next to us!!"

        "And there it is..." Fayin sighed as she lowered and shook her head. "Wonder what colorful words he'll come up with this time."

        "... so i take it you met the Colonists." Velx spoke in a calm, civil tone to keep up appearances... but with this wacko, it's hard to keep it up. There were so many times he wanted to stop Hopa before he did something he'd regret, but the rules of the gods says they cannot interfere with the affairs of mortals save for very specific times. "How did it go?"

        "Rrrr... don't act like this is something that can be brushed off!" The elder snarled as he stomped his way over. "We have monsters living on sacred soil and you're acting like there's nothing wrong with that?!"

        "Those 'monsters' are living beings like you and me, and they have my permission to live there. There is nothing wrong with their setting up a home there."

        "Yes there is!! There are so many things wrong with that, i don't even know where to begin!! i don't even know how to begin!!"

        "Then don't!"

        "No. Their mere existence completely violates everything the Word of Umatz represents! We've lived our lives, believing that nothing exists out in the Black Abyss, that it's a cold and desolate wasteland where only the most vile of monsters live! And you just let them set up camp on holy ground!"

        "That's what we thought when we wrote it, in case you forgot!" Velx countermanded. "There were a lot of things we were never aware of when we wrote the Word. And at the time, we thought monsters WERE the only things to exist out there because that's all that came from there! These people proved otherwise. And if you had just bothered to get to know them--"

        "Know them?! I learned all i needed to! They live in barbaric structures that make no sense whatsoever, they use words that should not be said, they have strange windows and can manipulate light, their "medicine" is complete garbage, unnatural flying machines and clothes that made me want to vomit... and... those... monsters. A humanoid Aerid? Ferids with fur on their tail and strange protrusions on their heads, and those with no tails at all? Floating food? I thought the mindless Gaharots were bad enough, but these things too?!" Fayin and Ifil were ready to smack his behind all the way to next week. "Velx, you go to far!"

        Velx felt his anger slowly rise, but did all he could to keep his mind and body calm. "I have not. I'm simply saying that they mean no harm. They just came looking for a home and have done nothing to harm us."

        Hopa spat at him, ignoring his words. "Astrals above, i'm talking to a wall! I should've expected that from you... it's truly no wonder you are the worst one." Fayin held her claws over her mouth as Ocous and Inoute sucked in their mouths. He went there, and now he was going to pay the price. Velx's anger was reaching hieghts that haven't been seen since Xelut's days. "You are such a pathetic god, it's laughable. I wonder how Voul feels, knowing he had such a horrendous weakling of a worm like you as his son."

        That did it.

        Velx leaped into action and pinned the horrid shaman to the ground, holding him down with his claws, with one right over the shocked elders neck. "Now you listen here and you listen well, 'worm'! Those people are under my protection! The rest of the Astrals know of their existence and in agreement with me. Sokuro trusts them, and i do too, as does everyone else here in Misken. Silvers are signs of great change to come to the world, and this one occurred the same day she obtained her scale! That is significant. And if i am such a weakling, then you should've broken out of this hold by now." Hopa snorted out smoke in defiance. "Choose your next words carefully, Hopa... or your retirement will come a lot faster and be more permanent!... then you have planned." Velx pulled his paw away, kicking up some stone as he did.

        Hopa got up off the ground and rubbed where Velx has stuck his claw. That has to be the first time a Astral had handled a follower in such a way since Xelut. But this isn't the days of Xelut... to Hopa, this was the start of something much worse. "They may be under your protection... but Gods aren't allowed to interfere with the lives of mortals. Remember?" Velx snorted out smoke. "And you know you don't speak for everyone. While some... questionable people trust those things, math is on my side- not everyone is as gun-ho about these THINGS as you let on; it's not in your place to assume how a person thinks and feels. There are like-minded individuals like me here in Misken. They're just keeping silent for they know offending you as a death sentence." He spread his wings and took to the air, returning back to his hut after 4 months away and one bad day.

        Velx snorted out smoke again as he watched the crockery old man fly away. Once he was away, Velx sat down and let loose a deep sigh. "To use one of the colonists sayings, that guy was an ass." Inoute commented.

        "But as much as i hate to say it, he's right... I cannot read the minds or see into the hearts of others. No Astral can... there must be others in the village who are like him and view our new neighbors as monstrosities- it was foolhardy to believe everyone would just agree and be happy. And if he truly does start something, i cannot interfere until it reaches the point of no return, and by then it may be too late."

        "Especially if they are devout follows of the Word of Umatz like him..." Ocous said. "The colonists existence... does put many things about the scriptures into question..."

        "It'll be fine..." Fayin said to try and reassure everyone, even if she was nervous and frightened herself. "The Silvers and what they represent are also in the Word of Umatz too, so they'll have to trust the judgment of Sokuro, right? It will be... right?"

        "I think everyone will be skeptical about trusting Sokuro out of blind faith, handmaiden." Ifil somberly said. "That blind trust was ruined by the last Silver. And to be honest, who believes kids outright to begin with? We certainly didn't when she talked about the colonists before we officially met them."

        "Sad, but true..." Inoute rubbed the back of his hand while hiding the spreading cracks. "Let's just hope Hopa doesn't do anything stupid, or someone here or there causes something stupid to make him act."

        "For some reason, that one seems the most likely." Fayin sadly commented.



        Bran came out of the storage bin, having finally found what he was looking for: Ice Cream. More specifically, Popsicles. He made sure to grab the popsicles made for humans, seeing that she didn't have any problems with human food earlier. Sokuro hadn't tried Ice Cream before, so this should be a interesting reaction to her. He went to the crate she was on earlier, but saw that she was gone. He turned his head on a swivel, wondering where she could've gone.

        He eventually found her, out in the makeshift sports field they put up at the edge of the colony. He approached and saw that she was on the field itself, getting lessons from the other kids on how to play soccer. He leaned on the same fence post she did, thinking this was going to be interesting to watch. 

        "Ok, so... the goal is to kick the ball into that string box over there, right?" She repeated in insure she was right on the money. The kids all nodded. "And... you can't use your hands- only they can. You can only use your feet."

        "Yep." A human boy said.

        "Hmm... I think i got it... I think."

        The Argalith boy clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's get back to it." He rubbed them as his team got back into position. "You guys can take the new girl."

        Sokuro darted her head around, caught off guard by being brought into the thick of it so soon. "Hey hey hey, i just learned the rules, now you're just going to throw me into the Fargaks den?" Fargaks are two-headed lions that can breath a noxious gas that can knock anyone out. There's even talk of developing the gas into a anti-Phagos weapon.

        "You'll pick up on it." The Adlez girl said before running over to her team.

        "This quick?!"

        "She has a point." The Kitsune added. "You know they'd give us a chance to try out a Dragenian sport for the first time. We should at least see if she can handle the ball."

        The Argalith boy rolled his eyes and his head back, exclaimed loudly in pure aggravation. "uuuuuuuugh... fine." He tossed the ball over to her. She caught it with her hands. "Ok, see if you can get it into the goal. I'll be playing interference... easily..." He stuck his tongue out to the Kitsune, who stuck her tongue out back. "And no special giant lizard tricks."        

        "Um... ok." She walked forward till she was at the halfway line and dropped the ball in front of her. "And no hands, right?"

        "Right. Feet, legs, and chest only. And the opposing side can use those to try and stop you, along with a sliding kick that can do as much damage to you as it can to them... like broken leg bad, but you can jump over those."

        "Alright." She got herself ready, getting a feeling she's going to go headfirst into mud. "Let's see if i can do this." 

        She kicked the ball ahead of her and slowly began to run towards the goal. The Argalith boy cracked his neck as he made his move- screw going easy; Argaliths never go easy for anything. The Kitsune saw this and rolled her eyes, wondering why she even bothered telling him to go easy. Sokuro saw him go into a sliding kick and, following the others advice, jumped over the slide and kept on kicking. 

        Reaching the goal line, she went to go in for one final kick...

        ...and missed the ball entirely, launching her feet upward and slamming down hard on her back, knocking the wind out of her.

        "Oooooo." Some of the kids winced. One of them commented, "that had to hurt."

        "It did hurt..." She wheezed, sounding like a old man. She was helped up and brought over to a box they were using as a bench. "Thanks. Ugh..." She patted herself on the chest a few times to get some air flowing again. It worked, somewhat, as she slowly sounded normal as she coughed. "I'm fine. I'm fine... it'll take more then a bad fall to take me out. Errrrgh... but i think i'm not going to play this game anytime soon."

        "Well, you were doing good until the fall." The human said. "But if you're ok..." They ran back to join their friends and continue playing their game. Sokuro grunted as she cleared her throat from all the coughing she did. A few more coughs came out, but she's confident she's back to normal.

        "That looked bad." Bran commented as he approached her, hiding the ice cream behind him.

        "I've had worse." She coughed. 

        "Put your head between your legs. I hear that helps."

        "I'm fine. I'm fine." She grunted one last time before coughing for the last time. "Ugh... that knocked the wind out of me."

        "We noticed." He sat down beside her. "Got a surprise for ya." She looked to him, which prompted him to pull the popsicles out from behind his back. "Got you some ice cream. Figured you could use some cheering up after the fall and receiving the poison news."

        She cocked a eyebrow and tilted her head. She's grateful he's giving her something to cheer her up, but... what in the world is this, exactly? "Ice... Cream? What in the world is ice cream?"

        He really should've seen this coming. "It's a treat. It's.... well, it's in the name, it's ice cream. I don't know how better a way to describe it."

        "You... freeze milk?"

        "Un..." He twisted his lips as he looked at the popsicles. "Un... yes. Yes we do. Then we add a whole bunch of, un... of un..." What do they add in? He swears he saw a documentary of it in school back on Vega, but it was so long ago, he doesn't remember. He could look it up on his phone, but he didn't feel like it. "Look, i don't know how they make this stuff- it's yummy and it's good."

        He handed hers to her, and she grabbed the stick. She looked the yellow popsicle over, wondering how best to take this. "So... what do you do?"

        "You lick it." He gave her an example with his popsicle. "Simple as that. You can also bite it, but i don't do that because it feels so weird on my teeth. But it melts, so you don't want to take too long."

        "Oh." She looked it over one more time before finally taking a bite. It tasted... salty, yet sweet. "Tastes good. What is it?"

        "Sea Salt Popsicles." He leaned back on one hand as he continued to eat it. "These are the easiest to make, so we got a surplus in the freezers."

        "Oh." She took another bite of it- he was right, it does feel weird on her teeth, like there's a unnatural shiver. "Brrrr... bad idea to bite it."

        "Told ya."

        She then resorted to licking it- that was the more preferred method as it didn't leave such a weird feeling. The two of them ate in silence as they watched the kids play the game. Before long, Bran was lost in thought, not only about the poison, but about the local shaman reacted to everything here. It's like he was afraid, but angry at the same time. 

        "You know..." He finally said, getting her attention. "... i think i understand why our leaders want to keep us a secret for now."

        "Because of the Shaman?"

        "Right on the first try, but... there's more to it then that. You saw how he reacted to us- how he acted to everything he saw here. He looked so... afraid, yet angry and enraged. Everything here was brand new and, in your planets eyes, unnatural, and that can be scary to someone who's never experienced it before. Then there's us as a people- we're five completely different races and a complete unknown, and he's probably afraid that we will do something horrible. And Fear... fear can be a scary motivator- it can make someone do something stupid, like whack a building with a stick."

        Sokuro glanced away, looking towards the grass to keep herself from making eye contact. "...i... think i get what you are leading towards. I won't lie- the night after everyone met you, they were freaking out. The fact that there is life in the Black Abyss, and that most of our beliefs were lies... it scared a lot of people. Some were even suggesting we attack you before you attacked us. Thank Velk Dexyl and I were able to convince them to give this a shot. But... i still think some of the people at Misken are still afraid of you, despite Velx giving us the OK to try this. And... i think Hola would be a good example of how people outside of the village would react to the news of you." She buried her face in her hands and slunk backwards, draping herself over the crate while keeping the ice cream facing out. "Uuuuuugh... why can't things ever be simple?" 

        "Life never is... uuuuugh..." He buried his sorrows in his popsicle, taking a big bite out of it. Sokuro followed suit. Both instantly regretted it as they got a nasty bout of brain freeze. "Aaaaa......." they both hissed, rubbing their heads.

        "Here you are." Eia squealed as she hugged the two of them from behind, catching them completely off guard. "i was wondering where you two vanished to."

        "Agh..." Bran almost fell off the crate, but Eia kept him up. She didn't do the same for Sokuro and she fell onto the dirt. "...were you looking for us?" 

        "Yeah. Everyone heard what that grumpy old coot of a shaman did and i was worried."

        "I'm fine. Sokuro, on the other hand..."

        Eia's eyes lidded when he brought her up. "What about her?" She asked emotionlessly.

        Sokuro got up and put her elbows on the crate, keeping her popsicle out of hte dirt as she did. "I'm poisoned." She spit grass out of her mouth. "The Phagos left me a little parting gift." She rubbed her neck where she was bitten. "It's slowly killing me from the inside."

        That brought things back into perspective for Eia. She sometimes forgets this is the Silver, and if she dies at a young age thanks to a Phagos... well, it's gonna have repercussions. "...i... wow... i... i'm sorry, Sokuro." And she actually meant it. 

        "It's not like it was your fault." She got back up on the crate and stuck her popsicle back in her mouth. "At least the prick who did it is ether."

        Eia saw the strange treats the two of them were eating and got curious. "What are these?" She pointed to Bran's popsicle.

        "Ice Cream."

        "Oooo, i love ice cream." Sokuro raised a eyebrow as she slowly turned to look at her. How in the world does she know what ice cream is? She never knew what it was until now, unless there was some town on the mainland who is able to make this stuff. In that case, she needs to get out more. "Though... i never saw it like this before."

        "As a popsicle?" He passed his to her. "Try it out then."

        Eia beamed as she took it gladly. "Bet since this was made by advanced people, it must taste amazing." She bit down on it, frightening Bran as she took it down in one gulp. She was going to regret doing that in 3.... 2.... 1.... "Aaaah." She hissed as she held her head.

        Bran and Sokuro winced. "Yeeeeeeah, you shouldn't have done that." He took the stick back. "Brain Freeze... it's what happens when you eat cold stuff way too fast." Sokuro rubbed her own head- that explains their pain earlier. 

        "It feels like a knife is stabbing me in the head." Eia whined.

        "It'll pass. Press your tongue onto the top of your mouth. It helps." She did what she said. It wasn't effectively, but it was better then nothing. "See?"

        "Yeah..." She whined. She rubbed her head as she had one eye open. "...ow... ugh..." She shook her head. "... ugh, so... we're leaving tomorrow. We're going back to the mainland, so we won't be back until next cycle. You won't see me or the rest of the crew for a long while."

        "Aw... that's a shame." Bran said. "You were a lot of fun." Eia looked away to hide her blush from him, but not from Sokuro, who saw that full sale. 

        "T-thanks." SHe worked hard to hide the giggle in her voice. She shook her head, regaining her composure. "Anyway, we're leaving tomorrow from Roko Harbor, so if you want to see us off, you're welcome to come."

        "I think i will. I barely saw any of Roko Harbor last time- that jerk Gallna cut us off before we got to do much." Sokuro nodded in agreement. "So yeah, i think we'll come."

        "Yay." Eia clapped her hands together. 

        There was a loud kick and one of the kids yelled 'heads up!', which prompted the three of them to look towards the field. In just a few seconds, the soccer ball pelted Eia in the face, knocking her down to the ground. Sokuro and Bran quickly got up and ran to her, as did some of the soccer players. "Eia!" Her two friends shouted as they got to her. "You ok?"

        Her eyes spun like dinner plates as little yellow birds fluttered around her head. "No, mommy,  i don't want to eat my supper..." She croaked. "I wanna keep playing in the quarry..."

        "Doctor?" Sokuro suggested.

        "Doctor."



        "I told you you would get lost." Polosa said as she followed Ventus, who was cluelessly wandering through the forest, trying to find the way back to Novalle. She had warned him multiple times, but he was a stubborn fox.

        "Shut up, i'm not lost. Kitsunes never get lost."

        "You did just now." She smugly jeered. The two of them reached a very big bush that stretched for miles- getting around this was going to take some time.

        He looked at her with lidded eyes. "And you don't?" He pulled out a machete and began hacking away at the bush- he was not going to go all the way around.

        "I've been hunting in this forest for decades. You've only been here a few weeks." She followed him through the bush, keeping her distance as he swung his blade. "Plus, i can change and fly anytime i want. Experience and power goes to me."

        Vent hacked away at the last of the bush, finishing the little shortcut he had made. They could see the path continue and put his weapon away. "Suuuure." She rolled her eyes, following right behind him. They took a few steps, "You're just too proud to admit that you can get loooooooo-" and the two of them fell right down into a deep, deep hole. They yelled for a good while before they hit what they hoped was the bottom.

        "...... well, tsk.... i think we're definitely lost now."

        "........... ugh..."

31: Chapter 29: Into the Golden Gate...
Chapter 29: Into the Golden Gate...

Chapter 29

Into the Golden Gate...

3/14/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)



 

        Pebbles bounced down the rock wall, echoing deep into the cave. Following them was a screaming Ventus, who yelled as he fell for the umpteenth time, this time landing on his side, bruising it. Polosa winced in pain when he struck the ground- he did it exceptionally hard that time. "Oooooow..." He whined.

        "That looked like it hurt." She said.

        "It did..." He rolled onto his front. "I think i broke my kidney..."

        She looked up at where they fell in. Even after so many years, there's always something new to find on this sub-continent. The question is: how did they miss it? It wasn't surrounded by bushes or trees. Was this a recent development? Since the tunnel they're in isn't that big, it's possible that a adolescent Yeet was responsible. But all the speculation is fruitless if they don't find a way out of here. "I think we confirmed that the walls are too slippery to climb." She put her hand on one side, feeling moss. "Though i thought you... un... what was it... Kitsunes were acrobatic."

        "I failed gym class..." He groaned, pushing himself onto his knees. "Ugh..." He looked to her. "Don't you have a scale? You can just transform and burst us out of here."

        "It doesn't work like that." She said. "This tunnel is too small for my Aerid form to materialize. And even if i was that strong, i run the risk of burying you alive in rubble."

        "You have a weak form?"

        "I rarely use it, if that's what you mean, so i'm a bit out of practice. On top of that, i use wind. If i were affiliated with the ground, i could get us out, but i'd still run the risk of burying you."

        "Great..." He grumbled. "Wait a tick, i thought Aerids can use all the elements."

        "Through months of practice, i'd be lucky enough to move a boulder half the size of a Airship. It's not that we can't use the others- it just takes far too long to learn how to move something so small. Silvers can--"

        "Yeah yeah yeah, Silver's are special- yaddi yaddi yadda. I heard that so many times, i'm keeping carpel ear." He got up and grabbed the barrel of his rifle he had leaned against the wall. He attached it to his back via magnets as he looked up where they fell in. That must've been a 40 foot drop, easy. It's a miracle they don't have any broken limbs. "If we had a grappling hook, we could probably toss it up there..."

        "But we don't." She turned her attention down the tunnel. "Our best bet to getting out of here is to follow the tunnel and hope it brings us out to a bigger cave to where i can change or, or possibly an exit."

        "It's our only option." He added. "You don't have any subterranean monsters that can eat us, do you?"

        "None that i can remember. Not on Evioly, anyway. Our only threat would be a Yeet- a beast that constantly digs, and digs, and digs. This tunnel was likely one of the adolescents learning how to dig. We don't have to worry about them eating us: they only eat worms and bugs and edible rocks. Our biggest threat would be them crushing us. But again, since a adolescent likely made this tunnel, we'll probably be ok."

        "How big can they get?"

        "Pretty big. Heard of one the size of a house over at the Gfolaut Desert on the mainland." He tilted his head in puzzlement. "Or to use a example close to home, they would be the same size as one of those... what do you call them, prefabs?"

        "Pre-fabricated homes. And that is big." A normal prefab home is around 100 feet long, 15 feet tall, and 40 feet wide with 5 rooms- a meeting/family/living room with a connected kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. If one of those diggers is that big, then Polosa is right- the crushing weight will kill them before the critters even thinks about eating them.  "Well... no sense staying around here, so.... which way do we go?"

        "Hmm..." She looked to her left, and then she looked to her right. Depending on which way they go, this could take hours or days. She lost her bearings from up above, so she doesn't have a clue which way may be the correct way. "Mmmmmmm.... that way." She pointed to her left. "i got a good feeling about that direction." She hauled up her bags and shouldered her crossbow. "We should hurry, though. I don't want to get lost down here when Frostnight comes."


 The Next Day.... 3/15/5791 E.S.D.


        The light of the rising sun seeped through the curtains and into Sokuro's room. She sat at the table, finally getting around to reading her parents book. There were so many notes and observations in here; this was going to take days to read, at least. Also within the filled pages were drawings and theories- the mural on the last filled-in page wasn't the only one. There were so many things in here she wasn't aware of before, and she lived with them 7 years out of her life. 

        She can remember her time with her parents perfectly. It's almost like it was yesterday when she and her mother were sitting in a chair and she was reading a sweet story to both her and Taled. Has it really been 2 years? Have they really been gone that long? She remembers so clearly, and yet... she knows they can never come back, no matter how much she wishes for it. How long, perhaps, until her memory of them starts to fade? It's a sad, but true fact of life that even your most precious memories will fade away with time. It's something she doesn't want, but it's one she knows will happen, and there was nothing she can do about it.

        The book, the mystery jar, the bejeweled knife, the Lithograph, and the burnt locket- she would protect these things unto her dying breath in order to keep those memories. Well... maybe not the Lithograph. The mural from the Meoho cave didn't give her much love for the creature designed on it.

        Speaking of which, she flipped to the next page and got a shiver when she saw detailed drawings of the beast in question. The thing had two whole pages dedicated to it. The face was drawn in disturbing detail. Notes scattered all over the pages filled in some of the questions. She rested her head on her fist as she read it.

        "(During a Phagos attack, my wife and i hid with the rest of the town in a cave near Raxsho. Inside, the two of us discovered a small carving of a unknown, yet frightening creature...)" She glanced over towards the Lithograph before burying her face back in tht tome; that thing still sent shivers down her spine. 

        "(The creature appears to be a Aerid, but disturbingly mutated and possibly deadly, based on its design. And based on the composition of the carving, it must be at least tens of thousands of cycles old, meaning this thing could've been around since the dawn of Dragenia. We asked the village Shaman what it meant, but he was as clueless as we were. After the attack ended, we went to Xoelsa to uncover what we could. Even the heads of the academy were at a loss, and our research barely turned up anything. From what we can gather, the beast is ancient... and as it hasn't been seen for eons, it must be dead... though i have my doubts. There have been reports of strange creature sightings, about a feathered Aerid with a frightening demeanor. The sightings have been dismissed as heresay, but what if the creature still exists? Did a Ferid discover immortality? And if so, what was the cost to be given to have such a scary form? It's a question i don't think anyone wants answered. For now, we're simply going to call this thing the Feathered Devil. Seems a fitting description as ever. Regardless, i hope the monster doesn't exist- i don't want my coming child to be killed by this thing.)"

        "So even they couldn't figure out what it was... the monster must truly be old..." She said to herself. "And i hope it doesn't exist too, dad." There were notes, going into hypothetical detail on its armaments- the teeth, the claws, and the tail. Her mother theorizes that the tail could act like a spring, given how uncommon it looks.

        As she flipped to the next page, she heard footsteps running down the hall. The door opened up and Taled ran on in. "Heeeeey, sis!" He slid in on his socks. "Guess what we're going to do!"

        "Not be loud?"

        "HA! Funny. No no no, we're gonna go hit the beach!"

        That made her pull her attention away. "Hit the beach?"

        "Yeah! With Frostnight approaching, we better get what fun we can before we're freezing!"

        She put a cloth between the pages she was on and closed the book. "But it's still morning, and it's mating season for the Calcaus, isn't it?" Calcaus' are very aggressive and very vicious. Resembling a shark with a couple large humps like a camel, these things almost have a big a appetite as the Phagos. It gets worse during mating season as they stay near the shore instead of out in the deep sea- approaching the water is suicide at that point. Mating season for these carnivores is also another sign that Frostnight is coming.

        "Well, i don't know how, but they did. Now come on!" He ran back out the door.

        Sokuro pursed her lips before looking back at her book. She wanted to keep reading this to learn more about what their parents were... but a trip to the beach does sound like a good, fun time before the month-long frost arrives. Besides, she can't lie; she's interested to see how exactly they were keeping the sharks away. Taking her book with her, she followed her little brother, knowing she was going to have to give him a ride.

       

        Down below, lost within the seemingly endless tunnels, Ventus and Polosa had stopped into a small alcove to sleep and recover their strength. Deep into their slumber, the native hunter had snuggled up close to the alien colonist, who didn't realize she was that close to him until he woke up.

         "Mmm........" He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He felt pain in his back- probably from sleeping in the dirt and rock. "That was unpleasant..." He groaned. He shimmied around to rub his sore back. That's when he finally noticed Polosa's head nuzzled deep into his chest. "Un.........."

        Polosa finally woke up and yawned like a cat. "Ugh... i'm gonna need a massage to work out the knots in my back..." She noticed her position and sucked in her lips. She looked up at Ventus, who had the same perplexed expression on his face that she has. "... We didn't do anything last night, did we?"

        "No. No. We went straight to sleep- that much is for certain." Polosa pushed herself off his chest and straightened up her shirt. Ventus sat up and did the same. "This must've happened while we were asleep.... i think."

        "You think? That's not reassuring."

        "We didn't do anything, so there's no reason to fret." He got up and stretched his arms above his head, cracking his back to work out all the kinks. "Moving on before things get more awkward..." She nodded in agreement as she stretched her back. "You do remember which way we're going, right?"

        "Yeah." She walked over to a wall on the opposite side of the tunnel and pointed to a crossbow bolt she left sticking out. It was pointing to her left. "I left this here before going to sleep so we don't get turned around."

        "Smart thinking." He squatted down and opened up his knapsack to see if he had anything to eat. He was starving and so was she. They walked for so long last night, they fell straight asleep without any food. He hoped he had grabbed some granola bars before leaving the day before. Sadly, they weren't so fortunate. "... crap." He droned disappointingly. "We don't have any food..." He closed it.

        "And i haven't seen any insects either." She added on. He tossed her knapsack over and she caught it. "We better hope this leads to an exit soon, otherwise we're in deep trouble."

        Ventus stood back up and put his pack on. He clicked his fingers when he remembered something. "Didn't two kids get trapped down here before?"

        "Sokuro and one of your colonist kids, yes. It was during that surprise quake." The same idea Vent had clicked in her head. "And they found a way out. And they mentioned Tay Sokuro Besen."

        "You're gonna have to refresh my memory on that."

        "Tay Sokuro Besen is said to be the birthplace of all life on Dragenia. The place is sacred- a holy site nobody can enter. But... unfortunately, we're going to have to go there if we want out." She checked to see how many crossbow bolts she had left. "And if it's as grand and massive with it's own ecosystem, as she claims, we could possibly find some food."

        "If it's that big, why haven't we fallen into it?"

        "You'd be surprised how big the underground actually is around here, especially with all the digging Yeets can do. The gorge they fell into was near the shoreline whereas we were near Misken's mesa, so... eliminating all possibilities, maybe the Basen is under the sea. We do have shallow waters in these parts, and ancient maps depict Evioly in a different shape then what we have today."

        "Shifting landmasses." He concluded. "That's not Dragenia exclusive, i can tell you that much."

        She shrugged. "Well... sacred or not, it's our only way out of here, so let's hope this tunnel eventually leads there."


        As Sokuro neared the beach, she saw what her little brother meant when he said they didn't have to worry about Calcaus' attacking them while at the beach. She saw several mechanical pillars rising out of the water in a semi-circle, stopping where the waves crashed onto the shore. While it may be a simple semi-circle, the pillars were huge and spread out over a large area- from the center, it's a mile in diameter. 

        She would later learn that the colonists had constructed the pillars to give the Hesk a safe place to reproduce for the time being. Like their earth cousins of octopi and squids, they lay eggs in water to carry on their species, and as such, they needed a place to do so as they didn't have the time to build embryonic water tanks specifically for this purpose; fortunately, the Hesk don't lay a lot of eggs. The colonists learned about the vicious sharks and revived old technology to create a invisible field that would keep anything that would eat the eggs out. Luck was on their side as the Calcaus don't really care where they breed, just as long as it's near the shoreline, in shallow enough waters to where the young could learn to swim and eat before venturing out into the big blue wet thing, something the Hesk weren't going to do. And this more or less a temporary thing as the head honchos don't want to disrupt the local ecosystem anymore then it is. They don't have the time to build water tanks, but they do have the resources; they just need to finish setting up for winter. Until then, however, this makes for a pretty good retreat, and will be again once mating season for the Hesk is done and they move to the water tanks.

       As Sokuro drew closer, she wondered what she didn't notice them before, but she did have something to worry about, such as being poisoned. And as she got closer, she saw they weren't tall- they weren't even as tall as the trees, so there was no way she could've seen them from Novalle. She imagines they'll get bigger or the colonists will construct some way to get there.

        "Told ya we didn't have to worry about the Calcaus'." Taled chortled as they touched down on the sand. 

        "Yeah... i guess you're right..." She said passingly. She spotted the tent used for Georgia's and Inoute's first meeting the day after first contact. She's surprised it hasn't been taken down yet, but it does belong to the colonists, so maybe it's being reused for something. Their things are multipurpose, for all intents and purposes. There were people here, but none of them were going for a swim; they were technicians making sure the pylons weren't electrocuting everything in a certain radius. "But nobody is swimming or playing. Like i told you, it's too early."

        "You aren't even a little bit interested?"

        Sokuro had more or less had just woken up when she started reading. Only thing she did before then was go to the bathroom, so she is hungry and not having any of Taled's shenanigans today. "No."

        "Fine." He slid off her back and landed on the sand. She began changing back to her Ferid self as he ran off. "I'm gonna go check it out anyway."

        "Yeah, you do that." She said dismissively, with the book still in her hands. Finding a nice, mossy rock to sit down on, she opened the book and started reading once again.

        Reading through several more pages of animals and ruins that aren't on Evioly, she flipped to the next page... and saw something surprising that caught her full attention. It was the door- the same large, gargantuan door she and Bran saw when they were trapped underground. Like everything else in the book, it was rendered in loving detail. The description her parents had wrote read as follows,

        "(With permission from Voul, we were granted access to the mysterious birthplace of all life on Evioly, a place nobody had been since the fall of the ancient Gaharot Empire. Down below, we discovered a massive chamber, rich with life. A ecosystem separate from the surface had risen here, and beyond was a gargantuan cavern that opened up into stone pillars that led on forever, into the mist. Amosit claims to have seen something equally as humongous in the distance, but i didn't see anything; if true, could that have been the enigmatic Umatz himself? He is said to be as big as the world he created. We soon came upon ruins of the ancient Gaharots... and something out of place...)"

        It continued on the next page.

        "(... a door, unlike anything we have ever seen before. This thing was hundreds of feet tall, bare minimum. It was solid gold, with jewels embedded into the frame. We've started calling it the Golden Gate, as there wasn't really a better term for it. Could this be how the Gods came to Dragenia? Through this forgotten artifact of impressive size and scope? If it is, i can see why the Astrals would've wanted to keep this a secret. Anyone could enter their realm. Or was this created instead by the Gaharots? Legends tell that they had technology that we haven't reached yet, capable of amazing and impossible feats. If that was true, then did they build it to try to usurp the Gods? Or to try and gain access to other realms as well? There's nowhere in the Word of Umatz stating that Dragenia is the only world, at least none that  i am aware of....)"

        "If only they knew..." She said to herself.

        "(...regardless, all we can do is speculate as we have no way to activate the Gate, if it can even be activated at all. Amosit discovered something that seemed to be a keyhole, but it is so thin, no modern key would work. It is the same size as the dagger we uncovered at a dig site near Mocurot, so maybe it's the key? We'll never know as we've only been allowed this one time to study the location. Whatever the Gate's true function is, it won't be answered anytime soon.)"

        She was about to move on to the next page when she remembered one of her birthday gifts was a dagger. "Wait... didn't i get one for my birthday...?" She rolled back to the page where the dagger she received was on. It was near the front of the book, but she couldn't remember the exact page. It was- the same shape and design. The information was the same as what she read before, but she never paid much attention to the notes. They were usually just random observations, anyways.

        "(Addendum; further speculation and observation have us determining that maybe the dagger wasn't just a ceremonial piece, but is in fact related to the massive artifact we discovered under Evioly. Imilae believes it to be the key needed to activating the artifact's true function. While they don't share the same gold coloring, they are related in the fact they have jewels embedded into their design, and it's the only thing we've seen thin enough to fit into what we're assuming to be the keyhole. But we'll never find out as repeated requests to enter the Basen have been rejected.)"

        Her eyes widened by this new information, she set the book down and chuckled to herself. She has the key to a unknown gate in her room, gathering dust. Her smiled widened as excitement took her over. There was no way she was going to pass this up, not when she's this close to finishing that mystery her parents started. Velx and the rest of the Astrals will probably be angry when they learn she entered the Basen without express permission, but that's what kept her parents back in the first place, and she was down there before. Not on purpose, sure, but she was down there, with a outsider from another world, no less. And if that giant serpent was Umatz the Creator, then he won't harm them. Legends say he's a pacifist at heart, but not against fighting should the need be absolute. 

        "I need to tell Bran." She closed her book and began to transform. 



        Where was Bran? Well, since this was still into the early hours of the morning, he was still asleep while the adults were waking up to get the day started. He usually woke up to the smell of coffee. He doesn't drink it; the smell just wakes him up from his slumber. Not today as a certain energized friend burst right in, eager to get this mystery answered.

        She skidded in front of his bed and bounced her hands on hiss side and his bed wildly. "Bran, Bran, Bran, Bran, Bran, Bran, Bran, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake uuuuuuuup..."

        He was up, and not at all enthused at what she was doing. "I-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i'm u-u-u-u-u-u-u-up..." She stopped bouncing him. His eyes spun like plates as his upper body seemed to keep on bouncing. Worst wake-up call ever. "YEakp... hblutigka...." He shook his head, regaining his sanity. When he saw Sokuro grinning from ear to ear, he got a bad feeling about this already. It's rare for him to see Sokuro this energized, so it can never bold well. "Oh lord...."

        She bounced up and down like a energetic puppy. "Guess what, guess what, guess what!" 

        He could care less about guessing right now. He was having a good dream. "... what time is it...?" He looked at his alarm clock and saw that, for him, it was too early. "... are you kidding me...?" He fell back down and pull his sheets back over him. She rolled her eyes and swiftly pulled the sheets back. "Aaaaare you kidding me?!"

        "I need to tell you something!!"

        "Tell me at noon!" He grabbed the sheets, but she held on tight like a monkey to a branch.

        "But i need to tell you noooooow..." Her feet hit the ground fast enough to pass for the pitterpatter of mice.

        "It can wait till lunch!" She grimaced and grumbled at his resistance. She was not going to wait for him. SHe plopped the heavy book down on his lap, making him exhale loudly as it landed on sensitive materials. It woke him up, though. "Aaaaagh... feeeeeeeeehit...." He whined with a high pitch. He was ready to bean her for dong this particular stunt. "Sokuro.....!"

        "LOOK!" She pointed to the open page.

        "Oh good grief, fine!" Under pained protest, he looked down at the open page and saw the giant door etched into it in loving detail. "....... that's.... the giant door."

        "Yeah! Mom and Dad investigated it!"

        His ears rang from all the shouting she was doing. "Agh. Ok. Ok. Simmer down- you're hurting my ears." She realized how loud she was being and put a finger to her mouth to show him she can stay quiet. Bran picked up the book and looked at it. He can understand the pictures well enough, but not the writing. There's still no visual translator, and nobody's volunteered to teach calligraphy classes yet. "Un... what does it say?"

        "They called it the Golden Gate." She hopped onto his bed and sat down across from him. "They don't know what it is either, but they speculate that it's a doorway to other worlds or even the Realm of the Gods."

        "Well, it's a huge door, right? Doors go places. But... tsh, Dragenian Olympus, that's... that's stretching it a little, right?" She glared at him with lidded eyes. "Sorry."

        "Anyway... that's not all." She flipped the pages back to the dagger and slapped her hand on it. "Behold, the key."

        Now this he found hard to believe. "Really? A knife?"

        "It's the only thing thin enough to fit into the keyhole, they figured. But that's not the best part: I have it! I received it as a birthday present the same day i got my scale! It was one of the few things to survive the fire and me and Taled inherited it. It's in my room right now." He rolled his head back as he closed the book. "Not since the Gaharot Empire has this Golden Gate been opened. This was forgotten to time and history- there's no telling what this leads to!"

       Bran rubbed his tired eyes as her tail wagged wildly in excitement. He never saw that happen before, so she must really be eager to get see what's inside. "You really want to know what's behind that, don't you?" She nodded with a wide smile on her face. "Sokuro....what if this doesn't work? I mean, this all seems astronomical and impossible and--"

        She grabbed his hands and held them tight as her eyes shimmered with emotion. "Bran... please... i need to do this..."

        The puppy dog eyes- it's effective even with other races. He was going to regret this, but it's crystal clear that she wants to do this. "............ sigh, i'm gonna regret this... fine. We'll check it out." She giggled in anticipation. He slid her off his bed by pulling back the sheets towards him. "But before i do anything, i need to eat, dress, and potty, can you let me do that?"

        "Fine. I need to go get the dagger from my room anyway." She ran out the door and back to home as Bran pulled the covers back onto his bed and stood up, stretching his arms into the air.

        He remembered something he had to do first, though. "OH, right, Eia." He checked the time. "Eh... Sokuro can wait a bit..."



        The way Sokuro was wired right now, there was no way she was going to wait for him. Proof: she flew from Novalle to Misken in record time, traveling at speeds accessible only to wind-affiliated Aerids- now where was this speed for her escape during the Koloron? She landed at the dock neatest to the orphanage and changed back, running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

        She burst on in, completely ignoring Vaset and Leoi as they said hi as they ate breakfast and jogged up the stairs as fast as an olympic runner. "What's got her in a hurry?" Vaset asked. Leoi only shrugged and took a bite out of some toast.

        She skidded into her room and bolted straight for her dresser. "Please still be there, please still be there, please still be there..." She moved some of the trinkets aside and found the dagger under a book, acting as a impromptu bookmark. 'Ugh... !" She grabbed the book and put it on top of the Lithograph- that'll work as her bookmark. She grabbed the dagger and clicked in the button on the handle. She pulled it out partially and smiled. "Hope you can see me..." She said to herself as she put the dagger back into the scabbed. 

        She took a few running steps towards the exit when she suddenly stopped, overcome by a out-of-nowhere bout of dizziness. Her vision blurred as her ears rang. "Wh.... what is...." The Phagos bite flared up again; She had difficulty staying on her feet. Even if she did look, her watery vision would not be able to make out the faint rainbow glow coming from her hidden floorboard. "Why do i... feel... so...." She collapsed onto the floor and fainted on the spot. The glow stopped the moment her face touched the floorboards. 


        "Ow. Ow."

        Eia walked out of the infirmary with her head hanging backwards. The soccer ball that hit her yesterday did some damage, cracking her nose and deviating her septum. The doctor in charge was able to repair it, but she was going to have to wear a cast on her nose for the next few weeks. Timing it out, it should be healed by the time they reach the Trading Post. 

        "You're sure i'm not missing any teeth?" She spoke in a nasally tone of voice. It sounded like her nose was plugged and she was sounding like a frog, running her tongue over her teeth. "I feel like i'm missing teeth."

        "You're not missing any teeth." Bran said as he escorted her out of the infirmary. 

        Eia grunted with exhaustion as she sat down on a nearby bench. The anesthesia used seems to be extra-effective on Ferids as she still feels a bit out of it. When she first got it, she was as loopy as a cartoon. After a good nights sleep, most of that loopiness was gone. She still feels as high as a kite, and that was gonna last a while. That didn't stop her from acting like her normal self. "When i catch the punk who hit me with that ball, i'm gonna fry him."

        Bran rolled his eyes as he checked the pain medication the doc gave for her to take. "Well, you were pretty brave in there." He said as he read the instructions, especially since the natives still can't read Milky Way Basic. "Most are still afraid of all our tech."
    
        "It's still going to take some getting used to. I mean, a machine that can see your bones- that just screams of evil sorcery."

        Bran rolled his eyes when he finished reading the instructions. "Ok... you are supposed to take one pain pill a day after dinner, and you're to keep this up until you run out. By that point, it should be healed enough to take the cast off."

        She sat back on her hands, slumping her shoulders over the bench. "I'm guessing there is a reason i can't take them all at once."

        "You would overdose and die."

        "There it is." He handed the bottle of pills to her and she took it. "Can these even work for Ferids?"

        "It should. They're meant to be universal- the other four races can take them, so i don't see why you can't. If it makes you feel any better, a Ferid broke her wrist and she was in so much pain, she took one despite knowing the risks- she pretty much volunteered to be an experiment. Thankfully, she lived, but was a little loopy for a bit too long."

        "I'll take loopy over pain."

        Bran tapped his foot on the ground and checked the time on his phone. "She's taking a bit too long on a simple grab."

        "Huh?"

        "Sokuro- she's taking way too long grabbing..." Bran put his phone to his mouth, wondering if he should tell her. It's not every day you are able to answer an mystery whose answer was lost to time. What's the worst that could happen? It's not like anyone will believe her. To be safe, he'll leave out the mystery arrow and the giant snake; he didn't want to scare her. "Well... i guess i can tell you."

        "Tell me what?"

        Bran sat down next to her, which made her slightly blush. "Well... remember that nasty Ear---- Drageniaquake that happened? The one that trapped me and her inside that giant crevice?"

        "I don't think anyone in the world forgot that quake. But why bring that up?"

        He popped his lips. "Well... we followed a tunnel as she was too hurt to fly and found ourselves in a place called Ty Sokuro Basen." Eia gasped and was going to speak up, but he kept her quiet. "I know, i know, sacred place, i got that hammered in. Anyway... there, we found a gigantic golden door- bigger then anything you'd ever seen. It was taller then the Shattered Rose." Her mouth dropped. Something that huge exists? Shattered Rose and similar ships of its class are the biggest ever built. "We eventually found our way out, wondering what we saw and we just sorta forgot about it. At least i did and i assume she did too. That was until today. She burst into my room and slammed her parents book down. Taking up two pages was that same door. They called it the Golden Gate and believed it could access other realms."

        "And by the sounds of it, i'm guessing Sokuro now knows how to open it."

        "She thinks she does. She got a few relics for her birthday and one of them was a knife. Based on what she read, she thinks it's the key."

        A knife serving as a key? What next- swords shaped like keys? "Is it?"

        "I guess we'll find out, if she ever gets back." He leaned forward and rested his head on his hand as he put elbow to knee. She woke him up for this, and now she's taking far too long for something she was this eager for. Either she got held up or this was a mean joke. He glanced over to Eia, wondering how she was reacting, and saw that she was just sitting silently with her hands on her stomach, not even asking about this. "And you're not questioning any of this? You don't think i'm making this up?"

        "Why would you be making this up? What COULD you gain from making a story like this up?" That's true. "Besides, i have an hour to kill before we depart to Roko Harbor, so even if this is phooey, it'll still eat up time."

        "I guess." He tapped his foot impatiently, glaring up towards Misken. "Do you think you're well enough to fly?"

        "You wanna go see what's taking her so long, don't you?"

        "Am i that transparent?"

        
        A splitting headache, a burning neck, and a ear-grating ring tore through Sokuro's ears as she regained consciousness. Her entire body hurt as she forced her face off the floor. "Ow..." She whispered. Everything about her felt numb, which was concerning, seeing as how she was vibrant no more then a few minutes ago. She leaned back on the end of her bed and panted in pain. "What... hit me...?" She grunted.

       From the hallway came in Bran and Eia, the first of whom was getting ornery he was being, for lack of a better term, stood up. They saw her sitting at the foot of her bed with a big bruise on her forehead, telling them that she fell. "What happened?" Bran asked as he approached. Eia, on the other hand, walked around Sokuro's room.

        "I don't know..." She exhaled. "I grabbed the dagger and was ready to go when i suddenly felt dizzy... next thing, i'm just now waking up with my face in the floor... now i have a splitting headache and my ears are ringing..."

        "Maybe you overdid it with your excitement."

        She rubbed her forehead. "I guess..." She winced. "i do know pain sucks big time..."

        Bran had just the remedy for that. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a box of breath mints. He's saw this done on medical sows before- placebos; sugar pills doctors give patients to trick their mind into thinking they were given magical cure-alls. There's no guarantee it'll work here, but stranger things have happened. He made sure she didn't see the name and pulled out a mint. "Here. This is a pill to help with the pain." Sokuro took it and gulped it down without even thinking. Granted, with how pained her mind feels, how can she think?

        Eia looked around the room her 'rival' lives in, aghast that it's not the pig sty she was suggesting. "This room is quite nice." She commented as she wandered around. "I honestly thought this place was going to be a huge mess."

        "Well, sorry to disappoint you..." Sokuro hissed as she waited for the "pill" to take effect. "And why is she here?"

        "I.... may have told her about the door."

        Figures. Eia's always found ways to get involved with their escapades. ".... of course you did."

        "WHOA!" Eia exclaimed as she held the Lithograph. "This is one ugly fella." She showed it to them. Bran recognized the monster on it from the mural. 

        "Mom and dad left that to me and Taled. It was one of the few things to survive the fire, along with that jar, my locket..." She held up her hand with the knife. "... and this dagger. Hela was holding these until i got my scale."

        Bran spotted a inconsistency in her story, "Wait, i thought you got those for your birthday."

        "I got my scale early. My birthday is so close to Ascension Day, they didn't feel like making me wait another whole cycle until i got my scale. Guess i continue to be lucky, seeing as how i'm now part of a important lineage."

        "So when is your birthday?"

        "Hey." Eia clapped her hands. "Let's focus here. I only got 50 minutes to spend before i have to head back to the Shattered Rose and leave, so i would very much like to get this done. You can continue your discussion on the flight there."

        "Someone's being rude." Feeling a little bit better, Sokuro pushed herself off the floor and onto her feet. "I'm feeling better. Whatever you gave me did the trick." Bran modestly shrugged and waved his hands, while Eia was naturally perturbed she got healed quickly while she has to deal with a broken nose for the foreseeable future. "Come on, then. Let's go get that mystery door open." She walked out the room.

        Bran walked to follow but was stopped by a irritated Eia. "Hold on, you gave her something that heals instantly yet i have to deal with this pain for Velx knows how long?"

        Bran caustically and carefully pulled out the tin, to insure Sokuro didn't see it as he showed it to her. "I didn't give her a real pill." That didn't do much to dissuade Eia's glare. "It's called a Placebo- doctors use it on patients to trick their mind into thinking they were given magical cure-alls, when it's just a fake."

        "That's devious."

        "That's modern medicine and psychology for ya. Well, modern for us, but... you get the point."


        "I'm starviiiiiiiiiiing!!!" Ventus painfully whined as he rubbed his empty stomach.

        Polosa slumped forward, tired of his constant whining. It's only been an hour since they woke, yet he's gotten this bad. "I'm hungry too, but whining about it won't change things." She said as they tiredly made their way down the mysterious tunnels. Their legs were hurting from all this long walking. SHe took a drink out of her canteen and offered it to him.

        He took it and took a drink. Having cold water fall into a empty stomach is a strange feeling. "I knew i should've brought some granola bars, but noooo... i told myself i was gonna be back in a few hours, now i'm stuck down in tunnels dug by some overgrown ferret with a constant need to dig, with someone else who didn't think it wise to pack some food herself."

        "Like i planned for the two of us being stuck down here." She sighed. She saw how far they still had to go and got concerned. They were close to running out of water, and add lack of water on top of lack of food, and she's not feeling too hot about their chances of surviving down here. "I hope we get to the Basen soon- we'll be in big trouble if we run out of water."

        "You just had to remind me." Vent groaned.

        Pebbles fell from above and fell in front of them, forcing the two to stop. They looked up and prayed there weren't about to be buried under rubble. Or worse, a different subterranean monster; there always has to be more then one. 

        The answer came soon as Ventus was suddenly hit on the back and fell to the ground. Polosa looked and chucked when she saw that a cute little and very familiar lizard had fallen onto his back, with its catch in its mouth. It ate it up whole and licked its chops.

        "Why me?" Ventus whined with a face full of dirt. The tiny terror hopped off his back and strode along, feeling mighty fine about itself. He lifted up his head and gave the salamander a glare. "What is that thing?" He snarled.

        "I think that's a Kalamanker."

        "No." He licked his lips, pushing his chest up with his hands. "That's lunch!" His legs spun like wheels as he ran after the little pseudo-dragon. The critter shrieked before running down the tunnel.

        "Ventus!" Polosa shouted as she ran after the animal and the hunter.

        Ventus laughed like a hunger-crazed maniac, ready to put this creature on a spit and roast it over a open fire. The Salamander was a lot faster then it looked and was able to keep a good distance away from the lunatic. Polosa kept pace, but slowed down a tad when she heard something odd coming from the end of the tunnel. It...... sounded like a waterfall.

        "Get in my bellay!!!" Vent shouted as he dived towards the tiny tot. The Salamander dodged it and ran out the tunnel exit, running to the right and out of sight. He got back up and ran again. "Get back here, dinner!" He ran out the tunnel exit, ready to turn and snatch his snack... but stopped the moment he exited. Polosa was right behind him and came to a stop as well.

        The tunnel had opened up into the vast, seemingly impossible underground world Sokuro and Bran had uncovered not too long ago. Like the kids before them, they came out onto a cliff ledge, overlooking the vast array of trees and unknown animals far below them. The entrance to the massive cavern of connected stalagmites and stalactites was to their left, and close enough to where it felt like they were going to be sucked in.

        "Holy..." Ventus gasped, taken aback by how enormous this place was. "... i take it this is Ty Sokuro Basen..."

        "It must be..." She gasped in earnest. "It matches the description the children gave: massive, underground world..." She turned to follow the path and was taken by surprise at yet another impossible sight. Vent heard her gasp and looked in the direction she did and saw something that should be impossible with Dragenia's current level of technology: a gigantic golden door that stretched all the way up to the roof of the cavern. 

        "That... is a big door..." Vent chuckled to himself. He followed the gold all the way up to the roof. "It's almost half as long as the Argo Marquis..."

        "Amazing..." Polosa gasped. "The ancient Gaharots must've built this. Before they were our slaves, they--"

        "I remember the history lesson. They had a empire in ancient times but were overthrown by ancient Ferids. Even so... hoho, wow! That thing should be impossible to make with your current level of technology. That... that has some implications."

        She looked on in marvelous awe before the flapping of wings caught her ear. From the other side of the cavern came two Aerids; one purple in color, the other a very familiar shade of grey. The purple one stopped, likely in awe, but that only lasted a moment. They flew in through another tunnel- likely linked to the crevice up on the surface- and headed straight for the door. "...what's Sokuro doing here?"

        "How can you tell that's even her?" He joked. He glanced over to her to see if she got the joke, only to be met with a angered glare. "... it was a joke. Heh... i do them." He wiped his thumb under his nose. "Well, un... we can always just ask." He walked away from her and towards the kids, wanting to get away from that evil stare.



        When Eia entered the Basen, she experienced the same shock and awe Bran and Sokuro felt weeks ago and what Ventus and Polosa felt now. How can something this grand and magnificent exist under their feet? Such a thing should be impossible. "Whooooa..." She gasped.

        "I know, right?" Bran said as he hitched a ride on her back. "I'm still shocked this place exists."

        "Hey." Sokuro spoke up. "Focus here."

        "Right. Sorry." Eia followed after Sokuro as she made her way towards the giant golden door and the ruined village that surrounded it. "Are those... buildings?"

        "Yep." Bran quickly confirmed. "If this is the origin point of all life on the planet, it would make sense for there to be buildings here. You don't become a world-spanning powerhouse overnight. That takes a lot of time."

        The two dragonesses landed at the entrance to the village and began to change back into their Ferid selves. Bran slipped off Eia's back as sparkles emanated from her. Sokuro ran on ahead, book and dagger in hand before Eia finished transformer. "Wait, Sokuro!" Bran called out, but it was no use. There was no way she was going to listen. 

        "Figures." Eia said as the sparkles stopped and she walked out in her Ferid self. Bran shrugged in reply before the two walked after her. Eia looked up at the ceiling and was just amazed at how high up it was. "How can this place exist? it's so big- it should be impossible. The ceiling alone is higher then the Misken Mesa. And i bet you can fit the entirety of Roko Harbor in here and then some. How can all this exist down here?"

         Bran put his hands behind his head and exhaled. "If i were to take a guess... i would say shifting landmass would be the culprit here. Odds are that this was up on the surface long ago, but a quake or something equally as powerful buried it all the way under here, accessible only by that crevice. Best guess: we're under the ocean. Not even going to try and guess how far down we are or where in relation to both towns it is."

        "I guess that would make sense... there are maps that show Evioly is much bigger then it is now. One even had the Basen labeled." The two rounded a corner on the ruined road and headed straight for the door. They could see Sokuro was already at it, looking between the book and it. "What's the hold up?" Eia asked as they approached.

        "It looks simple: just put it in and turn, but..." She scratched her head with the daggers scabbard. "I honestly feel like i'm forgetting something."

        "Like how you are not supposed to be down here in the first place!?!" Polosa shouted with authority.

        Sokuro nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her voice. The other two kids were shocked as well by the sudden appearance of an adult, though why a Kitsune was with her was a bigger question. "P-Polosa?! How did you--"

        "We fell into a hole yesterday and we've been trapped down here ever since, following tunnels and hoping for a way out." Ventus quickly explained as he poked out from behind. "I'm Ventus, by the way. You can also call me Vent. By the way, do you have anything to eat, cause i am starving!"

        "Ventus!" She commanded. He stopped and stiffened up- this is a new side of her he wasn't expecting. She turned her attention back towards the kids. "Again, why are you down here? This place is off limits, ESPECIALLY to little kids."

        "You're here." Eia mouthed.

        "Not by choice."

        "Wasn't for us the last time either." Sokuro explained. "You remember the story me and Bran told. We just... didn't explain everything."

        "Like this giant door?" She gestured to the enormous entryway.

        "Yeah. The Golden Gate. People already have a hard time believing me and i'm a dang Silver. You think they were going to believe there was a giant door down here made out of gold and covered in jewels? Or that a giant snake that could swallow Misken in one gulp possibility teleported us out of here?"

        "Say what?" Eia and Ventus said in unison.

        "Look, Polosa, i know i'm not supposed to be down here- i get that, and this was gone from my mind for some time, but..." She held up the book. "I got this back in Meoho. The village chief was holding on to it after it was accidentally left behind. It belonged to my parents- they were archaeologists and with Voul's permission, he allowed them to investigate the Basen. They saw the Golden Gate, as they called it, and were mesmerized with wanting to solve its mystery, but their visit was for one time only... then they died, and......" She went silent for a moment, feeling she should show her her wound, but that would probably make force Polosa to stop her. "...again, i know i'm not supposed to be down here, but... but i want-- no, i need to do this."

        Polosa stayed silent for a moment. She remembers Sokuro's parents well- they were nice people. It was a tragedy that they died in that horrible fire. But even so, "Sokuro, i get where you are coming from, but this is still forbidden."

        "But she's a Silver, right?" Vent absentmindedly mentioned. "Doesn't that give them, like, free reign to do whatever they want?"

        "No. They may be powerful signs of changes to come, but they aren't exempt from the law... though those born into royalty are a pain in the ass..."

        "Ok. But then... what if opening this brings about that great change?"

        "I think we're that change, Ventus." Bran commented. "New neighbors from the stars that put a wrench into established religion and mythologies counts."

        Vent crossed his arms. "So there's a rule saying there can only be one change per Silver?" Everyone remained silent as the thought never really crossed their minds. There is no rule or records saying that a Silver can bring about only one great change to the world. "That's what i thought."

        Polosa thought about what she should say next. "... e-even so, how can you be sure this will work?"

        "I don't." She looked down at the dagger in her other hand. "But i have to try."

        "What if it opens to some dark dimension housing all manner of monsters?"

        "Then we close the door back up and fight whoever comes through before hand." Eia said with gusto at the prospect of fighting a unknown beast. "We have three Aerids here, and one of them is a Silver. And the colonists amazement should make mincemeat out of any that come their way anyways. Right?" She asked Bran.

        "Un, right." They didn't do much on the Phagos.   


Begin Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7H6K_-WQM Temple Secrets - Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack



        Polosa rubbed the back of her neck with both hands. She had a really bad feeling about this. Something about this just feels it could go bad at any moment, but Sokuro is a determined lass and if she says know, she'll sneak back down here again when nobody is around to try this. And as they said, she's a Silver- she has powers Polosa can only dream about. "....... i'm going to regret saying this, but... fine.... just... hope you don't open up into a hellscape..."

        "I don't even know how this thing ultimately works, but i'll try..."

        Sokuro turned to the door and took deeply exhaled to relieve some stress. She looked back to her friends. Bran gave her a thumbs-up while Eia pursed out her lips and puffed out her cheeks. She returned her attention to what she hoped was the keyhole and steeled herself. Even if this fails, she needs to prove to her parents she isn't hopeless. 

        "Well... let's hope this works." She clicked in the button on the handle and pulled out the dagger. The blade shined in the natural light from the monstrous cavern far away, catching her reflection. She took another deep breath and steeled herself. "This is for you, mom and dad..."
        She approached the keyhole and inserted the dagger. It was a clean fit and it sounded like something clicked inside. Working off the logic this was still a key, she turned it to the left.

        Nothing happened. 

        So she turned it to the right.

        Ventus twisted his lips, not wanting to be that guy, but it needed to be said. "... nothings happen--"

        A soft white light emanated from the keyhole, coalescing around the inserted dagger before slowly spreading out. A deep rumble came from the door itself, prompting Sokuro to stand back.

        The white light spread outwards, snaking its way up the frame. Spreading like mystical runic vines, the light curled around the many, many jewels embedded in, making them glow their appropriate colors. The same was true on the other side of the frame as white light snaked up like vines and illuminated the gems as well. 

        Sokuro backed all the way up to her friends, their mouths agasp at the sight that was slowly gaining life for the first time in... Voul knows how long. Their eyes light up in the myriad array of colors that slowly lit up. 



        All the way in Misken, Velx's eyes darted open in panic as he sensed the activation of the Golden Gate. Not just him, but all the other gods sensed it as well. It had been reborn, something they hoped had ended so many years ago. "No..." He gasped. Without a word, he quickly took flight, hoping to get there before anything horrible were to happen, his abrupt actions confusing Fayin, who was on his back clearing his wing sockets. 



        All the gems on the door frame all glowed brightly for the first time in eons as the methodically growing vines soon merged into one and were absorbed into the jewel at the tiptop of the door. The jewel shined like a rainbow, painting the entire Basen in its light.

        A single sliver illuminated down from the top jem, cutting though the voidless center of the gate. Reaching the bottom, it slowly expanded outwards, eventually reaching the edges.

        For the first time in countless generations, the Golden Gate had been reactivated.

        Everyone present were stunned by the gorgeous and stylish showcase of light, none more so then the one who brought it to be in the first place. "It worked..." Sokuro breathlessly gasped. A smile slowly creeped across her face as tears formed in her eyes. "They were right..." She shivered.

        Down at the keyhole, a hatch opened up beside it. Green lights shown within it, formulating symbols in a matter similar to a number pad. Below that, a device extended out, once again with green light coming from it.


End song.


        "I... don't believe it..." Eia gasped, awestruck that she wasn't pulling her leg. "It really worked..."

        Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sokuro jogged back over to the keyhole and towards the new things that had appeared. When she arrived, she opened up the book and looked through it for any new information that could be. "And i thought the Akashiacka Lights from Korval was the most beautiful thing i would ever see in my life..." Bran gasped with a chuckle. "That was amazing..."

        "I've seen better, kid..." Ventus laughed back. "But this is in the top 5, easy. And when were you at Korval?"

        "Field Trip."

        Polosa was just as stunned as the rest of them. She thought her first transformation was beautiful, but this... this was something else. She shook her head to snap out of it; she couldn't linger too long. "We should still be careful. There is no telling what this opened up to."

        The four of them approached Sokuro, who was jotting down notes in her parents journal. She copied the symbols into the book... but couldn't go anywhere with it as she had no idea what they mean or represent. "Um... does anyone know what these symbols are?"

        Polosa: "Nope."

        Eia: "No."

        Ventus: "Not a clue. If this thing is as old as you think it is, that language must be long dead." Bran approached the new additions and looked at them. Vent rolled his eyes back into his heads. "Come on, kid- if i don't know them, you don't either. I don't remember those being used in the local alphabet."

        "It's not the symbols. It's how their arranged." He pulled out his phone and flipped it on, going straight towards the call function. "Look at this." He held it up next to the number pad that appeared. "This looks just like the call pad on my phone."

        Eia came in close and looked between the two. "That is scary..."

        Bran nodded rapidly before moving aside to the thing that came out. "And look at this thing- this suspiciously looks like a keyboard."

        "Upgrade that to really scary."

        Polosa cautiously stepped forward with crossed arms. Ventus stayed behind as he got distracted by a certain little lizard that brought them here. He stuck out his tongue and snuck over to the observing scaley minx. "So whoever made this... must've been as advanced as the colonists, or perhaps more. But... what does that mean?"

        Sokuro spoke up. "It means that either the ancient Gaharots were more advanced then we remember... or the colonists weren't the first visitors from beyond the skies, or it could be some third option we're not thinking off. Whatever the case, this is just astonishing that this even exists to begin with."

        Eia leaned on the door, making sure it was on some part that wasn't important, and looked at the devices. She spotted an open slot that didn't have any glows, save for a shelf. "Hey, what's this one do?" She pointed to it.

        "Oh, right." Bran remembered. "We saw this the last time we were down here. We theorized that they must've used items to travel- sort of like using them as guideposts. Looking at all these options, i guess they had more then one way to travel to use... which would make sense. What if there was a world you want to go to but you didn't have the item from there?"

        "Get back here lunch!" Ventus shouted. They all looked in his direction and saw that he was chasing the Kalamanker once again. Polosa groaned a sigh as she pinched her eyes. Like before, he dove to catch the tiny drake, but instead skidded in the dirt. The creature leaped into Sokuro's arms, who was shocked by that. "Dangit!"

        "Ventus!" Polosa exclaimed.

        "Pearl!?!" Sokuro and Bran exclaimed in shocked surprise as they recognized the little one. 

        "Whaaaaaat?" He whined. "I'm starving- i need something to eat baaaaaaad!" He got distracted when he looked up at the keyboard. "So... now what? Do we just step through and see where this takes us, like a restaurant, or..."

        "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!" Velx slammed down in the town, making the ground shake and scaring everyone in the process. The shaking made Fayin slide off and roll to the group, much to her chagrin. She got no say in being dragged along so quickly. It also made Ventus bounce, smashing his back into the keyboard, turning the green light red.

        "L-Lord Velx!!" Polosa and Eia exclaimed in shock. Sokuro stepped forward and spoke,  "I'm sorry for disobeying the rules, Lord Velx, but i just needed to--

        "Step away from that right now!!!" He proclaimed loudly. They were all taken aback by his sudden anger. They have never seen him this furious before. Even when he fought the Phagos, he kept a calm head. This... this is scary. 

        Ventus rubbed his back and felt something shock it, making him jump up. He looked back and saw that the keyboard was sparking. "Un... should it be doing that?" He spoke up, catching everyone's attention once again. The light on the number pad turned red as well. Red spread along the vines as well, painting the door in a foreboding color. ".... oooooooooh, i did something bad..." In fear, he pulled out the dagger, hoping it would do something. He was not supposed to do that as the door gave a loud horn as the crystal at the top turned blood red, as did the glowing entryway. 

        Velx's eyes went wide. It's just like last time. "Get away from it!! Now!!!!"

        But it was too late. The entry quickly became like a vortex, turning into a ominous spiral that generated a hurricane-force pull. They were caught off guard by it. Before they knew what was going on, the winds picked up and dragged in Sokuro, Bran and Eia, as they were the closest to the vortex. Sokuro grabbed hold of the doorframe with one hand and held onto the lizard with another. 

        Polosa slammed one of her knives into the ground to keep herself from being dragged in, but there was no way a knife was going to last long against the pull of the winds. Her knife slipped out of the ground and she slammed into Ventus, launching them both into it as well. Velx dug his claws in to keep himself from being dragged in as well.

        Sokuro hung on for dear life, but her fingers were slipping away, as was her grip on Pearl. Fayin came screaming in and grabbed hold of her foot, digging her claws into the shoes to keep hold. It was painful, but she wasn't in much of a position to argue, but it was a losing battle as her fingers were hurting like crazy. The lizard slipped out of her hands and hit Fayin in the face, forcing the clueless Gaharot to let go and be sucked into the vortex as well.

        Her hand free, she held onto the doorframe with both, struggling not to let go as the pull got stronger and stronger. Using all her strength, she pulled herself upwards towards the frame, grunting with each movement as the pull was getting stronger still. The back of her neck flared up again from the poison- the strongest one yet. She yelled in pain as it distracted her long enough to let go. She realized teh folly of her mistake too late as she was sucked in as well, yelling in both pain and fear as she disappeared from sight.

        Velx held on as long as he could, which could be forever, given his godly stature. He just had to run out the clock- with the dagger out, it would only stay open for a few more seconds. He was right on the money as the vines faded away, as did the glows in the jewels and the pads. The vortex grew smaller and smaller before it finally poofed out of existence. Once the wind stopped, he pulled his claws out of the ground and jumped over the buildings to the gate. 

         "No... no no no no no no no..." 

        Calcota, one of his fellow gods, appeared in a flash of light and saw him staring in shock at the Golden Gate. "Velx, what just happened?!" He demanded. "We sensed the Silver and several others vanish completely!"

        "........ she inherited her parents curiosity... and it got the better of her..." He turned to look at him, still shocked. "She mindlessly activated the Gate... and she and several others, my handmaid included and two of the colonists, were sucked in. I don't know where they ended up..." He looked down at the broken keyboard. It didn't go in when the gate deactivated. "... i don't think they even knew how to use this..."

        "........" Calcota silently landed and approached the gate. He's normally the fight first, ask questions later kind of person, so this is beyond his expertise. "So.... what do we do...?"

        The two of them looked towards the Gate. ".... pray they return safely from... wherever they end up..."

32: Tales from Dragenia: Lost Souls
Tales from Dragenia: Lost Souls

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MImLykfXXck  Want you by Rynx


0:00. 
        
        *Camera pans up from a valley of trees and untamed life, towards a cliff face at the edge of the underground world*


        Nestled deep underground, untouched for eons, rests the gigantic and mysterious Golden Gate, surrounded by ancient buildings that have crumbled away. 

        Lights in the shape of vines slowly rose up the sides of the door, curling around embedded gems like snakes to prey, causing them to glow. The light vines reached the top, causing the bismuth gem at the top to glow as bright with all the colors of a rainbow.

        A streak of light came down from the top and slowly spread, opening up like a gate.


        *slow but dramatic zoom into the white light*


0:14.


        *amidst a swirling rainbow cacophony of colors, Tales from Dragenia x Tales of Silverwind briefly appear in black*

        *The titles dissolve away into sparkly dust, coming apart before merging back together into the main title*


        Tales from Dragenia: Lost Souls

 

0:33. 

        *Against the backdrop of the setting sun, with light slowly illuminating everyone*


        Sokuro curled up underneath a single tree, somberly looking away. Her parents book clutched tight in her arms as tears welled up in her eyes. She buried her face in the book to her her sadness.


        Around the tree, Bran and Eia stood back to back with a thin rock between them- two souls from two different civilizations. Eia reached back to grab his hand, but Bran motionlessly stood there.

        Fayin, the only Gaharot among them, curled up by a root, shivering in fear. Pearl, the little animal, was curled up in a small cave, shivering just as well. She saw the scared Fayin and came out, curling up in her arms, which Fayin held tight.

        Sitting atop a boulder, Polosa angrily checked her crossbow. Below her on the other side, Ventus reloaded his custom sniper rifle, stuffing a round into the chamber. He glared to the camera as he pushed the bolt action back in.


        The seven of them suddenly appeared underground, with their backs to the gate. They moved their heads, wondering how they got here. The gems upon the gate suddenly turned red and the doorway turned into a raging vortex that sucked in everything around.

        The group stood no chance of standing up the hurricane-force winds as they were pulled in against their will. 


0:51. 


        Ventus, Polosa, Fayin, Pearl, Eia, Bran, and Sokuro, in that order, fell in a spiral, down into a mind-numbingly tunnel of rainbow colors admit ethereal clouds.

        Chains appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around everyone's waists, except for Sokuro. 

        They were dragged away into portals that vanished from sight the moment they were pulled in. 

        Sokuro reached out to grab one of them, but had no chance of grabbing them that quick.

        Chains appeared around Sokuro and dragged her down the tunnel. Her scale glowed and engulfed her in sparkles. When she emerged, she doned her Aerid form and broke the chains. A hard rainbow glow erupted from her wings. With a flap, she flew down the tunnel


1:12. 

        
        From skies up above, she emerged out of nowhere. In her high speeds, she was unable to slow as she slammed into someone. 

        Both tumbled over the other as they crashed down into a beach, kicking up sand as they skidded along, streaking a trail for some distance.

        Sokuro flipped forward onto her back, a look of pain painted on her face. She rolled onto her front as the one she accidentally slammed got up as well. 

        Her eyes met the eyes of another Aerid- a dragon. But to her surprise, the other was Silver colored as well, with some differences. The bottom of his wings, his underbelly, and his horns were as yellow as the sun. Three little yellow blades came out his tail, giving it the appearance of a flame.

        He reared back in fear before flying off, leaving her puzzled as he took to the skies.


1:31. 

        
        In the middle of a forest, Bran woke up to find himself surrounded by draconian guards, with Pearl hiding within a nearby tree.

        Elsewhere in the same forest, Polosa woke up, rubbing hear head. She looked up and came face to face with a two headed tiger-like creature, who roared in her face.

        In a third part of the forest, Fayin leaped to avoid being seen by dragons who were searching for her for malicious intents.

        Out on a distant island, Eia soundly slept without a care. A scaled blue paw came down beside her, gently bending the grass without waking her up.

        Chained up to a wall with irons on his hands, Ventus opened his eyes and angrily glared up at the draconic figured that entered his cell. 


        *Dramatic line down the middle with two busts back to back*

        Velx and a emerald-colored menacing dragon stood back to back to each other, with Velx looking down in fear and shame, while the emerald dragon turned his head with a villainous scowl.

 


        The silver and yellow dragon sat by himself, isolated from everyone else. From behind, a pair of claws turned his frown into a smile. He pulled his head back to see a pair of red and brown dragons grinning from ear to ear.

        The cliff beneath them opened up, making the three of them drop into the open arms of three brown dragons, who were standing on another cliff face. The weight was unexpectedly strong as it gave way, making the six of them drop once more, this time not by choice or design.

        the six of them fell into a spring where a green dragoness and a red and orange dragon were taking a relaxing bath together. The splashdown created a small tidal wave that carried the eight of them out onto a grassy field.

        the group of friends stayed silent for a moment before breaking out into fits of laughter, all except the red and orange dragon, who scowled at the lot of them.

 

 

        Far away on a distant island, surrounded by fog and shrouded in mystery, a glow came from underground.

        In the shadows of a underground city, mysterious monsters slithered and moved admist the corners, surrounding a Golden Gate as it slowly opened up.


        *Rapid zoom into the gate*


1:59.

        *dark clouds rumble overhead as rain falls*


        Sokuro, in her Aerid form and surrounded in a white light, streaks through the air, crashing into the side of a flying metal ship, piercing it from one side to the other. Explosions ripped out of it as she streaked towards another high above.

        Polosa, also in her Aerid form, brought her front right leg up and made it glow green before swinging it, unleashing a blade of air that tore through the masts of everything for miles.


        Ventus ran atop a exposed giant root, leaping over enemies decked in advanced armor. He leaps over one before spinning around to roundhouse kick the baddie in the head. In that same kick, he brought up his sniper rifle and fired a round into the one behind him.

        Bran, with Pearl in his arms, ran along a similar root, but was more running away from the bad guys rather then fighting. He leaped over a thorny bush, which the bad guys stopped at. He turned and fired his stun gun, causing the bush to erupt and launch the thorns up, piercing the baddies. He spun again and tossed Pearl at an armored baddies head, biting on his helmet like a rapid animal. 

        With a snarled look on her face, Fayin leaped down onto  a soldier, sinking her claws deep into the chest. She spun around and launched the soldier into a group coming up on her, knocking them down like bowling pins. During that same spin, she sliced her claws in a upward motion, slicing into one last soldier.


        Energy swirling around her, Eia, in her Aerid form, spun up into the air, climbing as high as she could. Reaching the clouds, she spread her wings and legs as wide as they could and roared. She unleashed a powerful and devastation bolt of lighting, stricking the ground and unleashed a nasty shockwave of dirt and stone.

 


        The group once again fell through the rainbow clouds. The clouds parted, revealing rows of millions upon millions of Golden Gates.

        A surge of energy separates them all, propelling them through other gates and separating them once more.
        


2:38. 

        Sokuro found herself floating a black void of nothingness, with no light in sight.

        Her feet touched solid ground, upon which rainbow-colored light suddenly erupted from beneath. The light curled into two circles, forming the Infinity symbol.

        in the center of the connected circles was a mysterious artifact enveloped in such bright light, what it was couldn't be seen. 

        In the other circle was a figure in a brown robe, his face obscured by the hood. The figure raised his head, smiling evilly.

        Sokuro took a step towards the artifact and the figure when her neck suddenly erupted into pain, making her fall to the floor. Green shadows came from her bite wound and encircled her. The shadow soon took shape, forming into dozens of Phagos, all of which looked at her with a hunger.

        She got up and backed up to the center, panting in fear.

        The figure stretched out his hand and swung it.

 

2:57. 


        The Phagos all dissolved back into green smoke and swirled around her like a tornado before rushing to the robed figure. 
    
        The smoke turned to sparkles and the figure grew, and grew, and grew.

        Soon enough, he towered over the fearful Sokuro as a unseen monster.

        She clutched her locket tight, steeling herself as the only thing capable of fighting this monstrosity. Her scale glowed and enveloped her in sparkles.

        her Aerid form erupted out, spreading her wings wide. Flames enveloped her front left paw as she threw a punch. The mystery monster did the same. The two powers collided, creating a catastrophic effect that led to a massive explosion that engulfed all.

 


        the mysterious artifact, the same unknown arrow Sokuro had found, fell deep into the void, pulsing as it did, eventually fading out of sight....

33: Chapter 30: ... to a World of Parallels
Chapter 30: ... to a World of Parallels

Chapter 30

...to a World of Parallels 

???

 


        Storm clouds whipped overhead. Violent winds tore through the landscape of a distant island, far off the mainland. Trees lurched and creaked in the wind. A palm leaf was ripped off a nearby tree and slapped against the wall of a huge home made of mud and stone.

        Inside one of the many rooms, someone was having trouble sleeping, not fro the storm outside, but a storm internally. A young dragon, silver in color on his main body, and yellow on his wings, row of spines, sharp horns and claws, and tail blade, tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling something as sweat dripped down his face.

        "Erah... no.... no...." 

        Images flashed through his mind, images of that day. They were still as fresh as they were a year ago. 

        "No.. no no... stop..."

        Images of destruction. Something.... happened to him, something horrible that scarred him psychologically and mentally.

        "Stop... stop..."

        The last image seen was of him, his back arched in pain as energy erupted out of him, creating a massive explosion in the shape of a glowing dome, a explosion that stretched for miles.

        "STOP!!!" He yelled, shooting up off his back. He panted heavily and rapidly out of fear and regret as sweat drenched his entire body. 
"Oh gods..." He held a paw to his head, still panting heavily. "Why... why do i keep having them...?" He pulled the blanket off of him and left his room to clear his mind.

        He stepped out into the storm, letting the water from the rain wash the sweat away. He continued to pant as he put his back to the wall and slid down to his rear, quivering in fear.

        "Breath in.. breath out... breath in... breath out... that's what they said... breath in... breath out..." He followed his vocal advice and took in deep inhales and exhales, going well into the night until he finally fell back to sleep, this time peacefully.


        
        Hours later, morning came. Water dripped down from flows, grass, tree leaves, and the crops in a nearby field. The Silver-and-Yellow dragon had returned to his room after he had calmed down, but he was soaking wet when he came in, and when he shook off the water, he got the dining room soaking wet, something his roommates had to clean up. What also didn't help is that he had the door open.

        One of them, a pretty green dragoness with yellow stripes running down her back, emerald-colored horns and tail blade, and a brown underbelly and leg & nose plates, yawned as she walked into the room that triples as a kitchen/ dining room/ living room and saw that the twins- both male with orange scales covering their heads and back and brown everywhere else- were wiping up the mess. 

        Standing at a stove was a gorgeous blue dragoness, whose scales shined like sapphires in the sunlight, as she was making breakfast for everyone. Her scales were as light blue as the sky, while every other part of her body was as dark as the depths of the sea. She was also far older then everyone in this home. Despite her kind and caring nature, she had the look of a seasoned warrior.

        "Why are the twins moping?" She grumbled as she rubbed her eyes.

        "Water from the storm came in last night." The older dragoness replied. Her voice as as soft and as smooth as silk- again, not what her outer looks would imply. "Not sure how- we had the entrance covered."

        "I think i know." The green dragoness replied as she sat at the table. There were five glasses of water on it. They didn't have chairs to sit on, but they had cushions. "I heard Sil shouting in his sleep last night. He was having another nightmare."

        The blue dragoness sighed forlornly. "Poor thing... it's been a year, and he's still suffering..." The meat on the pan sizzled as she brought the heat, igniting the stove- a tower of stones put together like a pyramid- by activating the crystal within it. "Hopefully some food will cheer him right up."

        "I swear, you should open a restaurant..." The green dragoness passingly commented. "Should i go wake him up? You're busy and you sure can't send maniac and crazy here to do it."

        "HEY!" The twins shouted.

        "Well, it's true." The green one commented as she got up and went back down the hallway she came up.

        She peered into his room and found him fast asleep in bed, drool falling out of his mouth and turning the pillow wet. "If only he was this sound a sleeper all night..." She said to herself. Despite his slumber, she strode on in without worrying about waking him up- that's what she came in to do, after all. She wrapped her tail around the curtain and pulled it open, allowing sunlight to peer in and strike him in the face. His eyelids twisted as he dug into his pillow. "Up and at 'em, sleepy head!"

        "No..." He groaned, digging his head into the pillow. "Me wanna sleep..." 

        "Too bad, lazy bones." She used her tail to pull the blanket down. Without opening his eyes, he reached down, grabbed it, and pulled it back over. She rolled her eyes and crossed her front legs as she stood on her hind legs. "Sil, I'm not going anywhere."

        "Then you'll see me sleep for the next 15 hours..." She twisted her lips as she tapped her clawless toes on her forearms. Every single day... She knew how to wake him up, though. She grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him out from under his blanket and into the hallway. "....... i hate you, Seqy."

        "You know you love me."

        At the same time, one of the twins approached a pedestal that had a crystal floating over it. On the pedestal were several plate-sized knobs. He stopped what he was doing and messed with the knobs, going through the frequency's like a radio. "Hey, put on Emerald Corsair!" His brother exclaimed. "I wanna know if he's gonna survive being eaten by the serpent."

        "Not a chance." He continued spinning the knobs. "I'm putting this on Captain Agile!"

        His identical twin scowled at him before tossing the mop aside. "Emerald Corsair!" He demanded as he approached to do it himself. 

        "No, Captain Agile! Sheesh."

        The brothers snorted smoke in each others face. Next thing they knew, they were on the ground, playfully wrestling with each other over control of the radio. 

        The blue dragoness slowly shook her head and sighed. "Not again..." She put down the plates and approached the battling brothers. She slammed her legs down, creating a small shake that made them stop. They looked up at her like helpless kittens. "That's enough, you two! It's too early in the morning for this!"

        "But Ms. Alua..." They whined in unison.

        "No buts." She approached the radio and switched it to the channel she wanted. It was only playing commercials at the moment, but it'll come on soon enough. "Since you can't come to a compromise, we're putting it on the news." The twins whined again, falling onto their backs in defeat. 

        Alua slowly shook her head at them before returning to the stove. She saw Seqy dragging a protesting Sil down the hall, making her sigh again as she pinched the bridge between her eyes. "Stars above, give me strength..."

        "He wouldn't wake up." Seqy explained as she brought him all the way to the table. "So i dragged his sorry butt out of bed."

        Sil held up a single paw with one claw sticking up. "Under protest!!" He pulled his legs out of Seqy's grip and got up off his back. "That hurt, you know."

        "Then next time, wake up." She booped him on the nose before taking her seat once again. He stuck his tongue out at her as he took his, which was at the end of the table. Sil put a paw up onto the table and rested his head on it. Alua went back to cooking up enough food for everyone. "What smells good?"

        "I'm cooking up some Alnerian bacon and some Alnerian steak. Just the basics- didn't want to do anything fancy today. Storm kept me up all night."

        "Couldn't find a suitor last night?" One of the twins joked, prompting playful elbow jabbing from his brother.

         That was so out of left field, Alua nearly fell over. That was a loaded question and a half. She kept silent for a moment, nor really sure what to say to a question like that. "Uh... heh... m-my personal life isn't something you children should be joking about." She awkwardly cleared her throat. "Moving on... breakfast is ready. Take a seat, you two." The twins playfully jabbed each other as they listened to her and sat down at the table. These two are always so wild and aggravating. Sil and Seqy still have no clue how the caretaker puts up with them, but she has the patience of a saint to have done so for so long

        Speaking of Sil, he withdrew himself from the world. He stared off into space, tapping a claw on his cheek as he blankly stared out through the window on the far side. He long dreamed of leaving, leaving to far off places and sparing everyone the misery of being associated with him. He knows everyone in the orphanage is putting up with him out of obligation, especially after what happened last year... 

        He was brought back to reality when his plate was put in front of him. "Eat up." Alua said with a smile.

        "Un, thanks." 

        As everyone began to eat their breakfast, the news report on the radio finally began to play.

        "{Good morning, Nexia- i am Forgali of the The Nayan Herald and this is today's news. 

        Today's Topic: "Isolation: 70 Years Without Contact With The Outside World"

        Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the Isolation, where all outside communications with the rest of the world were suddenly and mysteriously silenced without any warning. The mysterious event have left all of Naya without any way to communicate to other continents, leaving many to wonder if they still exist and not destroyed in some terrible calamity. Many Nayan's visiting overseas have been presumed lost since then. Are we and our neighbors of North and South Alneria the only ones left behind? If so, why were we spared? Were we just lucky?

        Scientists have been hard at work seeking answers... but after seven decades, no results have yet to bare any fruit, leading many to give up and presume that we truly are alone. Many left on expeditions to find the sudden long-lost lands, in hopes that we are not alone, despite knowing the dangers the outside world held before hand. None ever returned. i think i speak for everyone as we pray for their safe return, or a peaceful rest.

        General Termundus had this to say on the subject when we approached him about this just last year: "We can all still listen to the absolute silence from those who we trusted, those who were close to us... this is just another reminder that we can only depend on us... no one else shall come to save us... yet even when abandoned we can't let this events just fill us with dread... Do i believe the countries that stopped responding to us still exist? Yes. But after seven decades, it's clear they do not wish to talk to us, and if that be the case, let them. With or without them, Naya will remain the greatest in the world, and Nexia, its greatest state."

        So tomorrow, be sure to come to Lexcial Square in Nexia Port for the memorial.
    
        Coming up next, "Beauty Tips from Madame Scaloris, How To Capture Your Mate".}"

        "You should take notes on that one, Seqy." One of the twins snickered with a wheeze. She scrunched up her face at his rude joke. "You could use some tips- don't wanna keep Selilox wanting." He wheezed a laugh.

        She responded by flinging her eggs into his face. "Shut up, Piracus." She huffed as he licked it all up with his tongue. As she returned to her attention to her food, she saw that Sil hadn't touched it- he was just messing with his fork, absentmindedly pushing it back and forth with his claw. "You ok, Sil?"

        He blinked as he somewhat returned to reality. "Yeah..." 

        "Long night?"

        He glanced over to her with glazed over eyes without stopping messing with the fork. ".... you could say that..."
    
        Seqy and Alua shared concerning glances with each other, worried sick about him. He has never been stable since last year- nightmares on a daily basis, being continually withdrawn from the world, a world that hates his guts. They can't help but be concerned. "You know you can talk to us about it, right?"

        Sil stayed silent in his response. He really didn't want to talk, nor does he ever want to. "I'm going for a flight..." He got up from his cushion and headed for the door. 

        "But you didn't eat anything." Alua spoke, gesturing to his full plate.

        "I'm not hungry." Once he stepped out the door, he spread his wings as wide as they could go, and with one flap took to the air.

        "Poor kid..." Alua sadly sighed, feeling helpless. 

        "Dibs on his food." Piracus' brother proclaimed as he snatched Sil's plate.

        "Not a chance!" Piracus exclaimed as he grabbed the plate as well. The two brothers tugged back and forth for ownership of the plate and its contents. 

        "Piracus! Firacus!" Alua shouted in a demanding voice. The twins were completely still for a moment, not wanting to incur her wrath. They put the plate back where it was and sat back down like good little angels. She somberly rubber her forehead. "Sorry for snapping at you, boys... i'm just worried about Sil... he seems to get more and more withdrawn every day..."

        Seqy had an idea to help: something that would boost his spirits. "I have an idea: it's almost his birthday, right? How about we throw him one heck of a shindig- one he'll never forget. We get him his favorite dinner, a few good games, invite some people who don't hate his guts. It'll be a epic blowout. Whadya say?"

        Alua grabbed her fork and took a bite of her steak. "At this point, i'm willing to try anything. I've exhausted all my ideas." She took another bite. "We just need something to cheer him up. To get him out of this horrible rut."



        Waves crashed upon the shore, birds chirped in the air, and the sun rose on yet another day... so why does this feel so weird?         Feeling a warm breeze wash over her face, Sokuro awoke from deep slumber. Her legs felt warm, as if they were covered by something that wasn't a blanket. She mumbled under her breath as she forced her eyes to open. The first thing she saw that day was an eye the size of her staring back. The eye was connected to some sort of strange, mutant crustacean- it had the legs and pincers of a crab, but the body of... something that faced one way so there was no shimmying, headed by a reptilian-style head with razor teeth.

        blink blink

        Sokuro yelped as she bounced up and crawled backwards, away from whatever this foul thing was. She had pulled her legs out of sand- she could feel it against her feet in her boots. She had backed from the truck-sized crab, all the way towards a tree. She panted in fear, wondering just what that thing staring at her was. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a coconut fell in front of her.

        The crab thing skittered and made a strange rolling noise before scampering off to who-knows-where. In the direction it went off, she saw a humongous root sticking out of the shoreline, stretching all the way out to the sea.

        Sokuro's heart raced a mile a minute- just what in Umatz's name was that thing?! There is no species on Dragenia that even REMOTELY looks like that. There aren't even any crabs near Misken. 

        ....... nor are there coconuts.

        She peered up where the coconut fell from and saw thick, large leaves that are excellent for providing shade. She was underneath a palm tree... and there are none on Evioly. The only island near the sub-continent that was tropical in nature was across the Divide. 

        Another of the crab things started crawling down the tree. Sokuro yelled as she ran away from the tree and back out onto the sand. Palm trees, palm trees, palm trees- it was nothing but palm trees and that humongous root. Fearing some of those crab things were in her boots, she took them off and poured the sand out of them. "Oh no... oh no no no no no no no, tell me this isn't happening..." Lucky for her, only sand came out. She breathed a huge sigh of relief, rolling her head back onto her shoulders.

        "Ok, think Sokuro, think..." She told herself as she started putting them back on. "There has to be a explanation for all of this..." She got one on as she thought back on what led to this. "We opened the Gate, and then we were... sucked in... but to where? To other parts of the world?" She slipped on the second shoe and saw her parents book sticking out of the sand. She exhaled another sigh of relief as she jogged over to it. "Well... at least something good is coming out of this..." She grabbed it and pulled it up... but something kept it still. She pulled again- it was attached to something, alright. "Ok, what is this malaka?" She stopped for a moment. "... what did i just say...?" She shook her head- she has enough on her plate right now. "Great- first i get displaced, now colonist words are coming out of my mouth... what next, a monster?"

        She should've kept her mouth shut as when she pulled up the book out of the sand, it was attached to a claw of one of those weird crab things. Unlike the last one, which seemed docile enough and was half as big as her, this one was twice as big and looked angry, like she had forced it awake. "... you wouldn't happen to be related to the other crab thing, would you...?" She yanked it out of the claws, making it snarl. 




        Sil flew over the massive root that served as a bridge between his home on the island and the mainland. He flew slowly, like he had lost everything in the world and was just going through the motions. What was even the point if everybody hates him? He was ready to just leave and never come back.

        Reaching the mainland, he landed on the beach, wanting some alone time away from everyone right now. Why bother going into town, anyway? They're all going to ridicule and berate anyway. He curled up into a ball and sighed, feeling as if the whole world was out to get him.

        Beneath, he saw the tracks of a Fleacrab in the sand- the way they were laid out, it's like it was chasing something. He saw other tracks- this one belonging to a really odd animal. Following the tracks, he saw that they went all the way to the root... and the crab in question was trying to get at something in one of the small holes.




        After pissing off the mystery crab with her wakeup call, Sokuro ran as fast as her little legs could carry her as the monster gave chase. She didn't transform because she didn't think of that- between not knowing where she is and running from the crab from hell, the thought never crossed her mind. She eventually made it to that root and saw a opening big enough for her, but too small for the crab to get in.

        Well, fully get in. Its head is sticking in and its legs were trying to push it further in. It snapped its jaws at her, trying to get in a bite. Sokuro sat on top of a coconut within the root cave, kicking it in the face over and over, but all that did was anger it even more. "AGh Ah! Back! Back! Get away, you stupid thing!" The crab snapped at her, clipping the rock and making her push back into the root even more. That thing was going to get in, she was sure of it.

        Suddenly, the crab went wide-eyed as something grabbed it. It was soon pulled out and tossed away, as far as it could go, splashing into the ocean. Sokuro panted in a mixture of fear and adrenaline. She was too on edge to check to see if it was safe.

        "Hello?" A voice on the outside said.

        Sokuro's hair stood on end as she hid behind the coconut. There is no telling who this is- if this is one of the slavers who came to find her, she needed to play it safe. "H-hello?"

        "Holy stars, there's actually somebody in here?" Sokuro peered out from behind to see the sand outside be blocked as something came down to block its view. She hid behind it again, unaware that it was the eye of her savior. "You'd have to be pretty small to get in here. Even i can't get in."

        Sokuro gulped. Her heart beat so fast, it's like it was trying to fly out of her chest, bounce off walls, and open a coffee shop. She took a few rapid breaths to try and calm down, but that may've been a mistake as she felt a bit lightheaded. "W-well... i'm still growing, so i'll get a lot bigger... hopefully."

        "... oooook? If you say so. What's your name?"

        She took a gulp of air. "You first. I don't make it a habit of giving my names out to strangers." After the incident with the slavers, she wasn't taking any chances. The voice remained silent, and it went on for far too long. "Well?"

        "...My name is Silverwind..." He sounded hurt; that name must have a bad connotation attached to it. "...though everyone calls me Sil for short."

        Sokuro picked up on the hurt feeling in his voice- it's almost as if he's ashamed by it. If the name was any indication, his parents must've wanted him to be the next Silver... but instead, it went to her. Something also happened to make him apprehensive- his parents kicking him out, maybe? She'll never find out by staying silent. "{Silverwind...? And here i thought all the colonists names were weird.}" She took a few more deep breaths to calm down, taking it slow this time. At least it's not a name associated with the slavers... or anything on Dragenia, for that matter. "Sokuro. My name is Sokuro."


        
        Sil stood up for a moment as he scratched the back of his head. Now it was his turn to be surprised by the odd name choice. "Sokuro?" He muttered to himself. "And here i thought Termundus was a odd name." He went back down. "So, Sokuro, mind telling me how you pissed off a Fleacrab enough to try and turn you into breakfast?"



        She cocked a eyebrow up at that puzzling name, but more so at the scary implications behind it. "Fleacrab? That thing was a flea!?!"

        "One of the bigger ones, yeah. They normally don't bother anyone unless you anger them, so you must've done something to have it try and burrow into the root."

        She held her book tight. "All i did was take my book out of its claws. It was my parents and i didn't want to lose it."

        "Really? You risked being killed for a book?"

        "It belonged to my parents, ok?" Sokuro rubbed her face, groaning loudly as she down onto her behind. "Uuuugh... and on top of this... i don't know where i am or where my friends are- you're the first person i met all day! I'm cold, i'm hungry, i almost got eaten by some demon crab, and scared out of my mind!!" She sat still, waiting for a response. She turned her head, waiting. ".... Silverwind?" The cave suddenly shook when something hit up against it.




        Sil grunted in pain as he was shoved up against the root, held in place by one of the many people in town who hate him who was a nasty thief. This one was more his age, but it didn't matter if he could fight back- Sil hates fighting, he was a pacifist in nature and tends to avoid it whenever he could. Boy should grow a backbone- this was the fifth time this week and just continues getting out of control.

        "Alright, you miserable waste of space! Give me all your goldz and you'll end up with only a broken horn then a broken body!" The red-colored Dragon demanded as he held Sil against the root by the throat.

        "None of those sound pleasant..." Sil coughed as he struggled to breath. "And i don't have any money on me... i left it all at home...!"

        "Broken body it is!" He snarled. Sil whimpered in fear as he readied himself for the coming beatdown. 

        "Hey!" The two heard shout. Sil opened his eyes and the two looked around to find where the voice came from. "Over here!!!" The two glanced back to the root and saw a very strange creature with even stranger clothing shouting at them, with her hands angrily on her hips as she tapped her foot. 

        To them, it was obvious what this creature was. "A human...?" Sil grunted in surprise under his breath. His shock was genuine; they're supposed to be gone.

        "Me and him were having a conversation before you rudely interrupted!" Sokuro shouted, pissed that this jerk was interrupting their conversation. She's had enough excitement for one hour. "Now get lost."

        "How about you get lost before i beat you, twerp!" The thief snarled. "This is between me and the freak!"

        Sokuro crossed her arms in defiance. She wasn't going anywhere. "I'm gonna say it one last time- go away before i turn those excuses for horns into something they should not be!"

        The thief snarled again. He dropped Sil and brought his face down to her level, snarling and baring his teeth. That was a huge surprise, but Sokuro was too hoped up on adrenaline to take notice; she was the same size as these Aerids; her height is the same as theirs... something that should be impossible. Just like the stories on Earth, the Aerids of Dragenia are towering beasts, with the smallest build being 30 feet tall. "That does it... i don't care what you are- right now, you are lunch!!!"

        Sokuro scoffed. "Really? You think you scare me. I'll have you know, I've almost been lunch before." A glow came from within her dress, puzzling the two natives to this land. "It was not a fun time!" A tornado of sparkles erupted from underneath her, with enough force to launch the thief onto his back. "So let's see how you like it!!" She completely vanished in the swirling light. Seconds later, wings erupted out, stretching as far as they could.

        The sparkles vanished as suddenly as they came. Sokuro, fully into her Aerid self as the glow from her body faded away, slammed her front legs down into the sand and got in the thief's face. He shrunk back at how powerful she felt. Something here made no sense, however; she changed her form from Ferid to Aerid, so she should be towering above them... yet she's still the same exact height as before, if only one or two feet taller. "So do you wanna run that by me again? 'Twerp'?" He was shivering in fear, probably close to crapping his pants, if he had any. "That's what i thought." She snorted smoke in his face. "Get lost." The thief screamed to the high heavens as he ran as fast as he could into the forest. "Peh... big talker. Yeah, who's the twerp now, sucka!?!"

        She shook her head when she realized that she used a colonist colloquialism again. "Geez, they're rubbing off on me faster then i thought..." She turned to look at her savior from before and saw that he was stunned as the thief... but she didn't focus on that, but instead on what she should've started with before. "Wait... you're a Silver, too...?" she breathlessly gasped. She slowly approached him. "That name wasn't just for show...? I thought i was only one..."

        She reached out to touch him, but he reared back in fear. Without a word, he took to the air out of fright. "Hey! Wait!" She shouted to him. "I didn't mean to scare..." It was to no avail as he disappeared into the clouds. "... you..." She lowered her head in shame. "Sigh... nice going, Sokuro... you don't know where you are and you scared away the only friendly person you met..." She could fly up after him, but it would probably make things worse. He was clearly scared- if she chased after him, she'd likely traumatize him.

        She rubbed her forehead, calming down after being put through so much in under a half hour. "Ok... think, Sokuro... if there are people here... there must be a town. And if there is a town, there's people, and where there's people, there's answers." She got up and flex her wings. "You'll find a map and find out where on Dragenia you are and why there's another Silver... though it was strange he had yellow highlights... i thought we were all solid colors... but Ajixis' do have colored vine-like runes all over their body. Maybe he's yellow and the Silver is a mutation...? But that doesn't make sense... could it be painted on...?" She shook her head to get her mind back on track. "Focus, girl, focus. Find a town- you can get answers there." She looked towards the forest- more specifically, to the spot where the thief ran into. "There must be a town in that direction."

        With a flap of her wings, she took to the air. She pulled a loop-de-loop to direct her into the general direction the thief was heading in. "With any luck, someone i know will be there." She counted on her claws who came with her through the Gate. "Bran, Eia, Pearl, Fayin, Polosa, and what was that other guys name...? ........... Ventus. that's it. They came through with me... if i ended up on the beach, they should be somewhere in the area... hopefully none of them were unconscious if they fell in water." 

        Her memories flashed back to the moment they were sucked into the Golden Gate. It was all so sudden and violent. And then there's Lord Velx's reaction. He was so angry, like he was legitimately going to kill them for tampering with it. "And why was Velx so angry about us messing with the Gate?"

        She and the rest of her misplaced compatriots would learn the answers over time, but right now, the goal was simply two-fold: find out where they are and work on reuniting. The rest can be worked out later. But even so, the question most prevalent on her mind was:

        Where is everyone?

34: Chapter 31: The Whereabouts of Others
Chapter 31: The Whereabouts of Others

Chapter 31

The Whereabouts of Others

???


 

        Sokuro had woken up upon a beach, where she had met another Silver Aerid- something long thought impossible. While so many questions ran through her mind about who she met and where she was, she was not the only one. Do not forget: six others were dragged through the Golden Gate, just like her:

        Bran, Fayin, Eia, Polosa, Ventus, and Pearl.

        They could be anywhere, in who knows what kind of dangers that may be trying to end them before they can get their bearings. While Sokuro's and Silverwind met in a more... friendly circumstance, everyone else wasn't so lucky.

        This is what happened to them in the first ten minutes of their arrival.






        Whereabouts of Bran




        "You swear, you don't know what he is?"

        "If i did, i wouldn't be asking, now would i?"
        
        The sounds of confused voices and disturbed murmurs were the first things Bran heard when he finally woke from what felt like years of slumber. His head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice that was continuously getting tighter and tighter. "Ugh....... my head..." He groaned and moaned. He forced one eye open and saw that he was face-first on the ground. Using all the strength at his disposal, he rolled onto his back. 

        Sunlight hit his eyes like a fish, blinding him temporarily. "Ugh... that's the last thing i need..." He grumbled as he held a hand up to his eyes, shielding his eyes from the intense sun. At least their were leaves in the trees above to help him. That was a peculiar thing on his mind: why was the sun suddenly so strong and so bright? It's spring back on Evioly and it was never this intense before. On that matter, it was never this hot on Evioly either- it almost felt tropical. But Evioly isn't tropical. This was a bit early to surmise- he's only been on the planet for a couple months and it's still technically spring, and he hasn't left Evioly yet. He was jumping the gun, he figured.

        He moved his hand once he had adjusted... and all color drained from his face. Looking down at him were several large, imposing, and armored dragons. They were armored right down to the claws- the only part of their bodies that weren't in armor were their wings. But that was nothing compared to their size- they were the same size as him... well, kinda. They seemed to be a foot or two taller, but that matters little then the big question: Did he grow or did they shrink?

        ".................................. this can't be anything good..."

        The biggest one out of all of them, and that is saying something, lowered his head and looked him squarely in the eye. Bran never felt so insignificant, yet equal, in his life until now. "What... is this thing?"

        What is he? If they're Aerids, then they should have a Ferid form, even if it is the same size as them for some reason, so they should be able to identify him as one that lost his tale. On that note, he noticed something odd about their voices. They were speaking with a recognizable accent. "What?"

        "It's a furless Anthromorph? And i thought they were small." The smallest out of them commented. 

        "You're one to talk."

         He rolled his eyes. "You know what i mean, you big bully. I didn't know animals could get this ugly."

        "They can, but they tend to be called Micoosho... Miphogo... Mikei.... mmmm..." Big crossed his forearms and pondered. The third of their troupe, who had a medium build compared to the rest, "i swear, it's on the tip of my tongue."

        "You'll hurt your brain." Tiny joked.

        What in the world was going on here? How can they be this surprised? Are Ferids not thing on... whatever plot of Dragenian land he's on? "Hey hey hey, hold it!!!" Bran shouted as he waved his arms around, getting their surprised attention. "Can someone tell me just what the heck is going on?!"

        Tiny fell onto his back out of shock. Bran groaned as he pinched his eyes. "Ho--- it can talk!!"

        "It understands our language." Big commented. 

        "Well, of course i do!" Bran shouted. "It's kinda easy when you have uuuuu...." He almost dropped the ball again. Nobody else on Dragenia knows about the colonists. He almost let mention of universal translators slip. "....uuuuuuunlimited knowledge in all things arithmetic. Hehehehe... i saved it at the end there, right?" He finished with a nervous, high pitched whimper.

        Big brought his head in a little too close for comfort. His fang is as big as Bran himself. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" 

        "Of course he's hiding something." Tiny rudely intruded. "Look at him- i never met such a shifty eyed creep in my life."

        Big groaned in distaste and raised his head. "And you're suddenly the expert on... whatever this thing is?"

        "Well, i'm a better judge of character then you."

        Big went slackjawed at the mere provocation of that claim. "A better ju-- You cannot be serious. Let's run down the list of things you let happen due to your "Better" judge of character. How about the time you let a sought-after murderer go, wanted from here to Unia because he gave you a compliment and you, and i quote, said that people who compliment don't commit murders! Or how about the time you thought a holy priest was running a drug smuggling operation by smuggling them through bags of seed?! You accused him while he was in the middle of a ceremony!!"

        "I still say i'm right about that." Tiny affirmed as he crossed his forearms. "We just never found the location of his hideout yet."

        "He's dead of old age, you idiot!"

        "And that's the perfect cover!! How can nobody see that?!"

        While the two of them argued, and their third friend did nothing except watch the madness happen, Bran buried his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands before dragging them down his face, pulling on his eyelids and lips. "Ughhrrrrgha....... i'm being interrogated by the Spanish Three Stooges..." He crossed his feet and rested his head in his hand. He tapped a finger on his cheek, waiting for this to end. Wait a tick, he thought to himself. What was he thinking? This is a perfect escape opportunity. Run, idiot, run! Which he did.

        The medium built of the three have had enough of this insanity. He grabbed them by the heads and clunked them together. "Focus!" He ordered.

        Tiny rubbed where he and Big butted heads and hissed in pain. "Ow ow ow... ok... ok, little guy, wh--" They returned their attention to Bran, who had the bright idea when the guy got up to run away as fast as he could. "And he's running."

        Big spread his wings. "He won't get far."



        Running as fast as his little legs could carry him through the muddy forest, Bran pushed through shrubbery and low-hanging branches, wondering just what in the world was going on. "Huff huff huff.... ok... i got three weird Aerids acting like they've never seen a humanoid form in their lives, decked out in what i can assume is battle armor... Where in Dr--"

        The branches above crashed down in front of him, along with the humongous dragon that crushed them down. He skidded to a halt in the mud, but instead fell onto his back. He continued sliding until he was pinned down by Big's clawed paw. "Going somewhere, bug?" He snorted. Bran tried to pull himself out, but he was pinned down but good. It didn't help that the other two big boys arrived.

        "So what do we do with it?" Tiny asked as he got close.

        "I dunno. Do we take him to Termundus? Feed him to a hound? Leave him to be eaten? So many options...."

        Bran continued in his struggle to slip free, but he was trapped through and through. He wasn't getting out of this. "C.... Come on. This is all what i hope is a misunderstanding. IF you can find Velx, he'll be able to--"

        "Velx?" The medium built one repeated. "What is a Velx?"

        "Velx the God?" Big tilted his head in confusion. "One of the Astrals? One of those who rule and watch over the people of Dragenia?"

        "Astral Gods?" Tiny repeated. "Are you making stuff up?"

        "No, i'm not, i......." It then dawned on him. The Golden Gate didn't send them to another part of the planet. It sent them to another planet entirely. "...... this isn't Dragenia..." He gasped as he realized. 

        "... if you say so... crazy weirdo." Big looked to his companions, mouthing "wow" as he used magical powers to pick Bran up with his claws; Bran's not sure how this guy did it, but he felt weightless, despite being the same size as these normal behemoths. "Captain Lefira would like to know about this."

        "Hello, days off." Tiny whooped.

        They took to the skies, with Bran afraid of what was going to happen to him when they get to wherever it is they are going to. He should've picked up on all the clues, but his shocked and addled mind was running a million different thoughts at once. Now only one thought dominated his mind: how is he going to get out of this?






        Whereabouts of Fayin



        Fayin groaned as she hung upside-down off a tree branch, her tail caught in the split. A thick splinter of a branch had embedded itself, which is what was keeping her up there. She didn't feel it when it stabbed itself in when she fell from above, nor did she wake up from the cacophony of jungle noises. No, it was her empty stomach that woke her up. When she saw her predicament, she, of course, freaked out, but she couldn't move a thing because of her precarious situation, which wasn't at all helped by her Gaharot physiology. One wrong move, and she could say goodbye to her tail.

        "Ugh... today just isn't my day..." She moaned. "First Velx goes crazy for some reason, then i get dragged into some vortex or whatever..." Her stomach growled, making her whine. "And i never even had lunch yet..." She puffed a cry. 

        She heard rustling in the bushes down below. She tensed up, fearing that it may be a monster that could eat her- turn her into lunch. She slowly moved, hoping to get her tail loose once more, but it was too high up for her to reach with her clawed arms. Gaharots are not built to climb trees or reach for high things.

        Left with no choice, she resigned herself to whatever fate would come her way.

        Luckily, it wasn't going to be today as a familiar, but disoriented, little Kalamander staggered out, trying to make sense of things. "Finally, a familiar sight!" Fayin cheered, getting Pearl's attention. "I've never been so happy to see a Kalamander in my life. Hey, un..." Given that she was with Sokuro and the rest, she had to have had a name, but she doesn't remember if they said it with her around. "Un... crud, i don't know what your name is, but can you help me out please?" Pearl tilted her head to the side, making Fayin whine through her teeth as she dragged her claws down her face. "(Come on!! Do they even understand regular speak?)" Fayin thought to herself. "Come on, Kalamander, you gotta help me out here! There's no telling where in Dragenia we are, or where everyone who got dragged in with us are. I saw that you like Sokuro and them; help me and we can find them."

        That seemed to do it as Pearl sprung into action, running towards the tree whose branch Fayin was hanging off of. "Oh, Voul bless you, you are a life saver!" She didn't need to worry how the tiny drake was going to get up the tree; they are like squirrels- they can just climb up by digging their claws into the bark and running up. "Wow. Quick and nimble little thing."

        Pearl soon reached the branch and ran along it towards where Fayin was hanging. "Hi there." She nervously chuckled. "I... honestly don't know how we're going to do this. Um..." She looked to the Kalamanders tail. She could swing and reach for that, but then she'd run the risk of putting the little beasty into the same situation. "Hmm.... i really should've thought this through, cause i have no clue how you're gonna--"

        And before she could finish, Pearl shoved Fayin off the big splinter with her head. Fayin blinked a couple times before screaming as she fell to the ground. She hit multiple branches on her way down, which helped break her fall, but it made it hurt even worse. After the fourth branch, she slammed into a muddy puddle on the ground, losing her breath as she landed. "--.... help me..." She wheezed. 

        She couldn't move not because she can, but because she hurt all over. Pearl jumped down onto her, making Fayin exhale in excess. Pearl flipped off and pulled a ten-out-of-ten pose when her pads touched grass. "You are evil... i ask for help and you almost kill me..." Pearl innocently mewed, not aware what she did could've gone poorly. She is still an animal, after all. 

        After some time had passed, Fayin, still sore, grunted as she rolled onto her front. "Ugh... even that hurt... i swear i broke a rib." But since she can't look inside, she'll have to deal with what she can see on the outside- her tail. She looked back and swung it over as far as she could go and saw that, yep, a piece of branch was still embedded in it, with dried blue blood on her tail. "Figures. This day has already gone to moshla already- may as well pile on..."

        As there was no way she could reach it with her arms, she just sat there and exhaled loudly, like she was puffing out air. She looked up towards the trees and saw light shimmering in through the massive leaves on the enormous trees. "Those are big trees." She commented as she craned her neck. "... there are no trees that big on Dragenia..." She rubbed her head. "Ugh, on that note, what even was that giant door? That looked like nothing i've ever seen... but it had Velx so freaked out." 

        She wasn't gonna find any answers sitting here... wherever here was. Working through the pain, she got up and rubbed her rear. Between being muddy and being in pain, she can't tell which was worse. "Well, we're not gonna get answers just sitting around here." She said to Pearl. "Come on. Let's hope we find someone." 

        She hadn't taken more then a single step when she stepped on something she shouldn't have. The two looked down, and were suddenly hoisted up into the air. A cage made of something similar to glass, but not quite there, suddenly clamped down around them and left them suspended in midair, dangling on rope. 

        "OH, COME ON!!!" Fayin shouted. She slashed at the faux-glass cage with her claws, but to no avail. She didn't leave a single scratch. "UUuuuugh, you've gotta be kidding me!!!" She plopped down on her rear and growled as she put her head to her hands. "Can today possibly get any worse?!"

        And she jinxed it.

        As if on cue, a odd looking, Aerid came out of the forest. He had something strapped to his back, something that looked like a spear of sorts. "This oughta make for some good grub tonight." He undid the rope and caught the cage with his tail. Fayin screamed as she fell, but the big guy didn't hear it. He headed over to it and was puzzled by what he saw inside. "What the... you aren't food...?" 

        Fayin's eyes rolled as she felt her heart race a mile a minute. This has got to be the worst 10 minutes of her whole life. Stabbed, dropped, soaked, snatched, then dropped again. Her poor ticker can't take much more. Same is far worse for Pearl; she's freaked out from being dropped too. "Ugh... so many pains... ouch..."    

        The apparent hunter tilted his head. "What even are you?"

        She was too dazed to speak properly. "I'm... un... so many stars... un..." She shook her head, clearing it up somewhat, though not by much. She looked up at the Aerid, and was astonished at how big he was. Not even Ticloka, one of the Astral gods and the biggest Aerid ever, was this big. For comparison, if Ticloka is a normal, everyday house, then this new guy was a temple. But... that makes things confusing; by all outwards appearances, she's the same size as this guy, which should be impossible. "Un... Ahem. My name is Fayin, and i am a handmaiden for Lord Velx. If you can take me to the nearest town, i would be more then happy to--"

        "Who and what?" The hunter rudely replied, catching Fayin off guard. "What's a Velx?"

        "Un... heh... L-lord Velx. He's a Astral. One of--"

        "Never heard of him." He rudely replied again. "And what even are you two? Never saw anything like you before."

        Was this guy serious, she thought? How can he not recognize a Gaharot or a Kalamander? Has he lived under a rock in some remote part of the world all his life? That could help explain why he is so big. "Heh.... y... you're kidding, right? I'm a Gaharot. This is a Kalamander. You know what those are, don't you?" He stayed absolutely silent. "....What rock have you been living under?"

        Now the hunter was getting perturbed... until he realized what he had come across. A brand new, never before seen species. Two of them. And one could speak. He could become famous for making such a amazing discovery, and all purely by accident too. "Ho ho! I found two brand new species, and one can even talk! Haha! I'm gonna be rich!" He spun around, giddy as a cucumber. And all this did was make Fayin and Pearl nauseous. "I'll be the most famous Nayan since Termundus himself!"

        Fayin kept what little food she had in her as best she could. "Nayan? Termundus? What are you--" It then dawned on her, on what was going on. ".... oh Voul..." She looked to Pearl. "We're on another world...." Without warning, the hunter pressed something on the side, releasing an electric current powerful enough to knock her and Pearl out like lights.






        Whereabouts of Polosa



        Polosa, compared to everyone else that had dropped on this mysterious new land thus far, got the lucky draw in this strange, often dangerous lottery. While Sokuro woke up on a beach, and Bran, Fayin, and Pearl awoke in woods, Polosa's surroundings were more beneficial, yet just as confusing as to how she got there in the first place.

        A pounding head is the first thing she experienced when she opened her eyes. Finding herself face first into the dirt, she grumbled. She pushed herself off the floor but ended up bumping her head on something hard. Rubbing where she hit her head, she looked up and was surprised to find she had hit floorboards. The pounding was coming from up above.

        "What the heck?" She said to herself. "Since when did houses get so big?"

        Once her mind cleared, she took proper stock of her surroundings. The building was normal sized, but it now had a hole in the roof thanks to her. Her body was sore, so she had no choice but to crawl on her hands and knees, which she did. She followed along the entire length of the house, towards the nearest exit she could find. Her eyes adjusted to the light when she emerged. What she saw when she did adjust confused her.
        
        She had come out into a market place of sorts- a bazaar square that seemed way too big for everyone present. They were all stalls that either were built independently or operated out of someone's house. She saw Aerids walk all over and hanging, chatting among themselves. All the vendors were operated by Aerids, though she saw one of them that was operated by a strange feathered one that had the head of a bird. That was the one that confused her the most.

        "What the...?" She saw a couple of wooden steps before her. She slipped under and crawled underneath. She reached the bottom of the steps- the tallest of which was only a foot taller then her. She cracked her back to work out the knots. While she did, she took note of all the buildings she could see. They were all made of stone, mud, or wood. She saw a pyramid off in the distance. It looked like Velx's... but more red in color with stripes alternating on the sides and steps.

        Polosa was seasoned; she had been to a number of places on Dragenia and read about others, but she had never came across a city or town where everyone was in Aerid form all the time, and there wasn't anything written in what she read on Dragenia's past that showed this was a thing. And besides, nobody in the history of Dragenia has a Aerid form that has the head of a bird. Some gain feathers, like Velx, but no one had a unique head like that.

        She actually figured it out far quicker then all the rest: "This isn't Dragenia." She said as she finished up her stretches. "Ugh... No doubt this is Sokuro's and Ventus' fault. If it wasn't for her, that stupid door wouldn't have been opened. And i need to kick Ventus when i see him again- that idiot and his hunger pains." She crossed her arms as she continued to observe and hopefully get an edge on what the place is like. 

        "Ok... what can we learn..." She muttered as she rubbed a finger on her chin. She then pulled out a pencil and parchment to write on. At least the steps were hard enough for her to write on. "(This world has a very high concentration of Aerids, with mutations that can give them heads of birds, apparently. There are no Ferid's or Gaharots walking about... so they must not be able to transform.)" She looked at herself, pulling her scale out. "(Good thing i decided to bring my scale on the hunt earlier, otherwise this would've ended badly...)" She continued to observe. "(At least they're as colorful as the ones back home.)"

        She moved away from the people and began taking notes of the buildings and everything else. "(The design of the architecture backs up the Aerid-only hypothesis, with humongous homes and stalls, at least compared to my current si--. wait... i'm still a Ferid... if these homes are built for Aerids in mind, why was able to crawl out so easily?)" She looked up. How is she the same size? "(... no way i can find answers this easy. May as well move on...)" Looks back out to the world. "(...The vast majority of the buildings seemed to be made from either stone or mud. Very rarely do i see anything made of wood, like the house i'm under now.)" She moved her eyes to the myriad of poles that rose up from the ground. "(Those look similar to those-- what did the colonists call them? Street lights? Yeah they look similar to the street lights the colonists began installing the other day. But... i don't see anything to indicate that they are run by energy; i mean electricity. They must use a different energy source.)"

        She heard thumping coming from above. She glanced up and saw the occupants leave the home. How did they not notice her as she crawled out? And how are they not noticing the hole in the roof? "Now you two have a good day." A female said to smaller non-Aerids as they left the home; a mother talking to her children, obviously. This also helps confirm another thing that will be a big help: she can understand their language. "And be careful- you know what comes out after a storm."

        "We know mom." One of them responded before they ran off. Leaning out, Polosa noticed that their wings were really, really stubby. The mother soon left and went towards the bazaar, closing the wooden door behind her.

        Using the opportunity, Polosa came up from behind the steps. There was no telling how long either of them were going to be gone, but this was a questionable opportunity to learn more about this place. 

        She reached into her back pockets and pulled out her scale. She was going to need it to traverse this place without scrutiny. She tucked into a corner and transformed. Sparkles came out of hers and swirled around, quickly changing her to her Aerid form. Her form was very, very slender- almost like a snakes. She was sea-foam green from head to tail, so her strong elemental affinity is to wind. She was going to need it to quickly traverse this home, so wind was going to be a big help. And she saw a few other green-colored Aerids out there, so she wasn't going to stick out like a sore thumb when she does leave. 

        As she entered the home she had just escaped from, she noticed that she was the same size as before. Everything looked the same as it did before. Everything is supposed to be smaller when one changes, not the same size. "That... can't be anything good..." She looked at her paws. "I did change... but i'm the same height? My scale didn't look broken..." She scratched her head. "Just what is going on...?"

        It was a modestly sized interior- it was a single living space with a hallway that led to several rooms. She was going to ignore the bedrooms and focus instead on the family room- she did make note of the door at the end of a long hallway. It obviously led back outside, so perfect for an escape route. They had books, but it was doubtful she was going to be able to read them. She can't even understand the titles. Still, they could have pictures; those are always universally understood. She grabbed the beefiest books and quickly flipped through them. The first two had nothing, so she put them back exactly as they were before- she wanted to leave no trace she was here... though she wonders how the hole will be explained.

        One of the books she grabbed seemed to be an almanac of sorts. And it had pictures. She flipped on through and saw recreations of paintings of what she assumes to be famous Aerids of this world. She continued flipping through and came upon what seemed to be a map. This confirmed everything: what was shown here is not what Dragenia looks like. There's nothing even close. 

        She took a few steps back and bumped into something, scaring her. She quickly spun around and saw that she had turned something one.

        "{Good morning, Nexia- i am Forgali of the The Nayan Herald and this is today's news. 

        Today's Topic: "Isolation: 70 Years Without Contact With The Outside World".}" 
        Polosa went to turn it off but ultimately decided to keep it on. She could learn two things in one swift stroke. She risks exposure, but the colonists equipment would turn on by themselves all the time, so she's hoping the same thing is also a nuisance here.

        "{Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the Isolation, where all outside communications with the rest of the world were suddenly and mysteriously silenced without any warning. The mysterious event have left all of Naya without any way to communicate to other continents, leaving many to wonder if they still exist and not destroyed in some terrible calamity. Many Nayan's visiting overseas have been presumed lost since then. Are we and our neighbors of North and South Alneria the only ones left behind? If so, why were we spared? Were we just lucky?}"
        "Naya, huh...?" She said to herself. She looked back to the map. "At least i know what to call this place now." She put the book back just as she heard something coming from inside. In a panic, she quickly moved and hid inside a closet. She spun around, reaching back to her crossbow, but remembered she's in her Aerid form and couldn't access it.

        "{Scientists have been hard at work seeking answers... but after seven decades, no results have yet to bare any fruit, leading many to give up and presume that we truly are alone. Many left on expeditions to find the sudden long-lost lands, in hopes that we are not alone, despite knowing the dangers the outside world held before hand. None ever returned. i think i speak for everyone as we pray for their safe return, or a peaceful rest.}" 
        "Hey, you wanna find a different hiding spot?" Someone next to her rudely asked in a groggy tone like he was just waking up. "This spot is taken."

        Polosa froze up. She was caught after all. But... wait a minute. There was someone hiding in here as well? She looked back and came face to face with a tired, but completely alien, bipedal canine. Both of them shouted and scampered away from each other to opposites sides of the radio.

        "What in the world?!" Polosa panted in a huff. "What the heck are you?"

        "What? Did you hit your head or something?" The person she had met was a strange creature, to be sure. He was the same height as her, and fully clothed, but... that's where the similarities end. This thing, whatever it is, was covered in golden fur, with huge pointed ears coming out the top of his head. His nose twitched, and to top it all off, his tail was very fluffy. She recalls the Human colonists saying that some wished they brought their pets along or something about unfreezing their pets or something to that regard. She saw some pictures and this looked like a bipedal version of a dog.

        "{General Termundus had this to say on the subject when we approached him about this just last year: "We can all still listen to the absolute silence from those who we trusted, those who were close to us... this is just another reminder that we can only depend on us... no one else shall come to save us... yet even when abandoned we can't let this events just fill us with dread... Do i believe the countries that stopped responding to us still exist? Yes. But after seven decades, it's clear they do not wish to talk to us, and if that be the case, let them. With or without them, Naya will remain the greatest in the world, and Nexia, its greatest state.}
        "My name is Polosa and--"

        "Hey, this is my hiding spot!" The bipedal dog abruptly called out. 
        
        "Hiding spot?"

        He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sack. "Look, if you leave now, i can give you some good cash. Just don't tell Olvian and we're good. Just don't tell anyone you saw me."

        "I don't even know who this Olvian is!" Polosa shouted back. "As i was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, my name is Polosa. I have no clue where i am. I was dragged here by a stupid girl and a even stupider idiot and i'm trying to find them before we end up becoming... you food!"

        He took offense to that. "Hey! We're not cannibals!"

        "How am i suppose to know? I--" The door suddenly opened. The two of them shut up and looked out to see that the matriarch of this family had returned home.

        "{So tomorrow, be sure to come to Lexcial Square in Nexia Port for the memorial. Coming up n--}"    
        "That's strange." She said as she approached. "I swore i turned this off when i left." She turned the radio off and went towards the kitchen.

        "Ah, crap..." He whispered in a hushed voice. "I was hoping to leave before they all came back, but noooo. You had to distract me." He sneered to Polosa.

        "You were asleep." She whispered back. "And not even supposed to be in someone's home without permission."

        "You're one to talk." Polosa pursed her lips as she tapped her finger on the wall; hers was by mistake and for research. He is likely here to rob. "Don't give me that. And don't do that either." She stopped. "We're obviously not going to get much done here." He went to the wall behind them and softly moved a small piece of wood out of the way, revealing a exit to the outside. A hidden passageway in a closet? Why is that a thing? Did he put it there himself? "You coming?"

        "What do you mean?"

        "Well, we can't stay here. They'll find us eventually and i don't want to spend another month at prison." He slid out through the small opening, but left it open for her. "You coming or not?"
    
           Polosa sucked in her lips. She just met this man... thing and he was really rude to her. But she was severely limited on options. She needed to find everyone that came through, but she needs to know how this world works before doing that so she doesn't get figured out. This culture is foreign to her and she didn't want to risk started up something bad. "Fine..." She gave in as she slid out. Her tail got caught on a exposed nail, but she picked it up. "But i want answers to my questions as we go to... wherever. Got it?" She didn't wait for a reply.

        "Yeah yeah." He let go and let it fall back into position.






        Whereabouts of Eia


        
        Completely unconscious after suffering a nasty arrival compared to all the others, and in the middle of a muddy grassland, poor Eia laid on her front. She barely breathed, nasty welts covered her head, and blood trickled out of her nose like a stream into a pond. If help doesn't come soon, she's going to d--

        A blue paw softly touched down on the grass beside her, pressing it down. The owner of the paw didn't mess with the body like most others would. Instead, it picked up the unconscious girl and carried her away- to safety or to something worse, who can say at this point?








        Whereabouts of Ventus



        The sound of chains rattling against the other woke Ventus up. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a place no one would want to wake up in. His eyes shot wide when he saw that he was dangling in a jail cell of sorts, his hands cuffed above him and his legs and tail dangled freely. He tried to get loose, but the chains were stuck on tight.

        "Oooooooh, this is noooooot good." He whimpered. He tried again to get free, but all he did was just mess with the chains. He panted when he stopped. He looked all around the cell and saw that he wasn't the only one. There were others- all Aerid and all dead, their bones were the only things that remained. "That doesn't bold well..."

        The door at the other end opened up. He saw two someones come in- Aerids themselves, but they seemed to be covered in armor, with the smaller one of the two dragging a rolling table with their tail. The one who approached him was big, imposing, and intimidating. He was emerald in color, but he had enough scratches to tell a story.

        "So you are awake." He said. Even his voice was nerve-wracking. "Good. Now we don't have to wake you."

        "Aw maaaaaan." The smaller of the two whined as she lowered what looked to be a taser. "And i wanted to have some fun."

        "Whoooooooa whoa whoa whoa. Whoa." Ventus nervously coughed a chuckle. "Let's, un... let's not do anything hasty. I am... very wide awake! You can put that thing away!"

        "So you understand us and we can understand you. Good. That makes this easy." The big emerald went over to the table and dropped Ventus' things onto it. "We found you passed out at our doorstep a short while ago. With you were such strange items... and one that has not been seen her in eons." He grabbed his sniper rifle with two claws and held it up. "Tell me... human. Why did you come back?"

        "Human? I'm not human."

        "Bullroar." The smaller one scoffed. "You clearly are human, even if you do have a strange extremity." Vent rolled his eyes, which peeved her. "General Termundus, grant me the honor of ending this morons life after we're done."

        Termundus held up one claw, shutting her up. "Calm yourself, Ocilua. You'll have your fun soon enough. Right now, i want to interrogate this one." He took the sniper and put it back on the table. "You clearly look like a human... but they have been gone for so long, it would make sense for you to change to adapt in whatever hole you are hiding in. Though i am amazed the Shadows haven't claimed you." Ventus tiled his head as he raised an eyebrow in confusion while Termundus brushed his claw over the rest of his things. "If you aren't one, then why do you look like one?"

        "Take it up with the universe, cause i have no clue myself. The short of it is that i'm not from here!"

        "Oh stars, don't tell me you're one of those disgusting Anthromorphs." Ocilua said in disgust as she stuck her tongue out. "Disgusting creatures."

        "Great... you're one of those..." Ventus spoke in a mocking monotone. "No no no- what i mean is that this isn't my home. I'm not form here because this is not my world. I'm a Kitsune from Malisiolnkia! We came to Dragenia to find a new home and...." 

        Termundus held up his paw, shutting him up as well. He felt such raw, untamed power inside this beast of a general; he had no choice but to comply. "Kitsune? Dragenia? What in the world are you talking about?"

        "Are you kidding me? Dragenia! That's what this place is, isn't it? And I just told you- i am a Kitsune! We look like humans, but we have what they call the additions of a fox. The ears, the tail, our keen eyesight and vast......." He stayed silent as it slowly dawned on him. ".... oh cripes, this isn't Dragenia."

        "Now he catches on." Ocilua snarkily spoke. 

        His eyes darted around as he thought to himself, "(This isn't Dragenia. Then why are... oh crap, that's right- i broke the keyboard and i think that made the gate go haywire...)" He loudly groaned as he lowered his head. "(crap crap craaaaaaaaaaap... this is bad.)" He raised his head back up to see that the big guy was approaching him once more. "So now what? Are you going to keep me chained up in here until the end of my days like these poor losers?" He gestured his feet towards the skeletal remains.

        He looked to them. "Those are before i became general. I asked them removed numerous times, but janitors are always a lazy bunch."

        "... yyyyyyyyeah. Sure. Whatever you say, big guy, but that still doesn't answer my question: what are you going to do to me?"

        "That all depends on how well you cooperate, Mr... what did you call yourself? Kitsune?"

        "My name is Ventus, actually."

        "Ventus." He held a claw to the helpless saps chin. That is when Ventus caught on that he was the same size as these Aerids. Either Aerids.... Dragons are grown small here or he grew a lot. Then there's the General... this guy was MASSIVE compared to him. For some reason, he's the same size as that Ocilua chick, but this guy... he towers above her, with his claw as big as his head.  "Cooperate and you won't be harmed. Well... harmed excessively. Fight back, and you'll be put through a lot worse then what they went through. You can see on their bones they went through a hell of a time. Cause me grief in any sorts, and you'll get worse then that, and it will be sloooooow. Understood?"
        Ventus gulped out of fear for his life. He was in no position to refuse or negotiate. He was at their mercy. He hoped they weren't sadists and that this was going to be a mostly calm visit to this lovely dungeon of death and decay. "C... you made things c-crystal clear..."

        Termundus coldly smiled with a hidden, wicked sneer. "Hmhm... good boy." He softly tapped Ventus on the cheek before turning to depart. "Ocilua. Come." She looked at him with not-so-subtle and hidden wickedness in her eyes as she followed after the general. The door closed behind them once they were out.

        Ventus finally breathed as he couldn't during the scare tactic; he was that frightened. Cold sweat dropped from his forehead. And he would receive worse then what his dead occupants went through if he refused to play ball? There was no way in hell he would survive that- they are big, muscular, scaly lizards and he's a small, fleshy meatbag of a mammal. For now, he was going to have to be the gracious guest to his host, whatever his motives might be.











        And so everyone's current dire straits have been revealed, and almost all require rescue in some capacity. At around this time is when Sokuro and Silverwind had their first meeting on the beach. And this was just the beginning of their stay in this strange land, but it wasn't to be for long.
        
        This world has a dark secret... and it will infect and kill them if they are not careful...

35: Chapter 32: New Lands, New Problems
Chapter 32: New Lands, New Problems

Chapter 32

New Lands, New Problems

???




 

        It is either a good idea to follow a thief back to his hideout or lair or wherever the scumbags are lurking to learn about their layout and such, or it is a really bad idea and going guarantees one of many horrible, gruesome things happening to you. Following a thief is a risky, dangerous game that could end things terribly or prove a boon. A 50/50 shot, and those are bad odds in this game.

        Sokuro didn't have that luxury. She had no options to go off of: she was in unknown lands and she has no clue on what to do, where to go; she doesn't even know the simplest things about this world. And they have their own Silvers: whatever this world is, they must be commonplace. Or maybe they are as rare here as they are in her world, but without all the fanfare and gravitas- the thief didn't seem awe-inspired when he cornered the kid.

        Still... that was really strange, encountering another Silver. It's been proven through history that only one can exist at any given time, so meeting another one is nothing short of surreal. But this isn't Dragenia; there are obviously different rules of nature here then back home. 

        As she flew through the skies, she thought that maybe she should've followed him instead. He may've been a scared, but in the minute she had to interact with him, he wasn't that bad a person, at least as far as she could tell. He could use some lessons in self-confidence, but a good kid all around. But it was too late now- he vanished and she was left with the only option open: follow the thief.

        Eventually, she came into sight of a port city. Or at least it looked like it did- she doesn't remember ports having a massive tower that stretch all the way up to the clouds; there's no building like that anywhere on Dragenia. She does remember pyramids, though- the seat of power for Astrals. Seems both those were near the center of the city, or closer to the countryside. But port or not, it's the first town she's seen in whatever crazy world she ended up in, so she's gonna take it. She can get answers and figure out just what is going on. At least she can understand them; that's a blessing in of itself.




        Elsewhere, tucked away from prying eyes in the seemingly-endless jungle, Sil sat by his lonesome, panting and freaking out by what he saw. What he saw should've been impossible- it had to have been. "Ano... ano... another Silver..." He gulped, swallowing nothing. "H-h-how is there another Silver? The... there shouldn't be. How i-- why is it a human?! How could... when could..."

        He held his forehead as he struggled to find his breath. Images flashed through his mind- images of things he did and cannot undo. He held his paws over his eyes and rapidly shook his head as he hyperventilated, begging this to end. "No no no no no no no... not again... not again... stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop stop..." Faint markings appeared on his wings for the briefest of moments before they vanished.

        In-between the hyperventilating, he took in a few deep breaths, following Alua's advice to calm himself down. "Breath in... 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... and exhale..." Which he did. He did this more times then should be allowed, but it eventually happened. 

        He exhaled like he came from deep beneath water and surfaced for the necessary life-giver known as air. He gulped on nothing again as he removed his hands away from his eyes. "Ok.... calm down, Silverwind... you..... you need to calm down...." He leaned forward as sweat dripped from his brow. "Y... you're freaking out over something... you have no clue about..." He wiped his mouth and took more deep breaths. "So she's... a furless Anthromorph or... something that should be extinct... and can somehow transform into a Dragon..." He shook his head. "That makes no seeeeeense...."

        He crawled over to the nearest river and stuck his head in it to cool himself down. He kept it under for minutes before pulling back out, panting as he was close to running out of air. "Calm down, you idiot..." He gave a few deep exhales. He looked at himself in the rivers reflection. He looked so messed up by his reaction to this. "You need to calm down, Sil... or it's gonna happen again..."

        Out of nowhere, he suddenly felt lightheaded. After the long stretches of freak outs and lack of air, it's a wonder this didn't happen sooner. He fell over onto his side, still conscious, but remarkably loopy and unable to think straight. 

        "Just... what was she...?" He rolled onto his back- his wings and paws stretched outward. He stared up into the sky, watching as birds fluttered by without worry or doubt. Once upon a time, he was like that. Now look at him- he's so afraid of himself, he can't do anything simple without breaking down. "Wish i could be like them... and not be me..." He turned his head to look at the river again. On the other side, he could see a hunter lurking about as he went deeper into the woods, likely out to bag some game. "I'd even settle for being like crazy Homshilonm..."

        Waiting for his light-headedness to fade away, he sat up, shook his head, splashed some water in his face, and clapped his paws against his cheeks several times. "Aeeeragh... stop this, Sil... you need to stop doing this to yourself..." He took one last exhale before getting back onto his feet. Whatever happened in the last few minutes seemed to have work as he was thinking clearly again.
  
        "Ok... so that girl... what did she call herself? Sokuro? The way she acted and talked... it's like she wasn't from anywhere around here at all- she didn't know what a Fleacrab was and she was shocked when she saw that i was a Silver too... almost as if... ugh, if only i heard what she said when she muttered..." He looked back up towards the sky. "She said she was looking for her friends... if she truly isn't from around here, then she must not know what i have done... and if she's not from around here..." His eyes slowly widened as the thought entered his mind. "Then everyone in Nexia port is going to think she is me... oh stars..." He spread his wings and quickly took to the skies, hoping to get to town as fast as he could.
        
        At the same time, the hunter had made a very interesting discovery... two, in fact...





        After what felt like an eternity, which was only a half hour, she had reached the city. From the skies above, Sokuro scouted out the port city she had come to. Following the thief was no longer on her list: she found civilization. Now she needs answers: The mysterious creature on the beach, the fact there's another Silver; one that doesn't carry the same level of mysticism she and her past Silvers have, and a humongous root that seemed to stretch out over the ocean- all evidence points to this being not being Dragenia. 

        Observing the town from up on high, she got in the general layout of the town: the port wasn't terribly big- in comparison, it was half as big as Roko. The roads seemed to be in a grid-like formation, with blocks of homes within those grids. She got a good look at the tower: It was tall, but not the tallest thing she had seen. It rose 600 feet into the air, and was topped by a dome, like an observatory. A few blocks over rose a huge temple; it looked just like Velx's back home, which puzzled her. 

    She landed at the outskirts of town, feeling hunger rear its ugly head. Even if whatever these people have for food looks terrible, she has no choice. She does have one advantage in this new land, though: she can understand them and they can understand her. Either that's from the universal translator doing its job... which doesn't make much sense as none of the Dragnian natives were given any, or the language they use her is similar to basic Dragenian- that one seems the more likely. 

        Reading, on the other hand... yeah, no, this is gonna have to work like a pop-up book; screw the words, focus on the pictures. 

        She quickly learned that not understanding the words was true in her mind. As she approached the town, she noticed a sign along the dirt path she was taking. It was written in a language she had no clue on how to understand, nor did it look like any of the languages the colonists use. It was completely foreign. 

        "Guess i'm going by picture book logic today..." She exhaled to herself. "Nothing but visual." She puffed up her chest and strode on in, unaware that she had already gotten the attention of many locals at the entrance, and it wasn't positive.

        She entered the town, acting like she had lived here her whole life while taking care to avoid the puddles. At the very least, that huge tower can serve as a guidepost of sorts. She kept to her Aerid form, as that seems to be the norm here. She has seen no bipedal creatures, so four-legs seems to be normal. As she walked, she looked at all the houses she passed by. They were all made of either stone, mud, clay, or wooden. Stone and Wood, that's obvious: plenty of buildings back home were made of that- it's a basic cornerstone. Mud and Clay, on the other hand... that's something she never assumed could be turned into lodging. 

        Maybe this is Dragenia, but the Gate opened up to some... alternate version. 

        If only she was that lucky.

        As she walked along the path, taking in all the sights she could, she noticed something about the people that call this place home: they all had multiple colors. It wasn't isolated only to Silverwind- seems everyone in this world has two or more colors. Working off that, she can assume that everyone either has two elements that they are proficient with, or they have access to all of them and the colors are just for show. If Sil or the thief bothered to use their elements, she'd have her answer, but as it stands...

        As she thought back to that moment, she realized that she was the same height as them when she was in her Ferid form... and nothing changed when she went Aerid. They stayed the same, even thought they should've been made smaller by her transformation. As she passed by a Aerid chipping away at a statue, she compared her size to her's. Same height, for the most part. This new one seemed to be a foot or two taller. Did she imagine things like that back on the beach? Did the gate change something about her when they were pulled in? She wanted to look at her scale to check, but changing here would bring the same reaction she got from that other Silver.

        Her stomach rumbled again. She wanted food now! She should've checked the beach to see if there were any tropical fruits. Ah well: hindsight is 20/20. It wasn't long until she reached a square or a park, surrounded by stalls: stalls that sold rugs, to trinkets, and yes, even food. She smelled fish coming from a nearby stall; this is a port, so of course fish was gonna be a major selling item.

        She sped towards the nearest stall that had the food. She approached, and nearly crapped her pants when she saw that the one in charge of the stall was not a Aerid, but was instead a oversized feline as tall as her; his back was turned to her as he tended to the food. Frightened, she dug the heels of her paws into the mud and skidded to a halt. Mud from the momentum she built up kicked up and got the unsuspecting cook in the back of his head.

        "Agh! What the stars was..." He turned, ready to strike the idiot with a shish-ka-bob skewer, and saw the scared but confused girl standing there all wide-eyed in shock. That's not what he was going to focus on first, however. "Whoa. There's more then one." She stayed silent, not sure how to respond. "un..." He waved his hand. "Are you going to say something?"

        "What... the heck... are you...?"

        "Wh..." He scratched his head with the skewer. "What kind of a question is that? You don't know a Anthromorph when you see one?" She stayed silent still. So far, her silence was telling him all he needed to know. "Ah... now i think i'm getting it. I'm the first one you've seen, haven't you?" She nodded. "That explains it. But how? Were you living under a rock this whole time?"

        She opened her mouth to speak, but delayed for a brief moment. The people from Misken didn't take kindly to the colonists when they first arrived, with many suggesting they run them out, with most of that stemming from the fact they are from another world and that their mere existence poked holes in their faith. Now she was the stranger in a strange land, and she could ruin a lot of things if she's not careful. "Un.... you.... could say that..." She hesitantly spoke. "I was... raised out in the wilderness my whole... life and this is my first time in the city..."

        "Must've been pretty secluded to not know a Anthromorph is."

        "Heh... yeah..." She needed to change the subject before he asks a question she doesn't have the answer made up for. "Un... how much for one of those skewers?"

        "That'll be 20 Goldz."

        Goldz? That's the name of their currency? She could come up with better if she wrote a fantasy book. But regardless, there was no chance they'll take Sels, and she can't change back to grab any out of her coin purse- so far, no Ferids have been seen, and this rodent was the first bipedal seen all day. "Goldz? What's a Goldz?"

        "You don't have any?"

        "Does it sound like i have any?"

        "No Goldz, no food."

        No food? But she was starving. "But i--"

        "HEY!!!" Someone shouted behind her. She looked back and saw that she had formed a line, and most all of them looked at her with vitriol. "Didn't you hear him?! He said no Goldz, no service, now take a hike!" She was stunned by his rude and shocking provocation. She moved aside to let him up to the front of the line. She walked backwards before turning to leave. As she walked away, she heard the same one say to her, "...  soul-stealing freak..."

        "(Soul-Stealing Freak...?)" She thought to herself as she walked away, hoping to find a stall that sold food for free. During her trek, she looked towards the park and saw that they were getting ready for something as they were setting up... whatever. Seems she arrived in time for a festival. But even seeing the coming festival being set up, which should bring free food if she is both lucky and unlucky, it wasn't going to be soon enough. She just haaaaaad to figure out the Gate before breakfast.

        "Monster..." She heard someone hiss in her way. "Disgusting freak..." She heard another snarl. 

        Reaching a bench of some sorts- this too seemed to be made out of clay- she sat upon it and rubbed her eyes with her paws. "Uuuuuugh... i can't think..." She plopped down on her side and stuck her tongue out like a dead animal. 

        She turned her head to the side and gazed out at the stalls across from her. They sold merchandise that wasn't food, which was a good thing: now she won't be lamenting the fact she's going hungry as she took it more information about this world, but with her stomach running on empty, that was a hard task. The growling of her stomach distracted her more times then she can count.

        Her eyes wandered, and eventually caught a sight she wasn't expecting: a feathered Aerid with the head of a bird. It's no secret on Dragenia that the Astrals are the only feathered Aerids. Even if an Ajixis with the specific ability to control birds were to gather feathers, it would only be temporary. Besides, nobody has the head of a bird to go along with it. She should be surprised, but after encountering a strange crab and a mouse bigger then her, she's learned to accept that this world is going to be a odd one. Well... odd for her, but normal for all of them. He was selling rugs, so there was no chance he'll have any food with him.

        She heard footsteps approaching, but didn't bother to look. It was likely going to be someone demeaning the bench; she is taking up a huge chunk of it, but she didn't care. She grabbed some blades of grass, pulled them out of the dirt, and just ate them. She was that hungry.

        "Sigh...why am i not surprised your lazy bag of bones is taking up valuable space?" The voice belonged to a boy, not that Sokuro was in any rush to know.

        "Surprised by what? By how hungry i am?"

        "... wait. You're not Silverwind."

        "Silverwind...?" The timid boy she met at the beach. He knows people? Sokuro spat out the grass and sat up. Staring at her was a red-scaled Aerid with brown highlights on his wings, same-colored stripes on his back and running down his underbelly. He had saddlebags on his back and a inquisitive look on his face. "You know Silverwind?"

        "In a... sense..." The new boy hesitantly replied. 

        Sokuro was hesitantly on the reply as well, not sure what will happen if she talked to him. Given her luck in the last couple of hours, this guy could be the son of a spiteful emperor. Worse still: could he be as spiteful as the jerk from the foodstall? He's not telling her to sod off, so that's a plus already. If things go well, she can question him for information about this place. "... Sokuro. Th.. my name is Sokuro. ... and now its your turn- what's your name?"

        "Seliox." 

        "Seliox? Ok, Seliox, do you mind telling me just--"

       His tailblade flattened itself on her snout, making her look cross-eyed at it before returning her attention to its owner. "No No NO... The better question that must be asked first is: how do YOU know him? The idiot is a spineless, antisocial wimp and i know he'd run from you given the chance." He spoke with such a air of superiority about him.

        "... he didn't seem that bad."

        "Just wait till you get to know him. Now talk: How do you know the idiot?"

        Does he really have to call him that? Obviously, this Seliox guy knows who Sil is... and doesn't take very kindly to him. Maybe they were friends and it broke up badly due to some unknown reason, or they are brothers, in which case, this is natural sibling rivalry stuff; there are times Taled has been angry at Sokuro, and vice versa, and they spoke like this. "Um... well, i... am not from around here. I'm from... far away and I got separated from my friend and acquaintances and i woke up on the beach, then these crab things scared me and i took shelter. He got rid of them and we talked for a hot minute until a thief came. I stepped in and scared the thief off, but then Sil just... ran. He looked so shocked and scared."

        Seliox looked up and down her self, obviously taking into account the most noticeable aspect. "Well, there's no question as to why he ran... he's a Silver."

        "What does scale color have to do with anything?"

        He stayed silent for a moment before he moved his tailblade away from her mouth. "I guess you must be from far away. Or you lived under a rock your whole life." Technically, she lives on top of one, but he didn't need to know that. And the only function scales serve back on Dragenia is to showcase with element they're strongest with. "In that case, you better tread carefully. Thanks to the idiot last year, Dragon's like you are not looked upon in favor." And there was visual proof to back this up as several bypassers glared towards her with furious intent.

        She felt uneasy with all these evil looked toward her. "What... do you mean? What did he do?"

        "Let's just say he...left a scar on the psyche of many. A lot of things can be forgiven- what he did cannot." Him, she thought? That shy, meek kid did something bad? She knows appearances can be deceiving, but still... "I hope wherever you are from, Silver's are pitifully weak, otherwise Nexia-- no no, all of Naya are going to eat you alive."

        Nexia and Naya... at least she has words to call this place by- now the question was which name went with what location. But that's for later. "Will you just tell me what the troska he did?" She spoke up. She softly gasped as she held a paw to her mouth. She said another colonist word, and one of the bad ones from the Argalith language, or so she understands. Worse still, it's likely a word this world likely doesn't know about.

        And her concern was right- that was a word unknown to this place. "Troska? What's that?"

        "Um..." She scratched the back of her head and her neck, nervously breaking out into a nervous laugh. "Eh... hehe... um... it's... a... curse word i made up. Heh... yep. It's one i made up a fe----- some time ago. It quickly took off at my home... hehehehehehehehehehee... (please buy the excuse, please buy the excuse, please buy the pitiful excuse.)"

        He bought the excuse, but he could tell that she was keeping secrets. There was more to this, he figured. "... riiiiiiight..."

        She stopped laughing and closed her mouth. "Now it's my turn to ask: what did he do?"

        "Look, i'm pressed for time, ok? The short of it? He went out of control. He killed a lot of people and his powers went berserk, leaving a crater in the land."

        That sounds... eerily familiar... a lot like Xelut and Artox, but... something clearly happened to this Silverwind character. "No way... him? That sweet, shy little boy?"

        "Don't let his appearance fool you. Underneath that facade lies a dangerous reservoir."

        Sokuro is no stranger to a dangerous reservoir deep inside. Silver's like her back home are essentially demi-gods. Is it the same here too? But, if they are all permanently Aerids here, then he had to be born with this power; his color is just some byproduct. If he was different, then people here would be embittered towards Blue-colored Aerids, or green, or even pink. 

        As for Sil himself... her mind ran wild with possibilities. Maybe he suffered amnesia of the event or in his rampage, he accidentally killed his parents, or he's so guilt-ridden, it's eating him up inside and he forced himself to change his personality. She can't decide which one is worse.

        "All this talk of Silverwind is depressing me." Seliox suddenly spoke, interrupting her train of thought. "Let's switch to you: you said you aren't from around here, correct? Why else would you eat grass watered by sewage?"

        Sokuro spit up whatever grass was left in her mouth as hard as she could. They water their grass with sewage? Gods, that is disgusting in of itself. She whimpered as she wiped her paws over her tongue, hoping to get rid of the taste and residue. As she did this, she thought about his question: He had no idea, but she couldn't say. Best to keep it vague. "Um... yeah." She rolled her tongue back in; it still had an aftertaste "A really far away place, one you probably never even heard of. Have you heard of a place called Evioly. Have you heard of it?" He stayed silent. "That's what i thought. Anyway, Evioly is... really far away. It took us years to get here. But our... vessel was destroyed and i got separated from my friends."

        "Well, there was a nasty storm last night. You must've bad a bad captain if he didn't know how to sail through a storm."

        "Yeah, that... did us in. And no, our g--... CAPTAIN, Velx, is talented. It... just caught us off guard."

        "Caught you off guard? It's been gaining power all day yesterday and went wild last night. No way it could've snuck up on your ship unless your captain was drunk at the helm."

        She...... won't deny him there. Velx can be a heavy drinker around festival time. "......... heh.... well.... it did." She coughed, planning and hoping to get out of this awkward spot and move on. "Anyway... the crew... unfortunately went down with the ship. Me and my friends were able to fly away in a break in the storm, but it only last a few seconds. There were seven of us- not counting myself, there's Polosa, Eia, Ventus, Br--"

        "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, slow your roll, lady. I'm not gonna be looking for your friends. I doubt anyone here will due to you being... you know." She looked down at her scale colors as he gestured to her. "If you ended up on that beach, then they did too. Or they are at the bottom of the ocean." She had ever even considered that; He didn't need to say like that, but it ultimately is something she didn't plan on. What if one of them did end up in the water and drowned? She would be responsible.

          "I... dead..?" She shook her head, refusing to believe that is even a remote possibility. "How could you think they are all dead? How are you so cold and callous?"

         "I've seen some harsh realities, sweetheart. Your story is nothing new."

        She looked to the ground, feeling downtrodden about it. "Well... still, you still didn't need to say anything..."

        "Oh no, not again..." A female voice spoke out. Sokuro looked to her right, and from one of the roads came a dragoness like her; a certain green and brown number. "Seliox, he had a terrible time last night, so please let up on the teasing today, ok...?"

        And just like that, Seliox's rude demeanor was instantly gone. "I would, Sequiana... if this WAS Silverwind."

        "What are you talking about, of course this is..." Seqy looked towards the new Silver in town and realized that it was all one color; there were no yellow anywhere on her whatsoever. The only things that are a different color are the soft purple eyes and the horns that came out of her forehead and jutted back over her eyes, like epic eyebrows. "... you're not Silverwind."

        "You weren't the first to make that mistake..." Sokuro softly responded, feeling Seliox's words starting to weigh down on her.

        "So... wait, why is there another one? I thought Silverwind was the only one."

        "Ask her if you want answers, cause i need to go." Seliox said as he took a few steps away. 

        Seqy took a few steps toward him in a attempt to keep him from leaving, but stopped knowing that she'd be pissing off a dangerous powerhouse by doing so. Not Seliox, but the one who is raising him. "Sel... I wish you'd come by.... We all miss you, Sil included."

        He looked back to her, keeping up his stride. He really didn't want to be late today. "I'm surprised he does.... but maybe one day, i'm come by... I'm not going to make any promises.." He spread his wings and took to the air. 

        Seqy watched him fly away with a somber look and a dismal sigh. The last year has been hell for everybody in Naya, and it was showing no signs of getting better. She rubbed one paw over the other before turning her attention to the new girl. "... hard to believe there is another one."

        "Everyone had hammered that in.."

        Seqy nervously chuckled as she scratched her cheek. "He's nothing if not brutally honest. I know he didn't get it from us." Her eyes looked to the ground for a moment, figuring that he had to have brought this up. Brutally honest, but doesn't know when to shut up. "So, he mistook you for Silverwind, didn't he?"

       If she was in her human form, Sokuro would be fidgeting with her fingers and messing with her hair. If she was in her human form, maybe this whole mess could've been avoided. "... yeah. I got the feeling he isn't exactly... popular... or any Silver's, for that matter... someone called me a soul-stealing freak." 

        Seqy rubbed the back of her head, feeling guilty that a newcomer is being mistaken for her friend, and is getting the shade he has to put up with. "Right... of course they did..."

        That's something she's afraid to know the answer to, but one she needs to know. Given they share the same color, it would be best to know what she is getting herself into, even if it does suck. "What did he even do? He didn't exactly go into details, only that he snapped."

        "... which he did, in a way..." That jerk Seliox was right? That's something Sokuro really didn't want to hear- truthful jerks are hard hitting. Seqy looked up to the sky to check the time. "Listen, if you're willing to help me gather up some supplies, i'll tell you the whole story."

       She doesn't have much to say and protest. Since she needed information, and she has no idea where anything is or who will remotely treat her nice, Seqy here is her best bet. "I really don't have much of a choice in the matter. I'm completely lost and clueless, and you're the first one i met so far who hasn't badmouthed me or treated me like a jerk or ran away. So i'm going with you."

        "I... don't know if i should feel complimented or insulted."

        Sokuro lazily chuckled. "Heh... should've worded it better... heh... Oh, my name is Sokuro, by the way."

        "And you already know my name thanks to Seliox. But call me Seqy for short." She nodded in response. "Come on; we'll talk as we gather up replacements and supplies."

        "So why do you need supplies?"

        "I don't know if you noticed, but there was a nasty storm last night. It was pretty nasty and it ruined our crop fields, so we need new seeds and food and even a new garden hoe to last until we can replant. Good thing about living in the tropics- it's nice year round."

        Figures it had something to do with that storm. At least that's a story she can work with since it was very recent. "... funny you should mention that storm..."




        Slowly and lazily floating along the wind currents, Sil made his way to Nexia Port. Since he didn't see the new girl since their encounter on the beach, he can only surmise that she followed the thief or the shoreline until she found civilization. He took his time because he didn't really want to go to town; he knew what he would be getting into once he stepped foot there. But... then the girl would be subjected to the same abuse he's privy to every day.

        But worst of it all: what would happen if she ran into Seliox, or stars forbid, Termundus? There was no way she would be able to survive that encounter. He can't tell which scenario is worse: if they encounter another Silver, or encounter another Silver that can change into a human and vice versa?

        He grew apprehensive what he saw the Council Tower stabbing into the sky. He always felt uneasy and nervous whenever he saw that, not since that day. He can't linger on it for too long; he needed to find her before something bad happened.




        He didn't have much to worry about, as the one Sokuro had met after all the rude people and Seliox was probably the best one she could've met. She even bought Sokuro a beef skewer, much to the hungry newbies delight. Sokuro followed her around as Seqy bought supplies and replacements for everything that was ruined or destroyed from the storm, all the while Sokuro told her the story she came up with- Seqy may be the nicest one she met so far, but there's no telling how she would react if she knew Sokuro was... well, since she's seen no humanoids so far, she's gonna have to go with a shape-shifter.

        "-- this wannabe thief had Silverwind pinned, so i had no choice but to intervene. I think my intimidation spooked them both, because both the thief and Silverwind ran away..." Sokuro took a bite out of the huge piece of meat. It tasted... different then meat back home. Not terrible, but different. It's a different world, so obviously different spices and cooking methods are used. "...though given everything that jerk told me, i think the fact i'm a Silver scared them more then my scary display."

        "Yeah, that would do it." Seqy replied, lugging a saddlebag filled with fruit and covered meat on her back. The two of them approached a stall selling vegetables- after this, she needed to find a place selling seeds and also buy a new garden hoe. "Seliox described it best when he still lived with us; Sil is a coward. I'm not saying that to be mean or anything, but it's just who he is. He hates fighting." 

        "Then what did he do to make everyone hate him?"

        Seqy stopped for a moment. Sokuro sucked in her lips, feeling like she asked a really loaded question. "... well... We were inside the orphanage, various adults suddenly came and went to adopt various of us, Seliox being one of them... when suddenly we heard some heavy discussion outside followed by a crimson shockwave alongside a golden-like energy flash"

        "Wait... orphanage?" That word rang hard for her.

        "Yeah... our eggs suddenly appeared in front of the orphanage doors. Alua didn't see who left them, but we were left there by someone. I wish i knew who. Silverwind's egg appeared a week after mine..." She looked back and saw that Sokuro was looking a bit shocked, like in a trance. "Hey, are you ok?"

        Sokuro snapped out of her trance and blinked. "Y... yeah. I'm fine. Just... shocked that he's a orphan." She looked away. "(Gods... why are Silvers these days getting punched in the gut? I...is this world parallel to ours...? Another Silver without a family... but unlike me, he never knew his... and his life is far worse, by the sounds of it.)"

        "But... yeah. Nobody knows the caused the explosion to happen, but... one day, out of nowhere, there was suddenly this massive golden light. It was huge, punching a hole in the clouds and spread for miles. A lot of people were killed and a lot more were injured. And you can guess who was in the center of the crater..."

        "Sil..." Sokuro sadly answered. 

        Seqy nodded in confirmation. "He was unconscious when someone finally found him... but there were whisps of etherial energy coming off him, so everyone logically assumed that he was the cause of it... he did a lot of damage, so everyone hated him... Afterwards many of the adults saw him with hatred in their eyes, making it impossible for him to play with anyone, talk to anyone, or just treat him nice..." She sighed hard and depressingly, feeling bad for him. She felt sympathy tears forming and rubbed her eyes. She would give anything to help him end this mess. "If you ask me, I doubt it...I really doubt he could have done it, even when everything points out that he did it- i mean... it's just... He would never dare to harm a fly...It just doesn't add up..."
        Sokuro lifted her head, giving a warm smile to the more mature one of the two. "You're a loyal friend, aren't you?"

        "Well... you could say that... he's like a brother to me... just like to the fire twins and to everyone that ever was with him on the orphanage, even Seliox"

        "Wait, Seliox was a orphan?"

        She nodded. "Yes..." She sighed once more, but more of a worried sigh. "It's been a year since then. You can see how Sil is treated by the vast majority of people, and Seliox... he's started to act weird, different... almost like he wasn't himself."
        "Wait... a vast majority?"

        "Well... there are some, myself, Alua, and the Twins included, that believe while he was the cause, it wasn't by his own accord. We have the Gryphons on our side, and surprisingly the Phoenixes... Like i said, he is timid and meek- he wouldn't hurt a fly. But... something happened to make it erupt out of him. Sadly, we're outnumbered by those who hate him outright... and it's been going on for a full year since then. On top of it all, it made Dragons look bad to the other races; made us look like we're somehow engineering children for war or something. It's stupid, but you can't control how people think."

        "Other races...?" That giant feline she saw must be one of them.

        "Right. You aren't from around here. I bet you had a scare when you met one." Sokuro subtlety blushed in embarrassment as she scratched her cheek. Seqy ordered some seeds from the head stall clerk, who went behind to get what she asked for. She clicked her tongue and turned back to Sokuro. "Well, there's two types of creatures here: Feralis and Anthromorphs."

        "Huuuuuh?" Fer-whosits and Anthro-whatsits? This is as confusing as learning the species of the colonists. At least they had visual examples to back up what they are. 

        "I'll go into detail and try to go slow. Feralis come in three species: there are the Dragons, like you and me and Seliox and the clerk here. Then there are the Gryphons, who look like us but are covered in feathers and have the heads of birds in place of our pretty angular looks. They live by a strict code and don't believe in material wealth, but even people who live like that need to trade, and they make some pretty good stuff. Most of the stalls here are made by them. Despite being master woodsmiths, they usually tend to live in ruins- they're pretty much the only scavengers in the world, digging up relics of our past buried away."

        "Huh..." Covered in feathers. That sounds a lot like Velx. But he didn't have a bird head. And Scavengers? Sounds more like Archaeologists to her. If her parents were here, they'd try to find the Gryphons lickity-split.

        "Then there are the Phoenixes... they're a hardy bunch. They almost went extinct 70 years ago, and those that survived retreated are currently working to bring their numbers back up, which i think worked. They lived at volcanoes before their current predicament, and i think they still do. They tend to live in seclusion, but every so often, a tribe of them will come by to trade- i think one is coming for the Remembrance tomorrow. They tend to live off the land, but they still trade- like the Gryphons, we have stuff they need and vice versa. Other then fine works of art in jars, glasses, and sculptures that i swear i made out of crystal, they make some pretty good weapons and armor, ranging from silver to bronze to soul--"

        "Wait, what? Soul?" Not even the Astrals have the ability to mess with someones Soul- at least not the degree she is thinking of. All they can do is direct it to the next phase of its existence: reincarnation trough the River, suffering in the Black Abyss before reincarnation, or paradise in the Grand Light. That's it. "How can they use souls? Bronze and silver, that's a no brainier, but they can mess someones actual Soul? That should be impossible."

        "Oh. Right. Well... it's kind of hard to explain. Like... REALLY hard- I don't even know were to begin with explaining it. Um... i think a Phoenix merchant described it as like a sort of energy that all life exudes. It nurtures it, strengthens it, and empowers it, and one skilled in can awaken their latent powers, and those extremely powerful can awaken it in others, but they have to go way beyond their limits to do so, and that is impossible. And only Phoenixes can manipulate it. They never explain how they do it." 

        "....... huh..." That's not the explanation Sokuro was expecting, but she's gonna have to live with it. The clerk came back with the seeds and handed them to her. Seqy paid for it with the local currency and put them in her saddlebags. "So moving on, i guess- what are those Anth... thingies?"

        "Anthromorphs? 

        "Yeah, those." She pointed to the feline merchant that rudely denied Sokuro service. 

        So that's what they are called... but it doesn't explain everything. They walked down the muddy streets as Sokuro asked, "Everyone here seems to walk on four legs and have wings, but the one i saw was bipedal and looked like a giant cat." 

        "They prefer to be called felines, and... And they come in four different species: Felines, Canines, Lizards, and Rodents. They are all as big as us and almost as powerful. Except for rodents. For some reason, they're barely as big as a clutched paw."

        "Ok...? But WHAT are they? Where did they even come from? Everyone here are four-legged fliers, so why are they... them?"

        "Same as all things: evolution. That's like asking why birds and fish exist, on top of asking why they come in different varieties."

        So she's not going to get an straight answer; at least Evolution is as good a answer as anything. "I get the picture."

        "As for why the Rodents are huge and everyone else is so small... that's a question nobodies been able to answer."

        "Ooo. A mystery." She rubbed her paws together. "I love a good mystery." Especially since she has twenty thousand back home she still needs the answers to, like the mystery arrow and the rogue slavers.

        "Good luck. You won't be able to answer it."

        "Heh. Trust me, i can be very i--" She was suddenly hit in the back of the head by a hard rock. She yelped in pain as she lurched forward. "Ow... what hit me?" The girls looked back and saw a group of kids run away, with one of them carrying a pile of rocks in their saddlebags. ".........this is what Silverwind deals with daily?"

        Seqy sadly sighed as she nodded. "... yep. Almost every day, i want to give him a big hug and tell him things are going to be ok."

        After finding a stall that sold garden supplies and buying a replacement garden hoe, which she carried by wrapped her tail around it like a snake, the two started towards the edge of the city to leave this place behind for now. Sokuro finished off the last of her skewer and purred happily- her stomach was full and she was content for now. She looked around for a waste bin to toss the stick in, but didn't see one... or anything that could pass for one. She shrugged and hid it in Seqy's saddlebags. 

        Seqy picked up speed as she jogged up ahead. Sokuro looked ahead and saw the reason why: Silverwind. He was standing- leaning, more like- against one of the pillars holding up the entrance sign. He stared blankly at the ground; he must've been trying to work up the courage to come into town, but... obviously didn't.

        "There you are, Sil." Seqy warmly said as she jogged up to him.

        "Hey, Seqy." He softly said. "What are you doing here?"

        "Alua sent me to buy some supplies. The storm did a lot of damage..." She leaned forward to look him in the eyes. They were watery- he must've been crying. "You ok?"

        "Yeah, i was just... trying to work up the courage to head into town." He rubbed his eyes and changed gears. "Look, you aren't going to believe this, but there is another S--" He was tapped on the shoulder. He looked and saw the new Silver standing there with a grin on her face. And since Seqy isn't freaking out... "It's you! ....... you two already met, didn't you?"

        "Yeah." Out of nowhere, Sokuro gave him a giant hug, which caught him off guard. He blushed in embarrassment as she held him tight like a snake. "It'll be ok..."

        He grunted as he struggled to breath- this new girl had a vice grip. "... you told her, didn't you?" He asked Seqy.

        "She got some of the abuse that are normally meant for you and she wanted a explanation..."

        His heart sank when he heard that- nobody should be privy to the horrors he has to put up with, least of all a stranger in a strange land. "Oh..." He looked down at the hugger. "Sorry you had to experience that.""

        "Trust me... i know pain..." Sokuro croaked. Between losing her parents, the fearful pressure of not trying to be Xelut, almost getting kidnapped, and the probably guilt of killing her friends, she has a close proximity. She then let him go, feeling like he had enough. It felt like he's never used to hugging.

        "Sorry for running away like that back on the beach. You just... i thought i was the only Silver and you know why..."

        "You and me both; i'm the only one back home too. But... think we can talk about this on the way back to your home? If they hate one Silver, imagine how they will react when they see two."

        "Oooooo... i didn't think of that." Seqy backed it up. "Besides, Alua's stuck with the twins and you know that is not going to end well for either of them. I can already hear the punishments being doled out left and right." Without a word, Silverwind spread his wings and took to the air. 

        "I guess he's really eager to get home..." Sokuro commented as she slowly spread hers. "Not that i blame him." Seqy nodded in response before the two flapped their wings to follow after him. 

        As they flew towards the sky, Sokuro's mind returned to what Seliox told her, about her friends. There is... there is no way they could be dead, could they? She saw nobody else on the beach except for Sil and the thief, so... they must've ended up in other parts of this world. There should be no way she's the only one here, right? So... they must  be here. It's only logical... right?

36: Chapter 33: Welcome to the Hotel Nexia
Chapter 33: Welcome to the Hotel Nexia

Chapter 33

Welcome to the Hotel Nexia

???





        Water was splashed upon Ventus like a raging torrent. While the amount tossed in his face would be normal for any native thrown in here, for someone as small as him, the bucketful may as well have been a dam. He coughed violently as he was forced awake by the currents, struggling to cough out any that filled his body to the brim.

        "Wake up now." Ventus looked down and saw that it was Termundus' little lacky from before; Ocilua, he thinks her name was.

        "I was taking a nice nap, you know."

        "Like i care." She snarled as she tossed it aside before speaking in a mocking tone, like she was insulting a certain group. "You're just getting the 'special treatment' because of what you are."

        And that all but cemented what kind of person Ocilua is: a complete and utter soulless jerk. "...wow. Really high class, you are. You'd fit in as a politician."

        She rolled her eyes and walked over to the corner. "Just shut up, human."

        "For the last time, I am not a human! I am a Kitsune! Big difference! For one, we're--" He shut up before he let loose that Kitsune's are a immortal race; they cannot die to old age. Combat, accidents, poison, and other external elements can still kill them, but when it comes to age, that's not a worry. But that's not something she needs to know, not why he's their special guest. He had to come up with something quick to say; this sudden silence he imposed on himself was bound to make her suspicious. Maybe he can tell lies that would give him a better treatment. It's better then just hoping for the best when there likely isn't any. "--... a lot less durable then them. Yeah, we get injured and bruised rather easily."

        She returned from the corner with more chains to hang someone up by. That made him shut up, sucking in his lips in fear. "Again, like i care."

        He got nervous as she got closer. Do they whip prisoner dragons here? He is nowhere near as durable for being whipped by chains, especially ones as big as a motorbike. "... what's with the chains?"

        She spread her wings and fluttered up to the ceiling, putting them from openings. "You're getting guests."

        "Guests? ... you mean other prisoners."

        "Nooooo. Really?" She said in a mocking sarcasm as she pulled them through and slid them down. 

        A thought slowly creeped into his mind, one that doesn't ultimately bode well. "... who exactly am i getting for cellmates?"





40 minutes earlier...




        Termundus let out a grunting sigh as he sat in his fancy throne of a seat in the tower he, his fellow military leaders, and those that rule this country meet. He opened up a bottle of locally brewed wine and poured himself a cup. He wasn't going to open the good stuff; not when it isn't needed. He finished pouring and grabbed the cup with his claws and turned to face the outside world. He expected this day to be another boring day... but that new character that suddenly appeared on their doorstep, that Kitsune creature... that is going to make the forseeable future more interesting.

        It could provide them with the edge they need.

        And something about him felt... familiar. He knows they never met; he would remember seeing a furless fox, but his clothing and his technology, not to mention his attitude... it's clear he's not one of the mammals. At least none he is aware of. He could be a foreigner... but the distance to travel would have to be astronomical for someone his size. And nobody in their world uses that weapon of his. He never saw antyhing like it before...

        Except, maybe... in old legends...

        A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought. "Enter." He said without taking his eyes off the spectacular view. 

        The door opened and in came Seliox, fresh off his encounter with a certain pair. "Father, you are n--."

        "I told you not to call me that."

        ".... sorry."

        "So what brings you by?"

        "... well, i had a interesting encounter in town with a Silver."

        "Like i care what that stupid Silverwind is doing. Unless he's finally tossed in the trash where filth like him belongs, i don't care what happened to him."

        "No, Fa--- General. There was another one. There was another Silver in town." Termundus froze up, causing his drink to spill. "It was a female and around his age."

        ".......... there is another one of those things out there?"

        "Yeah, but... she seemed lost. She claimed to be from across the sea, which is impossible." Across the sea... Termundus hadn't considered that. Ever since the failed expedition, it's been believed that everyone outside the ring of fog that surrounds the land is dead. Id Seliox is telling the truth, then everyone outside still exists. "...Nothing lives past the fog; everyone knows that. Right?"

        "... and where is the female?"

        "Sequiana chased me off, so the female may've met Silverwind or returned to the Isle by now. But she'll be back; she said she came with friends but they got separated when their ship wrecked. So if anymore come into town looking lost, we'll know it's them."

        "... indeed we will..." He did feel a strange new presence in the last half hour, but he figured it was a Shadow or something more monstrous based on the sheer level of power he felt, not another Silver. Silverwind is powerful already, so there is no telling what this new one is capable of. It was then he felt three new presences slowly enter his domain field. Two of them felt really weak, almost like... the one he has down in the dungeons. As for the third, that one felt powerful. He closed his eyes and concentrated on locating them. One of the presences was in the custody of a trio of new recruits, and the other was trapped in a hunter's cage, and the third... was with one of the mammals, and based on his bio-acoustics, a member of the Horde- he can't touch that one. He's on thin enough ice with them as it is. He would have to deal with the two with the recruits and the hunter personally. 

        "Father?" A concerned but puzzled Seliox asked. It's rare that he find Termundus in such a frazzled state.

        Termundus opened his eyes and briefly looked to his adopted offspring before getting out of his seat. "I think her companions have just arrived." He set the cup down. "One of them is with one of the Horde, so i can't touch that one without igniting a incident. But two others, i can grab: one is with a hunter and the other with some lowly peons."

        Seliox took a step back- once Termundus is on the warpath, there is no stopping him. The only thing that can are the higherups, and even their power over him is waning. "Oh. So..."

        "I'll go deal with these newcomers. With luck, they'll give me more information about this new Silver." He passed by him, absently, and accidentally, whacking Seliox on the head with his wing. "I don't care what you do. Just don't get in my way." That stung the kid deep. He looked to the ground, hiding a hidden pain as Termundus departed.




        Bouncing around against her will in the cage, which was covered by a black cloth, Fayin was trying hard not to throw up. It was a lot smoother, traveling by air. With this guy walking now, she's going to lose her lunch. Between this, Velx's sudden flight, and falling from a high branch after her tail was stabbed, she was having the worst day of her life. Too much pain. "Herpg..." She held her claws to her mouth, trying to keep it down. Pearl, being a wild creature, is used to be bounced around, though the feeling of bile is a new sensation for her.

        As the movement started to die down, it allowed the two lizards to finally catch their breath, and their equilibrium. She wondered how the hunter is able to lift such a large cage, figuring that the material used must be really, really light. That or their magic is that strong. Either way... she's screwed. "This is turning into a very crappy day..." She gagged again. "Ugh..." She rolled backwards and slid onto her back. "And i would very much like to be let out of this cage!" She yelled. The hunter didn't hear, and even if he could, he wouldn't care. With little else to do, she positioned herself to where she can grab her tail and pull it over to look at the damage. She cringed when she saw the damage done- the branch had stabbed it clean through. It's a miracle it wasn't sliced off. 

        Pearl scampered over to her, innocently blinking as she tilted her head. Fayin glanced over to her before returning her attention back to the damage. "I'm not blaming you for this... i'm blaming you for the fall that i swear broke a few bones, but i'm blaming the branch for this... not to mention that idiotic colonist for doing... whatever it was that brought us here." She peered through the hole in her tail- it was ghastly looking, but nothing too major for a Gaharot. Gaharots thankfully have a speedy healing factor, so this wound will be healed up in no time.

       "Well... this isn't the worst wound i've gotten... but it's still gonna be a long heal." She let her tail go, nearly whipping Pearl with it- thankfully the tiny salamander has real good reflexes- and put her head against the wall. She placed her claws on her stomach and closed her eyes. She was in no hurry to test to see if her claws can pierce the wall; hers are brittle compared to normal Gaharot claws. 

        She had unwittingly fallen into a nap when she should be freaking out; it ultimately works out for her since Gaharots can heal faster when asleep, and faster still when in a meditative state, but in all honesty... she's used to being in horrible situations like this. Before she became Velx's handmaid, her life was... hell. Being born to a slave in a noble house on the mainland is a really horrible start to your life, and being constantly abused every day was a nightmare. If it wasn't for Velx... there's no telling what would've happened to her.

        A sudden bounce up and a equally sudden slam down woke her up from her short nap, angering her once again. There were a lot of voices coming from outside the pouch; maybe the hunter finally reached his destination. Her eyes moved over to Pearl, who was also stunned. "First chance we get... we're suing this guy... i'm gonna take his stupid traps and sell them at the Black Market!"
       
        "I told you i found something odd!" The hunter shouted.

        Once the dizziness stopped, Fayin slowly moved her eyes around the room. There were a lot more Aerids here then just the hunter, along with a few unfamiliar animals. She didn't recognize one that had feathers all over its body- that was a odd one, to say the least, but she recognized a couple others. She moved her eyes around and saw she was in some sort of hunting lodge- stuffed taxadermied heads hung off the walls, alongside the weapons that slayed them. There were a lot of booths built into the walls, and she was at one of them, with the feathered one as this ones particular shopkeep.

        "You weren't kidding." A yellow-colored Aerid said. "I never saw animals like these before." Fayin did the smart thing and stayed silent during this whole back and forth- if she is lucky, they'll think she's just some dumb animal. You can learn a lot about a new people or your enemy if you stay silent and observe. If she gets sold, she can find a way to bust out of this cage or whatever new cage they end up in and run for it.

        "I've seen lizards, but none that look like these two." The feathered one said. "Well, except maybe that tiny one; that one looks like a Axolotl, but cuter."

        "Bet they taste good." The feline commented.

        The hunter that caught them elbowed the cat away. "Not a chance, bucko- it's mine." He pushed it over to the shopkeep. "So whadya think i should do with them? Gut 'em and hang their pelts as trophy's?"

        "They'd be very lousy trophies." A bronze-colored "Aerid" spoke up. "The small one looks like it barely has any meat on its bones. And the big one... i don't think it would taste very good.

        "You could always let them go back into the wild." The feathered one suggested. Everyone looked at each other for a brief moment before bursting out into uproarious laughter. It caught the attention of several who were passing by, as well as the attention of a certain huge feline that turned down a certain heroine. Fayin looked towards the feathered one, feeling like he was on her side in this situation. 

        "oooo, that's hilarious." The hunter guffawed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Hoo hoo... mm... but seriously."

        "I mean it. They should released back at their home. What if they are an endangered species? Or the last members of their race?"

        "Sigh... that's the thing with you Gryphons... you always look at the bad side of things." Fayin turned her attention back to the feathered one. They're called Gryphons? That is such a odd name, but at least she now knows what to call it.

        "No, we look at the realistic."

        The bronzw "Aerid" groaned a grunt as he rolled his eyes. "Right. I swear, you're all just as bad as Phoenixes." The Gryphon slowly shook his head in disappointment as he let out a sigh. 

        Fayin continued to stay quiet as she observed everything that was going on. So these Aerid lookalikes don't seem to treat these Gryphon's and... what were the other ones? Phoenixes. She's getting the feeling that the three races here don't get along all that well. If there were Gaharots here, this would be home through and through. She concentration was broken when she heard Pearl whimper. She looked down at her and saw that she was shaking in fear. She petted her on the head to calm her down, but nothing was working. It is unsettling seeing it like this; Kalamanders tend to be strong headed and hard to frighten, so what was causing this one to shiver in fear? One look up answered the question and answered another.

        "Is something the matter, gentlemen?" A subtly sinister voice spoke behind them.

        The Hunter growled in irritation, smacking an open paw on the countertop before turning around. "We're having a conversat...ti...... ti......" His irritation quickly subsided when he saw danger standing before them. "G... General Termundus. Gulp... w-what brings you by, general?"

        "I was out for a nice morning stroll; it was quite pleasant and peaceful... until i heard shouting coming from here, and why am i not surprised you were the cause of this, Ilfchen?" The gryphon rolled his eyes in response. As if his day needed to get any worse- now he has to put up with this jerkwad. 

        Fayin took notice of how everyone was acting to this General Termundus- the "Aerids" and the feline seem to be afraid of him. Termundus looked imposing, to be sure, but she's seen scarier. Maybe it's in how he acts that makes people afraid of him. Not that it would surprise her. Those in power are always corrupted, even if it isn't absolute. She couldn't get a bead on the Gryphon's reaction; bad animosity between species, perhaps? That seems the most likely, given how the others were acting until now.

        "So i ask again: what seems to be the commotion, gentlemen?"

        The hunter, rather then get Termundus angry, swallowed his pride and stepped aside. "Un, these, sir." Termundus walked past him and shoved the others away with his wings while he approached the cage holding her and Pearl. Pearl continued to shiver in fear, but Fayin stood defiant. He wouldn't be the first tyrant she stood up to.

        "That one has some fire. I can see it in its eyes." Pearl hid behind her out of fear, continuing to surprise Fayin with how scared she is. "What are they, exactly?"

        "We don't know." The hunter replied. "I, un, found them. Out in the forest. We were discussing what they were and what to do with them when you came along."

        "And you never stopped to consider that they could be Shadow agents?" He asked with a stone-cold inflection that could make spines shiver as he raised his head to look to them.

        Fayin raised up a brow. Shadows? Considering how he was talking, it couldn't be anything good. Is that the name of a gang, or stealthy saboteurs from a rival nation? "... Why would they be something so small?"

        "You can never be too sure with those shlecks." He lowered his head back down to look at the two mystery animals. It is clear that two of the strange presences came from these creatures, but the aura's they are giving up doesn't make any sense. It's like they aren't from here... it slowly dawned on him that these two could be from wherever the Female Silver is from. But these are just dumb animals, so it would make no sense to toss them into the same cell as that thing. But the bigger of the two isn't stupid; it looks like it's ready to throw down.

        "You've got a fire in you..." He commented. She continued to stay silent, not giving him any acknowledgement. If she was right, then this General has a ego, and she'll find a way to bruise it. But for now, she'll have to play along. So far, everyone believes her and Pearl to be dumb animals, and if her snap judgment of Termundus is right, it would be wise to continue playing the idiot. Termundus puffed smoke at the cage before lifting his head back up. "Who found these two mystery creatures again?"

        The Hunter was too nervous to step forward, but he had to; damned if you do, damned if you don't. "Un... that was me, General. I already told you. And as i said, it was completely by accident too, and--" The General shut him up by tossed him a sack filled to the brim. He peered in and saw that it was all Goldz! Enough to have him live like a king for a month or two. "Holy crap!" He closed it tight, grinning like an idiot. "They're all yours, oh delightful general, sir. Hehehe..."

        "You'll bring some interest to a boring day." Termundus grabbed the cage with his tail, answering her question on how the hunter transported it- short answer, it's as light as a feather. The people at the stall backed away, allowing him to pass without much fuss. 

        "... idiot." He heard at the edge of his hearing. He slowly turned his head around, glaring at the Gryphon shopkeep.

        "What did you say to me?"

        "I said you are an idiot." Iflead boldly said. "You all are. These are innocent creatures, ripped away from their homes, and you immediately sold and bought them like, like, like they were playthings."

        "Hey, business is business." The blue "Aerid" spoke. "Oh, but wait, that's right, you Gryphon's don't know the first thing about business."

        "I know more then you. But then again, i didn't lose my 10th stall in a month, nor did i exclusively sell to a corrupt regime headed by the most amoral and evil fools in the country!"

        The bronze "Aerid" growled like a animal before moving to beat him upside the head and cook him up like chicken. He was stopped, however, by the blade on Termundus' tail. "You better chose your next words carefully, bird..." He spoke with a dark undertone as he slowly approached, likely to build up intimidation. "... cause they may be the last things you ever say..." His tail blade moved too close to the Gryphon's neck. "...so you better take your word back."

        "I stand by what i said. You have to be a special kind of evil to trade innocent lives like they are just toys. But i guess that's all we can expect from someone as vile as you- a slave trader who would sell out his own kind to get his way, just like how you blamed that innocent boy for the disaster."
    
        Termundus just stared at the shopkeep with cold, sinister eyes. Fayin felt on edge; this is proving her gut feeling more and more right about this Termundus guy... but is he all talk, no action? The blade hasn't moved, so maybe the shopkeep was calling his bluff? Not even a General would be able to get away with ki--

        A large green rock, most likely a emerald, suddenly shot up from beneath the ground, tearing through the stall. The stand was destroyed, shattered into many pieces, as the rock lifted the Gryphon up. The sudden shock and surprise made him fall off it and onto his back. He barely had time to react, but the blade punctured his back-left thigh, making him fall over and hold his leg in pain before he had a chance to do anything. The gryphon lifted up his upper body, but the blade hovered closed to his neck, keeping him from moving further.

        The green rock hovered above the Gryphon, ready to drop on a moments notice, while it's wielder had a sinister air about him. "Such a terrible mistake..." He coldly whispered. The rock dropped. The Gryphon yelled out in agony as his left wing was broken into multiple pieces. The rock shifted, making sure the bone it hit was grind into dust before lifting up. "... now suffer..." It was then dropped on the same leg that had the puncture wound, making him yell out again.

        "Maybe now you'll thnk twice before you talk back to us." The blue "Aerid" spoke before spitting on the suffering gryphon. "Filthy trash..." he spat before heading away. 

        Mortified, Fayin watched on in horror. She looked towards the hunter and his comrades- they seemed... cheerful this was happening. Just what kind of messed up work did they arrive in? She held her head as memories came flooding back. Memories of a time she wished to forget.

        The rock sank back beneath the ground just as guards finally arrived. They saw what happened, but needed to hear the "official story" from the horses mouth first. "What happened here?"

        "Off the record... i taught this filthy outsider a lesson. On the record...i came too late to try and save this poor Gryphon, who was attacked by vile burglars from the Horde that destroyed everything before grinding the cartilage in its wings and the bones in its legs to dust. I arrived too late... and the poor Gryphon died." 

        "Yeah..." The hunter sneered, going along with the charade. "Too bad you didn't arrive in time to help. We tried, but the Horde was just too much." The Gryphon snarled at them both. If the need wasn't necessary, his kind would stop trading with them right now.

        "I think the poor Gryphon's body deserves a... proper send off..." Termundus snickered. The guards knew what that meant; the General wants some private time with his food. They picked up the Gryphon, who was in too much pain to fight back, and dragged him away. Termundus then tossed several bagfuls of coins to the hunter and his comrades. "Good work, boys." 

        "Always a pleasure." The Hunter snickered as the general departed from the lodge and took to the air.

        Now it was Fayin's turn to be afraid, for she was now in the clutches of a psychotic sociopath. What she just witnessed... not even slavers back home are that brutal. You get lashings or burns, sure, but... never before has she seen someones bones pounded into powder. She could hear it, too... those sounds are going to haunt her until the end of her days... which may be soon, if her fears are founded.

        He llooked back at the cage. Fayin kept on a brave face, but she was ready to pass out out of fear. "Now what do i do with you two...? Foreign or not, you are still animals, and... ugh, i'm forbidden from experimenting on animals thanks to that obnoxious agreement with those schlecking Phoenixes... lousy bunch of ingrates. And i can't give you to Gartia for the same reason." 

        An idea soon reached him as he reached the tower. He went to his office, where Seliox still was. He was reading a book while relaxing on a beanbag chair. He looked up when he heard the door open and saw him enter. He was in the process of marking his spot and getting up out of it when he had the cage dropped in front of him.

        "They're your problem now." Termundus coldly replied as he walked back to the door.

        "Mine?" Seliox returned a confused reply. He looked at the animals in the cage and were perplexed. What were they and why did he have to take care of them? "Un... why? What are they?"

        "Possibly the pets to that Female Silver you mentioned. I don't care what you do with them."

        "What do they eat?"

        "Like i said, i do not care." He was already out the door before Seliox could respond.

        Seliox blinked passingly for a moment before turning his attention to the two creatures that were now under his care. Fayin gulped loudly as she felt a stone sink in to her heart. They were going to die, that she believes. If not from the cruel tormentor that is Termundus, then at the negligent... paws of this kid. The worst part about this: 

        She was starving.




        Meanwhile, at a familiar beach, the three recruits that had found and captured Bran were resting after Bran threw up his lunch all over the chest of the one carrying him. That dragon was in the water, washing it off while Bran was catching his breath from tossing his cookies. He always hated that feeling, but he had no other option- this was a delaying tactic so that he has some small window of opportunity to escape. He really had to concentrate in order to get something to come up; he had to resort about thinking of the goriest horror movie he had seen he accidentally saw when he was young. It was disgusting, and it made him throw up then as it did now. But now he's running on a empty tank. This chance is his only chance, so he had to play it wisely.

        He looked towards the three Aerids that had caught him. He never learned their names, so he continued to refer to them by how their physically appeared: Big, Medium, and Tiny. It's worked so far. His eyes moved as he took note of his surroundings. He was too far from the forest to run there, and the only thing that could remotely help is this humongous tree that stretched towards the ocean. He can see a few small caves or indents or whatever around the base. Too big for these losers, but perfect for him. Too bad he doesn't have any help... if he has arrived just a few minutes earlier, he'd have a Silvery backup.

        "I can't believe that thing threw up on me!" Big complained as he scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed.

        "I'm amazed it can." Tiny said. "Who knew things that small could lose lunches that big?" He asked Medium.

        "All animals vomit."

        "I don't care for a biology lesson!" Big shouted. "it is still gross!"

        "Just hurry it up already." Tiny called out. He turned around to grab their catch. "I'd rather get a move on before..." He turned fully and saw that the strange animal they found was gone. "Where did it go!?!"

        Bran was running for his life, going as fast as he could towards the over-sized stump of the biggest tree he has ever since. He was barely halfway to Yggdrasil before he was knocked off his feet by a sudden tail sweep. He flew through the air for a moment before being slammed down into the sand, claws locking him in place.

        "And where do you think you are going?" Big spoke in a threatening tone as water dropped from his face. Tiny and Medium soon arrived, leaving Bran helpless. "You thought you could run away, eh?" Medium briefly had a pained look on his face. "Bad move... now we get to have some fun before we take you back to Termundus." Medium looked back to see what was causing him pain. "And you'll wish he w--"

        Medium suddenly screamed like a banshee as he was dragged away. The two drakes and human were caught completely by surprise, looking back as they watched Medium desperately trying to get away, but failing as he was dragged into a sinkhole in the sand. Dark claws penetrated his scales, keeping a tight grip as he was dragged to his doom. His screams were silenced when the pit closed.

        "NO!" Big shouted, letting Bran go as he ran to where they saw him get dragged away. 

        "What just happened!?!" Bran shouted. He looked towards Tiny and saw that he was freaking out. Do they know what happened to their friend. "Do you know something?!"

        Tiny looked back and forth and every which way, scared out of his gourd as he hyperventilated. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening... it can't be them, it can't be them..."

        "Can't be who!?"

        Big suddenly yelled out in agony as he was pulled away to the forest. His claws dug into the sand and dirt to keep him from being dragged away, but a myriad of demonic, oily tentacles snapped his front paws in a gruesome manner. He was pulled into trees. His shouts ended by what sounded like munching noises.

        Bran was completely mortified by what he is witnessing. What the hell is killing his captors off, and why do it in such a scary fashion? "What... the... hell...?" He quivered, trying to keep his breakfast down. He needed to run. He needed to get out of here. He looked to Tiny; he wasn't going anywhere. He was as scared as him. He was going to be no help. Right now, the best thing Bran can do is hide, and the only place is that hole in the tree. He ran straight to it, hoping it was small enough. 

        "No......" Tiny whispered in pure horror. "It.... can't be...." He saw a pair of pure red eyes look at him from the forest. "No... it's impossible... Termundus killed you all..." More appeared, forming pits in his soul. He backed away towards the ocean- they can't swim. That would've been the smart option... he he hadn't noticed the unknown running for the tree. "Hey! Wait!" He ran for the small creature without thinking. "You can't run! They..." His voice drowned away as he slowed to a stop and looked up the trunk. "Oh... no..." His eyes widened with fear as he saw his death leap off the trunk. He breathed a blast, but it was to no avail.

        Bran ran as fast as his legs could carry him across the sand. He heard the last guard shouting in pained agony, accompanied by the sounds of a rabid hound mauling a toy or prey. He didn't dare look back; he wouldn't like what he'd see. Running faster then he ever thought he could, he made it to the hole in the trunk, running in as far as he could until he reached a half-buried coconut. His hunch was correct; the holes are small. Compared to the Dragons, these are mouse holes. 

        He put one hand on the coconut and another on his knee, panting heavily to regain some air. His heart raced a mile a minute from both fear and lack of air.  "Wh... wh... what just.... what just...?"

        A low, demonic, guttural growl got him to shut up. He was as stiff as a board as he felt death go through his very soul. This sound... no living thing can make this kind of sound... no... THING can make this. He was afraid to see what the source was, but he had no choice. He was trapped in here.

        He slowly turned his whole body 'round and had his worse fears confirmed: it was one of those... THINGS. A large red eyeball, bigger then the hole he was hiding in, peered in, staring directly at him. Bran pressed up against the coconut, scared for his life. This was like looking at the face of death. 

        "You... you aren't one of these..." It spoke. The voice... it sounded like it was slithering over his skin. So slimy and so... evil. "You haven't been seen... in a really long time..." Bran couldn't reply; he didn't have the courage to speak. How can you when you are face to face with the living embodiment of suffering? His body suddenly erupted into pain. He held his sides; it felt like he was being torn apart from within. Was it this monsters doing?

        The pain was too much- he fell over onto his side, blankly looking out the opening. The monster gave a disturbing laugh as it backed away. "But it won't matter for long... you'll end up just... like... the rest..." The monster then vanished, seemingly fading away from existence, just as Bran fell into unconsciousness. 



        Much to Polosa's surprise, her new companion was leading her away from the city and out into the northern countryside. She kept a blast ready and waiting to go, just in case this guy was preparing to do something bad. This isn't Dragenia; there is nothing familiar about this place. The native races to this world may be in competition with each other.

        "So where are we going?" She asked while keeping her watchful eye on him.

        "Someplace hidden." He replied. "I can't be seen for a few days; i made a big mistake and i don't want to be around when the people i've wronged come to collect."

        Her eyes shut halfway- being stuck with a convict is the last thing she needs. One of the places you want to avoid in a new land is persion, and being around him may land her a ticket there. Her mind wondered what he did: did he kill someone? Did he sleep with an officials significant other? Did he steal money? Out of all the options in her head, that one was the better one as it can be negotiated out of. "... what did you do?"

        "Nothing. Nothing. I... just made a mistake and i need to fix it, which is also why we're leaving the city."

        "I thought it was to hide."

        "Well... that too."

        She sighed as she pinched her eyes. What is she getting herself into? She should be back in the city, looking for everyone she came with. "I'll turn around and head back to the city, you know. If this is something that could get me killed...!"

        He rapidly waved his arms around. "no no nonononononononononononono. NO need. Hehe... it's fine. Ok? This is something i can fix."

        "... for some reason, i'm not feeling it."

        After walking for some time, the duo had finally reached the entrance to their destination: a doorway carved into the side of a cliff face just a short mile from the coast. He approached the door and knocked on it once, then thrice, then once again, ending with a kick at the bottom, which was a surprise; secret knocks normally don't involve kicks. Whatever the case, it worked as the door opened up, retreating down into the ground and revealing a long hallway with depressions filled with skulls in the walls.

        "Come on." Her companion motioned. "Don't want to keep Kar'kile waiting." He went in before her.

        "Kar who?"

        "You'll see."

        The hallway was a tight fit for Polosa; this clearly wasn't designed with Aerids in mind, especially with the depressions. She looked back after she dropped one with her wing and her heart skipped when she saw that it was a regular Ferid/Human skull, but it looked really old; old enough to transition from bone to fossil. "Um... what's with the skulls?"

        "It's said that long ago, an ancient race lived in these parts. They were bloodthirsty and warhungry and ended up killing themselves. It's said they were strong proponents in living sacrifices, using blood and bone for... i can't even imagine, but it's obvious here the skulls are for decoration."

        "Living sacrifices..." Polosa held a paw to her neck as she struggled to imagine such a practice. It sounds so, so damn horrible. She doesn't recall such a thing taking place in Dragenia's past... but there are always things kept out of the history books- that's just a common fact. "Glad that's a... extinct practice..."

        "You and me both." They reached the end of the hall and he gave the secret knock once more. "Otherwise, my head would be some sicko's trophy, and i'm rather fond of my head." The door opened the same way as the other did, but there was another of those anthro... thingies on the other side. This one had long, long, LONG ears and a cute button nose, but this fella was anything but cute. When he Polosa's companion, he pinned him to the wall, pushing his elbow into his neck. "Though i don't think i'm going to keep it for long..." He gagged.

        "You have some nerve showing your face around here!"

        "Agh... nice to see you too, Trach... i can't breath... you're pushing on my windpipe..."

        "That's how i want you to die, you waste of fur!" He then took notice of the huge lizard blocking the hallway. "And who is this, your hired muscle? I'll take care of you after i kill this one."

       Polosa lost all interest in the moment and looked at him with lidded eyes- of course she was going to get dragged into this. Nothing else has gone right in the last.... few hours to a day, so what's one more crap? "Why? I barely know the guy. I don't even know his name."

        "Then why are you with Qolo'Quio here?"

        Her mind worked to think of a valid excuse; it can't be anything. It's clear that her first companion here is a idiot that did something stupid to get himself in trouble, and one who is probably well known back in the city, so she would need to think of a good reason why she was with him. "Um... i'm from another country, actually. I came here with some traveling companions of mine, but the storm destroyed our boat and separated us. He's actually the first one i came across and offered to help me. Isn't that right?"

        That is not how it went down, not in the slightest. "That's n--" Trach pressed down on his throat more, making his eyes bulge and limps to flail. "Yeah, that's exactly how it went down. I thought it was just some amnesia, but no way anyone would use that old cliche in reality- that's just stupid and would make no sense, like my third grade dance- man, Drancy sure could strut her stuff. Wish i kept her- it sucks trading in models." Polosa and Trach looked at each other; him with tired eyes because he's heard all this before and her with puzzled, confused, and perplexed all rolled into one. Does he even know how to speak? "... Where was i going with this?"

        Trach rolled his eyes and grunted with disgust, tossing Quio into a nearby cart. He poked his head out and looked around before being dragged away by the ankle.

        Polosa slowly entered the domain, taking it slow since she's not sure she should even be here. As she did, she looked around at the gorgeous site she was entering: it was a massive underground lake, completely covered by natural stone walls that rose up to form a dome-like roof, with only a single opening at the top. Houses of wood were built on the shoreline, while more were carved into the walls themselves, and even more hung off the ceiling. A whole community was built around this underground lake, and with the opening, they don't have to worry about running out of water because of the rain. 

        She followed Trach as he dragged him towards a hut that looked really important. It was adorned with masks, necklaces, and other such trinkets; whoever lived here must be the mayor of this community. Her mind imminently went to that Kar'Kile guy.

        Reaching the front of the hut, Trach pushed on the cart hard enough to eject Quio in. He rolled twice before going flat on his front. "Unpleasant..." He wheezed. Trach walked by with a smug grin on his face before taking his side to the right of the head honcho; a aquamarine-colored Aerid with a large gash on the left side of his body. Quio lifted his head up and immediately voided his bowels; he was in big trouble now. "Um... hi... Kar'Kile... nice... weather we're having, no?" His eyes glowed menacingly. "... ok, you're not a fan of the weather."

        "You have some nerve coming back here, you pompous piece of Calcha crap!" He spoke in a harsh tone. Polosa had no idea what was going on, but damn if she wasn't invested.

        "First off, watch the language. Second..." He was suddenly picked up and slammed into the wall, causing him to lose his breath yet again. This is the second time in 3 minutes: give him time to heal! "Agh... ok... sorry for the language quip..." He coughed a wheeze. "But its been years; how can you still be mad at me?"

        "Mad? You think i'm still mad? Ooooooh, no..." He got in his face and snarled with all teeth bared. "i'm *bleep*ing furious!"

        Quio could feel the last remaining minutes of his life slowly drain away. "... yeah, i kinda got that." He was suddenly pinned to the ground by his throat, making him gasp once more.

        Kar'kile was just about ready to bite this wretches face clean off when he noticed the unknown, and very attractive, Dragon standing in the doorway, looking completely lost by all of this. "Who is this, your hired muscle?"

        "Nope... total stranger..." Quio wheezed with barely any breath left. "Just met her an hour ago..."

        "Did she follow you here?"

        "In a sense." Polosa said. "If you'll let my newly acquired acquaintance go, i'll be happy to explain everything... and you can explain why you are so angry at him."

        Kar'kile thought about this for a moment while still keeping his grip of the canine's throat. After some time, he loosened up his grip some, but not enough to let him wiggle out; just enough for him to breath. "Very well then. You first."

        Time to a work up a good cover-story, which was going to be rough going. She doesn't have that good of an imagination, so she was going to have to pull out a story from one of the books she read back on Dragenia. It's her luck that they don't have the book here, otherwise someone would find holes no problem. She was gonna have to quote it verbatim. "I am from a land far away, a land likely not on any maps. We sought to chart new waters when our boat was ravaged by a storm..." At least that part actually happened. "...and i was separated from my companions. I woke up and wandered around, completely lost and clueless to your ways. That's when i encountered Quio here... though now i'm wondering why he would come here if he's so hated."

        "The idiot knows our timetables; he knows when we are and aren't here; he likely thought he could get it without anyone noticing..."

        "Too bad for me, huh...?" Quio gagged.

        Kar'Kile shoved him into the ground as he got up. Quio rubbed his poor throat; it's been though so much in too short a time. "Quio is an idiot, pure an simple. He's selfish, too." He went back to his seat as the canine got up, still rubbing his throat. "He owes me a ton of money; has for the past few years now. He's also botched a couple heists with his sheer stupidity."

        "Ok, he's a klutz with a money problem; that doesn't really warrant the welcome he got."

        "He also slept with my son."

        And there it was- the big reason. Now that's a reason to warrant a lot of hate from the guy in charge and his... second in command? Polosa never did figure out what Trach was. "It was a one night stand!" Quio countered.
    
        "It was his wedding night!"

        Polosa smacked herself in the face hard at the bumbling stupidity her new guide has done. "... ok, to be fair... he never told me it was his wedding night."

        "I'm sure whatever ceremonial attire you all wear during weddings would've given it away!" Polosa interjected.

        "Really? You too?!"

        Kar'kile's eyes glowed once more, this time as a sphere of water formed above a open paw. The sphere split into smaller spheres, which then turned into razor-sharp blades. "Give me one reason why i don't end you right now?"

        Quio stammered as he tried to think of a reason to keep on living. He doesn't want to become barnacle chow; he's too pretty to die. "B-b-because i'm planning a major heist!"

        "You? Plan? Don't be ridiculous."

        "B-b-but it's true! I have plans drawn up, i have routes planned out!"

        "And just where is it you are planning on breaking in?" Trach spoke up.

        Quio got up off the ground, brushing dirt off him. "Now if i told you, you'd kill me and pull it yourself, won't ya? And don't bother trying to find my plans- i burned them all up. The only copy left is in here." He pointed to his head. Kar'kile snorted smoke out his nose in irritation. "Let me live, and you can have...30 percent of the value of what we get."

        "70."

        "70%? Are you nu--" One of the water blades came dangerously close to his throat. He sucked it in, but it was amazingly close to his adams apple. ".... will 60/40 work out...?"

        Kar'kile stayed silent once again as he thought about the arrangement. He looked Trach, who silently gave his own two cents through his eyes. He looked to Quio again... then sent the water blades away, allowing the dog a reprieve. "You have one chance- ONE CHANCE- to make up for everything you did. Just. One. If you fail again, i will end you on the spot. Is that clear?"

        "Crystal." Quio gulped as he rubbed his neck one last time before walking to join up with Polosa. "Can i have my old home back? I need a place to stay while i redraw my plans."

        "Fine. And your new friend..."

        "Polosa." She said.

        "Polosa will stay with you. I'm not going to waste a room or a hut on new blood." Quio graciously bowed to his host as thanks for sparing his life. Polosa tried to copy him, but it was impossible with her current form... and she still can't change back. She's going to be stuck as a Aerid for a long while. The duo turned ot leave when Kar'kile asked a follow up, and one he really should've led with. "And just so i know what i am getting into... where is it you are planning on breaking into?"

        Quio smugly smiled while his face remained out of view before turning to respond. "The Tower."



        
        A throbbing headache is what awaited Bran when he finally awoke after who knows how long. His fingers twitched as he opened his eyes. He grumbled and groaned as he sat up. Sand fell from his hair as he held a hand to his forehead. "Ow... my head..." He winced. He looked towards the entrance to the mouse hole, afraid that the monster was still out there, but he saw and heard nothing. It is a huge risk to peer out and see if he was alone, but he really had no choice. He cannot stay here in the hole all his life.

        He wasn't able to find anything he could use as some sort of weapon, forcing him to head out with naught but his bare fists. He slooooowly made his way to the exit, afraid that one wrong step would result in him becoming a meal, or worse. Reaching the edge, he cautiously poked his head outside. He peered to the left, then to the right, then looked up. He saw no monsters... but he saw remains.

        He gagged, holding his hands to his mouth. The Tiny solider that had caught him had been torn apart and his bones picked clean. His armor was shattered... but as was every part of him. There was no meat left- only bones. "Ergh... i think i'm gonna be sick..." He keeled over and lost his lunch. He was running on a empty tank to this point, so all this was stomach juices. Still tasted the same: awful. 

        Something in the biggest pile of bones and armor fell over, putting him on edge. He looked to it and got ready to run back into the hole when...

        "They were really hungry today." A small rodent said as he came out of it, carrying on his back a shard of armor. He looked like your stereotypical rat: brown in color with a pink tale. But this one was bipedal, wearing clothes... and was as tiny as a actual mouse, but strong enough to carry iron shards. "Poor sod."

        The first reaction Bran had was fright that there was a talking. But the second reaction was confusion and bewilderment- HOW was there a talking rat!?! And one strong enough to carry armor?!

        The rat looked around, grabbing several more shards when he noticed the quivering boy. "Huh? Oh, ahoy there." He called out, waving towards him.

        Bran was on pins and needles- what does he do? Does he wave back? Is this rat even friendly? Do they even wave here? Even so, he had to wave back; anything is better then staying here to become a meal; fear be damned. "Um... hi..." He wanted to stand up but couldn't- his legs were still jelly.

        "Pretty brutal sight, huh?" The rat commented as he looked to the carnage. "This poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He tossed the shards into a pile. 

        "S-so what are you doing?" Bran asked out of fearful curiosity. "A-are you some corpse scavenger?"

        "Me? Gross, i'd never do that. Besides, i'm too small to carry back something as big as femur, much less an entire skeleton." Bran felt stupid asking that question; unless rats here are as strong as ants, no way he'd be carrying that to the nearest city. "No, what i am doing is scavenging up enough armor shards to take back and convince them there is an infestation here."

        "O-ok..." He continued to quiver.

        The rat noticed he was responding with a odd inflection. "You ok, kid?" He didn't reply. The rat tilted his head and looked back and forth between him and the pile before he put two and two together. "Oooooooh... you saw the carnage."

        "N-not all of it. I-i didn't see whatever it was tear him apart... but i was around for the leadup... T... there were two others with us... one got pulled under the sand... another dragged into the woods... T... they all screamed in... in such agony, such pain... they were being eaten, weren't they...?"

        "Yeah." He picked up the pile he had accumulated and made his way over to Bran. Bran shivered in fear more as he approached, but did not have the courage or the strength to move. "It's rare they attack in the daytime, but with your story, it'll prove to those lamebrains in the city that there is a..." As he got closer, the rat realized that he was not talking to a fellow member of his race, but something more... extinct. "Wait... you're not a Anthromorph, are you?"

        Bran was too scared to do anything. After the terror he lived through, it was going to be some time before he can do anything without fear coursing through his veins. But at least he learned something new: whatever this rat is, they seem to be call Anthromorphs. Peculiar name for a species, but he's not going to argue. "A... a what?"

        "Well, that answers that question, i guess." He tossed the shards down to his side, then bent down to get a good look at him. "So... if you aren't a Anthromorph, then what are ya?" He poked him in the face with a stick. "A rare furless breed?"

        "N-no... i-i'm a human..."

        "A human? Hadn't heard that word in a long while." That caught Bran's attention fully. So this thing knows about humans? More importantly, there were humans here? If so, he has a chance to get out of this alive. "Well, you obviously aren't from around here. Where you from?"

        His mind raced as he tried to think of a good story. It's clear based on the technology that they have not found ways of space travel yet, so what he says may well go over this rodents head. "I... am from a place far away. We sailed here when... our... ship sunk- attacked by a nasty monster. I don't know if anyone else survived, but i was... attacked by the soldiers before i could go looking for any survivors... that's when we were attacked..."

        "Ouch... sounds like a really rough day..." He had no idea. "Well, i didn't see any shipwrecks. Yours is likely at the bottom of the water by now. And since you are new hear, you know diddly squat, do you?" Bran nodded- it was all he could muster at the moment. "Well..." He picked up the pile once more. "Come on. Let's get going." He started walking off.

       "Wait, what?"

        "I'm sure as stars not going to leave you by yourself on the beach where Shadows are waiting to snatch ya. You'd be better off coming with me; safety in numbers and all." That didn't help the soldiers, but maybe he has something they didn't. "And i'm not one to abandon someone in need. So are you coming or not?"

        Bran slowly, very subtly, began to let his guard down around this rat. He was going to help a stranger, and from another land and a race he never saw before, just like that? This wasn't like with Sokuro- he didn't almost die at the hands of a monster that can tear apart 3 large dragons. There's no telling how horrible this world is; what if this rat was luring him into a trap? ... even if it was, a cage would be a safer place then waiting for those monsters to return. And on top of fear, he was hungry; one is bad enough to make bad decisions, but both combined? Talk about a recipe for disaster. 

        "I... guess." Against his better judgments, Bran got up off the sand and slowly walked towards him. Regardless of his feelings towards this newcomer, even prisoners and/or slaves get food, water, and shelter, a luxury these monsters weren't going to give him. "Anything is better then waiting around for those things to return."

        "Smart thinkin'." The rat waited for him to catch up before the duo made their way towards the woods, following along its border with the beach. "Names Kader, by the way."

        "... Mines Brandon. But you can call me Bran for short."
 

37: Chapter 34: Isle of Origins
Chapter 34: Isle of Origins

Chapter 34
 

Isle of Origins






 

        Sokuro wondered just how far Sil's and Seqy's home was from the city. They had been flying for some time now, all the way down where she came up from. Her suspicion was mostly true as she saw that they were flying towards the tree she took shelter in when those crabs attacked her. She slowed, wondering what the next move was. When it was shown they were flying along it out towards the ocean, which is new to her, she caught up before they noticed she had slowed down. Obviously, there's going to be shelter on the other side. If she had known this, she could've avoided a lot of misery back in the city, but hindsight is 20/20.

        "So what is this place we are going to?" She asked, weighed down by half of the supplies Seqy had bought. 

        "Our home." Seqy replied as she looked back.

        How very blunt, Sokuro thought. "It's in the middle of the ocean... and connected to the mainland with this giant tree?"

        "Yeah."

        Again with the bluntness. What happened to miss talkative? Did she run out of words? Well, doesn't ultimately matter. "Huh. Wish we had this kind of connection back at my home. We live so far from the mainland, it takes months to reach it. But technically, you didn't answer my question: where are we going? What's the name and such?"

        Sil looked back to her, getting a tiny bit suspicious. "You're awfully inquisitive for someone we just met."

        "Blame my parents. They were archaeologists and scholars- questions are in my blood."

        Sil wasn't buying it for a second. It's suspicious enough she's the same Silver color as him. "Un-huh. Well, we're going to the Isle of Origins." Sokuro naturally adopted a puzzled expression, mixed with a light touch of curiosity. "Don't let the name fool you; it's just some spit of land."

        Seqy slowly shook her head in shame as she glided over to him. "Would it kill you to have some respect for the past?" 

        "I'll have respect for the past once they fix the stigma brought on me. Until then... just shut up leave me alone..." With a few flaps of his wings, he flew on ahead, gaining some distance.

        Sokuro winced; that was a harsh burn. "Ouch... brutal. Wonder what got him so moody." She glanced over to Seqy, who has water in her eyes. Was she going to cry? Just how bad a life does Sil have? "I... i do wish we could help him in some way, though."

        Seqy sniffled; she was going to cry, but she kept it down. "I do too... but it's hard to help someone who has the whole world against him..." She rubbed her eyes. "...Anyway... Sil is not that wrong... but the Isle of Origins is more then just a spit of land. According to legend, it's the birthplace from which all Dragon's, Anthromorph's, Gryphon's, and Phoenix's hail from. It was a sacred site in the past, but nowadays, barely anyone recognizes it as truth, or even visits. The only think of note are the monuments and ruins left behind, as well as the orphanage. Outside of wild animals, the only inhabitants are me, Sil, our caretaker, and a pair of mischievous twins. We did have a couple more, but lucky sods found families."

        Sokuro felt a lump in her throat. They live all alone on a little island? This world is just hell for that poor kid. Living alone, with such a fragile mind, in the middle of nowhere... it could turn someone into a permanent recluse. Lords know what it'll turn Sil into. "I... see..." The similarities are eerily growing. While they are different in many regards, the ones they share are... it is scary in how alike they are. If things were different, would she end up just like him: someone who has the whole world on their backs, but instead of praise and hope, it's pure hatred and wishes to die? This is a different world, she has to remember that, but... but this world is a bad one, one she should not have come to.

        Seqy looked back to see if the new girl was keeping up and saw that she had slowed down, barely keeping pace as she seemed to be in a bit of a shock. "Hey, you ok?" She called back.

        It shook Sokuro out of her little crisis, but it still weighed on her mind. "Un... yeah. Just... thinking." She flapped her wings to catch up. "Just... it's scary. The only two Silvers in the world... and we're both orphans, but where i am revered and borderline worshiped... he is hated, disgusted, reviled."

        The wind carried their conversation to Sil's ears, who tilted his head back to listen in. "Silvers are treated well back in your homeland?" Seqy asked.

        "Like i said, revered borderline worship... we are on par with gods, so it's not really a surprise to... be honest..." Sokuro gave a sigh. Sil, on the other hand, stopped listening in. He had heard enough and it irritated him. "Completely different to how he was raised... except i was only a Silver for only a short time now..."

        "Huh?"

        "Un, it's nothing, just..." Through the mist of the sea waves crashing on the trunk, she could make out a column of blackness in the distance that caught her attention. The tree was heading in that direction and she can see land. That must be the Island... though clearly, something was off. "Hey... this Isle of yours... is it a volcano?"

        "No. Why?"

        She pointed in the direction it was coming from. "Cause there's smoke."

        Seqy looked in the direction and saw that, indeed, there was smoke. And where there is smoke, there is fire, and where there is fire, the twins are usually involved. "UUUUUGH.... damn those two." She flapped hard, gaining a lot of speed. Sokuro followed suit, getting the feeling help was needed. Sil had noticed it too and was already hurrying back.

        "Those two?" Sokuro called to Seqy.

        "Those twins i told you about. They're fire drakes: Piracus and Firacus. And they just love causing trouble."


    
        Speaking of those two, they, along with Alua, were hauling buckets back and forth between the sea and the source of the fire: a field of poppies that had caught ablaze. While a poisonous plant to humans, Kitsunes, and Ferids when consumed in their raw state, they can be made into a very potent drug called Opium. Depending on how it's used, it can be used for medicine or... illicit purposes. As for the fire, this wasn't the worst fire they had on the island, but it was gonna cause a lot of damage; poppy seeds are rare in this corner of the world, and expensive to boot. Piracus was on his 6th bucket of water when a trio of shadows passed by him. He looked up and saw that Seqy and Sil had returned, along with one other. "It wasn't our fault!" He yelled out.

        "Yeah, right!" Seqy yelled back as she and Sil landed. She kept the supplies on her back, just in case she wasn't needed. "When it comes to stuff like this, it's almost always your fault."

        "He speaks the truth." Alua said. "They were with me when the blaze began. Our best guess to how this began: a lightning bolt from the storm. It must've hit a dry patch and slowly spread through the wet grass until... this."

        "And we need some help trying to stop this!" Firacus called as he dumped his bucket of water onto it. "It's in a poppy field and you know how fast it can spread in those!"

        "Well, using sea water is a terrible idea." Sil commented. "Salt doesn't help."

        "No rivers or lakes near here, dum dum." Pira knocked on his head. Sil responded with a scrunched up scowl and snarl. "So unless you have any ideas, i am all ears!" The third shadow passed over him and towards the blaze. "And just who is this guy?" He asked as he turned to get a look at the new fella, still flying above. "Did you bring a friend home, Seqy, or--" His words slowly faded as his eyes slowly bulged at the color of the scales. ".... Holy Stars, is that another Silver?!" That prompted Fira to stop what he was doing to look at the newcomer.

        Even Alua was surprised that there was another one, but they had more pressing matters to attend to. "We can ask the new Silver questions later." Alua spoke. "Right now, focus on the task at hand."

        Flying above them, Sokuro looked at the damage that was being done. The fire wasn't terribly big- she has seen much, much bigger, and far more devastating. Comparatively, the poppy field is a small shack compared to a mansion's back yard. But he is right- poppies are highly flammable, not to mention toxic. If she was in her Ferid form around this, she'd probably get sick. Well, sicker- this would probably exacerbate the Phagos poison already in her. Aerids are immune to it, as are Gaharots, mostly. Moving on from that, she looked to the ocean- he was right again, that's the only water source nearest to the fire outside of some underground stream they're using to grow them.

        Looking back and forth, she can think of one solution, one she's wondering why the others didn't think of earlier. She spun around and spread her wings as energy built up in them.

        "Un, what is the new blood doing?" Fira asked.

        She soon unleashed a powerful beam of light from her mouth. She aimed down to the ground, striking it like a plasma cutter to metal, and like a plasma cutter, it tore through the ground easily. She slowly moved her head up, directing the beam towards the ocean. Sil and Alua jumped out of the way of the beam, with all in awe at the sheer power on display here. The beam soon struck the sea, creating a large plume of water and steam. She stopped the attack, spun around, and did it again, this time moving it towards the fire. Water from the sea began to flow down the path she had carved.

        "Un... you mind filling us in here?" Sil asked. "Because i don't think a stream of sea water is going to fix this."

        Sokuro stopped her attack and looked back. "Because i'm not done." 

        "It's a girl?" Fira realized. Pira snickered as he egged Sil on, elbowing him in the side. "Oooo, finally found a catch, ey Sil?" He joked. Sil responded with yet another scrunched up snarl and scowl.

        Once the water passed in-between the fire halves she made, Sokuro let loose a fireball. The ball struck the water, creating a powerful kaboom that sent water high into the air. The water rained down on a large majority of the fire, weakening it. Several more times and around 90% of the blaze was extinguished. The rest of the fire was put out by the steam this ordeal generated. 

        "Whew..." Sokuro panted as she rubbed her brow. "Maybe i should become a firefighter." She joked. The joking mood slowly vanished when she saw how dumbstruck the twins looked. "What?"

        "There's another Silver!" Pira exclaimed. She rolled her eyes, feeling like she should've seen that coming, given how this world has acted to her already.

        "I know!" Fira guffawed. They came over and inspected her like dogs, which weirded her out immensely. 

        She took a few steps back while Sil facepalmed out of embarrassment. "Why... are they doing that?" She asked.

        "They are weird." Sil replied. "Really, really weird."

        Things got even weirder as they got too close for comfort. Alua softly sighed before approaching and pulling them back by their tails. They yelped in sudden pain as they were pulled past her- she is incredibly strong. With said strength, she tossed them into a puddle on the beach. Fira pulled a mollusk off his horn while Pira spit water out of his mouth like a fountain. "Sorry for those two. They... i don't know what's with them, but i assume their mother did something while pregnant."

        "Un..." Sokuro leaned to the left and saw Fira gnawing at his leg like a bone with a cartoon hyena. "...if you say so."

        "Although I must say, it is a surprise seeing another Silver. We all believed Silverwind was the only one of his kind left."

        Technically, he still could be, seeing as she isn't even from this world, but she kept up the charade if not to keep him upbeat. "Well... he's not. And it's nice to finally meet someone who isn't yelling or cursing me out."

        Alua slowly shook her head as she lowered it; she got the Nexia welcome package and it wasn't a gift basket. "By that, i assume you were at the city." Sokuro nodded in response. "Great..." Alua sighed. She looked back to Seqy and Sil and saw the full saddlebags on Seqy's back. "And i also assume they told you why Silver's aren't the most... well loved around here."

        "So i've been told. Seqou... Seqola... Seqif... agh, Seqy there told me what the deal is. Well, almost everyone i met at a open-air bazaar told me. So he had a magical mishap- it happens to everyone."

        "Right... but that is the mindset of almost everyone around here, so you should be more careful from now on." Speaking of everyone, she had to take care of her little distraction; she did leave in a major hurry. "Can we continue this back at our place? There's something there i need to take care of."

        She does? The fire wasn't enough? She must be one busy caregiver. "Oh. Ok." Sokuro replied before they all took to the skies. Seqy grunted a sigh as she flew up, still carrying heavy loads.

        The beginning of the flight was rather peaceful... Firacus suddenly popped his head down in front of her, making her yell. "So where are you from?" He asked.

        "First off, don't scare me like that!" Sokuro exclaimed as she shoved his head away. Couple with the sudden jumpscare and adrenaline surge, her mind worked overtime; she has to keep up the lie, if she can remember what she said. That's the problem with lying- if you don't say anything for too long, you're liable to forget the story. The only ones who heard this were Seqy and Sil, so she's hoping they won't call out any inconstancy... or that they weren't really listening. It would suck that they didn't, but in this case... "Well... i'm not from around here. I am... from a land far, far away."

        "From the north?" Piracus asked.

        Seqy caught up to them as Pira asked the question and just answered for Sokuro. "Across the mists." She panted.

        "What!?!" The twins bellowed. It even made Alua look back. "Nobody lives beyond the mists!"

        Sokuro sucked in her lips. Just like the colonists to them, she's going to shatter preconceived concepts. It was hard on her and her kind, and it's going to be hard for these guys. "Thanks, Seqy... i doubt i would've come up with a easier way to ease into that. But, un, yeah. We live... beyond the mists. From what i gather, you all think life doesn't exist out there."

        "Well.... they don't." Sil spoke. "They sent multiple expeditions out, but none ever returned."

        Sokuro sucked in her lips once more- how is she going to work with this? Come on, girl, think think think. After a awkward moment of silence, she thought up a story that should work. "Well... that's because they become so enamored with our lands, they never want to leave. Everything is greener, more vibrant and diverse, tastier food, and everyone is super friendly, at least where i am from."

        Sil glanced to the ground sorrowfully, wanting to have someone feel friendly to him, while Fira moved on to the next question, not picking up on his feelings. "Yeah yeah yeah, happy fun times to be had, but... you obviously heard about Sil and why people hate him. What about your place? Are Silvers as hated as gloomy boy here?" He put a leg around Sil's neck, only to be shoved off.

        "Borderline worshiped. We're rare, but are treated like demi-gods and we have abilities nobody else has like the ability... to......" She saw, clear as day, tears forming in Sil's eyes as he looked down to the ground to hide them from everyone else. She needed to change things in the conversations. "And, un, i guess that's why they chose me to investigate what's, un... beyond the mists. We all assumed everyone here was dead, too, until your expeditions came."

        "You were planning your own for over 70 years?" Alua asked for the first time since her story began, catching a big plot hole there.

        That was something she wish she knew when this fib game began. "(70 years?! Geez, that was a long time ago. Ok, girl... you can work with this). Well... the... last one was planned for the last Silver, but he... did some... things. He snapped, went crazy, and went on a killing spree that resulted in him being put down after starting a really horrible war that lasted for a few decades, so... they needed to wait for a new Silver to be born... and not be psychotic. Enter me. Once i was old enough, they... gave me a ship, told me my assignment, and set me off."

        "Why did the last one snap?" Fira asked.

        "... he wasn't mentally sound. Dropped on the head a few times, i think." The way she was going, she should turn her lies into a book. She's already created a interesting premise.

        "So what happened when you arrived?" Alua asked. "You said you came on a ship, yet you are here with two of my orphans instead of with whoever you came with, meeting with our leaders. So what happened?"

        Sokuro expected the hardest question to be asked. It's especially hard since this one is somewhat true in real life. She expected it to come; doesn't mean it still doesn't weigh on her mind any less, not knowing if anyone is still alive. "... we were... ravaged by a storm, one i heard everyone in the country here had the misfortune of experiencing last night. That storm sank our ship and may've... killed everyone who came with me. Or that's what could be the case. Until i see bodies, i'm going to believe they are still alive. I know them- they aren't ones to die easily."

        "If you say so." Sil droned in passing.

        "So your friends...." Alua interjected. "Who are they?"

        She quickly counted in her head who all came with her: Bran, Eia, Fayin, Pearl, Polosa, and that Ventus person. That's six. Counting her, that is seven. Eia and Polosa can fit into this world easily with their Aerid forms. Everyone else... she better hope Human and Gaharot equivalents exist here, otherwise she sees them becoming trophies or locked in museums, assuming this world has trophy hunting and museums. "It was a small ship that only carried seven, myself included. Four of them i know with varying degrees of knowledge, while the fifth is brand new to me. Their names are Bran, Eia, Fayin, Polosa, and... i think the fifth is named Ventus. I also had a pet called Pearl."

        Spreading her wings, Alua slowed down before beginning to fly on down, as did everyone else. Sokuro looked to see they were heading for a small little home in the middle of a grove. That must be where they live, she figured, before she flew down with them. It looked like some of the other buildings she passed by on the path into the city, but a bit bigger to accommodate a bigger family like theirs. She was the last to land. The twins laughed as they chased Seqy inside. "So, what do you plant to do? Find your friends?" Alua asked as they entered the home.

        "I would... but i am completely new to this land and i need to learn what i can. I know Silver's are almost universally hated, save for the four of you, so that's going to put the brake on a good ol' Q&A in the city. I would try reading, but i didn't understand the language on the signs i saw, so that's out of the question unless they're all picture books."

        "Well, you can stay here while you try to figure things out." Sil just kept on walking, passing by Alua's backside, ignoring them as they continued to talk. "Any friend of Seqy's welcome here."

        Sokuro gave a courtesy bow, to show her appreciation. "Thank you, miss... un..."
    
        "You can call me Alua."

        "Thanks, Ms. Alua. And you can call me Sokuro."

        Having finally unloaded all of the heavy supplies that she had been carrying with her, Seqy slid over on the floor. "You can bunk with me." She mentioned as Sil passed her by, not even stopping as she slid. Sokuro saw him slump on by, yet wondered why nobody reacted. "It will be nice to have someone in this house who isn't stupid or smelly."

        "We heard that!" The twins called out.

        "You were supposed to!" She approached Sokuro and put her front left leg around her neck like a comrade. "All joking aside, it'll be nice to finally talk to someone who is as mature as me, and not some diabolical pranksters." The twins responded by collectively sticking their tongues out, which she replied with. She slowly noticed that Sokuro looked distant- was she thinking about her friends? "Hey, you in there?"

        "Un, nothing." She said, making no sense since that doesn't relate to the question she asked. Sokuro slowly realized her mistake and blinked several times. "I.. need to clarify some things." She left, without knowing that Seqy had put the dragonian equivalent of a arm around her neck, making her almost fall over.

        It left her all the more confused, so much so, she tilted her head. "Clarify what?"

        "I think she's distracted, and chose a wrong word." Alua said as she approached Seqy. "She's going to talk to him about themselves, no doubt. Sil believed he was the only one of his kind left, left to be tortured. Then comes this girl from outside our lands, saying all of these outlandish and wonderful things that probably just made him hurt even more. After everything she heard about him from everyone in the city... i imagine she's feeling guilty."

        "Guilty for what? It's not like anyone outside knows what goes on here, much like how we know nothing about out there."

        "True... but also, keep in mind that she lost all her companions and is a stranger in a strange land, filled with strange animals and strange customs. Sometimes, you have to take comfort in the familiar."

        "If... if you say so..."


        They were... partially right. Sokuro did follow Sil because she wanted to be near someone just like her- on her world, there's no two Silvers at the same time. It's always only one. Now here is another one, so why wouldn't she take advantage of it? But the real reason she followed him was to talk to him about things only he knew that the others didn't. She had reached his room to talk to him and saw him on his bed, on his side, facing the wall. He was in a sour mood and it was radiating off him like bad B.O. 

        She stood at the doorway, unsure on what to do to start this. She'd have to start with something simple. "Well... small room you got here..." She awkwardly and sheepishly said. "It's bigger then my old room... heh..." That was a lie, but she wanted to make him feel good, given his sour disposition. 

        "What do you want...?" He bitterly replied. 

        "I, un..." She slowly entered the room. If she still had hands, her pointer things would be touching right about now. "I wanted to say thank you, for not revealing the truth about what i really am. I bet they would've freaked out like you did."

        "Why would i...? It's not like anyone would believe me..."

        "Well, i wouldn't go that far. Those in town, maybe, but these folks would believe you. They all like you, especially Seqy. I think she--"

        "Just shut up..."

        She puffed out her cheeks. "... well, that's rude."

        "I'm really not in the mood..."

        When did he suddenly become a grumpy gus? He was scared when they met, and given what she heard... yeah, ok, there is a reason for him to be grumpy, but she's done nothing to him. "In the m-- I'm trying to say thank you and give you compliments, but you're being a little rude snot."

        He turned his head to yell, but didn't have the energy to actually yell. "Well, sooooorry, princess, but i didn't have the same delightful upbringing as you, so my morals got lost in the mail. Good day." He rolled back to face the wall, pulling his blanket over him. 

        "Princess? I'm not a princess. I didn't have a great life myself."

        "Oh, come off it." He kicked the blanket off and got off to approach her. "You said our kind are treated like gods over on the other side. That means you were pampered, you were loved, and you were looked after. Meanwhile, here i am, struggling to survive an hour, and hope i don't lose my damn mind! You do one crazy attack to save our fields and you get celebrated. Yet if i sneeze, people freak out and call the guards for fear i'll go berserk!"

        "That's not what--"

        "You've only been here less then a day, so i'm going to put this as clearly as i can: we are not the same. We may be the same color, but we are not the same. Until you've lived a lifetime of pain, don't even think about comparing us." He shoved her out- rolling upside-down into the wall- and slammed the door.

        Sokuro pulled herself up and rubbed her back. She looked down the hall, seeing that everyone was looking her way. "... not what i expected to happen." She grunted as she rubbed where it hurt. The group had dispersed as she came back down the hall, limping as she still had one paw on the pain. Alua grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in lukewarm water. "I'm surprised he yelled. I went in there to talk and he just erupted, called me a spoiled princess."

        "Can you blame him?" Seqy replied. 

        Given the way she had described it, not really. She spoke about her being treated like a demi-god without even considering his awful upbringing. "Well... no... no, not really." Alua put the cloth on the sore spot, making Sokuro wince. "But he wasn't angry before. It just came out of the blue."

        "He.... has issues." Alua softly said, trying to put it as gently as she could. "And... you were lifting up your world and how it treated you, while he... well... you know the story..."

        "All too well at this point." As Alua tended to the bruise, Sokuro's eyes moved around the main room she was in. Just like back home, it was a kitchen living room hybrid, but it was a lot smaller then back home. The entire house was smaller then the orphanage back home. It could be because she is in her Aerid form. "Small place you got here."

        "We don't want to waste space." Alua commented.

        "That and this place is over 2000 years old!" Firacus bellowed from his and Piracus' bedroom. "People back then didn't know about space and luxury or even basic plumbing! We go in a outhouse, dangit!!!"

        Alua sighed as she slowly shook her head. That boy and his brother... giving them a filter is next to impossible. "As vulgar as he put it, this place is pretty old. But we did upgrade to modern plumbing, Fira!"

        "The outhouse says otherwise!"

        "We don't even have a outhouse..." They heard Pira calmly reply.

        "Shut up- i'm making comedy!"

        "You really aren't." Sokuro shouted over to them. All they heard back was a flabbergasted "OH!", like he was insulted to his core. It got a chuckle out of the ladies.

        "Hehehe..." Alua removed the washcloth and tossed it into the sink. "Ok. That... should..." She droned off as she noticed something strange on Sokuro's neck.

        Sokuro noticed she had droned off and slightly turned her head to look back. "That should... what?"

        "Be it, but... what is this on the back of your neck?" She merely touched it gently, but it was enough to make Sokuro wince loudly and slap Alua's paw away as she rubbed when she touched. Seqy looked up form her book and saw the new bloods face twisted in pain. Alua took a step back, unsure of what she did. She then heard a strange noise- it sounded almost like sizzling. "Did... what did..."

        Sokuro winced longer then usually, and panted as the pain faded. This was the worst one yet. "Gods... that was bad..." She panted.

        "Um..." She heard Seqy say. 

        "Before anyone asks... i'm not contagious. You won't get this by touching me."

        "Get what?"

        She thought for a brief moment, figuring how to explain this without spinning the full bag of beans, and came to realize that she didn't need to change anything about this. This may be a different world, but this country she's in is just a small speck on a larger canvas. Different lands have different creatures. "This happened last month. My village was attacked by a nasty monster called a Phagos. They are nasty, terrible monsters that are always hungry, and really tough- near impossible to kill, so it's hard to find out much about them because there are no corpses to study. I had the misfortune of fighting one... and learned the hard way their bites are poisonous."

        "So that's poison on your neck?"

        "Yep. Been fumigating there for over a month. There's no known cure... but lucky for me, it's a slow burn, or so i've been told, so the odds of them finding a cure from that Phagos i did beat will hopefully come to be before the worse comes. Hopefully."

        Alua and Seqy looked to each other for a moment. "If only Silverwind had the same optimism as you."

        "He's not the one with poison in his system." A loud rumbling noise came from within Sokuro. At first, the two ladies thought that the poison was kicking in again... but it was more then likely that she was hungry, and she was as she sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Heh... speaking of systems... i'm starving."

        "There is no way your hungry." Seqy commented. "I bought you a skewer not that long ago."

        "You didn't perform a powerful trick in the last few minutes, now did ya? And that thing was small AND the first thing i've had all dang day." Seqy rolled her eyes- excuses, excuses, excuses. But to be fair, it was a really good one, since all the evidence points to things being as they are. "Do you have anything to eat?"

        "I should have some leftover bacon from breakfast." Alua mentioned. "But it has gone cold."

        "Better then nothing." Sokuro replied as she got up. Alua shrugged in agreement- that is true. She went to grab the leftover bacon while Sokuro rubbed her neck. It was still stinging, but it has mostly subsided. "So, un... what now?"

        "What do you mean?"

        "There are a lot of things about this land i know nothing about. Even the races you coexist with are new to me. I even ran from those crab things on the beach."

        Seqy snorted a laugh, trying to keep it down. She ran from those things? "You ran from fleacrabs?" She snorted again. "Those things are harmless."

        "Not the one i met. And how was i supposed to know at the time? I was up for about 20 seconds at that point."

        Alua put the washcloth she used to rub Sokuro's neck away and grabbed a fresh one. Even if it isn't contagious, she wasn't going to take any risks. "You mean you didn't run from them too when you were young, Seqy?"

        "That was one time... and i was dumb..."

        "You were a toddler." Alua winged out the excess water and headed for the hallway to head to her room. "I'm going to take care of some things, so why don't you and the twins show our new guest around?"

        "That ok with you?" Seqy asked.

        "I need to learn, so it's a yes."

        "Great. I'll go grab the twins, so wait for me outside." She walked off to go grab them, and presumably stop them before they set fire to the house. 

        As Sokuro headed for the front door, Alua walked down the hall towards her room and entered. She closed the door behind her and walked to her bed, which had a strange creature in it- a strange ape creature with long purple hair. The way she looks reminds her of an extinct creature she read about when she was young. She remembers enough to know this was a female. "Sorry for being so long, but it's been a hectic day." She said as she pulled up a stool and sat on it as she put the wet cloth to Eia's forehead. "I hope that girl we met is your friend..."

        Meanwhile, Sokuro tapped her foot on the floor as she leaned against the doorframe with her front legs crossed like arms. What was taking Seqy so long? Is she always this late when she needs to depart? Or are the twins causing her grief? The answer came almost immidaltely as she stomped out. "Just get ready!" She bellowed into their room before slamming the door. "Uuuugh.. i need a drink..." She made her way back to the kitchen.

        "Are they being evil?" Sokuro asked as she followed.

        "They claimed they are being brought down by smoke inhalation and demanded they be left behind so they can recover." She angrily grumbled as she opened the fridge. "Have you heard such a load of drok in your life?" She pulled out a glass bottle of what Sokuro was hoping was juice- dragon or not, Seqy would still be too young. "When did you hear of a dragon being brought down by smoke inhalation?" She used her tail blade to pop off the cap and start chugging it down.

        She had never heard of any Aerid dying like that, truth be told. Aerids summoned fire, like all the other elements, by channeling magic through their bodies. That is Dragenia, though- the human take of Dragons are much different, with some having gland that produces a flammable liquid they ignite in their mouths- napalm, she thinks it was called. But there is one way to kill a Aerid that's similar to what Seqy is saying. She heard of this method, developed back during the final years of the Gaharot Empire, where the Gaharots created a arrow laced with a type of arsenic, which is a very potent poison against Aerids. Fire that down someones gullet and the stomach acids activate it. It kills them from the inside out with a killer stomach ache that melts everything. It's been outlawed for thousands of years because a anti-Gaharot variation was developed too, and since the Gaharots were rulers at the time... well, you'd see why they'd want that outlawed.

        "Well, i..." Seqy glared at her, making her suck in her lips. "Shutting up." She said with her lips still pulled in. Seqy chugged more down as Sokuro moved to a different conversation topic.  "So... what can you tell me about this land?"

        Seqy pulled the bottle away and looked back to her. She's starting the long game of 20 Questions now, is she? "About the Isle or all of Nexia?"

        "Un... both."

        Make that 30 Questions. "Well... where to start?" She thought about it for a while, wondering where to begin. "Maybe I could tell you about the Civil War we had a long time ago against the North... or maybe about the tribe that used to live here a long while ago..." She remained deep in thought, replying various subjects that might interest her

        "un... i was thinking the island first."

        The Fire Twins, hearing the questionnaire about to start, rolled out of their room and ran over. "Ooooh! Ohh!" They replied in unison. "Tell her about the Forbidden Pass!" They were met by Sokuro's surprise filled gaze- just how in synch were these two? Was there some telepathic communication going on between their minds AND their bodies?

        "Un... the what?"

         It's not really a good place to start with. "Hmm? Well there's nothing much to say about that pass, except by the fact that's filled with deathly traps placed by the ancient population. Nearby that area, like on other parts of the island and on the continental land, are various ruins from said population..."

        "Ancient Population?" 

        "A long dead race, extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. Their civilization used to expand..." Thinking about it for a moment, she concluded that this would be helpful with visual aides. She walked back to the living room and towards a shelf containing books and other assorted knickknacks. She took out a map from a nearby shelf- it was a map that showed the land they are in right now, along with lands far, far, far away. "... all the way towards the west, reaching the South Western Coast of Alneria, and also all the way towards the south... going through Central Alneria, almost reaching Southern Alneria..." While she explained, she used what seemed like some kind of crayon/chalk to color the area the Ancient Civilization held on it's power- needless to say, it was big, at least for the world they inhabit. "It's also said their control stretched way beyond, all the way to the world beyond the mists, but... it's been impossible to tell."

        While nowhere near as big as the Gaharot Empire, Sokuro was still impressed. She can only imagine how big this world truly is. "Wow. ... wait, Alneria? Is that this continent? Then what's Nexia?" 

        "A city in this country we live in called Naya."

        ".... right. i should've seen that coming."

        “Yeah, Alneria as you can see...” She placer another map on the table, this one of the whole continent, it could be seen how it stretched from north to south, almost reaching both poles of the world. “...it stretches from north to south”

        "Yeesh."

        “You could literally make an entire journey from north to south on a matter of weeks” She replied while she guided her paw from the north all the way towards a line which divided both north and south- there was writing there Sokuro obviously couldn't read. “If you are wondering what it says on the line it reads... “Great White Wall”, a huge wall built after the Civil War ended to divide both north and south. And we still are not on good relations with them, or so i hear."

        A giant wall...  Sokuro never heard of anything like that when the Ferids replaced the Gaharots as the dominate race of Dragenia. Ferids could fly- walls would be useless. So why would they need one? Was it magical and just a barrier? There's only one way to know, and she didn't want to travel to want to. "Oh... and the island?" Now they were going to get into the boring stuff, so the twins vacated to avoid the boredom. 

        “I already told you about the island, didn't I? There used to be where all common races came from, or so the legends go. The only new thing i can tell you is that the island was much bigger, but was slowly destroyed by battles, nature, or the ravages of time. As for this current spit of land in particular... according to ruins on the isle, it could have been a place where they trained their warriors, or quite possibly their elites..."

        "So why build a orphanage all the way out here? The one back in my hometown was in the middle of our village."

        "Who knows. Maybe this place served as a outpost for archaeologists or something- i don't know. The building itself is actually quite old- not as old as the ruins, but it’s still pretty old, more than two thousand years...maybe even more...”

        2000 years? Wait, exactly how long is their lifespan? "Wait, is Alua--"

        "No, she's not immortal." Seqy said as she rolled the maps back up. "She's just a old mare."

        "I heard that!!!" They heard from down the hall. The girls could hear uproariously laughter coming from the twins room.

        Wait, was that it? Sokuro felt like there was a lot more that needed to be said, especially about a place as important as this one. "That can't be all of it. It's called the Isle of Origins for a reason, so there must be more to it."

        “Possibly. This island is one of those that hides plenty of secrets, after all... The ancient population just vanished without a trace, leaving only their ruins behind. Everyone gave up on answering that mystery long ago.. Though.... there have been plenty of theories..."

        "Like what?"

        "... Ah, it's not important. I doubt any of them even pan out, anyway." She headed for the door, slowly spreading her wings. Sokuro was still curious, but like Seqy said- nothing buy theories that probably aren't true, so she followed her. "Come on- it's time to give you a grand tour of the isle. With luck, maybe we'll find your friends."

        "Me too... but luck has not been on my side recently." She followed her out... only for her stomach to growl once more. She had completely forgotten. She quickly ran back inside, snatched the leftover bacon, and ran back out as the twins watched. 


        
        "Aha! Got'cha!"

        A green-colored dragon had pounced on a skittering salamander with a mischievous grin. He spoke in a accent nobody can quite identify- it sounded like it should be from Tennessee, but it doesn't sound like it's form any part of the world. He opened his paws and saw that he did not have the Salamander. He pouted, spotted it, and pounced once again. He got it that time. "Haha. Gotcha now." He licked his lips.

        "At what point can this be qualified as cannibalism?" Another green dragon commented, sitting on top of a crate. He was the biggest one out of all of them, barnone.  

        "Oh, i get it." A third green dragon commented as he hung upside-down off a crane's support. "Because they're lizards and we're lizards. Haha."

        The huge one looked at the lizard catcher with lidded eyes, wondering why they put up with this guy. ".... yes... that was what i was going with, Terrux..." 

        "Ya'll mind trying to keep it down." The catcher commented. "I'm trying to have lunch here." He opened his mouth to drop the snack into it... only to be interrupted when his brothers shouted to him.

        "Will you put that thing down already, Taltian?"

        Taltian grumbled and lowered his head to glare. "Make me, twerp."

        "... you do know i can just flick you and send you halfway to Figarl in seconds, don't you?"

        Taltian wasn't listening. Instead, he was hopping around, thrusting out his front legs like arms, moving about like he was a boxer. "Come on. Put up your dukes. Aaah. Puke up your dukes. I can take ya." The big guy rolled his eyes and shook his head as Tal came in closer. "I can take ya, i caaaan take ya." 

        He couldn't take him. One "light" tap to the noggin and he collapsed that easily. "Did you kill him this time?" Terrux asked as he leaned in.

        "If it was that easy, i would've done it already..." As Terrux helped their brother up, the big guy looked around, wondering what was taking their friend so dang long. They were getting impatient, hence lizard hunting. "Where is he? He told us to meet him here."

        "Who knows?" Terrux commented as he helped Taltian up onto his haunches, his eyes rolling like a cartoon. "He's always l--"

        "Ah, greetings, young children." A voice as slimy as slime spoke.

        Terrux and their third brother jumped in their skin out of surprise as a red dragon walked up to them, hauling a wagon behind him, with a tarp over it to hide its contents. The big guy exhaled a sigh, feeling his heart racing. "Took you long enough, boss."

        "Sorry for that, Terrum, but i was..." His tail let go and the wagon came to a sudden halt. The hitch hit the ground with a hard smack- there was something heavy in there. "...busy. Yes."

        Terrum slinked his neck back, feeling some extra creepy coming off him today. "... oooook, nothing weird or creepy about that. But, why did you ask us here?"

        "Oh, i do." He walked to the back of the wagon. "I trust you heard the stories today, about the strange creatures that have appeared, on top of another Silver."

        Taltian then returned to the land of the sane, shaking his head while making a weird sound as he did. Every family has that one weird one, and he was it. "Yeah, but the female Silver left with the other one, and the creatures taken by Termundus."

        "That is correct, young Taltian." their boss responded with a condescending tone, talking to him like he was just a stupid child. "You earned a gold star." To add insult to injury, he patted him on the head.

        Tal wasn't that stupid- he could pick up on how full of himself their employer was being. He crossed his front paws and looked away with pouted cheeks. "You don't have to sound condescending, you know."

        "If you are asking us to catch them, you're out of your mind." Terrum said, speaking up before one of his brothers got them involved with something that was clearly way to dangerous. "Termundus is nothing if not scary. Crossing him is practically a death sentence. The only one we'd stand a chance of capturing is the... other...... oh, Stars, don't tell me you want us to--"

        "I do not want you to capture the new Silver."

        The three of them exhaled a huge sigh of relief; he scared them half to death with this. Going after a Silver- that was foolish thinking on their part- stupid, even. "Oh, thank the stars. For a minute, i thought you wanted us to--"

        "I want you to break into the tower and steal one of the maps out of their forbidden vault."

        Aaaaaand the relief is gone. Terrum's face sank like it melted, Tal fall over, fainting on the spot, and Terrux was on the verge of screaming in fear. ".................................................. ok, that's even worse." The boss rolled his eyes at their fear and strode back to the wagon. Terrum ran after him, hoping to talk some sense into him. "Nobody has broken into the tower."

        "Yes they have."

        "And nobody has lived to tell the tale! Do you not see the problem here? There are patrols in the air constantly, the courtyard is filled with recruits and zealots even at night, and lest we forget the big one: It's filled with at least a dozen Dragons that can turn us into tomorrow's obituary, and that's if Termundus isn't the one to find us! How do you even plan on getting us in there!?"

        The red dragon looked at him with cold, lidded eyes. He pierced the tarp with his tail and pulled it back, revealing two sets of recruit armor and a machine of to-be-determined function. The armor appeared to be covered in blood- was that his doing, or something else's? "Will these work?"

        "... training armor? You want us to go in as new recruits? I'm pretty sure everyone inside will be able to tell we aren't supposed to be in there since we NEVER signed up for it! We're not even in the reserves!"

        "And that matters why?" He tossed the tarp back over to hide the equipment.

        "How did you even get the armor?"

        "Bought it off some rat who found it on the beach. Apparently, some nasty monsters got to them. Ate them down to the bone." Terrum gulped out of sympathetic fear for those poor sods. Not many beasts can take down a drake. There is one, though... and what little he saw fits their M.O. "And that will make a nice cover story for you two."

        "Wait, us two?"

        "Dibs on the armor!" Tal said as he raised his paw.

        "The rat could only salvage enough parts to rebuild one of them. The other was found in the forest- that poor sod was ripped right out. He never even found the skeleton." That prompted another gulp. "SO, like i said, two of you are going to have to infiltrate the tower this way."

        "And that machine?" Terrux finally asked.

        The boss looked at him, wondering if any of these idiots are smart enough to use it. "Tell me... who among you is good with machinery?" The triplets looked at each other- none of them were particularly great. The boss shook his head as he realized it too; that was a loaded question but with no gun to shoot it. "I forget who i am talking to."




        With a mouthful of bacon and a stomach slowly filling up, Sokuro followed Seqy and the twins followed they as Seqy gave her a grand tour of the island. Sokuro is still not not entirely sure how long she will be here... it could be her whole life, so she may as well learn where things are. She slowly picked up that Seqy was just giving her the low-paying tour- she's not giving any information or nothing. "So what can you tell me about this island?" She asked as she took a bite.

        Seqy flipped around and flew backwards. "I already told you, didn't i?"

        "You gave a quick, watered down version. Full of more questions then answers. I know all your races began here, but what else is there?"

        She truly is that inquisitive, is she? She must truly be the daughter of archaeologists if she asks these many questions in such a small amount to time. Even so, where would Seqy begin? "Hmm...What else can I tell you about it?" She thought for a moment, clicking her tongue as they flew above the tropical canopy. "Well... there is something that lead up to our birth. There was apparently a moment of silence in the world, like there was no sentient life at all, just the ruins from the old world."

        No life at all? Sokuro shivered at the thought of it; That is a chilling thought. "... nothing at all?"

        "Nothing. Plants, some subterranean animals maybe, and perhaps some microbes, but there was no intelligent life forms. None. No birds, no fish, no cattle- Zilch. Not even a fly. Until we all reappeared" She clapped her paws together. "Like that."

        "That suddenly?"

        "Yep. Not much, if any, is known about how it happened. We don't know why the world was devoid, or how we just popped into being like..." She popped her lips. "...that. Just some recovered writings that are vague, at best. We were taught by ancient scribes, but even they barely even know who inhabited the world before us. Even after all these years, our organic scribes are still puzzled yet fascinated by their contents, as is everyone. Who wouldn't be? We don't even know how they disappeared. Just like how we suddenly appeared, the ancients seemed to have vanished just like that as well. It's a mystery."
        "One still trying to be solved." Firacus said as he caught up. Unlike the other two times she's met him and his brother, he actually looked pretty somber. "We know about the first race, but we don't know about why they vanished and how we reappeared. The tale gets lost in between so many versions of the legend, if there was ever any answers to begin with. Since that day, we were the ones to take charge of the world, making sure on avoiding the mistakes of our predecessors... until we got cut off by the world thanks to that dang mist." He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "We do know that there was a war that happened immediately after they disappeared... that was 503,000 years ago..."

        Sokuro spit and coughed out the bacon she had in her mouth and was transporting down her gullet. Did he really just say that? They were ruling for that long? "Holy crap, that is a long time." She coughed, wiping bacon chunks off her chest. 

        "And we haven't done much to avoid the mistakes of the past. It has been one bloody mess after another... it's a wonder we are all still existing..."

        Seqy sighed as she flew back over to the two of them, gently shoving him away. "Thank you... for that Fira." He stuck her tongue out at her. "But that's more or less why this place is called the Isle of Origins. Not a very pleasant thought, but... there it is." It's far more inquiring then Dragenia's origin story, Sokuro thought.

        Piracus suddenly flew up, flying beneath them and on his back. "Hey, how about we show her the Forbidden Pass?" 

        Seqy rolled her eyes at the idea. "why are you two so obsessed with the pass?"

        "The Forbidden Pass?" Sokuro repeated. "Why would you be interested in a place like that? Where the heck even is this place?"

        "There." He pointed to a place were the land suddenly increased in height, going from foresty plains to a mountain like that. Like the rest of the island, it was covered in trees; the peak was topped with a flat groove that would offer a stellar view." And we're interested in it because of the ghost stories."

        "Why am i not surprised...?" She asked. She should've figured- the boys back in her orphanage read these kinds of books constantly. Besides, there's no such things as ghosts. .. at least not on her world. "Do i even need to ask why it is haunted?" Firacus smiled with such a eerie grin, it's like he was acting he was possessed. It reminded her of her brother- he played tricks like this back when their parents were still alive. "Ok, thats eerie... but again, should i even ask why it's haunted?"

        Piracus floated around. "It's said that the passage was used for those that came of age to take the "Flight Ceremony" at the 'Rocky Heights'... the only problem about it is that you could probably get lost on the labyrinth of underwater caverns, if you don't know where you are going that is..."

        and the eeriness continues- it sounds like the Koloron. And... she's not sure about this Flight Ceremony of theirs, but if it is like the Ascension back on Dragenia, then it would be official: She had crossed over into a alternate dimension.

        He stopped on midair as he gazed the pass from far away, forcing everyone else to stop as well. "The Pass is filled to the brim with a macabre's worth of death traps that will turn you into dust." He grabbed Sokuro's last piece of bacon and wadded it up into a ball. He tossed it towards the pass and when it came close to crevice, a series of circular saws jutted out... and there was no more bacon. Sokuro's face melted in pure shock and terror as the saws retreated back into the mountain. "So, yeah, this place is dangerous, but that is what makes it so fun." He, and the rest, looked to her and saw that she was wide-eyed. "You ok in there?"

        She stammered as she struggled to find her voice. "Jajajajabababababa.... whow dould---" She quickly cleared her throat. "Who would make something like that?! If people are going to be coming here, why would they turn this into the Mountain of Death!?"

        "No one knows."

        Right. Of course it would. Why would it be anything else? She needed to lie down. "gulp.... y-yeah.... just... let's move on to less scary, life threatening locations."

         "Guessed so..." Seqy thought for a moment- the twins had to freak her out. Now they need to detox the fear out of her. And she may have the idea. "Hey, how about a spectacular view of Naya?"

        Sokuro cocked her head to the side, looking back to the sea. They can see the coastline from where they are right now, but there's a better view? "You can see it from here?"

        "It's in the actual place where we now take the ceremony."

        "Ceremony?"

        "The flight ceremony."

        With a flap of their wings, and catching a updraft, they flew up to the very tip-top of the mountain of death, keeping a veeeeeery good distance. They reached the flat top in minutes and landed. When they did, Sokuro noticed a platform- a very large able- in the center. There were ruined and dilapidated pillars around it, covered in Nexian runes. Surrounding it were bowls with glass covers; she can see colored powder inisde. Seqy gestured to the back of them and Sokuro looked. She whistled in pure amazement. They weren't lying. The view this place offered was very spectacular. Naya was far closer then she had originally thought. 

        "Wow..." Sokuro gasped. "You weren't kidding. This is one heck of a view."

        "Told ya!" The twins cheered.

        "But what is the fl--" Sokuro stopped that question as she saw something out in the distance, something that feels out of place. "Huh? whats that big hole?" She pointed to a huge gash in the ground- a gash that is far bigger then it should be. Seqy felt her heart drop and the twins grew silent. She looked back and saw they had turned pale. She looked back to the hole, then back to the trio. "What? Did i say something wrong?"

        Seqy and the twins shared somber glances. This was a very hard topic for them. ".....um.... that's.... a more recent... addition to the isle, and un... well... it was long ago and not all that relevant right now, so um..." She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her head. "W... well, let's keep the tour going, eh..?" She flapped her wings and headed on down. The twins quickly followed suit.

        Sokuro looked down as they flew away, wondering why they were acting like this. But she wasn't stupid- she was able to figure it out. The incident she heard about: the scar on the world. That was it. Sil was the cause of that. Given the size of that thing, it's no wonder people hate and fear him. The power he holds must be immense- more immense then hers. The poor kid. 

        She slowly spread her wings and flew after the three of them. This tour was going to be more somber then before.

38: Chapter 35: First Night
Chapter 35: First Night

Chapter 35

First Night

 

 


        Soon, day slowly gave way to night. Alua had closed up the house when the sun disappeared over the horizon and things began to wind down. Sokuro had her first taste of something called Quish- the most disgusting soup she had ever tasted. But everyone else seemed to love it. Must be a Nexia thing she doesn't like, but she ate it anyway to avoid being rude to people who took her in. And after indulging their questions by telling them a riveting tale, but edited, recap of the Koloron, everyone had retired to their rooms for the night.

        "This is great." Seqy giggled as she bounced on her bed. Sokuro watched her bounce as she set up a makeshift bed on the floor, putting down a cover. "We'll stay up late, tell stories, and in the morning... i'm making fazhles."

        "Don't eat Seqy's cooking!" They heard Fira call from the other side of the wall. "It's poison!"

        "Your stomach will rip apart as it tries to escape out your mouth!" Pira added.

        Seqy sarcastically laughed as she approached the wall. "Hahaha..." She placed her mouth to it and yelled, "YOU'RE NOT FUNNY!!!" They heard crashing on the other side- she must've gotten them good. "Piece of advice on the twins..." She said to Sokuro, who had now moved to fluffing up her pillows. "Never turn your back on them- there will be a sign."

        "They're not that bad." Sokuro commented as she put the first one down and moved on to the second.

        "You just caught them on an off day." She went back to her bed and slid under the covers. She poked her head out the other end and watched as Sokuro began puffing up the third pillow. "So how are beds back in your home?"

        "A lot better then the floor, that's for sure." She said as she put the last one down. "But these pillows should help." She grabbed the blanket with her tail and curled on on the pillows like a cat as she pulled it over. This is going to be different; it's her first night sleeping in her Aerid form and it already feels off.

        "We're going into town tomorrow. Just so you know."

        "Yeah, i saw they were putting up decorations. Some kind of anniversary, right?"

        "For the failed expedition. It began as a memorial service, but it slowly became a celebration." She realized something that could change everything. "Hey, wait a sec, you could tell them the truth!" Sokuro's eyes darted back and forth, freaking out on the inside. That was bad news and a half. "You can tell that what lies beyond the mists!"

        Sokuro's mind raced overtime- she cannot; she SHOULD not tell them. She isn't from beyond there; she would be lying on a grand stage! She had to think of something to tell Seqy that was a bad idea, but what?! Her mind raced until it came up with something that should work. "Un... that is a great idea and all, but un... who would believe me? Everyone hates Silvers, so hearing the truth from me would be like... i can't really think of a good metaphor, but nobody will believe me if it came from me."

        Seqy twisted her lips in defeat and thought. "Mmm... good point..." She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling while Sokuro silently gave a sigh of relief. She got out of that bad spot alright, but how long will she be able to keep this up? "Hey."

        "Yeah?"

        "Do you hate this place?"

        "You talking about the orphanage or the country?"

        "The country."

        "... well... i haven't exactly been having a great time. Nobody in the city treated me with even a modicum of respect or general decency due to the Silver thing. But then come everyone who lives here and it's... it's hard to tell, you know? Especially after one day." Seqy nodded in agreement on that last part. "Besides... i don't have a way to get back home, so i'm stuck here anyways, so how i feel is very... very moot."

        "There are other countries. And the Gryphons and Phoenixes don't have Silvers, so if you want, you could probably stay with them after you find your friends. The higher-ups treat Phoenixes with respect, so you can try them first to get some sort of.... diplomatic immunity? I don't know what this would fall under." And neither would Sokuro. "If nothing here pans out, you can always flee to the north."

        "Those are options... but i want to go back home."

        "Yeah... i guess i would too..."

        
        It wasn't long until everyone started to lull off to dreamland... and they were LOUD!

        The twins were snoring up a storm that could be heard across the house, but they had all grown used to it. Alua and Seqy were sound asleep. Sokuro, however, was not. She was wide awake. Was it from the snoring, or from the anxiety of her situation? Whatever it was, she was unable to catch a wink of shuteye. She tossed and turned, but it never came to her. Eventually, she just gave up. She looked to the window and saw moonlight coming from above.

        Moving the spare blanket off of her, she got up off the floor and headed for the exit. Since they lived on a mostly secluded island, they slept with their doors unlocked. She would say that is a bad idea against wild animals, but they are Aerids, or Dragons since this is a different world and that is what they call themselves. That, and they have no locks to keep them locked to begin with. At least none she's seen.

        Despite the snoring from the twins, she was careful on her tip-toeing out. They may be heavy sleepers, but they may also be people who would wake up at a single noise out of place. She reached the front door without fuss and went out it. Exhaling to rid the temporary stress, she went over to a nearby boulder. She glowed as she changed back to her Ferid self, still holding her parents book. She rubbed the back of her neck, moving it about o work out the kinks. This has to be the single longest time she's been a Aerid, even longer then the Koloron. 

        Reaching the boulder, she sat atop it and looked up at the night sky. It was completely unfamiliar to back home: the crossed rings and the lunar trio were nowhere to be see, and the stars- they were completely foreign. Nowhere night-watching spot on Dragenia has stars arranged like this. Looking up when she woke up back on the beach would've given her the answer she needed, but she was in a panic.

        Reaching into a back pocket to pull out a pencil, she opened the book and flipped through it to the next open page. This has been in her family for some time and was used to document and speculate. It was her parents task, now it is her task. Past the image of the demon Aerid was a blank page. She can start there. She took pencil to paper and started to write it in a way people of the future would understand it, assuming she ever found her way back.

        "(I'm not quite sure how to begin this entry... on that note, i'm not even sure if i'll ever make it home, or if anyone reading this will understand what i am writing, but i figure this will help me make sense of things, and to leave a record for someone. Gods willing, my own grandchild will read this back on Evioly shores. I guess i should begin with what got us here. It was...) It was..."

        She stopped writing; her mind had drifted to thoughts of all who were sucked through the portal with her. She put the pencil in her book and closed it. She set it down to the side and laid back on the boulder, staring up into the beautiful but unfamiliar night sky. Were they still alive? Were they even on the same world? Would she see them again? It's all questions she wishes she had the answers for. 

        She sighed as she closed her hands on her stomach. "I hope they're ok... wherever they are..."

 

        Fayin grunted in apprehension as the cold collar was put around her neck. It clicked shut, which angered her- she was supposed to be free of this thanks to Velx, now she gets dragged away from her life and now she's trapped once more as a slave. First chance she got, she was going to hit Sokuro, assuming she ever sees her again. She tugged on the collar, trying to get it off, but it was clamped on tight. She puffed in exhaustion as she continued. 

        While she did this, the one who applied the collar put the keys inside a desk drawer within his room. The look on Seliox's face; he felt guilty about it. "Sorry for this, but Te... Father was insistent." He looked to Pearl, who also had one on, but was fast asleep on a throw pillow. "He doesn't want something as new as you to go missing. Not until... things occur." She can already guess what those things are. She experienced them back home. "So... are you hungry?" He asked as he walked to the table. "I brought leftovers from supper, but... i'm not sure if you will eat meat. Your little companion did, so i can only assume you do too."

        He's not wrong; she is starving. This would be the first thing she ate all day, but she didn't want to give him any satisfaction about it. But... he has been nice so far, which is a far cry from her previous master. He hasn't slapped her, belittled her, or beaten her as of yet- he's the opposite of that jerk father of his. Even if she wanted to say no, her stomach insisted it be filled. She approached the table and began to slowly eat the scraps that had been given to her. It's insulting she has to eat like this, but she wasn't in any position to make demands. It was honestly pretty good. She'll probably get food poisoning tomorrow since it's so unfamiliar to her digestive system, but the taste will make it worth it. 

        Seliox flapped his wings to float onto his bed. He watched as she ate as he got ready. It felt wrong, having her cage in his room, but again, Termundus was persistent. When he looked back to her, he saw a hatred in her eyes- she hated this and he could see it, clear as day. She was not a dumb animal; this lizard was intelligent. "... look, i'm not as big a fan of this as you are." She glared at him, not buying it. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm trying to be nice here." Yeah right, she thought. "Do you speak at all? This would go a lot easier if you spoke." She kept quiet, which was close to giving him his answer, but he was going to keep guessing. "So... you can't, or you can and are giving me the silent treatment." She put a claw to her nose and pointed another towards him. "The silent treatment... ah, always so fun..."

        He laid back with his front legs spread out like arms. "Ugh... tomorrow is going to be nauseating..." Fayin glanced to him, curious as to what he was talking about. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of some old event the old farts won't let us forget. 70 years ago, travelers left to see what's outside the mists that surrounded us. They never came back. Now we celebrate it, which is a bit morbid if you think about it..."

        Fayin glanced down for a moment- it's not that too dissimilar to celebrations back in Dragenia. Sure, they are usually for the anniversaries of victories or local celebrations for foundings of villages, but... not missing people. She can only theorize that it's a celebration so the young crowd will still remember them.

        "And no... i can't take you or the pup with me. Father said so." Pup? She looked back towards the slumbering Pearl- does he think Pearl is her child or something? Gaharots and Kalamanders aren't even close to looking similar. Do animals grow weird on this world? If the colonists are any indication, that yeah, they probably do. "But i will try to bring something back for you so you don't get scraps again." Well... that's nice of him.

 

        All across the forest outside of Naya, little lights broke their way through; campfires that belong to travelers, army grunts, and beasts smart enough to make fire to stay warm. One of these lights, located near the western shore, belonged to a certain mouse and the boy he had rescued. After finishing up his deals, Kader led Bran to his home, which was built out of a ancient metal tower. It was easily 200 feet above the ground, and the only access was a elevator made out of the local wood. It was hard enough to support Bran, so that was a good sign.

        "Whoooooooahohohohohohohoo..." Bran whooped when he stepped foot into the funhouse he had stepped into. He saw beds hanging from the ceiling,  a automated train that went in a loop around, and so many... toys? Are these local toys? Well, whatever they are, he has 'em. There were loads of balconies too, and a kitchen big enough to serve the Titanic. There were so many fun things and... was that a TV? Due to Kader's small size, Bran's wondering how he was able to build all this. "You built all this?"

        "No no." Kader waved his hand as he approached his fridge. "The tower was here long before i came along; served as some advance warning beacon or something." He pulled out a pair of bottles. "I just... put in a few additions, is all."

        "A few?" Bran laughed, watching a model Dragon on a hanging string fly by, making a whirring sound like a propeller plane. "You put in everything. There's no need to leave."

        "Heh. I like your enthusiasm." He handed one of the bottles to Bran, who awkwardly took it. It may be normal size for the mouse, but for Bran, it's barely as big as his middle finger. "If only that were true, but i'm still in debt from all the supplies i had to buy. And i still need to get food and water." He grabbed a bottle opener and snapped off the cap. "At least it keeps the monsters away.

        Monsters... like the devils Bran saw on the beach. He never saw what they looked like, but that eye... it still haunts him. "Speaking of which... what were those things that killed those soldiers? They looked like nightmares." Bran pulled his cap off easily since it was small.

        "They are." Kadar sat down on a chair. Bran looked around for a place to sit, but he's like an adult trying to sit in a kindergartners chair. He instead found beanbags and got on those. "They're called Shadows..." Did the room get colder? And darker? "They are creatures out of your worse nightmares. They are vicious, bloodthristy, and can and will devour everything- you saw that part first hand. Trying to fight them is suicide- unless you know how to deal with them properly that is. They were supposed to be defeated a long time ago, but some obviously survived and somehow managed to pass the barrier."

        "Barrier? What Barrier?"

        "This territory is surrounded by a massive wall of invisible barriers, generated by huge towers. You can actually see one from here." He pointed out the nearest window, which was to Bran's left. The lad looked out it and stared off into the distance of the ocean. "It's hard to see cause its far away, but it's easier at night since they give off a orange glow."

        Bran squinted his eyes and saw a faint outline and orange teal of a tower. He would probably see it better with a pair of binoculars or if the light was off. "Huh. If it can be seen from here, they must be big."

        "You have no idea. Take this tower and increase its height five-fold."

        "huh....." Bran tapped his fingers on the glass of his bottle, feeling like he shouldn't ask this, but he can't help himself. "But... what ARE these Shadows? Where did they come from? Why are they so evil?"

        "Nobody knows, though there are plenty of theories." He sat back and took a big swig of his drink. "One theory is that they are monsters sent by the Stars to judge us for an unknown reason. Another is that they are demons, unleashed from the depths of Hell itself to end us all. The last one... the last one is the most chilling. It is believed they are US, or were us before they were mutated into those... things. There's not enough proof for either theory, though the mutation one has gained traction since the War decades ago." He looked over to his guest since he had gone silent and saw him, staring at the floor, holding his bottle. He hasn't even taken a sip yet. He would be offended... but he did scare him pretty bad. "So... about these friends of yours..."

        That brought Bran back. "Yeah? What about 'em?"

        "I Understand that these "Aerids", as you call them, are identical to our Dragons, but these Gaharots and Kitsunes. What... are they? You didn't want to go into detail when we were delivering the armor, but we're alone now."

        That is true, they are; Bran didn't trust how that guy looked- so shady. And yes, Bran did tell Kader the truth about what his friends and companions were while helping him deliver the scraps from the beach... mostly. He did, thankfully, leave out the part where they are from another world, instead unknowingly going with Sokuro's 'beyond the mists' story. He didn't know she made it up too, but happy coincidence all the same. At least everyone is keeping the same mindset of staying moot about the transformations the Ferids have. Kader was pretty open about his home and races, too- everything Polosa and Sokuro know about this land, he does too.

        "Well... it's hard to describe Gaharots, but un... they're birds, but they look like lizards, which makes no sense, i know, but that's now nature made'em. They are smart, but were enslaved by Sokuro's kind for a time; thank God that practice is slowly being abolished. And Kitsunes... well, they look like me, but they have the ears and the tail of a fox... you probably don't know what that is, so... imagine of the Felines and Canine's... commingled, if you catch my drift.  Pure-bloods have snouts, but half-breeds, like the one with us, doesn't have one."

        "Is there any difference between these pure-bloods and half-breeds?"

        "No. The only visual difference is the snout. Other then that, Kitsune biology is pretty much the same: they are very beautiful and are immortal. Old Age won't kill them. Everything else can, but to be fair, who wouldn't die from a stake through the heart, am i right?"

        Kader politely shrugged a arm in response. "Fair enough." He took a drink. "But if they are as rare a creature as you, they're probably have been captured and are being experimented on." That filled him with worry. He hadn't think that to be a possibility. He didn't even consider it a possibility. What if they're being experimented on even as they speak? He doesn't know if Gaharot scales are durable or not- Fayin could be on a table somewhere, cut o-- Bran's worrying train of thought was interrupted by a stuffed animal being thrown at his head, bouncing off it. "Relax, jefe. If it makes you feel any better, they don't dissect them... least as far as i am aware..." He took another sip. 

        "That... doesn't help much, but thanks for trying..." Bran finally took a sip of his drink. Due to its small size, it went down in just one gulp, but that's all that was needed. His eyes immediately went wide; it felt like his throat was on fire. He coughed it up and continued to cough as he set it down on the nearest thing he could. "Cough cough cough cough cough... hooooly smokes... holy crap, that bruuuuurns... cough cough cough..." He got up and ran to the sink to get the biggest gulp of water he could.

        "I take it you aren't a fan of Cerveza de Raiz. It does have a strong kick to it."

        Bran paused for a moment while searching the cupboards for a cup. Cerveza de Raiz? Why does that sound familiar? But on top of that... "Strong ki-- You gave me alcohol!?!" He found one big enough, put it in, and filled it up. "I'm 11!! I can't have that stuff yet!" Once it was filled to the brim, Bran chugged it down as fast as he could.

        "Being a little dramatic there, wouldn't you say?" Bran stopped drinking, glared at him, gave him a wet raspberry that spread water on the floor, and went back to chugging it down. "Yeah. You are. Besides, this isn't alcohol. It's soda. Spicy soda, but soda none the less." Kadar gulped down another swig as he got up. "But that does remind me- you said you had Dragons with you, right?" Bran was in no position to talk, so he gave a thumbs-up instead. "How many were there with you?"

        Bran held up a finger, asking him to wait a moment before he could speak. Once the cup was empty, he slammed it down on the counter and gave the biggest exhale of his life. "Braaaaaaa.... i'm so not a fan..." He coughed again, still feeling the aftertaste. "Ugh... to answer your question... ugh, i'm gonna need another drink." He grabbed it once more and put it back under the faucet. "There are seven of us in total: Ventus is the Kitsune and Fayin is the Gaharot. There's also a little Kalamander we encountered we named Pearl that followed us. Then there are the Dragons: Sokuro, Polosa, and Eia, though in their culture, the Dragons are called Aerids. Polosa... i don't know what she looks like. I do know Eia is purple colored, so are they rare or..." Kadar waved his hand from side to side. "Great... that means i gotta place all my bets on finding Sokuro. She'll be easy to spot."

        "Why is that?"

        "She's a Silver. Back home, they are considered demi-gods of change, but after everything i heard about that Silverwind kid, that is so not the case here. But it makes finding her easy- i just have to follow the crowd of hate at the memorial tomorrow."

        "I doubt a crowd will split-off from the festivities to hassle one Silver Dragon. Two Silvers... maybe. But more then likely, everyone will be busy with games and the services. But you are correct: they will be easy to pick out in all the people there." He snapped his claws like fingers. "And if that is the case, then Polosa and Eia will too."

        "That's what i'm hoping for." Bran took another huge gulp and slammed the cup down. "But... if i don't want to be captured like Ventus and Fayin presumably are, i'm going to need a disguise. Do you have anything that can fit me?"

        Kadar got out of his seat, looked towards Bran, and with a finger to his chin, moved his eyes up and down and all around. "Mm... nothing clean, but i do have some raincloaks i... liberated from Amthromorph army recruits when they weren't looking... though finding one that would fit you will probably be tricky. The ears on the bunnies have their hoods too tall, so they won't work...  and people will be able to tell you aren't a Canine or Feline thanks to a lack of snout and whiskers."

        "Then i'll wear a mask. Let's just go see if any will fit me first."


        

        Comfortably sitting back in his hammock, Quio sipped on a iced tea out of a coconut as his seat swayed back and forth. His abode was... cozy, to say the least. It was high up along the walls and it had a view of the lake and the huts across the way. "Aaaah... nothing like a good brandy to spruce up a tea." He pulled out a bottle from his mini-fridge and poured it into the coconut.

        Polosa wasn't feeling the comfort. She had never used a hammock before; getting in one was hard enough for her. Trying to stay in it or trying to get comfortable was next to impossible. She also felt exposed here; like the odd one out with no way out, but she was going to have to live with it. She was in no position to make demands with that Kar'Kile fella, at least not until she gets on his good side. Speaking of which...

        Kar'kile himself flew up and into the home, watching as Polosa struggled to get in her hammock and stay there. "Haven't you used a hammock before?"

        "I don't even knoooo--" She spun around in the hammock before it spat her out flat on the floor. "oooow..." She would transform back and sit in it that way, like her new acquaintance is doing, but she would scare everyone present and bring up a whole slew of questions she doesn't want to answer. Unlike Sokuro, she isn't great at making up stories to fit with her pre-existing knowledge. Her imagination is lacking. 

        "So what brings you up here boss?" Quio asked, still resting in the luxury of his hammock without a care in the world, almost as if his freakout upon his return never happened.

        Both Polosa and Kar'Kile noticed his sudden shift in mood and the mob boss was going to find out why. "A few hours ago, you were afraid for your life in my presence, now you are as docile as a lamb?" He asked as Polosa got up and rubbed her sore front.

        Quio took a good sip of his drink and put a arm behind his head like a pillow. "Hard to be afraid when you feel this good......." He sank in his hammock, letting the swaying take him.

        Kar didn't have time for this. He grabbed Quio's hammock and pulled it on hard enough to make the canine fall out, making him spill his drink onto his chest. "I don't have time for your games, you idiotic twat."

        Polosa grunted in pain as she grabbed her hammock and shoved it away. She was not going to figure out how to lay in this thing as a Aerid, so screw it- she's sleeping on a beanbag. "What's got you in a panic...?"

        "I'm not in a panic, stranger. I'm afraid." Quio was up off the floor and went to his sink. He put the cup in and then proceeded to take off his stained shirt. He was surprisingly ripped. "Afraid that this idiot is going to screw things up and expose my entire operation.If anyone on the Council or the Generals or the Supreme Generals find you, they will trace you back to me."

        "That's what you are worried about?" Quio scoffed a chuckle. "You're worrying too much."

        He's worrying the right amount- it took him decades to build up this little empire and he was not about to let some stupid ninny ruin it for some treasure map. "You are terrible at keeping secrets. If you get captured, i know you are going to blab."

        Quio rolled his eyes and sputtered like a horse. "Boss, relax. Ok? There is no way this is going to go wrong. I planned it out." He grabbed a flyer off a coffee table and held it up for Kar and Polosa to see. "Thanks to the memorial celebration tomorrow, everyone is going to be at the park. And with them come the Council, the Supremes and the regular Generals, and with them comes every soldier and guard, either on the clock or spending time with their families. That leaves the tower practically empty. And i learned about their patrol routes thanks to two sources: insider information, and public tours."

        Kar grunted in aggravation as he pinched his eyes. Polosa was just staying back, letting them talk. She was their visitor; it's not wise to get involved in their problems. "The tours are for locations open to the public. The Upper Floors where the vaults are aren't among them. How do you even plan on getting in?"

        Quio smirked as he pulled Polosa close to him, putting a arm around her neck. "With help from my new friend here."

        "When did we become friends?" She asked with a deadpan. "And why are you involving me?"

        He smirked yet again, letting go of her so that he can go pull a trunk out from behind his hammock. "Cause of this." He tapped the side of it with his foot and it opened up, revealing Dragon armor. "You're gonna be wearing a disguise, and you are going to "arrest" me and take me inside. After which, we find some canine armor for me and boom."

        "How in the world did you get Dragon armor?" Kar'kile asked as he worked to stay calm. "They go to sleep wearing those, ready for battle at a moments notice. The only time they take them off is to bath." On second thought, that is something Quio would do. It's kinda amuseing.

        "Let's just say someone owed me a favor."

        Any amusement in whatever explanation the idiot would've given is gone as his boss was able to figure out how almost immediately.  "... you slept with one of them, didn't you?"

        Quio stayed silent for too long a moment as he tapped his fingers together. "Maybe." He replied timidly. Kar'kile grunted a growl, trying to keep himself from killing him while Polosa just sighed, shaking her head. "But it works out cause he's on vacation." He closed it up. "An... extended, permanent vacation nobody knows about..." What did he say? That was the expression clear on their faces as they looked to him. "I didn't kill him: a monster did, and i have a witness- a mouse named Kader. It only happened a few days ago and he did leave a note saying he was going on a vacation, so this is just unfortunately circumstantial timing."

        "Ugh..." Kar pinched his eyes again, rubbing them this time. This idiot was going to be the death of him. "... let's say you did get the armor through... 'legitimate' means. What are we even looking to steal?"

        "A map." Quio pulled Polosa back over to him. "And with the new girl, i'll get the map in a snap. Hey, i made a rhyme."

        Polosa blinked several times as she let the object of his desire sink in. "... a map?" She moved his arm off of her and glared at him. "... you're risking your lives for a map? A ma-- a piece of paper with a X on it?! That's what all this is for!?"

        "They would notice if a priceless artifact went missing." He said as he sat on the trunk. "They won't miss a single map."

        Polosa's mouth hung open, stunned in awe at the sheer stupidity this all sounds like. He cannot be this dumb. He just can't be. "He can't be serious." She looked back towards Kar'kile. "Tell me he's not serious. If it's for treasure, that it would make sense, but a piece of paper?!"

        Kar'kile grunted a prolonged exhale, not wanting to agree with the bumbling fool. "I don't want to say it, but the idiot makes a good argument. None of the general public has seen them, but we have heard stories from off-duty soldiers and guards about how the leaders of Naya have numerous vaults, filling to the brim with magnificent treasures and relics you can only dream about. Thing is... they notice. A long time ago, some theives made off with a priceless gem. Not only were the thieves caught, but summarily executed. The gem wasn't even that big- barely the size of the palm of your foot, yet they still knew. People still attempted, but none prevailed. That is until this pendejo got an idea to just steal a map."

        Holding out his fingers, Quio counted down how this was a good idea. "They're thin, can easily be missed, and can fit behind armor. And we know the maps are solid; they send out archaeological expeditions all the time."

        Polosa was following along, but found a huge hole in Quio's plan. "So how will you know if you picked up a map they didn't already use? Cause i'm guessing they've been sending out expeditions for a really long time."

        Quio just shrugged it out like it was just a minor inconvenience. "I won't know. But they must have some filing system in place to separate the used from the unused." He slid himself off the trunk and made his way over to her. "It's all technicalities that we can deal with once we get there. All we need is get you looking convincing in that armor, slip away when nobody is looking when you take me down to the cells, steal a canine uniform that will fit me, and we'll just waltz on in like there's no mañana. It's no problem." 

        She can think of several problems. "Ooooooh, i can name plenty." She didn't have time for this. She shouldn't get involved in their games; she needed to find everyone else. "I... i don't have time for this. I need to find my companions and get out of here, not be a part of some insane dogs plan to rob a bank." She stepped away from the canine and made her way towards the door.

        Kar'kile wasn't going to allow that. He flew ahead of her and blocked her way. "Where do you think you are going?"

        Polosa paused when she reached the threshold. If it was Quio doing this, she would just push him aside fly away without a problem... but she saw how Kar'kile operated. He's ruthless, and crossing him would be a big nono. She could try to knock him out... but that would require her to transform back to her Ferid form, and by everything she has seen, the Ae--- the Dragons here don't transform back into Ferids. If she changes here, that could open up a can of worms she didn't have the time or patience to clean up. "Like i told you, i'm going to find my companions. Several of them aren't like us, so i can only imagine what horrors are being done to them while i'm stuck here!"

        "Well, then the tower is your best bet." Quio calmly said quickly defusing an already escalated situation. "I'm not saying that to get your help, but because it's common knowledge: all criminals are sent there, along with unknown creatures they discover." That made her look back. "If your companions are alive, they're probably held there.

        It sounded too good to be true. There was no way they would be all gathered up in one place. ... well, not all of them- she can name one idiot who would be dumb enough to get caught. "... you better not be making this up."

        "He's not." Kar'kile confirmed. "Almost everything related to crime and the unknown all pass through that tower.... but i hear that they conduct monstrous experiments on them. To them, once they go in, they are no longer considered Nayan." Well... that sounds... very unpleasant. But it's as good a idea as any, she thought. If luck will be on her side, she'll find at least one of them in there. "These companions of yours, how many are there?"

        "Five. Well, technically six thanks to someones pet. Their names are Ventus, Sokuro, Fayin... un.... i forget the names of the other three. Ventus, Fayin, and two of the ones i can't remember are unknown creatures to you, so they should be easy to pick out of a crowd or find in some horror house in the tower. Sokuro and the other one are Ae--.... Dragons like me. I don't know the color of the other girl, but Sokuro is a Silver. Sh--" That made their eyes go wide and Kar'kile almost lose his balance. She sensed something was wrong. "... what?"

        Quio stuttered for a moment, licking his lips with his tongue as he tried to find the words. "Re--- repeat that? One of them is a Silver?"

        And there it was. Whatever this world's deal with Silver's are... it sounds like it isn't good. That could bring them a lot more trouble then she initially thought. "...... yeah...? Why? Are they not welcomed here.?"

        Quio then popped his lips over and over like a steamroller to bubblewrap. "W-w-well... no, i mean yet, i mean... they still are... it's just that..."

        "They're demons." Kar'kile spoke in a snarling, yet calm manner, trying, and failing, to hide his anger towards them. "They're extremely violent, incredibly dangerous, and should be eliminated. They are almost extinct, and for good reason. The sooner the world is rid of those soul-stealing devils, the better." Polosa was taken aback by his sudden rise of contempt and anger. Something happened here to make Silver's hated, and to make Kar'kile extremely angry, and her gut tells her she'll be told why soon. Kar'kile gazed away for a moment before snorting smoke out of his nostrils. "I don't know how your homeland treats Silvers or if this Sokuro girl can even control herself, but take it from us who live alongside one: they are to be avoided at all costs. Kill yours while you got the chance..." He spread his wings and took off, flapping hard enough to kick up dust that got in her eyes.

        "Agh..." She blinked as she rubbed the dust off her face. She splashed water on her face to help it out. As she continued to rub, she looked back to Quio. "I take it something happened with Silvers here."

        "You guess correct." He handed her a towel, which she took to rub her face with. "I don't know the full details. I moved here a few months ago and the incidence happened months before, but from what i was told, this kid lost control of his magic and went ballistic, leaving a crater... er, somewhere. Now everyone hates him."

        "Over losing control?" She blinked several times to get the last of it out and put the towel down. "I can get why some people would, but all?"

        "Pretty much. They all hate him... save for the orphans he lives with, everyone from out of town, Gryphons, Phoenixes. He's still got some friends, but it doesn't really change much. From what i heard, it was pretty nasty. I suspect some of it is fluff to make it seem bigger then it was, but something clearly happened. I never met the kid personally, but i saw him in passing a couple times. He carries himself like he committed a major crime and feels guilty for it."

        "What's the boys name?"

        He thought about it, trying to remember what the kid's name was. "I think it was..." He thought harder. "Silverwind? Yeah, that's it."

        "Silverwind? Well, that's a bit on the nose, wouldn't you say?" He only shrugged in his response; he didn't name him. He walked back to his hammock and fixed it up. Polosa went over to hers, dreading trying to get in this again. She shoved it aside and went straight for the beanbags. A thought came to her mind as she walked; one that could help her find her companions. "You said everyone hates this Silverwind kid, right?"

        "Yeah."

        "Does he still come into town?"

        "Yeah, i think so, but he's usually with someone to protect him." He climbed back into his hammock and laid down as he did before. "It doesn't take long for crowds to demand he leave. Usually violently."

        She glazed down at the floor for a minute, feeling some guilt. She never met him yet, but she still feels sympathy for the lad. He's just a kid, yet if Kar'kile is any indication, they treat him like a monster. "... as heartbreaking as that is, i can use that."

        She can what? He sat up and looked at her like she proposed something stupid. "Heh? Beg pardon?"

        "As horrible an idea as it is, i can use the crowds to find Sokuro. She's a Silver too, so the chances of them going after her are strong. Even if it isn't her and that kid, he'll undoubtedly have met her- there is no way she'll pass up a chance to talk to another Silver. It's 50/50, but it's odds i can work with. And hopefully either of them will have met the others too- they could mistake the kid for Sokuro."

        "You're right. That is a horrible idea. But i see no other way to find your companions. There's just one little hiccup in your plan: you're helping me rob the most secure location in the city so i can keep my ass from becoming grass."

        "Right..." She sighed. She got onto the biggest beanbag she could find and curled up like a cat. "Hopefully we can finish fast enough to where i at least have a chance."

        "Or there's always tomorrow. Er, the next day. Un... is it past midnight already?" She didn't want to wait. It's bad enough that half of everyone that came through are going to be hunted, but now there's hatred in the streets towards a kid who probably went too far while practicing... and they can easily mistake Sokuro for him. She can feel it in her gut; this world will crack the girl.

        Hopefully it won't crack any others.

 


        Ventus chattered out a scream for a few painful moments before a electrical prod was moved away from him. He heaved exhausted breaths as his shirtless and heavily bruised torso heaved up and down. This has been going on for over an hour now and showed no signs of stopping. His cellmate, a poor Gryphon Termundus had crippled hours before, could do nothing but listen. His eyes were closed during the whole ordeal, but you can't shut your ears.

        His torturer, who was oh-so-originally behind a black mask, tapped the prod on his paw over and over. There were several others in there with his host, so there was no way he was going to receive any kind of sympathy. "This thing can take a lot of punishment." He flipped it around to look at the power. "And it's at a pretty high setting too" He placed the prod on the table. "But no worries. We have plenty of toys."

        Despite all this excruciating pain, Ventus still had the one thing that mattered. "Really...?" He panted, spitting blood out his mouth. "That was a high setting...? Hardly felt a thing." He called to the guards behind him. "Can someone get him a torture device that doesn't have a tickle setting...?" That actually did generate a laugh from one of the guards, but she quickly silenced herself when everyone glared.

        The door slammed open, making everyone freeze. Ocilua soon entered, with something glowing in a pouch. "Lady Ocilua." The torturer and the guards saluted. 

        "Report."

        "Well... He's proven to be a tough nut to crack, ma'am."

        "You have nuts?" Ventus asked. "I would love a hazelnut ice cream bar. Wait... do you even have ice cream?"

        Ocilua rolled her eyes at the comments he was making. "You failed me then. I wanted him broken when i returned, and you didn't deliver."

        "Sorry ma'am."

        She gave a dark chuckle as she adopted a snide grin. "Don't be. That means he's going to be aware of what happens next. Hmhm... that means this is going to be more fun." She snickered to Ventus as she took off her saddlebags. 

        "Fun?" Ventus asked. Even his Gryphon buddy opened his eyes to see what she meant by fun. 

        Putting on a leather glove, she reached into the pouch with the glow and pulled out a red crystal. Everyone in the room reacted the same: absolute terror. Those that yelled cowered in fear as they backed away as far as they could. The Gryphon, who Ventus never saw flinch, was afraid. Even the torturer was afraid. Whatever this is, it must be horrifying. 

        "I-i-i-i-i-i-iis that..." The torturing stuttered.

        "Indeed." She held it up to eye level. The glow reflected in her cold, cruel eyes. "A Shadow Gem." That made everyone cower even further.

        Ventus has been alive for over three thousand years and experienced many kinds of pain on many different worlds and saw pain being dealt to others, with crowds usually cheering on the pain. Most of those were towards tyrants, but still. This... this is the first time he saw everyone cower in absolute fear. "... What does... that do?"

        Polosa merely grinned as she walked over with a skip in her steps. She wanted to use this for a long time, and it's on a new creature too- oh, how giddy she is. "Oh... you're going to find out..." She placed the gem against his stomach. It was cold to the touch, and she placed it on a fresh wound, forcing him to pant. He didn't feel anything at first other then the cold gemstone. 

        It didn't take long for the nightmare to begin.

        Ventus felt something sharp pierce his belly, making him gasp in pain. He looked down and saw nothing enter, but it felt like it did. More such pains erupted across his body, making him squirm. The chains shook and clattered as he thrashed about. Then, he felt something slither underneath his skin, like barbed snakes, followed by pains that felt like he was bitten, and sensations that felt like poison.

        The worst was yet to come.

        The gem glowed brightly as its true purpose began. Ventus' back arched and contorted as he silently screamed to the ceiling. The glow from the gem spread through him, painting him in a dark red glow. He gritted his teeth as the glow reached his eyes and entered his mind.

        In his eyes, things went from bad to worse. Images flashed by in such rapid succession and such violent intensity, it was like he was going to go blind. He saw vicious monsters, monsters he had seen and fought and won against before. Monsters that hurt him and left scars on his body, but never his mind. 

        But that was to come. The crystal bored into his mind and returned to him the tortures of his past he had suppressed and begged the universe to let him forget and forced him to relive them. He saw his mother, who was supposed to care for him, instead revile him and treat him in ways no mother ever should. He saw the love of his life being gunned down, his father motionless in a hospital bed as he held his hand, and his homeworld crumbling away in the cold, black void of space.

        All these horrible, negative feelings, and many more like it from many more memories since- the mental, the physical, and emotional, were enhanced and amplified. Ventus shrieked loudly to the heavens- the pain was too much for him to bear any longer. Ocilua knew this too and pulled the crystal away from him. He stopped shrieking and fell limp. He hung motionless, life drained form his eyes and color from everywhere else. Everyone in the room was shocked in fear by what they saw.

        All but one, that is.

        "I told you it would be fun." She snickered as she tossed it up and down like a ball for tacks. "Now..." She leaned in close. "Are you going to cooperate now, or am i going to have to bring a bigger one...?"

        He had no way to say no. All his energy, all his willpower, all his... everything, was gone. He slowly raised his lifeless eyes, moving his head like a husk. "I'll.... cooperate....." He spoke with no emotion.

        "Hmhm... there's a good lad." She patted him on the head like the good little boy he is, then put the crystal away in her saddlebags and slung them back on. Everyone in the room relaxed when the crystal was put away, but were mortified by what they witnessed. They all heard the stories, but to see it used in person... how is the prisoner still alive after that? "I'd say he learned his lesson." She said with a disgustingly upbeat attitude. "I'll let him sleep it off and get back to it first thing in the morning. Provided he does get to sleep."

        The torturer barely found the courage to speak, much less the willpower to actually form coherent sentences. "B-b-b-but ma'am... tomorrow is the Memorial Celebration... and the Council has asked everyone be in attendance for the 70th anniversary..."

        "Really?" She exclaimed loudly like a bratty child as she flung her head back. "uuuuuuugh... i hate those old fossils and their old codger ways... if it was possible to get away with it, i'd kill 'em right now." Such a thing to boldly claim without remorse should land her in on the executioners block... but Termundus has kept her safe, and everyone was too afraid of her to even think of trying to report her. She'd hunt them down and skin'em alive. That was not a joke. "What time am i supposed to be that that stupid thing?"

        "Th-th-they said around ten..."

        "UUUUUUUGH... that's not enough tiiiiiiime..." She slammed her paws into the ground, whining loudly. She wanted more fun, but their so-called 'leaders' was preventing her from having it. "I'll be too tired afterwards..." She looked back to him and pouted. "I want to keep playing with my new toooooy..."

        "... um... ma'am... did Termundus authorize this?" Now he decides to ask.

        Ocilua glared at him with such coldness. "What do you think...?" She responded with venom in her voice as she walked away.

        "... that's what i was afraid of."

 


        Sokuro had barely gotten a few paragraphs into her recounting of the events that lead to them arriving in this strange and dangerous land when nature caught up to her and she had fallen asleep on the boulder, with the book draped over her abdomen and the pencil hanging precariously off her fingers. How she is able to sleep on this without pain is what a lot of people would want to know.

         That quickly came to an end when she heard noises coming from the orphanage. She yawned, blinked her eyes, and sat up to rub them when she heard the door back at the orphanage open. She panicked, remembering she was in Ferid body. She slid behind the boulder, closed her book book, and changed back hopefully soon enough to avoid detection. To her relief, it was Sil w ho had exited, but... he wasn't looking to good. He was holding his head with one paw and trying to stay on the other three. He looked like he was freaking out about something. She then saw a streak of purple run up his body, which made him freak even more before he flew away.

        "What in the heck...?" She asked herself before flying after him, keeping her distance. Something was wrong with him. She had followed him deeper into the islands interior, all the way to a surprising site: a crater, one that was barren. He yelled out in pain as he stopped flapping in mid-flight and fell in, much to her shock. He hit the ground hard and struggled up to his feet. She also landed, keeping a safe distance as she observed what was going on.

        Sil held his head as surges of energy, in the form of electric sparks, formed all over his pulsating glowing body. He shook in fear and in pain as he tried to keep it in, but it was too much. He panted through gritted teeth. His eyes constantly surged between their normal color, a evil red, and a disturbing black. 

        "Sil?"

        "S... s.... stay back..." He grunted. "I... don't think... i can.... agh........" He felt onto all fours, panting like he was about to lose it.

        "Hey hey hey, look at me. Look at me." Working through the struggle, he lifted his head and saw her, back as a dragon, kneeling before him. "It's going to be ok. Just listen to me voice. Focus on my voice." He's tried everything to keep this suppressed, so he'll try anything. "Take slow, deep breaths." She came in and gave him a tight, comforting hug and gently rubbed his back, which is a shock to him. Nobody would come near him when he's having these. "Close your eyes and think of something calming and soothing- it can be anything like the sound of waves, or a familiar voice, or a happy memory." He nodded and closed his eyes, trying desperately to think of anything that would help him. Through all the thoughts in his head, there is one thought, one pure thought that he found that calmed him down.

        The surges began to fade away, as was the glow. The grit in his teeth and the hyperventilation withdrew away as his eyes slowly returned to their original shade. 

        Soon... it all ended. The surroundings returned to normal as he went limp in her arms, in shock that someone would help her. The other orphans tried, but they were afraid to get hurt. "H... how... how did you...?"

        "I know from experience what a mental breakdown is like... though mine never had out-of-control magic."

        "H... how...? You were raised in a better place..."

        She held him tighter. "Back home... we obtain scales from our deities that allows us to transform... and it's always random. I was given the Silver scale only last month... and until then, my life was not easy... i saw my parents die in front of me... our home was burned to the ground and only me and my brother survived... they pushed us out to avoid being trapped, at the cost of their lives... my mental state was in shambles after that, but someone taught me that technique that i did to you and it helped... they still do..."

        "... smart person... sorry for yelling at you and calling you a princess..."

        "Can't say i blame you. The way i described life for us on the other side, i would be mad too if i was in your shoes..." She didn't want to ask this question, but it was clear as day once she pieced it together. "... the people i talked to... they said you caused a bad thing... this crater was it, wasn't it?"

        He stayed silent for a long moment, lightly digging his claws into her scales; this was a hard question for him to answer. "........ yes... Based on all you heard... you know the details..."

        "Enough, but... was it on purpose...? Or an accident?"

        "I'm.... not entirely sure. One day, i just... lost control of my powers and things turned bad ever since. Ever since then, i keep having these... periodic bursts, like history is trying to repeat itself... i always come here when it happens... at least i know if i lose it again, i won't hurt anyone..." 

        And it's such a big crater, too. This looks like it's the same size as the rest area back during the Koloron, and that was a big valley. To make a crater this size... how does he have that much power inside him? Just what is he? "Gods... you did this...? I'm... both in shock and in awe... but mostly afraid for you... even i don't--.... maybe i should stop talking..."
    
        Feeling comfortable again, Sil broke their embrace and sat on the ground. Sokuro didn't fight it- he did it just to feel comfortable. It's not like they can hug forever. "... Your friends? Are they like you too?"

        "If you mean they can transform... kinda." Her body glowed as she transformed back to her Ferid self. The first time was scary. The second time, not so much. He was still freaked, but nowhere near the level as back at the beach. "Two of them are able to. The other four, they don't have that ability. It's... rare, where we're from, but still enough people use it to where it's not uncommon. ... but now that i think about it, finding any of them will be difficult." She plopped her rear down on the dirt. "They'll be able to pick us out of a crowd thanks to our scale color, so they'll be able to find me no problem. Finding them... it's going to be hard. The other Ae--- Dragons that came with me will blend in and the others... well, i don't know what creature collection is like here, but any version will make things a helluva lot difficult."

        She is more right then she realizes. Hunting laws are lax here, and trophy hunting is encouraged under the current regime. Rare and Never-Before-Seen specimens are brought to the tower... usually more dead then alive. He didn't want to tell her that part. "... well... if they are strange creatures to us, there are a select few places they could be, all of them back in the city. But those places: they are heavily guarded."

        "Riiiiiiight...." She fell backwards, flat onto her back with her arms stretched out to the side. "it's never easehehehehey..." She whined. Why can't things ever be easy? Just one thing. "And that is assuming they were found and aren't hiding somewhere out there. It's not like i can just put up "lost pet" posters and call it a day."

        "Alua told me that the best way to figure things out is to go over what you already know and have. We do know that you arrived on a ship, so that means any place your friends would end up on would be the coast, right?"

        Sokuro stayed silent and still, sucking in her lips. That would be right... if it was actually true, but they were all sucked through a portal. They could be anywhere in this world, even beyond those mists, and she didn't want to risk that. "... yeah... right. But underground tunnels and rivers connected to the sea could have taken them anywhere in this world, right...?" She almost chuckled. "And... that is assuming everyone was on said ship..." Sil cocked a perplexed expression. "... except for Bran, they were all a bunch of idiots."

        "If you say so..." He replied, suspicious of her explanation. "Well... i never heard of any underwater rivers or tunnels, but that is a valid point. In which case, they would be anywhere in Nexia. But... let's ignore that and work with the shipwreck idea. Assuming they all washed up near where you did, then they would have to find answers and shelter, and that means finding a city or making your own hut. The rainforest is enormous, but if we stick to near the coastline, we may find some answers. They could have washed up here on the island as well."

        "That is a plan, but what's this We business?"

        "If i know Alua, and i do, she will want to help you. So will Seqy and the wonderfully dumb duo. You helped me twice now and i feel like i should pay it back." Sokuro would argue against it, but she didn't. She needs all the help she can get, and if he is offering, she should take it. And if someone saved her twice, she'd owe them a favor too. Sil turned to head home when he suddenly hissed and inhaled through his teeth. "Oh, wait... i forgot... tomorrow's the anniversary."

        She tilted her head. "Anniversary?"

        "The 70th of our last attempted voyage out into the mists and to whatever lies beyond. The entire country is going to be in Naya; finding your friends in that crowded mess is going to be like finding a needle in the ocean."

        "Well... not true. From what i have seen, everyone has two different colors- a primary and a secondary. Meanwhile, Ae-- Dragons from my land are all solid colors, so finding a couple that are solid purple and solid green shouldn't be too hard. But you are right, there are going to be a lot of people there and we will mistake others for them. And-.. wait, why are you going? They hate you, so why are you going to go where everyone will hiss, yell, and pelt?"
    
         He looked down to the ground, feeling the pain he is likely going to feel tomorrow. "... because i don't want to be alone. You saw how i am. If i am alone if i flare up again, i may not come back from it. Being around everyone is a risk... but being alone is just as scary. Besides... not everybody hates me. The Gryphons are nice to me and the Phoenix's act like i'm part of their large, extended family. I always feel at peace whenever i'm around Phoenix's, actually..." He was getting off track- she's the one in the middle of a crisis that requires their immediate attention, not him. "Un, heh, but let's focus on the big task right now, and that's finding your friends. After that, we can worry about finding you all a ship."

        Now it was Sokuro's turn to freeze. She is going to have to come clean sooner or later. Blindly sailing off to be killed by some other monster is not on her list. "Yeah... a ship..." She looked away so she could bite her lip. 

39: Chapter 36: Deterorating Affairs
Chapter 36: Deterorating Affairs


Chapter 36
Deteriorating Affairs
3/14/5791 E.S.D. (Earth Standard Date)




        As Sokuro slept away, ready and raring to get back to the mainland to search for her friends, her mind drifted to thoughts of home... or more specifically, to thoughts of how everyone is reacting. The six of them had been gone for a day, and nobody at home has seen hide or hair of them since. She can only imagine what everyone is doing, and how they are reacting to their disappearance. 




        .... she would be heartbroken if she knew the truth...



            
        "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!" Velx slammed down in the town, making the ground shake and scaring everyone in the process. The shaking made Fayin slide off and roll to the group, much to her chagrin. She got no say in being dragged along so quickly. It also made Ventus bounce, smashing his back into the keyboard, turning the green light red.

       "L-Lord Velx!!" Polosa and Eia exclaimed in shock. Sokuro stepped forward and spoke,  "I'm sorry for disobeying the rules, Lord Velx, but i just needed to--
       "Step away from that right now!!!" He proclaimed loudly. They were all taken aback by his sudden anger. They have never seen him this furious before. Even when he fought the Phagos, he kept a calm head. This... this is scary. 
       Ventus rubbed his back and felt something shock it, making him jump up. He looked back and saw that the keyboard was sparking. "Un... should it be doing that?" He spoke up, catching everyone's attention once again. The light on the number pad turned red as well. Red spread along the vines as well, painting the door in a foreboding color. ".... oooooooooh, i did something bad..." In fear, he pulled out the dagger, hoping it would do something. He was not supposed to do that as the door gave a loud horn as the crystal at the top turned blood red, as did the glowing entryway. 
       Velx's eyes went wide. It's just like last time. "Get away from it!! Now!!!!"
       But it was too late. The entry quickly became like a vortex, turning into a ominous spiral that generated a hurricane-force pull. They were caught off guard by it. Before they knew what was going on, the winds picked up and dragged in Sokuro, Bran and Eia, as they were the closest to the vortex. Sokuro grabbed hold of the doorframe with one hand and held onto the lizard with another. 
       Polosa slammed one of her knives into the ground to keep herself from being dragged in, but there was no way a knife was going to last long against the pull of the winds. Her knife slipped out of the ground and she slammed into Ventus, launching them both into it as well. Velx dug his claws in to keep himself from being dragged in as well.
       Sokuro hung on for dear life, but her fingers were slipping away, as was her grip on Pearl. Fayin came screaming in and grabbed hold of her foot, digging her claws into the shoes to keep hold. It was painful, but she wasn't in much of a position to argue, but it was a losing battle as her fingers were hurting like crazy. The lizard slipped out of her hands and hit Fayin in the face, forcing the clueless Gaharot to let go and be sucked into the vortex as well.
       Her hand free, she held onto the doorframe with both, struggling not to let go as the pull got stronger and stronger. Using all her strength, she pulled herself upwards towards the frame, grunting with each movement as the pull was getting stronger still. The back of her neck flared up again from the poison- the strongest one yet. She yelled in pain as it distracted her long enough to let go. She realized the folly of her mistake too late as she was sucked in as well, yelling in both pain and fear as she disappeared from sight.







        Velx slowly opened his tired eyes, having relived that moment over and over again. Three days... it's only been three days since they vanished, and everything was beginning to unravel. Could the peace of the last 500 years be uprooted in a fortnight? To him, it feels like it's heading that way.

        It wasn't long until the people of Novalle and Misken began to notice that six people had just up and vanished without a trace. Bran's mother was the first to ask, wondering why her baby boy was suddenly gone without a trace. She's been getting more and more emotional as the days dragged on, leaving Velx to fear she may do something drastic. The orphans have been pestering him with questions about Sokuro and where she vanished off to, as did the few friends Fayin and Polosa had in town. 

        The worst ones, however, have to be the merchant and her crew. She has been pushing his limits, demanding information on where Eia was, fearing she had been taken. 

        And while nobody has come right out and said anything... Velx is fearing that both sides are starting to blame each other for their disappearances. This will escalate into something bad, there is no denying that.

        He heard flapping approaching from behind, but he didn't look. He knew who it was before they even landed. It was Calcota, the only other one who knows that the six of them were sucked in. He stood beside Velx, who didn't turn his gaze away from the Golden Gate. He looked between Velx and the Gate before letting out a sigh. "Velx... it's been three days. If they were going to return, they'd have done so by now."

        "They'll return."

        "Did you even think about where they could've ended up? Even if the world they were pulled to is life-bearing, there's no guarantee that the inhabitants are peaceful. You know that as well as anyone." Velx stayed silent, but Calcota knew he was starting to get through to him. "And the odds of the Gate of that world remaining intact are small- it's a miracle this one has survived the test of time, let alone any others."

        "It should've been destroyed long ago..." Velx finally said. "But Voul... he was insistent we keep this up... now look where it got us." His gaze finally shifted, shifted downwards towards the keyboard that was now ruined. "... they're never coming back, are they?"

        "It's... an option. It's a option i don't want to be true, but it still is one. And... and keeping this from everyone in Novalle and Misken is only going to bite you in the ass." Velx gazed over to his fellow deity with a raised eye. "Did i use a Colonist term? Geez, they... they really rub off on you, huh?" Velx snorted in response as he returned his gaze to the gate. "But you get what i am saying, right?"

        "So i should just tell them all that there is a ancient portal under their feet that sucked six people into probably oblivion? What if they start to investigate and reactivate it. They could unleash terrible evils upon our world... and one is bad enough."

        "And keeping this a secret is the better idea? You saw how that boys mother reacted that first night. I never knew they could cry that hard, but... well, you saw her. Keeping this a secret from her- from any of their loved ones- is a bad decision. Maybe you are right- maybe they'll investigate this and unleash some monster, but it's better then the alternative. And you forget: Sokuro had the key on her when they were sucked in. Nobody here is going to activate this."

        Velx gave his brother a look that mixed sorrow with contempt as he turned to leave. "... and what if they do activate it? These are off-worlders- their technology is leagues above ours, so they will find some workaround." He spread his wings. "They can't be trusted around this thing. Nobody can." With a flap of his wings, he took to the air. 



        "...and i told you, i'm not leaving until i get some Fecheclting information!!!" Dexyl bellowed as she slammed her clinched fist onto Georgia's desk. Both the Colonist head officials and Misken's leadership were at Georgia's office in Novalle, hoping somebody would have answers to where the missing people are. Nobody vanishes into thin air. Out of all of them, Vivian was the one who looked the worst for ware- she had cried for a full day when Bran didn't return and it showed; her eyes were puffy and red.

        "There is no reason to curse, captain." Georgia responded in a calm tone. Someone had to be the voice of reason around here. "You're not the only one who lost someone. We're doing everything we can to--"

        "That's what you said yesterday! And the day before that!" Dexyl's anger grew and it began to affect her scale. She slammed both fists onto the desk, causing Arlene's and Solstice's holograms to flicker. "Say something different for a change, dammit!!"

        "You want me to say something new? Then here's one: stop slamming my desk! It's far too early in the morning to be so ornery- i haven't even had my coffee yet."

        "I'll stop when i get my cabin girl back!!" Sparks of anger flew between the two of them.

        "Will you both stop?" Arlene demanded as she grew to a large size. "You are both not helping matters, so enough! Stop it before i bring in the knockout gas!" Georgia listened to her and sat back down in her seat. Dexyl scoffed in derision as she went to her corner. "Good girls. Now, if--"

        "Oh, just shut up." Dexyl scoffed. "You're just going to say the same thing as her." SHe looked out the window as she muttered, "Probably as stupid as the rest of them."

        Arlene puffed out her cheeks. With some trickery, she made her face appear on the window before her, frightening the merchant captain. "I take offense to that. SMART A.I.'s are among the most intelligent beings in all the cosmos."

        "Then tell me why i should care?"

        "Can i with someone as rough a brain as yours?!

        "ENOUGH!" Inoute bellowed with such a loud fervor. "Everyone just shut up and go back to where you were!" Arlene glared at Dexyl, who stuck out her tongue as the face faded from the window. "Behaving like children isn't going to help matters. I'm not even sure why you are behaving like brats! Vivian is being the most mature out of everyone in this room, and she hasn't said a thing."

        "That's because she can't speak after crying so hard for so long." Leopold spoke. He grabbed her hand, which she desperately needed- he felt the same way she does. "We just want our son back."

        "And we're working on that." Georgia replied. "But we don't have any clues to go upon other then 'they just vanished'. They could be on a boat, heading to the mainland for all we know."

        "If that's the case, why doesn't the high lizard tell us?" Solstice spoke. "They're supposed to be connected to every "soul" on the planet, right? So why keep quiet on the location of FOUR, count 'em, FOUR of his own people, especially if one of them is some uber-duper pseudo-prophet? You'd figure some lizard as powerful as him would be able to find them by now."

        The Dragenian-borns took high offense to how disrespectful and rude he was to their patron deity. Hopa stood up, tapping his fingers on his staff. "First off.... he is not a lizard. He is a Astral Aerid. And He's not supposed to interfere with mortal affairs."

        "He interfered with ugly." Solstice replied as he brought up a holographic picture of the Phagos- more specifically, the image of Velx casting the spell that ended the demon's life. "See, here he is, killing that ugly dragon-turtle like it was nothing."

        Hopa stayed silent. He was not here for that, so his reaction to an event would be third-party, though he's heard plenty of tales from many a'folk in town and upon the merchant ship. "That was clearly more... pressing circumstances."

        "Oh, get over yourself." Arlye finally spoke up. "The only reason your gods aren't helping you is because they are lazy." That drew great ire from all the locals present. "Oh, don't act like it's not true. The last time your gods actually helped out was when the world- THEIR world- was almost destroyed by a psychopath. Clearly, they didn't want to lose their favorite napping spot."

        Hopa sharply snarled under his breath before approaching Hopa in a fury, a fury shared among his fellow Dragenians. His Ferid self may be puny to this adonis of scales, but he could care less. "You take that back." He snarled.

        Arlye bent down and looked at him square in the eye. "OH, what are you going to do, grandpa? Poke me with your walking stick?"

        Hopa's anger grew even more. "I can hit hard, you know!"

        "Oh, please! I'm begging you- take a shot. I'm giving you one free shot- right here." He tapped his cheek. "Right on the mouth. I'll even pay if you leave any sort of mark. Come on!"

        This was getting them nowhere. All this was was grown men and women arguing like idiots. Fed up, Vivian got up and stormed out of the room in a huff, slamming the door behind her hard enough to make shelves break and spill their contents all over the floor. She was fed up with all of this pointless bickering that was getting them nowhere. It was disgusting and she had had enough. And she wasn't the only one as Ocous followed her. He stopped at the door with some choice words to say:

        "You are all terrible... TERRIBLE people. Six people are missing, three of whom are young children, and all you can do is bicker among yourselves? And for what reason!? I know everyone's on edge because of this, but that is no reason to turn into bratty... what's the human word i'm looking for? Oh yeah, Assholes! The mere fact that a grieving mother is the most mature person in the room should speak volumes to you all!" He followed her out, slamming the door behind him. It wasn't as hard as Vivian's, but it caused more things to fall over. His words did reach most of them, making them feel terrible as pits formed in their stomachs...

        ... most. His words reached hollow on Hopa's ears- the opinions of young whippersnappers always do. Out of the side of his eyes, he glared towards Arlye, who was unsure how to move forward with this meeting after the tirade Ocous dropped. 


        Ocous descended down the steps as fast as his timid legs could muster. Metal of this caliber and used in such a way was foreign in its use and design. The colony was partial empty, with most of the adults out searching for the missing. The same was true for the Miskenites. 
        
        He reached the bottom of the stack and saw that Vivian didn't go far. She had gone to the nearest bench and just sat there, looking like she was about to fall. Her face was expressionless- it's like she had lost all hope. He slowly approached her, unsure how to aide humans in such hard times. He didn't know what to do or what to say; you'd figure he'd figure it out after a month and a half.

        "How can they be so moronic...?" She finally spoke up with a hurt voice. "... There are people missing... and all they can do is argue and bicker like they're back in grade school, throwing insults and acting all petty."

        Ocous is not aware of what a grade school is, but he wasn't going to fixate on that. Right now, there was something bigger to take care of. "They're just on edge. We all are. Nobody just vanished out of the blue- We've had people go missing before, but we've always found them. And... i didn't want to agree with him in front of everyone, especially Hopa, but Arlye is right- the Gods should be helping us since our the newest Silver is among the missing. If anyone should be out looking, it should be them. But no... instead, Velx has been missing for the past few days and nobody knows where to."

        She buried her face in her hands, not being able to take it anymore. He bit his lip, feeling like he was making it worse, which he was. He tapped his fingers, wondering how to make things better... but instead, he kept thinking why the colonists haven't been able to find anyone if they have all this incredible technology. "You wanna know what really puzzles me?" She didn't, but it's not like she was in a position to say no. "You have all this technology- all of this crazy, advanced stuff that is leagues above whatever we can make- and you can't find them. Don't you have any tracking... whatevers?"

        She slowly lifted her head out of her hands, realizing something she had forgotten about. "Wait... that's it..." She sniffled, wiping her puffy eyes. She fidgeted around with the pockets on her person, searching each one for her cell phone. "Bran's phone; it has a built-in tracking device. Vega- our old home- has so many sinkholes forming each day, i was worried he would fall in, so i put a tracking device into his phone so i can know where he is." She found her phone and pulled it out.

        "And you just remembered that you had that now?"
    
        "You try thinking clearly when your own child goes missing and you cry for a full day." He wasn't going to argue with her there- that may actually be a thing in human biology. "And i felt safe here, and that meant i know Bran would be safe too. He hangs out with that dragon girl so much, i knew he would be safe from harm." He was going to counter her, but decided against it- the only major threat around here was the Phagos, so... outside of smaller predators, she's not entirely wrong. She found the app on her phone and pressed the icon. As she waited for it to load, she remembered something else. "... on the day they all disappeared... the girl came running into my sons room, sprouting something about some Golden Gate or whatever... and they took that Eia girl with them to wherever it was they went... but who is to say they were the only ones to go looking for this thing?"

        "Wait... are you saying that that Fayin, Polosa, and that other boy were with them?"

        "It's... possible." She tapped her phone on her hand. "First Contact..."

        "First contact?"

        "The day when our kind met ours... the day after that monster turtle was killed, our leaders and yours held a meeting, during which a global earthquake occurred... and Sokuro and Bran fell into that huge canyon... didn't they say something about old ruins when we found them on top of the mountain?"

        "They did. They said they explored them and suddenly, to use your vernacular, teleported to the top of the peaks." He was starting to catch on. "... what if that teleported thing took them to some other part of Dragenia?"

        "If it did, we'll find out..." The phone dinged. "Right now." She lifted it up and looked at it... and any excitement she had to finding her song turned south. Bran's phone wasn't showing up anywhere on the map. All she got was a red text bubble that read "Tracker Lost". That filled her with dread. The only way the tracker could be lost was if it was destroyed... She shook her head, not wanting to think about that. "Um... let's... let's try that Ventus kid. The entire colony is... on the same network, so maybe he..." And the same text box appeared, saying the same thing.

        Ocous couldn't read the language that appeared on her device, but such color-coding is a universal concept. "Um... i'm sorry, but it would seem his device is.. um..."

        She didn't want to believe her worse fears to be true. She just didn't want to. She moved to the history tab on Bran's phone and looked back on all his movements that day. IT was barely a second till she got to his last known location: off Evioly's southern shore. "That doesn't make any sense..." She checked Ventus' and same thing: middle of the sea. "How can they both be in the middle of the ocean?"

        "Tunnels." A fairly certain Ocous spoke. "All of Dragenia is littered with tunnels, dug by serpentine creatures, including the Creator Umatz himself. So... when they fell into the crevice, they must've followed it till they were under the ocean." 

        Vivian looked at the tracker on her phone, tapping her fingers on the screen. What she had to do was going to cause a stir, but she needed to do it. "We need to get down there."

        And of course, Ocous was flabbergasted, as any Dragenian should be when discussing about exploring the sacred land. "WE?"

        "Yes, we. You saw the madhouse back there: we're the only ones who actually give a shit about finding them."

        "I can name a large amount of Novalleians and Miskinite's who'd disagree with you on that." She rolled her eyes. "And the land is forbidden for a reason. It is our birthplace- where Dragenian civilization began. We haven't been down there since the Gaharot Empire fell. There could be any number of dangers down there."

        She didn't want to hear it; her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only- finding her son. "... Again, you saw the madhouse we left. You saw how nasty and horrible they were getting, and that was just after 3 days. Three! Imagine what would happen over weeks, or months, or even years. Do you really want to risk things getting worse then that?"

        "... Well, no. But we're taking a big risk for something that has a 50/50 shot of panning out. But there's one big problem: Frostnight. It begins in just a few days and we've spent the last three days searching when we should've been preparing. Now, old tales say that the Basin is a warm swamp land. Since it is underground, they should be fine until Frostnight is over."

        She got up off the bench and glared at him. "I don't care. I want my son back."

        "And i understand that. Truly. But you're letting your grief cloud your judgment right now. Velx may be a gentle giant, but you've seen his power. And when he gets mad, he gets MAD!"

        "Let him try. He'd have to be a big idiot to mess with a mother with nothing to lose..." Without another word, she stormed off, ready to do whatever it took to get her baby boy back, even if she has to move mountains. She wasn't fooling around, and Ocous felt it in his gut. He's learned an important lesson from the mothers of Misken: do not get them angry, or you will regret it.

        As the determined and set Vivian started on the path back towards her home, she saw Hopa descending down the stairs with a furrowed brow, snarling curse words under his breath.  He glanced over to her and scoffed in disgust. Vivian watched him as he left, feeling uneasy and unsafe. There's something about him that rubs her the wrong way... and the way he's acting probably means the meeting went nowhere. Again. Hopa changed to his Aerid self and took to the skies.




        Darkness permeated the orphanage room Sokuro once called home; the drapes were closed, preventing light from the afternoon sun from entering. Ever since the first night, all Taled had done was lay in his sisters bed, devastated by her disappearance. The only family he has left, and now she was gone, vanished without a trace. As a child, he already feared the worst, and it was enough for him to give up and just hide in his room. He lost all his tears on the second day and just laid there in silence. He could hear voices outside the door, but didn't bother. All he wants is to be alone.
        "I tried everything i could think of, but he won't budge." Vela commented as he, Zalet, Vaset, and Leoi stood out in the hall. "I tried his favorite foods, his favorite book, i offered to take him to Roko to get that toy he's been begging for- nothing."
        "You try doing anything with a broken heart?" Vaset commented, knowing from first-hand experience what that is like. "It's impossible. You never want to do a thing."
        "Well, we have to do something." Zalet said as he peered in. "He can't keep laying in that bed forever."
        "He's living my dream life, that's for sure." Leoi mentioned. He drew some slight ire from the other three. "I-i mean, not wanting to leave the bed. Not the... missing family." He coughed and straightened himself up. "So, un... anyone got any ideas?"
        "I'm fresh out."
        "Same." Vela and Vaset said in unison.
        "Same..." Leoi sighed. "Guess we should wait to see if Buron's idea will work." The rest somberly nodded in agreement. If they can't think of anyway to cheer the lad up, they could try to figure out this mystery. "...Does he remember anything else about that day?"
        Vela slowly shook his head as he tried to make some sense of it all. "Only what he already told us: They went to the beach to check out that strange contraption they were building, only to see her flying away out of the blue..." He crossed one arm across his chest while he scratched his head with the other. "There must be something Taled missed..."
        "She did have the book with her." Leoi said. "Maybe she found something inside and had to look."
        "Then why would she need Bran?" Vela asked. "Or Polosa or Eia or Fayin or that... other guy who's name i forgot? One person disappearing, that's a kidnapping to be sure. But six? With one of them being one of the most powerful Aerids in the area? I mean... you guys did say the Koloron had to be declared invalid due to rogue slavers, right? What if they came for revenge?"
        "If they came for revenge, we would've heard or seen something by now, like flattened trees or something of that sort." Zalet pointed out. "Kidnappers tend to leave some clue behind... but not these ones. And then why would they take the others? If they took Bran and that other guy, they would've seen the colonists; such information would've made headlines at Roko and Meoho and Mokurot, yet we heard nothing from the other cities."
        "And it couldn't have been a monster." Leoi took over. "Everyone in town would've freaked out if Fayin got eaten in the middle of the street, and the colonists have those laser thingies to protect them. An attack would've had everyone on edge."
        They could guess and speculate until the stars fall and trumpets sound, but they weren't going to get any concrete answers by just standing around. Besides, this is distracting them from what they were doing in the first place: helping Taled. "We'll figure it out later. Right now." Vela said. "Right now, we've got a boy in pain." He took a step towards the door to enter when he noticed Vaset was still deep in thought. Now that he thinks about it, she's been rather quiet this whole time. "Un, Vaset. Sel for your thoughts?"
        She really didn't want to say it- she REALLY doesn't want to say it because it could mess everything up... but... since he asked. "Well... there... is one possibility we haven't considered yet."
        "And that would be?"
        "The colonists killed them." They were all about to yell 'what are you thinking' but she was able to shush them down before they screamed. "I know it sounds crazy..."
        "Crazy?" Zalet responded. "It's downright stupid. There is no way they could've killed them, not no how."
        "If you'll let me explain... i've been thinking about it since yesterday and it just... blossomed out of control when it coupled with a dream i had the first night after they made contact. It's a stupid theory... but... what if the Colonists were lying to us? What if they aren't peaceful, but are just playing a long game to where we lower our guard and then swoop in to take our territory and enslave us, and that the missing six just... stumbled onto the plan and had to be taken out?" 
        Vela and Zalet scoffed in response, finding this too difficult to believe. "If any of that were to be true, then why would they kill two of their own?" Vela asked. "And Sokuro, Bran, and Eia are kids- they'd have to be pretty heartless people to murder children."
        Vaset couldn't help but awkwardly laugh. "Heh... told you it was a stupid theory."
        "But what if it's not?" Leoi said, finally able to get a word in. 
        "Not you too."
        "Well... think about it. They appeared out of nowhere, wielding advanced weaponry the likes of which Dragenia has never seen. While they have better technology, they are vastly outnumbered by all of Dragenia's population- even the people of Miskin could overpower them. So they wait... they study to learn our weaknesses, then they develop weapons to eliminate us. One of them may've stumbled upon their development site and was killed, but it caused too much of a commotion so it attracted the others."
        Hard to say, but it does sound plausible. They know little about their new neighbors, and they're just supposed to take their word that they are here in peace? "But that accounts for only five people." Zalet said. "Where would Fayin fit in any of that?"
        "Maybe she truly was kidnapped- a slaver from Roko may've torn off her ribbon and taken her to parts unknown."
        Vela held his claws to his face, breathing into the palm of his paw as he tapped his forehead with one of them. First Vaset had a conspiracy theory now she inspired Leoi too? "That is just a little too far-fetched, if you ask me." He lowered his claws to his side. "We would've heard if Fayin was taken. And why would you even consider they were playing the long game? You're supposed to be the logical one."
        "I AM being logical." Leoi pulled out one of the colonies many tablets and turned it on. "One of their historians figured i was into books and history, and so he gave me this- one of their tablet thingamajigs. They are not as peaceful as you think- they did some pretty bad stuff back in their home realm."
        "Are you kidding me right now?" They heard Buron exclaim from the end of the hall. They looked back and saw a huge fluffy toy on her back. "I leave to go get something that could cheer Taled up, and you all haven't moved an inch from where i left you."
        "Um... sorry, we were just talking."
        Buron grunted as she set the large toy down on the floor. "The entire time i was gone?"
        "Well..." Vela tapped his claws together. "Vaset had this theory about why Sokuro and the others vanished and--"
        And that was all she needed to know. When you live with someone long enough, you tend to pick up a few things, like how tehir mind works... and she's lived with Vaset for a long time. "Well, i know how her mind works and she went to some worse case scenario, that about it?" Their silence confirmed it. "They're not dead. It would be ludicrous to even think that. If Sokuro was dead, i'm sure the Astrals would've been making a big stink of it."
        "Told ya." Zalet gloated.
        Vaset blushed out of embarrassment as she scratched her head. "Yeah... it was a stupid theory... but Leoi was the one who made it worse." He crossed his arms and looked away with puffed-out cheeks.
        "What was the theory?"
        "That they were dead......" a emotionally-drained Taled said from the doorway, surprising everyone. "And that it was the colonists that did it..."
        Buron glared at the four of them as Zalet sheepishly chuckled, knowing that that look usually came with pain. "Un... hehe.... sorry, Taled, we didn't mean to wake ya."
        The kid shared Buron's soul-draining glare as he turned his gaze towards him. "You were standing at an open door and didn't even try to whisper..."
        "We're sorry, Taled." Vela said as he stepped forward, putting a comforting claw to his shoulders. "We didn't want to worry you if that ridiculous theory was true." The other three nodded and spoke in agreement. "We all know from experience what it is like to lose someone; we know what you are feeling and we want to help."
        "But it is true... isn't it...?" His voice was low and forlorn; he sounded so defeated and drained, like he has already given up on everything and just wanted to be alone and die alone. "I'm never going to see her again..."
    
        "That's not true." Buron spoke up, taking over since she knows the others can't be trusted when it comes to this. "You will see her again. Think about this for a minute: when Sokuro and Bran were trapped down in the Basin, they suddenly appeared on nearby mountains with no explanation. Just *pop* there. What if the same thing they found that took them there took them to some other part on Dragenia, one far enough away to where they can't get back in a short amount of time?"
        That would be a nice option, if it were true... but Taled has sunk so deep into his sorrow, not even a hopeful what-if was going to help him. All he could say was that he agreed, even if he didn't feel it. "I... guess..."
        She gave a kind smile before heading back down the hall. "And hey, i got a gift for you." She grabbed the toy and brought it over. "Tada."
        Taled looked at the toy with dead eyes. Once upon a time, he would've jumped all over this and would've been happy. Now... "Give it to Tela..." He went back into the room. "He could use it more then i could..." Crushed, Buron dropped the toy and frowned- she hoped to have gotten through to him to cheer him up, but it seems it was a foolish cause.
        She was about to held to her own room when she, Taled, and the rest fell to the floor when a sudden and violent shake hit their home. They heard dishes shatter in the kitchen and a nearby vase of flowers fall off a shelf. It only lasted a few seconds, but it scared them. They waited for a aftershock before starting to get up. They then heard someone running up the stairs. Eriod skidded around the corner, running fast. He saw them and skidded to a halt, almost slipping on the wood with his socks. "Come quick!" He panted. "There's been an explosion!!"




        Four Minutes Earlier...




        With a filled up pack and enough portable equipment to fund a full expedition, Vivian was ready to down into that crevice and find her son. It was painfully clear that she was gonna have to do this by herself, despite Ocous's and Leopold's pleas to rethink this, telling her that this was a terrible idea. She didn't care. She wanted her son back.

        "I'm telling you once again, this is a terrible idea." Leopold said to her as he and Ocous caught up to her. "We have no idea what is down there and what if those big Dragons finds us? If it's sacred and they catch us, i don't think we'll like whatever punishment he has waiting."

        "It's our son, Leopold." She said with a blistering vitriol in her voice; her husband was no coward, so why change now? "Our ONLY son- you'd rather he die down there?"

        "We don't even know if he is down there!" He tried once more to get through to her- it was his last chance. "That's the point! You'd be risking angering one of their gods for a guess! And even if he is down there, Ocous told me that place is said to be warm, so he'll be fine."

        Vivian exhaled with gasping exasperation- she can't believe what she was hearing. "I cannot believe you... Both of you!" She bellowed to both of them. "You'd let children die just so you don't anger some overgrown lizard?!"

        "Did you not see what he did to the Phagos?" Ocous finally said. "You saw how the merchants and Sokuro didn't phase it. Even your light things bounced off its shell, and your Arlye claims they can destroy anything. You'd risk that being our fate!"

        "Then stay behind!" Vivian shouted. "I'll find him myself!" She only took a single step when...

        With a flash of ethereal feathers, Velx returned on the surface, mentally exhausted by all the mental gymnastics he had to do to convince himself that telling people about the existence of the Gate was a terrible idea, even if Calcota makes sense. He stands by the story that opening it will unleash only chaos... especially if it opens up to THAT place. 

        Even if the missing six are alive, they aren't coming back.

        He began to spread his wings when he heard movement below him. He looked down and saw three of them staring up at him. "I wasn't expecting anyone here." He said. The men's eyes bugged out in fright while the woman's was gunho in determination. "Why are you even here?" 

        "I'm going to find my son!" Vivian shouted up to him. "You wanna help me, fine. If not, then don't even bother."

        Velx was about to respond until he looked the woman over. She had equipment and supplies for a trip. ... a trip... down into the crevice, and the caves... and the Basin. That's why they were here! They're planning on heading down there! Keeping his panic within him, he outwardly kept a calm head. "Are you heading into the crevice? You cannot enter. It's sacred land."

        "Sacred, my behind!" She shouted again. "My son was stuck down there last time and i reckon he's back down there again! He got out last time, but not this time, so clearly something happened to him, and i'm going to find out what!" That made his panic increase even more. They cannot find out, they cannot! "You want to help me, fine! If not, then stay out of--"

        "--my way!" Her voice suddenly changed to that of a familiar horror, one that frightened Velx to his core. He looked to her and saw a monstrous shadow in her place. 

        Vivian headed towards the narrowest part in the crevice, as she sees several good rocks she could tie her rope around. Ocous and Leopold followed her to try and talk her out of it one more time...

        ... when his tail suddenly slammed down in front of them. The shockwave sent the three of them onto their backs; due to her heavy backpack, she was stuck on her back like a turtle. "What the hell!?" She exclaimed as she tried to get up, only to have her legs flail. Ocous, while disoriented, was the first one up and so went over to her to help her. he rolled her onto her front, which made her grunt as sharp pebbles poked her. AS she pushed herself up and as Leopold got onto his feet, a whirring sound and a faint silver glow began to crawl up from Velx's tail and up his spine.

        Staggering in his steps, Leopold made his way over and helped his wife up. "Ugh... you ok?"

        "Yeah... i think so... But why did he have to do that?" She quickly turned around.... "Hey, why did you have.... to...." And her voice trailed off as the three of them saw the glow slowly crawl up Velx's spine. As for the Astral himself... he held his head as he muttered rapidly, saying something that they can't understand. "Um... Velx?"

        He managed to open up his eyes; they were shifting between normal irises and a creepy white void. It happened at such a rapid pace, it was almost hard to keep track of. "No no no.. not again... not again... not again..." In his mind, the world was distorting away, becoming a unhinged mess as it flipped between the now and the then, when shadowy monsters were all that was. "No no no no no no no..." The glow reached past his wings and creeped up his neck.

        The three of them felt very uneasy being around him. Ocous felt a pit in his stomach- he has never seen a Astral like this... it's doubtful anyone has. It's like he's losing his mind. "I... think... we should get out of here..." He looked over to Vivian, who was freaked out by this. "Vivian?"
        
        "But... ... yeah... yeah, we... should... get out of here..."

        "No no no no no no no no no no... no no...." Velx held his head tighter as the glow reached his head, drifting past his horns as it spread out through his veins. "Nonononononononono... stay away!" The distortions grew worse and worse as his entire surroundings became nothing but darkness... and in that darkness was a familiar emerald-colored monster who had a sinister smile on his face.

        "Stay awaaaaaay!!!!" As he shouted, a ball of silver light appeared in his mouth, blinding the trio long enough...




        At the same time, taking advantage of the absence of the parents, Dan had snuck into Bran's room in an attempt to find any clues to his missing friends whereabouts. If Vivian was here, he'd have to listen to her cry, and he doesn't do criers. Since Bran's room was already a mess when he vanished, Dan didn't have to worry about leaving behind some sort of tell that he was here.

        "There must be something..." He huffed. He picked up a pile of clothes and found a used candy wrapper. "And i thought i was a mess." He commented as he dropped the pile down. He looked inside desk drawers and came out empty handed- that would've been a good place to find a diary or a journal. 

        He flipped up the mattress and, yep, still nothing. "OH, come on, Bran. Did you take your sketch book when you vanished?" He puffed out his cheeks as he let go and let it drop down. "Oh, who am i kidding? Knowing you, you probably did."

        He then heard a peculiar sound: a loud boom. Seconds later, the ground violently shook and a shockwave quickly traveled, shattering every bit of glass in Novalle and Misken. Losing his balance, Dan backfloped into the pile of clothes, which collapsed on top of him, inadvertently protecting him from the shattering glass.

        When the shaking stopped and he felt safe, Dan kicked the clothes off and ran towards the window. What he saw shocked him enough to fall back onto the pile; outside was a visage he never thought he'd see.




        A sizable plume of black smoke rose high, high into the air, rising into a suddenly empty sky from a impact site of a powerful explosion; all it was was a huge scorch mark... but it was the implications behind it that were the terrifying part. Trees near the blast zone were vaporized, while others were blackened, flattened, or devoid of leaves. At the epicenter laid three bodies, charred beyond all conventional means of recognition. The only thing of theirs that survived was a ruined phone that was struggling to keep the screen alight as it hovered near death.

        It took no time for the colonists to make their way to the blast sight, and very little time for Miskenites to arrive in droves. Such a thing like this was unprecedented and, to the natives, unknown. They've never seen any blast capable of doing damage like this... but now they have, and they were mortified.

        "Oh my gods........" One of the Miskenites gasped as they held a hand to their mouth. Several screamed in terror when they found the bodies, but too few wanted to go and see who they were. No body has been cooked as cleanly as they were. No one has seen such a horror like this... well...  nobody except the humans. Those who knew their history know what this reminded them of, and what they hoped was long behind them.

        Volunteers made sure to keep the kids away as the leaders made their way through the crowd. Georgia was the first one through and she gasped in pure shock when she saw the bodies, who were gently being moved by Arlye and a couple other Argaliths. "Who.... who were they...?"

        "Hard to say..." He somberly responded. He spotted the phone in one of the bodies hands. "But..." He pulled it out before rigermortis set in. The phone could barely stay alive before shutting off entirely. "...one of them was ours. The only thing that survived was one of their phones. We'll learn who they are through DNA tests, but... this is just gruesome..."

        "Who.... who could've done this...?"

        "Isn't it obvious?" A familiar, crockity voice said. Hopa landed not long afterwards and changed back to his old, cantankerous self right near Belfast. He walked by him with such a superior smug on his face.

        "You know who did it?" Belfast asked, watching him walk by.

        The old man came to a stop. "Yes, i sure do." He thrust his walking stick towards him. "It was you!" That proclamation caught the Kitsune off guard... while what came next caught everyone else off guard. "It was all of you!" He bellowed as he pointed the stick to every colonist. "You are the ones responsible for this catastrophe!"

        That resulted in a lot of instant ire from the colonists, and a lot of confusion from the natives. Why would Hopa blame them for this? What reason would they have to cause this? "What?!" Georgia yelled. "Why would we want to do this?"

        "To eliminate us!" He slammed his stick onto the ground. "You all claim to be here peacefully, and yet, you have all these weapons- weapons that shoot energized light like arrows! Weapons that could kill us!"

        "Weapons that probably aren't effective!" Arlye spoke up. "They were useless against the Phagos!"

        "So you say... or maybe you just had it dumbed down enough to where you could pass as helpless fools and catch us off guard!" He slowly began to walk towards his fellow Miskenites. "Every first encounter in our history began peacefully, but ended in violence! The Efarle Isles, Colo-Colo, The Hechel Mounds... and even our birth and encounter with the Gaharots at the beginning of our history.... they all ended in violence. Yours was violent, too- it was just towards a different target."

        "We didn't even know sentient life existed on this rock because of a horribly-made probe!" Belfast countered. "Even if your claims are true, we have nothing to fight you with outside of rifles and rocket launchers because we came with half our required armaments. And just because we outnumber this village doesn't me we overpower you; the Phagos proved that we're completely helpless against the native species!"

        "Aha..." Hopa proclaimed. "You just proved my point... the Phagos wasn't touched by your weaponry, but did you ever try it on one of them?!" He stepped aside and pointed the cane towards his fellow Dragenians. "Phagos physiology and Aerid physiology are completely different! Saying that your weapons don't affect them doesn't make sense because you haven't even tried it on them!" As much of a blowhard as he is... he scarily has a point, and both sides knew it. They never did try their weapons on a Aerid form, so how can they know their weapons are useless? 

        "Even if you are true, why would we want to do this in the first place?" Georgia gestured out to the still fresh devastation. "Do you not see the destruction at play here? Do you not see the dead bodies?! Why would we create a weapon that is this destructive?! And even then, who would we test it on!?"

        Hopa hid a sinister little smirk; he planned on this question... now to go in for the kill. "Why don't you ask the missing six?!" He proclaimed as loud as he could so everyone could hear. Both crowds gasped in pure surprise. Hopa smirked once more- he's got their full attention now.... now to cement it. "That's where they went, isn't it...? You kidnapped Sokuro, Eia, and Polosa when they were alone so that you could experiment on them... and you took Fayin too so that you could experiment on Gaharot physiology too! ... then there is those two boys of yours... Bran and Ventus, was it? It's obvious what happened to them... you murdered them because they knew too much."

        "That is not true..." But now, a sinking feeling in her gut is making her worry. What if someone from her colony went rogue and is doing all this? "And even if it was, why would we experiment on one of our own?! In case you forgot, at least one of these dead bodies is from our colony! So why would we kill one of them!?"

        "To sell the deception!"

        Breathless, Georgia took a step back, both scared and astonished at how Hopa was playing this. Was he always like this- this mean and spiteful? "You're delusional..."

        "And you are evil beings!" He turned back to his fellow Miskenites. "That's the point you all forgot- they aren't from here! They're from the Black Abyss!" He thrust his cane to the sky. "They're not visitors- they are monsters who tricked us all just so they could play a long game and wipe us all out when they have a weapon capable of doing so! These aren't beings looking for a new home, but demons trying to invade!"

        As scary, as ludicrous, and as insane as that sounds... a lot of them... began to agree with him. What if they were lying? What if they were going to kill them? What if, what if, what if... never before has two seemingly benign words meant so much. Murmurs turned to agreements, which scared the colonists deep. Why was Hopa doing this? What does he hope to gain from pitting these two factions against each other? Is he so spite-filled, he wants everyone to feel the same as him?

        Belfest came to the rescue, remembering something really important that happened when they met, one that can defuse this situation. "Now hold on, hold on!" He called out. "Before anyone goes jumping to any conclusions, you are all forgetting one major thing: Velx. He met us- it was he who suggested we try to get along! If we were demons, wouldn't he have tried to kill us the second we met?" That's true, many figured. Velx did back them up and pushed for a peaceful coexistence. If they were truly monsters from the Black Abyss, he would've ended them there and now.

        Hopa quietly snarled on the inside, feeling like he lost... but that's ok. He can work with this. "Then where is Velx, hmm? Why hasn't he arrived yet? Unless you had something to do with him... was he the source of this explosion- was he the epicenter of your weapon to exterminate us?"

        Belfast hung his head back, groaning in aggravation. Doesn't this guy ever shut up? "Oh, shut up. Velx has been vanishing for the past few days now and has given no explanation. Maybe he's out looking for a new handmaid or having emergency meetings with his fellow gods since one of the missing six is really important." Hopa's face scowled in anger as he clutched his staff tight. "But when he does return, he can help straighten this whole mess out."





        That... wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Having fled from the scene, he had retreated behind the mountains, mortified by what he had done. Steam hissed out of his mouth as the feathers around his snout had been burned off, revealing pink skin. Most reptiles do have skin under their scales- it's gross and unsightly. He curled up, holding his head in anguish, horrified by his actions. "W.... what..... what have i done..... what have i done...."

        "You messed up, old man..." A low, dark, brooding voice said that sent shivers down the gods spine. He looked and saw the cloaked figure before him- the same one that Sokuro encountered at the Koloron. His anguish slowly turned into anger. "Now, thanks to you, they are going to go to war..."

        "You!" He got out of his position and slammed his front paws into the ground in an attempt to intimidate him. "You have some nerve showing up here! Why are you even here!?"

        "Why else? To catch the show... and it's going to be a entertaining one..." He put a hand to his hips and slowly shook his head as he gave out a tsk. "Too bad we won't be around to see the majority of it." He held out his other hand, which began to glow as energy crackled in it. "I've come to settle the score, old man... i figured out where that stupid little girl hid it, and i'd rather like one final fair fight before i take it..." He swung his arm to the side, summoning a sharp hatchet into it. Rather small for a battle against a large dragon god, but magic glistened within it. "With that much power, it just wouldn't be fun putting you in your place."

        Velx snarled like a wild animal as slobber dropped from his mouth. This monster was awakening something primal within him, something he hasn't felt in ages. "You are taking nothing, demon! This is all your doing, i'm sure of it! I will end you and stop this madness!"

        "Stop this?!" He laughed. "Hahaha... did you not hear the Shaman's little speech?!" He stretched out his arms. "There is no stopping this- thanks to you killing that poor grieving mother and those other two, you ignited a war... one i have full intention of taking advantage of. And even if you do tell them it was your fault, you'll probably calm your followers down... but you will so anger the new ones. No matter what action you take, you already sealed this worlds fate." 

        Velx snarled loudly, bearing his teeth like a dog. "Even so... i will make sure you never take advantage of it."

        The stranger evilly chuckled to himself as he tapped the hatchet on his thigh. "Hehehehe.... oh, Velx... It's amusing you think you have a chance. You always were the weakest of the runt... so why Termundus was so interested in you is beyond me."

        Velx's anger reached a boiling point once more. Letting his primal side take over, he lunged towards him like a predator to prey. The stranger smirked and snapped his fingers. One minute, they were there. The next, they vanished, just like that. To where, he doesn't know... but it's funny. Velx would've been able to defuse the situation... but that chance quickly vanished.
 

40: Chapter 37: Breaking and Entering
Chapter 37: Breaking and Entering


Chapter 37

Let the Festivities Begin
???




       
        As the sun hovered midway up the morning sky, all the parties made their move. While the children were busy getting ready for the Memorial Festival, and to hopefully find each other amid the crowd, the grownups were putting their thievery plans into motion. 




        "There is no way this is going to work." 

        Dressed in the standard training armor for new recruits, Polosa walked behind an "imprisoned" Quio, who had his arms cuffed behind his back, as they made their way to their destination. This armor was far too big for her slender Dragon body as she felt some parts of it slipping off as they walked down the road to the entrance to the tower's plaza. 

        "It will work." Quio talked back to her. "You just need to play it confidently."

        "Acting was never my strong suit."A large shoulderpad fell off her shoulder, leaving her to grumble as she picked it up and slapped it back on. "And this disguise sucks. It doesn't fit me at all."

        "Well, it's the only one i had, alright?" The dragon rolled her eyes. During the eyeroll, she looked up and saw the gates were huge- easily 50 feet tall. She's seen much, much bigger then these... she should know- she got sucked through one of them. And above them rested the humongous marble tower. That was easily the biggest structure she has ever seen, even bigger then the Golden Gate. "Just remember our cover story, ok? Run it by me."

        She loudly grumbled to herself before ultimately complying- she doesn't want to be involved in this, but between being attacked by unknown monsters, being lost in a unknown land for the rest of her life, or getting through in a potentially dangerous prison, she'll take prison. "I was attacked by one of your cronies after i stopped you for... is it really a government if they have to shake you down for protection money?"

        "They turn a blind eye when their grunts do it, now focus."

        "Ugh... i came for your monthly protection fee when your crony attacked. I knocked you out in the scuffle, but in turn, the crony knocked me out. I woke up before you did and arrested you for "assaulting an officer of the Council"... and i'm telling you, this story isn't going to fool anyone. I'm sure they can tell i don't wear this armor just by looking at me."

        "Well, throw in a added element to the story, like your armor was damaged and needs repair or something."

        She lowered her head, wondering what god she pissed off to deserve this; being stuck in a unknown land, helping an idiot steal a map from a potentially bad organization. "Ugh... you're going to get us caught..." She said as they reached the front gate.

        She walked passed him to approach a eye-hole that was carved into a slit. It was closed... meaning she had to knock and draw attention to herself. "Will you just humor me on this?"

        A cold, lidded look back was her response. First thing she is going to do when she gets home is forgive whatever god she pissed off- It was probably Velx. She knocked on the gate and stepped back. A few seconds later, the slit slid open and a pair of eyes looked out to her. "Your armor has seen better days." He said. His eyes looked to her for a moment before shifting to her 'prisoner'. "And what's going on? Why is a recruit arresting a stupid Anthromorph?"

        Quio legitimately snarled under his breath, glaring at the fella on the other side in anger. Polosa cleared her throat to get his attention. "My... armor was damaged, sir. I was on my way here when i saw this... ruffian and his comrade ransacking a business. I stepped up to break it up; it... turned into a brawl, where i succeeded in knocking this idiot out, but his friend knocked me out in turn. I don't know where he fled to, but i did bring this one."

        She heard the guard on duty loudly groan, throwing his head back in sheer annoyance. "UUUUUUUGH... does it have to be now?" He whined. "Everyone's gone off to the Memorial Celebration and i was just about to leave myself."

        "Sorry, but... we shouldn't leave this ruffian run free." She thought of an excuse as to why she should stay longer then usual. "Besides... if i'm out in the streets in tattered armor... won't that... send a bad message about our forces?"

        The guard stayed silent for a moment, clearly thinking it over, thinking about how his superiors would respond to such a tale. In the end, he ultimately gave in. "... alright. Come on in." The slit closed and the gates opened seconds later. Polosa walked back behind Quio and pushed him hard enough to remain convincing. She looked around the grounds as she entered- for such a large courtyard with spectacular gardens at the four cardinal points- where the walls met, there aren't a lot of people here. Like he said, they all must be at that festival. The only ones who remained are those who were fiercely loyal and had no ties to what lies outside.

        As they walked past the guard, he turned to bluntly say, "Since you are a recruit, i take it you don't know where the cells are." 

        Her first answer was to say 'no she didn't' but she quickly realized that would've been a terrible answer. If she said yes, then he would've come with them to give directions, and she didn't need that. She's going to be lost enough as it is. "Un, yeah. Yeah i do. I'll take him there right now." She nervously chuckled. To cement it him, she pushed him again. "Move it... stupid Anthromorph." He grimaced to her as they went towards the entrance to the tower.

        The guards at the entrance opened up the door for them, not asking any questions as they entered. Polosa peered into one of the guards eyes as she passed. They looked... lifeless, like their soul is broken or drained. She hid her shiver as she rushed the two of them in. 

        They entered a glamorous lobby that is a complete 180 from all the nature livin' she's seen out there in the city. This feels like high society living, with jewels embedded into polished marble spires that surrounded a large but empty lobby. She would question why, but the answer was already given: the festival. Everyone literally is there... except for these lifeless guards.

        "Where do we go from here?" She whispered to him.

        "We find a spot to get me out of these stupid drags and make our way up." He snapped his fingers. "Let's find a janitors closet."

        That is a new word to her ears. Misken doesn't have any facilities that require a janitor, and the only time she leaves is to go to Roko's famed taverns. "What's a janitor?"

        "A cleaner, now hurry up and let's find--" A loud noise came from down a hall, like a loud clanging boom. Scared they'll get caught, they ran to the nearest marble pillar they could and ducked behind it, pressing their bodies up against it as much as they could.

        "What was that?" She asked under her breath.

        "I don't know."

        With a cocked head and a deadpan stare, she looked down at him. "Seriously? You've been here before."

        "Well, i never heard that kind of noise the last couple times i was here!" He leaned to the side to look down the hall. "That isn't any familiar sound i've ever seen. What'dya think could've caused it?"



        What was that source of that noise? Well... if you will recall, these two weren't the only ones breaking into the Tower.

        
        Mentally and physically drained, Ventus forced his eyes open upon hear a odd sound coming from the wall outside his cell. He was still chained up, so he couldn't investigate. Same was true for his companion- the gryphon with the broken legs and dusted bones. He too was chained up, hanging from the ceiling. "What do you think that was?" He asked.

        Outside, cracks formed at the far end of the dungeon. The cracks slowly spread more and more as the sound got louder. Before long, the wall blasted open from a concussive blast, creating a loud boom that also took down several jail cell doors- too bad there was nobody within them to take advantage of it. Two large tails came out and slammed all the hanging bricks away before one of them ventured through.

        "Alright. Coast is clear." Terrum reported. He stepped aside to allow Taltian and Terrux to come through. Terrux came out, with the box holding their disguise armor on his back, while Tal dragged box holding the heavy machine inside. 

        Once the box was inside, Tal fell over, panting heavily. "Smart... smart...." He caught his breath. "Smart thinking coming this way. There's no way a prisoner story would work."

        "Well, not the one you planned." Terrux said. "No way walking through the main gates was ever gonna work."

        "It would if you would've put on that armor." Tal responded with a smug grin. "They wouldn't have questioned it."

        Terrum groaned as he pinched his eyes; this was not the time for this. "Can you two stop, please?" They listened and sat their butts down on the floor. "Thank you..." He grabbed the chest off Terrux's back and placed it on the floor. "Now, the few guards that are here will have heard that, so we need to be ready." He pulled out his armor set and set it aside. "Let me do the talking- having you two try to talk is like trying to watch a dog figure out how to captain a ship."

        "That's a bit put-downish, isn't it?" Tal asked.

        "An actual dog, not a Anthromorph." He shoved Tal's armor to him, which sent him flat on his back. "As i said, when they get here, let me do the talking. Unlike you two, i know how to barter. I've been told i have a silky smooth voice."

        "If silky means rough, sure." Terrux commented as Tal moved the armor off him.

        "...... not funny." Terrux thought it was. "And that just makes no sense- how can something be rough and smooth at the same time?" Terrux opened his mouth to respond but Terrum kept it shut by keeping it that way. "Upp... don't comment." Rux pouted like a child. Rum removed his claws but threatened to keep his snout shut agian before proceeding to put on the armor-set. "Now... once we get up to the lobby, we gotta find a way up to the top floor- that's where they keep all their precious goodies."

        "Are we gonna need to take the stairs?" Tal asked as he began to dress up.

        That may've been the dumbest thing Terrum's heard today. "Whatchaba-- of course not, you idiot. We have wings!"

        "And we're carrying a heavy machine." He hit his paw on the side of the box. "In case you need a reminder, IT WEIGHS A METRIC TON!!"

        "Who's down here?!" They heard a voice call out. The triplets stiffened as shivers went up their spines. They spent so much time arguing and not enough dressing. Tal and Rum moved at double speed to get into their disguises while Rux dragged both boxes into a open cell and pressed them up against the wall. He pressed up against it himself when he heard footfalls coming. 

        Tal and Rum had barely gotten into their disguises when the first guards came down. Getting a story in his mind, Rum turned him and his brother around to look at the hole they had made. Tal was confused at first, but everything would make sense soon enough. "What happened here?" The first guard asked.

        "I'm not sure, sir." Terrum responded with the usual 'kiss ass' tone most new recruits have. "We have just arrived here ourselves."

        Another guard that arrived approached the rubble. The triplets all sucked in their lips, hoping they wouldn't figure out that they didn't belong here. "This was blasted in... and several cell doors were blasted too. Seems several prisoners were broken out."

        "Dammit." The first guard went. "Put everyone on full alert." He ordered the second. The second nodded and flew back down the hallway. That's when he took notice of the blood on the 'recruits' uniforms. "... why is there blood on your uniform?"

        His face hidden under the helmet, Terrum rolled his face as he grumbled internally; he's gonna have to have a loooooong talk with Terrux when this is all said and done. "Un... we... trained a bit too hard, sir." He gestured over to Tal. "This guy, he... has a tendency to go overboard." Tal gave him a wicked glare that he couldn't see. "He's a nice guy... except when he's in combat. Then he's like a beast. Heh... (please buy it, please buy it, please buy it, please buy it, please buy it.)"

        He bought it. "Alright. Take the armor to the armory and we'll refurbish it later. Right now, we have escaped prisoners to find." He turned and flew off. 

        "Yes sir." The two saluted, and kept that pose until he was out of range. They then relaxed as Rux poked his head out. "I can't believe he bought that." The three of them said in unison. They then grabbed the box holding the machine and lifted it up at the same time. Their eyes bulged at how heavy it was. 

        "Holy.... smokes...." Rux strained. "This... weighs.... so much more.... then i thought..."

        "Just puuuuush...."Terrum grunted through his teeth. They passed by an open cell that Tal peaked into as he was facing it. He saw a strange furless Anthromorph being hung up next to a Gryphon, but he took nothing of it. "We can use the elevator..."

        Tal froze for a moment as his eyes blinked. "This place has a elevator?"



        Not moving from their spot, Polosa and Quio watched as several guards flew past at high speed to go check on the sound that came from down there. "What's down that way?" She whispered.

        "I don't know- we didn't go there on the tours... but if i was to lay a guess, i'd say either the armory or the prison cells. Either way, it doesn't matter." He peaked his head out and looked back and forth, seeing no more guards around. He stepped out, confident he was safe as Polosa gingerly followed. 

        He gestured her to follow and she did. Finding a nearby flight of stairs, he ran up them as fast as he could to avoid being seen from any lingering soldiers. Polosa flew up alongside the stairs, flapping as softly as she could. "Will the guards be on high alert thanks to this?" She asked.

        "Hopefully not..." He panted as he reached the top of the flight, opening up into a second but smaller lobby with connecting hallways. He looked around and ran towards one, hoping one had a open door somewhere. "But... you never know." When a shadow danced on the wall at the end, he skidded to a halt and ducked into the first open door he could find. Polosa followed and closed it behind her just as a pair of guards patrolled on past.

        And to his surprise... it was a janitors closet. "Huh. That's fortuitous. a Janitors closet."

        Shimming around in her armor, she grabbed the bag she had hidden within and pulled it out with her tail. "Isn't that what you wanted in the first place?" She asked as he took it. Before he could do anything with it, she cut off the rope binding his hands together with her tailblade. 

        "I was hoping for any open room, but janitor closets work the best." He said as he proceeded to take off the tattered clothes. Polosa's face suddenly turned red and she spun around to prevent any further awkward situations... this guy has clearly never heard of time and place. "I mean, when would you see a guard with a mop and a dustpan?"

        "F-fair point." She tried to keep up a straight face, but was failing rapidly.

        "What's with you?"

        "....... you.... are undressing right in front of me. ... or, rather, behind me, i mean.... agh, you know what i mean- why couldn't you have waited until i was outside?!"

        "Cause we're short on time. The festival may be long, but that doesn't mean the Council or any General are going to stay forever. And the guards will get suspicious if they see a recruit hanging around a janitors closet for no reason, especially when nobody is here."

        "F-fair points... but still... you could've waited for me t-to turn around, a-at least."

        "Sorry. And you don't have to worry about us becoming a thing, sweetheart- Anthromorphs and Dragons don't exactly... mix, if you catch my meaning. Our anatomy isn't sympatico."

        Polosa hid a sly chuckle as she kept her lips shut; there was ONE way they could be sympatico, but she was in no rush to reveal her Ferid side and cause any commotion that could land her down in those prison cells, or worse. And as she calmed down, she realized she was worried over nothing; he swings the other way. Took her too long to realize what that human saying meant, but she eventually got it. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down fully. "So.... where do we go from here?"

        "Well..." He grunted as he put the last of his clothes on. "... from what my contacts told me, we need to go up to the top floor."

        "And how many floors would that be?"

        "!00." Polosa's jaw dropped to the floor. 100 floors? Seriously? The tallest building in the ENTIRETY of Dragenia is past 23 floors, let alone 100! She was just about to faint from thinking about it too hard. 




        With the guards now running around, getting search parties ready to track down the alleged escaped prisoners, the triplets had just now made it to the lobby. This crate was far heavier then it needed to be and it already exhausted them. Terrux and Talrian were draped over the thing while the trooper Terrum stayed on his feet. 

        "Remind me... to ask our boss.... for a raise!" Tal exclaimed with exhausted breaths.

        "I'll try... soon as i require full use of my lungs." 

        Terrum exhaled multiple times, emptying his lungs before he retook more air. He heard it as a better way to regain strength... never worked out so far. He wiped his brow and looked at the box. "JUst what are is making us haul anyway?" He flipped open the locks. 

        "Sure you should be doing that?" Terrux asked as he and Tal were brushed off the top of it.

        "We'll have to open it up there at the vault anyway. May as well see what it..." The crate creaked open, revealing to the three of them... bricks. Just... plain ol' every day bricks used for buildin' temples. Terrum looked on in pure disbelief as he pulled some out. "B... bricks? He..." He tossed some away and pulled more out. "He gave us... fricken Bricks?!" Tal pulled one out and was just as disappointed as his brother. "BRICKS!?!"

        "Don't yell- you're gonna attract attention." Terrux whispered in a hushed tone.

        "RRRRRR..." Terrum was so enraged, he crushed one of them with his bare claws. "I'm gonna bean that loon when we meet again!" Knowing from experience to just let him rage, Tal continued to pull out bricks, thinking that this is just a cover. "He sends us into the most dangerous place you can rob from, and he arms us with Bricks?! It's official: he's the worst boss ever."

        "I'll tell you what is dangerous; you throwing a fit." Terrux whispered loudly. "We should just turn around and leave before anyone becomes the wiser." Terrum, wanting so very hard to punch something, relented and took many deep breaths before calming down. Time and place, that's the key- time and place. He can vent, it just can't be now.

        "What's this?" Tal said, catching the attention of his brothers. They looked to him and saw he had pulled out a differently colored brick- this one was as black as night, with little white dots on it like stars. 

        "What in the world is that thing?" Terrum asked.

        "You got me." Tal replied. He held it up to his ear and shook it, listening for a rattling sound. it had none, so it wasn't hollow. "But it's differently colored from the rest of them." Terrum took the brick from him and looked it over himself. "Maybe it's a bomb or something."

        Rux scoffed a chuckled, leaning on the pillar. "A bomb shaped like a brick?" He slowly shook his head. "Tal, we're breaking and entering, not--" Suddenly, the brick instantly morphed, changing shape to that of a oversized key. The suddenly transformation shocked the triplets, putting the easily-impressed ones in awe. "Whoa!"

        Terrum almost dropped it, but didn't, knowing the noise would attract guards. "That's... not what i was expecting." He looked it over. Whatever it did, it was seamless. It left no indication that this was once a brick. "Just what the heck is this thing?"

        "I wanna know why it was able to transform." Tal chuckled. "Nothing in all of Naya is capable of doing this."

        "This did. But at least now, we have a way to get in." The key suddenly changed back to its brick form, once again shocking the three of them, but with less of a impact. "But why would he give us a crate full of useless, every day bricks when he could've just given us this one? It would've been easier to hide."

        "It's Argax- he's a lunatic." And coming from Tal, that's saying something. "But at least we can get in now."

        "Yeah, i guess." Terrum took a few steps out and looked around. The first few dozen floors are open to the public, but everything after that is off-limits. He put a claw to his chin as he thought; everything past floor 48 is off limits to normal folk, so they're screwed since they need to reach the top floor. One option came to mind, and it might be their best option since almost everybody is gone: the Elevator, over in the Trial room. That is how the Council always comes down from their lofty heights, every single time. If they're at the festival, that means the elevator is fair game. "I have an idea. Follow me."

        "What about all these bricks?" Terrux asked. 

        "Leave 'em." He spread his wings and took off. Tal and Rux looked at each other and merely shrugged before flying after him.

        They flew up the stairs and towards the courtroom at breakneck speeds, hoping to get out of this place as fast as humanly possible. AS they flew by, the door to a janitors closet opened up and Polosa stumbled out, still mumbling about 100 floors. Quio, now fully dressed, couldn't help but wonder what she was mumbling about. "... what about the Tower having 100 floors is putting you through this bad a loop?" He bewilderingly asked.

        "Because no building is that big." She exhaled breathlessly as he led her away, down the hall to where they were a moment ago. "It's just, it's just, it's just not possible."

        "Well, it is, sweetheart." That brought her back for a moment- she hates it when people call her that. "But given how you are acting, i'm guessing you don't have structures that tall where you are from."

        "None that have as many floors as this Tower does. The tallest building in... the outside world have never got up past 25. At least, none that i'm aware of." There's a kernel of truth in there; she hasn't been outside Evioly since her infant days, so there's no telling how big things have gotten on the mainland.

        Reaching the lobby once more, she looked up the hollow tower. Now that the surreal experience was over, she could think clearly and plan her ascent. This was gonna be a piece of cake... at least it would've been if she wasn't roughly the same size, if not a tiny bit taller, as the canine for some unexplained reason. That's been bugging her as much as it was Sokuro- why are their Aerid forms the same size as their Ferid selves? That should be impossible, and yet it's happening here. Nothing about this dang world makes any sense. A question for another day... for now, she has to figure out how Quio is going to get up there, cause not even the most fit person on the face of the planet would be able to climb 100 flights of stairs. "That.. is a long climb." She commented. 

        "Lucky for us, there are elevators we can take." He gestured her to follow as they headed towards the heart of the tower.

        That is a word that is foreign to Polosa's ears. There is no word in the Dragenian language that translates to elevators, which they do indeed have on Dragenia, but it's only used for hauling cargo. "Elevators?"

        "Well, A Elevator. The Council uses it to come on down from their lofty tower peak." It just occured to him that he didn't tell her a dang thing about their power structure. "I told you what they are, didn't I?" 

        She shook her head 'no'. She was able to pick up a few things by how he, Kar'kile, and several people back at the hideout talked, but not enough to warrant a full understanding. "You didn't tell me much last night, and i couldn't read any books since i don't understand the language, though the way everyone was talking about them in the last few hours, i suspect i'm about to find out."

        "That you are." Reaching a large pair of glass doors, he pushed on them and they opened up. They walked through, entering a huge amphitheater that has enough seats for half to the population in the city. There was a stand in the center, and three large podiums all the way in the back. That is where they began walking towards; she needed to learn about this land and this would do it. "The Council are our leaders. They rule over all of Naya, and their power is absolute. For instance, in courts of law within this amphitheater, they are both Judge and Jury."

        And if they are the absolute leaders, Polosa thought, then they must be really powerful; probably on pare with an Astral Aerid. "You said Judge and Jury. Who are the executioners? The grunts?"

        "No. That tasked is granted to the Supreme Generals. While the Council is powerful in their own right, they are not omnipotent, as much as they claim to be. That is where the Supreme Generals come in. They are powerful dragons that answer only the the Council, each ruling their own piece of land while enforcing their laws. To put in terms you'd understand... mmm.... think of the Council as Emperors and the Supremes as magistrates over various provinces."

        "I didn't really need that extra explanation, but thanks all the same."

        "It doesn't end there. The Supremes have underlings that answer to them as well; The Generals. Until the Council and the Surpremes, who are ultimately limited in what they can do since all public eyes are upon them, the Generals... they don't have that restriction...... it made them become unhinged.. and dangerous."

        She heard resentment in his voice; he must think ill of his leaders. "It... sounds like you may have something against them.        

        "You could say that. .... The Generals answer to the Council and the Surpremes, but they are given free reign to do pretty much whatever they want... usually at our expense. The higher-ups turn a blind eye to what their Generals do, so long as it doesn't interfere with their grip on power. They could eliminate an entire neighborhood just to catch one thief, who only stole a piece of fruit, and that's just fine by them. Ruthless Puntas."

        She stayed silent, mostly to let him stew in his hate, but also to think about what he said; with that specific of an example, it must've happened to him, or to someone he knows or knew. Even if he wasn't remotely near this or this was a fabricated example, there's no mistaking his beef with them. But he must be wrong somewhere. Not all leaders are that heartless. "They can't all be ruthless."

        "Well... You are right. Every group has outliers, and there are some among their ranks that are nice people... or so i hear. I never met any of them; they usually tend to stick to their provinces... but most ultimately abuse their power. The worst among them is called Termundus." The air seemed to grow cold and the lighting turn dark as he continued on. "I only saw him once... but i could feel something sinister inside him. Then there are the stories: he abuses his position more times then any other General... people here have a tendency to 'disappear', only to never be seen again, or found close to death in a ditch."

        "He's that bad?"

        "That monster has no heart, and his underling Ocuous is worse, a true sadist through and through. His hatred for the other races, especially us Anthromorphs, is well known, but nobody is brave enough to say anything. He is that scary... they don't want to speak up out of fear, and even if someone does, his forces are extremely loyal to him... out of blind admiration or like-minded fear, i don't really know, so trying to convince them to help you is like trying to convince a fish to breath oxygen or reviving the dead fashion that was sombreros. If we do get captured, pray to whatever you pray to that it's not him we end up before."

        If what he is saying is true, and this is Quio we're talking about so he could be, but if he isn't... this Termundus guy sounds as bad as Xelut was. But unlike her world where Xelut is dead, this world's tyrant is still alive. ... at least he's not in a higher position of power. "Sounds.... like we should take it careful then..." She said as they reached the elevator. "At least with him gone, there's no chance of us ge---" She stopped as she looked inside the glass tube where the elevator was.... "Un, Quio." ... or should be, seeing as how there is nothing in there.  "Where's the elevator thingie?"

        He slouched over, pressing his head against it. This... wasn't part of the plan. "... you've gotta be kidding me... the dang thing should be down here! Elevators don't just go away- there's no magic button that brings them up and down." Oooh, how little he knows. "So where the heck is it?" 




        He wasn't going to be a fan of the answer.

        "Good call taking the elevator." Taltian commented as they rode the emerald-colored floor towards the top of the tall tower. "If i had to fly up all this way, i would've flipped out."

        "Fly? Try climbing up all those stairs." Terrux mentioned, prompting Tal to look down at where they once were... and imaging all the poor saps who have to walk up so many flights. Their legs would probably turn to jelly. "Any mammal who has to climb up that would die before they reached floor 50." Which they had just past.

        "Let's just hope there's nobody at the top." Terrum spoke up. "There could be guards waiting up there or a Council member or General that didn't go for some reason. Just be ready for anything."

        "Yes, Sir." They joked as they 'saluted'. They were in the garb; may as well play the part of a blind soldier. Terrum rolled his eyes, then looked at the transforming brick in their possession. It puzzled him, what this thing was. They do not have the level of technology or magic to create something like this, nor would they have any reason. Why have it look like a brick at all, especially one that looks like the night sky? It makes no sense. Could it belong to the new Silver and Argax just took it without her knowing? ... knowing him, that would be what he did, but that is assuming it is hers. It could be from the old times, for all he knows, but that would raise more questions then answers, like why did they make these in the first place? He'd never find the answer to this question, especially after their surroundings suddenly turned dark.

        They had entered the inner layers that separates the Council chambers from the rest of the building below.




        Quio could feel his life flashing before him as he looked up at the gargantuan flight of stairs he was going to have to climb. They weren't big, but they were many. Curse whoever took the elevator. "I... am going to die."

        "Oh, come off it." Polosa commented as she stood beside him, looking up the same as he. "You're not going to die. You're gonna wish for death, but you're not gonna die."

        "And how would you know?"

        "Because back home, there is a mountain that our instructor made us run up every morning for training. We weren't allowed to use our wings, and that mountain was a hell of a lot taller then this, and with rougher terrain. A few flights of stairs. Pbbbt... this is nothing."

        "If you are trying to make me feel better, you are doing a terrible job..." He groaned as he lowered his head. "... well... may as well bite the bullet. No sense putting it off any more then i have to." He cracked his neck and stretched his legs before jumping up and down several times. "Ok. Ok ok ok. Come ok, Quio. You can do this- you're a Borzoi, for crying out loud." He shook his head as Polosa raised a curious eyebrow; what did he call himself? "Alright, here were go, here we go, here we.... GO!" And, like the idiot he is, he started running up the stairs as fast as he could.

        Polosa sighed to herself, slowly shaking her head as she lowered it into her paw. She admires the dedication, but his game plan is just... ineffective. He's gonna burn himself out before he reaches floor 10 at this rate. "I'm working with an idiot..." She droned to herself. She flapped her wings, taking to the air to catch up to him. Just because she CAN run up these stairs doesn't mean she wants to, especially since they're on a time limit.




        After several seconds in the inner layers, the brothers came out into the main Council Chambers. They came out in the center of a massive half-circle, with hallways that led to what they assumed to be fancy rooms of the Council, with a pair of stairs behind them leading up to a single room above. Surrounding them were a series of raised seats, each at different elevations, though none were higher then a trio of pillars at the top of the flight of stairs. It looked as grand, as intricate, and as magnificent as they and anyone else would imagine. Nobody is allowed out here, except for their servants, the Supreme Generals, and the regular Generals. All else is strictly forbidden.

        As they departed from the elevator, Tal took his time as he looked up towards the open roof. Above them was nothing but clear, open skies. "Huh. They have a skylight." He commented. "Now... where do we go?" He asked as he gestured to a couple of the hallways.

        Terrum looked around, wondering which route was the right one... but was coming up empty. "I... honestly don't know." He responded as he scratched his head in confusion. "Any of these hallways could lead to it."

       Terrux twisted his lips as he thought about it himself. This is a unknown location to them... but given what little heist books he read and radio dramas he's heard, he learned of some... cliches that he's noticed. "Well, if i was a betting man, i'd try the room at the top." He pointed to the door at the back of the flight. "If i were to hide a vault, i'd put it underneath a raised room."

        Tal tilted his head, unsure if this was the right call, but he was overruled by Terrum as he approached him. "It's as good a place to start as any. But it would be a big cliche if it was behind a bookcase." He said as he flew on up.

        "Given how much loot they are said to have... not likely." Rux replied as he and Tal followed after him. 

        



        On floor 39, Quio was done. He was draped along the stairs like a skin rug, exhausted almost to the point of death. Polosa hovered beside him, sighing in disappointment as she slowly shook her head. "Didn't even reach the halfway marker."

        "I'm... losing.... all function... of my lungs..." He wheezed. She rolled her eyes, turning away for a moment to access their situation. There was absolutely no way that he was going to climb all this way, and even if he was, there was no guarantee they'd have enough time to find the vault and get out before the leaders come home. She couldn't concentrate from all the wheezing he was making; it was annoying as hell. How hard is it to catch you breath when--

        Then it hit her. The answer was so simple, yet so easy to miss. In all the confusion of the past 25 hours, she forgot one very important thing: her affiliated element. She looked at her paw, which began to glow, and smirked; this was gonna be fun. 

        She turned around back to Quio. She raised her paw, summoning a ball of concentrated air above his mouth. She then pushed it down and the ball followed suit, breaking apart into steams of air that entered his nose and mouth. Seconds later, he gasped loudly as he sat up. "Gaaaaaaaaaa....... i feel light." She looked at her paw- did she give him too much? It's more then likely he was exaggerating, but she had no time. "What did you do to me?"

        "Something i took an embarrassingly too long to remember: my powers. I'm air affiliated."

        His eyes drooped before he tapped his fingers on a step. "That would've been nice to know."

        "That is all on me, but you try thinking clearly in my situation. But, that means i can do this." With a swing of her paw, she summoned another ball of air, this one surrounding a perplexed canine. He looked down and saw he was hovering above the ground. "Try not to scream." With a flap, she took off, with the wind pushing her at a fast rate. 




        Entering through the large golden doors, the triplets entered the inner Council Chambers, and the sight made their mouths drop to the floor. This place was paradise compared to the shit they sleep on. Red silk curtains and matching rugs, pearly furniture with a gold trim, marble statues and old armor sets of dragons past, bookcases as tall as the place, and loaded with more books then they have ever seen in their lives.
            
        "Hooooooomy wooooow!" Terrux gasped in pure amazement at the grandiose room. "This... is so amazing!"

        "They live like gods..." Tal chortled, unable to find his breath.

        Even Terrum was amazed by what he was seeing. This must be the most exquisite location in the entirety of Naya, if not the entire world. But as he took in the spectacular scenery, a puzzle creeped in: .... where is the entrance to the vault? If Tal's guess is correct and it is here in the chamber, then... where the heck is it? He looked around, seeing dozens upon dozens of possibilities. "... In a place this great, ANYTHING could be a secret entrance."

        The grandeur went away from Tal's and Rux's faces as they looked around too. "Ah, crap, you're right." Tal said.

        Terrux went over to the bookshelf and pulled one out. It was written in a language he didn't understand. "Think it's a old cliche, like a certain book we need to pull out or a button hidden under a statue?" He asked as he put it back.

        Terrum hung his head back as he looked up the trio of bookcases. "There are thousands of books in here, so... that could be a possibility. Mmm.... but it would take forever to find it in this."

        "Then we best get started." Tal said as he went towards the statues.




        The final thirty flights of the tower were off-limits to the normal folk, but that didn't stop Polosa none. There was nobody here to stop her from ascending. Passing by barracks for their elite guards, laboratories, and many other nasty rooms that were hidden from view, she reached the final stairway that led up into the tower's peak. It was pitch black for awhile, but it was a straight path for her with a visible light at the end of the tunnel, so she had no worry. As for the stairs, she assumes it was a spiral staircase as the tips of her wings did brush against multiple banisters. 

        Flying through the other side, she spread her wings wide to slow her descent down onto the floor. She landed first before popping Quio's air bubble, making him fall.

        "You did that on purpose..." He groaned.

        "Did not." She smirked as she walked ahead a few steps. This strangely reminds her of Velx's temple back home; not in terms of architecture, but in terms of design. Strange...

        She looked to her left and saw the elevator they were supposed to take, causing her to puff out her cheeks in aggravation. She then looked up towards the open ceiling and puffed out her cheeks even more. "Hrrrrmg..." She went back over to the canine, who had just sat up. "They have a open roof." He tilted to the side to look past her. "We could've flown up here."

        "Well, i didn't know that." He said in defense of himself. "Come to think of it, I don't think anyone does since everyone tries to break in like we did."
    
        "At least we have a quick escape plan." She said as she looked back. 




        The triplets moved as many books and messed with as many statues as they could, but were making no progress in finding the entrance to the vault. There was a suspicion that the entrance isn't even in this place, but in another room, but they kept on trucking along. 

        "It's gotta be in here somewhere." Terrux said as he pulled out his hundredth book. When that didn't bear fruit, he slid it back in and moved on to the next one.

        Tal was growing tired, yawning loudly as he messed with his fifth armor set. "I'm starting to think my guess isn't going to work." He yawned to his brother. "We should move on to another room."

        "I think you're right." Terrum responded as he hovered in place. "Let's just finish this shelf, then we'll move on. Try that statue next to you before you fall asleep standing up."

        Tal yawned again as he moved on to the next armor set. This armor set once belonged to a minuscule but pretty speedy dragon, amethyst in color and with powers unlike anything seen; that can happen when your parents were a silver and a purple. Tal was too tired to explore the armor and just leaned against it with his eyes closed.

        That... somehow worked as the head of the statue used to hold the armor moved to the side. He slid off, waking him up. A rumble filled the room as they looked around. Terrux exclaimed as the bookcase he was on began to shimmy and move. he quickly put the book he took out back as it began to move to the side; the bookcase to its left expended out so that the one moving can fit right behind it.

        "... i think i found it."



        The sounds of moving furniture reached the ears of the weathered Polosa and the beat Quio. She got up and looked up towards the raised room, sensing it came from in there. "I thought there was nobody here." She asked her companion.

        "There's not supposed to be." He responded. She flapped her wings and took to the air before looking back to him. "You go on ahead... you may've restored my lungs, but air magic doesn't really help with sore muscles, now does it?" She rolled her eyes in response, still knowing that that was true. With another flap, she took off towards the upper chamber. Against his better judgment, Quio got up off hte floor and ran towards the stairs, working through the pain.



        
        Descending down the revealed spiral staircase, with only a lit torch wrapped around Tal's tail, the triplets descended down, wondering what awaited them at the bottom. The descent took no time and it wasn't long until they arrived at another door. "Great... another one." Tal sighed. He glanced down the frame and found the lock. It was strangely big, for some reason, but requires a key they don't have... or do they? "Hey, Rum..." He elbowed him in the side to get his attention. "Think the brick thing can unlock that?"

        Twisting his lips, Terrum reached back and pulled out the mystery brick they were given. "One way to find out, i guess." He placed it up against the door.... and nothing happened. "Un..." He pulled it back and looked at it. "Maybe it's voice activated. Um... activate?" Nothing happened. "Un...... unlock?" Still nothing. 

        "What did we say down there to make it change?" Rux asked. 

        Terrum thought back to it and recalled a few choice words that could work. "Hmmm.... let's try 'breaking and entering'." It worked. The brick transformed into the huge key and, after scanning the lock, shrunk down and configured the teeth so that it could fit. He slid it in and turned it, unlocking the door. A clinking sound followed as gears inside began to turn.

        The door opened wide, revealing the contents it held that made their mouths drop once more, this time hitting the floor so hard, it left indents. Before them were artifacts nobody has seen before, not in five hundred thousand years, since the Great Calamity. Monolithic statues of strange, unknown creatures, the weapons and armor that they wielded, breathtaking works of art, valuable and ancient coins, and strange metallic vehicles, and that's just what they can see. The vault is MASSIVE- there could be more hidden away that they are not aware of.

        "This is sooooo coooool!!!" All three exclaimed at once. 

        Terrux ran in, immediately heading towards a strange-looking pole-head. "Look at this! Do you see this?!"

        "I'm seeing..." Terrum responded as he approached one of the strange vehicles. "Still working on believing..."

        Tal picked up on of the coins and flipped it over. One side had a bird clutching a trio of arrows and a branch of... he's not sure what that plant is. "I wish we had a polaroid- no one would ever believe this. Just imagine how everyone would react."

        As tempting as that sounds, it is a terrible, teeeeeeeeerrible idea. "You do know that if the Council finds out we were in here at all, they're going to boil us in lava, right?" Terrum asked.

        Staying silent, Tal looked back down at the coin. ".... never mind." He flipped it back onto the stack he picked it up from.

        With that out of the way, now they can do what they came here to do. "Ok..." Terrum clapped his front paws together and rubbed them, eager to get started so that they can get out and never think of this again. "Now let's find us a map."

        Terrux whined, drooping down and dropping the pole-arm, making it crash onto the floor. "Aaaaahw, come on! Look at all this cool stuff! We can't take this stuff, i get that, but that doesn't mean we can't have any fun, now does it?"

        "Fun? Rux- we're in a highly illegal location where we could easily be caught and killed just for sneezing wrong, and you want to play with ancient artifacts that nobody has seen since the Calamity and risk us getting caught by the most powerful entities in Naya?"

        "We'll put everything back where we found it! As long as nobody finds out, we'll be safe!"

        Tal floated over, getting a even better idea. "No no, better idea- we take at least one, but when they do find out, they'll blame it on a escaped prisoner! We did break in through the dungeon and destroyed a few cell doors, after all. They put 2 and 2 together and we'll be fine."

        He would willingly let the prisoners they passed be thrown under the bus just for a small trinket? Are these two insane? "You two are scary... scarier then mom."

        "That's not a no!" The two said in unison before running off to have some fun. Terrum blinked several times in bewilderment, wondering what star he pissed off to land himself in this situation.




        Reaching the main Council chamber, Polosa hovered up in the air, looking around the room for a moment, caught in the same awe as the three before had. Nothing on Dragenia has anyplace looked so magnificent. Even the interior to the Astral's Temple's aren't this posh. She must've lost track of time as Quio caught up to her... once again exhausted, even though the staircase was a lot smaller.

        She scrunched up her lips as she put a paw to her hips. "Again? Really?" She incited with a deadpan tone and look. "I gave you a boost."

        "Very lame boost..." He panted. "Ugh... i don't need to exercise for the next week..."

        Polosa was about to comment when they heard a loud noise coming from the open wall. It sounded like something honked, rather loudly too. It was followed up by some argumentative sounds before they eventually subsided. "Is your Council... clumsy, by any chance?" He looked up to her with a expression that gave his question away. "I mean, are they careless? Do they often leave secure locations open?"

        "I don't know. Maybe- again, i don't know." They looked back to the open door before heading towards. With her wings and the air on her side, Polosa made it through first easy, with Quio obviously dragging behind.





        Tal's next item was a strange one, to say the least: it was a gem-encrusted... thing- he doesn't really know what this is. It's got deep cups and a flowing lace, so... it must be used for something. He turned it around, wondering what it was for. He put it to his eyes but couldn't see out of it. "Strange looking blindfold." He tossed it aside and moved on.

        Terrux, meanwhile, was digging through a treasure chest, tossing out gold coins, gems, jewels, and all assorted pirate cliches. "No map in here." His voice echoed in the chest. "Cool looking sword, though." He pulled out a blade with strange-looking teeth at the tip. "Why would anyone bury that?" He tossed it aside- the blade embedded itself in a horde of loot.

        Terrum sighed in abject defeat, wondering where he went wrong. "Note to self... never become a parent." He sighed. He turned to his right, looking at a very old watercolor painting of a pregnant woman. "Too late for you, i suppose."

        Without him or the other two knowing, another party entered the scene, flying in like a banshee before landing firmly on the floor. "What the heck?!" She exclaimed. Her voice made the triplets freeze up in fear of being busted. Terrum looked and saw that the new arrival was a woman... a very pretty one at that, but she was in training armor- that's bad. Though she seemed to be in awe of what she was seeing too- guess patrols don't go down here, he surmised- she kept her focus on the three of them. "What are you three doing here?"

        "Un...." The triplets echoed each other, wondering what would be the better idea: bum rushing her or playing it off. "Un.... we're... janitors!" Tal exclaimed. He reached out to grab something to pass for a broom or a mop but had nothing to grab. Next best thing: "We're... in here to dust off the place." He chuckled nervously, wiping his paws on the nearest table. His brothers quickly followed suit and rubbed on whatever was nearest to them as well.

        The girl wasn't  buying it, instead cocking an eyebrow with a disinterested glare on her face. "Un-huh... well... maybe you nimrods could fool a normal guard, but i'm not normal." That prompted a lot of gulps. "Besides, i'm not here for you. I'm here for a map."

        Wait, what did she say? "A map?" The three repeated- why is she after the same thing as them?

        Gasping for air, Quio finally arrived at the entrance to the vault, struggling to keep on his feet. Running up the stairs... was a terrible idea, and he was feeling it. "Wheeeeeeeerw..... i'm gonna have a heart attack..." He stumbled, clutching his chest. During his stumble, he backed into the key, knocking it out of the lock and onto the floor. He went in just as the gears began to turn. 

        His grunting groans caught the attention of everyone within. "Remind me... never... .to run up... an entire tower.... ever again!"

        As Terrux and his brothers looked on, he looked to the door to see if they can get out quick enough... but his eyes went wide with terror as he saw their exit was starting to close, with the key no longer in the lock. "AAAAHHH!!!" He yelled. "The door!" He pointed. Everyone quickly looked back to it to see it was halfway closed, and they can see there's no lock on their side.

        After a brief exchange of glances, they all bolted, racing towards the door in a mad dash, but even with the air at her beck and call, Polosa and all the rest were too slow as the threshold was closed in front of them, locking the five inside the antiquity vault underneath the most powerful seat of government in the country.

        All that could be heard before the door latched shut was a single word, uttered by all within:

        "Crap..."
 

41: Chapter 38: To The Celebration
Chapter 38: To The Celebration

Chapter 38

To the celebration

???

 

 

        "I feel like a absolute idiot..."

        "You look fine."

        Leaning against the side of a palm tree at the side of the road that led to southern Naya, Kader tapped his paw on the gravel as Bran, for the umpteenth time, messed with his disguise. "You know, the longer you keep messing with that, the worse it's going to end up looking."

        "I know..." Bran said as he walked on out from the brush, messing with the outfit that they had picked out for him. It was a pair of robes that once belonged to a Anthro-Lizard monk and were a bit too colorful for his liking... and a lot more itchy. Whoever tailored this does not like skin... but he is a newcomer to this strange world and the species this is made for is not his. The worst part was the decorated hat with a built-in mask that looked like a angry bird; if this was for Lizards, why did they need masks of other species? He could barely see out of this thing. "... but this thing keeps itching me and riding up in places it should not. We couldn't have washed it before we left to try and get it just slightly more comfy?"

        "No time." Kader climbed up Bran's disguise, stopping at his shoulder to sit on it. "You want to find your friends, but washing something as regal as this takes time."

        "... or you are just lazy."

        "That too."

        "Ugh..." No sense arguing about this. They're already halfway to the city, so... he may as well buck up and suck it up. He went back out onto the road and continued to follow it. Kader pulled the coin purse off his back and began to count the cash inside- they can only spend so much here. "So... what more can you tell me about Naya? Is there anything I shouldn't do to avoid offending anyone?"

        "You're asking the wrong mouse, buster. Best advice i can tell you in this regard: watch the interactions and try to mimic as best you can."

        Mimic... there's only so far that can get him, but it's all he can do. "Gee..... how helpful..."

        "I'm sorry i don't know every single lad and lass in Naya, bucko. I'm not that popular and i didn't know i was going to play host to... whatever the heck you are, so sorry my advice isn't exactly helpful. For now... just mimic what you see, don't step into anyone, and try to keep your distance." He lowered himself into the purse to do more accurate counting.

        Bran exhaled dejectedly, slouching forward and lowering his head. "Whatever you say, Reepicheep...."

        Kader puased in his counting, poked his head back up, and blinked several times in puzzlement before looking towards his living ride. "... Reepa-who?"

        "Ah, forget it."

        "If it makes you feel any better, nobody there gets offended easy; even the more stoic Gryphons are chill, so you don't have to worry about... except... there is one person in Naya who you should look out for. If you offend him... you are going to disappear. Scary thing is that you don't need to say it to his face; just a glance will send you away."

        "That's someone like that there?"

        "Yep... and if you heard the stories, you'd believe 'em. He's a vicious dragon by the name of Termundus. He hates Anthromorph's like me. he also hates the Phoenixes and the Gryphons. He's not too big on his own kind either."

        "So he's a jerk who hates everyone. How does that make him dangerous? Is he a mob boss or something?"

        "I wish... at least then the Council would do something. No, it's because he's a General, and one of the more powerful ones, too." Kader got out of the purse and used his paws to demonstrate, with one going high and another not that far down, with it going lower with each explanation. "Nexian hierarchy works like this: there is the Supreme Council, a group of three that rules EVERYTHING but very rarely leave their ivory tower. Then there's the Council, who dole out the rules, deal with court, mingle with the common folk. Then below them are the Supreme Generals, who answer to the Council and rule over provinces- think of it like emperors and magistrates. Then under them are the Generals, who... well, do General stuff."

        Bran sorta got it, but it still doesn't explain why Termundus is so feared. "If he's on the bottom tier, why is he dangerous?"

        "Because he IS on the bottom tier. Generals are given free reign- they can do whatever they want with little impunity if its for 'the good of the country'. And Termundus abuses his position, taking innocent people prisoner and doing Stars know what to them." Abusing his position... Bran scoffed at the notion; if it wasn't so commonplace back home on Vega, he would be surprised. "And he's no slouch in battle, either." Kader continued. "He's a legend, having earned a reputation in The Shadow War a couple decades back. His command over the fine earth is frightening."

        And he's a Earth Dragon, too... if Sokuro has to tangle with him, she'll be in for a rough fight- the elements she can easily use are light and fire, and those aren't great against the ground. "Yeah... i guess ground manipulation would be a scary thing. He can dig your own grave and bury you alive in the blink of an eye and--"

        "No no, you didn't hear me. I mean the FINE earth- I'm talking the refined stuff like gemstones: rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethysts, topazes, pearls, garnets, diamonds, lapis lazuli's, even raw crystals. He can control all of that... and through some divine providence, or prank, we're near one of the biggest crystal deposits in the country."

        ... well, there goes any chances of actually winning a battle against him, should the situation ever call for it. If he has gemstones under his control, then there's no way they could possibly win, and depending on the gem, it could reflect Sokuro's light powers like a mirror with a laser. "Well... crap."

        "You can say that again." Kader sat on down, leaning back on his pawed hands and crossing his legs. He pursed his teeth to the side as he thought of this: "Can your friends fight? I'm not asking because i think they can win, but to gauge their chances at escape."

        "Sokuro, Polosa, and Eia can. They're Aerids. ... it's what they call Dragons where they are from. I only saw Sokuro in combat and she... needs training. I don't know about Polosa and Eia. Ventus... i know he has a weapon, but I don't know if it would be effective against a dragon's scaly hide, even if it does use outdated ammo. And Fayin? I don't even know if she can. But if what you said is true and Termundus can command jewels, then... yeah, they'd all be screwed."

        "No chance in winning?"

        "Not even a chance. Sokuro commands light and fire, Polosa wind, and Eia electricity."

        "Yeah, they'd be better off running."

 

        Meanwhile... 

        Seliox messed with the fancy clothing that had been laid out for him for the services and the festival today. A red and black Dragon in the closest thing to a tux they have, which is also black- there's a word here, and it's called clueless. As he messed with the collar, his gaze moved to the side, towards the reflection of the two lizards he had been given. The little one has been eating everything it had been given, but the larger one... she's refusing to eat.

        "Are you going to remain moody?" He asked the large lizard, whose only response was a dismissive gaze before turning away. "I'll take that as a yes." Finished up, he approached the cage they were in and pushed a plate full of scraps from his breakfast through a slit. "I know its not much, but you really do need to eat." And the big one refused to budge, prompting Sel to loudly exhale.

        The doors opened and Termundus walked in, as booming as ever. He looked uncomfortable, as he should; he hates going to these gatherings. It takes him away from his tasks and runs the risk of one of hte other 'goody-goody' generals from finding out what he does. "Are you almost done?"

        "Just about, Fa--... Termundus, but i can't get it to eat anything. I offered everything i could spare, but it hasn't touched a single thing. If it doesn't eat something soon, i think it'll starve to death."

        "Then let it." He coldly replied, frightening Fayin. This guy is ice-cold, colder then her former masters. This isn't the first time she's refused to eat, but they kept trying at least several days before giving up. "If the dumb beast doesn't want to eat, that's its problem, not yours. Now hurry up. The sooner we get there, the sooner i can leave." He turned and left, closing the door with his tail. 
    
        On Termundus' way out, Seliox replied, "That's not really how that works, you know," as the door was closed. "... but you don't really care about what any one thinks, so what am i going to accomplish." He sighed to himself. He turned back to the cage, and towards the two lizards within. "Well, i'll see you when i get back then. Hopefully you'll eat something." With that said, he left.

        Knowing how these things work from past experiences, Fayin waited several minutes to insure that they had indeed left and weren't coming back for something they forgot. After three have passed, "... aaaaaand they're gone." She got up and began stretching around. Being in this cramped box is really getting to her. And with him gone, she won't feel guilty for eating the scraps. "Good kid. Shame i have to be the broody beast around him, but with a father like that, i woulldn't want any info getting to him." She commented to herself as she took a bite of the breadcrust. It tasted off, but it's all she has. Good thing Pearl was asleep, otherwise she'd have nothing.

        "Now then..." She said to herself as she took another bite. "How do i get out of this...?" This wasn't her first rodeo in a bad situation; she dealt with plenty back when she had a master. During those days, she trained herself to be observant, to take note of everything in her surroundings. "When the trap closed... it was seamless. This may be a glass box, but it's tightly sealed with no visible seems on the inside..." She looked up. "But there is a lock... and it's the only airsource we have... at least the only visible one, and it's too high up for me to reach, and no holds to grab onto." She looked to the walls. "There are slots to slip food in, but they are much to thin for even the Kalamander."

        Tossing the last of the crust in her mouth, she walked to the side of the cage that offered the best look at Seliox's room. There must be something in here she can use. "Hmm... kids got a clean room... but his mess seems to be localized to a corner..." She pushed herself up against the glass to get a closer look, or as close as she can get. "Hmm... what's something i can use to jimmy the lock with...?" There wasn't much there that could help- most of it were toys and other such things. "Come on... give me something to work with here..." But there was none. "Ugh... Umatz dammit, there's nothing here that could work."

        Not giving up, she began to pace herself, walking back and forth as she thought it over. Her pacing woke Pearl up from her nap, causing her to yawn. Each step Pearl took made a clicking noise, which slowly irritated the handmaid. "Ugh.... i'm gonna find whoever designed these cages and claw them to a pu--"

        That's when it hit her. She had tools right here with her. She looked at her paws, towards the claws that protruded out of them. She then looked down at her feet, at the razor-sharp crescents. She did a lot of reading back on Dragenia when the colonists came- her kind had been regularly referenced as Dinosaurs, a extinct race from the human world; more specifically, her kind is of the Raptor: the Utahraptor to be ultra specific. Why bring this up? Cause almost every species of Raptor has razor-sharp claws on their feet that can cut through anything, and while she is in no hurry to try and cut glass, she is willing to try these on the lock. ...... there is just one small problem. She can't reach the lock in any position that will allow her to tinker with it.

        ... leaving her with only one, bloody, painful option.

        She really didn't want to do this; she saw others have theirs removed and it sounded terrible. They were surprisingly easy to remove, but that doesn't stop all the screaming or the pain, now does it. "If i wasn't desperate..." She steeled herself for the pain that was about to come. "... those Colonists better know how to reattach these..." She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves before getting to work.

        This was gonna suck and it was gonna suck bad.

 


        Elsewhere...

        
    
       "Explain to me again why i am wearing this getup?"

        Taking a break at the foot of the trunk of the giant tree that connects the island to the mainland, Sokuro looked at her reflection in the ocean waters. She, like every other Dragon here, were dressed in a full-body cloak specifically tailored for this occasion: as this is simultaneously a celebration of both mourning and remembrance, all are required to wear a cloak to symbolize their grief, even if many today don't have a strong connection to the disappearance. Each cloak was black, as traditional mourning attire usually is, and made to work with draconic figures, such as slits for wings to extend out. The backs of the cloaks were adorned with a pattern to symbolize togetherness, though each one was different; be it chains, bricks, locked hands or paws, or any such equivalent. 

       Sokuro's borrowed cloak belonged to a former orphan who had since moved away far to the north, towards a winter tundra, if she understood the explanation correctly. As the celebration isn't recognized up there, or at the very least not as mainstream as here, he had no use to it. The pattern on its back was of wings draped one over the other, as was Silverwinds and Firacus, though the wing shape was different- hers were dragons, Fira's was a seagull, and Sil's was a Phoenix. 

        "Because its traditional wear." Seqy responded as she finished up the breakfast she woke up too late to finish on time. 

        "But do i need to wear it?"

        "Because it is to symbolize that we are in mourning." Alua spoke as she dusted sand off of the sleeves. "I know it was a long time ago, but families of those who were lost still exist and acting like this was just another run-of-the-mill event would be disrespectful." 

        Sokuro felt like an idiot, complaining about this. She's... always had a hard connection with death, but not in the way you would think. When her parents died... she didn't cry. She was sad, sure, but not as sad as people expected her to be. Everyone she knew prepared for a blubbering mess out of both children when they learned their parents were gone, and while they got that from Taled, Sokuro... Sokuro was not. Some thought she was hiding her pain and letting it out in secret so nobody would see, while others feared she was apathetic. "Oh... right. I get the message. I'll be respectful. But... it does beg the question of why i got the long one."

        "It was the only spare we had." Piracus said as he flew on his back. "We told you that before we left."

        "I meant, why couldn't we have modified it to make it more form fitting? I'm gonna trip over if I keep this on." To prove her point, the wind picked up her hood and drapped it over her eyes, causing her to grumble. ".... then there's another thing." She pulled the hood off. "My companions won't be able to recognize me in this getup. Silver's are super rare here, right? So wouldn't be being more exposed help me?"

        "You do remember what happened yesterday, don't you?" Seqy asked.

        "I think i can handle a few insults."

        "No no. What you experienced yesterday was a small taste of what Sil has to put up with every day. They can get heartless when they get riled up, even to the point of physical violence." 

        ".... yeah. And it's terrible and i wish i could help him, but a lot of people saw me yesterday and would surely have spread stories and rumors by now about the 'female silver', right?"

        Seqy was going to counter the argument, but didn't. "Wh... bb... mm.... you do have a point there. A lot in the marketplace did see you, and heavens to helashy the Generals and the Council heard of you by now."

        "At the very least, you can pull the hood down." Alua said as she approached. Sokuro wasted no time in doing so, too- having to pull cloth over spines and horns was a feat in patience, and these guys made a material that can withstand the sharpness? What is it and where can she find it on Dragenia? "Just remember to pull it back up when the ceremony begins, ok?"

        "Alright. So... what is this whole thing going to entail? I'm walking into unknown territory here, so I would like to know what to expect."

        "Well, as I mentioned, this is in remembrance to those who left us during that voyage. After a speech from the Supreme Council, we follow it by a moment of silence. After that, we--"

        "After that, it's off to fun and games!" The twins cheered, high fiv... er, high pawing.

        Alua stood still for a moment before exhaling deeply. How is she failing at teaching these two how to be tactful? "... not the most...tact way to put it, but yes. There are booths of food and fun set up, along with a myriad of games to partake in, like races and such. They all revolve around togetherness, which is a huge part of our culture..." Her mood quickly turned sad as she looked towards Sil, who was sitting by himself. ".... which saddens me more when someone is a social outcast, like poor Sil. The twins are always together and Seqy usually goes off with Seliox, leaving him alone."

        "Don't you hang out with  him?"

        "... i would, but..."

        "She goes a'courting." Fira said as bluntly as possible. "You'll never meet a more desperate woman then her."

        Alua stood frozen for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She held it for several seconds before breathing out. Sokuro knows this all too well- her own caretaker would do this whenever someone back home would get on her nerves. "... yes, i do try to find someone i believe could be my significant other."

        "All she gets are duds." Pira called from the distance. 

        Once again, another deep inhale and exhale... but more quick this time. "Ok, i'm gonna go punch a tree... be back in a few minutes." With a flap of her wings, she took to the air and went straight towards the forest, all the while the twins were calling out for her, saying they were only joking, but that was falling on deaf ears.

        A breezy chuckle exited Sokuro's lips before she glanced to the sand to gather her thoughts. She looked towards Sil and went over to him. He sat under the tree, drawing in the sand. She stayed as silent as she could as she walked over to see if she can see what he was drawing. It wasn't a great drawing, but she could make out some familiar shapes of the house they had just left. Given his mental state, she wanted to keep him as positive as possible. "Huh. Not bad." She commented. 

        Sil took notice she was here but didn't stop. "It's something to pass the time..."

        "Do you do this often?"

        "On occasion." He said as he drew in the windows. "Do you?"

        "Me? Oh, pebt, gods no. No, i suck big time- the best i can do are stick figures, and they're pretty bad lookin' stick figures. Now Bran... he's one of the best i've seen. His sketches are amazing- this one he did of the night sky was astonishing. Maybe i should buy him a paint set... or maybe some new stencils... or whatever those things are painters use- the thing they hold in their hand."

        What the heck is she going on about? He stopped to look at her with that kind of expression painting on his face. "What are you rambling on about?"

        "Heh... sorry. It's a habit of mine- i just ramble on and on and on and--.... i'm doing it again, aren't I?" He nodded. She sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "Right... it's a hard habit to kick."

        ".... un-huh." He got up, clapping the sand off his paws. "Well... we should get going before the twins annoy Alua up a tree." He stepped out of the shadows and saw he was too late on that soliloquy. "Never mind."

        if Sokuro's nasty habit is rambling, then the twins nasty habit is the lack of a filter and social awareness. As evidenced by Alua, they can make anybody go nuts. As Sil flew off to help her down, Sokuro stopped by Seqy, who was just watching and observing. She had nothing better to do. "Did you know Sil could draw?" Sokuro asked.

        "I know he doodles to pass the time, but he's not aspiring to be an artist. Besides... no way a university will accept him."

        They have university's here? "So... is there anything i should know before we head into town, especially since I don't want to piss off whoever is in charge here and end up in a dungeon for the rest of my life."  

        "Mmmmm... well, i guess there is one. I learned about this in school: Long ago, the land was chaotic and lawless, until one day, Three Supreme Generals descended from on high and brought law and order to the land... or at least that's how the glanderous legend goes." Sokuro raised a perplexed eyebrow. "Heh... just trying to be funny." It clearly didn't stick. "Ahem... right... well, the blunt version it is then.

        "Ever since the Civil War ended, things have been a bit rough, it did bring changes like, for example, the ones in charge. In every certain territory of the Southern Alnerian Alliance, there's an individual in charge, alongside 3 other distinctive individuals that aid them on protecting and ruling the land, this one figure is the Supreme General, aided alongside the other 3 individuals, the lower Generals. Alongside these Generals there's the Supreme Council, which makes sure that the laws are followed alongside the lower Council- think of the Supreme's as governors and the lowers as mayors. However, besides reviewing incidents and whatnot, these individuals, the Supreme Council, serve as Judges, Juries, and if the time is ever needed, as Executioners"

        Now what fresh hell is this? Southern Alnerian Alliance? Multiple layers of Councils and Generals... It was hard enough trying to figure out the difference between Naya and Nexia, now there's all this mess. "Good grief... this sounds extremely complicated."

        "Yeah. It is. And it can get easily mixed up and twisted.... our education system isn't that great."

        "It's crap." The twins called out from the distance, almost as if they were hearing in on their conversation.

        ".... not the most polite way to put it, but yes... it's not all that great... it's very one-sided and......... doesn't allow, in their own words, filth- that's their wording, not mine. And then the Anthromorphs twist it up with their thoughts on how this all works and trying to convince them otherwise is a whole other mess all to itself."

        And now comes out the dark side of this world. The hate towards Silvers were bad enough, now "This is probably a bad point to ask, but are they friendly? The Generals and the Councils, i mean."

        "Most of them tend to be, but there are jerks; what group doesn't have them? But the one you really want to look out for is a lower General named Termundus. He's a ruthless pig who hates everyone and won't hesitate to throw you to the dogs if it serves him; it's thanks to him that the Anthromorphs are in a worse spot then they were before. He's also the one who adopted Seliox... and... the one who put Sil into this mess."

        Sil? What does Sil have in relation to this? "He did?"

        "He didn't cause the explosion, if that's what you mean. He's the one who started all the stories and rumors about how Sil and all the Silver kind are these horrible monsters and... it spread like a fire. I told you he hates everyone, but his hatred towards Sil is... rather disturbing."

        "That prick..." Sokuro snarled, closing her paws into fists as a fire burned in her eyes and all around her... at least that's what she imagined.

        That little outburst was cut short when a coconut rolled into view, getting their attention. "About time you paid attention." They heard Sil call out. "We're heading out."

        "We're coming." Seqy called back as Sokuro picked up the coconut. Evioly doesn't exist in a climate that produces these naturally, but she saw some that were brought in from the Zerijxos Isles. They weren't as furry as these, though. "We should get going." Seqy said back to Sokuro before taking off. She nodded back and tossed the coconut aside before taking flight.

        The coconut rolled under the tree, coming to a rest at Sil's little drawing. 

        ... a sickeningly messed up claw came up out of the shadows cast by the morning light and, with no effort at all, punctured the coconut like a hot knife through warm butter, lifting it up into the air. A disturbingly guttural growl came from the shadows as teeth began to form. "A... nother... Sil... ver..." A soul chilling voice spoke. As it did, the coconut began to twist and deform; it was slowly rotting away. "This.... wasn't.... in.... the... plan...." A pair of glowing red eyes opened out of nowhere. "But... could.... be... useful...." By this point, the coconut was just about mush. "If... Soulless... has... idea..."

        The eyes, the teeth, and the claw disappeared, returning back into the shadows from whence they came. The decomposed coconut fell with nothing to hold onto it, smacking down into the middle of Sil's drawing.

 

 

        Deep within the mists that surrounded that land, far, far to the west, laid a series of islands. Once, it was part of the mainland, but a endless string of earthquakes tore it apart from the continent, causing it to drift away into the prevailing fog that surrounds them all. Few have ventured here.... and for good reason, for deep within the bowels of this artificial chain of islets rested the greatest threat this world has known.

        But for now, they are waiting, waiting for just the right time to make their return to the grand stage. In some faroff cave, three such members of this terrifying race gnawed on the bones of the stupid recruits they slaughtered just yesterday.

        In the deepest part of the biggest island laid a giant cavern, a cavern that held thousands upon thousands of these nightmares obscured by the darkness, and in the center of that rested a single gem, pristine and flawless in its crimson glow. A swirling blackness rested inside, recovering from the horrendous defeat they had suffered years ago. None would dare approach it, not unless they had something important to say...

        ...such as one who had just arrived from the mainland. It approached with such impunity, it failed to notice the guardian. "Lord.... i.... bring..." A frightening blade came down in front of the approached, setting it aback.

        "Do not approach him unless summoned, welp." The hulking behemoth spoke. "Lest you wish for a painful end."

        "But... i... bring... news...Lord... should... hear..."

        The hulk was having none of it as it approached, dragging he blade behind him. "And i told you to get lost, you cur!"

        The gem's dim glow grew bright as the blackness stirred. "Peace, Avias... peace..." A voice spoke from it. cold... calculating... Soulless... there are not enough words to describe the sheer terror his metallic voice could instill. Black, nebulous smoke hissed from the gem and took form behind it. Frightening red eyes peered out of the smoke. "Our friend here has some news to bring... so let him bring it. The hulking brute scoffed in the young ones face before backing away to let him pass. "Now then..." A red tendril came from the mist and approached the newcomers throat. "Speak."

        "Yes, sire..." the being spoke more clearly and succinctly then before. "A Silver... a new one has appeared. A female."

        "Preposterous." The hulk scoffed. "It's too early for her to be here. She's still just a babe in the Frozen Lands."

        "I do not think it is Shadewind he is referring to, Avias..." The voice spoke. "I sense that she is still in her castle, resting soundly before she her education. No... Lady Shade still resides in her home, so this new Silver is not her. And Avias..." The eyes turned to look at him, giving off a soul-piercing glare. "...interrupt us again... and you will suffer." The hulk complied and clammed shut. The eyes returned their attention to the interrogation. "Continue."

        "Well, this new female Silver, she claims to be from across the sea. She's mentioned her name is Sokuro and that she--"

        The misty eyes got close, almost as if he took a interest. "Sokuro...? You said her name is Sokuro?"

        Why is he taking an interest in that name? "Um... yes?"
    
        The mist moved away and the eyes glared away, almost as if the being inside was pondering. "Termundus..."

        "What about the prick?" The hulk asked.

        "He recently used one of our gems to interrogate a prisoner. It should be nothing new... except this one was different. The one he used it on isn't from our world- he's one of those Anthromorph's, but lacking in fur. I saw into his memories of the past week and saw mention of this Sokuro. She's powerful- powerful enough to take on what they see as a indestructible beast without fear. As our reporter here mentioned, she is a Silver... but in their world, they are harbinger demi-gods. Silverwind and Shadewind are powerful, but nowhere near that level... not yet, at least."

        "Is she a threat?"

        "No. No. She's only a kid and only became a demi-god a month ago in their time, and like this Ventus person the lout used our gem on, she only wants to return home, so partaking in this worlds troubles is not on their agenda. Besides, she is new to her role, like a baby learning to walk. She wasn't even able to beat that monster, but this god of theirs named Vel....." He stopped when he said that name, recognizing it, as all who witnessed that day should. "oh.... oh, i didn't realize... hmhmhm..."

        "Lord?"

        The eerie chuckling continued as possible revelations filled his mind. "... i think i found where they experiments fled to."

        "Experiments?" The newcomer repeated.

        "It's nothing that concerns you. It was before your time among us. Regardless, they won't return- Termundus put a deep fear into them that won't go away."

        The newcomer nodded before bowing to him. "So what do you wish for me to do?"

        The eyes closed shut, correlating with a increased glow in the gem. The newcomer, puzzled by this, tilted his head before leaning in. Soon, a pulse emanated from it, spreading through out the caverns, the islands, and the entire country as he spoke to his kind. "This goes to everyone. We have some visitors in our world." Within all their minds, the images of all seven displaced souls- Sokuro, Bran, Polosa, Ventus, Eia, Fayin, and Pearl- appeared in their eyes. For Sokuro, Eia, and Bran, both their Ferid and Aerid forms were shown. "These souls have been displaced from their world and are now in ours. Do not let the Silver among them scare you- she knows not of us and she does not alter our plan in any way- none of them do. They are simply displaced souls who wish to leave. And i know this goes against your better nature, but they are not to be touched. If you feel the need to feed, go ahead, but under no circumstances are these seven to be touched. They aren't to even know about us; all they wish is to find their way home... and we will let them. Anyone who even so much as gets a thought about eating one will meet a swift and violent end."

        The glow in the game stopped and returned to what it was before as the eyes reappeared. "As for you, continue to observe this Sokuro girl." He removed the tendril from the creatures throat, who nodded before dissolving away.

        The mists and the eyes faded away, returning to the crystal that housed them. The hulking brute approached and stood by it. "Are you sure about this, my lord?"

        "I am certain. And there will be a positive in all this: Silverwind will want to get stronger after he sees how powerful Sokuro is, be it she battles Termundus for that Ventus lout, or against one of the Ferals who refuse to listen. Either way, this will be beneficial to us. But only if these newcomers are alive."

        "If you are sure."

        "I am sure." As the hulk turned to leave, the voice spoke up, "Summon Vendetta. I have a task for him."

 


        A pool of blood had gathered in the corner of the cage, with the disturbing amount disgusting even Pearl. Shimmying her bloodied footclaw around inside the lock, the exhausted Fayin ignored the pain from her covered foot for as long as she could, which she has been doing since yanking it out. Pulling the claw out of its socket was easier then she was anticipating... but also a helluva lot more painful. She's experienced some bad pains in her life, but this took the damn triple-layer cake.

        She had been moving the claw around for ten minutes straight and the throbbing pain was getting worse. She breathed through it, remembering all the lessons she taught pregnant mothers during childbirth classes. Lamaze breathing helped her concentrate, but it can only work for so long, and at least they have something positive at the end of all the pain. Fayin? A bad limp, a loss in pride, and possibly some brain damage from all the blood she had lost... which was a lot.

        She could feel herself getting woozy from the bloodloss but she had to stay focused. First thing she needs to do when she gets out of this cage is find a medical station to heal this wound up, then find a cafeteria to get juice. Juice can help speed up the creation of new blood, particularly Fakil juice- it's Dragenia's orange juice. But the odds of that being here are remote... not that it matters- she just needs something.

        She wobbled in her steps, struggling to stay up. She stepped on her bad foot, which sent a intense shooting pain up through her body in a instant. It was a horrible, horrible pain, but it shot her awake. She felt something stop the claw, which was slightly moving when she pushed against it. That must be the mechanism. She continued to mess with it, hoping that it would be her ticket to freedom.

        *Click*

        It did something. The lock vanished and seems began to appear in the corners. Seconds later, the cage fell apart like a box being pulled apart in multiple directions. "Fina.... finally..." She panted. She held a hand to her head, trying to stay upright. "Now we can.... now we can... get out of... out of here... But... i need to sit down..." She fell forwards, barely having enough cognition to keep herself from slamming down hard. Before she could react, Pearl ran out the door as fast as she could. "F... fine... be... that way... I save... your life.... and... and..."

        She couldn't even finish speaking. She rolled onto her back and panted heavily as her vision began to blur. She slowly, gently, and carefully lifted her leg up so that she could look down to it. Her bloodied foot was wrapped up with her shirt, but it had already changed color. This was such a terrible idea.

        "This... is... how... i die..." She panted. "Gods... i'm an idiot... for thinking this... was a idea.... that needed to be..." She heard movement outside the door. "And... here come... the guards..." Rolling onto her front, she forced herself up, making sure not to step on her wound. IF she's going down, she is at least going to try to fight.

        But instead, Pearl came through the door, carrying a box in her mouth. "Huh...?" Fayin panted as she fell back down onto her butt. "What... di...?" Pearl approached her and put the box in her lap. Fayin, using what strength she had, opened it up. 

        The contents were medical supplies, enough to help her through this... but this is strange, though. The writing on them- they're of a human language. Spanish, she thinks is the correct term for it, and below those were smaller English letters in... what did they call those things- parakathes? Parathathes? If she had any cognitive function left to think, she would, but she doesn't have that or time left. She needed to focus on healing herself.

        She slapped herself in the face to keep yourself focused. "Ok... ok....... rem... remember.... your... your lang.... language... classes..." Pearl sat by her side, worried that her only familiar companion is likely dying. Fayin grabbed a random item and opened the box. "This is... this.... is.... bandages... that's... that's g... that's go...." She quickly shook her head. "That's good... now... these... are... swabs, and these... are um.... um...."

        Her version got worse as she struggled to stay awake. She had lost too much blood and it was affective her far worse then she had anticipated. Pearl gave out a worried coo as she hurried over to the struggling dino. "I... i can.... i can... i can do... i can..." 

        With little to no functionality left, she fell onto her side, finding that keeping her eyes open was becoming impossible. "...... Velx...... i.... i'm sorry..." Pearl cried out in fear, giving panicked shouts as her only companion was on her last legs. Suddenly, her yelps of panic turned to fear and anger as she ran towards the bed. Before her eyes closed, Fayin saw a shadowy mass rising out of the floor in front of her, with glowing red eyes that would scare a hardened warrior. "...... the.... god of..... death in.... this world... i assume...." She rested her head on the floor. "So this.... is where.......... i....................... die........................................" With no strength left, she closed her eyes.

        ..................................................................................................

        "You...are ... lucky... Souluss... wants.... you.... all.... alive..."

        ......

        "I'm..... not.... dead...?"

        There was no knowing how much time had passed, or even if all this was real, but when Fayin opened her eyes once more, she saw a black mist fading away. This made no sense.... she should be dead. With how much blood she lost and how exhausted she was, she should be in the afterworld... but she's not.

        With what little strength she had left, Fayin looked towards Pearl, who had a fruit in her mouth. It looked like a fruit and smelled like a fruit, so it must be a fruit. The kalamander dropped it on the floor and nudged it over to her. "...... thanks..... i.... think... but..... how..... am.... i.... alive?"

        Pearl ran around Fayin several times before stopping at her feet. Working against the strain her exhausted body was under, Fayin forced herself to sit up. Her arms wobbled like flimsy rubber as she did. Propping herself up with the cage's edge, she looked down towards Pearl who was closed to her left foot. A closer look showed that the gaping wound that was left when she ripped out her foot claw was healed. The hole was closed and no more blood was gushing out.

        "Wounds... don't... heal... that... fast..." She commented. She grabbed the fruit and pulled it close. "So... what could... have..." Wait... that black mass. Did it heal her? Did it save her? "....the... god of death... spared me...?" She looked down at the fruit. "... must.... not.... have... been.... my... time..." She placed it down and used the footclaw to slice it up. This took more time then it should have, but given her condition... She put the claw aside and picked up a slice to eat it. It tasted like a human fruit. An orange? lemon? Something citrusy. 

        Eating all of the slice- peel and all- she looked towards the window. It was still light out, and the blue was kinda dark so it was still morning. "A celebration... that... can last a while." Based on what she remembers on the flight here, Termundus and Seliox live in a small community to the north of the city; a community where only the elite live. By her estimate, it took them several minutes to fly here, so the same must be true for a return flight. Walking would probably take a half hour, or an hour tops, but that's if they are operating at top efficiency ... something Fayin doesn't have... least that would've been the case if she didn't just cripple herself and almost die from bloodloss. With those two factors, she'll be lucky to get there by the end of the day.

        She realized this as she ate, that her wounded status would make things difficult. She'll be lucky enough to get out of this house, let alone get to the city. "This... is going... to be annoying..." She panted as she ate more slices. She turned her attention to all the toys and knickknacks Seliox has in his room. One of these should serve as a suitable walking stick... hoping they aren't as flimsy as some toys are back on Dragenia. These are purely Aerid folk, after all, so they should have studier stuff.

       Quickly chowing down, Fayin realized she was on her last piece of fruit. She glanced towards Pearl, who had been watching her this whole time. "You can have it... if you want...." She said as she passed it over. Pearl panted before eating it up wholesale- this sorta confirms Kalamanders are omnivores, at least.

        Having some small amount of strength left, Fayin forced herself back onto her feet. The pain in her foot was excruciating- healing a wound doesn't automatically get rid of the pain, especially a kind that leaves you crippled for the rest of your life. "First thing... we're gonna do... is raid the kitchen..." That made Pearl a happy demi-drake. "... and then.... we're gonna... get the heck out of here..." She limped her way over to the pile, trying to not put any pressure at all on her foot. It was easier said then done. 

        "And then... i'm gonna kill that stupid fox-boy..."

 


        At different times, but at the same gate, the boy from the stars and the girl with the scale had arrived at Nexia with their respective parties. Balloons hung over the stalls, stalls that were covered in streamers and flags. Everyone was wearing a cloak with the 'connection' theme on their backs, and those who didn't wore outfits that were appropriate, and everyone kinda ignores folks who come in more colorful fare- not everyone has enough money to buy a cloak or appropriate attire. 

        "Huh." Bran said as he stood at the gate to the city. He had the mask pulled up so he could get a good view- the eyeholes are so limiting. "So this is what Naya looks like. Not quite how i pictured it."

        "What did you picture?" Kader asked as he pulled Bran's mask down for him.

        Ignoring that violation of space, he started walking into the crowd that was slowly gathering around. "Well, there are dragons, so i pictured a grand fantasy vista, like towns built on top of mesas or into the coastline of a mountain range, not..." That's when he realized that the architecture looked familiar... eerily familiar. He's seen these designs in movies and games... these are Mayan buildings... but how can that be? The creepy similarities between the American Tribes and the people of Misken are eerie enough, but this? How many planets share design ideas? "... Mayan... houses?"

        "Mayan? No, i think you mean Nayan."

        He was going to agree with the little mouse if he didn't see the steppe pyramid that rose up in the distance. Only one culture has theirs designed like that. "No... i mean... Mayan."

        "Ah, you probably bumped yourself on the head too hard when you shipwrecked. That or giving you some of my stash last night was a terrible idea."

        "It was a terrible idea at the start." Bran firmly said. But maybe Kader was right- he barely got any sleep last night, and there's no telling what this worlds alcohol does to a foreign brain like his. And... the designs could just be similar their looks. This wouldn't be the first culture to do so, but still... it's peculiar to see such similar architecture from Earth here. "But... maybe you are right. Maybe i'm just imagining things."

        "There you go." Kader climbed back up to Bran's shoulder. "Now hurry- game's aren't open yet, but we can get some food and i am starving."

        "Then you should've ate before we left."
    
        "Nun-un; there's one stall here that has the best food in this berg and i plan on breaking the record there."

        "Someone as small as you is going to break a record? That'll be the day."

        "You don't even know what kind of record."

        "And i don't want to know."


        Not long after, missing each other by a measly 20 seconds, Sokuro and her entourage arrived, landing at the gate. Pira tried to make his landing all fancy, but he messed up and ended up crashing into the sign in the archway. "And that is why you never want to stylize your landings." Seqy mentioned to Sokuro before Pira fell from the sign, landing hard on Fira. "Otherwise you'll get broken bones."

        "Unpleasant." The twins coughed.

        Sokuro slowly shook her head while exhaling a breathy chuckle. She turned her attention to the busy streets; it was far more crowded then she had planned. From the air, it doesn't even look like there are enough buildings to house all these people. "It's a lot more packed then i was anticipating."

        "A lot of them are from out of state." Alua mentioned. "Many are here from Yeztia, Xetil, Uria, Atelk and Tetua."

        And here she thought the Colonists names for things were weird. "But i thought this was purely a Nexia only thing."

        "Nope. We all lost something on those doomed voyages."

        VoyageS? As in plural? There was more then one? Geez, you'd figure they'd have learned their lesson the first time... "Voyages? I thought it was just the one."

        "No... there were more then one. Many ships went out, but none ever came back. Even the rescue ship to find any potential shipwrecks vanished." Yeesh, the fog sounds like the killer in a horror novel. "But with you and your friends here, we know that they didn't die in vain."

        Sokuro looked away to hide her guilt and shame. She hates having to lead them on with her story, but what choice did she have? They're the only ones helping her during this whole mess and she wants to keep it that way... even if it means lying. It's a pisspoor situation, but again, what other choices does she have? "Heh... right..." She saw Alua tilt her head at her actions, forcing her to change the question. "So... how does this festival work? This is your world- i'm just following your leads."

        "Well, food stalls are open...." Seqy said as she approached with a skewer loaded with peppers. "...but the games don't start until after the ceremony: it occurs at the dock where the voyage departed, and there, the Supreme General gives a speech that everyone is to attend."

        Geez, here we go again with the pronoun game. Her quick lesson was so recent, it didn't have time to sink in. "And that chap is..."

        "The quote unquote "King" of Nexia." Alua said. "Nice guy- probably the gentlest out of all of them."

        A kind ruler, eh? The way the people act don't really reflect that... but maybe that's thanks to Termundus and not the guy in charge. "Maybe i should ask him for help then. If he's kind, he must be welcoming and willing to help."

        "You can try, if the guards and the other Generals even let you close to see him." A jaded Sil commented. "On top of being the most important dragon in the country, He's old- at such an advanced age, a little sneeze could take him out."

        "He's not that frail." Alua responded.

        "He's never out in public."

        "None of the Supremes are except for days like today."

        Sokuro tapped a claw on her forehead, not really having time for this. Every second she wastes is a second less finding her friends. "Can we focus on the problem at hand, please?" 

        Alua felt bad for turning the conversation away from the important task at hand. "Ok, Ok. Sorry. The celebration lasts till nightfall, and even then a few hours afterwards, so we have all day and some of the night to try and find your friends. As you yourself said, three out of your five missing friends have specific looks, so finding them should be easy. If they aren't here... i don't know what to tell you." 

        "They'll be here. They have to be."

        "What do they look like?" Fira asked.

        "I thought i already told you." He and his brother only shrugged in response, not really remembering if she did either. "Eh, who cares- can't be too careful during a search. Eia and Polosa are dragons like me, except Eia is purple and Polosa is a mint green. Since all the dragons here seem to have more then two colors, finding them should be easy- they are a solid color like me. Bran, Fayin, and Ventus are not dragons and look nothing like the other races gathered here, so finding them will be easier then them finding us, especially since we are all wearing ceremonial garbs."

        "And me and Sokuro are the only Silver's in the entire world." Sil finally said, getting a part in this battle plan. "If you're friends are one-of-a-kind animals in a pack, then we're a flippin' lighthouse."

        Is Sil even willing to put himself through that? The locals are nasty to him and she doesn't want to get him hurt for her sake. "But, un... won't people jeer at us if they see who we are?"

        "Some will... but they tend to simmer down when people from other towns and country's come, and there are a lot of people from out of town here."

        All they had to do was look left and right to see... yeah... the city is packed with out-of-towners. "You don't say..." Sokuro sarcastically replied. "... well, it's a start, i suppose. We won't really know if it works until it works." She heard a noise like a trumpet go off. She took notice of that but didn't pay it no mind. "Now, i think we should try games that make us take off the cloak heads, so that we can--" She then noticed that everyone was ignoring her and walking with the rest of the crowd. "Un, hey! Where are you guys going?"

        "To the ceremony." Alua responded. "The trumpet was the sign that it was close to beginning."

        The ceremony... right. Well, if the others are as puzzled about this world as she is, then whatever the locals do during it will make them stand out like a sore thumb thanks to their cluelessness. "Right..." She trotted after them. "But did you even hear what i said?"

        "Yeah yeah yeah, revealing games and all that." Pira replied. 

        Such a lameduck response. Is she even getting through to them? "Well, you don't have to be rude about it."

 

        The ceremony everyone was hyping up was to take place at the city docks. Out in the waters were a large array of navel ships, masted and fully crewed, all arranged in a semi-circle that seemed to stretch the entire length of the port. In the center of the semi-circle was the biggest vessel anyone has ever seen on this world, all shiny with gold trimmings and a red-carpet deck. The personal ship of all of the Southern Alliance's leaders, but moreso to Nexia's Supreme General. 

        Speaking of whom, all the Generals and Councilors who had the time to spare coming were here. It was a decent turnout, though some have expressed their... distain for being here. This wasn't the full roster- in total, only 20 or so bothered to show up. "I really see no need for me to be here." Termundus said. Seliox was off in the bathroom, having needed to go badly.

        "Because it's a memorial?" The auburn, green-eyed puma General named Valentis, replied.

        "... And that matters to me why?" Termundus coldly and callously replied, irritating some of the others. "I have a billion other things i would rather enjoy doing today, and being here with all of you is not one of them."

        He has no idea how universal that is, but at least they are showing tact about it. "The feeling is mutual, but at least we're smart enough to hide that for the sake of everyone else." The ashen gray canine general, Fengus, stated as a matter of fact, his blue eyed gaze angering the dragon. Termundus hid that by rolling his eyes. "You should learn to keep those thoughts to yourself."

        He scoffed. "Right. Typical response. You're just saying that because i'm some trophy you can all flaunt and i need to behave."

        A collection of groans came from everyone present- they are not going to go through another year of this, not today. "Stars, here we go again..." Most complained. 

        "No no, let the maniac rant." a Red dragoness with a chilly demeanor named Feruschia said. "Maybe he'll actually hear himself this time."

        In his anger, Termundus spat out, "I save you all from extinction at the teeth of those monsters none of you could even kill, and you treat me like i'm some trophy guard dog that comes at your every word." Fengus snarled at him, taking offense to that statement. 

        Feruschia patted a claw on her cheer, watching like a eager audience member at a play, waiting for the good stuff they heard so much about to make them go see it to finally happen. But there's no payoff here. "Well, seems he hasn't heard himself this time."

        "Some of us weren't even alive yet!" Valentis exclaimed. "I know i wasn't!"

        Fengus slowly shook his head, wondering how someone can become so deranged. "It is amazing how much delusion can fit into someone's head." 

        Termundus' anger for his "comrades" was reaching a boiling point. He never liked these guys- he just tolerated them just so he can use them. "rrrr..."

        "Enough." A booming, yet soft and elderly voice spoke out. The generals stopped bickering and looked up to the ships wheel. Standing there was Nexia's Supreme General, a white dragon who is as ancient as the day is long. He has seen a lot of hardship and battles during his near 80 years alive- the average lifespan of this worlds dragons being 70, at best. He may be ancient in their terms, but he still has enough kick to put Termundus in his place. He spread his old, leathery wings and glided down to the main deck, "You all act like children."

        "But your lordship--" The four arguers started to speak.

        "I said enough." That shut'em up. "This little spat didn't even need to happen to begin with. If you all used this time and energy to bicker among yourselves to good effect, i wouldn't have to go day after day  hearing about one of the Generals doing bad, something you are all guilty of... especially you, Termundus. The ceremony is about to start, so all of you be silent until it is finished. Understood?"

        Termundus kept his snarls and his contempt internal. The Supreme Generals are supposed to be the most powerful dragons in the world... well, the world they are trapped in, but even still... Termundus kept his composure, bottling up his hate for when he can properly unleash it... like when his designs come to fruition. "Yes.... Lord Cirrus."

 

        If the city streets weren't crowded before, then the docks have tripled that. If the streets were a bus during lunch hour, then the docks were a subway at quittin' time. Most of the fliers took off from the docks, heading out towards the masted ships that ringed around the harbor. 

       Lucky them, Bran thought, as he was caught between a Iguana Anthromorph and a Gryphon. "I feel so cramped." He grunted as he tried to get a little elbow room.

        "Really?" Kader asked as he leaned on Bran's head, filing down his nails. "I don't."

        "That's because you're pocket sized and on my shoulder."

        "Exactly." He dropped the nail file into one such pocket, one that was big enough to fit the mouse.

       "Ugh..."  Bran grumbled. "What a time to not be able to fly..."

        Meanwhile, just five people away- so close, their spittle could reach the other, Sokuro was having a similar issue with space as well... but having it coupled with the anxiety of not being able to tell anyone in this crowd apart. This is a big problem with no way to rectify it easily. "It's gonna be hard to find anyone in this mess..."

        "There are a lot more people here then there were last year..." Seqy commented as she looked out among the crowd. She looked back to Sokuro and saw dread take residence on the newcomers face. "But i wouldn't fret too much. You'll find them."

        Sokuro is glad for the sentiment, even if it is a empty one. With all these people here, it's doubtful she'll even find them. She lowered her head and with a grunting sigh, "Ugh... i'll be happy if i'm able to find at least one of them. Least that would be progress." 

        Not long after, trumpets began to sound, coming from the large yacht in the middle of the semi-circle. It made Sokuro lift her head up to see what was going on. It may only be trumpets so far, but it's far more grander then anything she's seen. Well, except her Ascension- that one had more magic and form-changing involved. 

        Walking forward to the edge of the ship were 21 warriors dressed in the fanciest garb Sokuro has seen so far. They may all be cloaks, but they're the most elegant kind she's seen. She turned her attention to the one in the lead. His cloak was simple, but his stature was grand. "I'm guessing he's the old one Sil and Alua were talking about?" She whispered to Seqy.

        "Yep. Supreme General Ozunus Cirrus, the quote unquote "king" of Nexia and one of the most powerful members of the Southern Alliance. He may be near the end of his time, but he isn't letting that slow him down. He's as kind as a kitten and really popular." She grabbed Sokuro's head and turned it to the right, towards the emerald-colored dragon. "Him, on the other hand... isn't. That is Termundus."

        So that is the famous Termundus Sokuro's been hearing so much about. Strange, she didn't plan on him looking handsome- the way she heard it, he's supposed to be a monster with the same color scheme as Seliox... who she now noticed is on the boat with them, standing with the guards. Guess he's not supposed to be part of this. "Huh. Funny. The way i heard him described, i imagined a demonic-looking beast with red flames coming out of his claws, wings, and tail."

        "Yeah... well, he's not exactly popular with the Anthromorphs, the Gryphons, and the Phoenixes."

        "And Sil." Sokuro added.

        Seqy paused for a moment, sucking in her lips as she glanced to the ground. "... yeah, and, and Sil. Just be careful if he notices you. Those that disappear when they anger him are rarely seen again." She nodded in response. Hopa was training enough for things like this. 

        Before long, the trumpets silenced, as did the crowd, as Cirrus approached a stand and spoke up for all to hear. "69 years ago to this day, the rest of the world vanished behind the fogs of doubt. Our world became smaller and the connections we had with those in the mysterious beyond vanished in its grayish mists."

        “We all bore witness to the many brave souls that departed for the misty barrier; brave souls who gave their best effort to uncover the truth behind the vanishing of the rest of the world.... only to vanish themselves, trying to uncover the blanket of doubt that soon rose on our minds.”

        “Far too many left... none have ever returned... and any who would've survived... would be gone now." His gaze soon reflected the pain of the loss, as if he had lost someone important to him. Sokuro had picked up on that, knowing the pain of loss. Given his age, it could've been his mate or his children or maybe even a friend.

        “We all appreciate the sacrifice they made for us...” His gaze once more rose, this time filled with hope and determination. “...because even as they vanished, possibly never be seen again, it’s that same will that made them go, to uncover the truth, that still remains in our own hearts... in our own Souls that gives us hope that someday we shall see them again... or, meet with their children or their children's children.”

        “Let their bravery never be in vain..." He spread his wings wide. "To the lost.”
    
        "To the lost." Everyone somberly shouted, though Termundus merely mouthed his. Afterwards, everybody bowed their heads in a moment of silence, a move that caught Sokuro and Bran off guard, but they were quick to adapt and follow suit. If they were just a few seconds slower in their realization, they would've seen how microscopically close they were. Only five people separated them, but they were no closer to knowing that then they are to win a game.

        Speaking of which, Cirrus soon raised his head after the moment had passed, as did everybody else. "Now... let us celebrate their lives the best way we can, for while we honor the lost, we also honor the living. Go: drink, play, and be merry."

42: Chapter 39 : Until someone gets hurt...
Chapter 39 : Until someone gets hurt...

Chapter 39

Until someone gets hurt...

???

 


        

        While Sokuro and Bran are enjoying themselves at the celebration down in the city, while also searching for their companions, the companions themselves are... less then stellar. One was tortured until his mind broke, another is trapped inside a vault, and the last had to injure herself to escape.

        And while she can't put her finger on it, Sokuro can feel something was off. She could feel it in her gut, and when she stopped walking for a moment to look up to the sky, she could feel it in her bones.

        "Why'd you stop?" Seqy asked as she approached.

        "Just wondering..." She closed her eyes, likely to imagine them in safe, secure locations... hopefully one of them is in a mansion somewhere and they can use that as a rest area before they leave to find a way home... but that's just wishful thinking. "... wondering how everyone is doing. Hoping they're ok out in all this."

        "I know... but the way you described them, it sounds like they can hold their own."

        "Yeah... i'm probably just worried over nothing. For all i know, one of them could be in a mansion, eating... whatever you consider fancy food and sipping on fancy drinks.... yeah, you're right, i'm sure they're fine." 

        If only she knew....

 

 


        Unable to keep it down any longer, Fayin blew all the contents of her stomach into the sink. She had finally been able to reach the kitchen of the large estate, but the excruciating pain had gotten to her in that time and it was making her gag. When she finally got there, she couldn't handle it anymore and just tossed everything she had out.

        The kitchen, like most everything else in the mansion, was made out of pure white stone that she had heard about, but never saw before outside of pictures during school: Jarle- The Colonists call it Marble. How scrawny humans were able to move it to build grand structures on their homeworld with just the sweat off their brow is beyond her. 

        The room was circular in design, with a raised island table in the center and a small little lounge area with a window overlooking a garden. There was a metal door nearby, but she was in no hurry to find out what is inside. She needed to get out and find someone from Dragenia, and avoid Termundus. 

        She soon finished losing her breakfast, lunch, and dinner and pulled her head out of the sink, looking like crap with bags under her eyes. "Ugh.... i hate this world..." She complained, pushing herself off the counter as she wiped her mouth. "Only a day in and i'm already mutilated and almost dead...i need a vacation..." She lifted her head and looked for Pearl, finding the kalamander licking the scraps off a plate. As hungry as she was, she wasn't about to eat scraps, not again. The drinks, on the other hand... that was another story. She was thirsty and needed to replenish what blood she lost... which was a lot. She chugged down everything there was left- they were still fresh, which meant everyone must've just left.

        There was, thankfully, some food that weren't scraps: fruit on the center table. She's not sure what kind of fruit they were or even if she'll like it, but she's got no choice. She grabbed what she could carry in her condition and cradled them in one arm. She grabbed a sixth piece of fruit off the table and ate it up, pit and all. With her razor-sharp teeth, the pit wasn't an issue. This fruit tasted tangy, which she wasn't a fan of, but she had to deal. 

        Now with some fuel in her tank, now came the hard part: getting out. Just getting from Seliox's room to the kitchen was a nightmare, so how is she supposed to get from here to the city? She'll faint from the pain before getting out the door. If she was back home, she could grab some crutches from the healer, but she has no access to those. She's gonna have to improvise. Were there any brooms here she could use?

        None.

        How about mops?

        Zilch. 

        There was, on the countertop, a long serving platter, shaped like a boats oar- it was a peel. Perfect. She recognized it from back home- she would use these peels to pull pies straight out of the oven, and watch cooks use these to pull entire sides of meat out of huge kilns. She even heard one of the Kitsunes comment on how they look like pizza platters. First off, what is a pizza? But most importantly, it's something she can use. It's tall enough to where she can use it as a improvised crutch. 

        She grabbed it and put the fat end under her right arm. That's how these work, right- you put the crutch where the injured part of you is? She lifted up her hurt foot and walked several steps to work. It's wobbly and the other end is thin, but the pain in her foot had subsided a bit. It works, and by not stopping to vomit every two seconds, it'll cut some time off the trip, though not by much. The crutch may've added all that back on. It beats fainting in the middle of the woods, and it can be useful s a makeshift weapon, so it'll do. 

        "Hopefully this thing can survive the trip to town..." She winced. She tested it out by limping her way to the door. It's gonna be hard to walk like this, but it'll be impossible without it. She turned back to the kitchen and called out to Pearl. "You coming, tiny..?" Pearl looked to her before biting into the last piece of meat and running over to her. She hopped up onto her back; it almost sent her over, but slamming the peel into the door frame, she managed to keep her balance. "Please don't do that again..." She grunted as she kept herself up long enough to lean on the frame. Pearl whined, licking the side of Fayin's cheek. "Heh... i'm counting on you to be my ears out there, ok?" She knew the kalamander wasn't going to answer, but they are smart creatures, so she knows the critter understood. "Ok then... let's try getting out of here."

        Limping over to the large pair of double doors at the front of the house, she first tried opening the doors before resorting to a more violent option. They didn't open, and she had no idea what the locks were, so... violent it is! Standing on one leg, she lifted up the peel and swung as hard as she could, breaking off the door handle. She spun like a top for a moment, but stayed on her fee--... foot. She dug the peel into the floor to slow her down, but her and the mini-lizards eyes were spinning. Fayin waited for the dizziness to pass before putting the peel under her arm and continuing on. 

        On the negative side when she stepped out, she could see the tower far away in the distance. This was going to take a long while to get there. But on the positive side, there was a road for her to travel along, so she didn't have to worry about getting lost. Hopefully it led straight to town. 

        And hopefully to someone who can heal her up, she thought as she looked at the claw she had ripped out. This was painful, but hopefully it can be reversed by getting back home. 

        ... if she can get back home.

 

 

        She was not the only one in pain, but this one was more internal and emotional. 

        Even with everyone gone, even with his mind broken, even with all these new scars, the guards and Termundus still left Ventus hanging from the chains. All of his torso, abdomen, and back were covered with scars- some of them faded over the centuries, but a lot... a lot of them were fresh, but none were more gnarly then what that strange ruby left behind. It left a nasty burn on his chest, one that wasn't going to fade anytime soon. 

        "... you still alive...?"

        Ventus forced his eyes to open and his head to turn to the gryphon that hung up with him. He was brought in yesterday with crushed legs- the bones turned to powder. He wasn't going to walk again. He didn't receive anything nasty like Ventus did. Hell, he's mostly been ignored- he didn't even get any treatment for his legs. 

        "Just...... barely...." Ventus struggled to reply. That ruby did a number on him, and it was going to be a looooooong while until he's better, if he ever does get better.

        "Good... i was worried you died on me..."

        "Wish i did..." Ventus grunted.

        "Yeah, that was... nasty to watch."

        Ventus struggled to keep awake. "Is he always like that...?"

        "Termundus? No. You caught him on a good day."

        "He can be worse?"

        "Terrifyingly, yes. When he gets mad... the Shadow Crystal you experienced would be childs play."

        "... shadow crystal?"

        "The ruby he used on you. The remnants of a race of monsters that almost killed us all some time ago... and ironically enough, Termundus is the hero, having killed their leader."

        "Of course he did..." He looked down to the gryphons demolished legs and winced in sympathetic pain. "And i'm guessing he did that to you."

        "Yes. His power over the Earth is seemingly limitless. And rarer still, he can manipulate gemstones like any other rock; emeralds are his favorite since they share the same color scheme."

        "... how very egotistical of him."

        "Well... that and the fact there is a emerald mine not far from the city."

        "That too, i suppose." ... "This world is so messed up if he's in charge of things."

        "He's just one of many... and those above him try to keep him in check, but the low station he has ironically gives him the most freedom... he's declined several promotions because of it."

        "Oh no, he's smart too."

        "Scarily so."

 


        
        Claws digging into the stonework, both Terrux and Tal grunted with maximum effort to try and get the locked door open. This was their 10th attempt, and just like the 9 times beforehand, it was not going to work. They all tried to get the door back open, but it was useless. Even with their shared affinity over the Earth, the triplets could not get this open. It's as if its made out of a material they aren't aware of, and it's pissing them off.

        "Give it up already." Polosa said, sitting leaserly on a ancient relic of the past. It was made for sitting too, so she's not sure why they would put it here. Was it too fancy for their tastes? The fact it was made of solid gold with red throw pillows would make for a pretty good guess. "You've been at it for an hour. Save your strength."

        "Like we're... gonna listen.... to a council stooge...!" Tal grunted as he pulled with all his might. It didn't work and his claws slipped out, causing him to roll into a suit of armor for a extinct species, which fell right on him. "Ow. Ow o-- ow ow. Owie."

        Terrum slowly sighed as he shook his head. "I'm afraid to say it boys, but the stooge is right." Polosa was about to exclaim, but just pinched her eyes and lowered her head. She wasn't going to be able to convince them, was she? "We're obviously trapped in here with no way out thanks to the stooge."

        Tal picked the fallen armors helmet off his head and tossed it aside before stomping over with a snarl. "It's all their fault!" He rudely snarled. "If it wasn't for her and that stupid Anthro, we'd be gone by now, enjoying all that delicious carnival food, but noooooo, SOMEONE failed to account for guards in the damn vault!" 

        Terrum felt most of that was directed at him. "Hey, it's not my fault Arjax got greedy and insistent!"

        "And how the hell is this my fault!?!" Polosa added in, getting off her seat. "Did you really forget what i've told you?!"

        "We're not buying that story, sweet cheeks!" Tal yelled in her face. That comment made her snarl back at him. "We're crazy enough to break in, but we're not suicidal enough to take the uniform of a Council Lacky! You're all supposed to be the best of the best, not taken out by some stupid thieves from a stupid gang led by a stupid leader and manned by stupid people! And if you are a mercenary, as you so claim, then you are a even stupider one for taking such a stupid job!"

        "Are you done talking?! Cause hearing the word 'stupid' coming out of your mouth so many times is getting annoying!"

        "Then allow me to continue: stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupiiiiiiiiiiid!!!! Stupid."

        "ENOUGH!!!" Terrux yelled, getting between Polosa and Tal befor they came to blows. "Is this really necessary right now?! We have no food, no water, and Stars know how much air, and you two want to fight over blame?! Are you morons?!"

        "I know he is." Polosa sneakily commented.

        "Stop that! Like it or not, we're all stuck here, so unless someone has any ideas, shut up and think!"

        "Think about what? Who should get the blame?!" Terrux sighed long in defeat as he flapped his front legs up like "why do i even bother?" And just walked away on his hind legs. "If it's not gonna be her, it's gonna be that dumb do-- hey, wait a minute. Where is the dog?"

        "This will do it!" Quio shouted from the other side of the room. The four drakes looked and saw him rushing towards the window with a spear- was he planning to stab it? At least, that's what it looked like. The spear made contact with the window, only for it to bounce off and stagger the idiot backwards. The spear stuck into the floor, making him wave back and forth for a breif moment. Once it went all the way forward, he slid off. The momentum from suddenly losing all that weight caused the spear to fling him smack dab into the window, faceplanting like a diver doing a belly flop. ".... why me...?" He grunted in pain before he slid down, the glass squeaking as he did.

        "And now we know why we can't break the window." Terrum said as he knocked it with his knuckles. "Tough stuff."

        "AAAAGH!!!" His brothers yelled. Tal paced for a brief second, coming to terms with their predicament. "So we have no food, no water, and we're sharing air with these two Pendejos!!" Polosa tilted her head with a raised brow; what did he call her?

        "Well.. it's not good, but there must be another exit somewhere. There's no way there is only one entrance. They must've planned for something like this. We just need to find out what."

        Rux held up a paw as he walked past the three of them, not wanting to be a part of this. "You guys do that- i'm gonna go find that damn map."

        Polosa quickly shook her head in disbelief and surprise when she heard that. That is why they are here? "Wait, what did you say?"

        "You gonna go blab to your bosses about this too?" Tal scoffed. "We came here to steal a fricken map." Terrum groaned as he planting his palm to his face; why can't he shut up? It's not that hard to keep quiet.

        Quio, seeing stars in his eyes, slowly stood up. He blubbered like an idiot for a moment before regaining his sanity. "You came for a map too?"

        That made all three brothers raise an eyebrow. "Too?" They said in unison.

        The dog nodded as he got up. "We were sent to get a map too."

        Of all the luck- how small is this world to where they were doing this at the same time? It's too much of a coincidence. "You're kidding." a flabbergasted Terrux replied.

        Polosa sighed, lowering her head. She knows the problem of not having someone shut the hell up. It's like talking is infectious- once you get it, you can't stop. But in this case, she kinda has no choice. Chances are, they'll die in here, and best to have some help during this chaos. "He's telling the truth."

        "And why should we believe you?" Tal scoffed. 

        "Because if i did work for the council or the hegemony or whatever the heck your leadership is called, I'd have found the way out by now. But no, i'm stuck in here with you three loonies and i'm about to lose my damn mind being surrounded by idiots."

        While Rux and Rum were starting to believe her about not being a council stooge, Tal was not. In fact, he grew more suspicious. "You could be waiting for us to let our guard down so that you can arrest us."
    
        She facepalmed, rolling her paw down her snout. "I give up." She slid it off, making it bounce for a moment. "I give up trying to convince you." She walked past them on her hind legs with her front ones spread up into the sky. "Believe me, don't believe me- i do not care. All i care about is getting out of here before i die of thirst, hunger, or you." She dropped down on all fours and went to the closest wall in hopes there's another exit.

        "Well, i don't think we have to worry about air." Terrum said. Polosa looked back and saw him pointing up to an airvent.

        Why didn't they notice that before? That's perfect- that is a perfect escape route... there's just one SMALL problem. Polosa pounted in defeat as she said, "... and that is too small to crawl through, even for Quio. Crud."

        Rum shrugged in response. "At least we won't suffocate."

        She sighed loudly as she lowered her head again. "Now we have to worry about dying from hunger or thirst... wunderbar..."

        Terrux flapped his wings to flutter over to a rack of gnarly, epic, and gothic looking spears that seemed too big for a Anthromorph to handle. "At least we have a lot of cool stuff to keep us distracted. Like look at this." He grabbed one and swung it around. "It's as light as a feather, but as cool as.... well, i don't have a idea like what."

        "Ooooo." Quio cooed as his eyes lit up in amazement. "Let me see that." He asked as he ran over. Rux passed the spear to him... and Quio immediately fell to the floor the moment his hands touched it. "AAAGH. LIGHT AS A FEATHER, MY ASS!"

        The dragon tilted his head in bewilderment. "Really? It's heavy." He grabbed it again and lifted it up. "It's light for me."

        "Must be a species thing, then." Terrum proposed. He walked towards a strange four-doored vehicle and swiped his paw across it, picking up a lot of dust. He shook his paw, getting it off. "But he is right... at least we have some things to keep us occupied while we slowly die."

        "That doesn't really fill me with vigor..." Polosa droned. "... but i suppose it beats sitting for days on end."

        "Maybe we can eat whatever is in these sarcophogi."

        "........... that sounds really.. really..... REALLY disgusting. And Disturbing. It's.... Disgusturbing."
    
        "I don't see you coming up with any ideas!"

        Electing to ignore the screeching children for the sake of her own sanity, Polosa went off on her own. She may be stuck in here with them, but that doesn't mean she has to listen to their bickering. Approaching a table with a large, almost insurmountable amount of necklaces, tiaras, crowns, and all sorts of items like that upon it, one immediately caught her eye, not because it was pretty or fancy or anything of the sort, but because of its familiarity.         

        She lifted up the necklace and looked it over. The design was simple- a spiral inside a sideways triangle, inside a circle... and the runes etched into said circle... this was Dragenian made. She knows because she has one just like it. It's a charm said to be blessed by the Astrals to result in a bountiful crop; she made hers when she was a kid. The color was different, but the lettering is clearly Dragenian: more specifically, it's a variation exclusive to the Canshif Islands as theirs is the only one to be a blue similar to the sea. 

        This raised a lot of questions in her minds, and she can only guess the answer to a paultry few. Whoever made this must've visited this world sometime in the past, but... when? There is no doubt that they used the Gate, but when were they able to access it? This particular design was created only 700 years ago... yet the Basin was declared forbidden holy ground thousands of years ago, so there is no possible way for someone to have gotten to the gate during that time, not unless they took advantage of Xelut and the Astrals fighting each other, but that would have to be a small window. The fight itself lasted only a few days and was on the mainland, and it takes months to get to Evioly. 
        
        "Oooooooo, this is cool." Polosa looked back to see Tal holding a stone statuette in his claws. The figure on display was humanoid, but with wings. Feathered wings, if the grooves are any indication. 

        "What is that?" She asked from across the room.

        "What, the big bad stooge has never seen a statuette before?"

        If he's going to be like that the entire time they are stuck in here, she may just beat him just to have some piece and quiet. She's had a hard enough 24 hours as it was- she doesn't need this joker adding on to it. His brothers seem like they want to get alone, but this guy... yeesh. "... you know what. Forget i asked." She coldly replied as she walked towards another part of the room, carrying the necklace with her.

        "Yeah yeah, don't do me any favors." Tal scoffed as he shoved the statuette into Terrum's chest before walking to the other side. Rum, Rux, and Quio looked at each other for a brief moment before expressing defeated sighs, lowering their heads and limping their arms / wings. This was gonna be torturous. 

 

        "Mmmmmm......." Sokuro cooed as she bit into a ear of maize, or corn as she heard some of the colonists call it. Theirs was... alright. Freeze-dried stuff is never great. But this... this is fresh and oh so good. "This is so good." She and Alua were sitting on a bench at the park from yesterday, watching the orphans as they played a game of darts: The one who could highest points would win a prize. They were lucky to find a seat because the city was so crowded for the celebration. People can barely move without bumping into each other. She had to take down the hood to eat properly, which resulted in her constantly getting looks of vitriol, venom, and outright hatred from everyone who passed, but she ignored them. She has more important things to do then deal with their hate.

        "I thought you were trying to find your friends." Alua asked as she drank out of a straw sticking out of a coconut.

        "I am, but i was hungry." She took another bite. With dragon teeth, eating the pit wasn't a hassle. Hell, it's encouraged among Aerids. "You try doing anything on a empty stomach."

        "I have. It's not fun, but i managed."

        "So you know." She took another bite.

        Alua watched her in silence for a moment. She just cannot get a read on what the new girl is really like. She can usually tell what someone is like after spending some time with them- it helped her a lot in the past. But Sokuro... she's getting nothing. She is a complete and utter mystery. "... so... your friends. Do you care deeply for them?"

        What kind of a question was that? She's been worrying about her friends since hour one. Why wouldn't she care about them? After swallowing, Sokuro replied, "Well, of course i do. Bran is one of my best friends, and Eia... well, she's a lot of fun to hang with."

        Alua nodded along, noticing that four other people weren't among that first reply. Almost as if she doesn't care about them. "Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm... and the other four?"

        "The other four?" That wooden of a response was a shock to the core; wasn't she worried about them a minute ago? "Oh, those guys. Well, i talked to Fayin a few times, but we never really hung out. Polosa too. Pearl is just a cute little thing, but she's always doing her own thing. And Ventus, i only just met him for a minute."

        So they are just friends of circumstance? If they are from the same ship, and she is a very important person too, so why would she not know of them? There's only so much space on a ship, so how could she not have spent more time with them, especially that Ventus guy? "If you don't know them, why are you risking your life trying to find them."

        "Because even if i hated them, i'm not going to abandon them. We're stuck here, and i don't know if you noticed, but the people here are really, really horrible. Present company exempted, of course. And if all i heard about Termundus is true, then we're dead meat if we don't get out of here, myself most of all."

        Alu hears her, she hears the words coming out of Sokuro's mouth... but this is sounding more like she's trying to prevent a guilty conscience weighting down on her shoulders then just actually caring about people she doesn't know. There's always a chance she could be wrong since this girl is so incredibly hard to read, but... "So it's less about companionship and more of an obligation? Is that what you are saying?"

        Frowning in irritation, she threw her cob away and slid off the bench. "I'm saying that i'm not the kind of person who would just leave people to rot to save my own skin. Unless i am absolutely forced to, i'm not just gonna abandon someone. It's just not who i am." She went off to go join the others in the fun. 

        Unaware to them all, and everyone else in the park for that matter, a shadow mass had formed underneath the bench, watching the two Silvers, specifically the new female, intently. All he was seen was being see by his lord and master, who continued to rest in his crystal. The disembodied soul was deep in thought, as he worried about what the new Silver could do to him and his kind if given the chance. 

        "Hmm..."

        His second took notice of his master pondering, despite him only being a crystal. "What is it, sire?"

        "This new Silver.... do you think she is powerful?"

        "Why ask?"

        "I just want to hear your answer."

        Its honest opinion? It doesn't really have one of her since they don't know what she is actually like in battle. All she did was scare one bully and put out a fire. Not exactly good details to go off of. "...well... it's hard to say. We haven't seen her in battle yet, and that's assuming Silvers from her homerealm are similar to ours. But i repeat: Why ask? You want her to return home, so gauging her power would be pointless."

        "True, i did say that... but what if she doesn't leave? What if she elects to stay and aid in their fight against us? I'm good with predictions, but i am not omniscient. Not yet, anyway. I do want to test her, to see just how powerful she really is. She is nothing like Silverwind or Shadewind. The power i sense coming from here feels familiar, as if...." He droned into silence as he went into thought again. 

        "Sir?"

        "It's nothing..." It wasn't nothing, but the hulk wasn't going to pursue it any further. "Do we have any in the area?"

        "Um... a few, i think. But i thought you wanted her and her companions to not know of us."

        "I do. That is why we're gonna have a Possessor do the job." The hulk caught on to what he was thinking faster then its bulky, jock-like physique would have you believe. "Last i remember, Fhalanx is near there. Contact it."

        "You know it'll take it too far."

        "I know. But she's got all those Phoenixes and the brat nearby to bail her out if things go bad. As for the generals and the councilors, they'll just think it's a rogue survivor of the war out for revenge. Either way, they will not know we are here. Now, contact Fhalanx. And tell it to find a worthy body too. One that can put up a decent fight."

43: Chapter 40 ...it's all fun and games
Chapter 40 ...it's all fun and games

Chapter 40


...it's all fun and games


???

 

 


        

        A dart hit against the cork board in the back after missing its moved target of a fish-type creature with a bullseye, causing Firacus to loudly exclaim like a foghorn. "OOOH!!!" The carnie discretely moved his foot under the table, discretely putting the target back to its position. "Oh, come on, that was right on it!" He exclaimed.


        "Clearly, it wasn't..." The Rabbit Anthromorph commented as he looked flipped through all the coins the unlucky shroobs gave up at his rigged games. 


        "This is just sad." Pira commented, holding a stick of cooked fish in one paw and a fizzled drink in the other. Seqy nodded in agreement as she took a bite of her cooked squid. Sil... just stood there, in the middle, silently hoping and praying nobody would notice him.


        Fira was fuming- he was not about to let some fruity stupid carnival game get the better of him. "Rrrr... i'm not gonna let some stupid game get the better of me!" He reached into his coin purse and slammed some down on the counter. "Bring me more, old man!" Externally, the rabbit just shrugged and went to grab more. Internally, he was grinning like a madman.


        Seqy sighed in a mixture of disappointment and disapproval: Fira knows better then to get involved with rigged games, but every year, he falls for the same tricks. That sadly says something about how their minds function. She glanced to her right and saw Sokuro slouching their way with her head hanging low. She backed up and walked behind the boys to not get in their way. 


        "Is something wrong?" She asked as she approached the depressed kid.


        Sokuro looked up to her and shook her head; there was no sense in ruining their days during all this. "No. No, it's nothing.... just had a talk with Alua and she......... well, to be frank, she doesn't hold back."


        "No, she doesn't. What did you two talk about?"


        "Ah... nothing to worry yourself over." She heard Fira belt out a curse; looking over, she saw him toss down the darts onto the ground. ".... un...... what's with psycho?" She didn't wait for a answer from Seqy as she already started heading that way.


        "AAAAGH!!!" Fira exclaimed, running his claws over his head- if he had hair, he'd be ripping it out. 


        Sokuro looked on with such a puzzled look, she's actively wondering if he should be committed- going this crazy over a game is just bonkers. "So what's with him?" She asked Sil. 


        "Every year, he always tries to beat this one game. As you see, it is simple: throw a dart, hit the target, win a prize. But the sleazeball has the game rigged to where all darts thrown misses. The only ones he allows to hit are girls." OH, then she has no problem then. Sil could tell she was thinking that and had to put her down before she got any ideas. "Cute girls. That he can take on dates. And of legal age. He's so sleazy, he won't even let kids win."


        Of all the rotten things to do... this is just cruel. And the smug prick behind the stand was loving every second of it, counting all the cash he was robbing these people of. "........ alright..." She softly growled under her breath. She cracked her neck and gave her food stick to Sil to hold before approaching the bench to give this loser the whatfor... just in time too as Fira exclaimed another profanity before slamming his face into the wood so hard, he left a indent. 


        "You're gonna pay for that." The ruthless carnie threatened. 


        "Let me have a go at it." Sokuro demanded as she approached. Fira tilted his head, poking one eye out to watch as she came forward.


        The carnie snickered a scoff. Doesn't matter to him one way or the other who does it- money is money, no matter who he gets it from. "Alright. Have it your way, sister." He went to grab the darts.


        Fira lifted up his head and shook the determined dragoness to try and get her out of this. "You don't have to do this. I know i can beat this losers game."


        She held up a paw to silence him, all the while the carnie was grabbing all the darts Fira had thrown... which were a lot. "Fira, trust me. You're not going to win against a con man."


        "A con man? Me?" The bunny interjected as he rose up from the ground with a armful of darts. "Ma'am, i'm just a simple man trying to make a living."


        She was not buying it in the slightest. Instead, she slammed her other paw down, depositing the cash she needed to play. "Just give me the darts, unless you think i can actually beat your little game." He doesn't, but he believes she believes she can. Undeterred, he put down the darts on the shelf and slid her allotted sum over to her. She grabbed them up and put one between her teeth while holding the other one in her free paw. 


        It was going to be difficult, throwing these as a Aerid. All she has to use to grip things are her claws. This is gonna be a new experience, but one she has confidence she can do. 


        When the bunny leaned on the table, she took notice of it and, with him not looking down, moved her tail over to where he was. If her hunch is right, then his cheating mechanism should be right by his feet.    


        "Rules are simple, pipsqueak: hit a target, win a prize. Hit two targets, get a medium prize. Hit all the targets, get the big prize."


        He explained the rules. Good. It was ample time for her tail to find the stopgap he was using and cut the wire with the edge of her tail. Time to take the smug down a peg. "Yeah, yeah, i know how these games work." She said with the third dart still in her teeth. 


        As she readied her first shot, the carnie smirked and stepped on the pedal to subtlety stop the targets in that split second window long enough for someone to miss. She threw the dart... and it hit. She pulled a celebratory fistbump while the carnie looked on in disbelief. Why didn't it work? Why didn't it flippin' work- it always works. 


        When she threw the second dart, he hit the pedal again, but once again, nothing happened. It was another hit, prompting some light applause from Seqy, like a golf clap. 


        "What in the holy hells is..." He kept pressing on it, even looking down to make sure that he was. 


        Sokuro spit the last dart out of her mouth and into her paw and twirled it in her claws like a baton. "Wanna concede and just give me the prize already, or are you thirsty for defeat?" He didn't listen- he kept pressing. "Oh, what's wrong? Something wrong under there?" 


        He realized that he must look suspicious right now and stopped pressing. "No... nothing is wrong."


        "Really? Nothing's wrong?" She leaned on the wood with a smug grin. "Nothings wrong with the pressure plate that makes these things stop for that small split-second that makes someone lose their aim?" He froze in place while the orphans went 'oooo'. 


        "H.. how did...?"


        "You think you are the first carnie to try and pull dirty tricks like this? I picked up on this the moment i saw Fira miss." She lifted her tail into view. "But i do wonder why it broke now, though?" The bunny growled under his breath as she leaned further in. "How's about this: You let me friends play with no tricks by you- all fair and square. If they miss, it's their own fault, and that you don't pull any tricks for the rest of the day. If you don't, i'm gonna post a big sign that says "don't come to this booth- it's a cheat". We got a deal?" His barely constrained anger, but ultimately strained silence, gave her the answer. "Good boy." She tapped him on the cheek while tossing the last dart without looking, hitting the last target she needed. 


        Feeling satisficed with herself, she pushed herself off and went back to the others with a strut in her step, to the respectable golf claps from the other orphans, with Fira's mouth hanging open in dumbstruck awe. "Wow. Color me impressed." Sil said.


        "How'd you know he was cheating?" Pira asked.


        "Like i said, he's not the first carnie i met to try and swindle people out of money. They're a plague in Roko Harbor during Founding Day. After a while, you tend to learn their tricks, like the bunny here stopping it for that split-second to make you miss. He either had a button or a pedal and i disconnected the string with my tail. Good thing he explained the rules, too- gave me some extra seconds to find it."


        "You are some kind of evil genius."


        "No." She took her snack back from him. "I've just been around too many carnival games." She took a bite. "Now go on. Win those prizes." The kids all grinned and bolted over, wanting to win the big prizes. It would be the first time in their life they won one of these games, and boy were they ready.


        As the four of them bickered over who was first, and therefor the first to try and win the big prize legitimately, Sokuro stood back and watched, feeling cathartic. Having been on the receiving end of crooked carnival games back home, it was nice to take one down a peg. 


        As she readied to put the last of her snack in her mouth, she saw something slithering along the ground. It looked like a snake, but... it was flat. Really flat, almost like a shadow. She watched it as it slithered away out of sight. She brushed it off, gave a one-shoulder shrug, and returned her attention back to the group. "Strange snake." She commented to herself before popping the last of the corn in her mouth. "Fits with how weird this world has been..." She walked back to the booth as Pira won the big prize.

 

        "Lordship... you were right... there is another Silver here, and female too."


        "(You were questioning me, Fhalanx?)"


        Bad move to make. The leader hates it when people backtalk to him, and even though Fhalanx is out in the field... he still has ways of making dissenters suffer in ways that would leave them begging for death. "No, my lord... it's just that i assumed you were referring to the Lady Shade..."


        "(I imagine others will think the same too. But you are to remain focused. You are to test the newcomers abilities, nothing more.)"


        "Can i go at my full potential?" It asked, hoping, pleading for a yes.


        "(No.)"


        Buzzkill, and one that could be costly if its feelings are true. "But my lordship... you don't feel what i feel." The last to win a prize, Seqy, held up hers in cheers while the others laughed. "This new one isn't like both Winds..." The demon's vision changed. All beings here given off an aura of sorts- the bigger the aura, the stronger they are. Most auras are barely anything to worry about, while Sil's and Termundus are bigger then the booth they are next too. The newcomer... her aura was as big as a building- probably as big as the lobby in the Council tower, and the lobby is big enough to house over 100 fullgrown Dragons with room to spare for weaponry and plants. "This new Silver has a enormous pool of power within her, waiting to be unleashed. If Silverwind and Shadewind are like lakes, then this newcomer is the ocean that spans the planet. It's almost as if she's divine."


        "(I don't care if even she's a goddess in hiding!!!)" The leader bellowed. "(You are to test what she is capable of... or did you forget we are supposed to be secret until the right day?)" The lack of a reply didn't explain much, but he'll have to deal with it. "(Bah...)"


        It's like he is asking for the spy to die for this simple test. There are easier ways to gauge ones power, but sending one on a suicide mission? But... if it says no, its dead anyway- the leader doesn't take 'No' all that well... those that say it end up in states worse then death. Regardless, Fhalanx is itching for a fight, and to take out it's frustration on the new brat. "So who should i possess? She has pissed off that bunny well enough to be easily susceptible." 


        "(Absolutely not! While nobody will bite an eye if anyone attacked Silverwind, attacking this... Sokuro out of the blue could pose a problem. It's bad enough there are two Silvers here to worry about, but how would her world react if they learned this Silver was attacked, or killed? What if this Sokuro is royalty, like Shadewind? Or as you suggested, someone divine? They could attack them, and then attack us when they learn of us. And she enjoys a good fight. Tilfang on the beach saw it- while Silverwind cowered at a bully, Sokuro was ready to fight. He may back down from a challenge, but her...? No, i suspect she welcomes in. Any fight between you and her WILL draw attention, and i would not want to draw the Demon's attention. Which now begs the question of how do we test her abilities in a way that doesn't make the others bat an eye.)"


        "(If she enjoys fighting, then she should make her way to the Arena Pits.)" His second recommended. 


        "(A Very excellent call, Brutus. It is a way for them both to fight that doesn't seem out of the ordinary. Yes, the arena pits could prove attractive to her... if she ever learns they exist, but given how Sequiana and the Twins never seem to stop talking, i suspect she'll learn soon enough.)"


        "So i shall follow then?" Fhalanx asked as the group of kids began to walk away. Above him, Alua began to move to follow suit.


        "(Yes. While she brushed you off as some weird snake, nobody else here will be that foolish, especially veterans from the war. Keep in this Alua's shadow, but do not possess her. Instead, possess the fighter Sokuro will fight in the pits.)"


        "And if she doesn't go?"


        "(Then try to persuade her. This blasted celebration of the failure a fools errand lasts for a couple days, yes? Wait until they are leaving or until the last hour of the day, then possess this wench and suggest that she... try it out before going back to the island. If today fails, there is always tomorrow. But screw up both days and you will not like what i do to you)"


        "...... fine, sir." The connection was cut and the snake faded into Alua's shadow.

 

 

        Back upon the isle of death, the hulking brute had a sinister grin on his face. He saw what his master did and he was impressed. Fhalanx was always so easily manipulated and it's good to see the idiot get just desserts for his mistakes from the war. "You told it to play it safe, knowing it wouldn't listen, did you my lord?"


        "Am i that predictable?" The brute smugged and shrugged. "Well, yes, you are correct. Thanks to all those restrictions, once it possesses a fighter in the pit, it'll be reckless and stupid. If things go the way i suspect, i'm not going to miss it. If nothing else... it'll be a very entertaining spectacle." 


        "Do you think it speaks truth? About the vast power this new girl likely possesses?"


        "It is an idiot, but a terrible liar. I believe that she is powerful, yes. But divine...? We shall see, i guess. It could lead to the assumption that Silver's from her world are more godly then the ones here. But as i said, we shall see."

 

 

        As Alua got up from the bench to follow the kids, she had unwittingly picked up a hitchhiker within her shadows, one who was none-too-happy with its assignment. And unbeknownst to her, she passed another outworlder, one who was still trying to figure out where to go to find everyone.


        "I... am so lost." Bran commented, trying to find his way through this crazy, crowded town. There were more people here then at the colony, least that's what he thinks. 


        "You said that five times by now." Kader said as he peeled a nut like a apple with a very sharp knife, resting on Bran's shoulder whilst using the big guys cheek as his own headrest.


        "Uuuuuugh..." He collapsed onto the same bench Alua was just at, hanging his head off the back. "This is going to take me all damn day... you could've warned me the city was huge."


        Kader stopped peeling for a moment, staring off into space with a furrowed brow. He put his knife away and got up, grabbing the dangling part of the kids ear "Do you not see how small i am compared to EVERYONE ELSE?!" He yelled pointblank, making Bran's entire head shake like a cartoon. "If i said the city was huge, you'd probably assume it was due to the fact I'm barely a foot tall!"


        Bran put his finger in his ear, wiggling it around to regain his hearing. "And now i'm deaf." He grunted as he continued. "You didn't need to yell."


        "Wait a tick, why am i yelling? You saw the city yesterday."


        "I saw the outskirts, from a distance, while you haggled with someone who looks like he drank a little to much. ... speaking of which..." He grabbed Kader with two fingers and slowly turned him around, towards the red dragon who bought the recovered armor from the rodent yesterday, waiting very, very impatiently, tapping his foot while looking towards the tower every so often. "Isn't that the guy?"


        "Yeah, it is." They watched as he did the same thing he did before over and over again- tap his foot impatiently, then look to the tower. "Why is he just standing there?"


        "I think the better question is why he's looking to the over-compensator over there." He pointed to the enormous tower. Kader lifted his shoulders, not sure why he was looking at it either. ... but the more Bran thought about it, the more things aligned: wanting armor from scouts or guards or whoever those three were, the high price he was willing to go, and now waiting impatiently while constantly looking. Any other place, he'd be suspicious as hell, but a lot of people get impatient during festivals ... but none frequently look towards buildings. "Wait... you don't think that..."


        "What?"


        "Well... he wanted armor for something, right? He wanted armor so bad, he was willing to pay your insanely exorbitant high price, right?"


        "Given that I risked my life to get it after such a fresh Shadow attack, why not ask for three times his asking price?"


        "You're missing the point. He paid your high price for two complete, if slightly damaged, suits of armor. Now, waiting impatiently at a celebration is nothing new: most people just want to get a family excursion over with and just go home. But why would he be looking at that giant tower so frequently?"


        "That place? That's the Council Tower. That's where our leadership is headquartered. It's also the main... army... barracks..." It slowly began to click into place. "Wait... you don't think he's trying to sneak in, did you?"


        "I think he already did- he didn't get the armor for himself, but hired goons, and i can already think of two reasons why. He could be a spy from a enemy nation who was sent to sabotage, or he's a crazed thief wanting to steal something only they have, or both."


        "And the celebration would make the best time to do so. The Councilors and the Generals all partake in the celebration. Except for some unlucky schleps who draw the short straw for guard duty, the tower is mostly deserted."


        The way this sounds, the tower sounds like its security is very, very crappy around festival time, almost as if it's asking to be robbed. "Has anyone ever tried to break in before?"


        "A few times, but they always got caught. And all others who wanted to were dissuaded due to all the... ahem, unsavory rumors spread by them when released. Trust me, they're frightening."


        "Which is why he would send hired help. They would be cannon fodder. If they get caught, its their butts that suffer, not his."


        "Evil little dillweed. But are you sure that's why he's pacing?"


        "... well, 50/50. He could also be waiting for someone and they're coming from that general direction."


        "Well, only one way to find out." Without missing a beat, he hopped down off Bran's shoulder, fell to the bench, then fell to the ground before jogging over. Bran tried to stop him by grabbing him, but like non-evolved rats, this guy was slippery. As Kader skittered on over, Bran sucked in and bit his lips. They know nothing about this guy- for all they know, he's a violent sociopath who has no qualms with killing them in the middle of a busy public street, and Kader is tiny- one step and he's paste.


        ...Bran was in for a lesson in indirectness as Kader is anything but direct. He knows how to play the game and how to get information without asking the question up front. He slowed down and got to two legs as he stridden on over. "Welllll, fancy running into you out here, Argax."


        "Huh?" The dragon looked around for a moment, clearly having been focused on something else. He looked down and grumbled, "Oh, it's you. Go away, rodent, i'm busy."


        Kader pretended to be offended by what is a awful slur to his Anthromorph race, but he's heard it so much, it lost all impact on him. "Rodent? I, dear sir, am a mouse. You need to get your facts straight." Argax grumbled to himself, crossing his front legs like arms. "And busy with what? You're just standing around."


        The little guy can see his irritating manner is getting to the big guy as his voice became more snarly. "Will you just go away?"


        Kader lifted his hands as if he was admitting defeat and slowly backed away. "Alright. Alright. Just asking. By the way, what did you do with those suits of armor i got ya?"


        Great, Argax thought, he's one of those people- the kind that pries into affairs that don't concern him. They aren't his items anymore, so why ask at all? "Why do you care? You sold them to me, so they aren't your concern anymore."


        "I'm just curious, is all, since i am the one who sold 'em to you."


        Argax's anger was growing and it was showing as clear as the red on his body. He bend down and snarled in his face, "I don't have to tell you a damn thing, Rodent. Now go away before i throw you to the wolves."


        A little too close for comfort, but he can work with this. He's been in worse talks... some involving ex's. "Geez, there's no reason to be violent. You want me to leave, i'll leave. Geez... talk about a rude customer."


        Argax put his paws to his mouth and shouted into them. It's not the questions that were getting to the drakes head, but the insistent talking. The menace cannot stop talking to save his own skin, and it was going to drive him insane. He's already on edge today and he doesn't want an annoyance pestering him. He rolled them down, pulling on his bottom lip.  "Stop talking. Would it kill you to stop talking?"


        "I thought we were done. I'm walking away, yet you're the one who kept on talking. Besides, doesn't matter what you do with that armor. You can try to break into the Council Tower for all i know and i wouldn't care--"


        Button pushed. He snapped and pinned the mouse to the ground, keeping him in place. "WHERE DID YOU HEAR OF THAT!?!"


        Button pushed, button very much pushed. Kader didn't see it going like this- he was now legitimately afraid for his own life. Bran was too, and he wasn't even anywhere near them. "Yikes."


        Argax kept him in place by digging his claws into the dirt around the rat, like a cage. "Listen here, you little rat!" He shouted. "Speak a word of this to anyone and i will make sure your end is a slow and painful one! UNDERSTAND ME!?!" 


        Kader gulped and nodded. "C-crystal. But.... wait, you're actually trying to break into the Council Tower."


        The fury and the ferocity went away like *snap* that when Argax realized what he had done. He slowly lifted his head and saw a crowd looking at him, murmuring amongst themselves. In his distraction, one of the claws had retracted, giving Kader an opening to slip out. "................... i said too much." He looked back down, snarling. "Rrrr... you tricked me."


        "Tricked you?!" He pulled himself out and quickly got up, wiping dirt off his clothes. "I did no such thing. All i did was say hi and ask a couple questions about the items I sold you after risking my life to get. Why wouldn't i be interested? But if they are for what i think they are for... then forget about it."


        Argax glared back and forth between the crowd, not once moving a muscle. "This isn't over, you pest." He snarled a scoff before storming away. He forcefully shoved a couple people out of his way, forcing his way through before everyone wised up and gave him space.


        Kader waited until he was out of sight, keeping up the apperance of a shaken man, until he finally was, in which case a giant shit-eating grin spread over his face as he strode on back to the dumbstruck Bran in style. "Wow..." The boy breathlessly gasped. "How did that even work?"


        "I honestly have no ideahahahahaha!" Kader laughed as he leaped up onto the bench. "I had a really long plan prepared where i egged him all through the day, but he cracked like a egg. He would be terrible at gambling if he snapped that easy."


        "It looked like he was gonna kill you." Bran said as he lowered his hand.


        "I thought he was gonna kill me too." Kader replied as he jumped on. 


        Bran lifted his hand up to his shoulder and the mouse jumped onto that, landing like a Olympic swimmer. "Should we tell the authorities?" The boy asked as he did all that.


        "Legally, we should... but it's always fun to see something blow up in their faces." 


        Given how horrible of a jerk that guy was, and how quickly he turned homicidal, wanting to see this blow up in their faces isn't the best idea. Bran's seen psychopaths before, and that guy was a textbook example. If caught or found out, there is no doubt that he will fight until his last breath until he is arrested and... experimented on? Something goes on in that tower to scare people, but he can only guess. 


        "Mmmmm.... i still think we should tell someone."


        "Ah, don't be a worrywart." Bran twisted his lips in a knot, tapping his finger on the bench. "... and don't get too sensitive either. Sheesh. Now come on- there's this game out near the hospital and i want to win it this year. The prize is always big money." He let loose a sigh before getting up from the bench. So much for finding his friends.


        As he began to walk down the road, he passed by a stand operated by a very ornery bunny, one who was stuff fuming after being upstaged by a outsider. "Grfrgrgrg... cursed outsider.... take care.... rgh... know all my tricks... what even is Roko Harbor anyway...?"


        Bran suddenly came to a halt- so sudden, it almost made Kader fall forwards off the shoulder. "Roko Harbor?" That... that is a Dragenia place name. That means someone from Dragenia was here, at this booth. The rabbit may be cheesed off, but he needed information. "Excuse me, sir?" He asked as he ran over.


        The ornery carny looked towards the kid and quietly grumbled- another fricken kid to his booth, and one he has to let win. Great.... "What do you want?"


        "What's this about a Roko Harbor?"


        He brushed him away. "I don't know, and i don't care." He sat down on his stool.


        Bran pouted as he slouched. Whoever was here really pissed this guy off. Getting information out of him was gonna be hard, but if Kader can subterfuge that easily, he probably could too. Question is: how can he do it? It didn't take long for him to have a plan formulated out in his mind. "I don't, just... that my father is a trader and is always looking for new ways to make money."


        "Like i said, i don't know and i don't care. Go talk to that stupid outsider if you want, just stop bugging me."


        That's a step in the right direction. "Outsider?"


        "Some stupid dragon. She was in a cloak so... pebt, shit luck for you."


        Dragon, eh? That narrows it down... while also expanding it to everyone in the dang city. But at least ONE of them is here. "Do you know where she went?"


         "You think i keep track of where everyone goes all willy nilly? Try finding that stupid Silver she's with."


        "Silver?!" Bran exclaimed in surprise. 


        "That must be Silverwind." Kader commented.


        Even if it's not Sokuro, a lead is still a lead. "At least they'll be easy to find. Now which way?" The rabbit grumbled as he pointed over his shoulder in the direction of the port. "Thanks!" He then ran off as fast as his little legs could muster. Kader held onto the cloak to avoid getting blown off.


        "You're not welcome!" The rabbit shouted, but the kid didn't care. He grumbled to himself, "... stupid kid..." before getting back to fixing his cheat machine. 


        Running as fast as his legs could carry him, Bran smiled from ear to ear, panting with each step. Finally... someone else is here. "Heh... heh... heh... at last, a lead."


        Kader had dug his claws into the cloak to avoid being  blown off. This may be old pat for the bigger races, but for someone as small as him: the wind generated by running is like a wind tunnel, but he's had experience with this, so he knew how to hold on. "Who do you think it is?"


        "He said a dragon... so that's Sokuro... Eia..." He had to think as he had trouble with the last name. "And.... and Polosa. Doesn't matter who it is- having eyes in the sky will be a big help."


        "Well, finding them will be easy. Just find Silverwind and you'll find your friend." Kader thought about it for a moment. Why didn't that bunny give any more intel? It's strange. "Strange that he didn't know what she was, though. People usually take their masks off after the ceremony. Are any of them sensitive about their appearance?" Bran shook his head. Sokuro could care less, and Eia... well, she dresses pretty, but doubtful she's that sensitive. Polosa, on the other hand... he knows next to nothing about her. She could be... but she's the village's head hunter, so it's doubtful- she'd get muddy and bloody constantly. "Well, if none of them are sensitive... then they must be in trouble."


        "Or maybe they are the trouble..." Knowing her, that was high on the probable list, especially given everything he's been told about this worlds Silvers.... "If what you told me about Silverwind and the Silver hatred is true, then Sokuro would have to hide the fact she is one to avoid being ostracized by association."


        "You're just guessing here, man. Only way to find out who it is is to find the Silverwind kid. Or the orphans he lives with."


        Another orphaned Silver? Even in another world, this happened? That is a very eerie coincidence. And while on the subject of the other kid, "Do you know this Silverwind?" He asked as he slowed down to catch his breath.


        "Never met him. All i know of him is what everyone knows of him."


        Walking into the unknown, eh? This can only go so well. "Is he violent?"


        "No. He's a bit of a pushover, from what i've heard. It's his powers that make people afraid of him."


        "Other then the explosion, what else did he do?"


        "It's more of a fear of what could be rather then what is at the moment. And i suspect most of that fear stems from the fact he's a half-breed. His mother was a Dragon-Phoenix hybrid, but his father was a Phoenix."


        Bran slowed to a halt after hearing that little plot element drop. There can be half-breeds between dragons and other creatures? Given how crazy this world has been, it should not surprise him that this is a thing. And he better not tell Dan- he would run wild with this. He's a "you were supposed to Slay the Dragon, not Lay the Dragon" type of person. "There can be half-breeds between two different species?"


        "Oh, yeah. There are toooooons. Half of everyone in this little crowd alone: good chances they're half-breeds. They usually always take the trait of the mother species. If the mom is a dragon, the baby is a dragon, but they will inherit things from their father- a Dragon-Feline hybrid, for example, will be furry, or have sharper claws that go in and out, like what Argax did. In cases of magic, however, things can get dicey. Some may get the magic from both parents, or from one parent, or not at all."


        "And Silverwind? What power does he have?"


        "Soul. He has control over the most powerful magic in Naya."


        Magic... seems kinda arbitrary since the dragons-- Aerids-- back home can use all of them willy nilly, but different world, different rules. "Well, if Phoenix's have Soul Magic, then why does everyone hate Silverwind for having it?"


        "It's not the power, but how he used it. Remember the explosion? Nobody causes something like that naturally, not even Fire Drakes or the Phoenixes themselves. Well, except maybe Shadows, but they're gone now. And even before this, Silver's aren't painted in the... best light in these parts, or any parts. Besides, barely anybody knows he's half Phoenix, not even Sil himself knows. I suspect the doctors and file clerks know, as would the leadership, but outside of them, it's not known."


        If it's not that known, then how in the world would he know about it? "So how do you know?"


        "Like i said, i have a Phoenix contact. They are frugal traders and i got a lesson from one of 'em. They're mostly private, but if you save one of 'em from a serial killer who's out for blood, and get drunk during a celebration to commemorate the event, they can become talkative...... i just realize that is not what i would call good information... eh... heh....... so take everything i just said with a grain of salt?"


        Grain of salt or not, it's all he has to go on. "How did someone as small as you catch a serial killer?"


        "Team effort, one that involved traps." He used his hands and fingers to simulate a cage trap that fell from above. "But enough talk, Jefe. Sooner we find Silverwind, or any of the orphans, by the sounds of it, sooner we can find your friends."


        "Alright, l--" One of those words that caught his ear puzzled him, like he heard it before. "Wait... Jefe?" That word sounds REALLY familiar. 


        Figures the newcomer would be puzzled by a unknown word. It's not like the kid hasn't said any odd words either. "Yeah. It means Boss. What about it?"


        He's not sure... it's just that he knows he heard it somewhere before, and it wasn't in this world. "... i dunno. Just sounded... familiar, is all." He shook his head to concentrate on his task and resumed his jog towards the port.

 

 


        Pop went the barrel of air rifle, hitting the target and knocking it down- a modeled bird of some kind; not a phoenix cause that would be too malicious.


        "Ha-ha!" went Piracus, who put down the air rifle with a boastful grin. These are made for Anthromorph hands, but carnival games have some specially made for their four-legged and winged cousins. "And that is how it is done!"


        All he got was sarcastic applause by the peanut gallery, some of whom had deadpan eyes. "Yeah, yeah, all hail Pira..." Sil and Seqy droned with the deadpan. Sokuro clapped along too, but not from sarcasm, but from curiosity. She swears she saw a gun shaped just like that somewhere back on Dragenia, but she cannot remember where.


        "You're all just jealous." He guffawed as he took his prize, a stuffed teddy. "A teddy? Nah nah nah, dude, gimme those iron claws."


        "Those are for the adult winners, sir." The bored Primate Anthromorph said. Gal looks like a cross between a gorilla and a baboon. "And even then, only for certain Anthromorphs."


        "Well, poo." Pira pouted. He looked at his teddy before getting an idea. He turned to the group to ask, "Hey... Alua, do ya--"


        "Not on your life."


        "But i--"


        "No."


        "But i really w--"


        "I said no, dammit!" She shouted, much to her and the others surprise.


        Pouting out his lips, he crossed his front arms and plopped down on the ground. "No need to be rude about it." He playfully whined. If this doesn't get his way, what will? Girl also needs to work on her anger.


        Her sudden burst isn't like her. Exhausted, she held a paw to her head as she exhaled long and sharp. "You ok?" Sil asked as he put a paw to her shoulder.


        She staggered in place for a moment, blinking for a unusually long time. "Yeah.... just... feeling... strange." Unseen by everyone, a pair of yellow eyes briefly glowed in her shadow. It looked towards Sokuro, who had a air of concern and guilt painted on her face. It looked for a moment before fading back in. 


        Sil rubbed her back, which made her feel a little better, but not by much. "Do you need to lay down?"


        Exhaustion and irritation were taking over and she's not sure why. They haven't been here for that long, and she didn't eat anything since their arrival. "No... no, i'm fine. Just... tired, for... some reason..."


        "Maybe you need a drink." Seqy suggested. She heard loud slurping coming from the straw of the drink Fira was gulping. She took it out of his claws, making him exclaim, before offering it to her. She declined and Fira took it back with a smoldered glare.


        "No, no... i'm... i'm fine..." She exhaled. She got up, staggering a bit, but kept herself up. "See? I'm fine."

       

        Seqy was not as convinced. "If you say so... i just don't want you push----" She suddenly squealed to the highest of heavens, creating a shrill that made their ears hurt. "Oh my stars above, it's Cyember!!!" Alua froze in place as a weight formed in her gut. Seqy squealed as she jumped up and down, pointing in the direction of a large, active crowd. They were swarming around a pinkish-purple dragoness, dressed in a very fancy, very flowy summer dress with gold lace. She was smiling to the crowd and signing autographs to the cheering crowd.


        That was the last thing anyone expected Seqy would ever do. She's outward, sure, but they have never, ever, ever seen her fangirl like that before. It's completely brand new behavior for Sokuro in the grand scheme of things. It's rare for celebrity culture to pop up on Dragenia. Like all society's at the Dragenian stage of development, celebrity status is usually kept to the town of origin. It's rare, if impossible, for someone to be famous world-wide. Only way is if they are historical or mythical, in any event, they'd be dead, so they wouldn't be able to reap the benefits. As for Sokuro, she knows how famous Silver's are back home, but she's never gotten hounded like how this new Dragoness is. Everyone in Misken knows her, she didn't transform at Roko Harbor, and everyone was too concentrated on becoming the new leader of Meoho, and surviving a surprise slaver plot, to notice her. "Cyem-who?" She asked, tilting her head in a confused manner that's cute.


        Seqy got uncomfortably close to her, touching her snout-to-snout. Sokuro slunk back just to get some space. "Only THE greatest singer of ALL TIME!!" She grinned from ear to ear. "And she's also one of the prettiest dragoness' in the whole world- top 3 easy!"


        Sokuro stuck her head out to the side to get another look at her. Seqy's not wrong on that front; she is a looker. "Well, ok, she does look pretty, but i doubt her voice is that spectacular." 


        "No, it's up there." Sil said, with the twins nodding in agreement. He looked to her and was wonder why she was here. She was elsewhere, last they heard on the radio. "But what is she doing here in Nexia? I thought she was up in the northern countries."


        Alua quickly approached the group with a hurry in her step and her voice, like she wants to be as far away from here as possible. "Well, clearly, she came back, now if we can move on to the next port altogether, we can--."


        "Is that little Aley i see over there?" Cyember called from across the way, having taken notice of the orphans as soon as she saw the Silver chap... and from him, Alua. Gently pushing the crowd away to keep up her image, she approached the group, eager to meet her old friend after so long.


        A sentiment not shared with Alua, who wanted to claw her snout so she can't talk; that's how bad she doesn't want to be here.  With a low groan like a child asked to do chores, she quietly muttered... "... crrrrap..." ...before slowly turning. "...hey, Cy."


        "It's been a long time."


        She reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally didn't want to be here. "It has...? I haven't noticed..."


        The kids were surprised that their caretaker are, or were, friends with such a famous celebrity, but none was more stunned by it then Seqy. Her mouth had drilled through the planet and came out the other side as her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "... No. Way. Alua knows Cyember!?! Alua bloody knows Cyember!?!" She squealed at the highest octave she can muster. 


        Cyember giggled to herself, glad to see such a enthusiastic fan. She met some who were close, but she's on a whole other level. In hindsight, she probably should've been afraid if the kid had a creepy shrine in her room, but eh. For the record, Seqy does not. "I see your daughter is a fan."


        Alua tilted her head in confusion for the briefest of moments before figuring it out and speaking up, "Oh. No. No no. She's not my daughter. None of them are my children." Cyember cocked an eye- is she a nanny or something? "I run a orphanage- the old one out on Origin Island."


        That, she was not expecting. With Alua's talents, she figured the personal bodyguard to one of the councilors or the generals, easy, or at least a mercenary. Bandit, if desperate, but a orphanage? "You? An Orphanage? That's a downgrade- why would one of the top candidates for Protectorship quit to run an orphanage?"


        Yet another new term this world uses that Sokuro doesn't know- she's raking these up by the bushel. "Protectorship?" She whispered to Sil.


        "It's as the name implies." He replied. "Use your imagination."


        The whisper, however, was overheard by Cyember. Looking towards the tyke, she asked, "And how does this little squirt not know what a Protector is?"


         At some point, she should write down her backstory. Explaining it every single time has become tiresome. "I'm..."


        "She's from out of town..." Alua interrupted, really wanting this conversation over and done with. "...or rather, out of country. ... maybe out of the Mists would be a better explanation." What is with her today? She can barely talk straight. 


        Thanks for stealing her thunder, Alua. Sokuro twisted her lips and tapped a claw in the ground, feeling robbed. "Real roundabout way of explaining it...."


        "Out of the Mists?" Cyember repeated before it came to her. "Oooooooh, you must be that new little Silver i heard about."


        How the-- by the sounds of things, this lady just got here. How does she know about her already? Well.... with that being the case, Sokuro took off her mask to reveal herself, and to finally get some fresh air. "How am i that wide-spread already?"


        "People love to gossip." Figures it be the easy answer. "The new Female Silver has people talking, one who claims to be from outside the Mists, reportedly with a entourage of strange creatures, shipwrecked in a unknown land... or so they say as those strange creatures have yet to be seen."


        How could.... how could she, or anyone, know about the others? "Wait.... how could you know about the others? Am i really that loud?"


        "Like i said... people talk. But strange creatures? Please. Don't make me laugh."


        "You have doubts?"


        "I don't believe what i can't see right in front of me, and so far, no strange creatures equals skepticism from me. I see that you are  royalty to be sure... and i already entertained Lady Shadewind, so i know you are not her- your horns don't even match. On that note, I've never seen any with horns coming out right above their eyes like you." She gently tapped her claws on one.


        Saddened, Sokuro slouched over. She liked her horns. They were unique and made her look cool, but this girl... she's blunt with her throughts and it hurts. "... well, thank you for making me feel self-conscious about myself..." 


        "I wasn't trying to." She said sincerely, to which Alua rolled her eyes when she wasn't looking. Cyember believes that she is sincere, but clearly nobody else shares those thoughts. "I did hear this other thing that may be of interest to you. A hunter at the bar in the hotel i'm staying at has been going on and on about how he found two brand-new species of lizard, but Termundus bought them off him."


        "Lizards?" Sokuro softly repeated, feeling this could lead somewhere.


        "Yep. And if Termundus has them, they aren't gonna be seen again. That's not stopping the hunter's lips from flapping, and he is terrible with descriptions. He swears one of them stands and walks only on its hind legs, and that--"


        The explanation was cut prematurely short when one of her bodyguards approached. Nobody special about these guys, except they have black glasses- who know glasses could be made to fit a dragon. "Lady Cyember, we really should get going."


        Cyember whined as she flung her head backwards. "Aw... but i wanted to catch up with Alua." Her whine was shrill to the bone; she's clearly had practice with this. 


        "You can do that after the concert."


        But she wanted to keep going now, not later... "Oh.... fiiiiine..." She hung her head back forwards. "The job never ends." Seqy grinned from ear to ear- she's gonna hear Cyember live and in person! As she turned to left, she looked to Alua, who was waiting for her to leave with a stern look and a sterner posture. "I guess we continue catching up later."


        "Yeah, sure." Alua muttered under her voice, wanting her to leave. "Go have fun."


        The course attitude didn't bug Cyember none. IN fact, she considered it a challenge. As she left, she sensually rubbed her tail under Alua's chin, making her blush. "Oh, i intend to." She cooed with a sultry tone as smooth as butter. "But will you be a part of that?" She giggled with a wink before trotting off. 


        Caught off guard by... that, Alua shuttered as her knees buckled. Unexpected, but not unpleasant. Just why did it have to be her? The kids, however, were whooping and cracking wise about that. "Wooo ho ho ho. Go, Ms. Alua." Sil joked, one of the rare times he's done so. 


        "Who know you had it in ya?" Pira chuckled as he put his front left leg around her neck in a jest.


        Seqy was getting all emotional- the past 3 minutes? Bliss. "This is officially the greatest day of my life..." She shuttered. And that envious turned to curious jealousy as she looked over to her caretaker. "You knew her and you didn't tell us? What the heck!"


        Alua looked away; she really didn't want to talk about this nor will she ever want to continue talking about this. "I didn't tell you because it didn't matter."


        "Didn't matter? I'm her number 1 fan and it doesn't matter?"


        "Some number one fan." Fira scoffed. "You only have a poster."


        A fire of vitriol erupted in her eyes, wanting to smack the jerk across the city. She held up a shaking fist, growling in anger as the fire became literal, igniting behind her as her eyes turned white. "I don't have enough money to buy merchandise, you prick, so zip it." And like a scared puppy, he did, whining like one too.


        "What does it matter?" Alua exhaled as she removed Pira's arm. "It's in the past and it doesn't matter anymore, so just drop it and let's move on." She walked off, wanting to put this experience behind her. While Seqy had the best day of her life, Alua got stress, stress she didn't need.


        Sokuro made the right move by staying on the sidelines for this exchange. She fell behind to talk to Sil. While putting her mask back on, she asked, "So... seems Alua knows a famous person."


        "Indeed she does."


        "Is this Cyember really that good?"


        "Angelic."


        "Oh my. I should hear one of her songs then." As they continued to the next booth, Sokuro made mention of how ornery Alua is being. "What do you think happened between them?"


        "What do you mean?"


        "You saw how Alua was acting.... it's like she didn't want anything to do with her. They must've had some relationship in the past since Cyember was shameless with her flirting, but something happened to break them apart, leaving Alua bitter about the whole mess while Cyember just moved on."


        "You were able to deduce all that from the three minutes we had with her?"


        "I grew up learning to 'read the room', so to speak. My parents were archeologists, but that wasn't their only job. Dad also moonlighted as a therapist and i grew up learning to read social cues and body language, and learning to find context in situations like that. And like i said, my parents were archeologists- deduction is in the job description." Sil lightly nodded in agreement. "But while on the subject of those two, what is a Protector?"


        "Saw that question coming. Well, It's as their name infers- they are those who are supposed to protect all the inhabitants of the known world from all manner of dangers."


        That doesn't really answer much. "Ok...? but what do they do exactly?"


        "They are defenders of the realm and those who we were supposed to follow in times of crisis."


        She groaned, rolling both her eyes and head head back. Is it that hard to get a detailed explanation? "Details, dude, details. I wanta the detailsa."


        "Mmmm... From what I have read, they currently reside at the Northern City of Skypeak, at a place called the 'Fortress of Balance', from where they oversee and remain vigilant to the threats of our world. Most often then not, they travel around, helping those in need."


        "Well, that last part fits in with the Protector angle, but how are they chosen? What are the requirements?"


        "That... i don't really know. I don't think anyone knows. They probably force the recruits to a pact of secrecy or something. Or it could be something simple like seeing someone in action and thinking 'huh. that could be a good Protector.' Could be both or neither. At least, that's what i believe."


        "Hmm... so, someone chose Alua?"


        "Seems like it. This is all news to me. I know next to nothing about her except... that I would probably trust her more than my own family... if they are still out there..."

    

        And her inquisitive mind had to keep on prodding. "... sigh, i should probably save this for later, but darn my curious mind: what do you mean still out there?"


        She was gonna regret opening up that can of worms. Sil slowed down and silently looked to the ground for a long second before finally speaking. "From what Alua could tell me, when she found me... there was only me at the entrance, recently hatched and all alone in a blanket and with a note that she hasn't let me see. And also this." He showed her the necklace tied around his neck. It was a simple string with what appeared to be a gray rhombus- a poker diamond- as its centerpiece, with a strange hole on its center. It was tied to the string by a latch on the back.


        "Huh. Looks like a poker diamond." She stopped for a moment, raising both eyebrows in bewilderment. "And how the heck do i know what that is?"


        He let go of it, letting it drop down back in place. "But... that's the thing... someone left me here..... my family is probably out there somewhere, alive and... doing something. But if that's the case then... why was I abandoned in the first place?" He gazed at his clawless paws, which he closed into fists. "Was it because of who I am? Because of my scales? Because I'm a-" Tears began to well up in his eyes. "Will they even want me around... if I ever find them?"


        "Hey hey hey..." She gently hugged him from the side, patting his head and rubbing his back to sooth and calm him. "Don't cry. I'm sure they had many reasons to leave you there. Maybe they were criminals on the run and didn't want you involved, or they thought they couldn't take care of you, or maybe... maybe they were just horrible people. You can only guess. The only way to know for certain is to find them." That wasn't really helping his emotional distress... and it wasn't doing well for her either as tears began to well in hers. "At least your parents are still out there somewhere...... mine are gone forever...."


        Tears still welling up, he wiped his eyes before sadly looking to her. "At least you had parents to begin with..."


        That's the irony of this whole mess: they are both the same person, but from different sides of the coin- she is beloved and looked up to, while he is hated and looked down on. She had parents, but he had no parents. She lost hers and his probably still live. It's like the universe is laughing at these two today, enjoying their misery. "..... can we please not turn this into some terrible contest...?" She pleaded. "We both have bad pasts... besides, you'd win hands down..."


       He nodded. "Agreed...."


        She wiped her eyes again. "Um.... so... can anyone quit being a Protector?" That's one way to return to the previous conversation. "Because Alua runs a orphanage on a small island while Cyember is a world-famous singer. Can anyone just walk away from it?"


        He wiped his eyes one last time, wanting something to drink. "Um... clearly, they can because they did. Unless they were unruly..."


        It was then she noticed something bad about this, one they could've easily avoided by just paying attention. "Un... speaking of Alua... where did she and the others go?"


        He jerked his head up and looked around, desperate to find them... but they were nowhere to be seen. They had blended into the crowd. This was far from good... this was so far from good, it's in the territory of the word i'm not allowed to put in risk of taking this outside it's PG-13 rating, so instead...


        ".............. aw, crap."

 


        Boring and inane chatter were the sole occupants of the boat that the Councilors and Generals were on, chatting amongst themselves while servants brought them hor'dourves. With a chocolate stick sticking out of his mouth, a bored Seliox looked out at the city, watching as the crowds on the shore were having fun playing games, while he was stuck out on the sea with the most boring crowd he had ever been a part of.


       Termundus felt the same way, but it was so he could just get away from these lousy wastes of space, as he sees them, so that he can get back to more important endeavors... like making his prisoner talk. Until then, he may as well share the pain.... yes, he's that kind of person.


       "What are you doing over here?" He coldly asked.


       "Looking out there. Wishing i was there."


      Termundus stayed silent for a moment before replying in his usual "him" move, "Well, too bad. You are here with us, so suck it up." Sel pouted and frowned to himself, resting his head on the railing. The shore looks so nice from here...


       "Aw, lighten up, General." Lord Cirrus said as he made his way over. He may be old, but he's not slow. He's one of the rare breeds of this world to have access to Light, and that's a useful element to have when old- leaves you energized and lively. "He is a child. Let him have fun- that's what children do." He looked to the boy. "Go on, lad. Go have fun." Seliox smiled from ear to ear before taking flight. At last, he was going to have some fun... 


       ...while Cirrus had to deal with a very ornery and very perturbed general. ".... i'm not opposed to advice, your lordship..." He clearly was as he was gritting through his teeth to hide his vitriol. "...but he is my ward and i would prefer you don't undermine me in front of the lad."


       "Your ward?" Cirrus repeated. "Strange, i thought he was your son, adopted he may be." Termundus ate his words and snorted before snapping away. "He is a child, Termundus. He isn't a tool to be used." He turned to head back to the group he left, but stopped halfway. "... i sometimes wonder if you left your humanity to die during the war, because you... you feel emotionless." Termundus glared at the old buzzard as he turned away to leave.


       He feels one thing, all right: contempt for everyone here. If he had his way, he could take the whole lot of them, but then he'd become the enemy of the rest of the world when they learn what he did. "There is one emotion i feel, old man....." He snarled under his breath, his eyes softly glowing. "... but you wouldn't like it..."

44: Chapter 41: A Dance of Shadows
Chapter 41: A Dance of Shadows

Chapter 41


A Dance of Shadows


???

 

 

 

        Having reached the city's shores, Bran wasted no time in calling out the names of everyone who came with him. It was a long shot, but he had to do it. Going straight onto the beach, however, may've been a bad idea. There were so many people here and so much noise, the possibility of anyone hearing him is slim.


        "Eia!" He called out with his hands to the side of his mouth to amplify. "Fayin?! Polosaaaaa!"


        Kader picked the wax out of his ears and flicked it away before climbing over to Bran's ear so he can hear clearly. "You think they'll be able to hear you over all this?" He gestured out to the loud crowd before them.


        Bran lowered his hands to speak to him without being really loud. "Well, i have to try."


        "Then use your noggin." He knocked on Bran's forehead. "You know these people- try to imagine where they might go."


        That is an idea. A low-yield one, but one that may bear fruit. "Hmm.... well, i know nothing about Polosa and Fayin. Eia, on the other hand, is pretty and, un.... um.............. un.........................."


        "You know nothing about her too?"


        He nodded. "Which is weird cause she always spent time with me. and always finds ways to spend time too. All i do know about her is that she is a cabin girl on the ship."


        Sheesh... for all the time on that ship, you'd think you get to know each other a bit more, he thought. "Ok then, since you know next to nothing about this girl who sounds like she has a crush on you, focus on this Sokuro. What does she like? Is there anything around here that may interest her?"


        Bran stopped to look around, seeing some things around that may interest someone like Sokuro. "Well... she's energetic- hyperly so.... so slow activities like finger painting probably won't attract her. She is also gun-ho..."


        The mouse tilted his head. "Gun-ho?"


        "Means she won't say no to a fight."


        "Huh...." That brings an idea to mind. "Then she could be at the arena pits."


        "The what?"


        


        Elsewhere, just a few dozen meters from where the lost boy and mouse were, the two dark grey's were at a loss as to how they got into their current situation, one more so then the other.        


        "How could we have lost them?!" Sil shouted as he and Sokuro made their way through the crowd, trying desperately to find him. She's not so worried, but Sil? With how harshly everyone treats him, he does NOT want to be away from emotional support. "We only stopped for a few seconds."


        "How should i know?" Sokuro replied. "I didn't expect to lose them that quick."


        Sil whined like a frightened animal, scared of what will happen if he doesn't find them quick. Every time he's separated from them, bad things happen. "This is really, really bad."


        She nodded in agreement, but not in the way he was hoping... or expecting. "I know. I feel like the universe has been out to get me." Sil stopped for a moment and looked at her with a raised brown. "Ever since i became a Silver, i've been bitten, beaten, stabbed, knocked unconscious, and now lost. My luck has been terrible... i swear, if i get blown up--"


        "Blown up?" A familiar voice said. The demeanors in the two Silvers soured when they remembered who that voice belonged to. They looked behind to see the oh-so-wanted company of Seliox right there.


        "Great..." The two droned in perfect unison, almost as if they were brother and sister and they've done this their whole life. "It's Seliox..."


        He could just feel the love in the air right now. "Hello to you too." He replied, ignoring their sarcasm as he approached. "Did i interupt your date?"


        Date?! Way to be presumptuous! Sokuro almost coughed out her breath while Sil became flustered up the wazoo. "D-Date?!" He choked on the reply. "D-don't be absurd! I barely know her!" Should she feel offended by that remark? If feels like she should be offended.


        "Relax, relax. I'm joking." He chuckled. "But... why are you two alone? And what did you mean by blown up?" 


        Sokuro grunted a prolonged growl. Why did he have to show up now? "I was talking about everything i went through..." He clearly didn't hear the part of becoming a Silver, so she can make something up on the spot that would work. "... ever since i arrived in this place. The only thing i haven't been subjected to is an explosion, and i would rather not be turned into a million pieces. It's as if the universe is out to get me for some reason."


        "Maybe you pissed off the Stars."


        The stars? ... riiight... different world, different customs. On Dragenia, the stars in the night sky are considered the souls of those who have sinned whose crimes are so great, they don't undergo reincarnation, and must recompense through isolation before gaining access to the paradise within the Great Light, what they call the Andromeda Galaxy. She's curious what the stars have to do with them, but doesn't not have time for a Q&A. "... riight, i'm sure i did."


        "So why are teh two of you alone?"


        "We got separated from the others." Sil replied, knowing that sounds stupid without the context.


        "You?" Sel responded with a hearty suspension of disbelief. "Got separated from the others? How in the world did you manage that? You're always so clingy."


        "We were talking, jerkface." Sokuro scoffed. "We stopped for a few seconds, but when we looked back- whish... gone. It's like they disappeared into the crowd."


        He would call baloney on that... but the crowd was rather dense this year. There are more out-of-towners here then last year- like there are more party goers and less mourners. "... i can buy that."


        Then Sokuro had a thought. "Hey, wait, why can't we just look from the air?"


        "How would be able to tell them apart?" Sil replied. He wanted to try it out, but his overtly-analytical mind had issues with it. "You do know i'm the only uniquely colored Dragon here, right? Red, blue, and green are some of the most common colors here. And i would rather not draw attention to myself."


        She would retort if it wasn't for a red dragoness, emerald dragon couple walk by. "Point noted..." She let loose a defeated sigh. "Well, that was my only idea. Guess we're by ourselves until we head home."


        "I think you mean with me." Seliox said.


        The two Silvers were.... less then enthused by that. ... no, scratch that, they downright hated it. "............................. yay..."


        He smirked, knowing one way to turn those attitudes around. "Oh, come off it. You just need to find a way to pass the time."


        Letting loose a long, drawn-out sigh, Sokuro whined, "Can't we just keep looking for them...?" 


        "No... he's right." Sil sighed. "This is too big a crowd to go looking through. And we don't even know where they went."


        "Then should we just head back to the orphanage?" She suggested.


        "People hate me, remember? It's one thing to be alone in a crowd, but to be alone with no one around- that's even worse. If anyone attacked me, there would be no witnesses to report who. I know you're powerful, but i doubt you can handle a mob."


        She hasn't really tried... and she doesn't want to try. She can only imagine what she could ignite if she attacked a mob. "... right. ... wait, if everyone hated you, why would anyone come forth as a witness if you were attacked?"


        "It's the Dragons that hate him." Seliox spoke. "The other races would defend him, especially Phoenix's. They love him, for some reason." She looked to Sil, wondering if that was true, but he just gave a shrug- he's not sure himself. "And you have power?" Sel asked.


        She smirked as she chuckled with a humble smug. "Well, i don't like to toot my own horn, as they would say... but yeah. I got some power. One thing the..." Almost spilled the beans there, little missy. Good thing she caught it. "...outside world has in comment with this isolated place is that Silvers are considered very powerful creatures.  Heck, we're considered Demi-Gods." Jealous, Sil whined in his mind.


        Seliox internally snorted a laugh. Her? A Demi-God? Pish-posh... but if true, there's one way to figure it out. "Demi-Gods, eh? Well, i find that very hard to believe." 


        "Well it's true."


        "Well, there's only one way i can find out for sure. Let's fight."


        That question made her take a few steps back at how blunt and uncouth that question was. That was so far out of left field, she doesn't even know how to respond. "Fight? in the middle of the crowd?"


        "No no no. It's less a fight and... mmm, more of a training regiment." Sil groaned loudly, lowering his head and palming his paw to his snout, knowing what he was referring to. "He gets what i'm talking about. So what do you say?"


        What CAN she say? This question is so far removed from the normal line of questions someone would normally ask at a carnival, she's not even sure how. Does she say yes? Does she say no? Is it a custom in this world to accept fights out of the blue? What she saw yesterday with Sil on the beach tells her "NO!" in that this isn't a custom. She should say no... but then she thought about it and... yeah, she could fight him. Not to prove him up, but... more for training. The Phagos and the Koloron have proved that she still has a long way to go till she's like the Silver's of old. Even Xelut, the weakest one thus far, had enough power to challenge the gods. He didn't last long in a straight-up fight, but he was able to scar Cagalatif, and she's supposed to have the hardest scales. 


        And so, she agreed. Besides, how bad could it be?

 

        ...


        As it turns out, really bad.


        "A combat arena!?!" She shouted as she looked on in shock at the enormous pit dug out of the sand that served as a miniature colosseum. Obviously, people fought in here to the cheers of the crowd- in this particular instance, a Canine Anthromorph fighting a Feline- both scantily dressed, with wooden clubs.


        "Yep." Seliox said, unphased by her stunned shouts.


        Her mind hurt trying to wrap her head around this. Of all the psychopathic ways you could honor the missing dead... it would be one thing if it was war- a lot of conflicts were started off the death of someone important. But... combat arenas? For sport? What kind of sick world...? ".... so, to memorialize people who vanished and never to be seen again.... you put in combat pits...? I... ii.... i am trying to understand the logic behind it. Is your civilization this barbaric?"


        Well, doesn't she sound so high and mighty? If Silver's are treated as Demi-Gods in her country, then she must be as snooty as the nobility. "Yours isn't?"


        "NO! This is messed up! Who mourns the lost by fighting to the death?!"


        "It's not a fight to the death..." Sil sighed. "It's till first blood. Broken tooth, ripped nail, scratch on the cheek- doesn't matter. And they don't allow outside weapons and Dragons can't use their horns, same with Gryphon and Phoenix beaks. Teeth and Claws are fine as long as they only cause scratches." 


        That still doesn't explain WHY this is a thing. "how the-- i... am just at a loss for words.... just..... whyyyyyyy?"


        "You want the philosophical version or the plain version....?" Seliox said with distaste in his voice.


        She should say yes to just having the plain version, but darn it, her parents influence kicked in once again as her curious side kicked in. "Uuuugh... i'm gonna regret this, but... give me the philosophical."


        Not the answer he was hoping for; he was internally begging she would say plain. He even sucks with the philosophy stuff, so he is going to butcher this hard. "Right... well.... these are more or less tests, to see if your partner can have your back."


       "Heh?"


        "What he means is..." Sil interjected. He's more philosophical then Seliox, so he'll be able to explain it better. "... is that we suffer and get hurt.. and sometimes our own resolve might not be enough." He looked at his own paw. "Sometimes... we need help. Someone to have out back and keep us safe."


        She's still missing the point and it was starting to piss her off- does everyone she talk to have to take forever to get to the dang point? "Aaaaaaaand how does this connect to the missing people?"


        "Because if they did survive and were unable to get past the fog to return home, then they would have to rely on each other. Even if they are total strangers, survival is a key unifier. You're in a similar situation as well, right?"


        She is. "Well...... technically, yes, but i haven't found anyone yet."


        "You found us."


        "Aw." She cooed. She looked to the pits and immediately spotted a inconsistency. "... wait, you said they fought in tag teams. Why is this match one-on-one?"


        "This place is also great for settling grudges." Seliox said. She lidded her eyes in response. From a display of unity to a grudge match ring... sheesh, this world blows, she though. "So, whadya say? Care to put up your dukes and show me what you're made of?"


        Put up her dukes? What the heck are dukes? Well, no, ok, she knows WHO Dukes are, but not what they have to do in this specific context. "I dunno.... it just still doesn't feel right... and besides, would it be one on one between you and me or is Sil going to have to get involved?" Sil's eyes went wide in fright when he heard his name in this conversation. He doesn't want to fight; please don't drag him i--


        "Well, tag team, obviously."


        Crap, he thought. "But... Sil doesn't fight." Sokuro said. She looked back to him. "Right?" He nodded to confirm.


        "Well, he needs to learn. He can't keep coddling to Mommy Alua forever."


        "That's a bit rude."


        "And yet true. Didn't you mention you saved him from a thief yesterday?" She can't recall if she told it directly to his face or not, but that's beside the point. She kept silent as she glanced away. "Yeah, that's what i thought. And he just cowered to let the robber take all his coin, right Sil?" He also stayed silent. "You both just proved my point. He's a wimp- he needs to toughen up or he'll get thrown to the wolves. Literally- there is a pack of feral Anthromorph Wolve's out there and they will devour you."


        Ok, that last part has to be a lie, but everything else... she's in no position to speak on Sil's behalf. "You were still very rude about it. And we're not going to fight you in some barbaric pit, right Sil?" His response never came. He was troubled and guilt ridden. "Sil?" When she looked back to him again, she could tell what he was thinking: that Seliox is right, but he can't bring himself to say it. 


        Seliox took a step forward and, while not intentional, spoke with a smug grin, "The silence says more then words, doesn't it?" Sokuro ignored him and patted the conflicted young one on the back. With that out of the way, he was quick to assume they agreed. "I'll go sign us up for a tag-team match." He left before they had a chance to respond.


        Mouth agape at his assumption, Sokuro yelled to him, "We didn't even say yes!"


        "I didn't hear a no, either." He responded as he headed towards the sign-up desk.


        Perturbed, Sokuro growled and gruffed, snorting smoke out of her nose. "Presumptuous...." She grumbled to herself before she returned to Sil's side. "We can leave, you know. We can go back to the island right now and just leave him holding the check, so to speak." Sil wants to, but doesn't want to at the same time. "Don't tell me you're really gonna let him bully you."


        That's all he's ever been: bullied. Never the bullier, but the one getting the short end of the stick. ".... Sokuro... you don't get it. You've only been here a day. What happened on the beach yesterday, with me cowering while someone else tossed me around... it's been like that my entire life. Seliox is right; i am a wimp..."


        standing silent for a moment, Sokuro eventually exhaled a long sigh. She tried to talk him out of it, she really did, but she could feel that he wasn't listening. Seliox got to him. "So you're gonna do this then...?"


        "............... yeah."

 

 

        Holding her head in her paws, Alua was facedown on a metal-ringed table, with a half-empty pitcher of tequila nearby- it may be overkill to humans, but for dragons, it's barely considered a shot. ... well, it depends on how well they can tolerate their alcohol, and Alua has a high tolerance. After that encounter with Cyember, she needed a hard drink. It'll take a few more to get her wasted, but she's got a buzz. 


        "Why did she have to come back...?" She groaned, digging her forehead into the table. She grabbed her pitcher and pulled it under. "I'm gonna need a stiffer drink.." She grumbled as she sipped through the straw.


        The sound of clattering and bouncing balls made her slowly open one eye. She looked and saw the kids throwing skeeballs, trying to hit the target to send a poor schlub- a Iguana Anthromorph- into the dunk tank. While it is nice to see that they are having so much fun... did the three of them have to be so loud? She put the straw back in her mouth for a brief second before her eyes went wide in realization:


        Only three of the kids are here. The other two are missing... It's bad enough people here hate one Silver, but two? She's already picturing the mob. "Wait... where's Sil?" She asked to the kids.


        Seqy was in the middle of throwing a ball but stopped before she let go. She and the twins looked around and saw that the two important kids weren't here. "Sokuro's missing too." Pira commented.


        It didn't take long for the kids to get to the same conclusion Alua did, and they all had the same reaction the other two had: "......... crap."


        While the orphans and their caretaker scrambled to find their missing friends, their hitchhiker slipped away into the crowd, traveling from shadow to shadow as it rushed to avoid its masters wrath. 


        "{Fhalanx...?}" Too late. "{Where is the girl?}"


        "I'm looking for her now, sir."


        He wasn't buying it, not even for a instant. "{Interesting... because it seemed to me that you were getting the same buzz Alua was getting.}"


        Fhalanx sputtered, pushing it off as a wrong turn somewhere. "That? Pbt. That was nothing. I don't even feel it."


        "{You are trying my patience, Fhalanx. I gave you one mission and you are failing.}" Fhalanx snarled to himself so that his overlord wouldn't hear. "{I heard that.}" Never mind. "{Now find them both.}"


        As easy as it is for him to start... this place is big, even for a Shadow. Where would he even find them? "Where would i even be able to start looking?"


        "{How about where you last saw them? That's a common idea.}" Fhalanx grumbled again, not caring if he heard, before slithering away like a snake, moving between the shadows of others.


        Slithering its way through the many crowds, it took little to no time for Fhalanx to find its quarry. He was surprised to find that they came here on their own, but it's not gonna argue with the results. For now, it needs to reap the rewards...       


        


        "Aren't you two a little young to be partaking in this?" The Anthromorph Iguana at the sign-up desk commented as he looked at the two young dragons standing before him. Unlike the Dragons, the rest of the races don't really care that Sil is.... well, a Silver. What concerns him, however, is that they are kids going into something that is far from kid friendly. Behind him was the Combat Pits- one of three, in fact, each surrounded by wooden walls embedded into the sand.


        Sokuro glanced over to Sil, who was silent and staring at the ground. "I said the same thing..." she said to the Iguana, "...but Seliox pretty much forced us." 


        That explains it then. "Oh, you're his fighters." He placed down a clipboard with the standard wavers. "Sign here."


        Sokuro cocked an eye before leaning down to look at it. Figures, it's written in whatever text this world uses... but what's puzzling is that she can actually read some of them. Odd. "Un... sign what, exactly?"


        "A waver, so you don't sue us for injuries or liabilities." 


        Bad feelings, bad feelings are rising in her gut. "Um... i... thought this was only till first blood."


        "It is. But it can get really nasty in there. Broken limbs are still a possibility."


        Bad feelings have evolved to 'nope, let's get out of here.' She wasn't about to risk her limbs just to satisfy some presumptuous bully's carnal desire for a fight, even if it is for Sil. Speaking of whom, she turned to him to ask, "We can still walk away, you know. None of the others know you are here, so you won't be losing face with them." Without a word, Sil approached the desk, dipped his tail in ink, and signed the waver. She was stunned that he's still willing to go through with this. "Sil..."


        Once it was signed, the iguana looked it over. "Ok, looks good, Mr.... Silverwind." He pulled out another waver and put it on the clipboard as Sil walked over to the entrance, sitting on a bench beside it. "And you, miss?" She refused to sign it and went over to Sil's side. The Iguana merely shrugged and put the clipboards away.


        Sokuro sat down on the bench herself and sat back. If she had pockets, she'd put her hands in them. They could hear the fighting on the other side of the wall, but paid it no mind. She once again looked to Sil; his eyes felt so vacant. She sighed and said, "I'm gonna say this one last time: we can still leave. We can still head back and nobody would ever know. You don't have to prove anything to Seliox."


        "Yes i do..." He creaked.


        "No you don't. He's being a bully."


        "You don't get it, do you?" He said as he looked to her with the vacant expression being filled up. "I've done nothing but run all my life... for a reason that's not my fault. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of being weak..."


        As much as Sokuro wants to relate... she can't. She's always ran headstrong towards danger rather then away from it. "Sil..." The cheering of the crowd surrounding the pit briefly got their attention. Sounds like the fight was over. "Seliox is just being a jerk... isn't he?" Sil returned to his silence. "Sil..."


        The door to the pit rose up and paramedics carried out the combatants who lost- a pair of Gryphons. One of them was mumbling "put me back in, coach... i can still race..." This wasn't even a race... and seeing their beaten conditions didn't sit well with her, and her opinion of this world has gone down significantly. 


        Sil got up off the bench and went towards the door. Sokuro grabbed him by the shoulder to try one last time. "You don't have to listen to him." But he was. He walked out of her grip and towards the entrance. Sokuro released a defeated sigh, saying, "Well..... can't blame me for trying..." She exhaled a puff of smoke, feeling like she failed. At least she can do one thing. "... at least i can prevent him from getting completely hurt."


        

        On the other side of the pit, Seliox was getting ready, checking his teeth and claws in a mirror as he waited for his partner to finish up. "How much longer are you going to be?" The young one asked. "The fight is over and we're next."


        "I'm hurrying, i'm hurrying." A voice replied from the restroom, one that's a bit too familiar. "I shouldn't have ordered the large margarita....." He groaned.


        The gates to the pit opened as the victors came out with large, beaming smiles. They were handed a prize- a small wallet of coins. The losers... they get free health care, so... win win? "Well, they're out, so are you gonna fight or aren't you?"


        "Will you hold your horses for just a second?!" The voice rudely replied.


        "Sheeeeeesh. Fine."


        

        Sokuro and Sil walked onto the sandy pit floor. The moment they walked in, they got nothing but boos from the local dragon part of the crowd due to, you guessed it, Sil being Silver, a fact that confused the Anthromorphs, Gryphons, and Phoenix's from out of town and out of territory, same with dragons from other nations. Why do they hate a kid so much? Even after hearing the explanation, many out of towners are still puzzled as to why they would continue to hound a child after this long.


        "Yyyyyyep..." Sokuro popped her lips. "Should've seen this coming..." She still had her disguise, but she was gonna have to ditch it once the fighting started. It was hard enough to move with this robe and mask- fighting in it was gonna be impossible. She looked up to the crowds. "At least everyone isn't giving us grief."


        The gate closed behind them as the Shadow slithered through. Even if it did close, it would not matter to Fhalanx. It moved to the side, waiting for their opponent to enter.


        Sokuro popped her lips again, wondering what was taking Seliox and whichever partner he was able to scrounge up so long. Well, at least it gave her time to talk. "Ok, since i have the feeling you're not that experienced with fighting, leave all the heavy lifting to me. Just stay behind me and you'll be fine."


        "I can fight fine." He replied. "I wrestled Seliox a lot back when he lived at the orphanage."


        He probably lost more then he won... but at this point, it'll be better then nothing. "Ok, that kinda helps a bit. You focus on him and i'll deal with whoever he got." The gate on the other side began to open up. They saw Seliox, but not his partner. "When it starts, let me make the first move." She said to him. "I'll keep the other guy busy."


        "Whatever..." He exhaled.


        Seliox soon entered the arena, looking around at the walls. He's seen plenty of bouts in these during the past celebrations, but he's never been in them before. "I thought this was tag-team." Sokuro pointed out.


        "It is..." Seliox sighed. "The guy they paired me with is just taking forever in the bathroom."


        "Could he be trying to run away?"


        His partner was thrown in, landing face-first in the sand. His body poked out like a ostrich. "If he was, he's not anymore." Seliox chuckled. 


        The all-too familiar red drake pulled his head out of the sand and landed on his rear. "That hurt!" He yelled back to the parishioners who threw him in. He shook his head to get the sand out of his ears. "Now i got sand in my brain..." That... is physically impossible. What also is impossible is his luck when he saw who his opponents were, and they were just as surprised as he was. "Oh, of all the rotten luck!"


        "YOU!?!" The pair shouted in equal surprise. 


        Wait, Seliox thought. They already know each other? How? "You.... three know each other?" He asked as he slowly moved a claw back and forth between them. 


        "Of course we do!" Sokuro exclaimed. "he's the thief that held up Sil yesterday!"


        The thief got up with a aggravated groaning moan- is his luck really that rotten? "And you're the uppity hairless monkey, ain't ya?!"


        "Hairless monkey?" Seliox and several others in the peanut gallery repeated. Sil sucked in his lips while Sokuro internally screamed that this secret is about to get exposed, which is baaaaaad in this world by her counts. She forgot, this maniac saw her transform back on the beach- it's how she was able to scare him off.


        The thief doesn't want any of this. Screw the prize money- it's not worth this. "I don't have to deal with this! I'm out of here. Enjoy fighting them on your own, princeling, because there is no way in the 13 hells i'm going to fight a walking bomb and a transforming scare-fest!"


        He did it again! Thankfully, however... it seems to be confusing people more then it is affirming any suspicions. "Transforming scare-fest...?" Seliox repeated before looking over to the two silvers.


        Sil sputtered for a moment before awkwardly shrugging, not wanting to get in the middle of this. "I..... have no idea what he is talking about."


        Well, no answers from his opponents, so what was he talking about? "What are you talking about?" He asked his departing partner.


        He didn't care- he wanted to get as far away from these two. Too bad he wasn't going to get that chance. "Nope. Nope. i'm not getting involved." Fhalanx made its move, speeding though the shadows of the pit. Goodbye, good riddance, peace ou--" He came to a sudden halt after Fhalanx slipped right in. When a Shadow possesses someone, it's usually a difficult process. There are a number of factors involved that could make possession a easy process or a hard process. Lucky for it, this thief had filled all the criteria's to make this easy. Lowering his head, the thief slowly began to smile sinisterly. "Actually...... i would love a good fight. In fact..." He slowly turned around as his eyes changed color. "...i'm dying to have one."


        ... and just like that, this took a creepy turn. All three of them felt it. ".... scary turnaround, but... alright..." Seliox stammered. "... so... i'll take Silverwind- i fought him before, so--" 


        "Shut up." The thief hissed as he walked past. "Or die." His eyes briefly glowed when he said 'die'.


        So... so many alarm bells are going off in their collective minds right now. Just... so many words for 'nope' and 'get out of there' racing through their heads. But... like the children they are, the warnings were ignored. 


        The referee to the fight fluttered on in to give them the rules. "Alright, rules are simple. No killing, and fighting is till first blood- broken limbs don't count as first blood. And no weapons, either, so i better not see any hidden blades from you lot." Hidden blades?, Sokuro internally repeated. How would they even be able to use them- they don't have fingers. How could-- "Ready? Fight."


        Without warning, the thief lunged towards her like a beast out of hell, surprising her. She had planned to go after him first, but not the other way around, and not with this level of sheer ferocity. His speed was unreal and it caught her off guard as she was suddenly slammed into the wall behind her by the throat in mere seconds. The referee wasn't even off the ground by the time she was pinned.


        "Whoa!" The two boys proclaimed. They never saw anyone move that fast before in their lives.


        His sudden speed caused excited murmurs among the crowd. "When did Eilas get so fast?" Someone said, likely one of the thief's- Eilas'- friends.      


        Gagging for air, Sokuro kicked the suddenly souped-up Eilas away and rubbed her neck for a moment before he charged back in. Anticipating he would've done the same trick again, she jumped to the side and spun around, smacking him with her tail. Skidding to a halt beside Sil, she took a moment to sooth her throat. 


        "That was... unexpected." She grunted. She looked back to Sil. "You ok?"


        "Why ask? I haven't even fought yet." He gestured over to Seliox, who was still in the same spot he was before.


        "Wait, that was all in a few seconds? .................. wow, that dude was fast." She looked back to Eilas... and saw he wasn't there- in his place was a dug-up pile of sand. "... where did he--" Her question was cut short as his paws burst from the sand, scaring her as she was dragged under. 


        Sil jumped back out of fright. "...i didn't know he could do that." Seliox mentioned. "I didn't even know he was that fast." The ground beneath them rumbled. Sel approached where she was pulled under before looking over to Sil. "Well, our partners are likely dead." He wiped a claw across his nose. "Wanna get started?"


        "... tell me you are joking."


        "What? They..."


        ...burst up from the sand, kicking out enough force to knock the boys flat on their backs. Sokuro flew out of the plume, as did Eilas. She quickly spun around, smacking him with her wings, stunning him before going in for another tail slap. She followed that up with a 1-2-3 combo: a punch to the face, followed by a nasty uppercut, and a beam of light from her mouth that hit with enough force to send the thief down into the sand. Strange thing though... the light was green, a sickly green. 


        "Whoa!" The boys exclaimed as she landed.


        "That... was scary..." She panted. But why was her beam attack green? She felt a slight burn on the back of her neck and went back to rub it. She did and felt something wet. Pulling her paw back, she saw a strange green substance. It felt slimy, yet sticky. She went to sniff it when she got distracted by her foe.


        "Are you ok!?" Sil exclaimed.


        "Yeah..." She rubbed it between her claws. "... just shocked..."


        Eilas groaned as he slowly began to rise up from the sand. He moaned in pain as he held his head. Sokuro looked up to him and saw the scales and the skin underneath shift and morph, like they are on water...


        ...almost like something was moving underneath...


        "Quick question." She asked. "Do dragons around here dig through sand like that?"


        "No."


        "... that's... what i thought... Then, followup question:..." She gestured to him to look in the way she was looking, and both boys complied. Whatever was moving under there... it was moving faster. Eilas dug his claws into his cranium, drawing blood, as his eye color shifted from his natural green, to the yellow it had glowed, and back again. He gritted his teeth, snarling and sniffling and huffing like he was in pain. "Is that normal?"


        His huffing grew louder and more violent with each passing breath as the movement under his skin became more prominent. His eyes turned to yellow once more as he howled in anguish up into the sky as a dark red energy burst out of him.

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBXa3tZuO6M  Undead Battle Track II - Battle Brothers OST

 


        Large, grotesques black wings like disgusting ink burst out of the sides of his body, spreading as far and as wide as they could go. Black blood spilled onto the sand as he lowered his head, panting like he had run a triathlon with weights on and a broken leg. His forehead then opened up and a third eye appeared between the clawmarks.


        "THAT IS NOT NORMAL!!!!!!" A freaked-out Sil shouted. The audience yelled out in fear and disgust, while Eilas' few friends looked on in horror. "THAT IS FAR FROM NORMAL!!!"

 


        Back in the cave, Soulless was.... more then a little on edge, to say the least. "This is.... unexpected.... and not good. Not good at all."


        "Sir?" The brute questioned. "I thought this is what you wanted."


        "It is... but his host is far more corrupt then we thought, and that in turn affected Fhalanx.... and if any of the leaders see that mutation, it could throw all my plans into jeopardy. And it may've also put the girl in mortal danger." 

 

 


        Staying silent and motionless for a brief moment, as a dark energy wafted off him like stink lines, the thief soon raised up his head, all three eyes glowing yellow as he adopted a demonically wicked smile,


        Doesn't matter what world you are in: if someone....... for lack of a better word, mutates in front of you and everyone is reacting with the same reaction you are, then something is very, very, very wrong. "What in the world.......?" Sokuro gasped in shocked horror. Something like this is unheard of back home. She looked towards Sil, hoping he was ok, and saw that he was frozen in place out of pure terror. While also further proving that this is far, far, faaaaaaaaaaaar from a normal occurance, it also truamatized the lad to the bone.


        "We should... probably go find one of the Generals." Seliox breathlessly chuckled as he slowly backed away from his partner.


        Suddenly, a gross hand came up from the shadow underneath the mutant and grabbed him by the throat. "You... will do nothing..." He gutturally growled. He put on the squeeze, making Sel gasp for air as he kicked his legs, hoping to get free. The possessed Eilas took glee in the brats suffering.


        It was immediately broken when he was hit in the head by something thrown. He looked to the ground and saw it was a ornamental mask.... the same one the girl was wearing. 


        "Hey, ugly!" She called out to him. He lifted up his head, and Seliox slowly moved his as little as he could with one eye open. "Put down the jerk."


        "Eilas" gandered back over to Seliox before letting go of his throat and just letting him drop. "Very well..." He said, his voice no longer what it was before. "... you'll die first."


        "Die what now?"


        The unassuming celebrators on the beach were completely caught off guard with total surprise when the arena pit was suddenly turned into a column of sand and wood bits flew everywhere, hitting some people. None fatal, but a few cracked skulls and/or ribs, a punctured limb, and maybe a collapsed lung.    


        Eilas dragged the two silvers along the sand by their tails, digging their faces through it as he flew at amazing speeds thought unknown to him. Pulling them up, he saw he had one too many and tossed Sil away like he was nothing. He was tossed into a changing booth.


        Sokuro, however, was able to spin herself around and kick the thief in the wrist, forcing him to let go. Keeping her momentum, she pushed up off the ground and double-kicked him square in the jaw, sending him crashing into a boulder that was being painted on.


        "AAA!!!" She heard someone scream. "ANOTHER SILVER!!"


        "... really? I get assau--" She panted in pain when she felt a contraction in her chest. She looked down and saw the cloak she was being used to hide herself was gone- it must've been taken off during the drag race, but no visible indication of any wounds on her chest. It must be internal... and that's worse. A monstrous roar echoed as Eilas rose up like a demon, destroying the boulder beneath him. "Holy... this is getting dangerous..." She needed to get this away from people and towards someone who can help... like that Termundus guy- he's horrible, but he could help. She turned as the snarling beast did. "Then let's take this out to sea!"


        Her wings glowing, she flapped and made a direct beeline towards the water, with Eilas in hot pursuit. They weren't even away from the shore before he started to attack; dark orbs appeared around him in a circle, 18 in total, and each one turned into a spear that launched towards her, and for each one launched, another took its place. The first one caught her off guard as it struck the shallows beside her, but when she looked back to his attack and saw more coming, she ducked and weaved to dodge the incoming barrage. Each spear exploded upon impact with the water, creating large plumes that caught the attention of the beach crowd. 


        She continued to dodge, but she wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. Eventually, he'll get a lucky hit in. Reaching the rings of boats, she spun to avoid a truly big spear before dipping her wing into the water, creating her own plume that got in his eyes. Even when possessed, you don't want to get salt-water in your eyes, especially if you can't close them. 


        Spreading her wings to get behind the blind brute, she powered up a beam attack and fired it, hitting him square in the back and sending him crashing into the back of a galleon, hard enough to pass though and leave a hole. 


        With only a couple minutes at most, she wasted no time finding the biggest, brightest, and most expensive ship she could find. She almost flew past it in her rush, but skidded to a halt to prevent that. "HEY!" She yelled to get their attention from their high society couscous. "You gotta help me!!"


        But instead of help, she got comments. "What in blue blazes!?!"


        "Another Silver!?!"


        "The rumors were true!?!"


        Termundus... just stayed silent.


        She rolled her eyes, growing really impatient. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, i'm a Silver- moving on!! This creep is chasing me! I was--" Smacked with something large and heavy enough to send her flying over the water completely limp, crashing into the side of a sloop. 


        "Ow......." She winced, having softly landed on a pile of luggage. The people on the deck looked down at the hole that was suddenly and violently punched in. "Pain... so much... ow..." She opened up her eyes, and they immediately went wide in surprise as she saw Eilas holding a entire boat mast single-hand--- er... single-clawed, like it was weighing nothing. He reared back and clutched it tight. "... you've gotta be kidding me..."


        He then threw it as hard as he could, like a spear, with enough force to shatter the ship upon impact, sending everyone on board into the drink as it exploded into a million pieces. 


        The sheer force rocketed Sokuro out, leaving her limbs limp for a moment before her first hit against the water. She skipped along several times as Eilas, now with a black aura around his wings, chased after her, each flap gifting him a burst of speed via a airburst. Catching up on her 4th skip, he delivered a nasty punch  that knocked the air out of her, followed by a nasty tail whip-kick combo that sent her towards the sky for a brief moment before punching her in between her shoulder blades to send her bellyflopping.


        She sunk beneath the water, but that bought her a bit of a reprieve as he didn't chase her under. Once the pain had subsided enough to where she can move, she flipped up and with a flap of her wings, shot out of the water like a cannon, slamming into his chest. She followed up with a 1-2-3 wing smack. That didn't even phase him as he vanished and reappeared behind her within the blink of an eye, his fist glowing as he readied another strike. 


        Caught completely and utterly off guard, Sokuro's body reacted on instinct. Her wings glowed brighter then they ever did... and she simply vanished, right as he swung his attack. Her sudden disappearance took a while to process in his dual-minds. "What the hell?"


        


        And just as sudden as she disappeared, it was just as sudden for Sokuro to reappear, showing up in the skies above the Council Tower. Spinning back in, she froze for a moment at the end and blinked several times, confused and bewildered, and currently oblivious to the pain Eilas inflicted on her. "......... what just happened...?" She asked herself. The back of her neck fizzled in pain, making her exclaim loudly as she put a paw to it,. "...not now...." She put her other paw to her mouth, feeling like she was about to upchuck.

 


        "Ow... ow... ow..."


        Walking through the jungle with a heavily injured foot was not the day Fayin saw in her future, but here is where she was. Each step brought pain, and it sucked. The extra weight of the Kalamander on her back wasn't help matters. She may be on a paved road that leads to town, but given her predicament, she may as well be walking on lava. "I hate this world..."


        "AAH!"


        The loud exclamation caught her ear. "Seems i'm not the only one..." She heard it come from the sky and so she looked up. Her eyes went wide when she saw that very familiar sight, the first piece of good news she saw since they arrived. "Sokuro!?" She yelled with adulation... but that quickly went away when she saw she was in pain. 

 

 

        Sokuro didn't vomit, but she could feel the bile in her throat. It was halfway up before it went back down. She removed her paws and panted heavily as the pain from her beating took effect. "Ow..." She held her shoulder. "How did he get so tough...? He was a pushover back at the beach..."


        "Sokuro!?"


        She heard a familiar voice, one she hadn't heard since this whole mess began. "Fayin?!" She desperately looked around, hoping she was close by. It left her distracted...


        ...for when Eilas appeared out of nowhere, slamming into her back while spinning like a corkscrew. It dug into her back, making her scream as she was propelled. She gritted her teeth and fought through the pain, flapping her wings with enough force to push him away. She spun back around, only for him to come back again with the same trick, this time digging into her gut. Putting her paws to him to push didn't work as he was spinning so fast, touching would cause friction akin to rope burn. Before she could even attempt that move, she was slammed into the side of the tower. 

 


        A sudden shake broke the trapped thieves from their boredom, and woke Terrum from his nap. "Hu-whazzat?" He snorted. Polosa looked away from a piece of ancient armor she was looking at and approached the only window the vault had. She looked out it and saw nothing, for the moment.

 

 

        Her horns glowing bright and energy tracing through her teeth, Sokuro pooled energy inward before unleashing a powerful pulse that pushed him away. He spun around and around, being propelled farther away then both of them had anticipated.

 

 

        "Who the heck is that?" Polosa asked, watching the foe spinning away as a tired and beat Terrum came over. 


        "Un... Eilas?"


        Outside, Eilas righted himself up, his back to them so they couldn't see a thing. "He a friend of yours?"


        "Nah. Only know him through reputation- he's just some two-bit robber with a big mouth." That's when they started to notice the changes about him. "... i didn't know he had four wings." Eilas quickly spun around and shot directly towards the tower with the speed and force of a cannon ball. "And expect the guards soon- don't know why he's attacking the tower, but they'll get him soon enough."

 

 

        Grunting in pain, Sokuro put one paw to the tower for support while holding another to her gut. That was, by far, the worse pain she had felt. "Ow... ow..." She could feel he caused some internal damage. Aerids back home can take a lot of punishment, but this... if this keeps up, this no-name thief is going to kill her. 


        She looked towards Eilas and saw he had stopped spinning away and had turned to face her, snarling with murderous intent. "Not again..." He immediately shot towards her with the speed and force of a cannon ball. She had time to react to this and flapped out of the way of his tackle, making him hit the tower. She then tore off a protruding piece and slammed him upside the head with it. She then spun over, smacking him with her tail over and over and over.


        Eilas reared back and snapped his jaws at her, narrowly missing by a tooth. She took that opening to wrap her tail around his neck, and with enough buildup, let go to launch him down towards the ground, which he hit. Hard. He didn't stay down for long as he soon rocketed up towards her, striking her with the same amount of force.

 


        A sudden black-and-grey force shot past the window with such speed, nobody inside the vault could see what it was. "Holy moly!" The triplets and Quio all exclaimed. Polosa, while also amazed at the amazing speed, remained silent as she tried to see who flew past, but like the others, she couldn't tell who it was. Or even what.

 

 

        Passing by the top of the tower, Sokuro snarled like a animal- this was getting old. Now it's this guys turn to get on the receiving end. Digging her claws into his back, she spun around like a wheel, picking up momentum before letting him go, sending him spinning like a wheel towards a sharp corner, whereupon he hit it with his back... 


        ...only to then suddenly disappear and reappear in front of her, punching her in the throat with a glowing fist. Another blow to the stomach and another to the front-left leg made her lose her breath again. She gasped and wheezed for air as she was struck by a dark blast. She crashed hard onto the roof of the tower, and he followed not long after. Gasping for air, she struggled onto her feet.


        Eilas charged once again- he was holding nothing back. Her body was blistering with pain and agony, but that only pushed her harder. Once he's through with her, he'll likely move on to Sil or someone else.


        Catching what little breath she could, she reared back like a horse before slamming her front legs down, creating a shockwave that made Eilas lose his balance. He spread his wings to fly, but was hit by a torrent of fire that came from her mouth. He covered himself with his wings, but that prevented him from moving. Perfect. With a wave of her front paws, the torrent morphed into a dome that encapsulated her foe, trapping him. Doubtful it'll last for long, she stopped belching out flames and ran to the edge. Jumping off the side, she spread her wings and flew as fast as she could back towards the beach.


        "(What... the troska... happened to that guy...?)" She thought to herself. "(He's.... killing me.... why? All i did was make him lose a mark- why is he so damn angry about that?)" Wheezing breaths, like sharp coughs, continued to come out of her mouth. She put a paw to it, scared that he did permanent damage. She needed to get back to the ship and get help from those Council people before she ends up a stain on the pavement. She looked to the beach and breathlessly laughed, feeling like things are gonna start going her way. 


        Wrong.


        She was suddenly blasted in the back by a beam of dark energy, one that stun like a bitch and sent her rolling. She quickly righted herself and flipped around. "Are you kidding me...?!" Eilas snarled at her, with half of his body singed, and some parts still ablaze. "You are insane..." And she is dead. But she won't be going out without a fight.


        Time to break out all the moves she can muster.


        A bright ray of light briefly came from inside of her. She raised her front legs up over her head, then swung them down to her side, summoning an array of shield glyphs that circled around her, which made sounds like twinkling chandelier. "You aren't the only one who can do that trick from the beach..." Eilas only snarled before summoned back up his own array, though his were dark orbs with spears poking out.


        With a flap of her wings, she sped around him, with each of the shields firing a volley of light orbs. Eilas countered with the same move. Both sets of attacks struck each other, the reaction of which created a nasty explosion. 

 


        The commotion had generated attention from the crowd below, who looked up to the sky, wondering what in the world was going on. To everyone who weren't at the beach, they were wondering: was this a show? It's a very in-depth and intense show, if it was. But for one person... it finally ended a long day of searching. Too bad it was coupled with a fight.


        "Sokuro!" Bran exclaimed.


        "That's Sokuro?" Kader repeated, his neck creaked as far back as it could go. 


        "Of course it's her! But... who is that she's fighting?"


        "I dunno, but i think he's winning."


        


        On the opposite side of the spectrum, Sil hung upside down on the boulder he was tossed into, his eyes spinning around as he muttered incoherently. The Dragons, of course, kept their distance- even when he's hurt, they want nothing to do with him. The other species and outsiders, however, were trying to pry him loose, but he was deeply imbedded. 


        "He's over here!" Seliox exclaimed as he led the other orphans and Alua towards him. It's amazing: he was right next to the lunatic when he went nuts, but is somehow the only one untouched apart from the holes in his neck. 


        "Sil!" Alua and Seqy exclaimed as they ran over to him. The twins flew on top of the rock to pry the sucker out, as long as they don't turn this into a comedy routine. Pira pointed to an umbrella they could use and Fira went to get it. The girls came to his face and tried to revive him, with Seqy tapping his cheek rapidly. "Are you ok?"


        He was not. He croaked out in a scratchy voice, "¿Alguien consiguió la matrícula de ese camión ...?" 


        "That's not good." Pira commented as his brother came back. They stuck it in the rock behind Sil and pulled it like a crowbar. 


       "And you said a thief did this to him?" Alua asked Seliox. 


        "Yeah... it was creepy- one minute, he was fine, then the next--..."


        A loud boom shocked the people on the beach. They looked up and saw the other Silver falling from a white puff of smoke. She fired a barrage of light orbs up into the smoke, only for the thief to speed on through it and crash into her. She unleashed a pulse that pushed him back and delivered a powerful kick. She wrapped her tail around his, pulled him into a punch, before building up momentum to toss him away into the water, creating a large splash that nearly destroyed a boat.


        "... he turned into that." He finished. "But that's not the most disturbing part. His body... changed."


        "Changed?"


         "Yeah. Under his skin, we could see things moving, like something was shifting around his insides." The more Alua listened to his words, the more she began to realize what was going on... she saw these disgusting changes before, back during the war. The thief didn't just change at the drop of a hat: he's possessed. "Then a new pair of wings just burst out of his body and a third eye appeared on his forehead. Then he just went nuts and... well, just look!" The thief rocketed out of the water and slammed into her, sending them both crashing into a local apothecary. Nobody was inside, but the building is wrecked.


       And there's the confirmation: the eye is the clear indication that the thief is, indeed, possessed. Why a monster like it would attack Sokuro is beyond her: maybe it views her as a threat? Or it's just out for revenge and didn't know who was who. Why was a survivor even daring to make its presence known? Agh, all these questions are meaningless: the clear problem is that Sokuro is in grave danger, and the only solution she can think of is on the Council boat.


       "Shadow......." She said under her breath.


       "What was that?" Seqy asked. That word also knocked Sil back to his senses; blinking several times.


       "I'll be right back." She told them before flying away as fast as she could.


       "Huh!? Wait!" Seqy called out, but she was already gone. "Where is she going?" She asked herself as the twins finally got Sil out of the rock.

 

 

        "I wasn't aware a combat show in remembrance of the war was in store for the celebration today." Fengis commented as he bit a piece of pineapple off a toothpick as he and all the others watched the fight. He looked out towards the boat that got wrecked- the flyers on board with lifting out those without wings. "Though it's a bit too involved, if you ask me."


        "Whoever put it up is gonna get sued." Valentis chuckled, watching the two battlers fly towards the sky, with him chasing her. "I expect a loooot of liability suits to come from this. We may get busy tomorrow."


        "You'll be busy." Feruschia said as she took a swig of her tequila. "I'm gonna be out doing what i do best." That prompted a number of eye-rolls from the gallery. 


        Termundus stayed silent as he looked towards the spectacle. So the rumors of a female Silver were true, but there's something about how she fights that feels... familiar, like he has seen it before. That ring of light orbs... he has seen that before, but from where? "So the rumors of a female Silver in these parts are true after all." Cirrus commented as he walked up beside him. And again, Termundus remained silent. "Lady Shade is gonna be mighty jealous, though."


        "Lady who?"


        "We need help!" They heard a voice call out. Without further warning, Alua landed and skidded for a few feet. "We need big help!"


        Cirrus perked up, like he had met someone after a long time apart. "Ah. Lady Alua. It's been far too long, my dear."

    

        Feruschia was less then enthused and scoffed as she crossed her front paws in distain. "Great. She's back..."


        Now is really not the time to bring up old grudges. "Not now, bitch!" Alua snapped. Straight to the point- she's not in the mood today. The offended party angrily narrowed her eyes; target acquired.  "Sokuro needs help now!"


        "Sokuro?" Fengis repeated. "The Female Silver?"


        Feruschia scoffed at the notion. "And why should we even bother to help one? Or even you? You left your duties!"


        "Did you miss me saying 'not now, bitch?' We got bigger problems!"


        "Everyone calm down." Cirrus calmly asked. "Now what is the problem, my dear?"


        "SHE'S FIGHTING A SHADOW!!!"


        And just like that, the mood on the boat shifted from amazement at the spectacle... to pure, utter dread. Well... to almost everyone, that is, as the war hero merely blew her off; such a notion is preposterous. "A Shadow?" Termundus replied, not believing a word. "The Shadows are extinct- i saw to that personally."


        "Then explain him!" She gestured up to the mutated thief, who had just tackled Sokuro.


        "A dark dragon with a birth defect and a serious chip on his shoulder?"


        "... are you really that stupid, ignorant, or heartless? Or should i round it all up and say all three?"


        "You don't have the right to speak to Lord Termundus that way!" Ocilus proclaimed, getting between him and her. 


        "Lord?" Cirrus repeated under his breath.


        Alua grumbled and groaned, wanting to run her claws into her, but verbiage will have to do. "Ah, zip it, zippy!" She turned to the rest. "I should've figured none of you would be able to help. Cirrus, i can understand because he's old, but what of the rest of you? What is stopping you from helping? Just  because she is a Silver? .... or is it, why actually risk your life at something when you can just lounge in your pretty apartments and mansions, having tea parties and private fiestas?"


        Termundus' anger grew, ready to show his teeth to this snake. "Watch your tone with me, woman."


        "Just try it, Terdummy. Or else i'm taking Seliox away from you." She spread her wings and flew off before he could retort. 


        Take Seliox away? Can she even do that? He adopted him, so that makes the kid his. "You had that coming." Fengis commented.


        "Hmph."


        As she flew away, Alua grumbled as she ran her paws down her face, pulling down eyelids in aggravation. The Council and the Generals were a bust, but what did she expect? "That was a bust..." She let go of her eyelids, knowing of only one person who could help her now. "Cyember... you better still be in town..."

 


        Sokuro exclaimed as she was blasted backwards. Eilas came at her, dug his claws into her, and delivered a painful bite to the neck, nearest her head and mercifully not near the Phagos bite. She screamed out in pain; why do they always go for the neck?!


        She kicked at him with all her might and broke free. She blasted him away before kneeling over in pain. She rubbed where he bit her and... yep, blood. What is it with the bad guys always going for the neck? As she looked back towards the foe, she almost threw up when she saw a hole in his chest, like his flesh had been ripped. She looked at her other paw and saw it in her claws. She almost threw up again, but for a different reason. She saw a black mass moving in the opening... which turned into a grotesque eye that opened to look at her. 


        The eye opened up, revealing rows of teeth. "Big... mistake..." Both Eilas and the black mass said before black tendrils shot out of the opening, grabbed the piece of skin she tore, and brought it back. It was put back into place like nothing had happened.

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dAKg1bNfW0  Hold Your Ground (choirless version) by Epic Score

 


        Sokuro hovered there, stunned by the horrifying site she had just witnessed. "...what... the heck...... is wrong with this world............?"


        The dark figure merely chuckled softly. "Hehe... i wonder the same thing myself..." More black tendrils erupted from his body and slithered around him like disturbed eels. "But it's time to end this farce, otherworlder..." Oh crap, he... she... IT knows? 


        Sokuro hunched over, terribly drained and exhausted. This is gonna be the end of her- killed by some monster in another world, and nobody will have known. She readied herself as best she could, knowing this will end badly.


        "Eilas" chuckled before snarling like a wild animal, charging towards her......


        ... only to be tackle from underneath and both figuratively and literally tossed for a loop. Sokuro followed the path of her sudden savior and... it was Alua? SHe can fight?


        Alua flipped back around and charged once again, tackling him once again  before tossing him up into the air. Rearing her head back, she fired a beam blast out of her mouth that stunned him, followed by yet another tackle. She jumped off of him and summoned a pair of long claws to her paws; they were made out of the water in the atmosphere. With a wave, she summoned several watery orbs, again made from the moisture, and fired them like cannonballs, hitting with the same amount of force. 


        She flew in from underneath, decking him to rear his head back, before coming back down, spinning as fast as a sawblade as she tore down his back. She summoned more water orbs, which again she fired.  Eilas roared in frustration and summoned spears to do away with her. Alua swapped the claws out for watery whips and swung away, deflecting every single one before they had a chance to strike. 


        Sokuro watched in amazement; when did Alua get so awesome? And her skill with water, a element she has yet to learn, is breathtaking. It's like she's dancing with it.


        Alua merged the whips into a club and smacked Eilas right in the chest, stunning him long enough. He held his chest and looked at her with snarling teeth. Perfect. "Cyember, now!" She called out.


        Emerging from a nearby cloud, a ethereal glow surrounded Cyember. Spreading out her paws, a golden circle appeared under Eilas- the monster within knew what it was. He tried to flee, but unbreakable chains emerged from the magical circle that was forming underneath and kept him in place.


        The circle began to glow, causing the possessed thief to yell out in pain. The yell quickly turned demonic as the monster inside took the worst of it. A black mass began to form on his back as Eilas held his head and screamed in agony. Sokuro watched in stunned horror as a amorphous black blob emerged from his back, taking the dark wings and tendrils out of the thief's body. 


        The crowd below screamed in horror as the monster was exposed, and the Generals now decided to take action. Alua was telling the truth: that was a Shadow. Only Termundus didn't move, but neither did Sil was he was still out of it... though a strange, otherworldly glow emanated from under his eyelids, one only Fira caught.


        Alua flew up, swung the tendrils around the black mass, and began to help by pulling the mass out, but the monster was a tenacious sort. It planted the tendrils into Elias' back, unwilling to give up its new form. "No......." It snarled. A disturbingly decomposed draconic head appeared on the side. "I will... not... yield!"


        Eilas yelled, gritting his teeth. "Get... out... of me!!"


        A stunned, confused, and horrified Sokuro watched as they tried to rip the two apart,  but the monster was putting up resistance. It didn't want to leave its host body and it was a disturbing sight to behold. What was even this world anymore?


        A strange warmth tickled her right paw. She looked at it and saw it was glowing the same golden ethereal glow as the circle Cyember summoned up, but fashioned like a burning flame. She looked to the beast, then back to the golden fire her paw. She was piecing it together and figured out what she needed to do.


        Putting what energy she had left into her wings, she took off with a single flap. Alua saw her charging in and, not knowing what she had planned, reached out to stop her. "No, wait!"


        Sokuro didn't hear and just charged on in. "HEY! Ugly!" The Shadow's head looked her way and angrily howled...  before that anger turned to fear, seeing what his paw was encased in. She pulled her fist back, bellowing, "Pick on someone your own size!!!" Before delivering a hard, nasty punch right into its mouth.


        The Shadow let out a unworldly scream as its body changed and morph in such rapid succession, like someone changing a tv channel too fast, each one distorting its scream, before finally shattering away.

 

 


        With the beast now gone, Eilas' eyes rolled back into his head, falling down towards the ground. Cyember flew in and caught him before he could gain any speed. "Yeah......" Sokuro exhaustingly said. "A nap.... sounds good.... about now............." Her eyes closed as she began to fall, but Alua caught her.


        "You are lucky to be alive right now." Alua chastised. 


        "It's not like i planned on fighting a monster.... just what was that thing anyway...?"


        "A Shadow. I'll tell you more later. Right now, you took a beating and need a physician to look at you."


        "You have no idea.... so much pain..."

 

 

        Finally coheirent from his toss, Sil fluttered open his eyes and held his head as he stood up. "Ugh.... that... hurt." He looked to his friends and saw that they were looking up. He tilted his head, asking, "What did i miss?"

 

 

        "Seems she was telling the truth after all." Cirrus said as he looked to his Generals. "And you were all ready to dismiss her."


        Feruschia crossed her arms as she looked away with a huff and a puff. "Well, she doesn't have that great a track record..." 


        "it was still a entertaining show." Fengis said, which only prompted a disappointed sigh from the elder.


        Termundus, however, is more then convinced he saw those moves she pulled before, especially the ring of light orbs trick. He's so certain of it, he needed to meet with her. "Ocilus." She approached him. "Bring the Female Silver to my private yacht. I wish to meet with her." She bowed then flew off. 

45: Chapter 42: Sokuro and the General
Chapter 42: Sokuro and the General

Chapter 42


Sokuro and the General


???

 

 


        Following the commotion with the possessed thief, the festival had taken a... lax turn, with many now afraid that more Shadows are now lurking, waiting for a chance to cause a even bigger mess. While many now celebrated in fear, Sokuro and Eilas had been taken to a main hospital of the city, which... strangely looked like a Mayan temple. Odd place to put a hospital, especially considering their history for human sacrifices, but its clear these people don't know.


        Bran found that odd, but it didn't stop him from trying to get in and get to her. Too bad the guards on duty were as stubborn as mules, refusing to let anyone in. Sokuro garnered some attention, none of which was... pleasant. "Come on, let me through." He pleaded with the guard at the door.


        "I told you before, nobody is allowed in." And for good reason, given the cross reaction the mob behind them was showing. "It's standard procedure with these abominations."


        "Abomi-what?" Is he referring to the other guy? But that doesn't matter to him- Sokuro does. "No, i need to get in!! I know--"


        He tried to forced his way in, but the guard shoved him back into several people in the mob. "I said get back!!"


        Growling and snarling, Bran got up and gave him a glare before leaving, walking to the side to avoid trying to make his way through the mob. "And there's the Nayan hospitality we all know and love..." Kader commented, coming out of his pocket. 


        "You could've helped, you know." Bran pouted before going to a bench.


        "Like how, getting squished underfoot?" He climbed up to his shoulder. "I'm tiny, genius."


        Tiny, yes, but surprisingly strong too. Bran was quick to call his bull. "You lifted armor yesterday like it was nothing. I think you can "coerce" someone into letting me pass."


        He held up a hand in protest and spoke all nobly. "I'm afraid i promised to use my powers for good and not for evil. Heroes code."


        Bran lidded his eyes and grabbed the tiny mouse with his hand. Just one hand. "Hero code my heinie." He said to his face. 


        Whatever was going to come from this was put to the wayside as they saw a group of dragons approach the hospital... and were let in, no muss, no fuss. Bran was flabbergasted by this, but didn't have much to guess as the two adults that saved Sokuro's butt came out of the hospital and told the guards to let them pass.


        Dan was, naturally, flipping out. How come they got to enter, but he couldn't? "Whoa whoa whoa, w... why do they get to enter?"


        "They are friends of the combatant. Besides, it was under Lady Cyember's authority."


        Cyem-who? "Who?"

 


        "Ow ow ow ow oooowhohohohoho...."


        Sokuro was whining and writhing in pain as the physicians and doctors of this world looked her over at their main medical center, which was inside a huge stone pyramid. Odd place to put one, but alright. That possessive beast held nothing back during their fight and she was feeling the repercussions bigtime. She hasn't gotten the full results yet, but she knows she has a few broken bones and, given her breathing, a collapsed lung. If she could turn back into her Ferid self, it would lessen some of the pain she was feeling and allow her Aerid self to heal quicker, but... mm... best to let the populace handle one shock to the system today.


        Speaking of her foe, the unconscious Eilas was in the bed to her left, but it was doubtful if he would ever wake up. The holes where the wings and tendrils erupted from his body were still there, but scabbed over. If they healed, they would leave nasty scars that he probably wouldn't want to tell stories about. 


        "You sure took a trouncing." One of the doctors, a visiting elderly Anthro-Flamingo who's supposed to be the best in Naya, said as he checked her vitals the rough way, which just exacerbated her pain. 


        "You don't say..." She hissed through it, her voice sounding scratchy like she had cried all day after a terrible breakup. 


        "How much pain are you in?"


        Is he se-- does he not see? ... of course not, he's half blind. She hissed again when he put a stethoscope to her chest. Even the cold metal hurt. Definitely broken bones if that hurts her. "On a scale of likely to very, i'd say extremely."


        "You're well enough to be making jokes, at least." She tries. "Well... i do hear some irregularities that may lead to a collapsed lung, though your voice may have given that away." 


        Sokuro never really learned how to fix collapsed lungs back in Dragenia. Medical stuff isn't really her thing, so why would she? The Colonists may have a way, but she has no way to get to them, so she'll have to suffer through Nayan medicine. "I kinda figured..."


        "And based on medical scans..." Which in this world is magic that passes through someone that is later printed onto paper. "... you have some fractures in your ribs, which will only make the problem worse."


        "... just full of good news, aren't you?"


        "I'm a doctor, young miss. We rarely deliver good news." And doesn't she know it. "I've also detected some... frankly, unusual properties with your blood." Unusual properties? She turned her head to look at him. "It's as if someone injected a foreign substance within you that is slowly making its way through your body."


        There's only one explanation for that: the Phagos poison. .... was that the green substance from her neck from before the fight truly began?  "That... was a mistake. A month, a month-and-a-half ago, i was in a battle with another monster... one that had poison in its teeth, something none of us knew about. Its been stuck in me ever since. It doesn't hurt or anything. I barely even feel its there... but occasionally, there are flareups on the bite mark. Feels like intense burning- sometimes there will be a smell or a sound like sizzling meat."


        "Well, at the moment, it doesn't seem to be causing any problems..." Tell that to all the flame-ups from the bite mark. "...but in my humble opinion based on my readings on the analysis, and past experiences with poison...." She slowly lifted up her head. "If the poison spreads throughout your entire body, it will cause major repercussions. It could even kill you. Based on how its spreading... i surmise you have 5 years, 6 at most before it becomes fatal."


        Sokuro's heart sank in fear as she laid her head back down. 5 years left? 5? That... that is not enough time. She thought she would have more time to do everything she ever wanted, but... 5?! She'll be 15 when she dies from this? How bad of luck does she have? Ever since she became a Silver, its been one thing after another. "....a... are you certain?"


        "With a 95 percent certainty."


        Not good odds. "And the other 5 percent?"


        "It'll remain inert and not become fatal... but i've seen how poisons work. Most patients don't feel it as it spreads, but once it reaches a certain point, the pain it causes will be so unbearable, you'll wish for death. You may get lucky and it just flushes out of you naturally, but... I don't know what monster you fought, but you better find out if the poison is treatable."


        Tough luck with that given her current situation. She doesn't even know how to get home, let alone ask for help. "I'll.... check when i get home. Unless you have something here that can help."


        "Unless i know what kind of monster you fought, i can't."


        And there's no way he can find something to help with that here. "The monster... is native to my homeland..."


        "...which is outside the mists." She looked to him with a raised brow. "News travels fast in this town: A Female Silver from outside the Mists- that'll make headline news in other countries." He turned to the door. "Let's just pray the locals treat you better then that poor kid."


        Oh, right, Sil! She forgot all about him- he got knocked around too. "Oh! Sil! Where is he? is he ok?"


        "He's fine. He's out there waiting to be let in, along with all his friends, to see you" He put down his stethoscope. "I'll go let your friends in now; they've been begging to be let in. You've also drawn quite the crowd." He then left, closing the door behind her. 


        Sokuro laid her head down on the pillow and exhaled, putting her front paws down on her stomach. Only two days into this wacky trip and she's hating every bit of it. The monsters, the horrible people, the out-of-control hatred... the sooner she can get home, the better. Even the Phagos wasn't as vindictive as those monsters were.


        But right now, she has to focus on alleviating this pain. She doesn't know how long it'll be until someone else comes in, but she needed to do it, even if only for a second. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and changed back to her Ferid form. She relaxed as her arms fell off the side as she exhaled, feeling a modicum of relief. The pain she had suffered from her fight was diminished; it was still there, but in this different form, it was lessened. It's like comparing a paper cut to a mutilated leg; it still hurts, but you'd rather take a paper cut over a mutilated leg.


        At the very least, the collapsed lung issue isn't a problem in her Ferid state.


        Her relief didn't last long as she heard a cacophony of voices outside the door. She pulled the blanket over to dim the light from her transformation as she switched back.


        "She's right in here." the doctor said to the other orphans and their guardian as he filed them in one by one. Seliox was, surprisingly, among them. After what he forced her into, she figured he'd keep his distance. "But be quiet, she took a lot of damage today, and the other is out like a light."


        "That's easy for you to say, doc..." Sokuro joked as she lowered the blanket as the orphans, minus Sil and Seliox, swarmed her. "You didn't get utterly smashed by a demon."


        "You're not hurt enough to be cracking wise, at least." Alua chuckled as she walked in behind the orphans. "But you do seem to be doing alright."


        "I have broken ribs and a collapsed lung." Seqy and Pira winced in sympathy pain, rubbing their own chests. "I'm lucky to be talking, much less conscious." 

    

        "That is true." She said as she sat down on a chair.


        She looked over to Sil, who felt terrible. It was his fault this whole mess began and why she is in the hospital right now. It's his fault and all he can do is just apologize... so he did. "Sokuro... i'm so sorry... this is all my fault..."


        Seqy sadly frowned and put a paw to his back. "Sil, don't be like this..." 


        "But it's true..." He closed his paws into fists. "If i wasn't such a wimp... i would've been able to help you... i would've been able to do something... but instead... i let peer pressure get to me and... it almost got you killed..."


        Sokuro softly exhaled and slowly shook her head. He has nothing to apologize over. "Sil, stop... it's not your fault..."


        "Yes it was... if i could fight, i would've... would've..."


        "...Gotten the same pummeling i did. And given your fragile demeanor, you would probably be in a coma with most of your bones broken." Harsh... but true. "Besides, if it is anyone's fault, it's his." She pointed straight to Seliox, who felt like he was under attack by her sudden buck.


        "ME!?!" He shouted.


        "Yes, you!" She insisted. "If you hadn't pressured Sil into 'toughening up', none of this would've happened. We wouldn't have gotten in the arena, and i wouldn't have gotten beaten six ways to Havershay." Haver-what now, she could imagine all of them thinking. At least this answer was simple. "Name of a day back where i'm from, moving on."


        "It can't all be my fault." Seliox persisted to try and keep his innocence in all this. "That thing would've attacked you with anyone or anything it could find. Be thankful it was a thief with no friends then a family man who would've left a widow." That's a dark way to look at things. Not at all inaccurate, but he could've went about it better. "At least with the arena, you had at least some sort of warning."


        "I would still like an apology, though. I almost died a few minutes ago; the least you can do is say you are sorry."


        Seliox puffed out his cheeks for a moment before caving in. Termundus may've taught him never to apologize for his actions, but this is one he had to do so for. He did force them into it, even if it did give advanced warning... but she would've died, and if she's as royal as she say she is- the battle didn't convince him she's a demi-god- having her die likely would've caused an incident if her home country found out. "Fine..." He pouted. With a sour tone, he said, "I'm sorry i almost got you killed." It's not much of an apology, but she'll take it. Given his upbringing, it's likely the best she'll get.


        Alua lightly chuckled to herself before going into the meat of the matter: the monster she fought... one she thought was extinct. "But still, i was amazed you were able to handle your own against that thing."      


        That thing... what exactly was that "thing?" It was more ruthless then anything she had ever faced, even the Phagos. If she had to choose between that thing or the Phagos, she'll take the Phagos. "Alua... what was that thing?"


        As she is from outside, it would make sense she doesn't know about the monsters that plagued this world. "That... was a Shadow." Sil and Sel felt a shiver go up their spines. “A creature from the deep darkness with a unending hunger for flesh, bloodshed and souls. They are terrible, terrible monsters with no remorse, no sympathy, and no qualms- they WILL kill if given the chance." Sokuro gulped out of fear- they're making the Phagos sound tame in comparison; at least they don't eat souls. "One day, they just appeared and began a crusade to wipe out everyone from the face of the planet by... eating us. Nobody knows who they are or what they are or where they even came from, but their objective is more then clear. They look like that amorphous blob you saw come out of that guy, but they all have different functions. What you just fought was a possessor, a low-level one."


        Bullcrap! "That was low-level!?!" She yelled. The doctor shushed her, making her sink back in a mix of shame and embarrassment; she may've woken up other patients in other rooms with how loud she was. But still, low level?! She really needs to work out. 


        "On its own, yes." Alua continued. "But when it possesses someone, like that guy, their strength magnifies and they combine it with whatever strength their target has. But there is also a chance that the possession can go wrong, like when the subject in question has a corrupt soul... like our new friend over there must have." They all looked towards the comatose thief. "According to Silverwind, that thief there is a nobody... yet based on what happened, his soul must've been corrupt enough to affect even the Shadow, mutating the mutator, making it more ruthless then it already was."


        "Least there was a reason for the insane beatdown..." Sokuro groaned as she rubbed her sore chest. 


       A knock came from the open door before Cyember poked her head from the side. "Hello there." She giggled with a smile. Alua rolled her eyes at her action as the singer and surprising savior walked in. "I came by to check on our girl of the hour." 


        "I'm doing fine. Gonna be hurting for a long time, but i'll manage. This wasn't the first time i got hurt to the point of a hospital bed."


        "Sounds like your neck of the woods is rough if you got hospitalized before."


        Not really... she messed up with a nigh-unstoppable monster that left its mark on her, not smacked around to a pulp by a demon. "...not really. The first time was thanks to a slipup."


        "At least you survived." Depends on the definition. 


        Alua grumbled under her breath, puffing out her cheeks as she looked Cyember. She wants her to leave... but knows she can't just kick her out after she turned into the MVP at the end. She'll suck it up for today and play nice with her. "In any case, thanks for helping out, Cyember. I didn't know who else to turn too and the Council was being moronic as usual."


        Cyem gave a huge smile as she put her front paws behind her head. It was weird to see a dragon do that while on their hind legs, but eh. "It's no problem. It's been a long time since the academy; i needed to know i still had the groove." She moved her shoulders around and hopped in place.


        But to the orphans, it does seem out of place. Why go to a celebrity, of all people? And.. wait, hold up, since when could Alua fight?! She can scare off people, sure, but not go toe-to-toe with a monster with insane moves like that! "So... out of all the people you go to help, you went to get a singer?" Pira pointed out. "And when could you fight? And what was that she pulled back there? It seemed to hurt the monster quite a lot."


        Alua got out of her chair and walked to Cyem's side. Both questions can be answered with one. "Well, Cyember is not only a singer... she's a former Protector candidate, like.... me..." The memory seemed like it brought her both a bit of nostalgia, and then a little discomfort.


        Protector... Sokuro heard that title before, but never had a chance to pursue that in their earlier conversation. "Protector?"


        "They are the swore defenders of our world." Seliox went on to explain. "As the name suggests, they protect us from many threats, while also keeping a weather eye for any new ones that may arise. But... wait, Alua, you were a candidate?" She looked away in shame. "What happened to make you leave?"


        That is a... painful memory she doesn't want to bring up. "............ personal reasons; moving on." Cyember gazed at her a bit, noticing her pain, she decided not to press more on the subject for the time being.


        "Wait hold on! Cyember was also a protector candidate?!" Seqy squealed in surprise, giggly like a schoolgirl.


        Fira put a hand to her shoulder and slinked her down to the floor. "Down, hyper." She snapped back up and snarled directly in his face like a dog, snarling teeth and everything.


        Cyember giggled as she showed off her stuff in a child-friendly manner. "Yes, i was. and like now, i was the prettiest one there."


        Alua slowly shook her head. All these years later and still a showoff. Some times never change... "Sheesh..."


        "That doesn't explain the magic trick she pulled." Sokuro said. 


        "Oh... that..." The singer replied sheepishly, scratching the back of her head as she slightly gazed at Silverwind, who for some reason felt like she knew something about him that he didn't know, before her gaze soon returned to normal before any suspicions could be arisen. "That's because of my ancestry." Ancestry?, the orphans all thought. "well.... that was Soul Magic, a very rare type of magic that only Phoenixes can use...... and Phoenix half-breeds."


        "So that means..."


        "Yep. i'm a half-breed." Fira soon caught Seqy since all that much new information about her idol was enough to make her nearly faint, while Fira glanced towards him while putting the drama queen down. Sil's eyes glowed the same color as that magic circle. Was he a half-breed too? Ah, doesn't matter much. "And obviously, i inherited their stunning beauty." Alua rolled her eyes yet again.

        

        Doesn't matter to Sokuro much; saved her bacon from the fire. "Still saved my butt."


        Cyember smiled before moving on to something more pressing. "Though... missy... do Phoenix's exist in your home country?"


        That's a random question to ask. "Why ask?"


        "Because during the fight, you destroyed the Shadow using that golden flame that appeared on your paw." Sokuro looked towards the one it was laced around. The fire wasn't there anymore. "That was a type of Soul Magic, and like i said, only Phoenixes and Phoenix Half-Breeds can wield it."


        "Oh, i think i get what you are getting at. Well, no, i'm not a Phoenix Half-Breed; they don't even exist in my home..." She has to keep with country cause world would cause a lot of suspicions. "...country. The only other species that we co-habituate with are the Gaharots."


        "interesting... then how were you able to use it then? Some copycat ability?"

        

        "Could just be that some of your magic rubbed off on me so that i could finish the job? You were too busy casting and Alua was trying to pull that thing out with those epic-looking whips. Someone needed to deliver the blow and maybe you transferred it over without knowing."


        "Hmm. Maybe."


        "So what's gonna happen to that guy?" Seqy asked, looking towards the slumbering criminal. 


        "Assuming every bit of the Shadow has been purged from him? We can only guess. It's rare for someone who has been exorcised to remain the same as they were before. Those that didn't remain the same either became recluses, joined religious orders to find peace and clarity, or went insane. And that's assuming he ever wakes up."


        A knock came from the door, that nobody but the doctor took notice in. He went to open it, but it opened by itself as Ocilus and a honor guard came marching in. Everyone looked to the door with various reactions- confused, puzzled, and in Sil's case, terrified. "Where is the Female Silver?"


        "Who do you think?" Sokuro replied with some vitriol in her jest. "The one laying on a medical bed after getting her butt kicked for the better part of a fortminute comes to mind."


        "Well, how as i supposed to know? All you grey uglies look the same." Both Sokuro and Sil took strong offense to that. "But i don't really care to learn, so to the business at hand. You've been summoned to an audience."


        "An audience?" Sokuro replied, sitting up. Who could she have gotten the attention of? Was it for a date or something? "With who?"


        "Lord Termundus, you plebian." Ok, not a date, but an interrogation. "He wants to meet with you."


       "And we all know the reason why..." She finished on a sighing exhale. "Fine. Go tell him i'll be waiting."


        "He wants you to come to his private yacht. He does not have to come to you, you must go to him." Really not liking this girl all that much. "Now hurry up."


        Does the jerk not see that she is wounded and laying in a hospital bed? "Um, hello! I'm still healing here. Broken bones and collapsed lung?"


        "You beat a Shadow Possessed freak in that state, so i call Bull. Now like i said, hurry up!" She marched out the door and slammed it behind her.


        Sokuro has met a lot of crappy people during the last couple of days on this world, but this one? This one is up there in the worst people she's ever met, period, and it's only been a minute! "She is not a nice person. Who even was that jerk?"


        "That was Ocilus." Cyem said. "Termundus' extremely loyal second in command. I met her during a charity ball Cirrus threw a couple months back. I have never met someone more ill-tempered in all my life."


        "Ill-tempered seems to be putting it lightly..." Alua droned. "She has a real attitude problem. But..." She turned to looked back to the bed-ridden fighter. "...why would Termundus want to see you in private? The other Councilors and Generals should also be wanting to see you as well."


        Sokuro simply shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But based on all the horror stories i've heard about the guy, it can't be anything good. Talking to him is probably a bad idea... But on the other hand... he is in the governmental system. If any information about my missing friends and collogues comes in, it'll pass through the chain of command. It's not perfect and sounds bad, but right now, i need to play nice so i can find them."


        "That's really risky, especially since you don't know how the system here works."


        She may be able to figure out, given enough time... assuming she can ever read the language. This isn't like with the colonists: there are no universal translators here to help. "It's the only option i got. I can't just go around, asking everyone i meet like i lost my pet. Besides, like you said, the folks in the tower will want to meet me; if i don't go to them, they'll come to me. May as well get it over with."


        "It's still risky."


        "Yeah."


        Ocilus came back in and in her ever so docent and patient tone, "Will you hurry it up already?!" She demanded. "I have better things to do today!"


        She would make a absolutely terrible nurse. "..... you know, i think i'll take my sweet time and just let my wounds heal up, ok?" Not ok as Ocilus shocked her out of bed, literally, and dragged her out by her tail like a owner trying to walk a unruly pet. All the others could do was watch: the untrained kids going up against a Generals highly-trained second? Suicide. And the grown-ups can't exactly do anything about it either, so... "Ok, maybe not."

 


        Termundus' private yacht, as with all the other private yachts the rest of the local hierarchy use, were situated in a private cove just a mile north of the city. The one out in the city harbor today was Cirrus': perks of being the big cheese. His servant poured him a glass of locally grown tequila, which he sipped like wine. He heard the flapping of wings coming his way, but didn't daine to look.


        The boat slightly shifted when the two girls landed. "Sir, i brought her."


        Termundus now turned to face his second... and the disgusting Silver that darned enter his country. "Thank you, Ocilus." She bowed then left like a good little soldier. 


         As Ocilus went over to the side, Sokuro looked her probable captor over. Back on the beach, she couldn't tell, but now that she's up close... She expected someone bigger. Given all that she's heard, she expected a huge, menacing titan, not some average-sized schmoe... that doesn't mean he's not intimidating. The end of his tail was fitted with a sharp blade, like a sickle: did he have that at birth or was that a accident? And he had enough scars on his body to write a multi-page epic. But she wasn't scared: she survived the Phagos, and now a demon of darkness thing. Two monsters; he's got nothing on them.


        She's in for a rude surprise.


        "So... you must be the great Termundus i heard so much about." She spoke as calmly as she could; he is still a General and a powerful warrior and she is on his private boat far from anyone who can help. Best to stay on the psycho's nice side for now.


        "And you, the new Silver who's been making the rounds." He took a sip of his drink like fine wine. 


        And in no time flat, the calmness went away. Just that single act was enough to flame her up. Best she can do is try to keep the snark to a minimum... TRY being the understatement. "Figures the great jerk would've heard of me by now."


        He's been called many names, but not a name so... tame. He's heard far worse, but it's odd to hear one so weak. "Jerk? Me?"


        If she could stand on two feet, she would right now, cause this is a conversation that requires crossed arms and a disinterested look only a human face could pull off. But she can't stand on two legs, so lidded eyes it is. "After all the stories i heard of you, absolutely."


        And there have been many, he'll give the people that. Imagination is a powerful driving force, after all. But... that also works both ways as he knows a way to get under her skin. "Not as many i heard about you."


        How in the world- she's barely been here two days- and in this city for less then a hour yesterday, yet there's already stories about here floating around?? "I'm that well-known already?"


        That was a lie, of course: the rumor mill, while talking about the arrival, wasn't as abuzz as he made it out to be. Everyone was busy preparing for the celebration, after all. "Well, there have been rumors of a new Silver running around yesterday, but nobody who mattered paid it no mind."


        "That was until i fought for my life against a monster that loves blood and hate you, that about right?" Careful, girl- the snarkiness is starting to come out. 


        "They hate all life." 


        Isn't that what she just said? If you love blood, then clearly you must hate all life; it's monster 101. "You sure about that? i also heard a lot of things about you, Terdummy. None of which were pleasant. It wouldn't surprise me if monsters and wildlife hated you too."


        Terdummy, huh? It doesn't take a genius to know where she's been all this time with the... other of her kind. "From those orphans you decided to associate yourself with, i'm sure."


        Ok, how is this guy that knowledgeable? Is he just throwing out lucky guesses and they're sticking, or does he have a spy that she's not aware of? On that note, how would a spy learn of a new Silver after a day?! "How did you know about that?"


        "Seliox mentioned that yesterday..." That answers the question of how he knew. "...and as for that Terdummy nickname; only they call me that. And given Alua's penchant for telling unsolicited and fictional lies about me and Silverwind's obscene paranoia, it's obvious you would've gotten the full horror story saga."


        "And so far, I've seen nothing to convince me otherwise that what she and the rest told is fake." Nor will she ever, and she really wants to hit him for calling Sil obscene. "Now... is there a reason for sending the worst nurse ever to drag a broken bodied girl out to a private yacht?" She shot daggers towards Ocilus, who shot some back as well. This was gonna be a nasty rivalry if it goes somewhere. "Do i need to dig into the pack of dirty and horrific thoughts for why i was brought here or are you actually gonne start talking?"


        "No no, nothing so gutter-related, i assure you." With a tap of his tail on the deck, the servants spun his seat around so that he may face her as he sat. "I just want some... information, as it were." He laid back like a alpha... a terribly arrogant alpha.


        "What a surprise... the despot wants information about a outsider. I read this book before, so if we can just skip the platitudes and the niceties, that would be great."


        Now that was impressive, that a child would know such big words, and know how to use them correctly. The education system must be advanced in her country. "Heh... quite a personality for someone so young."


        He doesn't deserve the whole sob story. He's not worth it. "Had to grow up fast, now start talking."


        "I'll cut to the chase, then:" He took a sip of his drink to make it drag on. After a gulp, he spoke venomously, "I want you to leave."


        Who doesn't?! Her included! "You're not the only one. I've only been here two days, yet i ended up on a unknown beach, verbally lambasted by people i have never even met or knew existed until now, and almost killed by what i can only assume is a demonic ghost that nearly killed the guy it was possessing. This world isn't exactly putting out the best first impression!"


        What did she say? "World?"


        Uh-oh. That slip-up was going to cost her. Whatever stories she could fabricate to appease him, out the window now. Doesn't mean she can't try. ".... country, i meant country." Think, girl, think. "No, wait, i do mean world, since I'm from beyond the mists and we... think this is a world. Yes. That's it."


        Nobody was buying it, not even the servants. She messed up and is trying to fix her mistake, but failed. "... you aren't from here, are you?" He pursued, making her suck in her lips. "I don't mean from across the mists, but i mean from this planet entirely."


        Craaaaaaaaap. "Of course i am. How else would i have even gotten here?"


        "Now its starting to make sense. Silver's are all but extinct, but you... here you are." He ran his claw around the rim of his glass. "And the way those odd creatures look makes all the more sense now as well."


        That line caught her attention. "Odd creatures...?"


        "Yes." He caught her hesitation on the reply, almost as if she was surprised he would know about them. She must not have planned on her knowing about her companions. "You know them, don't you?"


        Obviously, she does... but who does he know of? Assuming Polosa and Eia were able to change into their Aerid... dragon forms before anyone could see, that leaves Bran, Fayin, Pearl, and Ventus as the odd creatures. Best to play this smart, see if he gives any info on who he's referring too. "... and if i do?"


        Instead, all he gave was a low chuckle. "Hmhm....... that explains a lot of it, then. You came to this world on a spaceship that got destroyed in the storm, did you not?" She cocked up an eyebrow- where did he get the idea of a spaceship from? "And you and your merry band of freaks are the only survivors, am i wrong?" Wrong. So very wrong. "Heh... this explains so, so much."


        She so wants to correct him on his idiocy, but this could work to her advantage. Best to let this guy believe his delusions for now. "... alright. Let's say that i am. What of it?"


        He got up from his seat. "Why have you returned after all this time, hmm? To invade? To reclaim?"


        What in the world is in that drink to make him think that? "What? No. I don't even know why we're here in the first place." 


        "Do you really expect me to believe that?"


        If he believes that she and the others came to invade, then assuredly, he would know that it is no longer the case with a wrecked ship. Off the top of her head, if she was in the situation he claims she's in, then the lack of a report from scouts would render any mission void and either abandon them or send a rescue team. "I really don't care what you believe. All we want is to go home. That is it."


        He wasn't believing her. He can "tell" she is lying... it's just not what he suspects her to be lying about. "............. suuuure. Whatever you say." He took another sip while Sokuro moaned with a soft slap of her palm to her face.


        "Ugh... i had a feeling you would never listen..."


        He set his drink down and approached her, growing a bit more menacing to try and intimidate her. It didn't work, obviously. "I just have one request for you and your band of freaks: get out of my country."


        That's what she just said! "That's what i just said!!!" He rolled his eyes. "And would if we could, but i don't even know where the exit is." Screw it if he catches onto that; it's not like he'd know or believe her anyways. "Besides i'm not leaving without my companions, so i'm stuck here for awhile. Trust me: i'm not here because i want to be."


        "You expect me to trust a Silver?"


        This one warrented two facepalms; why is this guy so annoyingly stupid!? He just "figured out" her little situation and now is refusing to believe a word she says? Really?! She pulled her paws down over her eyes and rubbed them. "I really don't care." She spoke with her voice muffled. She pulled her paws down and glared at him. "Stupidity aside, i'm already aware of how terrible you treat other people, so don't even think about ticking me off."


        He snorted and laughed a scoff at her boast. "Spunk coming from a small child."


        "And yet this small child has more maturity and grace then a full grown adult who seems to relish in the misery of just one kid." Here it comes, another 'silver' apologist. He's heard them all before, and frankly, doesn't care. "I don't know what you did back then to turn Sil into a social pariah, but if i wasn't busy with my own problems, you would pay for the hell you put him through."


        "What do you care about the boy? You've only known him a day."


        Because she's not heartless... unlike someone else here. "Yet i learned enough to know he wouldn't hurt a fly, is the gentlest soul i've met, and has enough psychological problems to write a book about, all thanks to you. I know you did something to him... you should be ashamed of letting a kid go through mental torture."


        This conversation is over. He played it coy as if he didn't know what she was talking about. "I'm afraid i have no clue what you are talking about.."


        "... fine. Play dumb. ... whoever enjoys torturing a kid is sick and needs to get their heart examined... you should join those monsters you so fear..."


        He internally snarled, wanting to tear this outsider limb from limb for daring to speak to him like this. "You are throwing all these accusations... yet you've been here only a couple days. You are very quick to assume, especially since Silvers are known to lie..." Says the liar. "...kinda like what you are doing right now."


        She breathlessly chuckled as she put a paw to her hips and slowly shook her head. "... you are that heartless and paranoid, aren't you? If nothing ever conforms to you, you just ignore it, don't you?" Wrowg word, but accurate. "I know people like you: the demon in innocent clothing. You'll take a innocent mistake that can be easily fixed, only to turn it into a mountain of a problem."


        Now this conversation was well and truly over. He demanded that she leaves now. "Farewell, little girl." Ocilus approched and grabbed Sokuro by the front left leg. She took it back and puffed smoke in her face before turning to leave. "And before you leave, a word of warning: You best watch who you are talking too, little girl. Otherwise  you won't be doing as well as those in the dungeon."


        She gave a fake laugh, not caring at all about some stupid dungeon. "Funny.... the lunatic thinks he's funny... i'm not amused. Do you wanna know why? Cause i know someone who is just like you: a arrogant, selfish prick who thinks he is the center of all things, when he's really just some mad little kid who never grew up and is taking all of his frustrations out on the world... yet you have singled out the last remaining Silver on this planet and chose to make his life a living hell..." Then she said something that would change everything. "...and Velx help me..." He raised his head at that name. "...if i find out that you have any of my friends and colleagues down in that dungeon- if i find even one hair out of place, i will tear that damned tower brick by brick until i find them... and you and me... we're going to have a serious talk." And with that brush off, she turned to spread her wings and finally leave this loser behind...


        ... too bad he's not done, as that was a name he hadn't heard in a long time... so long, in fact, that hearing it again stunned him for a moment. ".............. what did you say?"


        "Hmm?" She aborted her takeoff and looked back to him. "I warned you, i was going to--"


        "no... about... Velk..."


        Aw, crap, she mentioned the name of one of the Astrals. Why is it that a slipup is what puts her in hot water? An---.... wait. She said Velx. How does he know his original name? "Un... how... do..."


        And in a move that surprised even Ocilus... Termundus lost his mind. "... i don't... fricken believe it..." He held a paw to his cranium as he lost it, laughing loud, laughing long, and laughing like a madman. "Hmhmhm... hahahahahaha... i can't... i can't fricken believe it... hahahahahaahha... So that's where they went.... Soul, you maniac. hahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaha...."


        Ocilus, someone known for her tact, her 'no fun allowed' deminor, and cold approach to anything... is completely baffled at the sight of her master just going nuts. She had never seen anything like this before... it's honestly concerning. "Lord...?" she was too nervous to approch.


        And Sokuro was too afraid to leave. If she flew, he'd likely chase after her, and that wouldn't end well since land is a ways away. "Um.... is... he ok?" She asked the usually cold Ocilus.


        She slowly shook her head. "This is new to me."


        If the prude doesn't know, then it's nothing good. She slowly backed away, sucking in her lips as she doesn't know what to do in this kind of situation. "... great. Wonderful. Um... So, un, i should go--"


        "How do you know that name, girl?!" He bellowed as he pinned her down on her back to the deck, a paw clutching down on her throat. She already has a collapsed lung in her Aerid form- she doesn't need this.


        The attack was sudden and without warning; even Ocilus didn't see it coming. Sokuro sure didn't and her struggles to get loose showed it. "Get off me!" She gagged as she tried desperately to pull his paw off before he choked her to death.


        Instead, he pushed down hard, making her gasp for air. "Tell me!!"


        With what little breath she had, she was able to eek out, "Agh! GAH!!! OK, OK!!! It's the name of our God!" The pressure on her neck stopped as he loosened up. He stood there, frozen for a moment. She had no room to maneuver, leaving her with little space to rub her neck. "...one of 64, actually, but he's..."


        "One of twelve..." He whispered to himself as he backed away, allowing her to finally get up... though that whisper was loud enough for all to hear.


        How... how does he know that? How does he know there were twelve original Gods? And....... what does Velx have to do with anything? "... how... did you know that?"


        The laughter returned, but he kept himself silent, for the moment. So that's what happened, he thought. That's where they all went. After all these years... and it was a nobody outsider to break the news. "Hmhmhmhmhm........ girl, you truly do know nothing. Velk is no God! He's a nobody! They all are! You were lied to!"


        Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, get burnt to a crisp. "Says the one who lies constantly!" She retorted. 


        He threw his head back, laughing like a mad man who lost his mind. "Hahahahaaha... you... you actually believe that wittle baby Velk is a God? Hahahahahahaa... the others, sure, but the coward? Hahahahahahahahaha.... I can't breath, this is the hardest i've ever laughed. Hahahahahahahahaahahaha..."


        "Will you shut up already?!" She demanded. "It's obvious to anyone that you are lying and completely lost your mind; it doesn't take a genius to see it."


        Termundus was able to compose himself, barely, still chortling out a few ha's and ho's as he wiped a tear from his eyes. "Hoo hoo... heh... you truly do have no idea, do you? Heheh.... pull up a chair, girly... you're in for one hell of a story..."


        Now? But she was heading back with the others. "But i have--"


        He slammed his foot to the deck, making a loud booming sound and voice. "I said sit!" She did, zipping to the nearest chair. She's too hurt to outrun, and she has no idea how she performed that teleportation move and is in no position to experiment. "Better. And what luck: the story is related to something you just went through."


        "What i just went through? You mean with the monster?"


        "Yes." He sat back down on his comfy posh chair as a perplexed and nervous servant brought him a fresh drink. "I assume your new friends told you about it already outside of the basics you told me earlier."


        "Yeah... it's a creature of darkness that just popped up one day and wants to devour all life, right down to the smallest molecule."


        "Simply put, but accurate... but the story is far more complicated then that." Of course it is; it's never that simple. "Shadows are, by definition: heartless, emotionless, amoral, genocidal monsters. They have no remorse, they have no sympathy, they have no conscience. They just exist to eat and to kill. Barely anything could hurt them and only one thing could kill them: the Soul Magic of Phoenixes and their hybrid offspring. The war got so bad, that 30 years ago, a project was put forth to create beings of great power that can stand up to the Shadows and finally destroy their leader, Soulless... an ironic name, to be sure."


        "Why's that?"


        "Because Shadow's have no souls. And our "fearless leader", the first one of us, was named Soull. How appropriate, eh?" Soull... if this was one of the original twelve, then... Voul? Voul is this Soull guy? No way. "There were only 13 of us at the time, with Soull being the oldest among us, and i myself right behind him, and our youngest being a timid little baby called Velk... or Velx, as he seems to be called nowadays."


        "But eventually, our secluded life of experiments and training would end as our life's purpose had come, invading a small dinky port town on the western coast: The End of the Shadow War."


        "The Shadow War?"


        "Figures you'd need a history lesson." Of course she does- she's from off-planet, you dunderhead; you figured it out yourself. "23 years ago, the Shadows made their first appearance, and launched their first brutal attack; wiped a village off the face of the planet, building and all. It wasn't a war, but a massacre- a slaughter. We were losing- the only ones that could affect Shadows were Phoenix's and their hybrid... things as they were the only ones to use Soul Magic, the Shadows one and only weakness."


        "The way Alua and Cyember told it, it sounded like they could be hurt through normal means."


        "If you got lucky, which is rare in of itself. But the slaughter was just that; a never-ending cycle of death that nearly pushed all living creatures in Nexia to extinction; and some actually did."


        "Then where do you and the others come in?"


        "Well... about 33 years before that, there was another war- territory disputes that soon turned into a war... or so they say, and while the war ended 5 years later, the effects of it are still felt today." A war on top of a war... this world has some major issues. "Some said it was because of sudden missing stuff... then missing places and finally... missing people." They can't even get their history straight? This planet officially blows. And how do you lose places? "Neither side managed to gain the upper hand, though various ancient scrolls were stolen by Southern Forces." Southern Forces? "Said scrolls were said to contain ancient powers that could “awaken” the latent powers of anyone, and if they had stayed, they would've became the key in using the power of the crimson crystals."


        "Crimson Crystals?"


        "Red gems found during the war, said to contain vast, unimaginable powers... but accessing said power is a trial. All anyone could get ahold of were shards left over from the war as many were shattered; you'd be lucky to find a intact one, and even then one of considerable size, and nobody knows where they came from either- like they just popped out of the ground like flowers." Rocks don't grow like flowers, she thought. Well, maybe magic rocks. "18 years before the Shadows came to visit, a group of scientists got so eager in finding out the powers that lay inside, they began experiments on living creatures: Project Crimson Force Awakening. First came the basic stuff: the rats. Not Anthromorph rats, but regular ones. Then came plants and bigger animals. Until finally... children."


        "... they experimented on children?"


        "Yep. Thirteen children, in fact..." He looked at the scars still on his forelegs- they were faded, but still there. "The experiments they committed on us were brutal... psychologically breaking." If this is a story to get her to sympathize with him, it'll take a long more then a story he's likely making up on the spot... though it would explain a few things about his character. "At the end of the Shadow War, I was one of the oldest among them- 17 years old, but experimented on for... what felt my entire life. The only one older then me was Soull at 20. Since he was older, he was our leader, and i was his second. The coward Velk was at the bottom... 4 years old, and somehow still had the bright-eyed innocence we all lost."


        "Even if what you say is true, how did you get involved in the Shadow War? Why are you labeled a war hero while nobody seems to even know about the other 12?"


        "If you will let me explain before interrupting, i'll tell it!" She silenced up, but remained angry at his mood towards her. "By that time, the Shadow War was going in the favor of the enemy. For every monster we slayed, a hundred more seemed to take their place... a demonic hydra from hell... We were one of the last things they threw at it; all other options had been tried and failed- even weaponry and technology from the Ancients couldn't end them. If we failed, that was it... and this was an important battle, too. Soulless, the name given to the apparent Leader of the Shadows, was spotted at the Stormfront Fort ruins, and many hoped they were like a hive mind- it we took out the Queen, the underlings would just run away."


        "i'll never forget that fight. Soulless was as bloodthirsty as he was sadistic. He relished in our pain and misery... that wretched Silver bastard enjoyed every minute of it." Silver...? "We were at death's door, and yet.... i was able to overpower all his tricks and his attacks and ended him. He faded away, like he was erased from existence... almost in the same manner as the Shadow you defeated." If that's erasure from existence, no thanks. "As i was the only one left standing, i was labeled a war hero."


        "Then how come the others aren't recognized as such?"


        "... because they are nothing but traitorous cowards. While i was getting showered with praise, they snuck off to steal from the lab and set it on fire, destroying all of it. They tried to flee into the night, but i gave chase. Soull put up a fight, but i overpowered that bastard easily enough. I was ready to kill him and the rest when this strange--......" He then stopped and looked towards her. "... what matters is that they got away thanks to outside help."


        "You're not even going to tell me how?"


        "No."


        That was... the biggest pile of rubbish she had ever heard. She's heard of a great conflict in the past, but Termundus as the sole hero? That has to be the biggest pile of trash she's heard come out of people's mouths, and she's heard Hopa talk. "And you are the most delusional man i've ever seen. This is the biggest pile of crap i've ever heard, and i heard a lot."


        "Is it, really, though?" He put his glass down. "You claim it to be, yet i've at least provided evidence that it indeed took place, while you have yet to do so. And if it is rubbish, where did you learn that ring of lights move from? It's Velk's signature move- the coward always hides behind it."


        "So what? That doesn't mean a thing. It's not signature if others can do it." He chuckled as he slowly shook his head. "And about that story: you expect me to believe that you single-handedly defeated this... Soulless guy and saved the world? If that was indeed the case, you'd be a King, not some lowly general at the bottom of the rung." He gave her a knowing look, like she's supposed to have the answer to that question. "... unless you willingly chose to be at the bottom of the rung since that offers up the more freedom..."


        "Bingo." He got up from his seat. "There are surprising benefits to being at the bottom of the political food chain. Nobody pays attention to what you do, for one. And it's also high enough to where the common plebeians listen."


        "But there are others above you that can put an end to your bad stuff... aren't there?"


        "Cirrus, maybe, but the old coot is near the end of his days. And most else seem to care about is themselves: they'd rather throw parties and go out on vacations then actually rule."


        "Is that's why you screwed up the education here? I got two separate stories on how the ruling system here works and it makes no sense why there would be two different explanations, especially if they differ wildly in terms of who actually rules... but after listening to you and remembering what i heard of you, i think i know why: confusion makes people stupid."


        Impressive from her. "Heh.... high guess from a kid."


        "Parents were archeologists- deduction runs in the family. And i haven't heard you deny it yet, so it must be true."


        "If your parents were archeologists, then you must have deduced what i told you about the cowards is true, and right now you are on this little tangent about the education here so that you can prevent yourself from thinking about it and accepting it to be true."


        "No." That was not at all convincing. "But... w-well... the way you.... n-no way. There's just no way- you must be making all this up."


        "Yet you seem to, stutterer." She quivered her lips in fear before turning to look away. "Accept it: what i speak is the truth."


        She shook her head, not wanting to believe it, but some things are just too coincidental to leave alone, to act like they don't add up and make sense. "Y-you're lying. I can feel it seeping off of you like stink. Its like you live to lie."


        "Oh? Ocilus... care fetch me my picture of my old days?" She nodded and turned to leave.


        "Don't even bother, Ociloser." Sokuro glared angrily at the loyal second before turning her gaze towards the evil monster in charge. "I'm done here." She huffed before turning to leave."


        Such rude impudence from this little harlot. "You're leaving this boat just like that? I haven't even dismissed you."


        Dismissed her? How egotistical does he think he is? Just  because he saved the world doesn't mean he can turn into the biggest prick this side of... whatever this planet is called. "I thought i was invited to talk to someone important to help me fix this mess, not some delusional madman who gets his kicks off of torturing kids." How ironic, that is. Too bad he doesn't see the irony. "I'll say this once: stay away from me and my companions."


        "Then stay out of my city." He snarled, whatever calm façade he had is gone now. "If you won't respect me, i will not allow you into my city."


        She guffawed at his increasingly deluded delusions. "YOUR city? The delusion is miraculous. You can't stop me from coming and going as i please. From what you yourself said, you are on the bottom level of the governmental bracket. You have as much authority over this city as a beggar. And to everyone else, i'm a from outside the mists- attacking me would likely cause a international incident and you'll be blamed for starting this world's next war." Smart-alack.... who happens to be true. "Back home, Silver's like me are considered demi-gods. I have no interest in using that to get my way in life... but i am willing to make a couple exceptions."


        That sounds very much like a threat of war. "You dare threaten a General of the Council?"


        "No. I'm threatening a bully." He so wanted to hit her so bad, but couldn't as she was right. Attacking her would cause a commotion within the Council and could potentially lead to conflict with whatever is outside the mists. "I'll say it again: Stay. Away. From. Me. And stay away from my companions, from Sil, too: He's suffered enough as it is thanks to you, and if you make his life even worse, i will personally drag you down to whatever pit of torment you believe in and give the god of the underworld some nasty ideas! " As she turned, she slapped him in the face with her tail before taking off. 


        Ocilus snarled wildly, like a mate who quickly angered at her partner being wounded. "Shall i go after her, sir?" She demanded, her wings flared and ready to chase after the invader.


        Termundus rubbed on the cheek where she slapped him; she hit hard for a weak whelp who almost died at the hands of a low-level beast. Now he's more then convinced- Vitoly, another of the twelve, had the same anger issues. "No need. I've learned all that i needed to, and she's learned i'm not to be trifled with."

 


        The orphans and Alua waited at the northern edge of the city, waiting for Sokuro to return- Seliox went off to do his own thing while Cyember was called away for a autograph meet. Most of them were worried that something terrible was going to happen and that they may be seeing fireworks any second now. They didn't have to worry as they saw her approaching on the horizon. She landed, panting as the collapsed lung made flying very difficult, which they all knew so they didn't need to ask. "How did it go?" Alua asked as she approched.


        Sokuro looked at her with a defeated look on her face, one that was a mixture of both irritation and sorrow. Right now... she just wants to go home... but she can't, so she'll have to settle for the next best thing. "... let's head back." She asked as she walked past.


        They looked at her with shared concern. "Sokuro?"


        "I want to get away from this town and away from him..." She spread her wings once more and took to the skies once again. 


        What in the world happened on that boat? What could've happened to turn her jaded like this? All they can do is speculate until she opens up about it. Until then... they need to respect her wishes. "...ok." Alua responded before she and the rest followed suit.


        If they were a few seconds slower, or if he was a few seconds faster, then a reunion would've taken place as Bran rushed towards the spot they were at- trying to get through that large crowd in the city without wings as a nightmare. "...Hey! Wait!" He called out with a arm stretched. "So--..." But they were out of range. "Dang it!" He stomped his foot to the ground.


        Even Kader was angry- they were right there, but were just a few seconds too slow. He hates it when that happens and he shares in Bran's frustration. "And you were so close, too."


        Bran sat down on a rock and exclaimed loudly into his hands. He was RIGHT THERE but wasn't fast enough. This is as bad in real life as it is in video games. He slid down onto his back and kicked his legs in the air for a bit before settling down. He lowered his arms to his side and watched as they flew away. The adult, he recognizes as the one who saved her, but the others? "So... who are they? The people she's flying with.


        "Those are the Isle Orphans." Bran raised a eyebrow at the name. "So named due to the fact that the orphanage they live in is on an island. Remember that giant root we were at yesterday, where i was salvaging all that armor?" He nodded. "It's a bridge- the orphanage is on the other side."


        Of course it is... and remembering how big it is, walking across it would be a quest in of itself. "... they can fly, so traversing it would take no time at all. So how long would it take someone to walk across it?"


        He hadn't really considered it all that much. Given his tiny stature, however... "Hmm... i'm not really sure. I never went across, so your guess is as good as mine. If i were to try and do it on my own, it would probably take me a week, if lucky. You... probably half a week, maybe a day."


        That long? This just keeps getting worse and worse by the minute... "Then we can't go tonight. We've seen what comes out at night and i don't wanna be monster food."


        Kader agreed as he nodded his head. "True 'dat." Bran kicked himself off the ground and dusted off his behind. "So what now?"


        "Right now...? Right now, i need something to eat." He started heading back into town. "It's been a long day, and if that root is as long as you say, we're gonna need a lot just to traverse that root... not to mention enough climbing equipment to scale a mountain- that thing is enormous." He sighed an aggravated exhale as he lowered his head. "Times like this, i wish i could fly." Kader nodded in agreement yet again.


        While Bran and Sokuro failed to reunite this time, there are other times they can and one where they will. But first, they need to reunite with the others as well, and lucky for them, two such reunions are right around the corner.

46: Chapter 43: Reunions and Reveals
Chapter 43: Reunions and Reveals

Chapter 43


Reunions and Reveals


???

 

 


        Grunting and hissing through the horrific pain she was in, Fayin, through some combination of tenacity, persistence, and sheer dumb luck, had finally made it to the city. Gods know how she managed to make it this far without falling unconicous, but she won't even try to question it. She made it and... by Voul, she needs a stiff drink, a doctor, and a big paddle to smack that idiot general jerk's head, preferably in that order.


        Pearl followed alongside, looking up with concern. They did make it, but it's only a matter of time before the pain takes its toll. At that point... they better hope whoever finds them is friendly, or from their world.


        ... hopefully a combination of the two. 

 

 

        The hullaballoo the group trapped inside the tower had heard had long since quieted down, but it left them all puzzled as to what had happened, like the triplets wondered why Eilas looked so nightmarish and everyone wondered why he was attacking, and if that was to be false, who he was fighting. Polosa had a sinking suspicion she knew who for the second option, but she can only speculate. 


        But it is merely a distraction from what they really should be doing: getting the heck out of here. It's been 10 hours since they've been trapped in here and hunger was getting to them bad. If they stay in here much longer, they may go cannibal. Ok, that's Taltian going nuts, but if enough days go by, they may have to do something drastic.


        "Well, i've tried every nock and cranny i could find." Quio said as he approached the group, who had gathered and hung around a strange contraption, rubbing the dust on his hands off on his clothes. "But even the vents are too small. We'd have to be a mouse to get through there."


        Terrum let loose a aggravating sigh as he lowered his head. "So we're gonna die here. Great..."


        "We're not going to die." Polosa said, sitting on the front of the strange contraption- a type of carriage that didn't seem to require outside movement of any kind. She would say it's steam powered, but she's not seeing any valves or pipes that would back that up... it strangely looked like one of those things the colonists use. What did they call them? Cars? Ah, not important now. "These things were clean when we came in, so obviously, there's a cleaner that comes in."


        "You're grasping at straws." He replied. 


        "Better then nothing..." Tal droned, sitting in the driver's seat with his head on the wheel. 


        Terrum isn't arguing with that, but the odds of one coming back soon is low. "I'm not arguing about that... it's just that it may be a long time until someone actually comes by. Least until the celebration is over." That made Rux hit his head on the wheel, making it honk. The sudden noise surprised the lot of them, but it only lasted a second. "For now... we're gonna have to find some way to survive."


        "Too bad none of us are water drakes." Rux said. "The normal dragon can go for weeks without food, but water- we'd be lucky to make it through the first night. Then there's this sucker we gotta worry about." He pointed to Quio. 


        Water drakes... turning away for a moment, Polosa looked at her paws. She's not that attuned with water yet, but she should be skilled enough to make some bubbles out of the moisture in the air they can drink. As for food, she had some supplies in her pack when she and Ventus went out hunting- lord knows if they're still good by now, but it would be better then nothing, assuming it works like they say and materials in your other form don't age. She also has some water pouches too... but accessing her pack would mean exposing the secret. It's clear transformations aren't normal in this world, so going to her Ferid form in front of them would cause a lot of issues. But since they don't know how long they'll remain stuck in here... she really has no other option. Also, they may die in here, so that secret they'll take to their graves.


        "Listen, i, un..." She slid off the hood. "I have an idea. But you have to promise not to freak out."


        "Freak out?" Quio and Tal repeated as they shared puzzled glances. 


        Spreading her wings, her eyes began to glow. Blue spheres the size of their snouts appeared in the air before each of them. Standing on her hind legs and spreading her forelegs out, she closed her paws like fists, pulling moisture from the air, filling the spheres like from a sink, complete with a fill-up sound too. Once it was done, she put her forelegs down and grabbed hers.


        Everyone present was simultaneously puzzled, yet intrigued, but more or less puzzled. How did she do that? "Un... what did you do?" Terrum asked as he looked his over.


        "What? I pulled moisture from the air. Made us instant cups." She grabbed hers. "Don't worry about dropping it- it won't burst." She took a drink of hers and saw that the others weren't. "What? Water drakes don't do it like that?"


        Quio commented while he poked his. "Well, they don't create no-burst cups, but..." When her word was proven true, he hesitantly grabbed his. "You said you were a wind drake. How can a wind drake manipulate water?"


        Now that makes no sense, she thought. "What are you talking about?" She asked. "Do... do dragons only use one element here?"


        "Yes." They all replied. 


        Rux licked his- why?- and it tasted just like water. So she wasn't lying. "So, do dragons where you come from use more then one element?" He asked.


        Through training, yes they can. "Well, yes. Through training." She put her drink down beside her, on the hood. "I'm guessing that's not how it works here." They all nodded. "Right... well, yeah, through training we can learn more then one element." If this is how they're reacting to this, maybe she shouldn't show them the transformation... but she is really hungry. 


        Tal took a test drink of his- it wasn't poisoned, so he grabbed it and laid down in the backseat. "Well, it tastes alright to me." If the child-like wonder enjoys it, maybe they will too. 


        "I told you." Polosa chuckled. "But that wasn't the think i asked you not to freak out about." There's more, they thought? "I know how to get us some food- it won't be much, but it'll be better then nothing, but un... it requires me to do something i KNOW you were lose your minds over." That has them both interested and worried. 


        "Like what?" Terrux asked. His answer was soon to come as a few twinkling sparkles danced by his face. 

 

 

        Stuffing his face with a elephant ear- a pastry covered with sugar and as big as... well, a elephant's ear, Bran made his way through the city streets, mentally memorizing the streets, alleys, and nooks, just in case. He needed to do something after missing Sokuro be mere seconds. Plus, he wanted to see what the city was like. He's only seen the beach, and even then it was crowded as all let-out. Between how many people were crowded on the beach and the nearby docks and streets, it was a miracle anyone could get through there. 


        Wiping his mouth, Kader tore off another piece of the elephant ear... "I'm gonna get diabetes, but it'll be worth it." ...and ate it up.


        That's.... not something he should be joking about. Bran felt awkward just hearing that said so casually- he had a cousin back in the Milky Way who got it and died a month before launch. He wasn't going to the same world as Bran; he wasn't even on Vega. But he was a fun cousin. "Not something you want to joke about..." Kader didn't pick up on the hint, but Bran was in no mood to care. Between that comment and missing Sokuro by mere seconds, he was down in the dumps. And if the root is as long as Kader thinks it is, he's better off waiting for them to come back.


        Bran kept on walking and walking, and until he knew it, he was on the western outskirts of the city. He didn't even realize it. "Un, Branny boy." Kader tapped him on the cheek, knocking some sense back. He looked around and saw they were in something that could be qualified as farmland. No big barns or anything, but some fields where vegetables grow. There was nobody here to tend to them, leaving the exposed ones to be freshly picked at by this worlds version of crows.... which look like crows. Weird. "I think we went a bit too far."


        "Um... whoops."


        "You didn't notice we were leaving the city?"


       He shook his head. "Sorry. My mind was... elsewhere." He looked back to the city. "Well, we didn't technically leave town- just turn around and we're back at the festivities."


        "Then let's go." Kader tugged on Bran's hair, pulling him back around as Bran gave him a sour look. The mouse sat back down and tore off another chunk. "Let me guess, you were thinking about how to cross that root."


        "Among other things, yes." He took another bite, a small one. "If that root is as large and as long as you say it is, it'll take us a long time to cross it, especially you." Especially Kader since he is no bigger then the palm of Bran's hand. "I can see three alternatives to actually crossing that thing: the first is that we rent a boat and row across. We do have enough money for that, right?" Kader made a 'eh' noise as he flattened his paw and waved it. "Not a lot?" The mouse nodded. "Ok, well, option two is that we wait for one of them to come back over for some reason. We set up a bonfire or use sticks to craft out 'HELP' or 'SOKURO' and pray they see it. Or option three: we go find that Cyember chick and ask her for help. She seems to know someone from that orphanage, so--"


        Kader made a noise like he was trying to say something but had a full mouth. He swallowed it and coughed a brief second. "That options a no-go." He coughed again. "She is one of the biggest stars in the world; you'd only be seen as another fan trying to get too close to..... i don't know what, but they have security for a reason." Sad and harsh, but true. "So that's in the 'not gonna happen' pile."


        So much for her. "Then that leaves us with either hiking, rowing, or waiting."


        "I say wait." Kader coughed one last time, patting his open paw on his chest. "Whew... ahem, anyway, i vote on waiting. The celebration goes on tomorrow too, so good chances they'll be back for the second day. And Nexia is the only town for miles around that place- if they need food or a doctor, that's the only place they can go. Besides, as easy as it would make it, we don't have enough money to rent a boat, much less hiking equipment."


        A aggravated moan was let loose from Bran's lips as he hung his head. "Why is nothing ever easy...? I swear, i have some bad l--" A sudden bump from behind, like he was tackled in the back, lurched him forward and stopped his talk. HE also fell over... "Wtbaoigtatbata..." ...but kept his balance. "What hit me?" He twisted to look back but saw nobody big. He moved his attention down and saw a very familiar little critter, one that made Kader freak out over fears of becoming lunch, ducking inside the robe Bran was forced to wear all day.


        It may only be the wild animal, but it's sooooooooo refreshing to finally find someone. "Pearl!?!" He happily exclaimed as he bent down. "I can't believe it. You actually survived the past couple of days." He petted her on the head, causing her to purr like a kitten.


        "You know this thing!?" Kader hissed as he hid behind Bran's neck. 


        "Yes. She was dragged here with us."


        "So how are you surprised it survived this long?"


        "She's a wild animal back home. She was like a rat on a ship." Kader took offense to that and Bran could just feel the glare burning into his skin. "... un, no offense."


        "Offense taken."


        Pearl continued purring until she remembered her mission. She slapped his hand away and ran back towards the woods just a few dozen meters away. "Wha-- hey!" Bran called out to her. She stopped and barked out, almost as if she wants him to follow. She ran in before Bran could respond. "I... guess we follow her." He concluded as he jogged in after her.


        Following her through this brush wasn't easy- a critter this small and this fast and this nimble is very easy to lose, even if it is grey in color. There were times she ducked into bushes, which infuriated him as he had to look for her yet again. "Come on, Pearl... now is not the time to be playing games." She came out of a bush and ran off ahead, and he followed again. "Look, i'm happy to see you too, but now really isn't the time for games." She gestured and called out to him again before leaping over a fallen stump. "If there is a point to this, I'm not seeing i--"


        His voice trailed off as his eyes went wide. It's not one thing from back home he has reunited with this day, but two... only the second one isn't looking so hot, laying facefirst in the mud, struggling to get up onto her feet. "FAYIN!!!" Bran shouted out, elated to have finally found someone again.


        Fayin was barely concious thanks to all the pain she was in, but she had enough energy to raise up her head towards the sound of that familiar voice. "B.... Bran...?"


        He jumped over the fallen log and ran straight over to her, unaware of her injury until he got closer. "Oh, thank the heavens, i finally found som---" That's when he finally noticed it's not just mud under her. "... why is there all that blood? And why is there a pizza paddle?" All she could give was a faint smile, happy to have finally found someone, before her eyes rolled back, her head plopped down, and she fell unconscious. "Fayin!!!" He called out in fear as he lifted up her head to get her some air. Whining like a worried dog, Pearl rubbed up alongside her, hoping it would wake her up.


        Kader came out of the hood to take a look at these two strange new creatures. He has never seen anything like them before... it's doubtful anyone has. The tiny creature looks like a salamander, but for some reason, acts like a domesticated dog or cat. The bigger one is... it's hard to tell what this thing was, but it looks like a deformed dragon with really long claws and--... that thought trailed away when he saw the horrific wound on her foot, making him gag to almost vomiting. "OUCH!!! What happened to her foot?!"


        "Huh?" Bran looked and immediately felt nauseous. There was a gaping hole where her big claw should be. "Oh my god..." The two boys were ready to vomit, but kept it down. They didn't need to make this worse then it already was. How as she even able to make it all this way? ... well, that would explain the pizza paddle- a makeshift crutch. But still... he could only imagine the hellish pain she was experiencing. Seeing this much blood, it's a miracle she didn't die from bloodloss. "W.... w.... we should take her to a hospital."


        Kader made a noise like a buzzer as he jumped down to his hand. "Heart's in the right place, but it's the wrong move. Look at these two- they are unknown creatures that nobody around here has ever seen. Anyone would take these things in for a truckload of money- if you didn't know them, i sure would have. If we take her to a hospital, they would turn her in and she would have all sorts of horrific experiments done on her."


        He's making that up. He has to be. "... you're making that up."


        He shook his head. "Scary thing is, i'm not. There are some people in the Council and the Military who would love to probe this thing."


        Seems experimenting on things unknown isn't just a human thing. But he can't just leave her like this. For all he knows, she's dying in his arms right now... but the mouse is also right; if the Termundus horror story is true, then it would be the worst move they could make. "... then what do we do?"


        "Can you carry her back to my place?"


        Carry her by himself? No. He'd need to find something like a wagon to pull her. But... "Why your place?"


        "Because when i moved in, i had someone knowledgeable in the ancients check it out, to see if there was anything special about it. It's a old field medic hospital- there are some old medical supplies from the Ancient times that still work, including this old medical thingie that should help her."


        "medical thingie?"


        "I don't know the technical term for it- all i know is that it fixes wounds."


        Bran was unsure what the right choice was here. He should take her to the hospital to where she'll get professional medical treatment, but that would risk having her be taken by someone in the military or the government, then he'd never see either of them again. Coming to a agonizing conclusion, he ran his hands through his hair, about to blow a gasket. "eeeeaaaaagh.... fine, we'll go back to the tower. But i cannot carry her. She's as big as me. And you left that strength enhancer thing back at the tower, so... how are we gonna get her there?"


        "Then go nab a wagon from one of the farmers." Kader said as he leapt onto Fayin's side. "And one with a fleacrab, too."


        Fleacrabs? What are in the world those? "Fleacrabs?"


        Kader snapped his claws over and over. "Focus."


        "Right. Sorry." He got up and ran back to the little farming community they passed.


        Kader exhaled, putting a hand on his leg before looking back to Fayin's disformed foot. This better not be infected, otherwise they will have to take her to the hospital regardless. "One heck of a day..." He then looked back to Pearl, who was eyeing him with a hungry spark in her eyes. "And don't even think about it." The sparkle went away and she whined.

 

       


        The flight back to the island was silent. Ever since she came back from the yacht, Sokuro had been feeling a bit bitter and irritable. They could all sense it- the hope she had at the beginning of the day was gone. Whatever Termundus said to her really got under her skin. 


         Concerned more for the physical damage she took from the fight, Alua spread her wings to slow down so that she could fall back towards Sokuro, who had been taking up the rear ever since the beach. "You ok...?"


        Sokuro glanced over to her, not even moving her head to do so. She just wanted this day to end. She was so certain she was gonna find one of her friends or acquittances there and it would be a bright spot on a dismal trip... but after getting beaten half to death and given what should be impossible information by a evil prude, you'd start to feel down too. "Emotionally or physically? Cause i'm both mad and in pain."


        Alua sucked in her lips, regretting asking such a dumb question. "... yeah, guess that... was a dumb question." She looked to the orphans ahead, who had the same question they wanted to ask, but that response kept them silent. 


        Sokuro sighed, lowering her head in regret and shame. "Maybe i should've stayed at that hospital; i could use some painkillers... and a way to deal with this lung problem..." It's honestly a miracle she's able to fly at all with a busted thing; thank the gods for air currents- she's mostly just gliding on the way back to the island, with a flap every so often to keep her aloft. As they passed the halfway point, Sokuro wondered if there was anything magical on the island that could help, like something left over from Alua's Protector training. "Is there anything on the island that can help with pain?"


        There could be one thing, but she won't like the answer. "Well... there's nothing that can heal, but we do have a spring near the mountain. Sad to say, it's not magical." Sokuro whined as she lowered her head. "But there is a pit underneath it where we put coal and wood, turn it into a makeshift hot tub. It really helps with sore muscles and pain.


        A hot spring, huh? ... well, warm baths can help with sore legs, so maybe a hot spring can help with a broken body. "Better then nothing, i guess..."


        Well... at least she is.... enthused? "Well, that's the spirit, i guess?" Alua hesitated. Sokuro snickered a smirk. 


        Reaching the island, and later the orphanage, the group could finally breath a sigh of relief. They were back home now- they were in a safe place now. Nothing bad is gonna get to them here, least of all a reprisal from Termundus. The last one to land, Sokuro grunted in pain as she rubbed her chest. This was going to be a horrific thing to deal with until she gets back home and prays that the colonists can do something about it. Until then, she'd have to make do with the spring. Speaking of which, "why are back here?" She asked. "I thought we were going to a spring."


        "I just need to take care of some things." Alua said as she went on in. 


        Well, that got the kids curious. "Like what?" The twins asked as they were the first to follow, followed by Seqy, then the two grey's. Their minds wondered: was she hiding something, like a pet she shouldn't have?


        When she went into her room, the kids all crowded around the door. They looked in and saw her checking on someone, who was in her bed. The face was covered with a healing mask and a damp tower on their forehead, so they couldn't see who it was. "Who's that in your bed...?" Seqy muttered inquisitively. 


        The implications here are staggering. First they found out she's a Protector dropout, now she's leaving her conquests alone while she goes out and does whatever? Sil was hesitant to ask, but... "Alua, did you leave a conquest here while we partied?"


        Sokuro looked at him with lidded eyes, a unamused droll, and a paw on her hips. "If that was a party, then i'm the Queen of the Stars..." She droned emotionlessly. 


        Alua shook her head. "She's not a conquest; where did you get an idea that's what i do?" Oooooooh, so many rumors and walks of shame, but that's neither here or there. "I don't know who this is, actually, but do you remember that terrible storm a couple of nights ago?" All but Sokuro nodded- that was before she got here. "Well, i woke up early to see the damage it did, and that's when i saw her, out in the grass, bleeding from her nose but alive. I brought her in and nursed her as best i could, but there's only so much i can do. I tried to wake her up, but the poor thing is out like a light. i honestly don't know if she'll ever wake up."


        Noble thing to do, but there's still one single problem with this scenario. "So you left her alone while we went out and partied?" Fira repeated Sil's question.


        And again, a flabbergasted Sokuro scoffed, "Again, how was all that a party?"


        "What could i do? I tried everything to wake her up and i healed her up as best i could. If there is internal damage, there's not much i can do about it, and i'm not gonna risk taking her to a doctor in Nexia- she'd have a better chance here then with one of those death traps. I did all i could; what happens next is out of my claws. She is still alive, at least." She held up a hand mirror that was fogged up. "Trick i learned from Cyember." She put it down and walked over to the patients side. She went to take off the towel, but saw that the bowl she used to dampen it was empty. She must not have noticed. "I do need a refill in this bowl, though."


        "I'll do it." Sokuro said. Alua walked around the bed and handed it to her. "Gotta distract myself from the pain somehow." Sokuro said as she grabbed the bowl. Holding it with just her claws and paws was tricky- the locals may be used to it, but not her, but she managed and left towards the kitchen.


        As she left, Alua went back to the unconscious fella in her bed and took off the now-dry towel. The orphans- well, Seqy and Pira, clamored in to get a view at whoever this was. It was...... they aren't sure what it was. They've never seen a animal with purple fur growing exclusively out of their heads and nowhere else on their body. Sil and Fira looked over their shoulders and saw who it was. All thay can assume is: "it's a furless Primate Anthromorph?" All four said.


        "I had that same reaction." Alua said as she threw the used towel in the hamper and grabbed a fresh one from atop her cabinet. "She's also wearing some strange clothing as well, nothing i have ever seen before." She pulled up the blanket to let them get a glimpse of the strange clothes. Putting it back down, she said, "Yet another reason i'm worried on taking her to Nexia."


        "How can you tell it's a she?"


        This was gonna be an embarrassing answer. "I've seen naked Anthro's before and she shares the same body type, ok? Moving on." The immature among them snickered. "In all honesty, though.... i am at a complete loss as to what to do with her."


        "Well, do you know anyone with medical experience from your academy days you could call upon?" Seqy asked.


        "None that require years of medical study and training, and none that live in Nexia. All i can give right now is what i remember from beginner courses."


        "Well, she's dead then." Pira coldly but accurately pointed out.


        Sokuro was taking her sweet time to get back, as she should. She's trying to carry a bowlful of water and she has barely any experience walking solely on three legs or her hind legs only, and using her tail is out of the question as it'll just spill everything. Best she can manage is holding one end with her teeth while holding the bottom with one paw. "Ok, we got fresh water and fresh linens; where do you w...wa...." She froze up......


        There was a loud clatter and crash when she dropped the bowl, causing it to shatter and the water to spill. Everyone was surprised by this, but she was in shock. After all this insanity, she finally found someone.. After almost dying to a monster and being berated by convincing lies by a madman... finally, someone good happened...


        "EIA!!!"


        ... too bad that someone was in what can be legally described as a coma. Shoving the others out of the way, leaving them all the more puzzled, Sokuro blinding ran over to her friends side. She finally found someone, yet she is out. "Eia! Eia! Come on, Eia, wake up!!" She bit her lips, trying to remember what Eia fashioned her scale into. .... her earrings! She tapped one of them, begging with them to do something. "Come on, transform her. The other form should help..."


        Meanwhile, everyone else was, for lack of a better term, completely and utterly dumbfounded by what they are seeing. Why is she pleading with a earring of all things? And what does she mean by transform? Well, Sil knew, which is why his reaction is far lesser then those of everyone else. "Wwwwwwwwhat is she talking about..." Fira muttered to his brother. 


        Alua made a strange noise as she sucked in her lips. "Um... Sokuro... i don't know how hard that Shadow hit you, but... she's a feline Anthromorph, albeit strangely furless. They don't 'transform'." She was gonna make a under-the-nose comment about one of her past suitors, but now's not the time.


        "Feline? You think she's some sort of cat?! She's not a cat! She's-- Wait..." Once again... her no filter mouth got her exposed once again. Someone should seriously teach this kid how to keep some things silent as this was not how she wanted to reveal the truth to these people, or if she should've at all. "... i said transform?" They all nodded. ".... crud..."


        Now is when suspicion started to slowly creep in amongst those not in the know as Alua slowly slinked her way over to the outsider with a troubled, suspicious look in her eyes. "What do you mean by transform...?" Sokuro glanced to Sil, who had the same thought as her: it's time for the truth to come out... and hope they won't scream to the heavens. "What are you hiding?"


        This isn't how she wanted to break the news to people who have been so kind to her for the past couple of days, but... the cats already out of the bag. "I... have to show you guys something and i don't want you to freak out." Who is she kidding; they're so going to freak out over this. Fear is that it is gonna be the torches and pitchfork kind. "It's very... shocking, to say the least." 


        "Shocking?" Seqy asked with a tilted head.


        Sokuro nodded as she walked away from the bed. "Just... promise not to scream..." This left them ever more worried. What is she gonna do that constitutes a lot of screaming from them?


        In time with a deep exhale, Sokuro closed her eyes. Sparkles began to emanate from the air around her; a dazzling lightshow, to say the least. It wasn't long until more and more and more appeared around her every limb, claw, wing, tail tip, and horn. They began to spin around her as the body within glowed, changing shapes almost instantly. The sparkles quickly faded away as Sokuro, now fully in her Ferid form, stood before them. What was just described took only four seconds.


        Everyone but Sil stood in stunned silence. The twins mouths dropped down to the floor while the girls were wide-eyed. What they have witnessed... it should be impossible. Nobody in the whole world should be capable of changing from a Dragon to... whatever this is!! They were in such pure shock, a couple were under threat of fainting. With a awkward smile, she slowly spread her arms and said, "... Ta-da...?" with a innocent yet awkward tone. When they didn't reply, she got a little worried. "Um... hello?" ... "Are... you gonna say something?"


        And say something, they did.


        "Sorceress! Diablo!! Vete de aquí, demonio!!!" Fira yelled, jumping into his brothers forelegs like a certain cartoon dog with his stoner owner, but unlike the fictional characters, the twins fall down to the floor because A: Fira be heavy, and B: they don't do well on hind legs. Alua took a step back, getting between her and the others, ready to throw something at her as Seqy looked on in stunned silence- from the brief second she had, Sokuro saw it was a knife... why would they have knifes; they have claws.


        Revealing this secret had the... expected result she fully expected them to have and then some. "... on second thought, let's go back to stunned silence." She smiled nervously, rubbing her hands together. 


        Sensing this was gonna get out of hand fast, Sil stepped in. "Guys, guys, guys. Calm down. Please. It's alright."


        It would've worked if it didn't also reveal that he knew about this little trick the outsider just pulled! "Wait, Sil, you knew about this?!" Alua exclaimed. 


        "Yes i did. She did that trick to save me from that stupid thief who got Shadow possessed. She didn't even need to do anything- all she did was this and he ran off. I... also ran, too- i had the same reaction you are all having right now. But Sokuro is a nice girl- the last couple of days have proven that. She hasn't tried to harm us, has she?" No, she hasn't, aside from the 20 million questions she asked. "And even if she did... well, you saw how she fought- she's crappy. Pira can take her in her sleep."


        Was that supposed to help? "...................... gee... i'm touched." Sil lightly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head; he couldn't think of anything better to say to convince them to calm down... 


        ...which they did as Alua lowered her guard a bit and the twins started to untangle, but Seqy... she was at a complete loss for words. "But.. wha..... how.... how, how how, how... were you able to do that? How... what.... how...?"


        Even Sil was curious; he heard her story before, but never really got a explanation for the transformation thing. The attention made her anxious, but her mind told her to tell the truth. "Sigh... it's a long story....... and you all deserve the truth. I can't lie to people who have been so nice to me... and now Eia too." Setting her book down, she sat on the bed and sighed. This was gonna be a hard one.


        "I'm not from this world. Neither is Eia or our other companions. Dragenia... that is the name of our home, and where we want to return. but... i lied to you. It's not a land beyond the mists, as you all assumed... it's farther away... on another planet entirely." She reached into her blouse and pulled out her necklace. She moved the locket and the reward from the Koloron aside so she could show them the scale. "On Dragenia, Ferids like me are granted magical scales by our Gods, scales that allow us to transform into creatures called Aerids... or, in your terms, Dragons." 


        It may've been a short explanation, but it raddled their minds with soooooooooooooooooooooo many questions. Nobody knew where to even begin. All they could do was stutter and mumble and stagger. "A... a... another world?" Fira stammered before perking up with the idea that, "Wait, does that mean you're an alien?"


        He's the second person to ask that today, and... technically, it's true, but, "... Kiiiiinda?" She grimaced. She was hesitant to use that term, even if it was accurate. Bran and the colonists, they fit the term of Alien, but her? It's... hard to say. "We didn't come here on a ship, if that's what you mean. ... to be frank, i'm not sure how we got here in the first place."


        Seqy, finally getting some composure back into her stammering self, was troubled by one little factoid here, "You... lied to us?" She said with faint anger under her breath. "You built up everyone's hopes about there being life beyond that damned walled of fog and it's not even true!?!" Sokuro looked away, feeling bad about doing so. She didn't mean to, not to them and not on this scale. "Did you lie to us about everything?"


        "No no no, no i did not. Everything else i told you was... mostly true; I changed around names and circumstances to fit the 'beyond the mist' story. My home is indeed a island paradise and Silver's like me are honored. And i did tell the truth on some parts from the beginning: i truly have no idea where everyone else is and i truly have no way home."


        "Is there anything else you left out of your little explanation from yesterday we should know about?" Sil chimed in. "Like, are the rest of your companions capable of this?"


        Sokuro shook her head. "No. It's just me, Polosa, and Eia here. And no, they aren't Silvers: on my world, Silvers are more of a ultra-rare, once in a blue moon, only one can exist at any given time type, and it's always randomized: for example, one of the previous Silvers, Taklien, died to illness, and not one week later, the next one, Fyaryt, was given the scale. When, where, and who: it's all complete random, but only one can exist at a time. They can be as high in the nobility food chain as you can go, all the way down to little orphans like me."


        "Still.. the fact that you lied to us..."


        "I did it to protect myself. I've only been on this world for two days, and i already have a city full of complete strangers that hates all Silvers just for existing, a crazed general that would probably shoot me out of a cannon and into a volcano just for being here, and i almost got killed by a LOW-level demonic spirit that possessed a loser thief. And that was just in 2 days. 2. 48 hours. And given the delightfully warm welcome i just got from you guys after revealing this, imagine how everyone in Nexia, especially those in charge, would react if they found out this little party trick!"


        She has a fair point... even if they didn't like it. They found out and look at how they reacted- screaming in fear, ready to run or attack. The only calm one was Sil- well, calm at this moment. "So... what... we're just supposed to keep all this a secret?" A visibly hurt and troubled Seqy asked. 


        "Yes."


        She looked away, rubbing the back of her foreleg with the other. This all just feels wrong somehow. "I dunno......"


        "What about the rest of your friends?" Alua hesitantly asked. "If you are here and, un..."


        "Eia."


        "...Eia is here, where do you think the others are?"


        "I honestly have no clue. They could be anywhere on this planet, or be on another one entirely." That second one is a very thought. "Polosa is the chief hunter of our village; she knows enough to survive out in the wilds, so surviving this place should be a cakewalk, and she knows how to kick butt in both forms so i'm not too worried about her. The others... i don't know anything about Ventus- he was only with us because he was with Polosa at the time. All i do know is that he has a furry tail and ears- if there's a qualifier for furless Anthromorth, it's him. Bran, he's smart, but not much of a fighter, but he's smart. The ones i'm more worried about is Fayin and Pearl- Pearl is a wild animal who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Fayin... well, it's hard to describe her, but she is like us, but not like us at the same time. She's... like a dragon, but has no wings, stands only on her hind legs and has her forelegs changed to grab things. I heard Bran call her a Utahraptor, whatever those are."


        "Utah......?" Alua said to herself as she put a claw to her chin, feeling like she heard that before.


        "Wait a moment..." Fira popped up. "You said Pearl was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that Ventus was only there cause Polosa was there. What do you mean by all that?"


        "Well... we didn't arrive here in the usual sense. On my world, there's this gigantic door deep underground- about as tall as that wall surrounding the tower, if not taller." The looks on their faces told her that they were completely lost or that she was just making this stuff up now. Lucky her, she had pictures in her book. "Here, my parents drew a image, so i can show a exam--.... ple......" She stopped as she remembered what Termundus said, something that made her blood boil. "That son of a bitch..."


        "Sokuro?" Sil said.


        She dug her fingers into the desk. "Termundus, that bastard..." there's the reason. They don't even need details- just the name alone is enough. She hit her hand on the book, scaring them. "He has them..."


        "What? Has who?"


        "The others who were sucked through the gate with me."


        "Now how can you be sure about that?" Pira asked.


        "During out talk, he made some smart guesses that i'm not from this world after i... let slip i wasn't from 'this world'." That caused a collective sigh and facepalming from the peanut gallery, all of which were completely justified. "I know, i need to work on my mouth- this always happens. But never mind that for now- he knows i'm not from here, and in the conversation, he mentioned odd creatures."


        "So you think he has them?"


        "Why else would he even say it? Just to get under my skin and mess with my mind?" That's not too far from what Termundus is feared for. I don't know who he has, but given how he talked, it sounds like he at least has Ventus and Fayin and maybe even Pearl- they would count as odd creatures to this place.... and if his hatred for all things non-draconic is as horrendous as i have heard..." She slapped her hands on the table once again, this time making the contents bounce.


        "That... does pose a very serious issue." Alua said. Without another word, Sokuro passed right by them, having moved so fast, she had to look back and forth to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Whoa whoa whoa, where are you going?" She asked as she and the orphans followed.


        "To have another 'chat' with the general. And if that fails, storming that eyesore of a tower."


        It didn't take a genius to know what she meant by all that. "You're gonna threaten him."


        "If i have to."


        "That's suicide!" The twins both proclaimed. 


        Like she cares right now. All those stories Termundus told have to be complete and utter bogus; there's no way they're true. At best, he took credit for something someone else did and he uses fear to keep people in line, not a showcase of whatever power he has. Hopa back home is guilty of the same thing.  The moment she walked out the door, sparkles began to swirl around her once more.


        "You're gonna kill yourself!" Alua assured. "The guards remaining on duty will be on high alert after the Shadow scare, and they're the crème of the crop. You won't be able to step one foot inside of the perimeter before you are gunned down.."


        Snarling, Sokuro snapped around and yelled to them, "I don't care!" That made them stop and quiet up. "We aren't even supposed to be here in the first place! We came to this death trap of a planet by accident!! I can't even go an hour without something threatening me or trying to kill me! No offense to you guys, but i hate it here!! ... and if this world fears Silvers so damn much, i'm gonna give them a reason to fear!! I'm getting them out of there, so don't even try to stop me!" The sparkles grew in intensity, growing darker as she took a few more steps forward, only to bump into Sil. How did he even get in front when she wasn't looking? "Sil?"


        "You should listen to them. This is dangerous thinking."


        Him too? He of all people should know how horrible this planet is. "Get out of my way, Sil." She said with a calm voice to try and hide her anger towards this world, towards Termundus, and now slowly towards him.


        One can clearly see his knees shaking in worry and fear at how suddenly this girl who helped him switched to being so frightening. But... he kept his ground. He can't let her do this. "No."


        "I said get out of my way." But he still didn't move. The gall on this kid. She's a few years older then him- she doesn't have to listen to this. "Listen here, kid--"


        That's it. "No, you listen!!" He snapped. "You didn't just spend the last two days trying to help me only to throw them away, are you?! I get that you are worried about your friends and the others, and i would be too if i was in your situation, but you are being extremely stupid!! Threatening Termundus and storming the tower is the last thing ANYONE should think of doing, much less committing!" The sparkles emanating from Sokuro slowly began to diminish in number and fade away as he put his foot down, making her back up as he continued on his tirade. "We just told you that doing so is dangerous, and now you're just going to ignore us?!" His eyes slowly shifted to a dark yellow color as he continued to make his point. "This world already hates us, so using their fear of us to your advantage would only make that fire worse!!!" Sokuro tripped on a pebble, making her fall onto her butt. "If you do this, you'll have all of Naya coming down on you AND me, and dammit, i don't want to die because you decided to play the idiot hero!!!!!" 


        Seeing Sil angry is.... so bizarre, and yet scary. It's like looking at a completely different person. Even the orphans and Alua were stunned by his sudden turn. "... S-Sil..."


        He pinned her down by one shoulder. Claws out of concentrated wind dug into the dirt beneath, standing over her like a frightening beast. "There's a term for this: it's called Think Before You Act!!! AND RIGHT NOW, THINK BEFORE YOU FRICKEN ACT!!!!!!! GOT IT!?!"


         Gulping out of fear, she squeaked out, "c-crystal."


        After a few brief but tense seconds, the yellow in Sil's eyes slowly began to fade away, disappearing completely when he blinked a few times. Seeing what he did, he removed his claws from the dirt and got off of her. "S... sorry." He stammered as she sat up. "I... i got carried away."


        This kid... he has some dark secrets. Maybe that horror story about him causing that explosion has some truth to it after all... but it did stop her from doing something extremely stupid. "N-no... it's ok... i... almost did something bad and... i dunno, i guess i needed it scared into me."


        "I'm more impressed with the fact that Sil actually has a backbone." Fira joked. The two remembered they weren't alone and looked back. "But whew boy, was that nerve-racking."


        "I'll say..." Seqy gasped to herself.


        A few awkward moments of silence followed before Alua finally decided to speak up. "But... Sil is right, as were we all. Threatening Termundus and storming the tower is dangerous. The guards aren't the only danger; The Generals and Councilors aren't your garden variety politicians. They know how to fight. Half of them are war heroes, and half of them have been fighting their whole life. Even if it's only just Termundus who knows about all this, fighting him is the worst idea you can think of. He took down the Shadow Lord and ended the War- going up against him would be like trying to go up against a God."


        "But i can hold my own." Sokuro insured.


        Too bad that insurance didn't fill anyone here with any confidence at all. "... riiiiight, is that why you were constantly on the defensive against the Shadow-possessed Thief?" Sokuro looked away, hiding her shame as she curled up into a ball. "How many fights have you had before today?"


        As much as she wants to, she can't lie. She held up a couple of fingers, ".... two... and... one of them was a race... and i personally lost both times." She sank further into her ball.


        "Wait, how is a race a battle?" Pira asked.


       "The first leg wasn't. The second leg... well, some rogue slavers were kidnapping racers and kids to use for... something, i don't think anyone found out what for." This is news: her world has slaves? "But i was able to break everyone out using some clever acting skills and subterfuge." She held up her locket. "But escaping wasn't easy. They sent their toughest lackey after me- as a Ferid, he was a small, unassuming hunchback. As a Aerid, however, he was a devil. His abilities over wind and plants were almost god-tier, but with some sheer dumb luck, i helped a fellow captive named Alled win the race and both stop and expose their plans."


       "But how did you lose?"


       "I didn't cross the finish line, and our pursuer got a good hit in that knocked me unconscious before he fled."


        Alua exhasperated a sigh, pinching her eyes as she did. "So you have virtually no combat experience, yet you were gonna take on a General. That is the clear definition of suicide. If you thought a Shadow was bad, a War Hero like Termundus would be suicide. And that's even if you get past the never-ending legion of soldiers on the grounds at all times."


        "So what should i do, just let them rot until Termundus grow's a conscious?" 


        Alua shook her head. There's a more realistic approach to this. "No. We appeal to their ego's. The celebration goes until sundown tomorrow, which means the Council and the Generals will still be in attendance. If we bring this issue to them, they may investigate. If we keep the cover story that you are from beyond the mists and we say you are a representative of some ruling power from whatever country lies beyond, then a large chunk of them will have to investigate these claims, and with foreign dignitaries and ambassadors present, most would help if only to make themselves look good or save face; politicians are nothing if not predictable in that sense." That's true on any world. "They may hate Silvers as much as any other person, but some hate Termundus more and would love to see him put in his place. The only one i know will help us out of the goodness of his heart is Cirrus. Maybe even Guiado, but he's a wild card."


        As much as it hurts to leave them in pain for one more day, it does sound like the best option going forward, even if it is with duplicitous tactics.  "Horrible reasons for them to help me..." Sokuro sighed. "...but if it means getting them safe, i'll have to live with it."


        "It's better then starting a war." True enough. Alua helped her off the ground. "Besides, you'd be putting your friend in harms way, and i don't think she's waking up anytime soon."


        Seqy looked down at the scale hanging off Sokuro's neck. To think such a trite thing would be so valuable and so magical. "You said transforming her would help her, right?" She asked. "How?"


        Sokuro looked down at her scale and palmed it in her hand. "The injuries don't transfer over. I don't exactly know how, but the wounds one form sustains don't transfer over to the other. You can get a broken arm as a Ferid, but that injury won't transfer over to the Aerid... or in my case, i don't have a collapsed lung when i'm like this." The terms she used puzzled them. "Aerid is the Dragon form, remember? Ferid is what me and Eia look like right now- the 'furless anthromorphs'?" Now it does. "But... i'm not sure if going Aerid will wake her up. I honestly don't know if mental conditions transfer over."


        "But i didn't see one of those scale things on her." Alua said. "Could she have lost it?"


        Sokuro shook her head. "No. One nice thing about the scales: they are mailable. Eia turned hers into a pair of earrings. As long as they are big enough or concentrated enough, it doesn't matter what they look like." That explains why she talked to them. "But... like i said before, i honestly don't know if transforming will wake her up... or if mental conditions like comas will transfer."


        "Yeah, that's another thing." Fira said as he popped up out of nowhere, freaking Sokuro out, but for Alua, it's just another day. "You were about to go storm the castle while leaving your friend here in pain."


        Sokuro crossed her arms. "Well, Alua didn't seem to have a problem leaving her alone all day while we went out partying, now did she?" Alua blushed in shame as she scratched the back of her neck, looking away to hide it. "We are both in the wrong, Alua..."


        "Y-yeah, but Firacus does have a point. You were about to leave your friend to go off on a foolish crusade that would very well have resulted in your death, then who would be able to save her?" Sokuro looked away in guilt. The caretaker sighed, looking to the ground as she thought to herself for a moment. "We... should go check on her." 


        "Yeah..." Sokuro sighed before following her in. As she walked in, she glanced over to Sil, who was scared by what he did, even if it was to help. Concern crept in as she passed the threshold. Tonight was gonna be long...

 

 

        The cell doors opened up wide, letting the light from outside shine in on the wounded Ventus and the crippled Gryphon, both of whom were still dangling from the chains. Even for a celebration, they couldn't be let down. And in came Termundus, looking more pissed off then before. The two prisoners can only guess why- maybe he saw the huge hole on the far end of the hall.


        "Explain yourself." The ornery general demanded as he approached Ven. 


        "Explain what...?" Ven coughed, his mouth parched from lack of water. "If you are talking about the louts who made the hole, i'm afraid i don't know."


        "I don't give a rats ass about that." Any nearby rodent Anthromorph's nearby would take offense to that. "I don't care about any intruders that came from that hole- they didn't take a prisoner, so they're obviously thieves, but again, i don't care!" He hit his paw on the ground. "What i do care about is all the lies you fed me!"


        "Lies? Peh... what lies?"


        "Like you aren't from this planet." That prompted the Gryphon to look to his fellow. "You are from outer space, aren't you? Crashed here on some scouting mission to invade, right?"


        Ven lightly laughed a scoff to himself. "... well, i can't exactly do much to combat that, can i? You're right about the outer space stuff, but scouts to an invasion? Yeah right. We're here by accident- we weren't even supposed to be here to begin with. How did you even figure out we're from space to begin with? You sure took a long time getting to that conclusion."


        Termundus scoffed a smirk; he's about to ruin this runts day. "Why, i met someone today who blabbed it all: a royal little brat who calls herself Sokuro." That got Ven's attention. "You should've seen that stupid brat getting trounced by a low-level monster- it was hilarious. She is without a doubt the most pathetic Silver i have ever seen."


        Ven won't deny that Sokuro needs some major training. Everyone in Novalle saw the battle with the Phagos and how easily she got hurt, and based on what he heard about the Koloron, she is in desperate need of it. But if he's talking like this, then he must not know about the transformation trick every drake back home does. He'll have to keep it that way. "... i won't deny she's in need of training, but she is only a kid. Expecting a kid to be a master at anything is asking a bit too much."


        And Termundus won't deny that... not after what he experienced in his past. But back to why he came down here in the first place. ".. i won't deny that.. but the kid has loose lips. And i now know where some former comrades of mine are and what they plan to do. If Velk and Soule think they can just waltz  back in and take my planet, they have another thing coming."


        Velk? Does he mean Velx? He did learn that some of the Astrals had other names before they changed them to something similar; working off that, then could Soule be Voul? Wait, does that mean... "What are you implying...?"


        Termundus snickered a smile. "Only that what you were told back on whatever planet you came from are nothing but lies. They are not gods, but my kin..." He tapped the helpless fox on the stomach. It hurt like hell, but he kept a straight face. "...and you have met me, alien. Imagine what they were like long ago."


        "You honestly expect me to believe this garbage?"


        "Believe it or not, it matters little to me. It's not like you'll make it back to ask him, anyways." He turned and headed for the exit. "And i wouldn't worry about those intruders. The guards are quick to find them... when they learn of 'em, that is." Wrapping his tail around the handle, he closed the door behind him as he left.


        "What does he mean by that...?" Ven asked his fellow prisoner.


        "He has no love for his fellow Generals and Councilors. If those three boys did come here to steal something, he'd rather they take it to create a little chaos."


        "Given his hospitality, i'd say chaos is  his natural state."


        "Verily." The Gryphon looked to him. "Though you being from beyond the stars... that's a new one."


        "Yet true."


        He looked towards the specimen table to the side, which still had all of Ventus' belongings- his pack, his clothes, even the rifle. "Given all of those, i'd have to be a fool to deny it."

47: Chapter 44: The Second Night
Chapter 44: The Second Night

Chapter 44


The Second Night


???

 

 

 

        As everything began to slow down as the sun dipped over the horizon, the guards at the tower could swear that they could hear laughter... which is out-of-place for this place, cause its the tower: it's usually doom and gloom thanks to corrupt politicians and Termundus, so hearing actual laughter isn't normal for a place like this. Those who could hear it wondered where it came from. It must be close by for it to be heard on ground level, right?


        Well... if they had loftier expectations, they could figure it out.


        

 

        When Polosa revealed her ability to change forms to the others, she expected a nasty response to it all. She anticipated screams and yells and some of them trying to smash her face in, but they actually took it in stride, which is... not at all what she was anticipating. They just accepted it and moved on; when death from hunger is staring you in the face, you don't really question things. At least it cleared the suspicion the triplets had of her, while also opening up another train of thought: could they do it too? No, but that's not stopping them from trying.


        Speaking of said hunger, the supplies in her pack were quickly eaten up. There wasn't as much as she remembered, leaving her and the others to either eat it all at once or try and make it stretch. Some of it, they could not- they needed to be eaten now or they were gonna go bad, so scarfed down they were. Now all that's left is Vocok jerky, some pieces of pisj, and some wine that the kids are definitely not going to drink. Water and air wasn't going to be an issue, but once the jerky and the candy are gone... they're screwed. 


        But, yeah... since they're likely to starve to death, they aren't at all into freaking out over why she can do this. The inevitable questions, however, came as expected, and with no way out, she had no choice but to answer, so she told them the same thing Sokuro told the orphans: how they aren't from this world and how they came here by accident, what their world is like, and things of that nature.


        But there were questions that differentiated between the two, but none too difficult to answer.


        By the end of the tale she had told them, they were all laughing raucously as they told jokes, terrible ones too, well till the sun began to dip and turn the sky into its twilight colors.


        "oooo, that was a good one..." Terrum laughed as he wiped a tear from his eyes. The other two siblings were on the floor from laughing so hard, their sides hurt.


        "Hehe... hooo, it was..." Polosa chuckled to herself.


        Taking a drink of his water sphere to sooth his parched through, Tal pulled it away and looked at it for a moment, getting an idea. "You know... why can't you just use your water trick to get us out of here, like push the button to open the door?"


        Having already thought about that minutes after they were trapped, she said, "a problem with four reasons." Sshe held up four fingers and brought them down one by one. "One, it doesn't work like that. Two, i have to see where my ability is going, so if i can't see where the room is or where the water is, it'll cause a problem since i have no direct eyesight. Three, i forgot what the button was. And Four, there is a really high chance i'll alert the guards if i cause enough of a commotion un the vents or hit one of them... but at least with that one, we'd be out."


        "What about your wind?" Terrux asked. "You do that too, don't you?"


        "I'd risk blowing off every vent cover in the place or wrecking whatever valuables are out there, alerting pretty much everyone, and we're already in a bad situation. If i did that, it would make it worse.


        "Like sending us into Termundus' loving embrace..." That did not spell well for the three of them. They're just kids; they don't want to go into Termundus' torture dungeon. "No thanks." They said in unison.


        Since the great madman himself was brought up in this conversation, Quio exhaled several times to regain himself before moving on to more somber affairs... like how the hell they were going to get out of here, or where her companions may ultimately be. He tapped his fingers on his knees, not wanting to switch from something happy and light to more immediate affairs, but it needed to be done. "... about what you said before, about your friends... i've been thinking and the other two who can transform like you may be safe, hidden among the crowd as you were... though i wouldn't say that Sokuro girl is safe, given her... Silverness."


        Sighing a exhale, she rubbed her tired eyes. "Tell me something i don't know..." Polosa exhaled. "But she's a big girl and has powers i'm sure nobody here has seen, so i'm certain she'll be safe. Besides, has anyone in this town actually attacked the other Sliver that lives here, like actual physical violence that left bruises or drew blood?" They stayed silent for a bit before Taltian shook his head 'no'. "I thought so."


        "But that's the thing: they can hide in a crowd because they can blend in with us without anyone giving a second glance. The others you mentioned will stick out like a sore thumb, and again straight into Termundus' claws."


        She pinched her eyes with two fingers while tapping her forehead with a third. "Ok, this is making no sense. If he is that terrible a person and this deranged, why are the others letting him keep his job? Even the rumors would've had to reach their ears by now, so having him stay in a position of power just makes no sense."


        Nothing of Termundus makes sense. "Trust me, sister, you aren't the first outsider to question that. And to that, i answer: ... i don't know. Nobody does. He either has some juicy blackmail on all of them to force them to let him stay, or he really is that powerful."


        "He is indeed that powerful." Quio quietly said, taking a soft drink of his water. "I was a kid at the time, watching from far away. I saw Termundus end the Shadow War. He defeated that monster leading the Shadows... 14 went to battle that demon... but only he walked out at the end..."


        "14?" Rux asked.


        The canine simply shrugged. "Retainers or guards; i don't know. Like i said, i was far away."


        "How old are you?" Tal innocently yet immaturely asked.


        Quio smirked. "I may not look it, but i'm 39."


        "Yet you act so immaturely." Polosa sighed as she lowered and shook her head disappointingly. Quio stuck his tongue out at her. "But that does answer the question of why they let him stay: out of fear of his power. If he truly did destroy that monster, then he could be the most powerful being in the country." That's what everyone living here assumed, and there's been nothing to disprove that. Feeling drowsy,  she looked out the window, towards the sky that was slowly but assuredly growing darker. "Well... much as i hate to cut this conversation short, it's almost night time. We best start making sleeping arrangements." 


        "Sleeping arrangements?" Terrux snorted. Even the other three are like 'really?' What is there to arrange- there's tons of space. "It's a giant room; there's loads of spots to choose from. Just pick a corner and konk out."


        "Not what i meant. I mean like blankets and pillows.. or whatever is in this room that can serve as a proxy." She got up and went off to find things that could work.


        "Oh." He tapped his claws together like a awkward child. Well, he felt dumb, but there is obviously another reason for 'sleeping arrangements'. And what does proxy mean?


        "Why not just sleep as a dragon?" Terrum asked as he leaned back onto his forelegs. "You can use your paws as a pillow, and the wings and internal furnace as a blanket."


         "Because i spent the last two days cooped up inside that body and i am cramped up. I need to stretch." Quio looked to the triplets with a puzzled expression, who only shrugged in kind- must be a Dragenia thing. She caught on she's not making any sense to them. "Right... since you all can't change forms, you have no idea what i am talking about." She tapped a finger on her forehead. "I prefer being this body, ok? This 'Furless Anthromorph body you all keep throwing out. I use my, ahem, 'dragon' body only when i need to, like trying not to get caught by the tyrants army out there. Plus, sleeping as a drake is awkward, especially with the wings." The triplets looked back at their own- they never had any problems sleeping with theirs. "I'm not trying to be rude, but i if i have to spend another night as a Aerid in a hammock, i may have to skin a hound." Quio felt threatened by that statement as she went back to looking for blankets and pillows.


        "Did any of that make sense?" Tal asked, genuinely puzzled. 


        "I think so." Rum replied.


        It wasn't long until she returned with supplementals that could work. "It's not ideal, but i found some capes we could use as blankets, and... well, closest thing to pillows i found are these things." She put some boxes down on the floor. "Not sure what's in 'em, but they're the most comfortable thing i could find."


        Kneeling down, Quio brushed his hand over the side, sweeping off some dust. It was written in lettering he could not read. None of them could. "Eh... i think i'll take my chances in the car." He went over towards the two-seater Camaro. 


        "You sure?" Polosa asked as she followed. "It looks a little cramped."


        "And i'm gonna wake up feeling stiff too, but it's the only thing with cushions." He checked to see if the door was unlocked; it was and it swung open. "Those colonist fellas you mentioned; did they have cars?" He asked as he climbed into the drivers seat. Feeling around on the bottom for the handle, he cranked it back and the seat lurched backwards, turning into a uncomfortable but serviceable bed.


        "One, but it was from far away." She crossed her arms and rested them on the door window frame, putting her head on top as well. "They mostly used these flying things called dropships and transports. Not sure what the point of having one is, they wouldn't get anywhere; Novalle is surrounded by a dense rain forest. Only way out is walking or flying." Must be one dense forest, he thought. Probably thicker then the one surrounding Nexia. "You?"


        "One; the boss has this old relic. It doesn't have these, eh... strange, black wheel thingies, but the kids like to mess with it. They can play music, you know." Oh, now that's a nice feature. And on that note, he sat on up and opened the armrest, checking to see if there were any music CD's while Polosa walked on around to the passenger side. And there were. "Oh ho ho, we gots entertainment, boyos." He snickered.


        "Entertainment?" Terrum asked as he walked over. Quio held out some of the CD's and snickered. While the people in the cenote may know what these things are, the triplets do not. "And those are...?"


        "Music CD's." The big guy tilted his head. "Basically, someone was able to put songs on these and we can listen to them."


        "Huh. That's nifty."


        "But won't the music attract the guards?" Polosa asked. Quio held up a single finger to silence her up, then moved said finger to the volume button. He turned it as far left as he could. She stayed quiet and silent, wondering why he did that, but didn't really want to ask. After reaching the passenger-side door and climbing in, almost immediately after putting her butt in the seat, she felt off just sitting in this thing. She thought to herself, "(... this does not feel right at all.)" This was going to be next to impossible to get right with. "(And other races like these things?)"


        "Aw nuts." Quio blurted. 


        "What?"


        "These things don't turn on without keys." Wait, does she even know about them? "They're small me--"


        "I know what keys are." She pulled out her house key as an example. Keys on Dragenia are made from a mineral called Korkitee, which some human colonists have referred to as soft iron. It's not used for much; it's too light to be used on the airships- the machinery would break. They're best used for smaller things, like accessory chains or keys. 


        "Then look around." Which he himself proceeded to do, pulling down the sun flap and looking in-between the seats. "Check in that glove box?" She tilted her head. He grumbled and pointed to the slot under the dashboard. "Just pull the hatch." Which she did. It popped open, which surprised her. Pulling out papers and gloves and tossing them to the floor, she eventually found the keychain and pulled it out. "That's it." Quio held out his hand and Polosa dropped them in. As there was only one key, he put it in the ignition.


        "It won't be loud, will it?" She hesitantly asked.


        "I turned down the volume, so it should when i turn it on. As for the engine, forget about it. You don't need to turn on the car to turn on the radio." He turned it backwards towards him, causing the lights on the dash to flicker on. Opening up a case, he put a CD into the slot and waited a few moments to make sure the song started before slowly turning up the volume to a level where outside guards 'hopefully' won't hear.


        A soft country song began to play out of the speakers, one that seemed appropriate for the situation they were in, as well as the mood of the room in general. "Never heard this one before." Taltian commented as he and the triplets approached to listen in. Quio shrugged it off and laid back in the seat with his hands behind his head, feeling relaxed. 


        Polosa has no comment; she had never heard this type of song before. She's not even sure what the guy was singing about- it seemed to be in a language she didn't recognize, but at least it was soothing. Remembering what Quio did, she felt around for the latch and pulled, leaning back on it as the seat went down. "Hola, roomie." Quio joked with a shit-eating grin. She rolled her eyes and just laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the vehicle. Is that velt? 


        As the song continued on, she finally spoke up, "Tomorrow, we should really find a way to get out of here."


        "Well, the celebration does continue tomorrow, which means same level of guards as today." Terrum pointed out. "Worse comes to worse, we break that window and just fly like the wind, hoping nobody on the ground sees us or hears us."

        

        "If nothing is found, that may be our only strategy." Polosa sighed.


        Sputtering like a horse with his head on the hood, Terrux spoke without thinking, "We never did find that map."


        Polosa and Quio glanced over to the young drake. What does that sound so scarily similar to their task? "Map?"


        "Yeah, we were sent by our boss to find a map."


        Stars above, they broke in for the same reason too? Small universe, but geez louise, too small. "You too?" Polosa chuckled. Fate works in mysterious ways, but geez, this is too much of a coincidence. 


        Terrum raised a brow in perplexity. "What do you mean, too?"


        "We were tasked to find a map as well." Quio explained.


        They all realized how astronomical everything had to be for both parties to end up in the same place, at the same time, searching for the same item. Taltium stammered for a bit, pointing a claw between his brothers and the other people. "..... ok, that's just freaky- two people after the same map? How small is this world?"


        Quio was quick to correct the youngest of the three. "No, i don't think we were after any map in particular. All my boss wants is a unused map so he can claim a treasure for himself. That's it."


        "Well, ours has his sights on one map in particular, for some reason." Terrum explained, with his brothers nodding along in agreement. "He paid us good, so we weren't in the mood to argue."


        "Ok, this is just errie." Polosa commented. "...what was your contacts name?"


        "Argax."


        Groaning, Quio hit his head against the horn, making the car honk. Of all the lousy people in this stinkin' berg... ".... geez, it had to be him."


        Polosa pulled his head off the horn; it's bad enough he already made a noise with it. "You know him?"


        He slightly nodded. "Through reputation. I never actually met him in person. He was in the gang until a couple years ago, when he almost killed boss's favorite singer. It wasn't his only time in the hot seat- he's hurt a lot of people before... the singer was just the last straw. After that incident, he was kicked out faster then you can say adios."


        "Wait, this doesn't make any sense." Terrum said. "If he was kicked out a couple years ago, how could he and your boss be after the same thing? And why would he even do it in the first place?"


        Polosa crossed her arms. "The how can be easy to guess: he still has some contacts inside the gang who feed him information. Why they would help him, again, it's a guess with bribery, blackmail, extortion, a significant other that stayed behind... just pick your manipulative crime."


        "But why get in his way, thought? That's the question i'm asking."


        'Revenge, i'd wager." Quio said. "Argax never liked Kar'kile in the first place, and getting kicked out must've set off whatever short fuse he already had. The treasures found on the expeditions are one-of-a-kind; just one would give him leverage. Money to buy him or, or a never-before-seen weapon to kill him with, or a piece of long lost history. Any of those would work for him to give him an edge."


        "Seems rather petty of him, if you ask me." Taltium commented. "And i know petty."


        "He does." Terrux confirmed. "And besides, even if we wanted to, we won't find the maps in this mess, at least not while it's getting dark. I don't even know how we're gonna see in here." On cue, Quio smirked as he flicked a switch, turning on the headlights. "Showoff... but won't that eat up whatever power this thing has?"


        That killed the moment he had. "... good point." He turned it off. 


        "Um... hello." Polosa jeered. "I'm here." With a glow and a tornado of sparkles, she changed back into her Aerid self. The sight of this magical change would cause heart-attacks in these guys if they weren't forewarned. "I can just do this." With a snap of her claws, she summoned a sphere of light between them. It was small, but worked enough. 


        "Wow." Terrum said as he poked it. It reverberated ripples like when a rock is tossed into a pond. "Instant flashlight."


        Resting his head on the top of the steering wheel, Quio realized, "I thought you said normal... whatever you are's can't do light magic." 


        "Aerids. And we can't. This is the only ability from that category we can use at all, and you see how small it is."


        He lifted his shoulders as he shrugged. "Mm.. At least we won't be bumping around, trying to find a spot to go to the bathroom, so good call on that light orb thingie."


        She smirked. "I aim to please."

 

 

        As night soon fell, the hustle and bustle of the celebration died down with it. It shall continue tomorrow, but for now, all those in attendance were tired and returning home to rest, or for those from out of town, to hotels, inns, and motels they paid for, to the boats that ringed around the harbor, or to tents they had set up outside the city limits. Those that remained were treated to a vibrant nightlife not suitable for children. 


        As he left towards his own home, Termundus looked down at the rowdy crowd with a disgusted huff before flying away with his adopted ward and his personal guard. 

 

 

        Dinner at the orphanage was quiet, almost deathly so. The reveal that Sokuro isn't who they thought they were had been a shocker to the orphans and their caretaker, but the worst part was that she lied to them. She lied to them all about this and it hurt. It didn't affect Sil much as he already knew, but the others... she may've had good reasons- they did freak out as she had predicted, but it still hurt that she couldn't trust them with the truth.        


        Sokuro, still in her Ferid form, absentmindedly looked at her parents book while also messing with the food on her plate with a fork, not feeling very hungry. Everyone else ate in silence, with only the clanking of silverware on plates filling the room with any sound. Seqy took the lies the worst; she hates liars. Makes her wonder what else she was lying about. "....Who's Taled?" Seqy asked. Her voice perked the others up some as it is a conversation. "You were mumbling his name in your sleep. Who is he- someone who came with you?"


        Sokuro sighed, placing the fork down on the side. "Thankfully, no." And for once, Sokuro is glad she didn't bring him along. The Koloron back home was dangerous enough, and he was just watching. "He didn't come with us, thank heavens. Knowing him, he's probably sleeping away. He's probably feeling lucky since i'm not hogging al the covers." That made Seqy raise a curious brow. Sokuro quickly caught on to what she was thinking of and put a stop to that. "Don't even think about it, Seqy. He's not my boyfriend- i'm way too young for that. Taled is my baby brother."


        "Aww." Seqy swooned; babies are always cute, no matter the species. "I bet he's the cutest little punim. Babies are always so adorable."


        Sokuro tilted her head, wondering what she was talking about... but it took no time for her to realize she worded things poorly and needed to correct it. "Wha-- no. He's seven."


        And that took away the cooing instantly. "Oh. Then next time, don't call him a baby brother if he isn't one." Sokuro merely rolled her eyes in response. 


        Sil stopped his drawing as he looked up to his other. "What's this Taled like?"

    

        "Well, he's a kid, so obviously, he likes doing kid stuff. He has more energy then me, and I'm the hyperactive one at the orphanage. We're almost inseparable- we turned down many foster families because they only wanted one of us, not both. We're a package deal." 


        "Sounds like you're a good sister to him." Alua commented.


        "And why wouldn't i be? He's annoying and pushy, but he's family. Besides, even if i did hate him... i would never... let..." Her voice slowly drained away as the realization slowly crept in, putting a strain on her heart. She left him behind... she left him back home and he has to be so scared and confused, wondering where his sister is. They saw the pain that suddenly came in and wondered what was wrong with her. "I... would never let him go... We do everything together..."


        Seqy and Sil shared concerned glances to each other. "Are you ok...?" She calmly asked.


        "Y.... yeah... just... just fine... it's just.... you never know how much you're going to miss someone... when you think you'll never see them again..." She went to reach for her locket and clasped it tight. "He's.... the only family I have left... I have no uncles, no aunts, no cousins, no distant siblings who broke ties with us... it's just me and him..."


        That put a pall in the air. While only Fira and Pira can understand the pain of being the only siblings in a family, Sil, Seqy, and Alua can't. They have no brothers and sisters, therefore nobody in their family to lose. If it's remotely like the ache of seeing a fellow orphan be adopted, then... they can guess. But it's not that close, and they can only guess. "You... must care deeply for him then..." Alua responded.


        "Of course i do... .... The dream i had last night, where i was mumbling his name in my sleep? It wasn't a a dream, but a nightmare, and one that was scarily too real....


        "Taled doesn't even remember the night our parents died..." She wiped her eyes as tears began to coalesce. "One night... a stray ember from a nearby volcano reached our house... went right into Taled's room through a open window. He slept through the whole damn thing... but in truth, he was unconscious from all the smoke inhalation. Dad was able to get me out first, but then went back in for him and Mom. I was so scared, i couldn't move a muscle. I don't know what happened inside to warrant this, but they ended up having to throw him out the window, wrapped tightly in a blanket, seconds before the roof collapsed on them. He was caught by our village chief... and by the time anyone was able to get water to douse it, it was too late... the house... and our parents were gone... Taled didn't wake up for a few days, and when he did... he had no idea what had happened..."  Tears began to fall, staining the pages. "Can you imagine...? the sheer terror in a child's face... when you tell them their parents and their home are gone? Cause I can... and it's the most heartbreaking sight i have ever seen. I know the pain he felt all too well, and it hurt me too badly. That pain came back last night, still as fresh as it was back then... The worst part of it all, is that he barely remembers what they looked like or what they sounded like."


        Whatever mood was there was killed instantly. Alua went over to the crying lass and held her close, hugging her as a mother would while the orphans just looked on with heavy hearts. They never had the pain of losing their parents because they never knew their parents. Sil and Seqy were abandoned at the orphanage as eggs while the twins were left here as little... Dragonlings? Pups? Cubs? Whatever the term for a infant dragon is.


        "I'm fine... i'm fine..." Sokuro pulled away from Alua and wiped her puffy eyes. 


        Alua continued to hold her, though; the trauma this girl went through doesn't go away. It never goes away- all someone in her position can do is get used to it. She glanced down at the book, written in a tongue unfamiliar to her, but drawings are universal. "This your book?" She asked, changing the subject.


        Sokuro wiped her eyes again. "No. My parents. It's the only thing they left behind; that, some useless junk, and this locket." She held up the burnt trinket. "The book was in another city when it happened; they accidentally left it behind with a friend, while the locket and several other small trinkets like a jar and a knife were the only things to survive the fire." She grabbed it and flipped through the pages. "And there were a lot of cook stuff in there too. They were archeologists."


        "Arche-what now?" Pira asked with a tilted head. 


        Anyone in that room can answer that question, but they left it to Sokuro. "Someone who studies ancient history through recovered artifacts, books, and pottery, and remains like clothing and skeletons."


        "Huh."


        "Fat good it's going to do me now..." She slapped the book shut and tossed it onto the table, where it landed with a loud thud to make the plates bounce. "I read that thing cover to cover and they weren't sucked into any other worlds. Even their entries on the gate are just speculation as to is purpose." She leaned back and sighed, pinching her eyes. This day is just the worst and she just wants it to end. Laying down her arms, she scooched her seat back and grabbed her plate. "Thanks for dinner... i'm gonna go check on Eia..." She put it in the sink and went to Alua's room to check on her comatose friend.


        Sadly sighing, Alua slowly shook her head. "Poor thing..." 


        "Are we actually going to believe her about that?" a judgmental Seqy scoffed. "She did lie to us before- how do we know she's not lying about this?"


        "When did you get so judgmental?"


        "I"m not judgmental. I'm hesitant to trust her again after she lied to us."


        Alua shook her head again, this time in disapproval. This is so out-of-character for her. Alua grabbed her own plate and saw that Sokuro had left her book on the table. She picked it up and looked at the cover before glancing over to Seqy. "Then maybe her friends can confirm her story for you." She put the plate away then went to give it back to the outside, while Seqy puffed out her cheeks. 

 

 

        After somehow getting a wagon that had a a fleacrab thing already attached to it, and somehow getting Fayin into a wagon without causing her to cry out in pain, and somehow getting her out of the city and down the coast with nobody noticing, Bran and Kader had returned to the tower. On the way back, Bran wondered how they were gonna get her up all those stairs- putting a medical station at the top of a watchtower doesn't sound like the smartest idea in the world. It may be no problem for the fliers, but what about all the ground walkers?


       As it turns out, very easy. There was a lift already pre-installed, which made him wonder why they didn't use this in the first place... until he saw the entire bedroom come down with it. There's why they didn't use it last night. "And that answers the question i was about to ask." He exhaled before pulling Fayin, the crab, and the wagon on. Surprised it could all fit, but since this was built for dragons... well, the answer becomes super obvious.


       With a push of the button, the lift rose back up into the tower. As it slowly rose up and up and up- seriously, how long does this go for?- Bran returned back to the wagon to check in on his unconscious cohort. He climbed over the drivers seat, seeing Kader keeping an eye on her, and Pearl an eye on him. "How is she doing, Jerry?" Bran asked as he made it over.


       Jerry? Who the heck is Jerry? Ah, not important. "Honestly, i'm amazed she's still alive." He said, pointing towards the hole in her foot. "Something that gnarly should be a death sentence."


       "Well, Gaharots are tough old birds." He bent down and picked up the claw she had ripped out. "... but it worries me to think what happened to make this rip out." He looked back down to the injury. "... or the more worrisome thought: the fact she did this to herself... if that's the case, then what the hell happened to her to warrant that?"


       "Nothing good, i'd wager. I'm still amazed she was able to make it all the way to Nexia. It must've been excruciating." Kader said before smacking Pearl away for the 7th time this trip. "But it can go back in, right?"


       "I honestly don't know if it can. This would require some majorly extensive surgery." The lift grew dark as it entered into the structure proper. With that, Bran got up and pulled himself over the seat while saying, "Well, we can only hope this place has what we need." The lift came to a halt as he got to the fleacrab.


       Using his mousey traits to good use, Kader climbed up the seat and plopped down on the passenger side. "Do you even know how to surgery?"


       "Un... no." He grabbed the reins and pulled the fleacrab forward. He looked back towards Kader, who has hopped off and ran straight towards the kitchen area. "But i'm hoping that this medical thingie of yours is computer operated."


       "Computer operated?" Kader repeated, prompting Bran to look back towards him with a concerningly raised eyebrow. The mouse reached the cupboard under the sink, pulled on some rope to open it up, and ran right on. "I, un, don't think it is."


       That bodes poorly. "... and why is that?" Bran asked as he approached, leaving the fleacrab and Eia behind.


       Kader soon came back out, dragging a small field kit behind him. That does indeed bold poorly since they need surgical equipment, like state-of-the-art stuff, not a dress kit. "It's operated by hand." He said as he dragged it over.


       Bran picked up the field kit, leaving Kader hanging there for a minute. The rodent righted himself up and climbed up the string he used to drag it and jumped onto Bran's shoulder. "Please be something useful, please be something useful, please be something useful." Nervous, he opened the kit up and... it's not all complete garbage. It's basic stuff for emergency onsite suturing- string, a needle, alcohol, cotton balls, and... a scalpel? That isn't going to help anything.. All the major equipment must've been taken after this tower was abandoned... which sucks because they won't be able to heal Fayin's wound fully.  "... crap."


       "This won't work?" Kader asked.


       "No, it will.... it's just not going to heal her completely. i don't know how old this kit is, so i'm feeling iffy on this string." But he has no other choice but to use it- there's no spares he can see. Not unless the rodent will allow him to tear apart his stuffed animal collection. "Best we can do with this is stop the bleeding and let nature take over." He looked to Kader. "Do you know how to sew?"


       "A wound? Hell no. Clothes... also a no. You?"


       "Nope." .... this is where Fayin dies. That's what went through both their heads. "................. Hope i don't botch this up." He finally said as he went back towards the wagon.


       "You sure this is a good idea?" Kader asked into his ear. "I mean, we both know nothing. If things go wrong- and let's face it, they will- she'll have to live with the consequences."


       "She already is with this." He held up the claw that was ripped out. "And with lord knows how much blood has been lost, she may get brain damage from lack of oxygen." He undid the latch and lowered it before climbing on in. Pearl jumped over Fayin to the other side, almost as if she knows what's going on. Sokuro did say they were smart critters. "Hope all that time spent in front of the tv will finally come in handy."


       ... yep, she's gonna die.


       Setting the kit down, he sat beside it and pulled out everything that was within. "Ok... if all my time spent in front of the tv is correct... i'm gonna need to.......... disinfect it with the alcohol. It's going to sting like all of holy hell, but... well, doubt it's as bad as ripping out her own claw."

   

       "Wouldn't bet on it." Kader commented.


       "Dumping the whole thing on it would be overkill." He noticed he had two packs of cotton balls as he picked one up, thinking that they were both the same baggie. "No, i think i dip some on the cotton, then rub them on the wound."


       "Either way, she's going to wake up screaming."


        "Thanks for the obvious observation." He bit his lips, took a deep breath, and silently prayed to whatever god is listening that he doesn't kill her... or make her situation worse. "......... at the risk of being traumatized my whole life..." He dipped a ball in the alcohol and exhaled. "... let's do this." He put the covered ball on the open wound...


        And Fayin's bloodshot eyes shot open, the pupils dilated until they went from dinner plates to straws.


        Needless to say, this was unpleasant for both of them.

 

 

        Returning home to his mansion out in the foothills, Termundus grunted a loud exhale as he finally took off the fancy clothes and tossed them to the side of the door while Seliox sauntered by to head up to his room. He'll have to put them on again tomorrow, but he could care less. He just wants a moment all to himself. His servants- all lower beasts- and guards- all dragons- came home with him, and the servants left to prepare his favorite meal; he is always in a foul mood after the celebration... well, foulER, but the meal helps.


        "That was an unexpected day." One of his servants, a young tiger Anthromorph, said as she picked up his clothes. "I expected it to be boring, but a Shadow AND another Silver? It's like the universe has a evil sense of humor." Termundus only grumbled in his response before walking past. He only took a few steps when he felt something strange under his paw. 


        "This is strange..." His pachyderm Anthromorph cook said as he walked out of the kitchen, scratching his head. "I may be losing my mind, but i swear some fruit has gone missing."


        "Well, that's no good." The maid responded. Termundus lifted up his paw and saw a red stain on the floor.


        "And a pizza paddle is missing too."


        Now that makes no damn sense whatsoever. "What? Food, i can understand, but who would take a cooking utensil?"


        "Probably has something to do with this." Termundus spoke up. The maid and the cook looked down where he did and saw a red trail leading into the kitchen, and then out of it, and looking back along the trail, it looked like it led up the stairs. 


        This dark a red... there's only one thing it could be. "Is... that what i think it is?" The maid asked as Termundus lifted up his paw to sniff what was on it.


        "WHAT THE FUCK!?!" They heard coming from upstairs; from Seliox's room. Spreading his wings, Termundus flew up to the upstairs hall, followed by several of his guards, along with the maid and the cook- they wanted to see where this was going. Reaching it in seconds, some of the guards gagged in disgust when they saw what made Sel yell- a humongous puddle of blood in the middle of the open cage. Seliox was equally as shocked and mortified as some of them were. He looked to his adoptive father with fear in his eyes. "I just came in my room and... and..."


        "Calm down." Termundus said as he entered. swatting several toys away with his tail as he did.  It wasn't long until the maid and the cook caught up and were immediately disgusted- the cook almost threw up, but the maid did; she was gonna have to clean it up. "We both know you are not at fault here."


        "But someone clearly is." One of his guards said. "But who would dare break into the home of a General?"


        Who was the key question here... and by all the current evidence, it wasn't a break-in, but a break-out, with the suspect none other then the unknown creature itself. "Hehehe... that beast was smarter then i thought..." He said to himself.


        "What was that?" Another guard asked.


        "The beast broke itself out. If there was an intruder, that a lot of valuable things would've been taken, or the paintings in the foyer defaced. This was a breakout- it even picked the lock." He looked towards said lock, seeing a lot of scratches on the metal. "Besides..." He gestured to the puddle. "How else would you explain the puddle of blood and lack of a body?" They couldn't. "One of two things happened here: one is that the beast ate its little companion in a gruesome manner to built up its strength before breaking the lock and leaving... or it picked the lock and left with its companion.... and seeing how there is a lack of intestines or blood on the walls of the cage, the second option is the most likely."


        "Then how does that explain the blood...?" A mortified Seliox asked. He was gonna have nightmares about this for weeks.


        How, indeed. Looking at the open cage again, Termundus thought about it and came to one conclusion that made the most logical sense: "It mutilated itself." Well, the most logical sense in his mind, but one that fits the evidence provided. And the thought of that creature doing such a thing to itself mortified Sel and the servants further. "The lock to the cage is on the top, something that may've been too far for it to reach, so the only way it could probably reach it was to do something drastic... like ripping one of its own claws out and extending it out with a object in the room to reach it." That made the maid gag again. "A process that must've been painful and hellish." He chuckled internally to hide it from it from the others. He then pointed a claw to the trail that was left in the escape, following out into the hallway. "How else would you explain that concentrated stream of blood?"


        "So i wasn't going crazy about the missing fruit after all." The cook said. "It must've taken some to regain its strength and whatever blood it lost." Termundus nodded; oranges or other citrus fruits can help in that- why else would they offer orange juice at a blood drive?


        "But... how does that explain the missing pizza paddle?" The maid asked.


        "A makeshift crutch, i would guess." Termundus concluded. "With a wound as egregious as the one it gave itself to escape, you'd need a support to keep the wounded limb mostly pain-free." He looked back down at the trail and cursed himself for not picking up on the beasts intentions sooner. "(The beast played us all for fools, myself included.)" He thought to himself. "(It pretended to be a dumb beast, all the wait for the opportune moment to escape. And it didn't have to wait long, either... but it had to tear apart its foot to do so. Tsk... poor thing. That was a good pizza paddle, too.)"


        "Shall we go out and search for it, lord?" One of the other guards asked.


        "No. It's going be dark soon. Given what happened earlier today with the Shadow, it would be wise for nobody to be outside tonight... too bad for that beast, then. And given its wound, it probably wouldn't have made it very far, if it even made it off the property at all. No, by now, it is most likely dead. As for its more animalistic... pet, i bet a wild animal already got to it. No, you won't search for the creature. But tomorrow, you two will go out to find that pizza paddle. Those are expensive to replace."


        "Yes, my lord." 


        "As for the peanut gallery..." He looked to the cook and maid. "You better get back to your work- that blood isn't gonna clean itself up."


        The maid sighed as she slouched over. Of course he's making her do that before lights out. And the rest of the staff are back in their homes, warm in their beds, or out partying. "Great..." She hung her head as she and the cook left. 


        Glancing back towards Seliox, who was still traumatized that his room looks like a murder crime scene, he gestured his guards to leave, which they did. "What is it?" He coldly asked.


        Seliox stammered, aghast at how bluntly cold  his adoptive father was being. "What is-- what is it!?! Look at this place!" He gestured to his entire room. "It's like a crime scene from one of those old moving pictures! My mind is already going wild, just trying to imagine what the hell happened here!! I don't want to, but it is! I don't think i'm gonna be sleeping for the next month!!"


        Termundus subtly rolled his eyes, slowly shaking his head in disapproval. He needs to remind himself he adopted the brat for a reason from time to time... like now. "Go sleep in my study. There's no way i'm letting you sleep in here until the mess is cleaned up. Who knows what disease that thing brought with it."


        "... ok." He slumped past.


        Reaching the cold, dark, stuffy study, which was appropriately dark thanks to the night to hide just about everything from view, Seliox slumped his way to the couch and plopped down on it, exhausted from everything. He's still beating himself up for being the one that almost killed Sil and that newcomer Sokuro. If he hadn't been so pushy and ridiculing, the Shadow wouldn't have attacked as it did. They must hate him for it. He grabbed one of the throw pillows and covered his head with it.


        ... over on the generals desk, with the lad none the wiser, a small, faint crimson red glow began to illuminate. The source of the glow: a small sliver of a blood-red crystal...

 

 


        Sokuro replaced the washcloth on Eia's head for the third time tonight, sitting on a chair by the bed. She hadn't bothered to change back to her Aerid self- why should she? The other half is crippled thanks to the lung, and she's going nowhere else tonight, so why bother. She sank in the seat, feeling absolutely terrible. This is all her fault... whatever was going to happen to the others is all her fault... 


        Everyone had gone to sleep after dinner, exhausted from the day- Alua was bunking with Seqy so that Sokuro could be by Eia. She can't blame them: between the shock of the Shadow attack and her reveal of not being from this world and the transformation, she's amazed none passed out on the spot. She would have. 


        Feeling the call of nature coming on, she got up from her seat and was about to head for the door, but doubled her sight back when she saw Sil sitting on a hill outside. Does he ever sleep? 


        


        Sitting alone and feeling terrible, Sil somberly looked to the sea beyond and the ground below, wanting to disappear and never be seen again. Why is everything his fault?


        "Sil?" Sokuro asked behind him. He glanced back, but he didn't reply. He just wanted to vanish. "Are you ok?"


        "No......"


        "Why?" She asked as she approached. 


        "Everything is my fault..."


         Not this again, she thought. "No it's not."


        "Yes it is." He looked away as she sat down beside him. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be hurt... if i didn't let Seliox get under my skin- if i didn't let him egg me on and convince me i was a weak whelp, you wouldn't have been hurt... and i wouldn't have yelled at you..." That part seemed to upset him the most.


        She heaved a sigh, looking down and slowly shaking her head. "We all saw that monster was after me specifically. Even if we weren't in that arena, it would've possessed someone else and come after me regardless, at which point it would've likely possessed a kid. And if anything, it's Sel's fault for pushing you like that. Just because you're meek doesn't mean you are weak. And as for the yell.... i kinda deserved it. I was behaving like a idiot, almost putting you and everyone here in danger. If you hadn't stepped up... i don't even want to think about it. Besides...." She curled up. "All this is my fault..."


       That actually made him look towards her. "It is...?"


        "It's my fault we're all here to begin with... i was so excited to find out what that stupid gate was, i didn't even bother to think what might happen... now look at us.... my other half is crippled, Eia's unconscious with who knows what kind of mental trauma, and everyone else is likely captured or worse... all because of me..."


        ".... guess we're both to blame for everything..." Sokuro sank into her despair further; as if her guilt wasn't bad enough. "... hopefully things will turn around for you tomorrow when you go see the Council."


        "I hope so..." She palmed the scale in her hand; the moon reflected off it, making it glisten. Her mind wandered to those they left behind back on Dragenia;  how they all must be worried stiff about where they were and if they were safe... especially Taled...   Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, but she swears that she could see their reflections in her scale. "... otherwise i'll never hear the end of it..." 

48: Chapter 45: Death and a Door
Chapter 45: Death and a Door

Chapter 45


Death and a Door


7/11/5802

 

 


        All it took was one bad day for everything to go wrong.


        All it took was a disappearance to send everything spiraling out of control. 


        11 years... is that how long its been? Has it really been that long? Has it really been 11 years since they all vanished into thin air, never to be seen again? 


        Because for many, it felt like an eternity...


        It certainly felt that way for young Taled. He spent the last 11 years in anguish, believing that the colonists did something to his sister. He had to grow up all alone, with no family to support him or encourage him. The orphans... they weren't a good substitute, not in the chaos of that place, not during these days. He had to learn to take care of himself, and at such a young age. Even now, he's not even sure he grew up right. He barely uses his Aerid form; it just doesn't feel right with her gone, not able to see what he has become. ... but given his job, that may be a good thing.


        Ever since Hopa made the accusation that the colonists did something to the missing six- now upgraded to seven when Velx vanished that same hour- relations with them have..... well, they've gone about as well as you would expect: Bad. Just... ungodly bad. Yet, somehow, they aren't at war. How is that possible- violent wars have started for less. 


        It was thanks to Lady Harfile, one of the original twelve and a master negotiator, that it was possible. In the end, after several dozen... hundred talks, it all boiled down to this: if the colonists didn't bother the locals, and paid some reparations for the disappearance of the six, then the locals won't bother them. Thanks to this arrangement, both sides suffered: many colonists died when they were unprepared for Frostnight the first time, and Inoute and several others died as research into the Froypis virus had been permanently halted.


        They're only a few miles apart, but they may as well have erected enormous walls to separate the peninsula between the two. 


        While there weren't any massive walls, that doesn't mean there isn't walls to begin with. Many were erected around Novalle to keep the local riff-raff out, and they were all topped with anti-air weaponry. The colonists know they do not stand a chance against a legion of the flying lizards or cannon-spewing airships, but they can at least make 'em fight for their victory. There is one way to avoid a conflict: the colonists leaving, and if they could leave, they would, but the lack of fuel for their mothership is a problem, and nothing so far is proving to be a reliable alternative fuel source, plus the walls and turrets were stripped from the Argo, so there would be a lot less room for everyone.


        ... but hull-plating and laser turrets for walls are not the only thing the Argo can provide....

 

 


        A lone Beetle dropship made its final approach towards the orbiting vessel. This poor ship, that have carried the colonists 2.5 million light-years for over 100 years, has seen better days. Lack of upkeep turned a once life-filled vessel into a ghost ship. If there were spiders, the entire interior would be covered in cobwebs, but spiders don't breath in space, thankfully... hopefully... if they do, i'd set fire to the whole ship. 


        The Beetle landed in the docking port closest to the bridge. Steam hissed out as it touched down onto landing struts and the ramp descended. Before he left years ago, Solstice shut off all systems except communications and sensors to preserve the reactor's remaining fuel. Thanks to this, gravity and life support are non-existent, and will be until they find a way to refuel this ship and leave this backwater pebble of a planet. 


        Arlye was the first to depart from the ship, minus the equipment needed to breath in zero g. As a Argalith, he can survive for several hours in the cold vacuum of space before needing a breathing mask. That doesn't mean he enjoys being out in this, though; the pressure is intense and not breathing for some time is a hassle. Several more people, all of the other various colonist races all in space suits, followed behind him, carrying tools that can cut through metal. 


        "Where do we start first?" One of the humans in the group asked as he shouldered a factory-grade soldering iron. 


        "We'll start in locations that aren't critical." Arlye told them. "Start with observation lounges."


        "But it's mostly glass in those areas, right?" The only Hesk of the group asked. 


        "I know. But even glass takes part in the construction of walls. Need to see where things are out there." He headed for the exit, which was left open thanks to the lack of power.. "I'm gonna go check out the bridge, check out the weapon situation, see if there are any turrets we missed." He rounded the corner and vanished from their sight.


        "Well, he's in a mood." Another human in the group said, crossing her arms.


        "He's under a lot of stress." A Kitsune said as she lifted up her tools. "We all are." She lugged her equipment out into the hallway, as did the others. 


        "At least stripping down a observation dome will be easier then the turrets." The first human said. "No fancy wiring or a risk of blasting our heads off."


       He'll get no arguments from the rest of the group. "Agreed." They all replied in unison. 

 

 

        Forcing the doors of the main bridge to open, Arlye made his way in. Keeping them open was difficult as he had to keep half of it down with his foot and getting his entire body in before allowing it to close behind him. It was a pain, but one he'd have to deal with. Pressing a few buttons on the side, he powered up the main bridge... or rather, the equipment he needed: the sensor and communication stations. Nobody else knows this, but he had been tasked with keeping an eye open for any ships nearby. They weren't the only colonists heading for Messier 32, but ever since an... "accident" took down their only long-range comm dish on the surface a couple years ago, they had to resort to this. He only has until the ship has been fully decommissioned or refueled.  


        Taking a chip out of his back pocket, he plugged it into the main console and went to sit in the sensor technicians chair while the A.I. he brought with him booted up. 


        Sitting up as if waking up, Solstice yawned as he stretched his arms. "Yaaaaaawn... that was some nap."


        "Must you, Solstice?" Arlye said as he sat down. "A.I.'s don't even get sleepy."


        "Then why do we have a sleep mode?" The alien croco-shark hybrid simply rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. He didn't design them, so how would he know? "Kidding." He sat up and stretched his arms. "So, same old routine?"


        "More or less. We only have a couple of hours."


        "I know, i know." He summoned up the sensor logs and went to work analyzing them. Ever since this assignment began a year ago, he's had to go through every single one, from the moment they left Vega till now. To any normal person, it would be agonizing and tedious to sift through 110 years of logs to find any records of other ships that came to Messier 32 with them. For an A.I.... it's still agonizing and tedious, but at least it's done faster. Right now, they were just getting to the good stuff.


        "And here's our main event... our Arrival at Dragenia." Solstice clapped his hands before spreading them, expanding the logs so that Arlye could see them.  


        Speaking of whom, he sank in his chair with a pout; seems nobody came with them when they initially left Vega, and the Milky Way, behind, least not in the week they left. Someone could've come a year or two after they left, but that would mean they're still in transit or yet to set up their equipment or... something. To the colonists on Dragenia, it's only been 10 years. For all they know, some could still be in the transition to Messier, or even Andromeda, right now. But as of right now for him, he has nothing. "So much for other ships." He mumbled, resting his head on his fist.


        That is crappy, but there was something else to get Solstice's attention. "Well, this looks interesting." He interrupted as he spun a image around. It showed several bright lights coming from the mesa. "A whole lot of energy spikes coming up from the mesa Misken is located on. This happened around the same time as we landed on the planet."


        That's easy to figure out. "Their Ascension ceremony, i'd wager." Using the machine he was sitting at, he sifted through several more. "Seems their transformations can show up on our sensors. Not sure how useful that could be in a fight." Solstice nodded in agreement before continuing on. Even then, it became more of the same: their transformations appear as shining lights and that's about it. There were many, and there were few.


        What's scary is that the Phagos even appeared on their sensors, but it can't transform. It appears as a dark silhouette... what's even more scary is that it is showing up as a evil smile, with the long-necked head showing up as a goatee just what in the world are these creatures, and what are they giving off to make them appear like that?


        Then the same thing came back again: transformation, transformation, transformation, transformation... transformation..... transformation............ humongous flash of rainbow light that took up most of the sub-continent............... transformation....................... Wait, what was that last one? "... wait" Arlye ordered as he sat up. "... go back."


        That order confused the program; why go back? They're so close to the end. "Go back? On what?"


        "Just rewind on the scans." He ordered. He approached the main console as the image in question came into view. "There." The playback stopped on the image of the giant rainbow light. It looked almost serpentine. "That. What is that?"


        Solstice was stumped over how he could just pass this off. How did he just pass that off- nothing like this has been seen before? "That... is an energy surge. A pretty huge one at that.... almost impossible to calculate with numbers that would make sense." He looked to him. "In comparison, think of the locals transformations and our ships engines as batteries: theirs's are nifty Double-A's. The Argo is a hefty generator........ that is a star. A bonafide star."


        As simple and inaccurate a explanation as that was, that's still a mind-bogglingly display of power, for any species. It's doubtful even Dyson Spheres could generate that much power, and they're built around stars. "Holy..." He was at a loss for words. "... how long ago was this?"


        "Let's see here..." he brought up the timecodes and surfed through them. "Around... wait... boss, this happened 10 years ago, right? It happened a month after we landed and made contact... and if i'm remembering right, immediately after that Koloron thing."


        Is he insinuating... "Are you telling me this happened on the same day they disappeared?" The program nodded in response. Is there anything on this planet remotely capable of generating such power?  As far as they have seen... no. The Dragenian's, as far as the colonists are aware, are in their medieval period with a Earthian Native American flair. There should be nothing capable of generating such power on this rock. "Where did it originate?"


        The origin point should be easy enough to figure out. "Checking. Checking. Ch--..... this can't be right." He refreshed it to try and get a clearer picture, but it was the same result.


        "What is it?"


        He refreshed it a third time to make sure. Same dang result. "It came from... underground." Underground? Is there a subterranean civilization nobody knows about? The locals don't seem to think there is one, so why... Arlye was already deep in thought as Solstice brought up Dragenian maps from his database while running subterranean scans of the area. The area the surge came from was under.... the beach? No, wait, the mesa. No, wait..... how big is this thing? As the scans would reveal, really big. It made the A.I. whistle in amazement. "Wow. How long has this been under our feet? And the local maps don't reference it. Almost as if it's location is..."


        "The Sacred Land of Origins: Ty Sokuro Basin." Arlye concluded. That wasn't what Solstice was going for, but he let him continue. "That, that, that, that hidden valley thing the kids mentioned being trapped in after that quake during first contact.."


        "... i was gonna suggest it was a Kalamander breeding ground, but that works too."


        "When did this surge happen?"  


        Solstice brought up the time and date marks. "Around 9:12 A.M. on... The 8th Celestial Movement of the 210518th Covenant of  Lith..." Argalithy calendar. Confusing as hell to figure out, so... "In human terms, March the 14th, 5791.... that's when--!"


        "When six people went missing, vanishing as if from the planets surface." He concluded again. At least this time, it was what Solstice was heading towards. "And where a God just up and disappeared." He approached the console and put in a command function. Nearby, sounds from the nearest printer began to imamate. Solstice immediately knew what he was doing... but not sure on the why. "Something happened down there."


        "No duh!" Solstice exclaimed. "But then... why would it involve Velx? He was seen speeding this way like a banshee out of hell, so why..."


        Arlye froze as he came to his own conclusion on why Velx bolted as he did. "A secret he didn't want let out, perhaps?" He turned to the program's avatar. "Why else would he act like that?"


        "Do you think so?"


        "If you want to hide a big secret, declaring a land sacred would be a good way to do it." He went to the nearby printer just as it finished producing the image of the energy surge. "And these folks are highly superstitious."


        "Having their Gods live among them would also count towards that." Solstice pointed out. Yeah, there is that too, Arlye thought. The alien folded up the paper and put it in his left breast pocket before approaching the main terminal. "Do you think he killed them?"


        "Over a secret? I doubt it. He is... was a logical creature... but that wouldn't explain why he would've disappeared too... not unless ge felt great shame for his action and went into hidinf." Arlye's not liking where this train of thought is going. "If he did kill..... it must've been a doozy."


        "Must've been. And what are you planning on doing with that picture?"


        "Try to convince the one boy who wants answers more then anyone to help."


        Solstice tsked away, slowly shaking his head as Arlye input the commands to purge him from the system and back onto his portable drive. "He's gonna kill ya." He said as his avatar faded away and the chip inserted glowed as he was transferred in. 


        "Not if i catch him on a good day."

 

      


        He wasn't going to catch him on a good day. Taled's never had a good day since his sister disappeared. He's had a decade of bitterness inside him, and it was only going to continue growing. Now, he takes his frustration and fury out on those who break the rules the two civilizations had set up between each other. When he was old enough, he joined a special task group Hopa himself had created... already, you can see that was a bad idea just by saying Hopa's name. The group was to keep them all separated; a lot of Miskenites still blame them for Velx's disappearance, and Hopa took advantage of that when he took over after Inoute died from the Froypis virus. Ifil should've been next in line or there should've been an election of sorts, but no, the old buzzard just swooped on in.


        Amazingly... they still kept their word on keeping the colonists a secret. There's no proof they are responsible for the disappearances outside of Hopa's accusations, and things are already bad enough for the colonists since they have nowhere to go; there is no reason to make everything worse by exposing them to the rest of the world as that would be their death sentence... though every colonists believe that the locals are keeping that as the Nuclear option for when things indeed go from bad to worse. 


       But that's going to take of lot of bad luck. ... right?


 

 

        Out at a secluded spring in the forest, unaware of who first used this place all those years ago, a couple was.... er, having some horizontal fun, or were about to. What they were doing was against the rules, but when you are a hormonal-driven teenager, you say 'screw the rules' and try to do things your way, even if they are wrong. 


        "Dragenian clothes..." Mukembe panted as he messed with the dress he was in no way capable of dealing with. Not his fault; 10 years of barely any contact will do that. "Always hard to deal with."


        "Well, you've had no practice." Set commented as she panted in anticipation. Well, he has... just not on any Dragenian girls. "I must say, though. You chose a good spot."


        "Right? I found it while out walking. It's like something out of a picture book." Guess nobody is going to find out where the real first contact took place, where Sokuro and Bran met for the first time.


        "Or a really good painting." She looked back to him and he was still having trouble. Huffing out air to puff up her hair out of her eyes, she got annoyed soon enough and took the initiative, putting him on the ground and her on top. "Ok, how about i lead tonight? Ok? You can practice my dress later." He nodded in agreement. "Good. Now...." She giggled as she booped him on the nose. "Where should i start first~?"


        "How about home?" A low voice said, making the two potential lovebirds freeze up. With a glow coming from above, Taled dropped down onto the ground and walked out of his own display of sparkles in his Ferid self. In the ten years since his sister left, he has grown really good, becoming the tallest kid in town, and by the age of 16, he was already such a handsome lad... And a feared one, too; he's gained a reputation of holding up Hopa's crazed laws, even if and when they weren't needed, like now. "Which is where you should both be."


        "Um..." Mukembe quickly got up, pushing Set off as he did, and lightly chuckled. "Hey, Taled. Long time, no--" Taled gave him a glare, making him quiet up and slowly scoot away. "Un... right. I'll just head on home then."


        "Just go already."


        "And away i go." He zipped off, leaving only a cloud shaped like him behind for a brief moment before it too zipped away.


        Set snarled and leered at Taled, baring teeth as she got up off the ground, slamming her feet down as she did. "Did you really have to do that?!"


        "Yes i did." She looked away with a huff while he crossed his arms. This guy... This guy, the ultimate mood killer! And she was so cloooooose. "You know the rules, Set: you can't interact with them."


        She was this close to tearing out her own eyeballs from how hard she facepalmed. "UUUUGH!! you know, i'm this close to going to Roko Harbor and smothering him with his pillow for putting us in this damn mess; just speed up the fricken process!!" She yelled right to his face. "If he hadn't opened his damn mouth..."


        "We wouldn't have known the truth." He concluded for her, repeating the same thing he's been saying over and over for the past decade, mimicking Hopa's same words that he said over and over. And what truth? Hopa is the only to make such a accusation, and while everyone ate it up on the spot... in hindsight, it was too early to make the judgment call with lack of evidence. There are a huge number who still believe him, but in the total of Misken's population, that's about 70/30.


        "... you keep saying that, but he never brought forward any proof, did he? Just a few cleverly chosen words to work up a crowd, which you also ate up hook, line, and sinker." He stayed silent, having been trained to ignore words that would discredit Hopa. She realized her words were a waste of time and activated her own scale. "Right... no response from the robot...' She exhaled a disappointed sigh, wondering why he let Hopa turn him into this. "When are you gonna wake up and see he's horrible?" She took off before her change was complete, wanting to get away from the jerk.


      Taled watched as she flied away, reflecting on what she said. It is true that Hopa is... not a nice person, but with the disappearance, he was needed. They all needed guidance and it was he that was offering it. The Colonists claim to have come under a banner of peace, but it is clear that they want them all gone. Why else would Velx also have vanished? It makes no sense... at least, in his mind, it doesn't. But indoctrination will do that to a young one.


        "She's not wrong, you know." He heard a voice say to his side. He turned and saw Arlye coming out of the forest. "You have become easily manipulative." 


        Anger filled Taled as he closed his hands into fists; this jerk was coming to attack him. "You..." He snarled.


        He held up a hand, not to attack, but to stop him from doing anything rash. "I'm not here to fight, Taled. I'm here to talk."


        Talk? Colonists never talk. They only take and fight and deceive, never talk. What's this offworlder planning? "Why?" He demanded to know, not letting his guard down.


        "Because--"


        "No, why are you even approaching me? I could kill you right now without even breaking a sweat."


        That was rude to interrupt him just as he was about to explain himself. And a threat to boot. That was a rude threat. How rude. "Then you would be starting a full-scale war between our peoples. I don't want that, and i'm sure you don't either." He's not off the mark. Hopa may be crazy, but even he doesn't want war... that's what Taled tells himself every night before he goes to sleep, anyways. "Like i said, i'm here to talk."


        Taled couldn't help but admit, he's curious to hear what he has to offer he he risks getting killed or being taken hostage. It must be something major if he is doing this. "... about what?" He hesitantly asked, not letting his guard down.


        "I need you to take me into the Basin- that hidden valley in the sacred land."


        Such a bold and stupid request. It's worthy of a guffaw. "HA!! Hopa is right- you all truly are deceitful." Arlye lidded his eyes, annoyed that he's still taking the words of a senile coot as gospel. "Nobody is allowed into the sacred land, not even us, so why in the Pit would i take a filthy otherworlder who's probably gonna die in the next few seconds to our birthplace?"


        "Because of this." He held up the printed picture of the large energy surge. He traced over the peninsula when he got back since it was barely visible of the radar scan.


        That's... something the kid wasn't expecting. He cautiously walked over to him and took it out of his fingers; benefits of being made out of scales: no papercuts. "... what is this?"


        "From what Solstice told me, a energy surge, one so powerful it completely blinded our sensors. The scans at the time lists its origin point as underground. And... take a gander at the timestamp." He did, but he barely knows anything about Milky Way languages. The translators aren't that great when it comes to numbers written as numbers; one is fine, but 1 is a issue. "It's from 10 years ago. It's from the same day they all vanished."


        Taled's heart both skipped a beat and dropped. How dare this buffoon try to trick him with this? His heart still hurts from the loss of his big sister, and he's taking advantage of it to enter the Basin? How stupid does he think he is? "And you expect me to believe this? You could be lying, for all i know, to make me lower my guard, lure me into a trap, then torture me until the year is out."


        Hopa really screwed this nice kid over by taking advantage of him, didn't he? "If i was laying a trap, i would be doing a better job convincing you then a random energy spike." The kid is unsure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "Look... we both know we're a needledrop away from open war, and this conflict is very one sided in your favor." To which Taled is thankful for; the Colonists may have superior technology, but the Dragenians have numbers and variety. Their lasers can't hit every single Aerid and Gaharot Airship. "Here's my proposal: we go down there and check to see if there is anything that could constitute this energy reading. If we find evidence that something down there made them vanish, then we can hopefully begin repairing the damage the last decade brought us while trying to find a way to find and bring them all back. If there isn't any evidence... then i give you permission to--"


        "Done."


        That's a little bit scary, knowing what he was leading to before he finished it... especially with what he was going to suggest. Has him worried what else this kid is thinking of under that gourd. "... i didn't even finish."


        "You didn't need to... lunch." He scoffed as he walked past, hitting his shoulder against his. "Now come on. Sooner we get this over with, sooner i can get away from you."


        "It won't even take long. Maybe."


        "Maybe?"


        "I don't know how long we're gonna be down there. It's not like you have plans or anything right?" Taled looked away; he does have plans, actually... hopefully Hopa can avoid the end long enough for Taled to finish his task and rush over to say goodbye.

 

 


        Sad to say... he's not going to get that chance. Old age finally caught up to the old buzzard. Laying on his bed at a medical facility in Roko Harbor, and surrounded by the other 23 Shaman's in the world, they all waited with baited breath for the eldest among them to take his last, which won't be long now. His breathing grows shallower with each one. He was so weak, he could barely move his eyes, let alone any other part of his body. 


        "I'm...... not long..... for this world...." He coughed, which hurt horribly. "I can... feel it..."


        "Master Hopa..." One of the Shaman's from the mainland sadly whined. He was one of the youngest among them, barely older then Taled right now. Even has the same hair color, but it doesn't matter what age you are- once it's proven you are a Shaman, you're in for life, regardless of age. He grabbed the elders hand in worry, scared of what is coming, as should everyone. 


        Hopa coughed again, this time with a loud wheeze at the end. "Coooooooooooough... gah.......b.... before i.... i go.... there is something.... i must confess... one... final.... grave sin i've committed..."


        "What is it?" The second eldest asked. He was only a few years younger then Hopa, and he knows it won't be long until he joins his brother, but until then he will remain on his duty. 


        Gathering what little strength he had left, Hopa set in motion his gravest mistake, one that will spell disaster. "We..... have demons...... living amongst us...." The gathered Shamans began to murmur amongst themselves; what could he mean by demons, many wondered. "They... are many..... and claim to be friendly.... Lord Velx........ even vouched for them......... and he paid for it.... with his life..."


        "Demons?" The youngest repeated. "Here?"


        "Yes..... They  live...... to the west of Misken... within.... strange metal structures....... and with weapons that can..... fire beams of light...." Weapons that fire beams of light? They are besmirching the Gods? "All of the words..... that they say..... are lies, rotten to the core...... but my kin..... foolishly believed them... and were pleaded with.... to keep their existance.... a secret...... and now....... Velx is dead..... and the Silver is dead...... and five others, too.... they..... will wait.... for you to let your guard down.... then they will kill..... just like.... they did.... to them..."


        This is.... this is all hard to believe. Velx is dead? These beings can kill a Astral? That.... that's impossible. They cannot be killed; nobody can kill a God. It's impossible, it has to be. And there was a new Silver and now it's dead too? "That's.... lord Hopa, i mean no disrespect, but that.... that sounds very far-fetched."


        "Then go...... to Misken... and gaze.... to the western mountains..... you will see their structures.... their horrific structures...." He grabbed onto the  youngest's arm. "Promise me.... Horfil..... you will do what i could not..... and rid this world..... of their rotten kind...."


        "I..... i will...."


        With the last ounce of his strength, Hopa managed a small smile. The smile slowly faded away as his eyes grew dim and heavy. His head mounted on its side as his hand slid off the youngest's arm and dangled limp over the side of the bed. At the old age of 99, which is impressive for Human and Ferid alike, Hopa had passed away. Somber coughs and grunts, and the struggle to hold back tears, filled the entire room.


        Sniffling and wiping his eyes, Horfil got up and closed Hopa's eyes the rest of the way. "Goodbye... lord Hopa." He sniffled and wiped his eyes again. It wasn't all sad news; somewhere in the world, a new Shaman was either being born or receiving their scale. Time will tell, of course.


        As many prepared to cover Hopa's body, the second oldest--.... well, now the oldest member of the Shamans couldn't get Hopa's dire warning out of his head. "Demons living among us...?" Horfil looked away, knowing it was ludicrous. "How is that even possible...? And for so long?"


        Horfil gave a sighing scoff, wondering why they believed him on such nonsense. "How is it even true?" He asked disrespectfully. 


        "You don't believe him?" The oldest retorted. "It would explain why Velx is gone."


        "He probably just needed a vacation; you know how Hopa is--.... was." That is going to take some getting used to. "He always exaggerated."  There's no denying that, but exaggerations aren't lies, not in the strictest sense. Even if it was just hot air, there may be something happening at Misken they don't know about he mistook for demons. "Besides, everyone knows Demons don't exist." The Phagos would like to have a long talk with him about that... and the other Shamans weren't going to argue that; many have liked to Hopa's age and never once encountered a Demon, and while the Phagos are demonic in nature, they were created. "Even so... we still need to head out towards Misken to sort through his belongings. I'll fly on ahead and get started." He finished as he headed towards the exit. 


        "This soon?"


        "I don't like wasting time." He answered as he walked out, brushing the hanging cloth aside.


        Several of the Elders were disappointed by his lack of courtesy in this situation. Their eldest had just passed away... he can show some decorum. "To use a term i've heard the young ones use... he's turned into a hot head."


        "Indeed."


    

 

        Standing at the precipice of the cavernous maw that led to the hidden Basin, Arlye looked over the side, seeing just how far down it went. A disillusioned and objective Taled stood nearby with arms crossed and a grouchy demeanor. This teamup only just started, and already the kid hates it. Hopa did a real nasty job in this kid to turn him this jaded.


        "That's a long drop." Arlye commented. "How did the kids survive the fall?"


        "How will you if you don't get moving?" Taled harshly snapped; he wants this over with pronto and here this guy is, taking as long as he can. It's not fair to him. 


        "No need to be a grouch, kid." He coldly looked back to him. "If it wasn't for that scale of yours, i could easily take you in a fight, so just drop the attitude before we actually try out that claim." It didn't affect the kid much; to him, it's just hot air. Returning his attention back to the Basin, Arlye peered down once again, looking for a route he could use to head down with; he knows Taled won't give him a ride. "There."


        "What?"


        He pointed towards a outcropping of rocks he could repeatedly jump down to reach the bottom. "We can jump down those and reach the bottom that way." Taled rolled his eyes and slowly shook his head. There is no way he is going to do that. His scale began to transform as Arlye was left oblivious. "Hmm... a couple of them look a bit slippery, but If we h--" Without warning, he was picked off the ground and swiftly whisked into the underground with Taled moving so fast, he was almost a blur.

 

        


        Just as the two of them had flown down into the sacred land below, a couple of certain Shamans were approaching the village on the mesa. Their first stop before Hopa's residence was Velx's sacred temple... or what was his temple. Ever since his disappearance, there was no reason seen to keep it polished and uncovered by moss and vines. Many still wonder why Velx vanished so suddenly, even his fellow Gods. It's not like him to just disappear like this. What's also concerning is the disappearance of his handmaiden, who was last seen with him. Whatever happened to them both is a mystery among everyone to this day, and one that won't be answered.


        Approaching the bottommost stair, Horfil and his accompanying collogue, Frit, the Shaman of the Bokurol Capital whose the same age as he but with more facial hair and a number of scars on his right cheek alone, clapped their hands together and bowed to the temple. He may be gone, but he's still a God. wherever he is, the prayers must be reaching him somehow. 


        "Hard to believe it's been 10 years now..." Horfil said with quiet respect. "You'd figure we'd have some information by now."


        "It's hard to find evidence with sudden disappearances." Frit replied. "Especially for cases that literally vanish into thin air." Their prayers complete, they lowered their hands and raised their heads. They turned and left, following the overgrown path as they headed for Hopa's former abode. His place was small, and close by; he always lived close to the Temple. It's still out in the village, so they'll need directions to find it. "A single person is one thing, but six? And a Astral? Something clearly happened. All we have to go by were what the locals say they saw: just him flying away like a demon out of the Pit."


        "Not much to go on off that other then he was mad." Horfil replied. "But mad about what? That's the question."


        "We'll never know."


        A couple minutes later, the two reached the end of the path and entered the village proper. Despite their deity having been missing for the better part of a decade, things seemed relatively normal. IT wasn't at first, what with him actually disappearing along with the other six, and the chaos Hopa caused with the colonists; those three years were hell to both sides. 


        As they had no clue where Hopa's house was, they approched one of the locals, a female Gaharot who is heavily pregnant, as she was examining some fruit she was going to buy. "Excuse me, miss." Horfil asked aloud, catching her attention. "We're trying to find Hopa's residence. Do you know where it is?"


        "Why do you ask?" She responded in earnest before her scary mind got the better of her and leaped to so many wrong conclusions. "What did the idiot do now?"


        Idiot, the two thought? The locals must not like him all that much. "Nothing... except die."


        That was a shocker to her, and to the others around who were overhearing. "He's dead?" She breathlessly said. "When did that happen?"


        "A couple of hours ago. We came to gather up his things."


        "I see...." She tapped her claws on her basket, still processing what she heard. "His house is over there." She pointed behind them, towards a series of huts built into the rock underneath the temple plateau. These were small places, but they functioned well as small homes. In essence, they're Misken's version of studio apartments. "It's the last one on the right, with all those... delightful decorations."


        Delightful? More like morbid. They've never seen so many petrified animal skulls in their lives. "That's... charming." Frit commented.


        Horfil ignored him and bowed to her. "Thank you for your cooperation, miss...."


        "Buron."


        "Miss Buron." He bowed again and left with his comrade. 

    

        As they walked away, they overheard Buron talking with the others at the stand they were just at. "Did i hear that right?" They heard a male say. "Hopa is dead?"


        "Old age must've finally caught up to the slimeball." Buron commented, wanting to spit on his grave. "I mean, 99 is impressive, but finally, the jackass is gone."


        "When Novalle learns of this, they're gonna throw a celebration."


        "If they learn of it." Another female voice said. "No speaking terms, remember?" To that, the other two groaned.


        Still walking away, Horfil twisted his lips at how.... "beloved" he is here. "I'm guessing Hopa wasn't that well-loved by the people around here." Horfil commented to his partner.


        "He was a hard man to cooperate with." Frit replied. 


        "That's putting it mildly." Reaching the front door to his home, Horfil looked in disgust at one of the skulls hanging off it. A Felm skull, one perfectly preserved too. He shivers at the thought of what he did to a sacred beast, hoping he just found one dead in the wild at the claws of a predator. What's puzzling is the deep scar on its head. "I never heard of a place called Novalle before, have you?" 


        Frit shook his head. "No. It must be a new settlement, one that did not get along with Hopa." He grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door lurched, but stayed its place. Embarrassed, he pushed on it, opening it inwards.


        "We'll have to go there and introduce ourselves when we're done."

 

 

        Last time, it took the children several hours to go from the gorge in the earth into the Basin proper. For Taled, it took him a few minutes of high-octane flying, dodging around outcroppings as if they weren't even there. When they came out the exit to the tunnel, he had changed back and slid to a halt. Arlye, who he had riding in his claws, rolled to a stop, his face flat down in a stream. 


        "Well, that was quite invigorating." Taled commented, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "A lot more fun then the Koloron, but a lot shorter." He heard Arlye respond, but his response was muffled by the water. The kid grumbled a sigh before using his foot to turn him over onto his back. "You had something to say, old man?"


        If his eyes would stop spinning, he would. "... i am never flying Air Taled again..." He croaked. Taled grumbled again. Using his foot again, he pushed him back into his front, with his face in the water once more. If he was going to drown him, it wasn't gonna work; Argalith's can breath underwater for long periods of time. Picking his head up, he rested it on one hand and tapped a claw from the other on the ground. "You know my kind can breath underwater, right?"


        "Don't really care." Though it is something he never heard of before. 


        Getting up out of the water, Arlye shook it off like a dog coming out of... well, the water. Taled exclaimed loudly as he was soaked. "I was just trying to add some levity to our excursion." Again, Taled didn't really care, but now his clothes are all wet, and he had just gotten these back today. Ignoring his wet clothes, Arlye whistled in sheer amazement as he looked out over the edge of the cliff they were on, seeing the sprawling valley far below them, and the humongous cave entrance that opened up into a seemingly endless array of connected stalagmites and tites. Taled looked at him with a puzzled face, as he was focused on getting the water off his clothes, before he too saw the view. "Wow... now that is a view. Like something out of a painting."


        Taled can't exactly argue with that. "Indeed it is."


        Arlye leaned forward and looked over the edge, towards the sharp jagged pillars that protruded out of the rock and the sprawling valley of trees below. "That... is a scary drop." And he almost went down that without even knowing it. "And such a huge valley... where would we even start looking?"


        Where indeed? There could be a number of places that energy surge could've come from. In that endless maze? in the valley? Or.... maybe what Taled just noticed after looking around. "I'm gonnq guess that place." He said, pointing towards the array of desolated structures far to their left. 


        "Is that a village? All the way down here?"


        "They do say the Basin was the source of all life on Dragenia, and where the tidal shift from Gaharot rule to Ferid rule occurred. It would make sense that the people lived here at some point."


        "Makes sense."


        


        With his mouth slack-jawed, Frit looked at a sacrificial mask that hung on one of the walls in Hopa's home, a mask that hasn't been worn since the dawn of the Ferid Age. There were all sorts of weird, violent, ancient stuff in his house: unkempt swords and daggers that have rust on top of their rust, the aforementioned masks and trinkets such as jewelry and belts, and even books about past civilizations, particularly any that involved blood.


        As Horfil came out of Hopa's bedroom with a stack of his clothes, Frit turned his head slowly, asking "Is it just me... or was Hopa really into sacrificial stuff?"


        "That or a strange collector." Horfil replied. He put the clothes on a beanbag and dusted his hands. Hopa hasn't lived in this place for a few years now, not since his age started to become a hindrance. Afterwards, he had to be moved to a state-of-the-art medical facility in Roko Harbor; best health care on Evioly. And except for this ancient stuff, he doesn't really have a lot. All he has in his bedroom is his bed, more clothes, and his Shamanistic equipment, which they will be taking with them. "The clothes, we could donate somewhere... all this other stuff, we should probably contact Xoelsa. Someone there will want these."


        Walking away from the mask, Frit looked outside the door. "You know... for a place that supposed to be infested with Demons, everyone is behaving normally."


        "Can demons even possess people?" All he got in response was a 'i dunno.' "Well, normal or not, we still need to check things out when we're done. And i want to check out that Novalle place. It must be a permanent new settlement if it's already named."


        "Novalle... i don't think i heard that name before. Anywhere. You?" Now it was Frit's turn to get the 'i dunno' response. "Helpful." He returned back to people watching, wondering if any of them are possessed by demons. Nobody is acting weird enough to stand out, and the pets seem to be behaving just fine. But then he began to notice something strange about some of the children in town. They had wooden weapons and they were shaped rather strangely, like crossbows but without the bow.


        "Bang!" One of the kids shouted towards one of her friends. Her friend pretended to be hit, clutching his heart and spinning around before falling to the ground. "Ha... way more convincing then that guy in the moving picture." That got a laugh from the kids...


        ... but confusion from Frit, who was so lost by all this. "Hey... what are those kids playing with?" 

        

        Looking out towards them as he approached the door, Horfil responded, "Looks like toy crossbows."


        "But look at it; when was the last time you saw a crossbow without the actual bow part, or why a kid would shout... what was it, bang? She shouted Bang, whatever that means, then made a comment about a moving picture."


        "A moving picture?"


        "That's what she said."


        "Hmm... maybe we should go see what this Novalle place is now instead of later."


        

 

        Given his traumatizing experience with Air Taled, Arlye insisted that they walk the rest of the way. The kid really didn't want to argue, knowing it would be like talking to a brick wall, so he just went with it. The colonist should be lucky he's not a skewer right now, with how many time's he's almost fallen off... though to  be fair, the pathway is giving out. It may be made out of the rock, but even rocks can deteriorate. 


        "Hmm... for a place supposed to be the origin of a culture and a species, that town looks rather small." Arlye said as he looked at it from the distance. 


        "Not everything has to be big like your colony, you know." Taled replied. Several rocks on the side of the road ahead of them gave way, creating a clatter as they fell. He looked down where they fell, towards the sprawling forest below. "... but i wouldn't reject the possibility that it was bigger at some point." Arlye stayed silent, knowing that any theory he put out would get shot down faster then.... well, them against a angry Aerid. 


        In no time at all, the two of them reached the ruined village... and boy, was it ever ruined. It looked worse then when Sokuro and the others were here, like a battle took place. Arlye picked up a piece of rubble and saw claw marks scratched in. "Well... you did say that this is where the rule of the planet switched from the Gaharots to the Ferids. We can rule out a peaceful transition."


        "Nobody said it was." Taled scoffed as he walked along one of the few streets that remained. He can only imagine what it was like here, living in these cobbled streets of dirt and mud, living in houses made from the same thing while living in fear of their overlords. His imagination wasn't as grand or as crazy as Sokuro's, but he can come up with some ideas... and times sure have changed.


        "Wait, i recognize this."


        Raising a eyebrow, Taled looked back to Arlye, who was looked at a blackened piece of wall. It is a strange black, to be sure, but nothing too out of the ordinary, yet the alien is acting like he's seeing something impossible. "What?"


        "Plasma scoring. It's a residue left by firing plasma." Taled tilted his head in confusion. "The beams of light that come out of our guns; the lasers." Ah, the kid went. Arlye brushed his hand over it. It's so deeply embedded into it... like it's been here thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years. Given how free this place is from the elements, it would make sense this lasted this long... but the larger implication is frightening. "Tell me, the fire that comes out of your mouth. Is it regular fire or something special?"


        "Last i checked, it was regular fire. Why?"


        "Cause regular fire doesn't leave plasma scoring..." He moved his hand away and began to approach the kid. "The closest thing to lasers i've seen on this planet are the beams of light that are fired out of the Astral's mouths.... and Sokuro." Taled's face twisted in anguish at the mention of that name; bad idea. "But... according to your legends, nobody had been down here for thousands of years... but this scoring is way, way older." He stopped in the middle of the street when he saw the culprit of the disappearance crimes. "Almost... as old... as that thing..."


        The kid tilted his head in confusion before looking into the same direction he did. His mouth dropped when he saw the enormity that lay before them, deeply embedded into the rock. "What in the Black Abyss is that!?!" He exclaimed, almost falling over onto his rear. "Th-that is..."


        "One. Huge. Door." The alien chuckled. This thing has to be hundreds of feet tall; this could easily engulf the Argo height wise. Width... eh, probably not. It was greyed out; it must be carved from the local stone... but why? That thoery was quickly dashed when the gems on the frame slowly began to flickered to life and the grey color turned back to its Golden hue. "That is now glowing."


        For the first time in 10 years, the Golden Gate lurched to life. Life and color returned to the gemstones embedded within the frame and the door, which slowly began to open up. The two of them looked on with a shared sense of aw, completely blown away by what was transpiring. A bright light shown within the open door, but instead of sucking the two of them in, it instead spat someone out. The someone landed on top of a building, crushing it to pieces in a rather dramatic manner, forcing the two of them to cover their faces to safeguard from dust. 


        Seconds later, the door lost all power and closed back up. The dust quickly settled as the boys moved their arms. They saw a large mass moving in the larger cloud. Taled grew hopeful; was it Sokuro? Was she truly back?


        Unfortunately, no... but it is someone just as important, if not more so, one who was sorely needed.


        "VELX!?!"

49: Chapter 46.1: Convergence
Chapter 46.1: Convergence

Chapter 46.1

Convergence

???

 


        
        
        
        As the morning sun began to crest over the eastern horizon, a lone carriage traveled on down the dirt road. The driver, a lone iguana Anthromorph, yawned loudly as he drank a cup of freshly brewed coffee. He woke up bright and early so that they could get home in time for the second day of the celebration. As the light slowly began to take the sky, he looked up to see the beautiful colors, and saw, in the distance, their destination. Or rather, the large landmark that marks it.

        "We're almost back home, Lady Teluri." He said back towards the carriage.

        Inside, instead of seats to sit in, the entire carriage was one big cushion, which was currently being used as a bed by the occupant. A brown Dragoness too stunning and beautiful for words. She opened her eyes and yawned loudly; she may be beautiful, but she is loud with noises. Not her fault; some people are just like that. Smacking her lips, Teluriana looked out to the countryside passing them by. "How early did you wake up?"

        "Early enough. We already missed the first day of the celebration; i don't want to miss day two."

        She was too tired to think, so she shrugged it off. "Early bird gets the worm... yaaaaaaaaaawn... i guess." She saw a cup of the good stuff nearby and took a sip. Even dragons have table manners in high society; somehow, even the raised pinkie finger survived. It was a good cup, though. "So how much longer till we arrive?"

        "Best guess. An hour. Maybe two."

        "Let's hope its not too long." She said. 

        "Worried about the kid?"

        "Given who i left him with, why wouldn't i be?" She took another sip before sighing softly enough so that he wouldn't hear. "I just hope things didn't go horribly wrong while i was away."

 


        So who's gonna tell her the bad news?

        Seliox groaned as he sat up; he always hates sleeping on this couch. It always makes his body stiff and difficult to move. He rubbed his tired eyes, which were glowing red, but the glow was fading away, as was the glow coming from Termundus' desk. Getting off the couch and cracking his back, he walked out. He rubbed his eyes again and headed to his room, hoping that the mess had been cleaned up. The door was closed, so that wasn't a good sign.

        He opened the door and his worries were dashed. The cage was gone and the blood was cleaned up. While it was a stress release, he still had a weight on his back, wondering where the animals disappeared to. If it took a pizza paddle, it must've been smarter then they thought; the critter played them for fools.

        "Sir Seliox." One of the servants said as he approached from behind. "Your father is ready to go to the celebration."

        "This early?"

        "He wants to go by the tower before the events begin to, and in his words, "deal with some loose ends." Again, those were his words."

        Sel sighed as he lowered his head. Of course he has business there. It's always business. "Right..." He looked to his bed and saw that his clothes were laid out. "Are my clothes prepared?"

        "Pressed and ready."

        "Thanks." The servant bowed and left, leaving him to dress himself. He always dresses himself; it always feels weird to have other people dress him. It just feels... wrong, somehow. As he started putting the clothes on, he wondered if Sil and his cohorts will come back. Given what happened yesterday, it's doubtful.

        Meanwhile, Termundus entered his study, wearing the protective gear on his paws. He opened up his desk and pulled out the box containing the Gem he used on the furless anthromorph. This time, he was going to get his answers. He looked at the other of its kind, hovering in a glass case on hes desk. The glow was dying out, which made him look towards Seliox's room. "... almost... he's almost ready..."

 

 

        For the first time in... well, ever, Sokuro was the first one up in the morning. She had to be. She wasted a whole day yesterday at the festival, in vain hopes that she would find her friends by just calling out to them. It's time to bring out the big guns, and that's going to this worlds leadership for help. With Eia comatose, she needs all the help she can get.

        While Sokuro made her Ferid half look presentable when she meets with those in charge- she had already finished sprucing up her Aerid half, the rest of the orphans were having a very vocal discussion. "What do you mean, we can't come?!" Fira asked as he and the rest of the orphans sat in the dining area.

        "You heard what i said." Alua said as she started passing out cups of juice. "It's going to be dangerous."

        "How in the heck is it going to be dangerous?" Pira demanded to know. "It's the second day of the celebration. Other then drunks from last night, how is it going to be dangerous?"

        Once Alua put her own cup down and sat in her seat, she replied, "Because of Termundus. Thanks to him, the rest of the Council is going to know that Sokuro isn't from this world, and that will put them on edge since nothing like this has ever happened before." Not to their knowledge, but that's another day. "And knowing her Termundus likes to spin a lie, you know the story he's going to say is a doozy. And it's not just them, but the people who saw the fight. Everyone local believed Sil was the only Silver, so having another one around that can beat a Shadow is concerning to them."

        She's not wrong, but there's one issue with that statement. "You mean the same Shadow that used her as a punching bag and needed you and Cyember to help beat?" Sil replied, resting his head on his paw.

        Alua popped her lips, tapping her claws on her glass. Yeah, she helped but that was only because nobody else was going to. "... ok, so she's not all that powerful, but its the implications that scares people."

        "But that also means we can use it to our advantage." Sokuro said as she came out of the bathroom. A few feet away, she spun around, making her dress flourish. "How do i look?"

        "Gorgeous." A deadpan Sil said, wanting to move this conversation along. Sokuro looked at him with lidded eyes, but ultimately moved on; he's still tired from last night. "But why doll yourself up if you're going as your dra--- Aerid self?"

        "To play the idiots in charge." She said with a grin as she took her seat. "Whatever made-up lies Termundus is going to tell the Council, i can use to my advantage. They're already going to know i'm from another world and that i'm, in his mind, the 'scout of an invading force.' It's hogwash, but i can use that. Cause think about it: if you found a wounded scout for an invading army, what would you do?" Everyone said kill it, which didn't put her at ease. She froze for a little when they gave that response- even the twins too? This. World. Blows. "Heh... right... there's that option." She coughed. "But no, if you found a scout wounded and you healed it up, you'd try to use them to convince their army that the location they want isn't worth it, because who would want to see someone that helped them get killed?"

        "So that's your plan." Seqy figured out. "You're going to use your 'scout' position to try to get them to play nice. If they help you find your friends, they could convince you to call off the invasion."

        "That's what i'm hoping for. ANd if they refuse to listen by saying that Termundus is just making shit up... well..." She spread her arm, gesturing to her Ferid body. "I got this. Transformations are non-existent here- i'm technically a unknown species to you guys... but i'm also as cute as a button." That's thinking highly of herself. "And who would resist helping such a cute kid?" A lot of cold-blooded people, actually. "If they won't talk to my Aerid self thanks to whatever lies Terdummy will tell them, then maybe seeing my adorable widdle Ferid self will."

        "Wouldn't it just be better to just look for her friends the old-fashioned way?" Fira asked.

        "Cause it worked so well yesterday?" Seqy replied with a deadpan in her tone. "We found no one except a psycho demon monster."

        "One that nearly tore me apart." She said, rubbing the area above her lungs. She can still feel the phantom pains from her Aerid self's collapsed lung. Hopefully Polosa can do someone about it when they reunite. 

        "Then why not just wait a day or two?" Fira continued. "After the commotion yesterday, your friends would surely have heard of you by now. They'll flock here."

        "That's assuming they're all here in Nexia. And I can't take that chance. Not with those things out there, doing Voul knows what. And if the thing i fought was just a weakling, i shudder to know what the heavy hitters are like."

        "They don't get nicer, i can tell you that much." Alua confirmed. "But that does remind me: Sil, you can't go either."

        Rather out of the blue, but nothing too surprising for him. "Wasn't planning to, but why?"

        "Because one Silver running around puts everyone here on alert. can you imagine how they would react if two started walking around? There would be riots."

        "Pretty sure out-of-towners would put a stop to that." Pira said.

        "Do you want to take that risk?" She then turned her attention to the twins. "And i can't take the maniacs along cause.... " Fira was picking his nose and Pira dunked his drink on himself. Ok, that didn't really happen, but that's how she's imagining it. "Well, i think that would be self-explanatory." The twins stuck their tongues out. "I'm leaving them here to keep an eye on the place, to make sure nobody comes and does anything stupid. And you're to make sure they don't trash up the house."

        Sil gave a listless chuckle. "You're asking the wrong person."

        Seqy was in agreement on that. "Yeah, why not me?"

        "Because of Seliox." Seqy slightly blushed a little before her offense took over. Of course she'd be used as the charmer. "If he's on the boat, then he will convince Termundus to let Sokuro speak if he tries to make her stop."

        "And if he isn't?"

        "Well... you'll be the only other mature person on the boat."

        "Zing!" The twins went.

        "There's also the matter of your comatose friend." Sil said. Sokuro sank in her seat, glancing back to Alua's room. Hopefully Eia will wake up soon... but what if she never does? "What do we do about her?"

        Sitting back up, Sokuro said, "Take care of her, obviously. Our Ferid bodies aren't that much different from Aerid's in terms of consumption; we'll eat and drink whatever you all have... but in this situation, just stick with water."

        Alua gulped down the last of her juice before slipping off her chair. "Ready to go?"

        Sokuro's scale glowed brightly, changing to her Aerid self. It's such a dazzling display, but one so frightening to the people of this world. Can they do it too? "Ready." She replied as the sparkles faded.

       


        The sunlight rays peeked through the windows of the tower, touching the faces all of who slept in the vault. It's a far more pleasant wake-up call then an alarm clock or an annoying animal. 

        Flickering her eyes open, which narrowed from the direct sunlight which forced her to cover her face, Polosa sat up in the car and yawned loudly. Her back felt stiff, cutting the yawn short. She rubbed her backside, feeling as stiff as a board. "These things are not comfortable to sleep in..." She grumbled, slipping out of the vehicle. She stretched her back, pulling her arms up as high as they could until she heard a crack.

        The triplets began to wake up, yawning and stretching like kitty cats. "Morning." she said to them.

        "Morning..." Terrum yawned. "... anyone got any coffee?"

        "I wish..." Terrux grumbled, looking like a old man who desperately needs a cup. "i could use a felif right now." 

        She tilted her head; she knows what coffee is, but what the heck is a Felif? Must be some specialized coffee, she thought. She knows from her time with the colonists what lattes and cappuccinos and mochas are, but felif? that's new. As she stretched, she looked around and... saw they were missing a couple people. "Wait... where's Quio and that other guy?"

        Rum and Rux looked to where their brother slept last night and saw he was gone. "... where's Taltian?" Terrum asked.

        "How should i know?!" Terrux exclaimed back at him.

        "Over here, guys!!" Tal yelled from far across the room. "And you won't believe this!!" The three mature people of the room looked at each other with puzzled looks and a slight curiosity. What's so important, he's got to yell? Well, only one way to find out.

 


        Exhaling loudly with his hands behind his neck, Bran, with his shirt all covered in blood, sat on a recliner on the balcony of Kader's tower, having just finished with Fayin... and that was the worst damn thing he had ever experienced in his life. There's one profession he'll never go into, and that is the medical field, cause last night was traumatic. He did what anyone else would do when they started freaking out: he breathed in, then he breathed out, breathed in, breathed out, breathed in, breathed out. It wasn't working. As for Fayin, she was resting, fast asleep in a soft cot; having spent most of the night screaming in sheer agony... it can tire someone out.

        Putting his head between his legs, he proclaimed with a frog in his throat, "I... am never.... doing that.... again..." He lifted his head back up, taking a deep breath. "If mom tries to make me become a doctor, i'm gonna leave the house, i swear..."

        Kader came rolling in on a board with skates, with drinks upon it. "Yeah, that was.... that was nasty, i'm not gonna lie." Bran took his and chugged it down hard. He then took Kaders and chugged that down too. The mouse wasn't happy about that, but given what the kid just did. "Think it'll hold until you get back to your planet?"

        Gulping down the last bit of it, Bran exclaimed loudly as he took a breath and set the glass down. "Honestly... i have no clue. Gaharot's are still brand new to us, and i was just winging it with all this medical stuff." He leaned back in the recliner and rubbed his tired head. "Hopefully one of locals Sokuro met knows surgery... or Ventus was a doctor at some point..." He ran his hand down his face, looking up at the pink sky. Reaching over to the table to his side, he grabbed Fayin's toe claw and held it up. He had cleaned off all the blood... but was hesitant to remove the more... er... colorful insides; she may need them to get it reattached. "What could she have gone through to resort to this?"

        "Probably something nasty." Kader suggested as he sent the board back towards the kitchen. "And that's assuming she did it to herself." That is true. Either implication doesn't paint a pretty picture. Kader grunted when the board returned, smacking into him. "Wh--" He sent it back... only for it to return. "Who's..." He looked and of course it had to be the lizard... the lizard who was looking at him hungrily. "Un, hehe, Branny boy, the lizard dog thing is looking at me weird again." He moved to run, but was suddenly pounced upon by her. "Whoahahoahoahwoathakthahta... you don't wanna eat me! I'm too gamey!" She lowered her head and sniffed him. "I'm littered with diseases." 

        As if by the grace of the stars, Bran picked Pearl up and set her on his lap. "I don't know if you can understand me or not, but Poppy here is a friend, ok? We don't eat friends, alright?" She tilted her head, pondering his words. She either understood him but had trouble understanding, or doesn't understand all together. "Do you even understand me?" She licked his face, making him grumble as he wiped off the slobber. "...............right..." He wiped his face with his sleeve. "It's things like that that confuse me to whether your a Dragenian dog or cat..."

        "Both will eat me, so i'd just prefer you kept it at a distance."

        "I just recommend finding a good hiding place."

        "I'm not hiding in my own home!" Bran rolled his eyes and set Pearl down. Kader ran up Bran's leg and up to his shoulder, not wanting to be anywhere near that thing. Perching himself upon it, he hissed into Bran's ear, "You're gonna pay for taking a beast in." Bran rolled his eyes yet again.

        As he got up out of the chair, he saw some objects flying in the distance. "Someone's out for a early morning flight." He commented.

        Kader reached into his pockets and pulled out a miniature mouse-sized telescope. Clicking it open, he looked through it towards the objects in flight. "Eh, todays your lucky day, kid. I see el' senorita Silver, along with the orphan caretaker and--... and they're turning. They're heading for the city."

        While he is elated at the prospect of finally meeting someone familiar again, it did confuse him that she would return there, given what happened. "Why would Sokuro be going back after what happened yesterday?"

        "Council probably wants to talk to her, i guess." Kader guessed. "That or they have a lead on one of those other two. Either way, you missed your chance to get her attention."

        Holding Pearl in his arms, he started heading back inside. "Not true. I can always get her attention when she comes back. I just need a few dozen leaves, branches, and a big canvas." Canvas? He doesn't have a canvas. And even so, you need paint for a canvas, not leaves and branches. 

        Setting Pearl down on the kitchen counter top, Bran grabbed a mug and started filling it up with water. Lord knows he could use a drink, and since he's too young for alcohol... water it is... yay. "Kid...?" He heard a raspy voice whisper.

        Bran immediately turned his head around and saw Fayin awake. She looked like shit, but she was awake. "Fayin!!" He dropped the cup, turned off the faucet, and ran over to the groggy dino's side. Even Pearl ran over, but she didn't jump on the bed for obvious reasons. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"

        She tried to talk, but her throat was sore. He ran back to the sink and filled up the mug he was going to use and brought it over for her. As it was built for claws in mind, she had no difficulty grabbing hold and taking a sip. And finally... something to parch her throat. She hasn't had anything since the mansion... all that screaming last night didn't help matters. "Where... am i? How did... you even find me...?"

        "You can thank Pearl here for that." He lifted up the Kalamander, who looked at her with a wagging tail and a cheery attitude. "If it wasn't for her, you'd probably be dead." She doubts that... the voice that saved her said this wasn't her place to die, so it would've probably saved her if things got really bad.... maybe. 

        "She... saved me?"

        "Yeah. She ran to find us when you passed out."

         There's someone else here with them? "Us...?" Please say it was someone they knew.

        "He means me." Kader said when his head popped over Bran's shoulder. He climbed up and jumped down onto the bed. "Name's Kader- scavenger extraordinaire, expert negotiator, and quite the ladies man." He snickered, pumping his eyebrows, or what passes for them, up and down.

        Fayin wasn't sure how to react to that. Neither was Bran. She looked to him and he ignored it, shrugging it off like it didn't happen. "I don't know about all those lofty titles he suddenly gave himself, or what lady would go for a mouse..." said mouse lidded his eyes to such a cold expression. "...but he has been helpful to me thus far. If it wasn't for him, i'd be dead too."

        "I see..." She pated the pouting critter on the head. "... good boy."

        "Hey hey hey hey, watch the fur." He swatted her paw away. "And i'm not some pet." The two mammals saw her stiffen up and look away for a moment. Kader was quick to pick up on that and respond in kind, "... which i'm guessing you were back where you are from."

        "And was one here for a day..." She exhaled.

        "What happened?" Bran asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

        "I'll try to shorten it as much as i can, but... when i woke up after we got sucked through that door, i was stuck on a tree branch... or rather, my tail was pierced through it." This world is not giving her a break, is it? "Pearl got me down, painfully, only for us to immediately got trapped by what i assume is a big game hunter, who thought he caught a never-before-seen species... Then this devilish-looking brute bought us off that hunter and gave us to his kid while he figured out what to do with us."

        Kader hopped back onto Bran's shoulder and sat down upon it. "Assuming it's who i think it is that bought you, why did he have to try and figure things out? It's usually cut and dry with him."

        "Cause i know how to play it smart around idiots like that loser... and in that moment, the smart choice was acting dumb. I pretended to be just any other dumb animal so they wouldn't do anything other then actually treat me like a pet. I didn't talk or do anything that would give them that idea... though i think the jerk was catching on based on how stubborn i was being. Thank Velx he didn't."

        Bran nodded in agreement. He's starting to assume it was Termundus too. In which case, he'll become a thorn in their side at some point if his kid is as big a jaggoff as he is. "How did you escape?"

        She stiffened up. She can still feel the excruciating pain in her foot, where her toeclaw was... but thanks to Bran, it's not pass-out bad. "... the painful way. I caught a break early on and everyone left for some celebration or whatever, leaving me and Pearl alone. I had no options to open the lock; everything was out of reach, and it was in a awkward spot... so.... i had to..."

        "To improvise." Bran finished for her, holding up her toe claw. Her heart sank when she saw it. He offered it to her and she took it. Deep sorrow filled her eyes as she looked down at it. Bran can only imagine the pain she went through to get it removed... he already knows the aftermath, so he has a very good idea. "... hard to believe you'd actually mutilate yourself to get free."

        "Didn't really have any other option... it was that or be a slave forever again... and i'd rather not return to that life." She set it down on the bed. As she did, she saw the pizza paddle nearby. That was so awkward to use, but... well, she'll have to keep using it if the pain persists. "But yeah, the pain all the way here from their mansion was unbearable. I thought i was going to throw up the entire time."

        "Tell me about it; i'm still half deaf from all the screaming you did while i patched you up. And it convinced me never to go into the medical field. If my mom persists, i'll just say 'heeeell no' and be done with it." Fayin slightly chuckled softly to herself. "I'm not kidding though- i am still half deaf." He rubbed his finger in his ears.

        "Sorry for that..." He flicked the earwax away, much to Kader's annoyance as he is already going to have a hard time wiping all the blood off the floor, and moved on. "... So... do we know where we are?"

        "Yeah. Hell." Both she and Kader tilted their heads; Fayin had heard hell mentioned a few times by the colonists, but never quite figured out what it meant other then it's a place, while Kader never heard of it at all. "This place is a living nightmare factory. Barely an hour goes by without someone getting killed by some heinous monster. I've barely gone an hour without something new trying to kill me, which isn't hard cause Everything On This Planet Wants To Kill Us- the creatures, the people, and i bet even the flippin' gods!" She's not gonna deny him that while Kader wanted to correct him about his god comment, but he just let him continue. "But the worst is their government. I've seen corrupt politicians before, but this place takes the cake! They may have a Council and a General system, but the one really in charge is this lower ranked dick who thinks he's the big kahuna."

        "Termundus isn't in charge of everything." Kader corrected him.

        "Really? Then how come everyone talks about him and not any of the others on the Council or in the Generals, eh? Seems everyone i talked to here is always going on about Terducken and how scary he is." Well... he won't deny him that last bit. Termundus has wormed his way into everyone's thoughts and fears.

        As for Fayin... she heard someone say that name before, back at the mansion. It belonged to him... that horrible man that bought her. She gathered he was important from how everyone acted and talked around him, but she didn't expect him to to be that important or corrupt. He's right, this world really is hell... and worst still, she doesn't know where everyone else is. "Have you found anyone else?"

        "No. I don't know where the hunters or Eia are... but i did find Sokuro. Well, kinda. I wasn't able to get to her, but i did see her in the city... as did everyone else when she fought a demon of a monster."

        Great... this world has Phagos too? They are a fricken plague in the fricken universe, it seems. "A demon of a monster?"

        "Shadows." Kader took over. "Nasty horrors that almost killed your friend."

         Shadows... even the name sounds worse. ... but.... she remembers seeing some black mass when she woke up back in the mansion... what could it have been if not one of those? "They're that bad?"

        "They almost caused a global extinction by eating everyone, so... yeah."
        
        What is it with extinction-level monsters and wanting to eat everyone? "Then we need to leave."

        "No." Bran said. "Not until we find everyone else and you heal up. I don't know how long it takes for Gaharots to heal, but at the very least, we need to wait for the pain to die down so you don't pass out again." Understandable, she realized. She is still in pain. "Besides, i still need to contact Sokuro and there is no way i'm traveling across that dang root." She tiled her head; there's a giant root? If there is, she can't see it. "And i think i have an idea, one i saw in a old movie." He got up and cracked his fingers. "Just need a lot of branches, palm leaves, and rocks. Doesn't have to be in Dragenian, but it should get her attention when she comes back." Now even Pearl joined in on the confused tilt-head club.

        


        Hopping over a stool for really no reason except to do so, Terrux and the other two walked towards what they assume is the front of the vault. At that end was a window, a rather large one too, directly underneath the raised platform with the stairs and the pillars... except, when both parties came up here yesterday, they never saw a window. It was the same color as the rest of the wall on the other side. It must be a tinted two-way mirror, they assumed.

        As for why they came here, Taltian and Quio were looking at old, worn-down sheets of paper from a open cupboard and they were elated. "There you two are." Polosa said. They ignored her and Quio pulled out several "What are you doing?"

        "Just look." Quio insisted, shoving them in her face.

        She grumbled in annoyance as she removed them from her face. She looked down and realized what they were. What they ALL were. "Whoa..."

        Looking over her shoulder, Rux and Rum grinned. This was a map; one of a coastal region. It was the entire reason they came here, to steal one of these. And there were so many- a whole cupboard full at least. Rux ran over and opened all the doors on the furniture- it was filled top to bottom with stacks of them. "Whohohohohohohoooooa!!! Look at all these maps!" He chuckled with elation. 

        "There are so many." Terrum commented. "It's gonna be hard to pick just one."

        "You can say that again." Taltian said as he passed one of his over to him. Rum took it and looked it over. "The mark is crossed out."

        "Same with these." Quio said as he put his hand on a small stack of a couple dozen.

        "And so is this, and this, and this..." Polosa said as she looked through all the ones Quio gave her.

        Terrux pulled out a few and looked at them. Same thing- all crossed out or scribbled out. "These as well." He tossed them away. Did they really come all this way for nothing? "Did the Council really go after all of these treasures? Where did they even keep 'em?"

        That was the dumbest question any of them had ever heard. So much so, they all looked to him, wondering 'was he serious right now?' Even Quio, who can easily be said is the dumbest of the five of them here, thought the kid was being stupid. "....... really?" He asked. Rux realized his mistake but it was too late to take it back. "We're in a treasure vault and you're asking where they are keeping the treasure?" All the kid could do was scratch his cheek in embarrassment. 

        Polosa put the last of her maps down and looked at all the rest they have yet to go through. She got a feeling in her stomach that Kar'kile does not take failure lightly. "If these have all been surveyed..." She looked back at all of the wonderous items and treasures and strange artifacts that lined every inch of this room. "...then we wasted our time coming here."

        That was the feeling everyone was starting to get; the Council had... pbbbbt, Stars know how many years to go through them all and claim their booty. If there are unmarked maps left, then they are too few, and probably not even here-- "Wait wait wait, hold the ticket!!" Taltian chortled. "I think i found a unused map!" He put it on the floor and flattened it out for them all to see. It was a map of the entire known world- the continent and island chains far off the coast, but only one had a circle around it.

        "Whoa." Quio drooped. "It's on an island, one that's really far out there... but... wait, that island isn't on any other maps."

        "What do you mean? It's right there." Terrux said, pointing to it.

        "Look at all the other maps we pulled out." They all did. "That island doesn't appear on any of them- it's a blank spot where this spit of land should be... and it's... it's too close to the barrier... way too close."

        "Strange..." Polosa said to herself. "... maybe it's been destroyed since this? Like a quake took it out or that fog barrier thing engulfed it? Or it could just be a simple error."

        "Then why would they put a circle around it? Eh? Answer me that." Terrum exclaimed. When they couldn't come up with a answer, he took it and rolled it up. "Doesn't matter now- all we have to do is deliver this to Argax. It's his problem from then on, so no skin off my back."

       Say what now, Quio thought? Like hell Argax is getting that map. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, whoa." He took it back out of the dragon's paws. "This is going to Kar'kile."

        Rum blinked a couple times, wondering how the stupid mammal took it out of his clutches. "... nooooo. We're taking it to our employer." He took it back.

        As much as Polosa doesn't want to get involved with this little affair, she had to as Kar'kile is the only... er, 'friendly' face she's seen thus far on this rock and she needs him for information and a safe harbor to hide in. And given that he's a crime boss, crossing him would be a bad idea. She doesn't know how the criminal underworld works here, but if it's anything like what's on the mainland back in Dragenia... yeah, best to stay on Kar'kiles good side. "And we're taking it to Quio's boss." She took it back from him. "Case closed."

        "Ooooooh, no no no. Case wide open!" Taltian grunted as he took the map back. "We broke in here to get that map and we're not leaving without it."

        "Then take another!" Quio demanded as he plucked the map from Tal's claws and wrapped his arms tightly around it.

        "Do you see how many there are?!" Terrux proclaimed as he gestured to every other map in the cupboard they have not touched. "We'd be here for ages. And this is assuming that this is the only thing here with maps!"

        "We're gonna be here for ages, anyways, so start alookin'!"

        Terrum furrowed his brow as anger creeped in. This was getting to be aggressively annoying. All he has tot do is give the map to him and that's that, it ends here. When it's this early in the morning, with no water, caffeine, or food in your system, you turn stupid; true story. "Give me the map." Rum demanded.

        "No." Quio wrapped his arms tightly around it. 

        "I said give me the map."

        "And i said no." He stuck it in his shirt and stuck his tongue out.

        Now the triplets were getting angry. They don't want to anger Argax- they've seen what he can do to someone who angers him and they do not want to be on the receiving end. They were ready to flatten this guy into a pancake when Terrux stopped them, putting his paws over his brotehrs mouths to keep them quiet.

        Moving Rux's paw away, Taltian snapped to him, "Agh, what the heck are you doing?!" 

        Rux put his paw back over his mouth and pulled his brothers down. Quio and Polosa watched with confused wonder as he did. "Shhhhhh..." Rux went. "There are guards are right outside." The four others looked out the window and saw a patrol- only two small dragons- pass them by. They did look in their direction, but they could not see them, adding more credence to the two-way or tinted mirror theory. 

        Rum lidded his eyes before rolling out of his brothers grip. "They can't hear us, nitwit."

        "You want to test that theory?" Polosa snarked, putting a hand on her hips. "Maybe we should make noise so that they can finally open the dang door."

        "Are you insane?! We'd be walking into our own funeral!"

        "Do you hear something?" One of the guards outside asked, looking around as if he heard voices. The triplets sucked in their lips in fear while Polos and Quio just looked on, getting a really sneaky plan.

        "You're just imagining things." The other replied as she continued on. The other dragon wasn't so sure about it, but he ultimately shrugged it off and joined her.

        "Whew." Taltian exhaled. "That was too--"

        *Crash*

        Polosa and Quio whistled innocently as they stepped away from a collapsed suit of Phoenix armor, one that belonged to a great hero from thousands of years ago. Outside, the guards looked towards the mirror, now more alert; the woman flared her wings. "What the hell was that?!" She demanded. The male spread his wings and flew towards what they're assuming is the hidden entrance. 

        "What are you doing!?!" The Triplets freaked out as they ran over to the armor, trying to repair it by putting the broken pieces in the right spot. As they tried to find where each piece go where, Quio slinked over to the maps and grabbed the one they found. The five of them heard rumbling as they heard the door open, stressing the triplets even more. When Quio grabbed it, he and Polosa hid behind the cupboard as the two guards came storming in.

        Seeing the triplets at the ruined armor, the male guard used his ice to freeze their paws to the floor. "Who the hell are you two!?!" The girl demanded as she got in their face. Friiiiiiick! The triplets tried to get loose, but this is some strong ice. "WELL!?!"

        "Un.... housekeeping?"

        That didn't work. Their little campsite made sure of that.

        Icy cuffs were put on their wings to keep them from flying and the triplets argued amongst each other, each declaring the other was to blame. When Quio and Polosa were namedropped, the guards assumed they were their contacts who put them up for this and didn't bother to look around for others.

        As the voices trailed away, Polosa and Quio themselves came out of hiding, watching as they were taken away through the door. "Should we leave them?" Quio asked.

        As tempting as that sounds, it isn't fair to leave them to suffer for their plan. They're only kids, after all. At least she assumes their kids, based on their voices and how they act. At the very least, they are close to or just entered their teenage years. "Nah. We really shouldn't." With a quick glow and sparkle tornado, she changed into her Aerid form. "I'll go make sure the door stays open this time. You gather up all their things; it's only fair." He nodded and the two went off to do their things. 

 


        Reaching the city, Termundus and his entourage stopped in front of the tower gates. Seliox looked up at the impressive thing, wondering what was at the top. He may be the adopted son of a General, but even family isn't allowed up there. At least not without an invitation. But why were they here? Unless Cirrus requires an escort, there's not really a reason for it. "Why are we stopping here?" The lad asked.

        "I have to take care of a few things." Termundus coldly replied. He knows that tone. That's his 'i'm gonna ruin someone's day' tone, and there are only three times he's figured where he would talk in such a blood-chilling way. ... Stars help whoever is unlucky enough to be in the dungeons. "I'll just be a few." He told his boy. The gates opened up and he walked on in with his head held high, like he owned the place.

        Cold attitude, self-inflated ego... yep, someone's gonna die.

        "He always puts his job first..." He sighed to himself, lowering his head as he walked alone. He barely took a few steps before his head started hurting. It wasn't a serious pain- he wasn't going to be screaming, but it was enough to make him stop and hold his aching cranium. He hissed through it, panting every so often to catch his breath. "Ow... ow...." His eyes briefly glowed red before they faded and the pain stopped. He panted one last time as the pain faded, rubbing his sore forehead. "... i really have to stop sleeping on that couch..." He said before continuing on.

 


        The gatekeepers opened up the doors for Termundus to enter. He expected peace and quiet... instead, he got the annoying sounds of kids arguing, coming from the direction of the dungeon entrance. He didn't authorize this; why are there children here in the Council Tower? It's not even open to the public today. And if they discover that strange furless creature... Needless to say, he went to go find out what was going on.

        As he left the lobby, Polosa and Quio poked their heads out from behind the marble pillar they hid behind after they saw the door open. "Oooooooooooooh shiiiiiiiit..." Quio hissed and whined softly, biting his nails with his teeth.

        Seeing how the canine was reacting, Polosa can safely assume with absolute certainty, "I'm gonna guess that's Termundus."

        "The one and only..."

        This puts a wrench in things. They didn't plan for one of the Generals or the Councilors to be here. For starters, it's too early in the morning, and the celebration was still going on. Why one is here, especially the devil, is... well, it's not important right now. What is is getting the triplets out before something bad happens to them. "He doesn't hurt kids, does he?" Quio's lack of a response answered it. Digging her claws into the pillar, she threatened him, ".... oooooh, that bastard's gonna get a welt." before heading towards the same hallway he went down.

        Quio naturally followed, but was rather amazed that she was able to put such deep scratches into the pillar. "That's pure marble you just scratched up." He commented.

 

 

 


To Be Continued in 46.2:
Sokuro VS Termundus

50: Chapter 46.2: Sokuro vs Termundus
Chapter 46.2: Sokuro vs Termundus

Chapter 46.2:

Sokuro VS Termundus

 

 

        Down below, walking down the corridor of the dungeon, the triplets were arguing away, shouting insults and slurs and passing blame on who was responsible for all this. Everyone was so loud, so vocal, and so energized, it was hard to tell who was talking anymore. It got so bad, the two guards that caught 'em were now regretting it, wanting to tear the tongues out of the kids mouths to get them to stop talking. The female nearly did just that, readying her ice to freeze their waggling tongues when,

        "WILL YOU THREE SHUT UP ALREADY!?!" 

        "SAYS WHO!?!" The triplets all yelled in perfect unison... only to regret that when they saw the local devil storming on down the hall, and he was aaaaaangry. "T-T-T-TERMUNDUS!?!" They freaked in return.

        Even the guards were surprised. They didn't expect to see him today. They all figured he was going to be at the celebration or at his mansion.... what's he doing here? "M-My Lord, i wasn't expecting you to--"

        He wasn't in the mood to be run around the ringer; he wants answers now. "Explain, private." He demanded as he approached the male guard.

        He was nervous- whenever Termundus is this ornery, it's hardly a good sign. "Yes sir. We found these three in the vault and--"

        "Impossible!" He yelled in his face. "How did they get in the vault?!" Before the guard could even attempt to get a mere sound out, Termudnus approached the triplets and pinned the biggest one to the wall by his throat. His sharp claws cut against his scales and skin. "HOW DID YOU GET IN THERE, YOU FILTHY MAGGOT!?!"

        Terrum gagged as he tried to remove Termundus' claws, but coudn't. They were too far embedded into the wall and he was far too strong. "Put me down! You're hurting me!" He pleaded, hind legs kicking and flailing as he struggled to breath. Terrux and Taltian were so horrified by what the general is doing to their brother, they couldn't move; the fear was that strong.

        "You're lucky i'm not doing anything worse right now!" He could do worse!? What could be worse then being both choked and sliced?! "Now tell me, how did you get in!?!" He roared. If he kept up this pressure, he was going to kill him.

        Much to Rum's relief, the equally frightened guards spoke up when they saw the boring machine the twins used to get in. "I'm guessing with that, sir."

        Termundus looked and saw the machine, along with the huge hole it had created. That just raised even more questions and he wanted answers.  "Where did you get that thing?"

        While it would give him and his brothers blacklisted, Terrum doesn't have much of a choice. This maniac WILL kill him and the other two if he doesn't say anything. He wants to live, dammit! "Argax! It was supplied to us by Argax!"

        "Argax... i've heard of him before." The female spoke up. "He's some two-bit con-artist that is more then a little unhinged. Unhinged enough to hire kids and send them to the furnace, it seems." 

         Termundus loosened up his grip, but only slightly. Terrum was still pinned. Argax... now he has someone to hunt down... assuming he can get these lowborn pups to speak. "Tell me where he is!!" He yelled in Rum's face; the force of it spread spittle all over the kids face. 
        
        "Hey!" And now was the time the group got a little visitor, one the triplets were both angry and relieved to see; angry they got them in this mess, but relieved that they'll get loose... or at least make him die with them. Quio stood there with fear painted all over him, but he kept up his fisticuffs, even if his knees were buckling. "Step away from the idiots!"

        "IDIOTS!?!" The three of them shouted.

        Termundus dug his claws back in where they were, shutting the three of them up once again. "Get lost before i turn you into a rug."

        With a gust of wind that made the guards and Termundus cover their eyes for a second, Polosa appeared beside Quio as if she was a phantom materializing out of thin air. "I don't think you can do that to dogs." She quipped.

        How in the world did she do that, the guards wondered? Well, regardless, the two of them stepped forward, getting between her and Termundus. "... and who the hell are you? Their mother?" The female asked.

        "To these numbskulls? Are you nuts? Why would i ruin this body to produce idiots like these?" That was a confusing thought to everyone present. Why, or rather how, would she ruin her body for laying eggs? Dragon bodies don't get ruined from that. "Speaking of which, let them go."

        Termundus pretended to think as he already had his answer. "I'm gonna go with no. They trespassed into a area of the tower they DEFINTATELY should not have entered, and since you care about them so much, i'm gonna assume you were in there too."

       He's smart for a evil brute, she thought. She played into it, in an attempt to find a way to bruise his ego. Problem is that she is not a good trash-talking or ego bruiser. "I was. And i took something reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally valuable from there, so let the idiots go and maybe i'll give it back."

        He chuckled on his exhales, slowly shaking his head. "Hehehe... you must think me an idiot like them."

        "The fact you're threatening kids says you are. Powerful or not, even the people you serve have a limit to what you can do, and harming kids is usually a large portion of that tipping point."

        "You think people would care for a trio of street rats like them? Especially if it was me that did'em in?"

        That didn't take long at all to find the way to bruise the ego. If the people here are actually complicit with kids being harmed or killed, then this truly would be the worst place she has ever be... there's no way he could allow even that kind of a stain on his already red record. "You wanna take that bet?"

        The two of them stared each other dwn, sparks flying against them as each was ready to fly into a fighting fit. She doesn't know what his type of fighting style is, or even his element, but as long as its not wind like her, she'll be the fastest... at least that was the idea at first, but then...... this happened.

        "P.... polosa...?" A weak and battered voice called out from one of the cells.

        Her eyes went wide in shock. She found one of the others... and they're in here...? "... Ventus?" She completely forgot what had just happened with the General and looked in every cell she could, going down the row.

        Her actions confused the friendly brute, ever lightly tilting his head as he and the others watched her just let her guard down completely. That voice they heard was from the prisoner.... he's still cognizant? And worst still, alive? "Wait... you know that furless creep?"

        Slamming open the 13th door in the row, her eyes went wide once again, this time from pure shock. He was strung up by his arms, with chains wrapped around his wrists. His shirt was gone and he was covered in horrific looking bruises. The gryphon next to him looked up from the ground; even from a distance, she could see his legs were dust... worst still was the lifeless look in Ven's eyes. He was filled with so much infectious energy before... now he's this? 

        Polosa's blood boiled as she tapped into something forbidden by Dragenian law as a strange mist began to emanate off of her wings, and from every bit of her wings- the leather and the muscle. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM, YOU BASTARD!?!" She bellowed, ready to tear out his throat. 

        That.... is completely new to everyone, even to Ventus. He never saw anyone from Dragenia have that before. It's... simultaneously gnarly, cool... yet horrifying. This reminded Termundus of the horrors he faced years ago... and it also gave him an idea. "Why, i just gave him a little power boost and he took it poorly..." He pulled out the box containing the Shadow Gem. "Wanna try it out?" He tossed it to her, with the gem lifting itself out of the box.

        Remembering the torture that little thing put him through, Ventus' eyes went wide with fear, yelling, "Wait, don't touch that!!!"

        But it was too late. The Gem bounced along the floor and hit her in the chest. Instantly, she yelled out in pain as its energy's erupted through her; this was a true kind of pain, one so pure and concentrated, it's indescribable. Childbirth, taking a dip into a pool of lava, a slow disintegration... they pale in comparison. 
    
        As she yelled in pain, images flooded her mind: images of war, of death, and of desolation, but everything went by so quick, she couldn't make out the clear details out of any of them.

        The scary thing is that this only lasted two seconds. From the time it hit her to the time it fell to the floor, Polosa was in pure hell for what felt like an eternity. And that was only two seconds; what Ventus experienced was way worse as it was prolonged. After the gem touched down, she fell to her side, steam hissing off her body as she took shallow, panting breaths. 

        Everyone was stunned by what they had witnessed. A little red rock caused that much pain and suffering in only a few seconds? How was that even possible. "M.... my lord... what did you do to her?" The male guard hesitantly asked, unsure what to make of this.

        He pushed the brats neck into the wall, making him gag befor letting him go to go reclaim the gem. "Something you are never to repeat to anybody, under penalty of experiencing the same thing. Understood?" Using the box, he scooped it up. After hearing no answer from his underlings, he turned to look at them with a scary glare that can kill a soul. "Understood!?!"

        The male guard stiffened up and saluted. "Y-Yes sir!"

        The female guard, however, was still stunned. She never heard any scream so.... purely painful. "Those screams..."

        As Termundus put the box away, he looked back to Quio, who was frozen in fear. He then looked to the triplets, where the two of them were trying to get their brother out of the stone. "As for these four. Execute them."

        That set them off. "WHAT!?!"

        Even the guards were stunned. They were in a spot where they shouldn't have been, sure, but... but this is too far. "But lord, these are just kids." The female pointed out.

        Termundus' anger swelled. He stormed over to the lowly private and got right in her face. "Are you DARING to challenge my authority, PRIVATE?!" She said nothing. She was too paralyzed to do anything. "That's what i thought!" He shoved her away and turned to leave with his prisoners. "Take them to the execution chamber. And as i said, you are not to repeat a word of this to anyone, especially not Cirrus! Understood?!"

        "... Crystal..." Polosa panted as she struggled onto her feet. "You heartless swine..."

        The mere fact she was moving at all surprised the tyrant. How in the world was she still sane? Most would've cracked under mere contact.  "... How are you...? You should be a slobbering mess like the idiot in there."

        She lifted up her head; he chose the wrong combination of words. His funeral. The mist had turned much darker, while the color of her whites and iris' had changed to a nightmarish blood red. Maybe it did take affect... just in the absolute worse way for his current situation. 

        With the wind on her side, she moved in a flash. Using the wind currents to blow the two guards back towards the door with a flap, she landed a brutal punch right in his stomach, making him gasp for air as he was flung right through multiple cell walls, eventually getting buried under the 7th wall he crashed through. 

        Now that was a sight they never expected to see, but were hopeful for: Termundus getting his butt handed to him, and it did, and on the first blow too. "...... whooooa..." Needless to say, there were smiles amongst the imprisoned locals.

        Even Ventus was flabbergasted, but for all the wrong reasons. Dragenian dragons are far more powerful then he, or any colonist, have ever realized. "Polosa..."

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN-pfdWvsGE  Forze dell'Oscurita (Remind Remix) - Kingdom Hearts 3 soundtrack

 


        She looked towards him while also eyeing the chained gryphon raised up beside him. Lifting up two claws like they were two fingers pressed together, she swung to her side. A razor-sharp and very quick air current cut through every single chain here in the dungeon, every single one. It doesn't matter if they weren't in use and just put in a corner somewhere; they were cut to ribbons. The same air currents, while not sharp, pushed Terrum out of the wall. 

        As Ventus, the gryphon, and any other prisoner here fell to the floor, she turned to her fellows. "You four make yourselves useful." She walked past like she was in charge. "Carry those two away from here. Use that hole if you have to."

        Oh, they could protest... but pissing off someone powerful enough to cut sharp chains like they were nothing is not on their bucket lists. But... why isn't she doing it herself? "A-a-and where are you going?" Quio stuttered in his response.

        Her own response came after they heard commotion coming from the top of the stairs. Seems the guards above heard the bang bang bang Termundus did to the walls. She turned her attention to the guards down there with them as they got up on their feet. "To keep them busy."

        "What hit us...?" The male guard asked.

        The female looked up and saw their attacker barreling towards them. "... A bitch."

 


        With a powerful gust akin to an explosion, the three of them launched out of the dungeons and back into the lobby, where other guards, mostly from outside, had gathered to investigate the noise. The male wasn't able to catch the currents and was sent rolling away like a bowling ball into another that caught him while the female was able to dig her claws into the floor.

        "You are going to pay for that, you bitch!" The guard shouted, unleashing a stream of ice that spiked out of the ground as it made its way towards her. Polosa side-flapped out of the way, slicing off one of the points with her tail. Wrapping it around, she spun once before letting go. The guard moved to avoid it, only to get tackled straight towards her partner.

        As Polosa touched the ground, more guards- Dragon and Anthromorph- rushed her. While the Anthromorph's rushed her, making her actually do some Dragonic martial arts to keep them away- mostly tail and wing slaps mixed with her wind usage, Several of the dragons launched fireballs towards her, many of which she deflected with her wings. Such a pathetic display of power, it's almost sad. "That's what passes for fire in this world?" She snarcked. With a flap, she took back to the air while knocking the last of her attackers back. "This is how you do fire!" She reared her head back and unleashed a powerful torrent of flame from her mouth.

        All the guards scattered to avoid the breath of fire, which was very hot and very concentrated. How in the world is she doing this, they thought. They all took cover behind the marble, which couldn't catch fire. They hoped. 

        "How in the-- she's a Wind Dragon! How can she use fire?!"

 


        Back down below in the dungeons, Terrum was already crawling his way through the hole they created, leading the way for the other prisoners to follow by widening it with his earth abilities. Terrux were already guiding the others towards their new escape route while Taltian and Quio dealt with the crippled ones. 

        "Ooofp..." Tal puffed as he lifted up the Gryphon as best he could. "Who knew Gryphons weighed so much?" He huffed as he had to use his earth usage to create a make-shift bed to put him on.

        After gathering the unknown creatures things, including some strange looking object that resembles a crossbow but not quite, Quio lifted Ven up, putting his shoulder around his neck. Ven's eyes fluttered as he looked to his rescuer. What did she do while he was down here? "How... do you know Polosa...?"

        Hufting him up as best he could, Quio moved towards the doorway and headed towards it, following behind Tal who turned the bed into a sort-of makeshift hoverbed; not quite since it's still connected to the ground, but close enough. "Let's do the questions after we get out of the dungeons of death, shall we?" Fair enough, Ventus thought.

        As the four made their way towards the escape route, the pile of rubble Termundus was buried under began to glow a eerie emerald green. Everyone still down there took notice and came to the same conclusion:

        He's Pissed.

 

 

        The ground underneath the ice sheet began to crack with such a loud cracking noise, it made Polosa stop and looked down. From right below her, the ground split apart like an erupting volcano, and out came Termundus, the glowing rubble rising behind him as if they were connected to him by some invisible string. He tackled right into her, lifting her up high into the lobby, before blasting her into one of the pillars. The rubble cannoned towards the pillar, pummeling her. 

        With a flap of her wings, she generated a pulse of wind and light that pushed the rubble away. Summoning a gust of wind, she launched herself towards him, drilling into his chest while curving upwards towards the council chambers. Roaring in defiance, he grabbed her horns and swung her around, slamming her into it instead. The rubble formed around his left forepaw like a iron glove and he swung, punching her hard in the gut. 

        "Oooooooh, he's pissed now."

        The male guard had the right idea to do in this situation, "Let's get out of here before we get caught in the crossfire!" And everyone agreed. When Termundus is like this... just run.

        They crashed through the wall and into the cambers proper. She flipped around and landed on her paws sideways on the elevator wall. He picked up a chair and tossed it towards her. She dodged, only to be hit from below with a large green rock that seemed to have burst up from the ground. The rock launched her up the elevator shaft, with him following right behind her. She pushed and rolled over it as energy gathered in her mouth.

 

 


        In the skies above the tower, a funnel in the clouds began to take shape... out of rumbling clouds that had formed out of thing air no more then a few minutes ago. 

        Outside, the sounds of battle could be heard coming from inside the tower, but to everyone, it just sounded like a innumerable amount of bangs, thumps, and booms. Nobody knew what to make of it, except that something bad had to be happening in there. The clouds of dust that bounced off with every thud wasn't helping in appease the anxiety. The noises served as many peoples alarm clocks, including those who would want to stay asleep.

        The anxiety got worse when a beam of light shot out of the southern side, carving through the stone like it was nothing. It tore through a good amount of the tower; not a lot, but enough to leave a nasty scar. Now that frightened the people; who in the world could even do that?

 


        "Holy smokes!" The driver to the lady's carriage shouted. Teruli poked her head out of the window and saw the storm brewing above the Council Tower... and the beam of light that shot out of it.

        The storm and the beam could be seen all the way to Kader's lookout, with the four of them looking out towards the city. "I think Sokuro has gone off the deep end." Kader commented.

        Fayin shook her head. "That's not Sokuro..."

        As for Sokuro, she, Alua, and Seqy came to a halt when they saw the beam of light shoot out of the tower and carve through it. "Isn't that your trick....." Seqy was hesitant to ask.

        "It's not only my trick..." Sokuro replied. "And with Eia back on the island... there's only one other who could do that."

 


        The booms and the rumblings ascended up the tower, increasing in number and intensity until finally...

        The top of the tower blasted open as a green streak shot up towards the sky with such blinding speeds, all many could see was the streak. But it wasn't Termundus; he can't fly that fast. By the time the streak reached the storm, Termundus was already out of the tower, flying up as best he could.

        Reaching the funnel, the streak curved, moving away... then back towards him. Slowing down to where she was visible, Polosa divided the funnel into two. He could already guess what was coming and summoned the rubble to his side. With a throwing motion, the left funnel barreled towards him like... well, like a tornado. He smirked and used the rubble to form a shield in front of him to block the concentrated storm. 

        That wasn't going to work. With a swipe of her claws, moving them like a match stick, the funnel ignited into roaring flames. That legitimately caught Termundus by surprise. "How in the--!" The fire tornado struck him like a train, sending him back a ways. The shield absorbed most of it, but with the raging heat, it was slowly melting away.

        The other funnel moved in from his unprotected spot, leaving him with no way to counter it. Just like the other, she ignited this one into flames. It struck him head-on, encompassing him in searing heat. The other firenado pushed the shield towards him. Left with little choice, he called the rubble to him and manipulated them to form a bubble shield around him, whatever good that would do him; the stone was already half melted. Looking though the openings in the flame, he saw her form a spear out of ice and rock and launched it towards him.

        Closing his eyes and concentrating, several more of the green rocks came rocketing up from the ground and got between him and the iced boulder. It bounced off; the ice melted and he took the stone to use himself. It must've been a shock to her system as the fire disappeared.

        It wasn't; she just didn't want to get burnt when she slammed him. The two rocketed towards the ground like a meteorite. Using the the stone he just took, he smashed them into her from multiple directions, squishing her just long enough to get out of her clutches. He pushed her away and smacked her away with his entire left side.

        Spreading her wings to catch the draft, she spread her forearms, creating a chain of lightning she was gonna use to electrocute him with. 

        "That's my shtick!!" She heard someone call out.

        Suddenly, Polosa herself was electrocuted from a new foe; from what she heard below, her name was Ocilus. Keeping up the pain, she was pulled towards this Ocilus, who gave her a creepy and sadistic smile, before concentrating the lighting between them to create a beam that launched the huntress into the dirt.

End song.

 


        Polosa hit hard, bouncing off the ground a few times before coming to a stop near a public fountain. It took no time for a crowd to form, but having anticipated that, rocks rose up from the ground to keep them away so that they don't interfere.
        
        The mist faded from her wings and the red gone from her eyes, Polosa struggled to get her aching body off the ground, using the fountain for support. She suddenly yelled in pain when she was pinned to both it and the ground by spikes of lighting that pierced all four paws. She looked up just as Ocilus came down, pinning her head to the fountain herself. "Don't even think about moving, animal!" She snarled. Polosa spat in her face, infuriating the unhinged lunatic. She summoned a electric mace.

        "That's quite enough, Ocilus." Termundus said as he floated down. Even after getting his tail kicked six ways to doomsday, he still acted like nothing had happened to him, even though bruises and burn marks are very easily seen, and she could tell by his breathing that he was winded. Regardless, Ocilus followed her masters command and stepped aside.

        The dark general touched down, hiding the fact he was exhausted by all present; he has to look like he's inexhaustible, after all; a tireless force of nature.  "You... are a lot of trouble to handle..." He said as he approached, trying to hide the panting.

       Polosa breathlessly smirked with a chuckle. "Peh..... glad i could impress..."

        "What you are is a mutant..." Given the nature of this world, she sure is, since everyone only has one element and she used four. "Nobody can use more then one element, it is impossible.... except for a certain race that is thankfully almost extinct." Thankfully? ... this guy has no heart if he's thankful a race is being killed off.  "Wind, fire, electricity, and water; you used them all at the same time, something that is physically impossible..."

        She tried to get up, but the lightning spikes made it difficult. "Should i teach you how to do something that basic, you heartless monster? Or do you just need those green rocks to torture people with?"

        Speaking of said rock, one came down from out of nowhere, crushing her front left paw; the one still connected to the fountain. She yelled out in pain, her body slumping over. "If you wish to keep burying yourself, keep talking." He threatened. The rock lifted away, granting her a reprieve. "Besides, you're the monster..."

        "I'm not the one torturing innocents in the dungeons of that eyesore of a tower..." Another rock came down, this time crushing the other paw. 

        This wasn't good. He can keep the locals in line with the fear his reputation produces, but he won't be able to do the same with everyone from out of town. He needed to end this now... but dammit, torturing this assailant was just too much fun. And she still needed to pay for even daring to lay a claw on him. .... but maybe, he can work this to his advantage.

        He turned to placate to the crowd, "... This woman is an assassin sent by the Northern Territories, to try and eliminate the leaders of everyone that dares to think to oppose them!" The crowd began to murmur to themselves. The locals sounded like they were going to buy it. "And the Silver from yesterday, the one that destroyed the Shadow- the precursor to an invasion, one that seeks to destroy our very way of life!! Those two, along with the strange creatures you have all heard about, are nothing but monsters that deserve to be purged to keep Naya as it is- a pure country!!!"

        While the crowd didn't go into the frenzy he was hoping for, he is hearing talking among them about the North and of the Invasion. Perfect. Polosa merely scoffed at the idea, "Really...? You think anyone is going to buy that pathetic lie?" He approached her and kneed her hard in the chest, making her cough and sputter. "Oooofgh..."

        He knelt down in front of her face and grabbed it, squeezing his claws into her cheets. "I... am really not in the mood for bullshit right now... Alien." Crap.... he knows. "You will answer every question i have or else your boyfriend is dead..."

        "Boyfriend..? I barely know him..."

        "Yet you went into a rage-induced frenzy for him." She won't deny that that is true, but what else was she supposed to do? He was the first friendly face she'd seen in this hellscape and looked like he was tortured to death, revived, and tortured again. "Doesn't really matter much anyway. Surrender the female Silver and the rest of those abominable creatures, and i will try to make your death quick."

        "Hehe... why bother telling if you are going to kill me anyways?" That usually works. Channeling her own electricity, Polosa dissipated the spikes and rose up. Her front paws hurt like hell, but it's worth it to put this monster in his place. "I only have one thing to say to you, tyrant: f*@% off and f*@% this world.. " She spat right in his face, prompting a collective gasp from the audience. 

         Termundus wiped the spit from his face and looked at it in his paw. She actually dared... she really is in league with that silver brat. He could see the fires of hate in her eyes; she planed to fight him till the end. "Pathetic defiance." With another kick, she was back on the ground. He turned away from her and returned to his subordinate. "Ocilus, kill her." The rocks at his commend came to his side and formed a shape. They merged and smoothed out into a nasty-looking sword. "Make it painful." He gave it to her. "Show these plebeians the consequences of attacking me."

        With a sickeningly gleeful smile, she nodded and walked past him. "With pleasure, sir." She summoned a sword behind her, one made entirely out of lightning. Standing over her, she put both her front paws on Polosa's face, keeping her down. "Oh... i'm going to enjoy this a lot..." The blade came down...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9YQoyrPIno  Broly vs Gogeta (Infinite Rivals Remix) - Dragon Ball Super Broly OST

 

        Out of nowhere, a streak of silver light struck Ocilus square on, propelling her away from Polosa. The light hit Termundus in the back of the head, sending him rolling head over heels onto his back. The light hit the side of the wall, where it stopped and vanished... and standing there with claws embedded into it was the female Silver herself, and she was filled with a absolute rage. This bastard lied to her, and now he was going to pay, and not even a collapsed lung was going to hold her back.

        "You...!!!" Termundus growled.

        "You lied to me..." Sokuro launched herself back towards the tyrannical tyrant whilst yelling, "...you pompous bastard!!!" 

        Before she could hit the living demon, Ocilus tackled Sokuro from below and latched onto her, sending the two of them off course and straight through a shop. Sokuro smacked her away with her tail just as the subordinate launched several lightning arrows towards her. The arrows hit and exploded, propelling her out of the other side of the shop. With mist coming from her wings as it did with Polosa, Sokuro took and sped off over the rooftops with Ocilus right behind her. She quickly spun around, powering up a beam attack, and fired. Ocilus brought up a lightning shield and caught the beam with that, resulting in the two powers creating a massive explosion.

 


        On the south-western outskirts of the city, the prisoners kept locked up down in the dungeons were finally set free after who knows how long, but even a day there is already too long when Termundus is involved. For many, this was the first time in weeks since they've seen sunlight or had fresh air. Trivial to most, but to them, it's close to paradise.
        
        Terrum, who had dug a whole big enough for people to walk through, was topside, helping others run away from here. "Ok, come on people, come on people, hurry hurry hurry! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here." Uncalled for, kid.

        But many weren't running away, like they should. Instead, they're distracted by the intense fight that took place in the skies above  the city. As they were trapped, they weren't privy to the Shadow fight yesterday, so they weren't aware that this was the second battle in as many days. "Man... they're really going at it." One commented.

        "Of course they are; it's Termundus their fighting." Another replied.

        Once the last one was out, even Terrum got distracted by the battle; distracted enough to where he forgot his brothers. "Can you guys help me out here...?!" Quio called out. "The furless is heavy here!"

        "Oh, shoot!" Rum ran back over and went down there to help carry the furless out. The Gryphon was brought out first as he still had that "floating" table, but Ventus had to be carried out. 

        "Excuse me, but did you say furless?" A female voice asked form behind.

        The four former vault-mates freaked out when they heard that voice. They quickly moved to keep Ventus hidden from the new arrivald, who were a dazzling blue dragoness and a littler green dragoness. Quio, ever the self-proclaimed 'smooth talker' let loose hic charm... which were pisspoor. "... un, why no, of course not. Hehehe... who would be furless?"

        But they weren't falling for that. Instead, they continued. She walked forward, asking. "... your name wouldn't be Bran, would it?"

        Bran...? That named sounded familiar. Yeah yeah, he was one of the colonists; kid of one of the school teachers, if he's not mistaken. But... how would she know it. Sitting up and pushing Terrux aside, he replied, "Un.. no. My name is Ventus. How... do you know the kids name?"

        The sounds of battle prompted her to look up towards the city. "Let's just say... we have a mutually gray friend who's more then a little mad."

 

 

        While the sudden arrival of Sokuro was... well, sudden, Polosa was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She got to her wings and spread her wings as mist appeared over them. "Now... where did we leave off...?" She snarled to the distracted General. He heard and looked to her just as she launched him into the skies with a whirlwind. He used the green rocks to deflect the winds just as she rose up after him.

        He hovered up high with such elegant grace, one could hardly tell he was in the fight mere moments ago. The rocks and stones orbited around him at varying distances. Polosa caught up to him, only to be pushed away by one of the bigger ones. Flipping backwards several times, she quickly righted herself up and summoned several of the light orbs she conjured up for light last night. She reared her head back and fired a concentrated beam of wind out of her mouth. The orb was struck, turning it into a laser beam.

        That move again? She did it back inside and look how that turned out. "You need a new trick.." All the rocks gathered before him. In a instant, they were angled. The beam struck and was split apart into many different other beams, blasting in multiple directions. Several tore through small sections of the tower while others tore through the ground below, sending many to run as roads, homes, and carts were sliced. 

        He scoffed before shoving his forearm forward, sending the shield straight to her. Seeing it charged, she stopped firing and flew out of the way, only to be met with a hard punch and a equally hard kick and tail slap. The 3-hit combo stunned her, allowing him to grab her and fling her upwards; he's not done having his fun.

        The rocks formed into a barrier that she crashed into hard. The middle section retracted backwards, then hit her like a ram- even has the head of one too- sending her back down to him. With a twist of his wrist, the green rocks shot to his right fore-paw, taking on the rough appearance of a sword. With another twist, they all merged into one shiny and perfect dark-green colored blade. He held it back, ready to take a swing when she fell into range.

        "No you don't!!" Sokuro slammed into Termundus from behind, forcing him to drop it. He rolled forwards a bit before stopping, feeling like someone had broken his spine. He quickly spun and launched the rocks towards her. They elongated and sharpened up into spears. With a flap, she dodged them, but they pulled a sharp turn, homing in on her with great speeds. She dodged again and again and again, while at one point thinking, "(Manipulating emeralds... i'll admit, that's new.)"

        With a snap, she summoned up a wall of fire before her to dodge the incoming emerald spears, only to get electrocuted from Ocilus, who barreled down towards her like a meteor. One of the spears flew into her paws and she brought it forward, ready to skewer the outsider.

        A green funnel came from the side, catching the assailant and making her spin around in the cyclone like clothes in the dryer. She was soon spat out, right into Polosa's mean left hook, knocking out a couple teeth. At the same time, Polosa snatched the spear out of Ocilus' paws.

        Sensing the incoming projectiles, she moved to the side to avoid the first, then swinging the spear around, deflected and fragmented two others with a satisfing *pling*.  Using her wind, she spun it with ease, swinging it around to deflect and fragment others: *Pling, pling pling pling, plingplingplingplingplingplingpling*. The way she moved, it's almost as if she had done this before as it had such elegance and such poise. 

        "How in the hells is she doing that...?" He turned his attention down further, towards the temporarily-paralyzed silver. He moved the emeralds over her and merged them into one huge javelin, one he let gravity pull towards her.

        Seeing the tree-sized javelin fall, Polosa spun the javelin, building up momentum before she let it go, throwing it. The spear hit square on, knocking the javelin off course... straight into the wall surrounding the tower and half of someone's house. Thankfully, no one was inside.

        Polosa sucked in and bit her lips. She did not intend for that to happen. "Oh, Thocka..." 
        
        A manic smile suddenly appeared in front of her as Ocilus, teleporting in as if out of nowhere on a lightning bolt, and sucker-punched her with her paws crackling with energy. With a flash, she punched again, and again, and again, all from different directions, all times coming at her like a bolt of lightning, moving so fast, not even a strong gust was going to stop her.

        At least it was until a torrent of flame came up from below. Ocilus was moving to fast to stop and went right through it, burning parts of her body. She was hit from below by a makeshift wooden club that was thrown up, hitting her in the chin- it wasn't hard to find one what with all the destroyed furniture from the house. Jumping up, Sokuro kicked upwards, hitting the club, which in turn hit Ocilus hard in the jaw, making her flip backwards and the club to spin. She grabbed it with her paws and swung, hitting Ocilus in the chest.

        Laughing like a madwoman, she grabbed Sokuro by the shoulders and began channeling electricity through her, making the kid shreak in pain... and it was just gravy to her ears. "This is the most fun i've had in ages! HAHAHAHAHA--" A cannonball sized ball of rock and ice hit Ocilus in the back, making her exclaim as she let Sokuro go. Polosa swooped on in and grabbed the kid, taking her high into the sky. 

        Reaching the bottom of the cloud layer, Sokuro coughed loudly, holding a paw up to it as pain swept over her. Pausing in flight, Polosa held onto her, worried she'll fall if she let go. "Kid, what are you doing here?"

        Sokuro coughed again, rubbing her chest with her other paw. "Saving you..." She wheezed. 

        "And a damn fine good job at that; you've been getting hit left and right."

        Before she replied, Sokuro breathed in as much air as she could. "Hard to fight with a collapsed lung."

        Is she serious? Is this dumb kid really serious? "A co-- what?! Are you insane!?!"

        "A little bit."

        "Aaaaagh, you need to get out of here, now! These two aren't holding anything back! They will kill us!"

        "You make it sound as though it were a bad thing." Termundus responded, even though it wasn't his question. The two girls quickly saw that their foes had them surrounded; Termundus on one side and Ocilus on the other. Appearing out of nowhere, electrified rocks crackling with static and the electrical currents that connected them orbited around the two girls in many sized rings. They were caged and there was no way they were getting out of this.

        Ocilus slammed her body right onto the 'cage' and peered right in, looking at them with a crazed look that would send children crying as her eyes were just.... horrifying. "Oooooooh... i am going to enjoy watching you scream. Ooooooo, i can just hear the delightful sounds. Heheheheheheheheheheeheheheeeeeeeeeeeeee... it excites me."

        Ok, this gal is completely off her rocker. "... and you are scaring the crap out of me." Sokuro shivered.

        This was getting them nowhere. They needed to get out now. Having had enough of this cage, Polosa spread her wings, which glowed brightly. The clouds above came crashing down in a swirling funnel, protecting them and pushing the cage, and Ocilus, away from them. Ocilus rolled backwards before righting herself, seeing the cyclone had grown in size to keep her and Termundus from getting too close, and that their cage trick was gone, likely lost in the summoned storm.

        "How in the hell are they able to do this...?" Termundus asked himself. "All of what they did should be impossible... how is she using Ice and Lightning and not getting scarred...?" Elements like Ice and Lightning have splashback damages on their wielders; a bit cruel, but that's how things worked for eons- they even got the term Forbidden Elements, cause they are elements you do not wan to weild. Ocilus is spared of that disability due to.......... reasons, but these two.... not only are they able to weild their elements without worry of backdamage, but they can use more then one? That should be physically impossible. 

        “They are monsters alright Master Termundus.” Ocilus said to herself, stunned by how could they manipulate the forbidden elements without reverse damages. She is a.... special case, but 99.999999999% of everyone else doesn't have that luxury. She cracked her neck, flexed her wings, and summoned up a arch of lightning over her head. "And as such they shall be dealt with swiftly.”

 

        Within the funnel, the two looked at their foes. They may have more firepower in elemental variety, but Termundus and Ocilus are aggressive and experienced. "I get the feeling they don't like us." Sokuro joked to her elder.

        "Whatever gave you that idea, kid?"

        "Hrrhrr..... got any ideas?"

        "Maybe." Several light orbs began to materialize beside her. 

 


        Down below, virtually everyone from the city is watching the battle unfold. It's this early in the morning and there's already a small war going on; who wouldn't want to watch? The locals were cheering for Termundus to win, obviously, while those from beyond were perplexed by the hated air towards the Silver and the other two.

        "Are you going to come out at some point?" Termundus sneered. "You're just giving us ample more time to think of clever ways to--"

        The extreme speeds of the wind shot the electrified rocks like they were fired out of a gun. There was no way he was going to stop them, so he used his wings to deflect them... and in the seconds after the flap deflection, the light orbs he saw from the shadow fight to pepper him with a seemingly never ending barrage. 

        The earth dragon tried to deflect as many as he could with his barrier, but to his dismay the power she had started to shatter his defenses, literally. "How in the hell...?" The quantity of energy she used was… completely out of this world. Dragons her age aren’t supposed to have that much fire capacity, no matter if she was a silver dragoness.

        The cyclone spun faster and faster and faster- inside, Polosa wrapped her tail around Sokuro's and spun around multiple itmes, gaining incredible speed each time before reaching its zenith, before letting go. Sokuro was launched out of there, moving at blinding speeds. She tackle him right in the gut, making him lose his breath. With a flap, she rolled up and kicked him in the head, sending him groundward. He stopped himself halfway and flipped around. "Graaah... you bitch! You struck me!"

        "And there's more where that came from, you heartless creep!" With her paws on fire, she punched him square on, sending him backwards once more.

        At the same time, the sphere turned into a cyclone that diminished in size until it surrounded only Polosa. Moving her forelegs, the cyclone stretched out like a slinky, spiraling around her like a snake before being sic'd on Ocilus. Ocilus countered with a lightning surge. The two collided, summoning a intense lightning storm that tore apart the ground underneath

        As the two elements collided and violently messed, Polosa divided the cyclone up, creating smaller ones now packing Ocilus' lightning. She aimed and fired, sending out electrified wind blasts that went after Ocilus, who had no defense against her own. With no choice, she went on the defensive, flying and dodging as best she could, but it wasn't going to work: they were homing in on her, and ones that missed were coming back her way.

        "How in the hell are you doing this?!" Ocilus yelled. 

        With the homing attacks coming at full speed, she didn't notice Polosa had vanished from her spot. From above, Polosa tackled her at top speed, with every single electrified current behind her. She was kicked towards the garden in the Council Towers flower garden. She hit the pond hard, which is really bad news for her since... well, water and electricity do not mix. 

        Ocilus twitched in agony as the electricity coursed through her body after the water made contact with her. In her panic, she sped up towards the surface. She soon reached the surface and sped towards the edge. She climbed out, panting as the pain soon passed. Her pain was soon replaced with anger. "That... bitch... almost... fried me!!!" A lightning bolt came down from the sky, empowering her before launching herself back up towards Polosa, who naturally freaked out and flew up towards the cloud layer. 

        
        ".....you heartless creep!" With her paws on fire, she punched him square on, sending him backwards once more.

        The earth dragon soon used the earth to stop his decent. He groaned a bit as he stood up on the earth platform he rose from the ground. This girl... she hits hard. So this is what it is like when she is not on the defensive. "Tsk!" He replied, gazing at her with quite a furious gaze, "Fine, you want to go, fine we shall go!" Soon he was encased on an earth boulder, seemingly looking like if he was hiding once more.

        She hovered above, wondering what this was about. "For someone who just boasted, you're doing a good job hiding away like a coward." To her surprise, the earth boulder went straight at her at quite a neck-breaking speed. "WHOAA!!!" she barely had time to move. The boulder barely grazed her, but that was also part of the plan: she was at range, and when she would notice, it would be too late, as some cracks had started to appear on the rocky object, as if a huge quantity of energy had been gathering. Her eyes went wide, realizing seconds too late as it exploded in her face.

        Shards of it sliced her scales and the skin beneath, making her bleed. Not a lot, but enough to make her worry. Out of the smoke came the tyrant, covered head to tail in emerald armor, now fully charged. "..... that's not good."

        If his appearance with his emerald armor wasn't enough then his smirk, filled with malice and bloodlust, should have certainly made the effect on the silver dragoness. "Now... where were we, you puny wretch...?"

        She gulped. "m-my apology?"

        "Hehehehe...." Using the spare rocks he had commend over, they formed into a sword that formed around his right paw. "Too late for that." With a single flap, he was already on top of her. She had no time to react as he headbutted her with enough force to embed her into the tower.

        That was pain. That was pain that only rivals one other, and it had to pick now of all times to flare up. She hissed as she held her neck, feeling the burn. "Not now....." As she looked up, she saw energy coming from all over his body, pooling and channeling into his maw; the sheer intensity of it felt potent... almost pure, almost divine... but how was he doing this? All he used was ground based abilities; everyone on this backwards planet only had one element, so how is he doing this one?

        Just as he was about ready to fire, a sudden thunderbolt struck the ground beside them. Ocilus shot up from the ground up towards Polosa, who sped towards the clouds. That thankful distraction gave Sokuro enough time to counteract with her own blast. The two collided and his was the more powerful as it broke through. Her eyes went wide and she flew away, causing his blast to hit where she was. Her scales were singed just from proximity; this guy is no joke.
        
        "What are you gonna do now...." He suddenly appeared in front of her, ready to swing. "You pathetic punk...!?!" He swung with enough force to level a forest if he was on ground level, but she was quicker in this sense as she ducked rather quickly. She kicked off him and, with rainbow sparkles coming from her wings, sped away.

        He watched her as she sped away; who's the coward now, he thought. A shockwave soon followed as she past the speed of sound... followed by a wide, arching turn. "What is she up to...?"

        There was a flash of light in the wide turn, which puzzled him. He was suddenly struck by a volley of those blasted light orbs. Another flash, another volley, and this one hit too. A third followed, but he deflected this one with his sword. He deflected all that followed soon afterwards.

        There was one last volley as she started her return. As he deflected that one, she missile'd right into him, spinning like a corkscrew. She was already cracking his armor, which should be impossible.

        Using the pommel of his sword, he struck her between the shoulders and kicked her away. She quickly reacted when he took multiple swings at her- first from above, then a right slash, then a spinning slash that curved upwards. This is completely new to her; nobody on Dragenia uses swords in their Aerid forms; she'll admit, this is something cool about this place. About time it had something. She pushed him away with her fire, which forced him to turn the sword into a shield to block it; knowing her, the fire would melt his armor.

        Once she was far enough away, she pulled the same trick she did in her fight against the Shadow, summoning a ring of light orbs around her, and firing them like a machine gun. He countered by turning the sword into its smaller fragments and firing them back. The two salvos either passed by or collided with each other. Those that passed by grazed the other, but they were committed.... but he quickly realized his problem: her ammo is unlimited, while his is very limited.

        Above, a storm raged. Polosa's lightning and Ocilus' lightning danced across the skies, striking each other in dazzling displays, but none gained the upper hand. Ocilus was more aggressive, sure, but she can't get close cause Polosa had water at her disposal, and given what happened with the pond... she wasn't risking getting close.

        But she soon caught a break: Polosa slipped up and got lost in a cumulonimbus cloud, temporarily blinding her. This allowed Ocilus to charge right in and gorge her horns into Polosa's shoulder. She roared in pain before getting zapped. One moment, she was screaming. Next, she was halfway back to the ground, and in the fraction of a second, too. 

        Polosa suddenly appeared right next to Sokuro, who saw her plight just as Ocilus was coming down on her own bolt; it's like she was part of it. Ocilus glared with maddening glee, striking down as to finish her prey off quickly to prove his worth towards the general once more. "You are going down, you whelp!" She laughed psychotically.

        Nuttier then nuts... Sokuro had to take action, and not a moment too soon as Termundus had run out of ammo. She got between Ocilus and Polosa and fired a beam up towards her. The beam hit the lightning, causing it to explode and dissipate and leaving Ocilus without protection for the corkscrew missile move that came next.

        The underling barfed out spittle from the strike, but it wasn't enough to flummox her; this new Silver chick still needs to get some upper-body strength. Ocilus growled as she was temporarily blinded by the silver one's attack, the general was right: the silver ones are truly such annoying pests, and just when her vision came back to her she could only see how the attack connected. Grabbing Sokuro's shoulders to stop her from spinning, she bit down hard on her neck... on the same spot the Phagos did. Sokuro roared in pain- that was a low move the psycho did. She wrapped her tail around Ocilus' neck. She laid on the squeeze, forcing the psycho to stop biting. Sokuro rolled like a wheel before letting go, launching her straight towards her General.

       The two hit each other, sending them into a spin. Termundus stopped themselves and kept himself upright while Ocilus hung upside-down for a moment before he let go. "That's it... I'M THROUGH PLAYING!!!" His helmet shattered back into the rocks they originally were and sped towards the two girls. They elongated and wrapped around them, pulling the two together. They struggled to get loose, but it was tight, and this ground move was completely new to Polosa; she doesn't know how to counter it.

        "Ocilus... you know what to do." He said with such foreboding, which led to her grinning.

        Stretching all six limbs out as wide as they can go, small trails of energy flowed from tip to tip to tip, circling around her from. Within that circle, electricity began to surge. 

        Flying up a few careful feet behind her, Termundus brought for every emerald under his control during this battle and, using his control over them, elongated, smoothed, and shined them up to five long boards and a... sphere? The five boards and trigger took up position behind her like a open flower that swiftly closed. The boards began to spin around her in the same direction as the energy line. The boards began to spin so fast, it almost looked like a cannon... that would mean the sphere is the... oh, crap.

        The two girls were puzzled as to what was going on. Was this some kind of show they do for victory? ... or something much worse. "Wwwhat are they doing?" Sokuro nervously asked. Polosa just stayed silent, unsure herself. 

        The electricity inside raged about like a wild storm, with bolts leaking out of the openings in the boards as it all pooled together into one spot: her. How is she even still alive? With a sinister snarl in his voice, Termundus gritted his teeth, "You're going to regret touching me..." He ran his claw across the trop of the fuse. "... you foreign bitch!"

        With a delightful shout, the stored up energy erupted out of Ocilus and blasted out like one of the girls' beam attacks, only much more stronger, intense, and deadly. The girls had no time to react- it was that fast. It felt like being hit by a million lightning bolts at once, while also being hit by a airship traveling at insane speeds. The beam was so intense, it singed the air and destroyed the bond.
    
        The girls were blasted towards the ocean, but they never made it there. Instead, they hit the end of a long stone pier and skidded to a halt. Polosa hit one of her legs on one of the moorings, breaking it.

        As the two battered, bruised, and beaten outsiders moaned and groaned, Termundus and Ocilus came hovering down as soldiers and guards began to surround the pier, along with a fired-up crowd. They landed a respectable distance away from them, mostly to make sure they don't try anything sneaky... but lets be honest, it was so he could gloat.

        "You two..." He wiped his mouth. "...you have made a terrible mistake today, making yourselves enemies of the state."  He slowly began to approach them. "Breaking and entering the Council Tower, then desecrating and destroying it! Letting prisoners escape! And the worst crime of them all: Attacking me. I could care less about the others, but touch me... and that's a death sentence. Was it worth it, though? Was forfeiting your lives worth all this pain? I'm half tempted to let you leave just so you can tell your friends that we will not be subject to an invasion from YOUR kind."

        The two Dragenian's struggled to their feet, feeling sore, battered, and bruised all over their bodies. Yet, they were still willing to continue on. Gritting her teeth as she struggled to stay on on her wobbling feet, Sokuro grunted, "No... You... still don't understand... you delusional buffoon..." She stared him down and he stared back, both intent on continuing this fight. "You may claim to know what we are... but you couldn't be more wrong...... Whatever you are thinking- whatever 'invasion' you think we're a part of, you are wrong! All we want is to get away from this vile place!! We want-- no, we Are Going HOME!!!!!!"

        She stomped her foot on the ground. At the same time, a large wave crashed up on the dock behind her.

        A streak of purple light suddenly tore through the blockade of festival ships, making them all weave and wobble. The stream tore through the wave and got immediately in Termundus' face. When the light vanished, in its spot was the last one of their entourage.

        "EIA?!" Sokuro shouted in elated surprise.

        She was so suddenly close, Termundus had no time to react as she delivered a hard electrified earth punch to his face, knocking out a couple teeth and cannonballing him back towards his subordinates, crushing them under his weight. 

        With her paws glowing blue, she spiraled up into the air, bringing up with her the water left from the wave. The blue began to mingle with a silver-ish purple glow.

        Polosa saw what was coming and turned Sokuro away. "Shield your eyes!"

        Termundus got off his troops just as Eia stopped spinning. Arms, legs, and wings spread as wide as they could go, her body glowed as bright as the sun, a feat which was amplified by the water she had brought up with her. The pure white light blinded everyone; on the beach and on the boats; it could even be seen all the way on the island. 

        And it was thanks to that distraction that all three of them were able to escape. 

 

        The blindness Eia had attacked them with was only temporary as it wasn't long for vision to return to everyone's eyes. Blinking as his sense was among the first to return. Termundus say that his quarry was long gone. "Where did they go?!" Nobody knew because they were all still starting to see again. "Ah, you're all useless!" He spread his wings, ready to chase after them, wherever they are. "I'll--"

        "TERMUNDUS!!!" 

        The mighty General came to a halt when he heard that all too familiar voice. He slowly panned his head around to see that... yep... it's her and her butler... and she looked like she was ready to kill him. "T... Teruli?" Steam hissed out of her nose with each puff; she was gonna cook this bastard alive. "When did you--"

        "You have a lot of explaining to do!!"

        "Yes..." Cirrus said as he and the other Generals and Councilors approached from multiple directions. "... You do."

        Great... now he's got this to deal with. It's not like he had other plans for today... too bad they were all ruined. Before he left, he took one last look out towards the sea. Those three... they are the clear threats. The strange animals are just pets... it's the ladies who are the clearer threat.

        And now, they got away with his prisoners... what a waste of a morning.

51: Chapter 47: Back Together
Chapter 47: Back Together

 Chapter 47


Back Together
???




 

            Having found a small sandbar to rest, the two Dragenian ladies, now back in their human/ferid forms, panted heavily, exhausted to the bone and dripping with water, battered and bruised, and in desperate need of some healing. They had flown so far in so short a time; adding all that onto the fight of their lives has Sokuro and Polosa feeling like death. Eia was still in her Aerid state, not as exhausted or as battered as them.

        Rolling onto her back, a panting Sokuro took in as much air as she could; going into battle with a collapsed lung was not a good idea, but she had no choice: Polosa was gonna die. Speaking of whom, she turned her head to look to Polosa, who was also on her back. She looked to her and gave a light smile. Sokuro smiled back, tiredly laughing as she rested her head back on the sand.

        "You are one insane kid..." Polosa remarked.

        Sokuro breathlessly responded, "Heh... have you seen my track record? Insane is my specialty." She put her arms to her side, feeling less exhausted then she was a minute ago. She then turned her head and looked to Eia, who wasn't as exhausted or as bruised as them, but.... why was she even doing here? She was in a coma, wasn't she? "Thanks for the save, Eia..."

        Eia sat on her butt, rubbing her aching forehead with her arm. "Don't... don't mention it..." She almost keeled over, but kept herself upright.

        Did she force herself awake? Sokuro's no medical expert, but forcing awake a coma patient is probably really, really bad. "But... but you were unconscious- you were practically a vegetable, so... so how the heck did you save us?"

        That's gonna be a bit difficult to explain. "Simple..." She got up. "I'm not entirely here." Her body flickered as it phased in and out.

        Sokuro had enough weird today, so what the heck is this now? "What in the heck...?"

        "Captain Dexyl called it a Alterimage. According to her, strong-minded Aerids with a masterful affinity with Wind and/or Lightning can create autonomous copies of themselves. Kinda. We are extremely fragile; one hit will usually do them in, so they're mostly used for scouting missions. We also don't last long- we tend to last for 13 minutes before poffing away, and when we do, what we saw and did goes back to the original, like they took part in it themselves."

        That.... kinda makes sense. Kinda. Sokuro looked to Polosa, wondering if she could do those Alterimage's too. Polosa sensed that's what she was gonna ask. She sat up off the sand. "I can create one too, but i really don't see the point of it. Outside of scouting missions in wars, there's really no need for that ability. It takes away the intimacy out of hunting. And i never heard of anyone being able to cast it in their sleep, let alone in a coma."

        But one thing doesn't add up: "But that still doesn't make sense. You're in a coma, and in your Ferid form... so how did you know we were in trouble or cast that Alterimage?"

        "You know what? I honestly don't know." She looked at her own paw. "Could be any number of reasons. Maybe i'm a Shaman and don't know it, or my scale had something to do with it, like it was acting on instinct. Or maybe i'm already up and this was all i could muster. As for how i knew you were in trouble, those idiots in the other room never shut up. And after all those stories about Termundus, i knew you were going to get in trouble."

        "Idiots?" Polosa repeated.

        "It's a long story..." Sokuro exhaled as she got up. "... one we're both gonna spend all day telling when we get back to their place." With a glow, she transformed back into her Aerid self. "And i still want to get as far away from that place as possible before they sound out soldiers."

        "Agreed." Polosa responded as she got up. She changed back to her Aerid self too, then immediately yelled out in pain as she fell over. She's had so much pain loped her way today... why isn't she dead yet from all that?

        "Polosa!" Sokuro shouted as she went back to her.

        Wincing with one eye closed, Polosa looked down to where her pain was coming from. "I broke my leg..." She hissed. "It happened then they blasted us onto that peer. I hit one of those mooring struts."

        "Owuch...." Sokuro whimpered a whine. She doesn't know how to fix broken limbs. It's doubtful anyone among their group does. "Hopefully Alua has something that can help you." Alua? Must be one of the natives, the hunter concluded. "Can you still fly?"

        One way to find out. Sokuro helped her up onto her her legs, except for the broken one. Hesitantly, she flapped her wings until she was up several feet in the air. "Yeah, i can still fly... just don't ask me to make any sharp turns."

        "Alright." With a flap, Sokuro also took to the skies. She looked back to the sandbar, to Eia's Alterimage. "See you back at the hut." She said to her. Eia nodded and the Alterimage vanished. At least that's one less person to track if anyone found them, they both figured, before flying to the south. 




        Glowing as brightly as it could, Eia's scale hovered in front of her, as she stood at the end of her bed . The sudden glow and upshoot shocked and surprised the three who were left behind to look after her. The way she looked, with her hair and clothes floating and eyes all aglow... it was almost ethereal. 

        But soon, the glow ended, save for a faint outline that briefly appeared around her. The scale, the clothes, and her hair all returned to normal. Eia herself fell onto her feet, before falling forwards as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. "Whoa!" Sil swooped in and caught her before she could hit the floor. 

        "W... what just happened?" A dumb and awestruck Fira gasped.

        "Must be a Dragenian thing..." Pira responded with the same amount of struck his brother had.

        Picking her up, Sil put her back into the bed. He slid on the floor a bit, but that was to keep her upright. "What did you do?" He asked as he laid her down. 
    
        She breathlessly chuckled with a smile as she slowly closed her eyes, "....... something that... probably screwed me over in the long run........" She turned her head and returned to sleep. 

        Sil chuckled himself as he slowly shook his head. "You're as crazy as Sokuro." 

        "I.... heard.... that..." She drowsily said. Sil sheepishly giggled as he scratched his cheek. 

        After making sure she was comfortable, the three boys left their matron's room. Sil left the door open a crack before he followed the twins outside for some fresh air. Loudly groaning, the twins slinked to the ground, their knees weak from the sudden drama Eia just laid on them. "That was intense..." They both said.

        "You're telling me." Sil replied. "But what do you think she did? That streak of light moved so fast."

        "Who knows." Pira replied. "Probably had something to do with the others, i bet."

        "Probably." He picked a mint leaf off a nearby plant and put it in his mouth. "Hopefully nothing bad's happened on the mainland."

        "And just like that, things are gonna go wrong." Fira said. He got to his feet and turned to him. "Whenever someone says 'hopefully nothing bad has happened', that always means something will."

        "You're just being crazy."

        "Crazy, eh? Well, i'm gonna say it to prove to you i'm right." He stepped back towards his brother, making sure he'd share in whatever pain he got. "I sure do hope nothing bad is going to happen to me in the next few seconds." He stood on his hind legs and spread his forelegs wide, tempting the universe to have something happen to him. And after a few seconds... nothing came, except a small breeze of wind that kicked dust and dirt away.

        "Crazy." Sil said with a deadpan look in his eyes as he chewed another leaf.

        "Even i have to side with him, bro." Pira said. Fira isn't one to give up, even if it's over something as stupid and ridiculous as this. "Oh, come on, now you're just being ridiculous." Fira kept trying and trying and trying. Now it was just getting sad and pathetic. Yet he kept tempting fate...

        A loud splash from behind the house caught their attention. It sounded like someone fell into the rain basin out back. The three of them quickly ran towards the back and.... yep, someone did fall into the basin. Or rather, two someone's who have had enough of pain today and just went some cocoa. "Sokuro!" Sil shouted as he and the others ran over to her. As they got closer, they saw the two girls were covered in bruises and cuts.

        Swimming to the basin's shore, Sokuro coughed as she hung her head on the edge. "Can... i stop... with the pain today...?" She heard footsteps and looked up to see Sil and the twins running towards her. "Finally... some friendly faces..." She moaned.

        "Sokuro... what the heck happened to you? And what are you doing here in our rain basin? You're supposed to be at the city."

        "It's a long story..." She breathlessly moaned. Beside her, Polosa yelped in pain. She floated on her back to get her broken leg out of the water. Introductions are in order, but she's too exhausted to do it properly. "Guys, Polosa. Polosa, Guys." Polosa tiredly waved to them. "And don't bother hiding the truth. I already told them." Polosa wasn't going to argue since she also reveal the secret too.

        "Polosa?" Fira repeated. "Wait, one of those who came with you?"

        "Yep.." 

        "What happened to you guys?" Sil asked. "What happened to the meeting?"

        "There was no meeting."  Sokuro exhaled as she rested her head on the shoreline. "By the time we got there, General Terdummy was already fighting her. I don't know what caused it, but he was going to kill her, so i had to do something, collapsed lung be damned." She exhaled again; speaking of which, it was giving her issues. Not much she can do about it; she's the one who pushed it when she shouldn't have. "Then it turned into a whole helping of crazy, and he had this scary-psycho-lightning-bitch fighting with him too."

        "Ocilus." The boys said.

        "Great... crazy has a name..." Polosa said. "And don't say bitch... you're only nine."

        "I'm gonna be ten soon..." She tiredly retorted. "But thanks to psycho, we got our butts beat and her leg got broken." The trio winced in sympathy pain in response. "We almost died... but then we had some unexpected help."

        "Eia?" Sil just casually asked.

        Sokuro blinked a few times before looking back to Polosa. She hadn't met them before now, so she has no way of knowing Eia is even here. "Yes... it was. How did you know?"

        "Cause a few minutes ago, she was glowing like some angel, then this light shot out of her scale thing and went out to who knows where to save your butts." They're not wrong. They don't know about the Alterimage ability and that is what saved them, but they're not wrong.

        At least now they can relax and-- "Hold up. There's two people missing." Sokuro froze for a moment. Oh... right. She forgot them back at the city. Velx knows what the jackass is going to do to them. "Where's Alua and Seqy?"

        "Probably still back at the city..." Sokuro grunted as she pulled herself out of the basin. She was too tired to shake herself dry, so she just let it drip. "...where they will likely be taken in for questioning in they're seen... and i don't wanna do any more rescue missions, and i don't think the two of us are allowed back anytime soon... the fight did cause a lot of damage."

        Damage? Geez, what the heck even happened over there. "How much damage?" Pira hesitantly asked.

        What's a nice way to put it...? "Let's just say that eyesore of a tower is going to need a lot of renovations."

        A flabbergasted Sil puffed a cough, unable to come up with any sort of retort before resting his head in his forepaws. "Oh, Stars above... I thought it was a battle, not a war."

        "Hey, the jerk started it." Polosa shouted. To avoid moving her broken leg, she transformed back into her ferid self... which meant getting her clothes wet. Since she had to sleep in them for the past couple of days, they're in need of a wash anyways. She climbed out of the basin just as Sokuro changed back and squeegeed water out of her shirt. She took notice of the small hut and all the plants that grew around it. "So... what is this place, some kind of a farm?"

        "Kinda." Fira answered. "We do grow our own food here, but we're not a farm, per say."

        "Then what is this place?"

        Sokuro's body began to glow as she changed back to her Ferid self. At least her clothes aren't soaked; that's the good thing. The bad thing is all the sand from the sandbar; it got in places, but she'll deal with that later. "According to their legends, the place where life on this world began. But for us, it's a safe haven." 
    
        A safe haven... wait, did she say this is the origin of life? Like the Basin back home? "So it's sacred land?" Polosa concluded.

         Fira snorted a laugh. "Don't kid yourself." She raised an eyebrow; so this isn't sacred land? But if life began here, why isn't it?

        "We'll explain it later." Sil said. "Right now, you two look like you're about to pass out."

        "That's putting it mildly." Sokuro groaned. Even as a Ferid, she still feels like her body is battered and broken. That battle really took it out of them. "Ugh... i'm too sore to stand up."

        "Same..." Polosa groaned, rolling on her front.

        Something wasn't making sense here, Pira thought. "Um, didn't you say you broke your leg in the fight?" He asked the grown-up. "Cause if you did, how are you still walking around? Shouldn't you be in pain?"

        "Who says i'm not?" A tired Polosa replied. "But i'm too tired and too hungry to explain things... "Right now... i just want lay down and die."

        Sokuro wants to join her in their pain party, but she had other things to tend to. She forced herself onto her feet, brushing off her dress.  "I'm gonna go check on Eia before i take the longest nap of my life." She gestured Polosa to follow her, and she did. 

        The three drakes watched as they entered the home. The twins wanted to know what the heck happened in the city; they want the juicy details, but they clearly weren't going to get them. Sil didn't care about the details... he's just glad she's safe. 

        

        "There." Bran grunted as he put the last leaf in place on the beach. "That should do it." He stepped back, wiping his head. Took him some time, but he finally spelled out the world "Help" out of nothing but rocks, branches, and palm leaves. And since today isn't windy, it should stay long enough for Sokuro to see on her way back.

        "Gotta admit: that's ingenious." Fayin commented as she and Kader looked over the railing towards the beach. 

        "Seems commonplace for someone stranded." Kader said.

        "Not unless you're trying to hide from someone." She said, talking as if she had experience in that field... which she did. "Now we just have to hope Sokuro or those other two see it before anyone else does."

        Bran crossed his arms and nodded in silent approval, feeling proud of this. That proud feeling slowly faded when he heard slow footfalls behind him, like someone was sneaking away. Sokuro wouldn't sneak up on him like that, not on this planet, not after all the crap they've been through in the past two days. And why sneak if you are trying to help? This could only be trouble.

        Moving ever so slowly, Bran reached for his stun pistol, which he had stashed to his belt. He'll only have one shot at this... assuming stun rounds will work on them. It worked surprisingly well on the Phagos, so hopefully... 

        He pulled it out and quickly spun around just as large ferocious cat- a larger-then-life jaguar/leopard hybrid thing- leaped at him. He fired, but it missed by a few hairs; damn it. It pinned him to the ground, knocking the gun away; this kitty is smart. It went in to take a bite out of him, but a fireblast to the side put that idea out. The cat looked in the direciton of its pain, saw its source, then ran off.

        Having seen his life flash before his eyes, Bran sat up, panting his life away. He looked in the same direction the cat did and slouched. "You've gotta be pulling my leg..." 



        With a hot compress on her shoulders and a cracker in her lips, Polosa looked down on Eia, who was back in her unconscious state. "So... she's been like this ever since we've gotten here?" She asked.

        "As far as i know..." Sokuro sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "I didn't even know she was here till last night. According to Alua, she found her one night and took her in, tending to her ever since."

        "Alua?"

        "The matron." She leaned to the side. "This is an orphanage."

        "SO those three out there were orphans?" There's some twisted universal irony here. "... so even in other worlds, Silvers are orphaned." Sokuro nodded; she spent the last couple of days thinking about that and how cruel the universe can be. "Well... the kids seem nice enough, if a bit rude."

        "You get used to it..." Sokuro sighed again. She looked at the scale resting on top of the blankets and held it in the palm of her hand. "I don't know how she was able to do it... but thank the gods she did..." She held her other hand over it and sighed. She leaned forward and rested her head on it. "... this is all my fault..." She somberly said to herself. 

        Polosa shook her head, not believing that at all. "No it wasn't. Everything that happened was just wrong place, wrong time. And if anything, it was Ven's fault when he broke that keyboard thingie."

        "But he wouldn't have been able to break it if Me and Bran and Eia weren't down there, messing with that thing because i was insistent we find out what it was. The Door wouldn't have been activated and that keyboard wouldn't have been out. Even if it was just the two of you down there, we wouldn't have been in this mess...." She looked at her parents book, which she had left on the shelf by the bed. "None of us would be here if it wasn't for my curiosity..." 

        Just they, they heard running footsteps. They looked out the door to see Pira run by before he came to a halt and doubled back. "Sorry to break up the pity party, but we're gonna need some help outside; we're about to get busy." He ran again. The two girls looked to each other; busy how, exactly?



        The ladies followed Pira out the front door and into a shocking sight as dozens of Dragons, Anthromorphs, and Gryphons were all strung on the front lawn, groaning and moaning in pain and agony. "By the Gods..." Polosa gasped. Sokuro just looked on stunned. How were there so many hurt people?

        "So many people..." A flabbergasted Sokuro exhaled. "Where did they all come from?"

        "From the dungeons." Alua said as she flew down from above. Seqy wasn't with her; she must be helping these poor lads and lasses. 

        And Sokuro knew what to expect from her; a long and arduous speech with some shouting and anger. She could feel it coming; she could see a angry disappointment in her eyes. Bur Sokuro's actions were justified... right? Even so, she had to say something... she'd have to do the same with Hela back home. "Alua... listen, i can explain, i--"

        Alua shook her head. "We can talk about what happened in the city later. Right now, we need to help these folks. They went through a lot down there."

        Sokuro gulped, feeling a lump in her throat. She must've been the one to do this; all the rubble and potential rogue projectiles from the fight... they must've hit civilians. "Were they.... were they my doing from the fight?"

        Polosa shook her head as she stepped forward. "No. These people were from the dungeons."

        "How are you sure?" Sokuro asked.

        "Cause she's the one who broke 'em out." A familiar voice said. Polosa looked around to find it, only for a arm to suddenly wrap around her neck and pull her down. "Weren't ya, offworlder?" Quio snickered.

        As annoying as he is, Polosa can't help but give a warm chuckle. It's about time some good news started coming her way, and seeing him was in that category. "Hehe... glad to see you made out of there in one piece, Quio." He playfully snickered as he smiled wide. 

        "We saw them pulling all these souls out of a makeshift tunnel." Alua went on to explain. "When we landed, Seqy could feel their vibrations in the earth as they made all that ruckus. I'm sure other Earth Dragons felt it too, but they may've been too busy, watching the fight. It provided us with enough distraction to get everyone here, where they'll be safe."

        "And that was some show." Quio laughed. He looked past her and saw Sokuro looking at them oddly. "And through the process of elimination, you must be the other Silver."

        "Guilty as charged..." Sokuro sighed. She turned her attention back to the hurting crowd. "But... what happened to all these people?"

        "Termundus... he happened to us." The gryphon with the broken legs said. He was nearby, on the stone table the triplets had created. Speaking of whom, the three of them were all on the ground, exhausted having carried them all this way. "He uses the dungeons as his own personal lab."

        Termundus again? Ugh, she's getting to hate that name. "Him again? Ugh, he's getting more wide-spread then the um.... the, um..." She waved her hand, trying to remember what it was. "What was the name of that one human demon? I'm drawing a blank."

        "Satan...you're thinking of Satan." A very familiar voice, at least to Polosa, coughed. Behind the table was a all-too familiar fox, one who's had the worse out of all of them. "Besides... Could be worse..." Ventus coughed. "Could be a throwskin rug..."

        "Ventus." Polosa ran over to him and went to hug him, but he stopped her before she got too close. 

        "Please no hugs... i'm lucky enough to not be screaming in pain just from feeling air..." She wanted to, but she honored his wish. She'd probably ask for the same in his shoes. Speaking of which, Quio walked over and handed her his things; his clothes, his knapsack, and his sniper rifle. "Heh... and Terducken didn't dismantle that thing... goodie..." Polosa lightly chuckled.

        It didn't take long for Sokuro to walk over and meet the one that caused the mess back in the city. Polosa may've started the fight, but it was only after seeing him in this poor state. "At least... you're lucky to be alive."

        "And you must be that cute little silver i heard about..."

        She would blush, if she wasn't feeling down about herself. Looking at him in such a poor state made her guilty conscience heavier. "I'm not really in the mood for compliments right now..."

        Ignoring the exchange, Polosa walked towards the three young dragons, who were still on the ground and still exhausted. They never carried a stone slab this far in their lives. Across a city is one thing... cross-country is a whole other thing. "You guys actually did it. I... thanks a lot."

        The three of them were too exhausted to reply fully. Most they did were incoherent noises that made no sense, except for what few words Terrux was able to let out. "Don't... mention it.... whew, i'm tired... hoooooo..." He slumped over.

        Polosa lightly chuckled to herself. She can be glad that something went right in the last couple of days. They could use a win. "Well, i still appreciate it, regardless."

        "There's also another thing." Alua said as she approached with water to give to the tired lads. "On the way back, we found something odd made out of branches and leaves on the beach."

        "You found what?" Sokuro asked, scratching the side of her head.

        "SOKUROOOOO!!!"

        She was suddenly tackle hugged from the side and and nearly fell to the ground. She feared it was Termundus or Ocilus, having tracked them to this island, but no... it was something that filled her with ecstatic joy as she smiled wide. Polosa had her happy reunion, now it's her turn. "Bran?" She asked in momentarily disbelief. When she realized it was him, her demeanor softened and she smiled widely. "BRAN!!!" She gave him a big hug, the two of them laughing with joy as they spun around. "You're ok!!" She merrily laughed.

        "Oh, thank GOD you're alive!!!" He laughed back as he gave her the biggest hug of her life. 

        "I should be saying that to you!!" She grunted at the last big of it when he tightened his grip, making her lose a bit of her breath and stopping that little dance of theirs. "Where even were you all this time?" She wheezed.

        He let her go, which lead to her doing a dramatical stagger and step; his hug really was that tight. "Trying to find you! I almost did, yesterday!" 

        Patting her chest, she took a deep dramatic breath. Dang, humans can hug hard.  And he almost found her yesterday? ... wait a second, "Yest-- wait, you were at the celebration?!"

        "I was! And i was so dang close, i could taste it!" Some of the people nearby looked at him funny, as if they never heard that expression before. He ignored them and continued. "I don't know how many times we were that close, but wow!! I was mere feet away from actually getting to you, but that stupid guard at the medical tent wouldn't let me in!"

        Her fight with the Shadow? He was that close to her?! Oh, the universe is just playing cruel games with her this week! "Oh man, that close... wow..." She was honestly amazed that they were so close, yet so far, where looking just in another direction would've ended a lot of anxiety. Funny how life works. It would've saved her a couple of painful, life-threatening fights. A glance to her right reminded her that she wasn't alone here, but she wasn't going to let their awkward display of affection distract her. "OH, right, Bran, we never did a full introduction back in the cave. This is our head hunter Polosa. Polosa, Bran." The two merely waved at each other; there will be time to talk later. "And this is.... un.... what was your name again?"

        "Ventus." Bran said. "We talked on the flight over."

        Of course, she figured. But... wait, if humans are the same size as drakes in this world, then how... eh, one of them must be wind affiliated. Doesn't really matter. What does matter is, "Were you able to find Fayin?"

        He should've seen that question coming; she and Eia are the only ones unaccounted here. "... i was, but un..." He wasn't quite sure how to explain the nightmare fuel to her.

        And his nervous attitude wasn't helping. "But what?" Polosa asked. 
    
        Sokuro gulped; she doesn't need worse on her conscious. "Is she........?"

        "Dead? No, no no. She's alive. Barely. It's... un... not pretty. I'll be having nightmares for a week. " 

        Polosa rolled her eyes; now he's just curtailing the issue. "Stop beating around the bush, kid: What happened to her?"

        It's not something that can easily be described in words. Well, it could, but he feels like it wouldn't do it justice. "It, um... it would be better if i showed you."

        "Show us? You mean she's not here?" He nodded in response. "Then where is she?"

        "First off, you can breath easy, huntress. She's with a friend i made who went out of his way to help me out after we got here... and who is probably Pearl's lunch by now."

        There's someone that small here, Sokuro and Polosa both thought. They must really come in all shapes and sizes here. "Pearl...?" Ventus repeated, not remembering what that was. 

        "The Kalamander you two were chasing and made you break the keyboard." Sokuro casually explained. 

        Now he remembers; his failed attempt at lunch. "Oh, right, that thing." 

        "Then, let's go get here." Sokuro said, determined to get everyone back together as soon as possible.

        She took a few steps, but was stopped when Polosa grabbed and pulled on her hood, pulling it back to showcase a full head of black hair that seemed to go down past her shoulders. They never see her with that hood off, so it's a nice offset. "Not so fast, short stack." She said. Sokuro gagged a moment when it tugged on her neck. She took it back and flipped it back over her head. "Did you forget the last half hour? We're likely public enemy number one over on the mainland right now, so going back this soon is downright suicide. Not to mention, my Aerid leg is broken, so flying is going to be hard as Abyss, or did you forget when i fainted and fell into that pool?" So that explains how they fell in there, the twins thought. "And our only other Aerid is in a coma..."

        "Wait, what?" Ventus and Bran repeated.

        "... And everyone else here is either too hurt to move or helping those who are hurt or can't even fly in the first place. And if Fayin is as bad as i'm imagining her to be, moving her is going to be hard, if not impossible."

        "Actually, there is one way you can move her." Alua mentioned as she finally chimed in. "Air."

        "Air?"

        She nodded. "Use a Wind Dragon. With a powerful enough gust, you could transport her without letting her touch the ground." 

        A good idea, but with one problem. "And i am one, but to repeat what i said, i broke my Aerid leg and i blacked out from the pain when we got to this place, so i'm not in condition to go. And any other Wind Ae--- Dragons here aren't in any condition to help out either."

        "Actually... there is one." She looked towards Sil. He didn't realize she was looking when he finally looked her way. 

        "Him?" 

        "Me?!" Sil shouted, surprised she would volunteer him for this. 

        "Yes. Silverwind IS a Wind Dragon; it's in his name, after all."

        She actually is volunteering him to do this. Is she nuts, he thought. He is in no way capable of transporting a whole person across the flippin' ocean! "Are you crazy?!" He shouted. "I-i-i-i-i-i am in absolutely no way capable of moving an entire person across the sea! It takes too long to fly across it already! I'm not that skilled!"

        "I have been training you."

        "But i can barely move a bucket, let alone a person! What happens if i tire out and drop her? If she's as bad as that.... thing!..."

        "Bran."

        "...Bran is making her out to be, she won't be able to swim if i do!" He pointed to the Dragenia gang. "Why not send them?! They seems to be capable of doing the impossible!"

        "For the third time, we're probably being hunted by everyone in the city. And my Aerid side is badly hurt." Polosa said. "I'll black out again."

        "And we can't transform." Bran and Ventus said. Ven pointed to himself, saying, "And i'm a prison escapee and badly hurt."

        "And i don't know how to manipulate the wind yet." Sokuro said. "I may be capable, but i don't know how. If i tried now, i probably won't be powerful enough to move a blade of grass, much less a whole body." Sil couldn't believe what he was hearing. They're really going to force him to do this. Things are bad enough as it is for him; going alone would be a certified death sentence if anyone from the city catches him by himself. He ran his claws down his face while exclaiming to himself. Sokuro could see that he doesn't want to do this, and if the last two days taught her anything, he doesn't want to be alone, especially near people who hate him. She approached him and looked him right in the eyes. "Sil, please? As a favor to me?"

        Sil could see the worry, the fear, and the dread in her eyes... it's the same kind he sees when he looks at himself in the mirror every single day... and like him, they didn't sign up for this. He glanced over to the rest of her party, moreso Ventus. He really did look terrible. Two days... two days here on his world and it's treated them horribly, with death almost claiming them every hour. They didn't want this- they didn't deserve this. It was bad luck that brought them here and even worse luck that's battering them. Looking away to the ground, he thought to himself for a moment, and... with a heavy sigh, he relented. "Sigh... fine. I'll go." She smiled with relief. "But i'm not going alone. I should at least have someone with me to cover my butt in case someone from the city comes to cause trouble."

        Understandable, considering past events. "Take one of the dumdums with you." Polosa casually joked, pointing to the triplets and Quio.

        "HEY!" Taltian shouted.

        "We're not dumb!" Terrux shouted.

        "We're very smart!" Quio added in.

        "We're quite capable, thank you very much!" Terrum finished.

        Polosa looked over at the abrupt totem pole they had unknowingly created and rolled her eyes. "Getting trapped in that vault didn't help things." She nudged one of Terrum's legs out, making them fall over.

        "You won't be alone." Alua said. "I left Seqy over there to keep an eye on her in case we were followed. I didn't see anyone when we started crossing, but you can never be too careful. She may even have something planned to get her across by the time you get there."

        "Great...." Sil unenthusiastically said before spreading his wings and taking off. 

        "They're inside a lookout tower!" She called out. "You can't miss it!" But he was already over the treeline and out of sight.

        As Alua started to leave, a thought came into Sokuro's head. "Wait wait wait wait wait wait..." She flapped out. "How DID you even get everyone here in the first place?"

        "Those who could fly did it themselves..." Alua went on to explain. "But they were too few in number and too much in pain to carry the smaller ones across. Thankfully, that helpful friend Bran mentioned had some boats on the shoreline we could borrow. We couldn't fit the Fayin girl on since there was no room, and she was in no condition to walk or do pretty much anything."

        Aaaaaaaaaaand... is she not getting the issue here? "And is there any reason why you didn't tell Sil?"

        "He needs to learn to be assertive, to be more open and outgoing. He can't be in a rut forever."

        "................. and you're using my potentially dying friend as training? Forgive me if i'm wrong, but isn't that horrible?"

        Alua softly sighed to herself before looking back her way. "Trust me... everything you and your companions have experienced the last couple of days are nothing compared to the rest of the world. You either learn fast or die. I'm sorry for using your friend as a test, but... well, you lot experienced how bad this world can get first hand." Sokuro, Polosa, Bran, and Ventus looked to each other. If what they went through was just a appetizer they dread what the main course is. "Now, while we wait for Sequiana and Silverwind to return with your friend, we should help these people as best we can. They have been through hell in that dungeon of horrors and need a lot of help." She went to tend to the suffering ones.

        As much as that trick really irritated Sokuro, helping these people was the right thing to do. Whatever they did isn't worth these much pain, and it seems even the most selfish or stubborn among them agreed. Terrum, Rux, and Tal, with renewed energy, followed after her. Quio required some "convincing" from Polosa to help out too.

        "If there is surgery involved, i'm running for the hills." Bran commented as he also followed.

        Sokuro and Polosa looked to each other again, then back to Ven as they wondered the same thing: What in the world happened to Fayin that required surgery?

 


     Looking at the crudely made HELP sign o the beach, Seqy twisted her lips whilst slowly shaking her head. Sokuro told them they were weird creatures, but she never planned on whatever the heck Fayin is supposed to be, or this chickenscratch that kid Bran called a language. It got their attention, alright, but it's certainly a word none of them have seen.


        "Hope they made it over there okay..." Fayin commented, still laying in the bed, like she didn't have any other choice in the matter. Pearl was asleep on her lap, which was a huge relief for Kader; he didn't have to play hide and seek with a monster ready to eat him. He was sitting on Fayin's head, not that she minded.

        "They did." Seqy assured her as she walked away from the balcony. "We're nothing if not stubborn." Kader nodded in agreement. "And trees here are quite strong and buoyant, so it would take a lot of weight to sink those rafts."

        "That's not what i meant..." She lamented. She looked down and gently rubbed the claw she had ripped out.

        "oh. I'm sure they're fine, too. If there is one thing i learned about Sokuro, it's that she doesn't go down easy." True on many levels, Fayin internally agreed. But she is woefully inexperienced.

        "Hello?" They heard a voice say from outside, from the balcony Seqy was just at. Kader raised an eyebrow as the three of them looked in that direction. Fearing that someone bad was here, Seqy used what little control over her power she had and pulled dirt out of some flower pots and formed it into a fist, much to Kader's silent aggravation. "Is anyone here?"

        It wasn't long till Seqy realized her caution at the moment was unwarranted as she recognized that voice. "Sil?" She dropped the dirt and walked back over to the Balcony and, yep, it was Sil. "Oh, thank the stars its you.." She breathed as she walked over and gave him one big hug, which made him blush a little, mostly from embarrassment and awkwardness. "You have no idea the day i've had."

        "Oh, no, i think i know. A huge battle in the city, escaped prisoners, more weird creatures... things of that nature?"

        She broke off the hug while saying, "so they did make it over there."

        "Yeah. Alua and the rest are tending to them now."

        "And what of Sokuro and... what was that other ones name?"

        "Polosa. And she's over there too."

        She exhaled in relief, feeling the same relief in her heart. "That's a relief."

        "So, what exactly happened in the city to cause all of this?"
        
        "I don't know what caused it, but Sokuro just zipped away when she saw Polosa fighting Termundus and Ocilus. We don't know what made it escalate, but i'll give them this: whatever rock they're from, they are built tough. They even survived the Thunder Cannon."

        "And that is a really powerful move." Sil heard someone say. He glanced from side to side, but couldn't find where the voice coming from. A small rodent suddenly lowered its head into his left eye, making the young drake go 'braw!' and jump back, however pointless and useless that was. "I saw them level a ship with that move." Sil reacted as appropriately as you do when something like that happens; try to smack it off. At least he was more peaceful about it then most others. "Hey hey hey hey, watch it kid! I just got up here and it's not a easy climb."

        How in the heck did he even climb up to Sil's head without him feeling the mouse scurry on his body? Is he some kind of ghost or something? Oh, if only he knew the trouble they would get up to. Once he calmed down, Sil pointed to the mouse on his head, "I"m guessing this is Kader."

        "That's my name, don't wear it out." Kader said as he leaned on one of Sil's horns.

        "He's a bit annoying..." Kader shouted at that true remark. "...but that kid Bran trusts him. Called him a couple of weird names, though."

        "What kind of a name is Poppy, anyways?" The two young drakes could only shrug as they don't know either.

        Afterwards, Seqy led Sil inside, towards the last member of the displaced gang he has to meet. When he first saw her, he was taken aback for a moment. He never imagined this stunning creature could be this beautiful; so stunning and graceful in her appearance up until he saw all the bandages around her foot and the claw with dried blood in her hands, then it went over to the strange tiny lizard sleeping in her lap. Was that her kid? 

        "Sil, meet Fayin..." Kader began, jumping back onto the bed. "...the last and most perplexing looking creature in Sokuro's little clique." 

        "Um, hi..." He said sheepishly. Seqy caught that tone in his voice.

        "Sil?" Fayin repeated. "Oh, Silverwind."

        "Um, yeah."

        "A pleasure to make your acquittance." She would shake his hand... paw, but she wasn't in much condition to do that. Heck, she could barely keep her head up. He awkwardly nodded as his cheeks began to turn red. "Hmm?"

        "Um, likewise, ma'am. And, may i say that you look... um... i mean to say, that is, um..." Seqy slowly began to slink into view, with a huge, mischievous, shiteating grin on her face. "... i meant that, i mean... you have, un... and your kid is... un... um.... hi. hehehe......" He soon noticed what Seqy was doing. "... what?"

        "Aaaaww, this is just too dang pwecious." She snickered, poking him in the face and shoulder. "You have a crush on the new girl, don't ya?!" His face immediately turned bright red, and Fayin began to giggle to herself. He denied it, of course, but she continued. "Aw, you do, don't you!?"

        "N-no i don't." He coughed in a fluster, turning away.

        "Don't deny it, lover boy! i can see it in your face! You're as red as a tomato!"

        "A unripe tomato, now leave me alone."

        "Neva!" She continued to poke him, even as he tried to move from place to place. Fayin continued to giggle to herself as she watched the kids play around. Oh, to be so young and so innocent again... Where does the time go? 

        Kader, however, was growing impatient, as evidenced by his taping foot. They have a job to do, and here the kids are just running amok and teasing each other. That Bran kid was more mature then these two, and he kept calling him weird names. Having had enough, he blew a loud whistle, making the kids stop. "Can you save the fun and games for later? Right now, we gotta move her."

        The two kids looked at each other; the mouse is right. They have other things to do then tease or get flustered. "Right." They both said, regaining their composure and focusing on the task at hand, though Fayin's beauty did make him fluster again, but he kept it under control this time... how little he could. "The raft is in good condition, right Sil?" She asked as she approached the bed.

        Sil, however, froze. "Raft?"

        "Yeah. You did bring one back, did you?" He continued to stay frozen. "......... didn't you?"

        "...... nobody said anything about boats."

        "What?!" She shouted. "Are you kidding me?! How could you have forgotten one of the rafts?!"

        "I obviously didn't know there were any there, ok!?"

        "How do you think all those hurt people got across the water, by walking across the root?!" .... that thought hadn't crossed his mind and now he's an idiot because of it. "... uuuuuuun..."

        "UGH! Why would nobody have told you about any--" She soon realized why and lowered her head in pure disappointment for their matron. ".... right.... Alua is behind this, isn't she..?" He subtlety nodded. "Figures..."

        Fayin and Kader was left confused, and they could both see it on their faces when the looked towards each other. "Um, what's going on?" She softly asked.

        "Alua has been training Sil in how to control his affinity over wind for some time now, with... mixed results." The less said about the abrupt and local typhoon a couple months, the better. "And it seems she's turned this little life-or-death situation into a dang training session."

        What the hell is with this world to where a critical situation like this was a good idea for a test? "....... if i wasn't injured, i'd be impressed. But i am injured, so... What the heck is she thinking?!"

        "We all wonder that sometimes..." The dragoness sighed on her reply. She turned her attention to Sil, who was running his paws across his head over and over like he was trying to light something. "So, what now?"

        "How the heck should i know?!" He shouted, upset.

        "Well, she sent you for a reason." A rather crap reason with some legit good reasons behind it, but still a crap reason. "Are you going to create a localized air bubble to float her over in?"

        "Are you nuts? I'm not that powerful. I can barely do a gust."

        "Well, someone think of something, please!" Fayin shouted. Sil huffed a grunt, feeling the pressure getting to him before heading back towards the balcony. "Is he always like this...?" She whispered to Seqy.

        "Most of the time, yeah. He's got some esteem issues."

        He could still hear them, but he didn't care. This was a crap situation they put themselves in with possibly no easy fix. He could easily fly back over and get one of those boats, but would risk a potential mob coming and torching the place in their hunt for the escaped prisoners and the two rebels who would dare attack a General, as unpopular as he may be. It's unlikely, but possible. And he doesn't even know where the boats are, so he'd have to spend time looking for them. But also, they have two other Wind users over there- one of them vastly superior to him- yet he's the one who has to bring the critically hurt one there? Who thinks that is a good idea? What can someone with absolutely no skill even do. The easiest option is still those boats, but if he doesn't know where they are...

        Sil rested his head on the railing, tapping his claws on the wood as he thought and thought and thought. Alua really did a number on him this time... He looked down to the beach, just watching the waves aimlessly and looking to random spots. That's when he noticed the HELP sign. He had the same reaction Seqy did, but more internal then external. Such a odd word. Must be common where they are from. And what did he make it out of, leaves and branches? 

        ..... leaves and branches.

        ".... hey, Seqy?"

        "Yeah?" She called from within.

        "What's that word on the beach?"

        "Search me. That kid Bran made it. It's supposed to say Help, or so he says. Why?"

        ".. the branches and leaves he used. Can they float?"

        She walked out onto the balcony and looked down. "Well, yeah, of course they can, unless it's a heavy wood. Why?"

        "Cause i think i found a way to get her across." He headed back inside. She continued to look down for a moment before following back him. "We are going to build a raft." Is he serious, the three of them thought? "We just need some rope or some vines." He looked to Kader. "Do you have any rope?"

        "What makes you sure those things down there will work as a raft?"

        "I don't. Now do you have any rope?"

        "Maybe. Check that closet."

        And Sil did. What Kader failed to mention, however, was that the closet was a utter mess and everything within it fell out; brooms, mops, a ancient torture device known as a ironing board, and some more brooms. Sil hopped out of the way, only to get hit in the head from a plastic yellow roll. "Ow." He went as it bounced onto the floor. Sil looked down at it while rubbing where it hit him on the head. He bent down and picked it up. Where in the world did this come from?" He pondered. He turned it around and saw rope sticking out of it. "Oh. That's wonderful. Found the rope." He innocently beamed as he pulled on it to get it out...

        ... only for him to be pushed to the floor and Seqy to the wall as air rushed on it and inflated the plastic to 10 times its original size. It took seconds for it to fully inflate. Kader pursed his lips, then looked to Fayin. That was unexpected, and embarrassing for the kids. "... we made the raft."

        "............ really?" Sil replied, his voice deafly muffled by the blow-up rafts plastic as the pizza paddle fell on top of it. At least they can use that as a rowing paddle provided plan number two didn't pan out. "I hadn't noticed."




        A couple dozen minutes later, the Dragenians and the orphans were busy, running back and forth to comfort all of the hurt people. As they are the only ones with medical training, as varied as they may be in terms of usage, Polosa and Alua were healing all the critical ones, of which there are many, before going onto to the non-crits, of which there are few. Every time they went to someone new, they are always taken aback and stunned by the damages they see. Criminals or not, they don't deserve they kind of torture that marked them like this. Several even have missing or crushed limbs, which almost made a certain someone throw up.

        "How can.... how can someone look at this and think it's ok?" Sokuro panted in grief as she dry-heaved again. 

        "Sadly, a lot." Alua said as she applied a dressing to a pink dragoness with a missing paw. "And not all of these were from Termundus. There are some in there just as sadistic as he is."

        "Great.... hehehe..... gods, i hate this place..."

        The term god made several of the escapees look towards her, but paid little mind in the end. They were in too much pain to question the strange creatures and magics they've seen so far. They'd get a explanation later, most assumed. 
    
        "So... what are you having us make, exactly?" A confused Quio asked as he and Terrux were stirring something up in a large pot over a open fire. They, along with Ven and the other two, were munching on some needed food after being locked up for so long. Polosa's rations did little to quell their hunger in the tower. Speaking of whom, the other two earth dragons were busy dolling out bandages and cotton swabs, and at least Taltian's clumsiness provided some needed comedy, while Ven just sat back, glad to be off those chains and on real solid ground.

        "An old family recipe." Polosa said with a piece of jerky hanging out of her mouth. "It's supposed to heal some nasty wounds. I don't know if it's true, but i'm running out of medical supplies, so... no time like the present to try."

        "Great...." a male feline anthromorph whined. "We're text subjects to a unknown loon..."

        "At least it's something that will heal you." She pulled out several herbs from her pack and sprinkled them in. The concoction turned sickly brown and gained a muddy texture.

        "Um..... is it supposed to look like that?" Rux asked.

        "Yep." The two boys looked at each other, both of them thinking that she was crazy. Other world or not, this looks more like the slop they feed in prisons then a medical salve. She dipped a cup Alua had given her in it and filled it up. She approached the feline Anthromorph and knelt down. "I will not lie..." She dipped her fingers in it. "... it will burn, but the wounds will heal faster then with whatever medicine these guys have." It sure did; the feline hissed in pain as she applied it to the cuts and wounds the kitty had got. She was so ready to claw this strange creature for adding more pain to her misery, but she was too tired to care. Alua glanced up as she was about to make her attack, but paid it no mind; don't hate the doctor for doing their job. There is one thing she was curious about... almost everyone here is a Anthromoprh or a Gryphon... only one or two were dragons. "So... did we spring a murderer out of jail or is there something going on that we don't know about?"

        "There is." The gryphon that was locked up with Ventus said. His legs were being repair, so he was left sitting in a makeshift chair Terrum was gracious enough to make. At least with the legs being so totaled, he can't feel them in pain- Termundus severed the nerves when he did it. "Most of the dragons here in Naya aren't exactly welcoming to outsiders, especially non-dragons."

        "They hate non-dragons?"

        "Yes. Most other countries accept us fine, especially those in the alliance, but Naya... there's something about this place that just feels... wrong, like it's filled with so much hate. And there are those filled with so much hate and are in a position of power to use it to their heinous advantage..." He rubbed his crushed legs. "As for everyone here, i suspect several are actual felons who did do unspeakable things... but the rest were likely innocent people who were taken in just for looking at someone wrong, like me."

        "I never did get your name while we were in there..." Ventus said.

        "You were too tired and in too much pain to ask. My name is Nightewing."

        "...Ventus."

        As Polosa made her salve and Ven and Nighte got to knowing each other, Sokuro was growing ever exhausted. She got her butt kicked two days in a row and is now running back and forth, handing out medical supplies. She just wants a nap... "Whew.... i'm... i'm falling-down tired." She panted as she wiped her head.

        "I know it's tiring, but it needs to be done." Alua said as she walked on by. "Leaving people in pain would be a bad thing to do."

        "I didn't say that. I'm just saying.... if you went what i went though these past 12 hours, you'd be exhausted too. The Shadow and Termundus combined... i'm amazed i haven't fainted right away when i got back."

        "You are more resilient that you give yourself credit for." That and the Phagos poison kicking it a couple minutes ago was a heck of an alarm. She kept moving to distract herself from the pain.

        As for Bran, he was helping too, but he kept on getting distracted. His reason was sound; Sil had been gone for too long for his sake. Anything could've happened over there and they wouldn't know about it until it was too late. His distraction was understandable... but did he have to do it while he was tying a bandage around a iguana anthromorph's arm? He was tying it too tight. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!" 

        Bran saw his mistake and loosened it up. "Sorry."

        "You're awfully distracted." Alua said.

        "Sorry. It's just... he's been gone for far too long. He should've been back by now."

        "Moving someone that badly wounded is not an easy feat; you know that."

        "Yeah yeah.... but did you really have to make it into a training exercise? If he messes up, she'll drown in the sea. I don't know if her kind are good swimmers, but with that kind of a wound, she'll be in too much pain to concentrate."

        "She will be fine. Have faith in Silverwind. He's smarter then you think."

        "Smart?" He finds that VERY hard to believe. "Forgive me for saying this lady, but i've seen no smart people in this nightmare park called a world. I've seen greedy, i've seen vindictive, and i've seen bloodthirsty, but never have i seen anyone smart."

        "Hey, now i resent that remark." He heard a familiar voice say. He quickly turned his head to the forest line, almost spraining his neck, and saw Kader riding on top of Silverwind's head, who was dragging a yellow raft with Fayin inside it while Seqy pushed. There was a makeshift mast made out of some palm leaves and a large stick sticking out of the front. That's one way to use his wind. 

        Sokuro smiled brightly and widely the moment her eyes saw Fayin. She's still alive, and she has Pearl with her too! They... they're all alive. They're really all alive and they're all right here. This isn't a nightmare anymore. Now it's just a bad dream with some hope. "Fayin!" She stopped what she was doing and ran over.

        Bad idea, baaaaad idea, Bran thought. "Hey, i wouldn't rush, Sokuro! She got the worst out of all of us!"

        "I highly doubt that..." Polosa snarked under her breath, still feeling the phantom pains of her Ferid half's broken leg. But one way to find out if it's true as she got up from refilling her cup.

        Sokuro still ran over regardless. Today started off terrible, now it's finally looking up.... but then it swung right back into terrible when she saw the grievous wound on Fayin's foot; the gapping hole where her claw should be. She gasped in horror as she put both hands to her mouth. "W.... wha...."

        "Yeah..." Fayin sighed. She opened up one of her hands, showing the toeclaw. "Things went... really bad for me."

        "W.... w....." Polosa walked over while Sokuro stuttered. She saw the wound and was visibly disgusted. She never saw anything that bad before in her life, and she's a hunter- she has seen some nasty shit back in on Evioly, but not someone who was mutilated and still lived. "W..... what happened?" Sokuro was finally able to get out.

        "Termundus." Seqy panted as she sat down beside the raft. Sokuro rolled her eyes in disinterest; of course it was tall, dark, and scary. "But like she said, it's a long story and we don't have time for distractions." 

        "Right..."

        Looking at the crowd of all the hurt people here, Fayin soon came upon a familiar person, one she is not too happy with. "Hey!" She yelled to the crowd, causing everyone to look. "No, i'm talking to the foxy one!" Several of them pointed to themselves. "I mean the furless one!"

        Now it was clear and Ven wondered why he was in the crosshairs. "Me?!" He innocently asked as he pointed to himself. They haven't even seen each other in days; what could she be mad at him about? 

        "The moment you and i are better, we're going to have a loooooooooooooooooong talk about abusing innocent animals!" Pearl raised her head over the raft's edge and barked towards him.

        If this were a cartoon, a large comical sweatdrop would be pouring down Ven's face right about now. He nervously chuckled as he leaned backwards. "Heh... the.... tiny critter survived... hehe..." And she wasn't happy to see him as she growled loudly, like a rabid dog. "Un.... would sorry count?" No, it wasn't, but Fayin was wise enough to keep Pearl close; too easy to kill a wounded man. 

        Alua approached Sil, who was on his knees and panting heavily; it felt like his lungs are about to explode out of his burning chest. She patted him on the back. "You did good, Silverwind." She looked towards the raft and slightly tilted her head. That's not at all what she expected him to do, but it worked. "Though i wasn't expecting this."

        "It was... easier then... just floating her over... in a air bubble." He honked. "Still took a lot out of me, blowing at the thing... then entire time here...." he rubbed his chest. "I'm never blowing another bubble again. Alua softly chuckled and patted him on the back in a job well done before heading back to her tasks. As she left, He glanced over to the crowd; seems they made a lot of effort in the short time he was gone. His glance slowly turned over towards Sokuro, who merely smiled and waved back. Some red came to his cheeks, but it was too soft for anyone to notice, even Seqy. 

        "Heya!" Kader said as he suddenly hung down off Sokuro's hood. She screamed "bwaH!" and fell backwards, sending him flying back towards Sil. He landed in the dirt, creating a good impression in it.

        "What the heck was that?!" Sokuro yelled.

        "That's Kader." Bran said with his arms crossed.

        That is the person who helped Bran out and rescued Fayin? "THAT's Kader?!"

        Kader picked his head up off the dirt and spit out what he got in his mouth. "And who were you expecting, a model?" He recanted as he got up and dusted off his clothes. 

        "You really should stop doing that to people." Sil commented as he picked Kader up and put him on his head. 

        "Now where would the fun in that be?" The mouse chuckled. 

        Sitting on her legs like a noble woman, Sokuro sneered as she eyed that mouse. "I don't think i'm going to like him."

        "You get used to him." Bran commented. 

        Fayin softly chuckled to herself. Today has been full of good laughs so far, something she was sorely in need of. But... she saw they were short one person. "Wait... we're missing someone... where's that merchant kid?"

        "Do you mean Eia?" Sokuro asked, and Fayin nodded. "Eia's here. She's been here the whole time." She got up off the dirt. "But.... she's in a coma. Has been ever since we came to this world. She hasn't woken up since and it's worrying."

        "No she's not." Sil said. "She woke up."

        That was news to them!! Why didn't he say anything sooner?! Wait, the twins were also there- why didn't they!?! "She what?!" She, Polosa, Seqy, and Alua shouted in a response. 

        "Yeah. Well, kinda- she did some magic spell thing that made her body glow and she was up for a moment before going back to sleep." Sokuro and Polosa looked towards each other, knowing full well what it was; her Alterimage. Wait then does this mean Eia's a Shaman? Only they can use Aerid powers without going Aerid, and Alterimages are a Aerid power... oh, the implications this could have- a 25th Shaman, and one that's.... er, kinda, sorta rogue. "She could be up now thanks to all this commotion. I get the feeling she's a heavy sleeper, even without the coma adding on to it."

        "I am not........." a weakened Eia wearily said as she stood in the doorframe, rubbing her eyes. She was so weak, she could barely stay on her feet. 

        "EIA!!!" And without warning, she was tackled by Sokuro, who seemingly moved at the speed of light cause she was down by Fayin one moment, then ZZZPP to Eia the second. "You're awake, you're awake, you're awake!!!" She hugged her tightly, laughing in cheelful delight. Now they were all together, for real.

         Normally, Eia would pushed Sokuro away for being this close to her or just in general... but after what she saw from her Alterimage, she just gave her a great big hug too. Or she would if she wasn't in pain from the tackle and a couple days worth of no food. "I appreciate the sympathy, but you're hurting me..."

        "I'm sorry, but.... I can't believe you're awake!"

        "Neither am i........" She replied weakly. ".... guess saving your hide was what i needed...." Sokuro looked away in embarrassment. The two girls looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into laughter and hugging each other again. Today was a horrible in the beginning with a psycho, seemingly omnipotent general trying to kill them, but now things were getting better and better and better. Everyone was here and alive, and seeing such good cheer was putting everyone else in high spirits.

        There was nothing that was going to take them down. "Now we can all go home!" Sokuro laughed as she rolled to Eia's side.

        "Um... i hate to be that guy..." Sil started to say, not really wanting to say this. "... But.... do you even have a way to get home?"

        "Yeah, the gate." Bran said... only to slowly realize one very important, very crucial thing that ruined the spirit. "A gate................ that we don't..... even.... know.... exists................. here."

        .................................................................................................................................... 

        "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!" All seven of the misplaced people cried in anquish towards the sky.

52: Chapter 48: Downfall
Chapter 48: Downfall


Chapter 48
Downfall
???



 

        
        Once again, the city of Naya was abuzz with the sounds of people, but it wasn't celebration or merry they were making. No... for the past hour, it was sounds of concern and worry, sounds of worried people afraid over what had just happened, since the female Silver and someone who can only be described as a mutant attacked the Tower and General Termundus. Many were worried this was someone launching a war against the Council, and given what everyone saw, they have serious firepower and could take a lot of punishment. However, while the people were in worry, the Council and the Generals were having a long, long talk with the one who started this mess...




        And boy, was he having quite the lecture by them. They had all gathered in the Council Chamber, or what was left of it after the fight broke out and came this way. So many skylights have been made that day... along with too many craters, blast holes, elemental marks.... what the heck happened in here, everyone wondered? Guards and most Generals and Council Members were busy looking through the vault, to see what was missing, while the most angry, perturbed, and furious among them had ideas on what to do with Termundus. Many were here, all expressing their anger. But none was more angry then his wife, whose gaze cleaved on his back like twin daggers, judging at him.

        With the rest of the guards, with her paws in chains, Ocilus watched in fright as her master was put on trial. Whatever will she do if the worst comes to pass? Soon it'll be her part and she won't be able to function properly if he's taken away.

        "You absolute idiot!!!" Valentis yelled right in Termundus' face. As he was on trial, chained to the middle of the arena- on the lift- with a prosecutors table separating him from everyone else up on the Council balcony, and with Cirrus up higher on raised chairs, he had no choice but to take it. "How could you?! How could you moronic imbecile?! Look at how much damage you caused!!!" Yeah... it was bad. Pretty, pretty bad. The entire inside of the tower looked like a warzone; how could two dragons cause this much damage? "This is going to take years to repair!!"

        "i'm more amazed the Silver could actually use light as a weapon." Fungus commented.

        "Focus, please..." Feruschia pleaded with the dragoness.

        Termundus looked up to the crowd. They were all glaring at him, all ready to pummel him within an inch of his life. "If I may…"

        Another Canine, this time a Husky General, interrupted his reply, having had enough of his constant shenanigans. "If you may? If you may!?! Last time we gave you an "if i may", the Tower didn't look like a serial killer tore it apart!" A rather gross way of putting it, Termundus thought. 

        One of the more level headed Councilmembers, a Phoenix of all things, stepped forward to try and calm the situation. "Let's let him explain his actions... then we can try to make sense out of all of this, out of why he attacked the foreign Silver and the mutant, and why he kept all those illegal prisoners in the dungeons." The Husky and Valentis threw up their arms up in the air; they weren't going to get anywhere with this species-ist, so may as well let another take a crack at it. "Alright, Termundus... what do you have to say for yourself?"

        Termundus was offended by that statement. "What do i have to say for MYself?"

        "Yes."

        "What makes you think i am at fault?!"

        "The evidence down in the dungeons, of course!" Valentis shouted as he held a book of all the names in his hands... a rather thick book, too. "Evidence that say you were caging innocent people illegally and performed all kinds of inhuman experiments on them." The awkwardly perplexed look on Termundus' face said it all; how did they ever learn of all that? "Some of your soldiers were more then happy to come forward after witnessing your defeat at the paws of the outsiders." And there's the reason.... besides, he wouldn't call it a defeat. He just didn't win cause they fled.... but regardless of which, this is going to damage, if not outright destroy, his powerbase. He'll have to build it back. "Seems your toadies are nothing if not methodical; they listed all of their names and we ran background checks; some of them have never committed a crime in their lives. The worst one i've seen was a robbery gone wrong. The only common factor: they're not Dragons."  

        Termundus, despite wanting to give into his nature and unleash his growing tyraid against the other races, kept his composure. Letting that loose while on trial could get him stripped of everything he has, or banished, or worse.... executed. "Nonsense… they were all potential criminals… every last one of them."

        "Even the children you were about to sent to be executed?" Cirrus spoke up. Quiet murmurs and gasped came from the Council and the Generals; even Teluri was shocked by that accusation; is her husband really that horrible? 

        And what children? Termundus may be scum, but he didn't have children down in the dungeon. Do they mean those annoying triplets from this morning? The guards could've told them... if they were still awake; the gust of wind that woman hit them could've knocked them unconscious. "What children?" He asked with a raised brow.

        "These ones." Valentis said as he pulled out a list. "We found this in your office when we searched through it; Soull, Harja, Crio, Velk, Calcoatia, and 7 other names, all with their blood types, heights, weights... and ages. The youngest one is only five." He slammed it down. "Where are these kids, Termundus?"

        Termundus prides himself on his calm outward attitude and demeanor- that's half the reason he's so feared, it's  because he doesn't outwardly show any emotion to anyone. But this.... for the first time since then, his calm demeanor was crushed as he recognized every name on that list, replaced with a shock to his system. It was so outwardly noticeable, everyone could see it. "So you know them?" Cirrus asked. His age made him sharper then ever.

        What can he do, what can he do?! Nobody was supposed to know of them.... that brat knew them, but these morons can't! He cannot let them know about his true origins, he just cannot! He had to say something or else they were going to get suspicious. ... he'll have to tell the truth. His version of it. "... They were my brothers and sisters. They died during the Shadow War. All 13 of us fought Soulless. I was the only survivor."

        Siblings? Termundus had siblings? This was news to... well, just about everybody here. "It’s bizarre you have such possession… considering they are dead." Cirrus pointed out. 

        "So why do you keep this list then?" Valentis pushed. "And why are they listed as 'Marked for Termination'?"

        Marked... in Termundus' mind, it means HE will one day hunt them down and eliminate them. But for his story to the council here... "Our.... boss thought they had abandoned us after the battle and wanted to hunt them down like animals, but they haven't been seen since. He burned all their things- that list is the only thing i have left of them." Because he burned all of their things himself... but these idiots here will never know that.

        Valentis wasn't buying it for a second... but he can't say anything about that in front of the others, so he put it down and moved on. "They weren't the only kids i was referring to." He stepped around it. "Cause this morning, two guards posted to the Chambers today found three Earth Dragons within the Vault- something that should be impossible for anyone outside the inner circle here to figure out, much less dumb kids-, and arrested them, taking them down to the dungeons... coincidentally, that's when you came. When you arrived this morning and learned of things, you gave the order to have them executed."

        Well, anyone can be made to sound bad when you put it like that. That can be twisted, though. "They misheard me. I told them to excommunicate them. Heh... they were lost."

        "That's not what the two guards said." No, of course it wasn't, and that means the 'traitors' are awake. "And here's a kicker for you- one of the guards remembered something; the triplets had parents, and they work here at the tower." ......................well... crap. No way Termundus will be able to claw his way out of that one. But... whose parents did they have that worked here, cause he didn't recognize the brats... of course, he wouldn't recognize anyone, given the chance. "But back to the topic, it seems the execution order lead into the events of this morning. They continued on to say that a Canine Anthromorph and the Mutant came down, demanding their freedom. You argued back and forth until she saw someone she knew, which launched her into a rage and caused this whole fricken mess."

        Termundus, knowing full well he was cornered, didn’t had a choice but to come clean… by his own means that is. But, aha he quickly found a way he could spin this to his advantage, if he can play it right. "Oh.... so everything that happened today was my fault?"

        "YES IT WAS!!!" Virtually everyone on the room shouted. Ok, so he could not take advantage of that.

        "Even if it wasn't somehow your fault..." Valentis continued. "...Then explain why the Mutant targeted you and why the new Female Silver got involved. Explain to me why they attacked you inside the tower, led a prison break, and SOMEHOW got in the vault!?"

        The vault, he has no idea how they got in. He can't even remember if the guards ever told him. But... he may have some way to spin this around; a second chance at gaining the advantage, because there is no way they will ever believe the otherworldly invaders..... well, not the otherworldly part. "The two of them, and their cohorts, are spies sent from the countries outside the mists, to assess our military strength and weaken it so that they can invade and conquer us!" Now he just sounds like a maniac.

        "So why would they attack only you?" That was a burn on so many levels. "And you missed one little iddy-biddy detail: THE SILVER IS A CHILD! Sending a child to assassinate a countries powerbase is just moronic on so many levels!" Not really; they'd never see it coming. Termundus would use that plan in a heartbeat. "Alua trusts her, and she is very, very selective on who she trusts. If the female Silver was lying, she would not trust her, and Alua's trust is not easily obtained, and she rarely fights, so to come to the Silver's aide when the Shadow attacked her speaks volumes."

        "Speaking of said fight..." Feruschia said as she spoke up. "... she saved the thief that was possessed. She could've killed him, but instead saved him."

        "With help." Termundus interjected.

        "We're not done talking." Feru hissed. When she hisses... just shut up and let her prattle on, no matter how bad it is. "Let us not forget, the Mutant and the Silver attacked you because you provoked them. According to the doctor that treated her after the Shadow, with additional information from our interrogation of Cyember, the Silver said she was searching for people who were lost with her- that other dragon this morning was clearly one of them based on how they fought and interacted. Why else would a child risk suicide in fighting you?" Cause they're idiots, he thought. "And the only reason the Mutant was attacking you in the first place was because you had another of their companions in the dungeons." Feru approached the book and opened it up to the most recent page with entries. "In the last couple of days, you had arrested two people: a Gryphon named Nightewing who, in your own handwriting, was disturbing the peace and threatening a hunter, and another... a Furless Anthromorph with strange clothing and a weapon from the Old Times that looked brand new."

        "You just prattle on, don't you...?" Termundus hissed under his breath. He turned his glare upward towards the rest of them; he has  lost the crowd. He can't charm his way out of this... if it were the idiots down below, he'd have them fired up. But not the Council and his fellow Generals... they're smarter then the brainless peons that fill the streets. 

        In a rare move, Cirrus stood up from his cushion. Whenever that happens, the bomb is about to drop. "There is... one more matter we should discuss, one that is of great importance." He nodded to one of the guards most loyal to him, who nodded back and approached the table, holding a certain box in his clutches. "Down in the dungeons, we found a device, one that was almost hidden by one of the guards loyal to you."
        
        Stars, can't they get this over with already? His head hung back like he was bored. "Is there a point to this?" He sharply responded.
        
        "Yes, there is." The guard set the box down and gently lifted the lid, revealing the haunting glow of the Shadow Crystal. It sent all of the wise old veterans into a panic, while the young crowd, who only heard the stories, reacted out of superstitious fear rather then actual fear. "Do you know what this is, Termundus?"

        For the first time in his career, Termundus was actually nervous. He never expected them to find this... now what will he do now? There is no dragonly possibly way to explain away why one of those was down in the dungeons without sounding guilty. He had no choice but to tell the truth and the whole truth about this one. "T... that is the... the Crystal of a Shadow, sir."

        "Yes... it is. A dangerous thing nobody should possess." Despite the intensity of the day, Cirrus remained calm, as he should for a leader in his position. "So then tell us, oh wise General, why you have a Shadow Crystal?"

        He.... has no story to spin, no impressive yarns to weave. He is literally at the bottom of the barrel and nothing he says can make his situation any better. Shadow Crystals are outlawed, forbidden, and extremely feared for a reason. Prolonged exposure through touch can turn anyone into one of those demons. He has no legit excuse as to why he has one. They finally caught him. 

        ............... unless.... oh, his sinister mind hatched a evil scheme. He may not be able to get out of whatever sentence they'll throw at him... but he can lessen the blow. And he has the perfect scapegoat, lying right in wait.

        He took a breath and everyone waited, expecting him to confess to his crimes. Instead, what they got was... He 'screamed' in pain, holding his paws to his head as he fell over. Everyone who knew him weren't affected by his performance. Those that didn't all shot up as they readied to help him. Ocilus was in the midst of spreading her wings, but was stopped by her guard detail. He soon stopped screaming and panted; he hurt his throat during his performance, but it will work to his benefit. "I... i'm free..." He gasped with such convincing acting. "I'm... i'm finally free!" He quickly turned around towards the crowd. "My mind is free!"

        "Say what...?" Fengus droned; this is the oldest trick in the damn book, and he should know- he wrote half of it. 

        "I was... i was being controlled! I was... i was brainwashed!" Fengus and Valentis crossed their arms, not believing him for a second, and if Cirrus, Feru, and Telura could, they'd do it too. The rest of the crowd, however, were talking amongst themselves as if this was actually true. "My mind...! It wasn't my own, it--..." His eyes went wide and he pointed to the only one that could take the fall. "It was all Ocilus' fault!" He bellowed in proclamation. The crowd erupted into a debate; was she really, some thought. Others weren't buying it, and for good reason; he's known for lying.

        Ocilus felt her heart drop, sinking to the lowest pits of her chest, leaving a hollow cavity where it once was. He said what? "................... w.... w-what....?" She quivered, the sting of betrayal still fresh. Lady Teruli looked over to her and saw the once proud and sadistic lacky to her husband had changed from that to a timid puppy in seconds. How could he do this to her?

        "Yes, it was all her fault! " He continued, trying to make this as impassioned as possible to win over the skeptics. "The Shadow Crystal, it's hers! She... she used it on me to attack the two intruders when they cornered us!"

        Valentis tapped his finger on the table, not buying what he was selling. "... Ocilus?" He asked, wondering if the maniac was being real. "The clinically insane, one-track minded, incapable-of-lying Ocilus?"

        "It's all a ruse; It's all a lie! She put up that façade to trick you all!! She is, in truth, a brilliant mastermind, having all of your routines and ideas planned out to the letter! She was using me as a pawn to enact her sick and twisted desires, ultimately working my way up towards a close enough position, then BAM, you'd all be dead!"

        "You honestly don't expect us to believe this, do you?" Val scoffed. "If that were true, where did she get the crystal?"

        "It was under the tower! It was uncovered during the excavation long ago by her ancestors, who took it likely as a survivor or something to make quick cash off of! But after the War, when she found it, she used it to torture everyone that was ever present down in the dungeon, and used it to control my mind! My actions- they weren't my doing!"

        This is just pathetic... the fact he is throwing his own loyal second under the bus is just a scum move. There's a level in the underworld for traitors and betrayers like him. Too bad nobody else can see it! "Is this true, Ocilus?" One of the members of the peanut gallery hissed accusatorily towards her.

        "No!" She replied with pure innocence, and for once in her life, she was. "He's lying! The Crystal is his!"

        "You're the one who's lying!" Termundus quivered. "Think about it! Would i ever do anything to betray this country?! Would i ever do anything to betray you?" oh, that is a yes, but he needs the majority of them to buy the story so that if Cirrus decides otherwise, it'll cause a reaction he wouldn't want. "Ocilus lied, cheated, and manipulated everyone, including me! I shudder to think what she would've done if she was actually in power!" He pointed to her again. "She is a heartless monster and is the cause of all the troubles this country has had recently! She needs to be jailed or banished, or, or, or killed; preferably killed!"

        Ocilus' heart shattered into pieces when the one she loved more then anything else betrayed her. There are no words to describe the pain of betrayal and heartbreak she was experience. "S....sire......" She teared up, choking back the gasps. Terula approached the broken lass, as the vast majority of the peanut gallery called for her removal by banishment or death, and comforted her as she placed a wing around her and gave the broken lass a shoulder to cry on. She was shocked, appalled, that her husband would ever do this to someone so loyal to him. 

        With a flap of his wings which summoned a mighty thunderclap, everyone was silent, which allowed Cirrus to talk. "... Feruschia, Fengus, Valentis... come to me." And to him they went. With another flap of his wings, he created a cloud layer that allowed the four of them to talk without eavesdroppers or interrupters. Once it was thick enough, they began. "Thoughts?"

        "He's disgusting." Valentis swiftly said.

        "He's a outright monster." Feruschia followed up. 

        "Well... he knows how to weave a story." Fengus commented. "If this were any other time, i'd recommend he'd write a book."

        Valentis sighed as he pinched his eyes. "Fengus, please focus..."

        "I just...." Feru was flabbergasted. "I can't believe that he would actually do something like this." She paced in their little bubble. "We all knew he was horrible, but this? This is a whole other part to him i never knew existed!"

        "The man is clearly lying to save his own skin." Val angrily grumbled. "I mean, did you all see how broken and hurt Ocilus looked?" They all nodded. "I don't even like her; i never even knew she had emotions outside of rage, hate, and psychotic, and yet i want to give her a hug and tell her it's going to be ok."

        "She is fiercely loyal to him, loves him deeply, is surprisingly honest, and would die for him if he asked..." Fengus said. "To betray her like that is just...... is there even a word to describe that?"

        "Heartless?" The other two responded. He'll accept it; heartless works. He looked towards Cirrus, who was just standing there in silence, wondering and pondering on what action he should take. "Your lordship? Mind sharing your thoughts?"

        "Sorry, Fengus, but i'm... thinking." And it was a terrible conundrum. With a wave of his hand, he summoned small cutsy avatars of Ocilus and Termundus. Feru took it a step further and changed Termundus' horns to that of a devil- immature at the moment, but appropriate overall. "Termundus is clearly guilty, there is no question about it, and he is using Ocilus as a way to deflect the blame off him. Unfortunately..." Cloudy avatars of the crowd appeared. "... it worked. Almost everyone here, minus us and Lady Terula, bought into his story and believed it. I imagine there are a few more out there who don't believe it, but sadly, we're the minority here."

        The cloud avatar of Termundus changed form, now appearing in chains. "If we declare him guilty and do nothing to Ocilus, the others will turn on us, likely to cite us as Shadow Supporters. Then the outrage will spread among the civilian population; his supporters here would not take this lying down and would most likely attempt to overthrow us in his name." Which he depicted with the cloudy people attacking avatars of the four of them like a cartoon show.

        "Must be nice to have a cult without having tried to make one..." Valentis huffed.
    
        The scene changed to Ocilus in chains. "But if we find Ocilus guilty, we'll be ruining a innocent life just to keep our jobs and our lives. I agree that she is not the most...... stable of dragons and that she is guilty of compliance in a a number of Termundus' crimes..."

        "That's putting it very mildly." Feru commented.

        "...But i know that she would never betray us to the Shadows. Ocilus is many things, but selling us out to the same race that wants to kill her too is and was never gonna happen." Cirrus rubbed his face; this is the part of his job he always hated. "... but we need to tell them all something, and unfortunately, there's only one way out of this where we don't get lynched by rage-filled mob." It's sad, but true.

        The cloud bubble later dispersed as the four of them walked out. Cirrus returned to his seat while the three generals went down back to Termundus. Everyone waited with baited breath; Termundus was close to fainting while Ocilus was close to breaking....... sadly, it was going to end bad for her.

        "We have deliberated and reached a verdict." Cirrus spoke up. He looked first to Ocilus. "Ocilus..... as much as it pains me to say it, the evidence is against you." Her heart was now going, shattered into so many pieces, there's no way to put it back together. She was betrayed... betrayed by her superiors... but the worst betrayal was the one she looked up to the most, the one that inspired her. .... she should've chosen a better role model. "You are to be sentenced to--"

        "YOU BELEIVE HIM!?!" She cried, tears falling down her face. "HE'S LYING!! Everyone knows he's lying!"

        "Shut up, you witch!" one of Termundus' loyalists shouted to her. Soon more joined in, demanding she be executed without mercy; some were going so far as to say she should be quartered and flayed while still alive. The way they were acting, like feral beasts turning on one of their own, put an appalling pit in the stomachs of the four and Telura.

        "How can you all sit there and hurt me?!" Ocilus cried. "Just look at him; he's a known liar and manipulator! How can you believe him so easily!?!"

        Oh, he knows how they can believe him easily. "If i'm lying, then may whatever god exists strike me down." He innocently played as he put his hands together. And none came, cause he knows better then the superstitious idiots here. 

        He looked to Ocilus and gave her a playful wink, like this was nothing but a game to him. This sent her off the deep end. Whatever love, whatever loyalty she felt towards him, it was gone now, and her usual rage took over. "You..... YOU..... YOU BASTARD!!! I TRUSTED YOU!!! I FOLLOWED YOU!!! I LOVED YOU!!!" She jumped over the rail and bolted right towards him. She punched him good in the face, then followed up with another punch, before guards loyal to Termundus came in and dogpiled on her to keep her down.

        Everyone in the crowd were fired up into a frenzy, calling for her blood. This was just too delicious for a certain demon. No, it wasn't Termundus, but the leader of the demons who was watching all this through the crystal. "Can someone escort the hysterical lunatic out before i pop a ear?" The devil asked as he put a claw in his ears to "try" and regain his hearing.

        More guards came in and put her in even more chains; so much so, she cannot move any part of her body. She had to be carried out, hung upside down on a pair of logs. She continued to fight, but it was futile. Termundus was escorted off the lift so that the ones escorting Ocilus could. With a hiss, it began its descent, while she continued to scream and cry. 

        Termundus felt extremely proud of himself. Not only did he prove that almost everyone here are complete and utter morons, but he can work them to his every whim; like Fengus said, he got a cult without even trying. And as a bonus, the leech was now gone. About time, he thought. He never liked her to begin with. "Finally!" Termundus shouted, glad to finally be rid of her, which disgusted Cirrus and the other four. "Now, if we can undo these chains, i'll go chase the escapees and--"

        "We're not done with the sentence, Termundus." Cirrus spoke up now that the mob had finally calmed down. "You also need to pay."

        Wait, they're still punishing him? Really? But he's innocent. Scary thing is that he actually believes that. "... what?"

        "If you even were under her spell, YOU are still responsible for all this damage; YOU fought those two, and you terrorized the people. Either consciously or unconsciously, it was still you who did it. Therefore, even with this strange circumstances.... we are stripping you of your rank of General."

       They're what!?! He was in pure shock. They cannot do this; he refuses to accept this as absolute. He is a General of Naya, dammit!!!  "W… WHAT?!" He screamed. "You can’t just… no… you just can’t…

        "He just did..." Valentus said with a smug-eating grin. "...Corporal." Corporal!?!?!?!?!!??! That's almost as bad as Private. They.... they really knocked him down to the bottom of the list. Just kill him now and be done with it, he thought.

        "Furthermore!" Cirrus proclaimed, which worried him; how much more is there they can do to him?! "You are still guilty of having a frightening multitude of scary issues that always manifests even in happy times, like what happened this morning. Therefor, i'm sentencing you to a few years of therapy; a psychiatric evaluation and anger management should do even you some good. Maybe you'll actually be able to behave like a decent dragon being."

        And with a slam of the gavel, it was over. Termundus looked up at his betters, dumbstruck that he got demoted so far down. He looked to his wife and saw nothing but disappointment and shame from her... but she still had some very choice words for him when they get home.

        Termundus growled internally as it took everything he had to not erupt into a frenzy. As much as he wants to get all this over with, his mind was stuck on that stupid Silver! All this happened because of those damn otherworlders! He was adamant that he was right- so right, in fact, he's convinced himself by etching it into his mind. It would've been better to kill him, but they instead chose to humiliate him. They are plotting something and getting him demoted was the first step! Who knows what foul plots they are coming up with right now, now that he has been taken out of the equitation. He can only imagine what sick, twisted plans they are coming up with now.





        "I need a nap..." Sokuro whined as she was slumped over the kitchen table. "One that lasts a year..."

        "I need new legs..." Sil whined in return, his voice muffled from his face being right in the table.

        With the exception of Ventus, Fayin, Nightewing, and Eia, who couldn't help out due to very obvious reasons and the latter of whom was slowly eating to regain her strength from not doing anything for a couple of days, the rest of them had worked hard to make sure everyone that escaped was doing well; wounds were dealt with, scars were dressed, mental stabilities have been tested, a looooooot of blankets were passed out, but all-in-all, it was a hassle to make sure any of them were feeling comfortable, cause it's kinda impossible to do when everyone is injured to such a horrific degree.

        As for the rest of them, they were exhausted too, scattered all over the dining and living rooms, groaning in pain as many rubbed their sore feet; Sokuro, Sil, Quio, and Seqy were at the table, close to falling asleep from exhaustion, while Eia just ate. Nightwinge, Ventus, and Fayin were on cushions, and Bran facefirst down on a beanbag. Terrux, Terrum, and Taltian were on their backs in the living room, and Polosa was standing in a kitchen, eating a piece of locally-made jerky- she prefers the Dragenian stuff. But their exhaustion is nothing compared to the rest outside, but it's just past noon; bodies at work shouldn't hurt this much at midday. The stories and events of what everyone had gone through over the last two days had been shared- and they were as crazy as they sounded- over breakfast when they finally had a chance to eat. Polosa, Quio, and the triplets were especially glad for that; some real food. The stuff in Polosa's pack wouldn't have lasted them long.

        Alua came in, exhausted herself as she wiped off her brow. "Whew.... what... a day." She panted, grabbing a washcloth and wiping her head. "I haven't treated that many wounds since my training days..." 

        "I am not cut out to be a doctor...." Quio grumbled and groaned as he hung his head off the chair, mouth agape lazily as he stared at the ceiling. Virtually everyone there agreed with him.

        "Yeah, but you were a trooper." Polosa joked as she nudged him on the shoulder. He nudged her hand away, whining as he did, 'nyah'. 

        "If this is what army medics go through all the time, they have a whole new appreciation from me..." Bran moaned, laying facefirst on a beanbag. He raised a finger above his head. "I appreciate you, Hawkeye!" Nobody had the energy to ask who that was.

        Soon, they heard footfalls and wingbeats coming from the back door. Once again, nobody had the energy to check. The door burst open and the twins, energized to heck and back, came on in. Sokuro, Seqy, and Sil moaned, not wanting to deal with their intensity. They want a nice, quiet nap, not to deal with them. "Miss Alua." Fira spoke as he and his brother approached, "We readied up the spring and it's good to go."

        "Spring?" Terrum repeated as he lifted his head up off the floor he was laying on. 

        "Yeah, we've a spring." Pira said.

        "That's where they disappeared to?" Bran asked with a slackjaw. "But why does a spring need to be prepared?"

        "He's referring to the natural spring of water on this island." Alua went on to explain. "This island is formed over a large, vast quantity of crystals. Most are useless; best used for decoration or jewelry, but some have healing properties, and one of the streams that flow down the mountain outside passes through several clusters of healing crystals. By itself, it can heal paper cuts or black eyes, but when it is heated up, it can expand to healing large gashes and alleviate pain and tension. And sadly, before any askes, no, it cannot heal broken bones. That's something only nature can heal." So Polosa's Aerid form and Fayin's toe are out of luck, then. "But as a added benefit, it's a marvelous stress relief; i've seen someone go in with suicidal tendencies, only to come out feeling like they can take on the world." 

        A natural spring can do that? That sounds like nothing back on Dragenia... And if it is true... then it may be the first actual good thing any of the seven would've experienced on this world, and let's face it, they can all use a stress relief.

        "Wait, then why did they have to go and prepare it?" A puzzled Polosa asked as she looked to Fira and Pira.

        "Like Ms. Alua said, it's works the best when heated up." Pira said. "Someone dug underneath the largest pool and turned it into a firepit. Basically, the moon pool can become a hot spring."

        Ding ding ding ding, they spoke their language. Raising her head off the table, she clapped her hands; she never experienced a hot spring before. Well, none that's hot enough to boil off skin. "So when do we go?" 

        "Later." Alua affirmed. "Right now, everyone out there need it more."

        Sokuro slouched and puffed out her lips. She really wanted to relax after more then 48 hours of crazy... but everyone outside are worse off then her, and all her injuries are in her Aerid form, so as long as she doesn't change back, she should be fine for the time being. She's survived worse. But... speaking of Aerid forms, she looked to Polosa. She took the worst blow out of the two of them with the broken leg... so when is she going to deal with it? Phantom pain as a Ferid or not, it still must hurt. 






        "This is *Bleep*ing ridiculous!" Termundus snarled through gritted teeth as he was forced to pack all of his things from his office in the tower while several guards loyal to Cirrus kept an eye on him, to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

        He was none-too happy about being demoted like this; it's degrading to someone of his stature. If it was Captain, then fine- still low on the food chain, but still commands... but a Corporal?! That's just insulting to him. He should be counting his blessings; he avoided execution by pawning everything off on Ocilus, who is still causing a racket down there in the dungeons, from what he hears, yelling and screamin' and kickin'. They had to put her into a padded room to keep her lightning usage in check. Throwing her under the bus was necessary and he would do it all again in a heart beat.

        "I sacrifice for this country and this is how they repay me..." He huffed as he stored the medals he had earned haphazardly into a box, then threw it to the side.

        He heard the door behind him open and close sharply, not that he even bothered to look. "Well, maybe if you had bothered to behave like a halfway decent dragon being, you wouldn't be in this mess." Teluri scolded.

        Termundus stopped packing his things and looked back towards her. "Hi, honey." He said as sickeningly sweet as possible with a weird smile, which is all just disgusting coming from him. 

        "Don't even bother, Termundus. I'm not in the mood." She sighed. His face returned to it's natural scowl and he went back to packing. He just had one box to go. ".. i come home from a few months negotiating and making nice with our neighbors, only to come home to you fighting a CHILD- a misplaced child who's searching for a way home, no less- and rumors of you running a torture chamber down there in the basement!" He stayed silent as he continued packing. "And what you did to poor Ocilus.... it was just... horrifically disgusting. At some point, you had to have asked yourself: was this thing a good idea? Cause frankly, attacking a child and throwing your most loyal guard to the sun is the stupidest thing you could've done."

        "She attacked me first." Just gonna ignore Ocilus, are you, you sadist?

        "That's a load of bullshit."

        "It's true. Ask anyone out in town; they saw the Silver brat attack me first!"

        "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!!!" She yelled, shutting Termundus up. "Attacking a child for any reason is still moronic! And even if she did, YOU gave her a clear reason to do so when you attacked her friend, and what's more is holding all those innocent people down there against their will and TORTURING THEM, AND nearly getting Swardea and Veldus' kids killed; why would you knowingly issue their execution?!" He rolled his eyes and went back to packing. "Did you just roll your eyes at me!?"

        "Yes i did, cause i no longer care about this conversation."

        ".... what happened to you? What happened to the Dragon i fell in love with?" He looked away from her, not sure what to tell her> "Something happened to you, Termundus, and i don't like it, and i'm worried it'll rub off on Seliox." He's spent a year trying to influence the lad already, and barely anything is taking root. She then realized she hadn't seen him since she returned home. "Speaking of him... where is he? I haven't seen him since i got back."

        "Probably out there, somewhere." He said dismissively- almost like he didn't care, turning his back to her.

        A mixture of disappointment, sadness, and anger took root in Telura's soul. She doesn't like this new Termundus... she can't bare to be around him right now, not after what he did in her absence. "..... you can sleep in your study tonight." She left, slamming the door behind her. 

        Termundus remained silent as he packed up the last of his things. He's not against him staying in the study; he's stayed in in for days on end most times. That's why he had a comfortable couch installed, for when he does stay within for upwards of a week, but he wanted to be the one to have said it, not her.

        But he was unaware that he was being watched. A pair of small yellow eyes looked up at him from beneath the desk, in such a perfect spot nobody would see it. The eyes blinked as its grandmaster on the other end watched everything unfold, and i do mean everything.
    
        "Today is the day that just keeps on given." Soulless commented with a giggle in his voice, having seen everything that had transpired from the new spy he sent to the city. 

        "Not even past noon and there was more entertainment from reality then one of those radio shows." Avias, the hulk, commented. 

        "You shouldn't listen to them; they'll rot your brain." Soulless retorted like the "father" he is. "But this... this is an unexpected boon for us; Termundus humiliated and demoted... there are so many ways we could capitalize on that."

        "Like how?"

        "Now, that wouldn't be fun, spoiling the surprise, now would it Brutus?" Avias grumbled with a pout; he hates waiting and he hates that nickname. "But for now, i'm more then happy to just sit back and watch the show." If he had a physical form, he would be sitting back on a throne, putting his hands, claws, paws- whatever he has together in the evil pyramid of contemplation. "Its not like our old friend will be promoted back to his rank so soon." 

        "And what of the Female Silver and her friends? They could still be a threat."

        "Ah, yes, them." He sent the vision of that Shadow away and brought forth the vision of another, from one who was watching the islanders, just as Alua was telling them about backstory of the healing water. "With the otherworlders reunited, i don't think they will be much of a threat to us anymore; it was a concern when they were separated as she could've assumed that we captured one, and it would not have ended well for either of us. But now, they'll be too focused on getting home to worry about local affairs."

        Avias focused his attention on Sokuro, who looked so drained of energy, it was almost like she was dead. "I am amazed that she actually stood her own against Termundus. Even you had troubles with him."

        "Thanks for that reminder......." Soulless droned. "But that may be due to the fact she's from a different world. The fact they can use more then one element makes even the weakest of their kind more dangerous then someone from here. Their world must truly be fascinating" There was a hint of admiration in his voice...

        ... an admiration that made Avias uncomfortable. They need to focus on this world before trying to go on to others, and they can't even focus on this world until he has regained his body, and that is still years away... or was it because he missed his old days? Either prospect made him uneasy. "... as glorious as you are imagining it to be, it doesn't matter if they cannot return, is it? And it won't matter once the curse of this world begins to take affect..."

        The curse.... a curse long forgotten by everyone on this world, as the only ones it could affect went extinct... and they just now came back. "... it will give them incentive to return home quicker, at least... if they don't want to succumb to it."



 

        From below on the ground, Seliox looked up at all the damage his father, Sokuro, and the other dragon did to the tower. All his life, he had never seen it even dusty, so now that it has all this battle damage... it's a little chilling. Two strangers were able to do more damage in minutes then what invading armies have done in their entire conquests. 

        He spent the last couple of hours listening to everyone around him, picking up on their reactions. In a sense, they are terrified, with some fearing that this is a precursor to an invasion by a Silver horde... with no one picking up on how ludicrous that sounds. Many were scared the Tower, the symbol of Naya's superiority, would collapse. Other common themes include how this shows how the Council and the Generals are weak and just all talk and never do anything, with others taking that and spinning it into how Termundus is the only one that does things since he's the only one who fought while the others sat back and watched. Most of the complaints were towards how this ruined the celebration; some were even declaring they were never going to return to this place if this was how they treated outsiders... something that should've been picked up on already, but better late then never.

        Then came the rumors... rumors of torture chambers underground, housing innocent victims from corrupt leaders past and present, or the more insane rumor, about how the female Silver was an experiment from a secret lab gone rogue or broken out by the other dragon and was fed a false story. Seliox knows that rumor is bogus, but he can't convince others of the same... Nayan folk are very stubborn and easily believing on ludicrous stories such as that.

        Getting a creak in his neck, Seliox rubbed the back of it as he began to walk towards the gate. He may be a civilian, but he is still the son--.... adopted son of a General, so he still has access to enter. Doubtful he'll get higher then the lobby with the tower in such a state, but... well, better then waiting out here, in his mind.

        "Those idiots!" He heard someone yell. He looked in the direction and saw a certain red dragon kick over a garbage can, which made a family of rabbit Anthromorph's walking by jump back. "Those morons!! They betrayed me! AAAGH!!! Mother*bleep*ers, the lot of them!" The mother Anthromorph covered her child's ears. He yelled and stared flying away. "I'm going to make them pay!"

        That was...... odd. Should he be concerned? Ah, it was probably nothing.

        He took a few steps when he suddenly felt dizzy and his head filled with pain. He leaned on the side of the courtyard wall, holding his head as the pain only grew worse and worse. His eyes briefly turned and flashed red before returning back. "Ow.... what..... what is..... ow...." 

        "(Father did a bad, bad thing.)" A strange voice said in his mind. It sounded like... him, but... older and more angry.

        Sweat began to drop down Seliox's face, making him pant as it took its toll. "Who.... who.... are.... you...?" He managed to speak out, but there was no response. 

        Thankfully, it wasn't long until the pain went away. As he panted, he took a deep breath and belched it out like a drowned person coughing up water. He took some time for him to regain his full breath and slowly stop panting. "What..... what.... the hells.... was....?" 

        Just as his head began to clear up from all the pain, Telura exited the tower, still fuming at how horrible her husband had become. She needed a breather and something to eat. She was about to climb back into her carriage when she saw Seliox, now all her anger was replaced with a maternal instinct. "Oh, thank the heavens, there you are." She exhaled as she ran over to him.

        He managed to regain some composure, looking up to see her coming towards him. "Ugh... mo--... Telura?"

        She reached him and gave him a huge hug that caught him off guard, and made his face light up out of embarrassment, hoping nobody was watching. "I was so worried. When i saw the damage, i was worried you were caught up in it." That made him feel even more embarrassed. She stopped hugging and looking him over, checking him for any injuries. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? You look flushed."

        He did just have that out-of-nowhere pain. "I... i'm fine, mot--.... Telura."

        She caught the hesitation in his voice and lightly sighed. "I really wish you would call me mother." He looked away out of a slight bit of shame; he wishes he could too, but... it just doesn't feel right. "But are you alright?"

        "I'm fine. I wasn't anywhere near the fight. It was only fa--... Termundus and Ocilus battling Sokuro."

        Sokuro... that's either the Silver or the Mutant. "You've met her?"

        "I did. Nice girl, but i don't understand why she would've attacked him like that."

        "I... i don't know." She exhaled as she finished examining him. "What i do know is that your father is in a lot of trouble." 

        "That's not much of a surprise." Seliox sighed, looking to the ground. "He's... done some shady stuff while you were gone."

        Shady? What.... what did he do while she was gone? Do he hurt their son? ... what kind of a Dragon did he become? "Like what...?" She was afraid to ask.

        "It... it's a long story."

        She can only imagine... she was only gone for a few months, so... so what could he have done in that short a time to warrant all of this? What in the world happened to her husband, cause he is not the same Dragon she married. But first, she needed to do something. She looked to her driver, who was unhooking the animals from the carriage. "I... guess we'll fill each other in on the way."

        "On the way?" He repeated. "Are we heading home?"

        "We will, but first, i'd like to meet with this new Silver." She began to walk away from the tower, spreading her wings as Seliox followed behind her. "They said Alua knows her, so we're heading to the orphanage."

53: Chapter 49: Emotional Breather
Chapter 49: Emotional Breather

Chapter 49

Emotional Breather

 

 

        The healing spring, located at the base of the large mountain at the eastern-edge of the island, was as big as Alua said it would be. The trickling stream that fed into it bounced off the fabled crystals before joining into the large pond, giving it an soft, unearthly light-green glow. Below it was a cave carved out long ago, large enough to turn into a firepit where the wood and coal, when lit, would turn the pond into a hot spring, which increased the healing properties 5-fold.

        While Sokuro had hoped she could dip in herself, the size of the pond put that to rest for now as, by her estimates, it was barely as big as the common room back at her orphanage on Dragenia; at best, this could hold 15, 20 people at a time. There were 38 escaped prisoners from the tower- Ven and Nightwinge included... Fayin as well; while she wasn't a prisoner, she is still injured, so 39- 40 with Eia. Add in everyone that helped them 13- that's 53 people who want to use this spring, but it can only be done at least 18 at a time.

        "Whooooooa..." Eia cooed, amazed at how big it was. 

        "Why is it glowing?" Sokuro asked.

        "The crystals." Alua said, pointing to the light-green glowing gems that were poking out of the rock. "It's not just the healing properties the water takes."

        "Oh."

        As they approached the spring, and once they finally got a good grasp of the size, it occurred to Bran that they didn't have an idea on how to decide who goes first. "Un... wait, how do we pick who goes first?" He asked aloud.

        "By order of severity." Seqy said. "The worst ones will go first; those with broken limbs, missing limbs, psychiatric problems."

        "Right... guess that was a stupid question."

        Within a few minutes, after the worst-off Anthromorph's had been stripped of their clothes to avoid getting them wet- Ventus, Bran, look away- the first batch of people had been put into the steamy spring, and the healing properties lived up to the claim; it felt sooooooo good in the warm water. After Star knows how long they spent in the dungeons, this was a bonefide godsend. Each one in the spring right now lost something major in the dungeons, be it their sanity or a body part.

        Nightwinge and Fayin weren't put in yet with the worst-off crowd because Fayin wants to make sure that her hurt foot isn't exposed to the water and the wound healed before the claw could somehow put back in, and Nightwinge... on top of his rear leg bones being atomized, Termundus also slashed the nerves during his stay in the dungeons- though a good amount were taken out thanks to the bonecrusher-so he can't feel anything from either leg, so why bother healing what he can't feel? 

        "This feels so wonderfuuuuuuuuuuuuuuullll........" a female feline Anthromorph cooled as she laid back in what should be called a spa, or at least a hot spring. Everyone else with her all happily exclaimed, feeling the same exact way. This is just perfection. 

        ... speaking of, Bran and Ven, both of whom were on the shore and the latter of which was still on his portable rock bed, couldn't help but take notice of a few... interesting views among the bathing crowd. ".... iiiii think i need to hit my head on a tree..." A flustered Bran breathlessly gasped as he backed away, feeling awkward and bothered.

        "You go do that, kid." Ven joked.

        While nobody was looking, he sneakily pulling his phone out of his pocket and stealthily taking a picture. He let go of it and let it slide back into his pocket when he felt a foot on his butt. That person's hand grabbed the phone as it was sliding in and, at the same time, pushing him into the spring facefirst. His body still sore, he floated up on his front, and one of the others to spin him onto his back. "Who--" He sucked in his lips when he saw who.

        "Next time you take a picture, Ven..." Polosa said as she held up his phone to show the picture he just took. She wiggled it around before bringing it down. "... make sure it's of the countryside." She then deleted it, then walked off with it, leaving him to angrily pout. If he had the energy and his body wasn't in pain, he'd chase after her.

        IF this were any other world that had technological advancements, the natives would be pissed and try to drown him... but the Nayan's don't, so this just left them confused. "What was that about?" A female bunny Anthromorph asked, only for the feline Anthromorph from earlier to shrug.

        Polosa only took a few steps before she hissed in pain and knelt down, grunting and holding back the tears of pain. The broken leg from her Aerid half is starting to seep through to her Ferid self. Weren't the phantom pains supposed to be mild in the other forms? It seems to have failed her, and now it's starting to hurt like crazy.

        Originally just passing by, Quio say she was in pain and stopped. "What's the matter with you?" He asked.

        "Agh..." She held both her hands around her lower leg; it hurts the worst there. "i broke my Aerid leg at the end of the fight... guess all that adrenaline wore off and now it's started to take root. Aaaaafgh..." He raised an eyebrow, and she knew why. "My dragon leg." Now he knew. "You have no idea how badly this hurts."

        "I can relate." Quio said. "I've dealt with my own share of broken limbs over the years." He knelt down. "I'm guessing you got hit in the shin."

        "It's in a different spot on my Aerid self, but... yeah. Normally we feel phantom pains in other forms, but... ow, guess this is an exception."

        "And i'm guessing you didn't set or tourniquet it." She shook her head. "Well, you're stupid for not tending to it."

        She growled towards him. "I was a bit busy running for my life and dealing with everyone else here, jerk. And like i said, it was only a phantom pain till now."

        "Sorry." He got up and helped her to her feet. It hurt so much to stand up. "We should still set it, that means changing back to your Dragon self." She whined in pain as she hobbled on one leg. "Sorry, but it's gotta be done." She hates to admit it, but he's right. She can't ignore this for however long they're here- she'll go crazy from the pain. It's best to get it over and dealt with sooner then later. Preferably sooner, she hissed, as she hopped on one leg, using him as support as they made their way to the tree line, while being watched from the spring water by the fox she had just pushed in, who sunk half his head below the water, glaring as bubbles popped above his sunken muzzle.

         Meanwhile,  Bran had a hand to a tree, panting as he bent down to the ground. Having watched him limp over, Sokuro and Eia looked at him like he was losing his lunch. "Un, you ok, Bran?"

        "Yeah." He tapped his hand on the trunk. "Just... flustered, is all."

        "Flustered?" A innocent Sokuro repeated, unclear as to what that was, while Eia slightly blushed with a ever so slight smile, knowing what it did mean. "What does that mean?"

        "It means the lad is growing up." Quio commented as he walked by with Polosa, who didn't bother to try and say otherwise; she can see it too. The boy is growing up. "Now he's noticing things."

        Sokuro merely blinked in her response. Noticing what things? "I still don't get it."

        "You will when you're my age." Eia said with the faintest blush on her cheeks as she headed to Bran.

        So it's a grown-up thing. Great.... it's probably something she'll hate. And wait a tick, this is a good time to figure something out that has been bugging her. "Wait, how old are you?" Sokuro asked.

        "12, but i'm gonna be 13 in a couple months." She patted Bran on the back as he finally got his composure back. "Drexyl makes this AMAZIIIIIIING cake for all our birthdays that is just to die for. If she wasn't a merchant, she'd probably have opened up a bakery." 

        Eia's birthday and amazing sounding cake is only a couple months away, eh? Sokuro grinned- it'll give her some time to think of a funny practical joke to play on her. It's only fair, since she knows she'll get one on her bir--.... Sokuro's excitement slowly faded away as a dreaded realization slowly crept over her, one that put a pit in her stomach and a hole in her heart. Feeling tears well up, she backed away, not letting anyone see that she left. 

 


        Back on the mainland, Termundus wasn't the only one pissed off by todays events, but for completely different reasons. Sitting at the top of the Cenote, Kar'kile was fuming. That stupid dog was supposed to have been back last night, along with the map to the treasure, so where the hell is he then!? He's waited all night for that map, and now the ingrate has up and left him looking like a fool. He should've seen this coming- once a snake, always a snake. "I'm going to kill that snake..." Kar'kile hissed.

        "I'd hate to say i told you, boss... but i did tell you." Trach said. He was up there with him, arms crossed, but fingers close to his weapon.

        "Agh, i should've known better." He was ready to punch the ingrates lights out; now he just needs his head. "I should've listened to you!" He pointed to Trach.

        "Well, now we know better then to listen to Quio ever again." Trach commented. Kar'kile snarled a scoff; he's now upgraded to tearing out necks. "Assuming we can ever find that dog again."

        "He'll show up..." Kar'kile scoffed. "He's not going to lose all of his things. He'll be back for them." Trach nodded in agreement. "But i'm not going to be sitting out here." He got up off the dirt and spread his wings. "If he did mess up, i'm not going to sit out here like some idiot waiting to be caught." Trach spread his wings too and the pair flew back down into the Cenote. "The moment that idiot comes back, we're gonna roast him on an open fire."

        "And what of that Polosa woman?" Trach asked as they flew in through the top.

        "Leave her. She got caught up in his hairbrained scheme, same as us. And if the people she's looking for are that important and powerful, we do not want to be on their bad side."

        "A sound call."

 


        Alua let out a long sigh as she looked at the empty cupboards in her kitchen. Feeding everyone out there pretty much cleaned her out. She was going to have to make a supply run. "Well... that didn't take long." She clapped the doors shut with her tail before she headed out the back way. Who knew caring for 30 plus people could be so taxing? And it's only just mid day. But... it's for a good cause, it's for a good cause. Almost every escaped prisoner they have here on the island is innocent.. almost all of them. But, for a more selfish reason, after seeing how lively things have been lately, she missed having the company. The orphans she cares for are good kids, but it's nice to have more people to talk to then just the kids.

        Putting her tail through a basket of bandages, she headed out the front door. Closing it behind her, she readied her wings to fly, but didn't go as she heard a sound. It... sounded like crying, and it was coming from the well around the corner. So she looked, and saw a familiar figure curled up into a ball beside it, crying into her knees. "Sokuro?" The little girl didn't look up. She just continued to cry. "Oh, Sokuro....." She slowly approached her. She sat down beside her, putting a gentle paw to her back. "What's wrong..?"

        "i messed up................." She sobbed, wiping her eyes with a sniffle. "I messed up so bad........"
    
        Messed up? How did she mess up; she saved a lot of innocent people today and gave that jerk general a what-for, so how did she mess up? "Messed up? How?"

        "Because i'm stupid......i trapped everyone here................ because of my stupid curiosity, i've trapped us all here..... If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be here, with everyone wanting us dead......" She hit her head against her knees over and over and over.

        Alua's worry grew; it's difficult to see someone breakdown like this. It's even worse if it's a child. She got closer to the kid and draped a wing over her back while continuing to pat it. It's difficult to watch someone like this, letting out emotions and feelings of guilt she had trapped for days, but... she can see the reasoning... the last 3 days have been hellish for the kid, to say the least... but Alua suspects there's something else crippling the lass, something to do with her home. Is it the weight of her new position? Or... something more she doesn't know about? One thing at a time: first is what Sokuro actually said. 

        "You said your parents were archeologists, right? Well, danger always comes in that line of work. Danger is just a part of the job..." But that's not what Sokuro wants to here. Alua let loose a forlorn exhale and changed her talking points. "I.... suspect they're upset about being here, but they don't blame you for it. You had no way of knowing you were going to be dragged here; none of them did." Sokuro stayed curled up. Her sobbing had lessened significantly, at least. "You can't keep punishing yourself for a mistake.

        "WHY SHOULDN'T I!?!" Sokuro snapped upright, yelling right in a stunned Alua's face. Her face was so littered with tears, they spread when she snapped towards the matron. "I almost died twice thanks to a psycho monster and that Shadow thing!!! Ven's damaged, Polosa's broken, Fayin's crippled... HOW IS THIS NOT MY FAULT!?!" Alua stayed silent and allowed her to continue venting. Sometimes, all someone needs to do is just yell. But Sokuro didn't yell for long; she stopped as more tears welled down her face, dripping off her cheeks. "And..... i'm all alone...." Sokuro fell back down to her knees.

        Alua remained still for a moment, as Sokuro needed to continue, but she needed a little push. But a direct question would not work; in her mind, a question that skirts around the outside will work. "Alone? Is... this about your inheritance; this Silver power you obtained?" 'it's not that' Sokuro shuddered under her breath, so soft that Alua didn't even hear it. "Why should you be this upset over it?"

        "It's not that!" Sokuro cried. "I abandoned them....... i abandoned everyone back home because of this...." Tears stained the dirt beneath her. "All my friends... and my family.... they're back home... while i'm stuck here, trapped with so many things trying to kill me...... and... and i'll never see my brother again... or my friends......." she curled up again. "................. i just want to go home...." Alua said nothing as she went in to give the suffering lass a much-needed hug as each cry was accompanied with a shudder and a hiccup. "i just want my mom back................................... i want my dad back.................. i want my brother......... i don't want to be here......" 

        “Shh shh shhh” Alua held her gently, like a mother holding to their children, holding her so that she may protect them from the world and take care of them, going as far as to drape her wings over her. That just made Sokuro cry even harder. She really wants her parents back... Alua's affection and worry only made it hurt worse.

        Alua let her cry and cry and cry until Sokuro had cried herself to sleep. She can't blame her; the past few days have been so trying for her... Stars help her if the other otherworlders break down like the young one here did. 

        Shifting around, Alua was able to shimmy Sokuro onto her back- not well as the limp arms and legs hung over both sides, but it will work long enough. She walked back into the orphanage slowly and carefully, heading to her room. She gently placed Sokuro on her bed and tucked her in. Alua saw how puffy her eyes looked and somberly exhaled. She was going to have to have a talk with the otherworlders about this.

        With the blanket put over the kid, Alua departed to finally head back towards the springs. Once outside, she spread her wings once more... only to hear the approaching wingbeats of others. She frowned as she grimaced... just one thing after another. She looked in the direction they were coming from and saw some people she never expected to see.

        "Teluia?" She said with clear surprise. She didn't expect to see her so soon; last she heard, the Lady was still up north. When did she get back? A bigger surprise was who was with her. "And.. Seliox?"

        "Been a long time, Alua." Teluia said as she and Seliox touched down. With an elated smile, Alua ran to her and gave her a great big hug. Teluia hugged her back. "Far too long."

        "You have no idea." Alua chuckled as she let go. "It's nice to see you too, Seliox." 

        "Likewise..." He distantly said.

        Alua caught wind of his tone, but said nothing. Instead, she continued conversing with the mistress. "But... i thought you were up in the north; when did you get back?"

        "This morning, actually. You thought i was going to miss the Celebration?" The orphanage matron softly chuckled to herself. "And it would seem i came back at a very wild time." Alua froze a little. She said she came back this morning, right? Does that mean........ oooooooh, no. Stars, please say she didn't. "Cause when i get back into town, what do i see but my husband fighting the Silver." Crap, she did. "Then i get back to find everything a mess and Termundus put on trial." That, Alua did not see coming. It was enough to make her unfreeze. "And then Seliox and a dozen others tell me that the Silver he fought was female, and became fast friends with he orphans under your care." 

        "So you figured she was here..." Alua concluded. If she was in Teluia's position, she probably would've figured the same thing.

        "Well, yes. Is she here?"

        Technically, yes, but she was in no position to talk to anyone right now. "... yes, but she's not available at the moment. She's been through a lot."

        "I can imagine if she and a cohort of hers attacked my husband." What has she been told and what has she heard, Alua wondered. Teluia is not dumb; she can pick out a story from common threads in individual peoples retellings of what they saw... so what could she have heard. "So, i was hoping you would fill in the blanks for me from what the Silver may've told you: what DID happen this morning?"

        So she needs the blanks filled in... she is going to be in for a long one. "That... is a long story." She looked at the basket on her tail. "Look, i'll tell you on the way." She turned to spread her wings, and knowingly give Teluia and Seliox a look at the contents of the basket. 

        "On the way?" She looked at the basket. "Wait, what's with all the healing supplies? Is someone hurt? What in the world happened?"

        Alua spread her wings wide and looked back over her shoulder. "Like i said... it's a long story." 

 


        Slamming her Aerid fist into the ground, Polosa roared out in pain as Quio dealt with her broken leg. It looked a lot worse then she was originally letting on; he could see bone bulging out from under the scales and skin. It didn't break through, but if she hit whatever she hit harder... He had the triplets holding her down with their earth to keep her from thrashing while he and Bran dealt with her leg.

        "Why am i involved with another surgery....?" Bran whined, not really wanting to be a part of this. He's had enough of this and didn't want to deal with anymore; he just doesn't have the stomach for it.

        "It's not surgery, it's setting a broken limb." Quio said as he gently put his paws over Polosa's broken limb. Just the mere touch sent her roaring. "And like i said, it's something i had experience with."

        "How?"

        After a long silence, the canine responded, "Bad parents." And that just put all sorts of hauntingly terrible thoughts in Bran's mind, none of them good. 

        "Can you stop with the chitchat!?" Polosa snapped, baring her teeth, wanting so bad to rip the dog's head off. 

         "Sorry." He said, unfazed by her snap.

        Exhaustion crept into the scene as the Triplets began to sweat it out. Between hauling Ventus to the island and the madness that was this morning, it's a wonder they're able to hold the badass down, let alone continue to manipulate the earth. But even in exhaustion, there still has to be that one pain in the butt. "You're not into pain, are you?" Taltian asked, which triggered the aching dragoness. "What happened to your badass-ness from back in the tower?"

        "Shut up, you little morsel!" She screeched. 

        Back at the springs, everyone could hear her roaring in pain. They can't see it because the group were wise enough to move it deep into the woods, but the roar echoed back to them. A lot of the wounded were shivering and shuddering in fear, getting flashbacks to their times in the dungeons. "Do Dragenian dragons have a lower pain threshold?" Sil asked Eia and Ven, with the fox leaning over the edge of the spring's rim and the girl just sitting beside it.

        "Well, we can take a lot of pain externally." Eia said. "Internally... i don't know; i never had a broken leg before."

        "Well, she's loud." Seqy said, plugging her earholes with grass. She then headed over to the small healing group, picking up a pretty sizeable log with her tail and paws, and dragged it over, an action that puzzled the six of them. "Bite down on this." She said as she put it near Polosa's head.

        "Why?" Polosa grumbled.

        "Cause you're scaring everyone else." Seqy gestured to the hot springs crowd. "Given what they went through, your pained roars will likely set some people off."

        "Plus..." Quio pre-emptively winced and hissed as he put both his and Bran's hands on either side of the visible bulge under the skin. "...this is going to hurt."

        "What i--" And with a loud, very painful crack, the two lads snapped the broken bits back into place, causing Polosa to let loose her most pained roar yet, this one coupled with a very obscene curse word. It was so loud, it could be heard all the way back at the orphanage. Everyone at the springs held their hands or paws to their ears. She wasn't even able to use the log Seqy dragged over. "----CCCCCCCCCCCK!!!!" She stopped yelling and panted heavily; the force and scale of it made her face all sweaty.

        Stepping back, a visibly disturbed Bran held his hands to his stomach. "That sounded wrong..." He groaned like he was about to throw up. He's really not cut out for any medical profession. 

        "But it set the bone back in place. That's what we needed." He grabbed the remaining dressings and began wrapping them around her leg just as the triplets cut loose their earth usage, allowing the tired trio to exhaustingly slid down to their butts, then fall backwards in pure tiredness. 

        "Screw... you... dog..." Polosa panted in exhaustion and pain. She rested her head on the log- not its intended use for this situation, but too late now. 

        "You really don't like pain, do you?" Seqy asked.

        "I'm fine when it's outside... and i can fight back." Polosa continued to pant. "But when it's internal like this, it's like i'm being slaughtered form the inside out with no way to fight back."

        And... what could anyone say to that? What even was the best answer to a statement like that? There was none. "That's.... a way to put it..." Bran nervously chuckled as he messed with his fingers. A pair of shadows passed through the breaks in the tree canopy, prompting the group to look up. "Alua must be back."

        "With two others?" Seqy pointed out. 

        Admittedly, that didn't bode well. It made Polosa freak out and ready up, fearing that Termundus and Ocilus had been able to track them all the way here. But nothing was exploding yet, nor were then snotty attitudes of self-entitled superiority, so maybe it wasn't them. But what Polosa was worried about the General finding them, the triplets worried it was the unstable client that hired them, and Quio was afraid it was Kar'kile.

        So many new enemies, so little time.
        
        "What in the world was all that commotion?" A familiar voice to Seqy's ears asked.

        "Wait..." She said to herself. "I know that voice." She jaunted to the edge of the treeline, with Bran following not too far behind. They emerged out of the forest to see a couple of new faces. Well, new to the Dragenia gang, but familiar to everyone else present. "L-Lady Teluia?!" Seqy exclaimed. "And... Sel?"

        Sel grimaced in his response as his adopted mother stepped forward. "It's nice to meet you too, Sequina."  

        "Who is she?" Bran leaned in to ask Seqy.

        "Better question is, what the heck are all of you!?!" Seliox proclaimed, gesturing to Eia, Bran, and Ventus. "What kind of Anthromorphs are you?!" Bran facepalmed hard in his response. A quick glance to his left and he saw the escapee. "And how the heck did you get here?!" Fayin scrunched up her face. He may be nicer then his father, but she's not afraid to cut him up.

        "Seliox!" Telula scolded as a mother would, making him realize his mistakes and huddle up. "That is not a nice thing to do with new people!" He huddled up even more. She exhaled, calming herself down. "Besides, Alua told us who these people are, these.... Dragenians, i think she called the term?" 

        "We're not even going to try and keep our origins a secret, are we?" Eia asked as she sat back on a exposed rock. 

        Leaning over the edge, and with his head on his hand, Ven droned in his reply, "I think we gave up on that when we took in 30+ escapees..." 

        When Teluia heard Eia talk, she walked over to her, "You must be this Sokuro girl i've heard so much about." She gave a curtsy bow. "A pleasure."

        Feeling awkward, Eia looked between the rest of the group, and the newcomer. This is a odd situation with a quick fix. "Sokuro? No, i'm Eia. Sokuro's........... wait, where is she?"

        But before that question could be answered, Alua came in and continued talking while affirming the suspicions of the rest. "Teluia is trustworthy." Alua said with utmost affirmation, to distract them from Sokuro's whereabouts for the moment as that girl is in no situation for company. "Unlike Termundus, she's actually more open to cooperation with the other races."

        "And unlike my husband..." The otherworlders eyes suddenly went wide; that'll certainly distract them. "...i don't torture people to such horrific degrees. I seek to bring cooperation and--."

        "THAT MONSTER IS MARRIED!?!" The Dragenia group all yelled in shock and horror.

        Figures they would focus on that... Teluia let out a sad sigh as she slowly shook her head. Just that frightened exclamation alone was enough to confirm what Alua had told her on the short flight here. "I see he left..... quite an impression on the lot of you."

        The escaped prisoners, Fayin, Ventus, and Polosa all showed off the various wounds they received from their captor or his flunkies. "You could say that again!" Almost everyone present exclaimed with loud proclamation. 

        "How can you be married to that beast?!" Polosa exclaimed.

        Bran came to an internal realization and pinched the bridge between his eyes and spoke under his breath, "Oh lord, don't tell me it's like Beauty and the Beast and she has stockholm syndrome......" 

        "Do you know how terrible he is!?" Ven added on.

        "Enough!" Alua shouted, shutting them up. "Teluia is not like him. She's better then him and she's trying to better him, and i will not let you put her down. Is that clear?" It was. It shut them up. "Good... now before you ignore me and turn this into something worse, I need to talk with the lot of you in private."

        "In private?" Bran repeated.

        "Yes. It's something that concerns the six of you." 

        That can't be anything good. Fayin grabbed the pizza paddle she used as a crutch and use it to try and get up, but Eia came to help her. She helped the Gaharot on her feet, careful not to put pressure on her foot. While she did that, Bran went to help Ven out of the spring, but he just patted the kid away. He's still weak, but not that weak; the spring actually lived up to the hype. The five of them followed Alua into the trees, and back to Polosa, who was grunting as she tried to get comfortable with her broken leg now set. The leg was in a stint, wrapped in cloth and held in place by wooden sticks. Flying won't be an issue going forward... its landing, walking, sitting, laying down, and bathing that are going to be the issue. 

        Alua asked the triplets and Quio to leave. They wondered why, but she asked again, and they left. "What did you want to talk about?" Fayin asked as she slowly sat down on the log Polosa was supposed to use as the yell suppressor. Pearl jumped up out of nowhere and sat on the log beside her.

        Alua cut to the chase. "It's about Sokuro."

        "Sokuro?" Bran repeated. "Wait, where even is she?"

        "I asked the same question, but everyone ignored me." Eia said with disdain in her voice. "But i think she slipped away while we were all busy."

        "She did." Alua confirmed. "Sokuro is back at the orphanage, resting."

        "Resting up?" Polosa asked, still trying to get comfortable. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. She would change back to her Ferid form, but she is unsure if the splint will transfer over and not fall off. She'll try tonight, when Quio is around to reapply it if it does. "Because of the fight?"

        "Not exactly..." Alua somberly exhaled. "When i found her, she was crying." Crying? Looking back, Bran had never seen her cry in the entire month he knew her, and the Miskinites never saw her cry either. She was upset and depressed when her parents died, but they never saw tears. "She feels terrible, having trapped you all here."

        "But that was Ven's and Pearl's fault." Polosa was quick to throw the fox under the bus. He would argue back, if it wasn't true. He did break the keyboard that made the Gate malfunction and suck them all here.

        "Which was already said, but she was the one who opened up the gate to begin with." That... is true. They forgot that Sokuro's curiosity was why the Gate was open to begin with. "But i think there's more to her suffering. Tell me, back on your world, how are Silver's treated?"

        "What do you mean?" Bran asked. "From what the natives have told us, they're pretty much Demi-Gods of Great Change."

        "So you don't think that's a lot of pressure to put on a little kid?" Now that they think about it... it kinda- no, really is. The Dragenian group began to feel guilty as pits formed in their stomachs, as anyone else would if they realized this as well,  how Silver's are still just kids when they first get their scales, kids like Sokuro. True, Sokuro got her scale early cause her birthday was so close to Ascension Day, but she is still a kid. Was this true for Xelut, and the other Evil Silver's in their history? Were they kids who snapped? The implications... they aren't great.

        The colonists, on the other hand, don't feel the same guilt the Dragenian's are, but Bran feels bad for not doing more. But he can with this. "Is there anyway we can cheer her up?" He asked.

        "Other then getting back to your world, i don't think so." Alua replied, making him slouch. "But she did mention she has a birthday coming up."

        "Oh, that's right." Fayin realized as she hit her right first into her left hand. "We may be on a alien world, but time still flows the same. We've only been here 3 days, which means 3 days would've past back on Dragenia. We're still in the 3rd month of the Cycle. Using your colonist calendar, it would be.."

        "March." Ven said as he held up his phone. Alua tilted her head, having never seen a device like that before, but if it's normal to them, she can't really question it. "Last i saw, it was March 14th. And if we were here for only 3 days  now, then it would be March 17th back home."

        "And the 18th day after the 3rd month begins is Sokuro's birthday." Fayin finished for him.

        "How do you know that?" Eia asked.

        "I'm Velx's handmaid, remember? Memorizing events is an important skill needed to serve a Astral, even simple ones like Birthdays." That's a skill Astrals require for their handmaids? Forgetting things doesn't sound very godly, but there are a lot of people on Dragenia; even more now thanks to the colonists, so it would help make sense.

        "Guess we need to throw a party, then." Bran concluded for everyone present, and there were no objections. A birthday party- heck, any party- would be enough to lift everyone's spirits. It would be a good time to help relax and unwind, and after the last several days of hell they've had, they could use it. And if Sokuro is hanging on a thin of a thread like he thinks, then she needs the mental cleanser now. It's going to be interesting to see how three different cultures takes on birthdays will mesh; probably a chaotic mess. But hopefully, there's one thing that is universal: "Tell me, does this world have any cakes?"

54: Chapter 50: Birthday Relaxations
Chapter 50: Birthday Relaxations

Chapter 50

Birthday Relaxations

???






        Where...... am i?

        Why is everything white?

        How do i even walk?

        "You are hopeless."

        Wha--... who's there? Who said that?

        "You know who i am."

        Um... no, i don't. I don't even recognize your voice.

        "You will soon enough?" Color began to pop into view, spreading scorched earth, half-withered trees, and crumbling buildings all around her, taking on the form of a place all-so-familiar to her... which it shouldn't. "Do you recognize this place?"

        Not really... i don't remember seeing this place, and yet... it feels familiar. What is this place?

        "Khandava, the location of a fierce battle that once took place."

        Khandava...? Th... there's no place on Dragenia with that name.

        "That's because this isn't Dragenia." The scenery around began to flicker and dissolve. "I shouldn't be doing this... i'm cheating just from telling you the name alone."

        Wait... none of this is making any sense to me. What is this Khandava place? And who are you?

        "mmm....... i guess i could show you." A figure formed in front of her, a figure that wore a dark purple dress, with a pink-ish hooded cape... and a ribbon around her neck........... and a necklace with a scale and..... wait... this is her. Sokuro is looking at herself. How... how is this even possible? What kind of a dream is this? Is this even a dream at all? "Well?"

        Wh... wh.... wh....... what's going on?

        "I wish i could tell you, and that i could show you what i really look like cause this is not the real me, but i cannot interfere. I played with enough fire with the dinosaur already."

        Dinosaur...? Wait... the colonists called the Gaharots by that term; you mean Fayin, don't you?

        "And if i am? Simantics won't help in this." Sokuro.... the being taking the appearance of Sokuro looked out to the desolate wasteland. "Fate can be a fickle thing, you know. Can spend your whole life thinking you know exactly how it's going to go... but then in comes Fate to change it up in ways you could never have imagined. Even those who try to deny Fate are still subject to it."

        What are you talking about? What's this about Fate?

        "Just something you should be aware of, dear Sokuro, for someone is trying to defy his Fate and putting everyone in danger because of it, destroying so many lives... but whether or not he succeeds rests on a number of factors."

        Like what?

        "Like how fast you can figure things out before it's too late. I wish i could tell you, but He won't allow it. To be frank, i'm surprised He's letting me say this much."

        I'm assuming you mean a different he then that defier guy.... the pronoun game sucks, by the way.

        "You have no idea." The other her chuckled. She paused in her reply as the world began to distort even more, turning as black as night. Below, white triangular shapes began to form... teeth. They were teeth. Sokuro was scared, but the copy was unfazed. "... i shall give one more hint: Arjuna."

        Arjuna? Who is Arjuna?

        "The only other mortal who was able to do the impossible."

        The impossible what?

        "That's up to you to find out." Now fully formed, the teeth opened up wide and rose up from below, clamping down and swallowing them both.





        Bolting upright, Sokuro panted heavily, clutching the blanket tight as her forehead glistened from sweat. She was back in Alua's room, in the same bed Eia took up not that long ago. When did she get--... that's right, now she remembered. She was crying in Alua's arms, letting everything loose. ... she must've looked like a mess. But she felt understanding, like she knew the pain Sokuro was in and was doing her utmost best to comfort her.  

        Calming down a slight touch, she looked out the window and frowned. It was nighttime; she could see the moon in the sky. How long was she out? It doesn't really surprise her... between pouring out her soul and fighting for two days straight against foes who could legally be described as demons would tire anyone out.

        Hanging her legs over the side, she leaned forward and rubbed her face with her hands. She cupped them in front of her mouth, continuing to pant, albeit softer, as she thought about what she had just dreamt. 

        Just what was all that? Why was she talking to herself, and who was this He... two He's? And what was all that about Fate and defiers of it and all that strange stuff? And... that maw at the end... she moved her hands away from her mouth and saw that they were shaking out of fear. 

        "What.... was all that?" 

        Lowering her hands, she spotting her parents journal on the desk. "Khandava..." She repeated to herself. "And Arjuna..." She grabbed the book and opened it up to the first empty page available. Grabbing a pen, she wrote down the two names so she wouldn't forget. "What does they mean....? Khandava is a place... but what place? And Arjuna is a person... but what is the connection here? What was she.. me... it trying to tell me?"

        The sound of the door opening put that thought away for now. Sokuro looked to see it creaked open just a crack. She tilted her head to look out the crack and saw someone looking in. "Oh, you're up." Sil said as he opened it up more. "I thought you would still be asleep."

        "I just woke up..." Sokuro exhaled as she put her journal back on the dresser. "Wait, how did you know i was asleep?"

        "Alua told us." Of course she did....... secrets just cannot be kept by anyone, can they? "She also told us you... broke down, i think is the right term."

        "... sounds about right..." She sighed. It's said that letting loose all your pent-up emotions will make you feel lighter, and... it kinda worked, but it kinda didn't. She still feels guilty for trapping everyone here, of course, but.... she's glad she finally told someone about everything, even if it was someone she just met.

        "From what she said... you have a lot of issues on your plate."

        She looked down to the ground, watching her feet dangle below her. "... you could say that." She looked out the window once again. "I was out all day, wasn't i?"

        "Yeah. The sun had just set an hour ago."

        "What did i miss?"

        "A fair bit, actually. The springs helped most everyone it could, but some had injuries that were too severe for the healing powers to have any effect. They need a actual doctor in a actual hospital for the scars they have and many run deep." That added more fuel to the 'Termundus is a demon given flesh' fire. Seriously, how could anyone act like that? "Right now, we helped them settle in as best they can. It's still spring time with no stormclouds on the horizon, so sleeping out under the stars should work for a few days. Teluia bought as many blankets as she could for them all."

        "Teluia?"

        "Right, you were out cold when she came. Teluia is Termundus' wife." Sokuro opened her mouth to react- her eyes were already bulged out, but Sil stopped her, putting his paw to her mouth before any noise could be made. "Please don't. I had to hear the rest of your group react and i can suspect you'll react the same way." If it's freaking out that the monster actually married and that she's putting up with his evil actions... then yeah, she would be reacting the same way. He slowly lowered his paw, but she kept silent. "Teluia is nothing like Termundus. She's kind and heartwarming and helpful and--"

         Sokuro caught on to him, "You have a crush on her, don't you?"

        His cheeks turned pink and he sputtered awkwardly. "........................ maybe." Sokuro giggled to herself. She remembers having a crush on a older gentleman, but she was just a kid. "Ababababaa, but that's not important right now. What is is what's waiting out in the living area."

        "What's in the living area?"

        He widened the door with his tail. "You'll see." He then stepped out, leaving her to follow all confuzzled.

        "Ok...?" She followed out the door and down the hall. "Sil, if this is a trick you cooked up with the demon twins, i'm gonna kick your butt and i will not hold back! I've had my fair share of tussles with the others back home, so i know how to---"

        "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" The kids and Fayin all yelled as they stepped to the side of the central counter, where streamers hung and confetti popped... For some strange reason, The earth Triplets, Quio, and Kader are mysteriously absent. Where did they go? While their absent has been internally noted, Ventus and Alua blew noise-makers while Polosa just stood there, holding a banner, and Sil revealed a cake... admittedly, written in the language they can't understand, but it's obvious what it meant. 
        Sokuro's eyes lit up as she held her hands to her mouth, stunned that they would actually do this for her. "You guys..." She gasped to herself as she approached, keeping tears at bay as best she could. "You... you did this for me?" She stammered as she ran a streamer through her hand. "But... but why? How?"

        "Why not, birthday girl?" Bran put a noisemaker in her mouth, which made her go cross-eyed as she looked at it. "It's not every day you turn 10, and that is a big deal."

        Sokuro took the noisemaker out of her mouth and, with emotion building up, asked, "You guys..... you didn't have to do this.."

        "Yeah, we did." Polosa said. "It's not every day you turn the big 1-0. " She poorly joked, and leaving Bran peeved that she tried to steal his bit. She awkwardly coughed, "........ to be honest, the last couple of days have been hellish for all of us, so what a better cheer-up then a party?"

        "Well, thanks..." She then muttered under her breath, "...I think." 

        Shoving Polosa's embarrassment moment aside, Eia went on to ask, "So, birthday girl, what do you want to do first?"

        What does she want to do first? That one is incredibly easy to answer, "Right now... i just want to relax." She tiredly exhaled. "It may be my birthday, but Polosa is right: the past two days have just been exhausting... i need a break..."

        Alua gently patted her on the head. "We all do, dear." 

        "Can we go for a dip in the springs?" Sokuro pleaded.

        "Sure. We can save the cake for later."

        "I never would've thought I’d be saying this but…" Pira was already in his 'swim trunks' as he slid out of his room, as if he was anticipating it. "I'm ready to take a bath." That resulted in the reactions you would expect: the adults were dumbfounded, Bran, Fayin, Sil, and Seqy cringed, and his brother and Sokuro merely facepalmed.
       



        After making sure the escapees were fine, the party bus made its way back towards the springs, which were still as bubbling away thanks to the heat underneath. On the way there, Sokuro was trying to decide if she should take a dip in her Aerid form or her Ferid form. As a Ferid, it would be easier to slip in and have a lot of room left for the rest... but putting her clothes back on would be a hassle since clothes and a wet body do not mix well. Aerid would be free of the clothes thing,  but take up more space. When they finally arrived, she decided to go in as a Aerid, remembering that it was still feeling sore from the fight.

        Polosa had the same idea too, but it was for her leg. It may not heal broken bones, but it would help with the pain. Ven and Bran, however, had to go in as they are since they don't have magical scales to transform, forcing them to get down to their undies; too bad human-sized swim trunks don't exist here. Eia, of course, couldn't pass up a chance to try and impress Bran, so she stayed as her Ferid self and  hoped her bikini-wear would get his attention. 

        Due to her condition, Fayin was debated whether or not to take a dip at all, since it would mean healing up her foot and leaving it impossible to reattach her claw when they got home.... but that's more a question of IF rather then when, and if they take too long, the hole will heal up naturally. So, she's stuck with a quandary.

        As she debated, the rest of the group slid on in, and it... was... heaven. The water felt so damn amazing, it was almost sinful. Who know a spring could feel this amazing? "Aaaaaah...." Sokuro exhaled. "...This feels amazing..."

        "I knoooooooooooooooooooow....." Seqy cooed as she slid in further, burying half her face under the surface, blowing bubbles as she continued the 'knooooow'. 

        Finding a good spot, Ven followed suit and slid right in. "Someone turn up the heat..."

        Feeling left out, Fayin dipped her other foot in. It truly did feel amazing. Figuring out some kind of a solution, Fayin put her hurt foot on the shoreline while floating on her back. Not the most comfortable way to do it, but it's one that works with her. "Wish we had something this amazing back home..."

        "Just the relief it's giving to my sore body is a blessing..." Polosa said.

        Sokuro soon realized something from their words: this is their first time in it? ... wait, did they wait for her? "Wait... did you guys wait for me while i was taking a nap?"

        "Yes we did." Bran answered as Eia sat close by him.

        As touching as that is, it makes zero sense why they would wait since most of them have injuries that needed this healing water more then anything. "As touched as i am that you did... why? Half of us are hurt really, really bad, so waiting for me just made them suffer in pain longer then they should have and--"

        As he was floating by with Pearl resting on his stomach, Ventus put a finger to her mouth to shush her up. "Kid, kid, kid, just accept the gesture." She kept her silence and just nodded.

        "It just wouldn't feel fair." Bran went on to explain anyway, forcing Ven to slap an open hand on the surface like his word meant nothing. "You got hurt just as bad as everyone else has, so taking a swim while you were out just wouldn't be right. Plus, it's your birthday, so it would be doubly dickish."

        He's wrong on one thing; she's not hurt as bad as the others were. Yeah, she got hit a few good times, but she's proven she can take a lot of strikes and keep on truckin'- Termundus and the Shadow ain't got nothing on the Phagos. Besides.... nothings going to beat the Phagos poison. Everyone elses pain is temporary. The gift the demon dragon turtle left her is more likely then not permanent.... but she's still not ready to tell anyone. But the other one, waiting because it's her birthday... sweet, but still stupid given how everyone else is. But since it is her birthday, the obvious question needed to be asked: "So, where are my presents?"

        "Presents?" Sil replied, trying to act all coy. "Were we supposed to get presents?" He coyly asked Seqy.

        "I don't think so." She smirked. "I thought it was just a layer of carrot cake and that's it." She stuck her tongue out. 

        Sokuro wasn't buying it for a second. "Nun-un-un. I know that trick; i've played that trick. I did it all the time with the others back home."

        "Mean trick." Seqy commented, which made Sokuro stick out her own tongue. "But yes, there are a couple... the problem is shopping for someone who you have no idea what they like."

        "Well, i like reading and cute clothes. That should help narrow it down."

        "After the fact. And you can't even read our language."

        "Details, details." Sokuro jokingly said as she waved them off. "I was raised by a linguist- i bet i can figure it out."

        "Can we put money on that bet?" Ven joked as he floated by again. Rolling her eyes far back, Sokuro put a paw to his chest and pushed his upper half under the water. His arms and legs flailed about, but she kept him under. And Pearl could honestly care less. As he was kept under, everyone just carried on like everything was normal- just another Tuesday.

        "You were raised by a linguist?" Bran asked.

        "My dad was, yeah."

        Feeling like he had enough, aided by his softening of his actions, Sokuro let go and Ven floated back up, coughing up a lot of the water he had gulped in his flailing. He then turned into a fountain, spraying water out of his mouth like one.

        As an hour passed, a calming peacefulness settled in, one that had been sorely missing since they got here. After so much insanity, it's just to just sit back and relax, and they were, soaking it all in. The chaos since their arrival feels like a distant memory now. If only they could feel like this forever... but sadly, reality has a way of ruining good moments like this, and this one was ruined with a question:

        As Alua got out of the water to throw more wood into the firepit under the spring, Fayin asked, "... how are we ever going to get home?"
        
        "We find that Gate, obviously." Polosa casually said like she wasn't worried about it in the slightest.

        "But WHERE do we start looking for it?" Fayin insinuated as she rolled onto her front and floated like that. "We don't know where it could be... or if it even exists on this world."

        That.... was something they all need to do, but are afraid the results may not be what they want. The Gate may not exist on this world, so they may be stuck here for the rest of their lives. But it must- it just has to... but there is no evidence to suggest that it does. ... it's a subject matter they all need to investigate on, yet are hesitant to do so.

        It didn't damper the moods on everyone, though. "Guess we're gonna have to comb through some books, then." Seqy said as she picked at her teeth.

        "No offense, but you guys are severely lacking in the book department." Sokuro said. "I think i saw ten total in that whole house."

        "Books are expensive." Alua explained as she came back to the springs. "I don't know what books are like on your world, but they are a commodity here. They're valuable. besides... i had to seel a few to make ends meet."

        That's not encouraging... "Let's hope you didn't sell the book we needed." Eia said.

        "We'll be fine; it was mostly just fictional stuff."

        And something ticked in Pira's mind, which had been bugging him for a few months now. "Wait, is that why i couldn't find my copy of Captain Lothogia?" He exclaimed, which made the matron awkwardly whistle innocently; if she had a cup of tea, she would be sipping out of it... for no other reason other then innocence. He squinted his eyes and snarled, "Alua, you sneaky little..."

        "You don't even know how to read." Seqy interjected. 

        He learned towards her and whispered loudly out of the side of his mouth. "Shuddup, i'm trying to prove a point."

        While books were a good idea, the Dragenian's can't do much of anything since they can't read it. Unless they are picture books, there is nothing they can do but hope the others can find a way. "There's something i've learned when growing up with archeologists as parents..." Sokuro spoke. "... and that's to use every angle and resource you can. Books are a good start, but what is written can be changed, so it's best to also look at alternatives. Most times, what they would do is check the surrounding countryside for anything that could help with unearthing the past. Most times, it's in caves."

        "Caves?" Fira repeated with a snort in his voice. "What is this, a fantasy book?"

        "She's not wrong." Bran chimed in. "Back on my world, before we came up with a concept as simple as written words, stories were told either orally or drawn on cave walls. While passing on tales or instructions orally can and will jumble things up, cave paintings, especially if they have been incredibly well preserved, can tell a lot. Of course, back then, it was simple stuff like what can be hunted or who was living in a general area."

        "He's right." Ven chimed in. "I saw it on other worlds too. It's surprisingly common among the universe."

        "Further proof that pictures should be the universal language." Pira snickered, only to get further eye rolls from the gallery. 

        "So you're thinking someone may've seen a Gate and drew about it?" Fayin concluded. 

        "I'm hoping." Sokuro crossed her fingers. "But it would be easier if we were able to talk to the Council... but the fight with Termundus ruined any of that." Eeeeeeh... not really. The Council hates Termundus, but his supporters would make meeting to them impossible. "And caves aren't just for paintings. We may actually run into a fantasy trope and find a treasure stashed away, one that hopefully contains a clue." A excellent point. "We could also check a museum. Are there any museums around?"

        "In the city, near the tower." Alua answered.

        She slouched. "Marvelous....."

        "Well, now, wait wait..." Kader said as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, on top of Sil's head. "No need to throw in the towel on that just yet..."

        "Where the heck did you just come from?!" Sokuro shouted,

        "... While it is true that the escaped prisoner, the unknown lizard, and you three Dragon-ladies are now wanted by the state, they don't know about Bran or the fact you can transform."

        "You're forgetting we're not Anthromorphs." Bran said. "The Furless excuse can only work so much before someone starts to poke holes into the story. Plus, i was only able to walk through town because of the festival, and according to everyone, it ends tonight, so i won't have that excuse to wear the costume again."

        "And they'd know our voices." Polosa said. "We did do a lot of shouting and talking during the fight."

        "You're really killing your options here." Alua chuckled, unknowingly putting them all down, but she quickly caught on to that. "At this point, the only ones among us who hasn't been seen by anyone in town or gotten into trouble with the government in the last couple of days are......." Everyone looked towards Sil and the fire twins, who at any other points in time would be thrilled all eyes are on them, but in this context...

        "...................... please tell me you're joking?" Seqy begged.

        "Yes, please tell us your joking." Pira and Fira begged, desperately nodding their heads up and down in a desperate plea to hopefully make her change her train of thought. 

        "I wish i was, but it's the truth. Out of everyone here, Fira and Pira are, surprisingly enough, the only ones who didn't cause trouble or were the center of trouble and not on anyone's radar. They are the only ones who can go into town and nobody would be suspicious or ask questions."

        "But it's them." A overtly flabbergasted Seqy gestured to them. "You send them into town all alone and they're liable to burn it to the ground!"

        "How Rude!" The twins both exclaimed in a comical manner; If only a laugh track from a sitcom was audible. 

        Kader leaned on one of Sil's horns, saying, "You really have no faith in them, do you?" 

        "They haven't exactly proven themselves to be reliable." She replied. "All they do is be nuisances and play pranks."

        "We resent that remark!" They yelled in defense. "You need to have some faith in us, Seqy!"

        "I have as much faith in my pinky claw then with you." Oooo, was a fight going to break out? Most of them were upset they didn't have any treats to watch the show with.

        "Can we stop this, please?" Sokuro pleaded. "As entertaining as this would be on any other day, doing this here, and on my birthday, is a very bad idea." Seqy puffed out her cheeks, then plopped back down with a grumpy huff, blowing bubbles out of her submerged muzzle. "And like Alua said, it's the only way to find any sort of clues in that museum. The rest of us are too recognizable and would stand out."

        "I wouldn't." Kader said. 

        Looking up all cross-eyed, Sil asked, "You would go with them?" 

        "Of course. I'm too small for anyone to notice until they want to notice. And i can keep an eye on them; keep them in line."

        "You?" Fira snorted, trying to keep his laughter in. "Keep us in line? What, are you freakishly strong or something?"

        Kader opened his mouth to speak, but Bran did all the explanation for him. "He is. He may not look it, but he's probably the strongest mouse i've ever seen. I saw him move thick armor plates like they were nothing."

        "And even if i wasn't strong, i've got a good memory." The mouse tapped his noggin. "No offense, but you two don't look like the sharpest tools in the shed. You would probably forget what you were searching for."

        Can't argue with that logic. "Rude, but true."

        Just as everyone was now starting to relax once more, a rustling in the bushes made some of them look over, and saw Quio, Terrum, Taltian, and Terrux burst out of it in a fervor. Stiffening up, Kader tried to make his way out slowly, but was found by the excellent ears of the canine. "There's that little thief mouse!" Quio yelled, pointing to him.

        As the group of the water looked towards the mouse, he held up a single finger and said, "I'm also really fast!" He then zipped away, leaving a trail of dust behind him as Quio and the Earth Triplets chased after him.

        "What in the world was that all about?" Sil asked.

        "No idea." Bran replied.

        Things began to slow down for the third time, but not the last time; having a relaxing time seens to be not on the menu for these people as Alua was the one to ask, "Sooooo.... do you kids have any plans when we get back?"

        "Plans?" Fayin replied.

        Alua nodded. "Yeah."

        None of them had really thought about what they were going to do once they get back. "Honestly, i don't know." Fayin put her hands behind her head and laid on the water. "I'm not even sure how we can explain being going for so long, or how some of us were heinously injured." She held up her injured foot as an example, while Polosa looked at her broken leg, and Ven put a hand where the crystal touched him. "Being sucked into a different world isn't a good excuse."

        "I know what i'm never going to do: go into medicine." Bran silently chuckled. "Between Fayin's foot and Polosa's leg, i've not the stomach for that line of work."

        "Even common ones like the cold?" Seqy asked.

        "Especially common ones like the cold."

        "What about you?" Seqy asked the silent hunter.

        "Take a spa day..." Polosa cooed as she slid further into the water. "If we have anything like this back home, i want to spend as much time in it as i possibly can."

        "I'll join you." Ven said. "Gods know i could use some pampering after the time i had in hell."

        "I think we all would welcome that." Eia responded "And... I'm going to have to apologize to Drexyl for being gone for so long. It was someone else's fault, but it won't change her reaction. After that, it's gonna be business as usual."

        Fayin warmly chuckled to herself. "If those are our answers, then i know mine: take a vacation..."

        "Can handmaids to the Gods even take vacations?" Seqy asked.

        "Since i had the second worst time here, i think i deserved it."

        The second worst time? The natives and the Dragenians looked to each other, wondering how she figured that. "How are you second place in terms of worst times here?" Sil asked. "How did you even come up with that?"

        "The fact i almost died when i had to rip my claw out." She held up her injugred foot again. "First place is Sokuro since she almost died twice, so that's one over me." Not the first place she wanted. "Ven's behind me since, while he was tortured, he didn't almost die. Just mentally broken that seems to have spontaneously gone away." Yeah, what was all that about? Do Kitsunes have stronger mental conditions? Eh, who knows. "Polosa's 4th since she did almost die in the fight and suffered a broken leg, but she wasn't in any danger up to that point." Technically true, Polosa though, but also technically wrong. "And last is a tie between Bran and Eia since they weren't in any danger, though i'm itching to giving 5th place to Eia since she was in a coma."

        "I never thought i would see a ranking system over our shitty time spent here." Sokuro said.

        "Speaking of you..." Alua spoke up. "... what will you do when you get back home?"

        That answer is so easy, she's surprised they didn't guess it. "Give my brother and my friends the biggest hugs of their lives." That's a cute thing to do... the second part of her response is not, "And give Velx a stern talking to."

        "Huh?" Fayin flipped to her side to look at her. "Why?" 

        Did she forget that quickly? Oh, that's right... she never told anyone what Termundus told her; nobody would believe her and say it's Termundus blowing smoke, but the more Sokuro thinks about it, the more it makes sense. While she can't give out the background information, there is still what happened back home when they were sucked in. "He... you saw how he acted when he found us messing with the Gate. He looked like he was on the warpath."

        "... that... is true." Fayin was hesitant to agree. "He was behaving strangely in the minutes before we arrived..."

        "So you think this Velx guy knows something?" Sil asked.

        "He must......" Sokuro put a finger to her chin as she thought about it all. "Why else would he have acted like that?"

        "I'm sure he had many reasons..." Bran spoke up. "...but floating around, thinking won't answer that. Getting back and asking him to his face will."

        As much as she would like to explain the why, Sokuro remained silent on the subject. She knew why... but she was too afraid to tell the others. They would never believe her and Fayin may classify her as a heretic. Not that she would, but best not to say anything, not when it's supposed to be relaxation time. "You're right... can't do anything about that until we get home." Bran nodded, glad she saw it his way. "For now... let's just relax- hopefully for good for the rest of the night. Oh, and we need to eat that cake before it goes back."

        "Who's gonna go get it?" Pira asked.

        As if on cue, Kader and his pursuers came back their way, with Kader running for his life while holding the map- guess that answers why they're chasing him. But Bran doesn't want the rodent dead, so... "Hey, Mad Lads!" he called out to the five of them, which made them stop. "There's cake back at the orphanage. If you bring it here, you can have some."

        Cake? There's cake? The five of them all looked at each other. "Truce?" Kader asked.

        "Truce." The other four responded.

        One quick trip to the orphanage later, and they were back with the cake and everyone were stuffing their faces. Bran correctly guessed it was Red Velvet, or whatever passes for Red Velvet in this world. Sokuro, obviously, got the biggest piece since it is her birthday. 

        "This actually feels amazing..." Terrum softly purred as he and his brothers plus Quio took a dip in the springs too.

        Bran looked to Kader, who was back on top of Sil's head, and asked with his mouth full of cake, "Were they chasing you this whole time?" 

        "Yep." The mouse responded as he took a bite out of a large crumb piece Sil put on top his head for the rodent to munch on.

        "Why? Does it have to do with the map?"

        "I just needed to borrow it."

        "Why?"

        "Reasons."

        And that was the only answer he was ever going to give tonight, which annoyed everyone. Why does he want the map? It's clear why the other two wanted it- for a treasure hunt- but why him? "...un-huh. Sure. Fine. Be secretive." And he would, until the morning.

        Finally, no more talks and no more interruptions; they can finally, FINALLY, have a nice, quiet, peaceful night, looking up at the stars while soaking in some fabulous hot springs. And it would be the last peace and quiet they got during their whole stay here, for tomorrow, it's back to business as usual.
 

55: Chapter 51: Troublemakers in the Museum
Chapter 51: Troublemakers in the Museum

Chapter 51

Troublemakers at the Museum





   
        On the road leading into town, a pair of familiar trouble-making heads poked out from behind a pair of trees. Wearing very cheap-looking sunglasses, the duo looked around in several directions, including a couple that make no sense, before pulling back, and later reappearing from behind a different set of trees, like they teleported. 

        "This is F1 to P1, come in P1." Fira said as he spoke into something that was on his cufflink... except he didn't have cufflinks, nor anything to speak into. He was just being this naturally weird.

        "This is P1." Pira replied, doing the same thing Fira was.

        "Any sign of danger?"

        "That is a negatory. There is no stranger danger in the immediate facilimities."

        "Good. Continue maneuvers." 

        And so they did, retreating back into bushes and trees, continuing this strange display for a good long while, all the while the third member of the group looked at the two of them with a slackjaw and a loss for words except for a few. "What... are you two doing?" Kader asked.

        "Being secret agenty." Pira responded.

        "........ secret.... agenty. Un-huh." He popped his lips before he continued to walk along the path normally. "I'd be better off with a actual secret agent..." He said under his breath as Fira 'rolled' into a bush rather clumsily. Pira hung upside down on his tail before, with a tug, he pulled himself back up. Kader groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Stars above..."

        Despite the game the two were playing, it wasn't long until they reached the southern entrance to the city, and not a moment too soon. "Target entryway has been sighted." Pira reported. "Beginning stealth procedures." He slinked into the bushes, slithering through the brush like a snake.

        Kader groaned as he rubbed his forehead; "Its too early in the day for this..." 

        Fira poked his head out of one of the archway poles. "It's only 0800." He replied.

        "Yeah, exactly, it's 8 in the morning, yet you two are acting like you had enough coffee to rouse a platoon, now can we please focus?"

        "Fine. Fine. Party pooper." Fira pulled his entire body out from behind the pole, then pulled his brother out from the archway itself above. Pira's glasses fell off and cracked on the pavement, making him pout. "Where even exactly is the museum, again?" Fira asked, ignoring his brothers fake cry of anguish. 

        "I... don't really know; i haven't been myself." That's just wonderful... "But it's either in the library or in the tower."

        "My money's on the tower." Pira said, his little play pout done with. "I think i remember Seliox talking about some priceless whatever's a few months ago."

        "That's a bit risky." Kader said as he jumped onto Pira's leg, then onto his back, and finally onto his head. "Given everything that's happened the last couple of days, security is going to be tight."

        "You got a better idea on where to find it?" Fira asked.

        "I would say the library, but i doubt they'd leave priceless artifacts out in the open. We'll try the tower first, to be safe."

        "At least we won't have to worry about Terducken." Pira commented before he and his brother started walking into the city limits. With a skip in his step, he sang, "Cause that sucker got fired, that sucker got fired, that sucker got fired..."

        "Thank the stars for that." Kader said.

   

        With a new dawn came a new day, yet everyone was still talking about the last. How could they not: two outsider dragons fought against Termundus and Ocilus and held their own long enough for a third to save their bacon. Then Termundus gets exposed and demoted to lowly rank and file for running a corrupt imprisonment ring, and Ocilus stripped of her position after being thrown under the bus. All that overshadowed anything the rest of the day had planned for the celebration, and that was all just before noon. 

        Now with the new day, a air of tension was still prevalent. If the rumors were true and Termundus attacked a royal or an ambassador from outside the mists, he could've started a war, but the rumor can't be confirmed or denied since the three outsiders from yesterday haven't been seen since the fight. As for Ocilus, nobody had seen her since the trial. It is as if she vanished off the face of the earth. Not that anyone is going to care; her sadism made her feared, but now she doesn't have the protection of Termundus or her job, so she's free game for anyone looking for.... er, mm, well, you get the idea. The biggest worry is what she's going to do now that she doesn't have anything to live for.

        

        As the twins walked through the city streets, they looked around to see everything festive was being dismantled- banners were being taken down, garbage was being cleaned up, the bright colors were going away. Dismal time. That's now what they're focusing on, though. "For a place that just had two epic battles in a row, it's amazingly spotless." Fira commented.

        "Both took place in the air, thankfully." Kader explained. "If there was damage, it would be near the to--" He thought of something he didn't before and thought about it some more. "Now that i think about it... Polosa said the fight started in the dungeons and worked its way up the Tower... with all the damage the interior may've sustained, I doubt they're gonna let anyone in."

        "Details, details." Fira dismissed, waving his paw in an accompanying manner. "Let us worry about that." He beamed, having a devious idea already in mind. 

        Whatever these two say never fills anyone with confidence. They have something evil planned, but Kader can't do anything to stop it, so he may as well run with it. He sat back and sputtered, wondering if this was going to work. It had to. He reached into his pockets and pulled out a tiny scrap of paper. He unfolded it, unfurling it into a sketch about the Gate; Bran had drawn it for him, copying what he drew in his journal. Hopefully, they'll find something in the museum that looks even remotely similar to this. If not... then this was all just a waste of time.

        "The streets were quick to empty." Pira commented, looking around at the near empty streets and the lack of stalls. There's barely anybody outside. "It's early in the morning- how is the crowd already gone?"

        "You'd wanna leave too if you saw two fights in a row." Kader responded. "Remember, nobody but us know the full details. To them, they saw a couple of foreigners- one of them being a Silver- fighting a demon from our past and the demon of our present, and with the Tower being wrecked in the fight, you'd wanna leave too before things got even worse."

        "Not me. I'd wanna stay and see what chaos came next." Fira grinned; if he could walk on his hind legs, he would and put his forelegs behind his head, further adding to his deviousness. "But i can see where you are coming from. Still, to have everything feel so eerily quiet this early in the morning and so soon after the celebration? It doesn't feel right."

        "Agreed." Pira and Kader responded.

       Thanks to the streets being so empty, it took them no time to reach the tower entrance. As they approached, the twins looked up, wondering if they could see the damage caused from the fight. They could see holes caused by explosions and rock manipulation, along with a streak that seemed to have cut right through it. If it's this bad on the outside, the inside must be worse, and as the inside is where they are going, they'll get a first hand look.

        As they approached the main entrance to the Tower base, the sudden appearance of a spear from their right stopped them in their tracks. "What in the...?" They looked down the spear and saw the weilder, a female Iguana Anthromorph, standing at attention. "Un..." Pira piped up. "Can we go in?"

        "Absolutely not." The iguana rudely replied.

        "Why not?" Fira asked. "The bottom few floors have always been open to the public. So why--"

        With a snarl, she snapped to them, but physically and verbally. "Cause ever since that stupid outsider showed up, it's been nothing but trouble! And thanks to the stupid Silver and whoever is dumb enough to associate with one, the Tower is damaged, our reputation is ruined, and one of out greatest generals is demoted!" Great... a Termundus devotee... "So that is why you are not going inside!"
        "But we're not going to bother anyone!" Kader went on to argue. "We just want to take a look around the museum."

        The Iguana angrily tissed at him. "No entrance is permitted at this time, especially to filthy lowborn scum like you. Now beat it."

        Thoroughly pissed off, the irked trio gave her a collective glare of combined anger and vitriol before turning around and leaving. They didn't travel far, just a couple of streets, before they stopped to complain. 

        "Geez, what a jerk." Pira grumbled, slouched over with his forelegs crossed, tapping a claw on his muscles.

        Kader nodded in agreement. "I've dealt with critters in the forest more pleasant then her, and they tried to all eat me." 

        Fira was messing with a abandoned toy lizard that he just found and angrily fumbled with it while also mumbling, "I wanna take that tail of hers and beat her with it." His brother and the mouse looked at him with concern on their faces. That was not something they expected to hear. "What? They grow back."

        Kader didn't want to open up that bag, so he immediately moved on, looking up to the Tower. "They must've done more damage then i realized if they made the Tower off limits. The bottom few floors are always open to the public."

        Unfurling his forelegs, Pira got up on all fours. "So now what do we do?" He asked as he did. "Thanks to the jagoff there, we can't get in."

        "Not the normal way, no." Kader muttered.

        What could they do, what could they do. They can't attack him- it'll land them in hot water. And as they are the only ones that can enter the city without having the city guard descend on them, everyone back home would be pretty angry if they did. What can they-- the twins already got an collectively evil idea and looked to each other with the same evil grin on their faces. "... Distraction Time?" Pira asked.

        "Distraction Time." Fira answered.

        None of this sounds well to the little mouse. "Distraction what?"

        Some time later, the iguana yawned loudly; she woke up too early today and it's already kicking her butt. She smacked her lips and kept her tired eyes open. That was until a little green ball rolled into near her feet. Perking up an eye, she bent down to look at it. "The heck is this thing?" Without thinking, she poked it... 

        ... which caused a noxious and vile green smoke to explode out of it. She coughed violently as she tried to wave it away, but this was thick. This tasted nasty, like rotten eggs mixed with sulfur. Who could've created such a horrible smell? And who would harass her like this?

        "Ppppppp. Uuuuuuu!" She heard a childish voice call out. As the smoke slowly faded, she saw, of course, those two fire drakes from before, standing on a rooftop across the street. "I can smell that all the way over here!" Pira exclaimed, holding his nose as he wafted his hand.

        "I know, man!" Fira cheered. "Who knew so much stink could be packed into such a itty bitty package?"

        "And all for dirt cheap." Pira snickered as Fira picked at his teeth with his claws. "Tell me, what exactly did you put in that bomb?"

        "Last nights dinner." Fira replied, pulling a piece of meat out of his mouth before flicking it away.

        The Iguana angrily growled, rubbing her nose constantly. They didn't, did they? Oh, they are going to pay. "You deviants so dead." She snarled, completely unaware of the little rodent that is skittering behind her.

        "Deviants?" The two asked each other. Oh, they can work with this. With a grin, Pira called out, "Hey, lady, if you're gonna speak, at least use words we can understand, cause most of what you are saying are just zzzzrt going over our heads." He did the motion that accompanied it too.

        "To be fair, most grown ups think they're smart." Fira corrected. "Not our fault they're dumber then a bag of bricks."

        "True, true."

        As the iguana reached for her spear, Fira just had to get one last word it. "Also, your mom was a gecko." That did it. Gripping it tightly, she ran towards the house they were on with intent on turning them into lawn ornaments. "That's what did it!?!" Fira exclaimed in bewilderment.

        Pira jumped into his brothers clutches just as the Anthromorph began jumping up to skewer them. "Retreaaaaaat." They both yelled, Fira quickly turned around and hobbled away as fast as he could- dragons aren't designed to walk on two legs- just as the iguana reached the rooftop and began her chase.

        Once he was certain she was gone, Kader came out from behind the slit in the open gate, his arms crossed as he slowly shook his head. Beside him was a empty packet of stink bombs, with the smell on the label saying 'last nights dinner'. "Stinky, but it worked." Kader said to himself. He left the wrapper behind and ran as fast as he could on all fours- given his small size, what would be 5 minutes for the tall folk is triple, quadruple, pentagonally longer for him, so he needs to book it.

        His poor little paws were aching terribly when he reached the entrance into the tower lobby. When he gets back to the island, he's taking a dip in that healing spring. "Where's Imi when i need him...?" He said to himself as he waved his forepaws. 

        Once his paws were some semblance of fine, he went for the door... he narrowly missed getting hit by it when it opened up and a small squad of three walked out. At first, he thought the iguana called for reinforcements, but the way the three are walking, it is unlikely. He'll have to thank them for opening the door later, for he used that time to zip on in.

        What he saw when he entered made his heart dropped. The entire lobby was in shambles- the fight between Termundus and Polosa did far more damage then he expected. Blast marks and scorch marks were on every wall, and he can only assume those beam attacks of hers were the cause of all these slices he's seeing in the marble. The worst part was the floor itself- a massive hole was where it once was. His imagination went wild as he thought about what the fight would've looked like, to cause this much devastation. And this was just the lobby; he's afraid to see the upper floors, and he won't since the museum was on the ground floor. 

        There was still room to maneuver around the lobby, and given his small size, it was never a problem to navigate around the maw- so many easy paths for a mouse like him. He headed to the left from the entrance and headed down that hallway once he reached it.

        All the damage done worked out in his favor, as there were barely anyone here. Unless everyone who worked here was hung over from too much booze at the celebration, there's no reason for the tower to be this empty, yet it is. Otherwise, sneaking here would've been very difficult. 

        In a few minutes time, he had reached the museum entryway. Problem: it was closed. But was it locked? Kader wondered that, and so approached the doors and pushed on them. 

        They were not locked. Someone didn't do their job.

        Kader opened the doors enough so that he could slip in and nobody would bat an eye if the door to the museum was only slightly ajar. Once in, he stopped as he looked on in amazement. There were so many, many artifacts, tapestries, paintings, and relics from their past, with many tables and stands holding the relics and artifacts in a checkerboard pattern. And this is all what the Council has available to the public; he can only imagine what's in the vault. "No matter how many times i come here, this place is always impressive."

        He barely took a few steps when, without warning, the twins rushed in and slammed the door behind them. They looked freaked out and panting like crazy; what did the Iguana do. Frantically, Fira ran to the side and pushed a chair in front of it to keep it from opening, while Pira dragged over a suit of ancient armor for the weight. Lovers of history, they are not.

        Once the door was properly secured, the two pooped brothers slinked down onto the chair with a tired sigh. "That lady is a nutjob..." They said in exhausted unison.

        "Should i even ask?" The mouse asked.

        "No." They quickly snapped

        "Great. Then you two can make yourselves useful." The two went slackjawed. Seriously?! They just escaped certain death. There ain't no rest for the wicked, the pair thought as they got up from the chair. As they approached him, Kader climbed up a stand to get up to eye level with them. When he reached the glass, he briefly looked down to see if it was something they needed. Nope, just a old belt. "You two do remember what we're looking for, right?"

        Fira took insult at that. "Do you really think we're that forgetful?"

        "That's not the word i'd use..." The rodent muttered, which made the twins glare. Not taking any chances, Kader jumped onto Pira's head and ran along his back before diving into his saddlebag. After rummaging around for a minute, Kader climbed back out, with Ventus' phone on his back. "Ok now..." He reached Pira's backside and looked at the phone.... how was he supposed to use this again? He got some basic training from Ven, so he should know what to do. 

        Not really. The touchscreen wouldn't register his paws, and it should- it did the last time. "Come on. Come... on." He swiped his paw over the screen over and over, growing more frustrated each time. "Why isn't this working?!"

        "Don't you need to touch it?" Fira suggested.

        Kader stayed still for a moment. He forgot he did have to touch it. That was, that was his mistake. Putting his paw on it, he swiped and the screen then became littered with dozens of icons. "What the ever-loving crap am i looking at?" Pira dizzyingly droned. 

        "Madness." Kader commented. "But..." At least he remembers what icon to press. He pressed the photo app icon, activating the camera. "... at least i remember what to press."

        "What did you do?" 

        "I activated what they call the Photo App." Kader said as he lifted up the phone with his absurdly impressive strength- remember, he is the size of a mouse and yet capable of moving armor pieces made for dragons a hundred times his size- and stood it up so that they could see the picture in question, or tried, at least, since it can't stand up straight. It kept trying to fall over. "Ventus and Bran must be from an advanced world; they figured out how to make instant paintings."

        "They did say they journeyed to that Dragenia place across space, so that would check out." Fira said.

        As amusing as this little show was, they were in a rush. Pira put a claw on top of the phone to hold it steady. "Thanks for that." Kader complimented before moving back to the app and bringing up the picture Ven took this morning. Before the trio left, Ven made sure to take a picture of the drawing in Bran's journal so that they may have a reference. "This is what we're looking for." He pointed to the drawing of the Gate. "Or something similar in appearance. Just look for any reference or mention of some giant Gate-like structure."

        "You mean like that thing?" Fira asked as he pointed to something across the room.

        His brother and the mouse looked to where he was pointing and saw a very intense-looking painting. The three then looked to each other- there's no way it was that easy or that quick. There's just no way. That's not how it works in books.

        "There's no way it's that easy." Kader commented. He gripped the phone with both paws, then jumped onto Pira's head as the twins made their way over to it. "Is it?"

        Depends on what you mean by easy. The painting was a grand one, depicting warriors from Naya charging towards unknown creatures emerging from a glowing door that appears to be carved into a enormous cliff-face. And while the painting depicted a dark and stormy sky with cataclysmic lightning and fire, it's possible that the painter just added it in for dramatic effect. The plague that was below it read as, "The Battle of Zixvor." Fira read. 

        "Zixvor?" Pira repeated. "I never heard of that place."

        "Neither have i." Kader commented. 

        "It sounds made up." Fira concluded. 

        "All words are made up." Kader countered. "But yeah, that does sound like a name that was made up on the spot." He looked to the painting. Most often times, people would just accept that as a regular painting and move on, but with the information they now know... "But i wonder..." He pondered. "... given what we know about the outsiders, with that giant Gate to other worlds, it's possible that this painting is based on a real event."

        "You think so?" Pira asked.

        "It's possible. Maybe."

        As Kader pondered, Fira wandered, but he didn't go far. He was just looking at the artifacts in the nearby display cases. That's when he found something that could be important: tablets written in a very strange language, one that doesn't exist anymore or never existed in the first place. "Un... guys." He called out to. "Can you read this?"

        Pira approached the display case and looked in with Kader. "Nope." They both said.

        "That's what i thought. But what do you think the others on the island can?"

        "One way to find out." Kader readied the phone, but it slipped right out of his paws and fell towards the ground. Thankfully, Pira was able to catch it before it got past the dragon's chin. "Nice catch." He did lifted the phone back up to give to Kader, but the mouse thought about it for a moment and remembered what Ven and Bran said; if he was too close, he won't get any good shots; he won't get the full picture. Aerial, however... "Mmmm... you should take the photos. If i'm too close, i won't get a good shot. And if you're flying above it..."

        "Alright." Pira picked up on and flapped his wings, holding his position above the display cases. "This should work." He said as readied the phone. Copying what he saw Kader did, he got close enough to where it was readable, but still far enough away to get the full thing in the shot, then took it.

        "We may wanna also try these. Same language as that one." Fira said, gesturing to the three other display cases near the painting. Three shudder snaps later, the pictures were taken; the second was yet another page written in the strange language. The third, they assume by the layout, are blueprints for some trebuchet thing, and the fourth seems to be a list of some kind, considering how it's laid out like one.

        "That's all the ones written in the strange language i can find." Fira said, after having looked around for more while his brother took the photos. "Think that's all we needed?" He asked as his brother landed beside him.

        Before Kader could replay, a fifth snap was heard; Pira had taken a picture of the painting. "Better safe then sorry." He said as he handed the phone back to the rodent. 

        "Surprisingly smart thinking." Kader commented. 

        "Just because we're wild doesn't mean we're dumb." Fira said with a smile before transitioning to a snicker. "How do you think we come up with so many contingency's for our pranks?"

        "I honestly don't know- i never met you before yesterday."

        "Well, trust us, we can be smart when we wanna be."

        And as if to rain on their parade of complements, the door swung open wide, knocking the armor to the floor when it broke apart, and the chair straight into the closest display case. The iguana, covered in seaweed and seafoam and with a carnivorous fish still bit into her back, stood at the entrance, a fire of hate in her eyes;  she wants to kill the two of them. She'll have to get close, though- no lance. "Yoooooou......." She snarled.

        Sucking in their lips, the twins first instinct was to hide, but there was  no place to hide here. Besides, she saw them the moment she came in. "I think the gecko is angry..." Pira loudly whispered to his brother.

        "You lured her all the way to the ocean?!" Kader exclaimed.

        "We thought the seaweed would be a good delay tactic?" Fira tried to play innocently as he said it, but it wasn't being bought. 

        With utter disregard for their history, the iguana began jumping across the display cases, not caring one bit if the artifacts within are destroyed. Lucky for her, by the end of this, only a few glass cases would be damaged and need replacement, but the artifacts intact. Her job, not so much "I'M GOING TO SKIN THE BOTH OF YOU FOR THIS!!!" She exclaimed in pure hate.

        "I think it's time we brought out our ultimate weapon!" Fira yelled in fear.

        With a fear for his life growing inside of him, Kader yelled, "And what would that be?!"

        As the iguana got closer and closer, and much faster then they predicted, the brothers took to the air just before she could grab them. She fell to the floor, but slid onto her back, looking up with a vengeful snarl. "We can fly, sucka!!" The twin brothers cheerfully exclaimed in unison, high-fiving with satisfied grins.

        Getting up onto her feet, the iguana jumped up at them. She was scarily close to grabbing Pira's feet, which made the twins lose the attitude. The two looked to each other and, knowing full well what the other would do, said "time to go" in unison, then zipped on out of there as fast as they could go, leaving behind cloudy silhouettes of themselves before they eventually dissipated.

        The iguana ran towards the door to chase them, but there was no way she could catch up. They were already long gone. All she could hear was one of them going 'whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop'. She slouched against the exit in defeat.

        "I hate dragons..."




        One such dragon lay fast asleep back on the island, her face buried in Alua's pillow as Pearl laid curled up beside her. Everyone else were at varying degrees of awake, but Sokuro was still out like a light. Given the events of the last three days, some would say letting her sleep in was warranted, but there are always some who think she is being lazy. If they knew her at all, they'd know she is never lazy. 

        Speaking of everyone else, they were waking up; the twins and Kader had been acting since sunrise, and nobody is near their levels yet. Thank goodness this world had coffee, otherwise it would still be a groggy mess. The healing springs were a godsend yesterday. The escaped prisoners and the injured members of their group felt a lot better then they did yesterday. Broken limbs were still going to take some time to heal, but the small injuries are almost fully gone.

        "Is it possible to feel hung over without having alcohol?" Ven groaned, head to the table as he rubbed his forehead.

        Looking up from the book he was looking at, Bran, and Polosa, looked at each other as they both thought the same thing. "That doesn't sound physically possible." She responded.

        "That's what i thought. Yet why do i feel so beat?"

        Polosa put a cup of coffee next to the aching fox, which he happily took. "Given everything we've gone through the last few days, i'd be surprised if you didn't feel like shit." Can't fault her on that logic. He endured a couple days of hell. But still, would a hangover be one of the side effects? She sat down next to him with her own cup, then glanced over to Bran, who had his face buried in the local books. "And what are you doing this early?"

        "Reading." He replied. 

        Reading what? The local books? But they can't read that stuff. "But it's a language we can't read."

        He held it up by the spine and showed her one of the pages, which had a lot of pictures. "And that automatically makes the pictures illegible?" 

        She held up her hands. "No need to be snarky. But why, though?" 

        "Back on Vega, i watched a lot of television and movies, and one of the biggest lessons that they all taught me: Research, Research, and Research. And while i can't read this chickenscratch, there maybe something in all these paintings and drawings that may help, like a visual clue or something... besides, there's something that's been bugging me about this place, but i can't put my finger on it."

        There are a lot of things wrong with this world; just pick one, Ven thought. "Like what?" He asked.

        "Didn't he just say he doesn't know?" Polosa said out of the side of her mouth.

        Sputtering like a horse, Bran closed the book and leaned it upright so that he can rest his hands, then head on it. "I dunno...." He muttered to himself as he tapped a finger on the binding. "Like there's something familiar about it, which makes no sense cause we've never been here, but i keep hearing words or phrases that sound so familiar..."

        Ven held up a finger. "As someone who's been around for a few million years, i can tell you that some words can sound familiar between races. Maybe what the locals are saying sounds familiar because they sound similar."

        He sputtered again. "Maybe..." After a moment, he chuckled to himself. "Though it would be cruel irony if we could be right next door celestially to Dragenia and not even know it."

        Polosa tilted her head. "Celestially?"

        "All that cosmic planet stuff we talk about." Ven answered. "He means that we may be in the next system or in a neighboring one."

        System? She doesn't remember anyone mentioning that. "Oh. Yeah. Sure." She leaned back in her chair, nonchalantly taking a sip of her coffee.

        Ven leaned back too, but putting his hands behind his head. "But boy, that would be the most amazing pure luck i've ever seen. Just pure, cruel, ironic luck."

        "And us without a ship if true." Bran chuckled. "Though... aren't modern phones powerful enough to serve as a sort of beacon?"
        
        "Eh, they don't transmit to other systems. Smart thinking, though." Bran softly laughed to himself before opening it back up to the page he left off at. Ven's relaxation slowly ebbed away when he realized that he gave their own piece of tech to a couple of troublemakers. "Speaking of which, those guys better not break my phone."

        "Trust me: Kader won't break it. He's deceptively strong for his size, and i mean strong, like Supermouse strong."

        "It's not the mouse i'm worried about breaking it."

        Bran sucked in air through his teeth; he forgot all about the twins. "Oh. Them. Yeah, i'd worry."

        "It's that fragile?" Polosa asked as Seqy came into the kitchen, yawning loudly. These guys must be 'early-to-rise' folk, she thought.

        "Well, not too fragile where a simple drop will break it... but given how i've seen them act..."

        Rubbing her eyes, Seqy chimed in. "They're not that clumsy." Nobody was believing that and even she knew it was a lie. "well, they're not that des---" Really consider your words there, Seqy. These are the twins of pranks you are talking about. At this point, hoping it will come back in one piece is a fools hope. "....You should look into getting a replacement. Those phones things are replaceable, right?" Ven lowered his head in fear and moved back into the position he had at the beginning of the day. "I take it that's a no."

        "Considering we're on a planet God knows where in the universe and the closest replacements are somewhere all the way out there..." He pointed up to the roof, but everyone knows he meant the sky and the stars beyond.

        Some time passed by, and by the time the morning reached its 9 o'clock portion of the day and more of the gang were awake...

        The door opened wide and the twins slid right on in, having successfully accomplished their objective. Hopefully. "We are too goooooooooooood...?" They sang, holding each other around the head as they did- if they were old enough, they'd be drinking champagne. Kader, still on Pira's head, was in need of a barf bag.
        "And in one piece." Sil snidely snorted with a stupid smirk as he helped Alua make breakfast.

        The twins ignored him and stupidly chortled in response. "Herherher."

        Putting an end to whatever madness would likely come if they continued, Bran jumped straight to the point. "Did you guys find anything?" He asked as he closed the book he was looking through.

        The trio looked between each other; they weren't 100% sure they got the information the outsiders needed, but... "Kinda."

        "Kinda?" A puzzled Polosa responded.

        The group entered the kitchen/dining area and approached the table. When Pira sat down, Kader jumped onto the table. "Well, we found some things, but we weren't sure if they were what you needed." He said as Pira pulled the phone out of his saddlebags.

        "Like what?" Eia asked, her hands around a steaming hot cup of coffee.

        "Like ancient writings and a big painting that showed a epicly awesome battle!" Fira boasted, still amazed by how the painting looked even after leaving hours ago.

        "Did you bring it?" Seqy asked.

        ... seriously? Girl, use your eyes. Or is he just messing with them? Who knows. "Of course we brought it, Seqy..." Fira rudely and sarcastically responded. Seqy realized her mistake, but can't stop it- once they get going... "...we just had to fight off dozens of guards just to get it past the checkout station, then we had to divide it up and eat it just to get it out of the city. Of course we didn't bring it!! The thing was huge!" Seqy sank in her seat, feeling like she pulled a dumb. "But... we were smart and thought ahead." Pira pulled the phone out of his saddlebags. "We took pictures."

        Pira put the phone on the table and slid it over to Ven, but it was too fast so it slid past its owner and went straight into Bran's chest and fell into his lap. "You guys knew how to operate that?" Ven asked before he missed grabbing it.

        "You taught me how before we left, remember?" Now Ven felt like he pulled a dumb; he did do that this morning. How could he have forgotten?

        Moving on, Bran picked up Ven's phone and went straight for the photo app. "Alright then, let's see what we got." Ignoring the epicly epic painting, he went straight towards what they needed and snorted when he saw what they were. "Stone tablets. How Clich--- Wait.....wait a dang minute... this is written in English."

        "English?" Sil asked. Except for Ven, nobody here knows what that is.

        Ven spoke up before Bran, "A very, very, very common Human language; it's very simplistic in its structure. It's the easiest language in the Milky Way to learn- it even overtook other langu--"

        "Ven. Focus, please." Bran asked, to which Ven passively nodded in agreement.

        "Then how come we couldn't read it?" Pira asked.

        Bran spoke up, "Ven and i have Universal Translators surgically installed- everyone from the Milky Way has them installed." He pointed to his eyes, while Ven pointed to his throat. "They are surgically implanted into our ears and vocal chords, while they just outright replace eyes for the visual stuff."

        A feeling of disgust came upon the group. They.... actively and willingly mutilate their bodies like that? That's... that's so disturbing and disgusting. "You.... replace your eyes and mutilate your bodies?"

        "Yep." They sound so placid about that... is it so commonplace, they don't even bat an eye? For people from space, they sure do some disgusting stuff "Best part is that everything is automatically translated- it's how we're able to understand you despite not knowing a dang thing about how we speak and write."

        That explains some things, but still...... it sounds so, so terrible, not one any of them want to go through. Gulping down her disgust, Seqy asked, "But doesn't that get in the way? All that auto-translate thing?"

        "Well, we can turn it off." They can what? "For our ears, we just click our earlobes. Our speech, we press this spot under our chin." He pointed to where his jaw connected to his throat. "And our eyes, we press the ridges." Points to his eyebrows.

        This entire time, Ven was resting his head on one hand while tapping the fingers of his other hand on the table. "You tell me to focus and you just went off on a side-tangent about translators."

        Seqy and Eia snickered to themselves, but were loud enough to be heard and make Bran feel embarrassed and flustered. "Right. Sorry. So what does it say?" He slid the phone back over to Ven, who caught it this time.

        Taking it off screensaver, Ven leaned back and looked at the pictures of the stone tablets. "Eh, it's scratched out in parts, so i'm gonna have to make some assumptions, but i think it says, 'We made a mistake, opening this Portal to that hellscape. We've lost several brave warriors when they passed through and never returned. Stars permitting, they died peacefully, for whatever other alternative that is in my mind haunts me. Damn those demons. As the Portal and the Key, they cannot be destroyed; we tried many things to destroy it, but nothing. With no other option, we have decided to hide them from sight, with records leading to the Portals location destroyed'."

        "Well, that's just great..." Eia grumbled as she slinked back in her seat, crossing her arms in anger. 

        "I'm not done yet. 'While i suggested we destroy ALL records, some on the Council refused and decided to leave several, on the off chance someone is able to figure out how to control the Portal's functions, or if the warriors find a way to communicate with us and we need to return. I don't like it... i understand their reasoning, but not their logic, but i will defer to their judgment. The Key, we left buried near where we left the Portal. And we've two maps leading to the Portals location- one we've commissioned to hide in a painting. The second was a ancient stone effigy carved deep within the caves of the Isle of Origins... Stars only know if leaving all this behind is a good idea' -- and it ends there."

        "Sounds like whoever wrote this was afraid." Alua said as she and Sil began putting plates on the table. It was just scrambled eggs, nothing too special. "Was Dragenia that bad in the past?"

        Polosa nodded. "It would all have to depend on when your Ancients used it, cause we had ups and downs."

        "Same with Earth and this place..." Bran listlessly commented.

        Putting her fork in her mouth, Seqy said, "Sounds like the last time that opened, things went bad between Naya and Dragenia. A conflict between worlds, perhaps?"

        "That would explain the painting back in the museum." Kader concluded, to which Ven scrolled to and put it on holographic fullscreen so that everyone could see it. The natives aren't even freaked out; with everything the outsiders have pulled the last several days, a floating picture is the least surprising. "And it seems there was a clue hidden in it too."

        "If there was, we completely missed it." Fira said. "And we can't go back because we pissed off that guard." That brought some worry, but they'll cross that bridge when they come to it." 

        "Isn't anyone more curious about the fact that they covered this up?" Sil asked. "Assuming this painting is true and lines up with that diary entry thingamajig, there was some sort of conflict between our worlds. Why hide that? Why hide that knowledge from everyone?"

        "Fear." Fayin finally chimed in after being silent all this time. She was over in the living room area, relaxing her toe-less foot on some raised pillows. "Fear is a good reason to hide something like that. And i'd say we found some good reasons for the people here to fear us: the transformation and the multiple elements. That is a lot of versatility all ready to go at a moment's notice, and we were pretty savage way back when. As for those missing warriors from the tablet, i'm assuming that Naya won the conflict, or at least pushed Dragenia back to their world, and they were some expeditionary force to keep them there."

        "That is a reasonable assumption..." Alua said. "But i have to agree with Silverwind, and add on that there is more going on here then we know. Something clearly happened back then that both sides of the Portal-Gate thing don't want the others to know about. The question is what."

        And that question is going to remain a question, as they've no way to find out, and nobody wants to risk returning to the city again- it's a safe bet they're all on a watch list now. Polosa was the one to say, "A question that won't be answered, if all known records except for a small few are destroyed." She got up and leaned forward to get a good view of the painting. "But an effigy in the caves... that's the only lead we can access at this point."

        Leaning back on his tail, Kader popped his lips, "Guess i owe Sokuro that free lunch; she was spot on with her guess." Since when did the two of them bet a lunch, they all thought? "But that's gonna be a trip and a half."

        Before anyone could ask when he made that bet, Pira asked, "What's an effigy?"

        That is a good question, as half of them have never heard of it before. "There's two explanations behind that." Bran said, which made Eia groan; here comes another lesson from the smart kid. "It all depends on the context, but both revolve around remembering someone after death. For example, if the person was bad, then when they die, they create an effigy to destroy since they couldn't destroy the person, so they may as well destroy a likeness. The other is to create something in remembrance if they were good or beloved and you want them immortalized for later generations, so someone commissioned a statue in their honor or had their faces printed on coins."

        "So we're looking for a memorial statue?" Pira concluded.

        "It doesn't have to be a statue. Like i said, it can also be used for coins or even busts, but since the writer described it as stone, i'm gonna go with yes, it's a statue or some kind of carved mural." He turned his attention back to Kader. "And you said the caves ran for miles?"

        Seqy went and answered for him. "Ooooooh, yes it is. Saying it just goes for miles is putting it mildly. The entire underside of the island is a complete and utter labyrinthine mess. You can easily get lost and spend days, if not weeks, lost in there."

        "I know i did." Alua chimed in. "But i was thankfully able to find my way out because i had a Ground Dragon with me. I don't know if it's the same for your kind, but Ground Dragons can sense vibrations and movement and changes under the surface."

        Polosa shook her head. "We can't do that. Nobody back home has that kind of an ability. But the way you describe it, it sounds like a form of echolocation."

        "I supposed that's one way to look at it...' Seqy conceded. "It's a lot more complex then that, but if that's how you want to understand it, be my quest." And as nobody wants a complicated explanation, they'll take it. "Can your kind do echolocation?" 

        "Those with a strong affiliation towards wind or an Ajixis with a Sound variant can."

        Fayin raised her hand slightly. "Un, this brings us to a new problem, you know. We only have Seqy to guide ya'll in those caves, and unless Polosa is able to keep those brothers around, magically heal the broken leg of her Aerid half, or if there are any Ground Drakes among the injured crowd outside, she's the only Ground Drake you'll have, and i doubt this place has miles of rope or string to use as a breadcrumb trail for an alternative."

        "We don't. And you're right." Alua said. "Polosa's dragon leg is still broken and the caves are too narrow for flying. And unless she can convince the triplets to stay, we'll only have Seqy to guide us. As for the hurt... we could ask them, but some may still be too hurt to move, or don't want to- they're not under any obligation to help us. It would be nice if they would, but we're not going to force them." So it all depends on Polosa getting the wild trio to stay, then. "And it is no joke with how big and expansive those caves are. We can get lost easily."

         Most of the otherworlders groaned loudly, with Ven planting his head on the table, Eia rubbing her eyes, and Fayin wanting to suffocate herself by planting a pillow in front of her snout.
        This has been some morning, Bran thought to himself... their only clue to getting back home is underground in a maze that would make the Minotaur cry and they only have one person to leave them in. That's just wonderful... He looked over to Ven. Maybe the other tablets will have something useful on them. "What about the other tablets? Can you read those? Do they have any hints as to where the effigy might be? Or... just anything useful?"

        "I already did while you were all talking, and no, they don't." Crap. "The second tablet is a order set forth by someone called King Ghi'ich'tarl, who ordered an expedition to someplace called the Cavern of Halls. The third is just blueprints for a trebuchet, and the last is a order requisition form for weapons, armor, troops, food, etc."

        "Ghi'ich'tarl?" Sil repeated. That is an ancient name; so ancient, nobody has ever heard of at all. It almost sounds made up. "I have never heard of that guy." the rest of the Nayan natives nodded and grunted in affirmation. "If he was a King, then he's from a civilization so ancient, that has been erased from existence entirely." Broad way of looking at it, yet accurate in this context. "And what's this Cavern of Halls?"

        "No idea." Ven sputtered as he rested his head on his hands. "Could be anything. And for all we know, this tablet could be a page from a fictional story; it certainly has the feel of it."

        "They can write fictional stories on tablets?" Fira asked with a raised eyebrow...

        ... to which Bran responded with a deadpan, "Remind me to introduce you to Gilgamesh when i get the chance..."

        Kader approached Bran's plate and stole a fluffy bit of the scrambled eggs off of it. "We made some good progress here of getting nowhere fast, but now there's just one thing left on the discussion list today: The Key." He took a bite. "The journal-diary thing mentioned that the Portal needs a key. What does it even look like?"

        Polosa, Ven, Eia, and Bran all looked at each other, as they all knew what it looked like since they saw it being used. "A dagger." The four of them said in unison.

        "A dagger?" Fayin repeated, as she was the only one among them who hadn't seen it, but it confused the lot of them when she did ask. "The girl used a dagger to open that thing?"

        "Yep." Came another unison response.

        "You didn't see it?" Sil asked.

        "I was too shellshocked from Velx's sudden flight to notice anything, and i was faceplanted into the ground for half of the arrival. I'm still hoping this is some coma dream brought on from so much wind to my face." She smacked herself on the noggin a few times, hoping it was the case. It was not. She sighed, "a girl can hope, right...?"

        "At the very least, the dagger was used as the Key for the Gate back home." Bran said. "Let's hope the dagger will work the same here and it's not something we would never have guessed or stupidly specific, like a pot or a specific pile of dirt."

        "Why are you guys so loud.....?" A tired, exhausted, and groggy Sokuro said as she walked down the hallway, rubbing her eyes with one arm and carrying a equally pooped Pearl in the other. Her bed head was laughably terrible, sticking out in every kind of direction.

        Now everyone is awake, and someone was late to the round table discussion. "Look who's finally awake." Fira jestured.

        "About time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty." Ven added on.

        Sokuro wasn't in the mood for jokes; she needs to wake up. "How long was i out...?" She grumbled, still rubbing her eyes.

        "A pretty long time." Alua said. Sokuro slightly grunted in agreement; it felt like she was asleep for days on end. "How are you feeling?"

        "Drained and in need of caffeine..." She grumbly sighed as she lowered her rubbing arm. As she slinked along towards them, she took notice of a number of books on the table opened up, and Ven's phone projecting a hologram of a... is that a painting? "What did i miss...? Looks like a lot..."

        "That's an understatement." Seqy said. She got up out of her seat and approached the drowsy outsider. "I'll explain it to you later. For right now, let's just say we got a big lead."

        "We do?" Sokuro replied, feeling a bit more awake with that piece of good news.

        "Hopefully. And that leads to my next question: How great are you at spelunking?"

        Now it switched back to tired confusing. She nervously laughed internally; for a moment, she thought she heard Seqy asked how she was at spelunking. "... beg pardon? Spe-what?"
 

56: Chapter 52: Spelunking Gone Wrong
Chapter 52: Spelunking Gone Wrong

Chapter 52

Spelunking Gone Wrong



        


        "You want us to do what?" Terrum responded with a mouth full of food and in a state of utter confusion, confusion to if what the kid asked him and his brothers was real.

        "Lead us in a expedition into the caves beneath the island so that we can find a map that is hopefully down there from the ancient past." Sokuro repeated for the second time, knowing that they'll have gotten it this time.

        Still flabbergasted at the mere question of it, Rum looked to his brothers who, like him, were busy snacking on crackers. It's not healthy, but it's something. "... well, when you put it that way.." He responded lethargically. 

        Polosa leaned into Sokuro's ear and muttered, "Told you they were gonna need a lot of convincing." 

        Sokuro had a feeling the three of them were going to be stubborn, bur she's worked out how to manipulate people over the years. Here's hopin' Dragenian charm works on Naya. First: play to their strengths. "Look, you three are Ground Dragons, so you are the only ones who can lead us down there thanks to your... ground sense? Is that the term?"

        Seqy shook her head. "Not really, but it'll work."

        She'll take it. "Ok- you're the only ones with Ground Sense who can lead us through without getting lost."

        Why is she doing this? They want nothing to do with this. They have their own issues to deal with. "Listen, lady, we have our own problems to worry about. Argax will skin us alive if we don't deliver him anything."

        They talked about this last night, didn't they? "Didn't we go over this back at the springs?" See? "Forget about him- he's a loser. A Nobody. He won't harm you, not with all of us here. He did get kicked out of that gang, so he's clearly not worth it." 

        A convincing argument, if they weren't still worried about pissing Argax off more then he already was. "...i dunno." Taltian crowed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

        Being that sticky to leaving, eh? Sokuro buckled up- she is still a kid. It's time to break out the secret weapon of the child: the power of the cute. Digging deep, she brought out her puppydog eyes and puckered out her lips in a whimper. She got on her knees, clasped her hands together, and unleashed her beg: "Pleeeeeeeeease?"

        To the people back home on Dragenia, this would've worked. But to the people of Naya, it... just looked weird. Really weird. Almost out of place. But they can see she's trying hard to convince them, and after the last few days, they could toss her a bone. The triplets all looked to each other, knowing what Terrum will say. Lowering his head and giving out an aggravated groan, Rum said, "........... fine. I suppose we can help out."

        Sokuro hopped on her feet and clapped her hands. "Yay! We got spelunkers!"

        "But we're not going now." He held up his bag of snacks. "Cause the three of us have some things to finish up and--" 

        He turned to leave with his brothers, but was cut off when she grabbed him by the nape of his neck. "Nope, we're going now." She dragged him away against his will. 'blegh'.



        Several hours later, after plans had been made, everyone capable had gathered to the entrance of the caverns: Sokuro, Sil, Seqy, Alua, Fira, Pira, Polosa, Bran, Eia, Kader, Taltian, Terrum, and Terrux. Fayin, Ventus, and Nightewing weren't accompanying them, for obvious reasons, and in exchange for not venturing into the caves, Quio volunteered to stay behind to keep an eye on the place. As they only have Four Ground Dragons, they were stuck with only 4 teams:

        Taltian had Bran and Sil.

        Terrux with Alua and Polosa.

        Terrum with Sokuro and Fira. 

        And Seqy with Eia, Pira, and Kader.

        The entrance to the caves were not hard to miss; it is difficult to miss a large hole in the base of one of the island's mountains. Looking into the opening, however, did nothing to inspire confidence. It was already dark at the entrance and it's exposed to sunlight, so the labyrinth must be even darker. Rux nervously gulped, "This screams bad idea." 

        Polosa nodded in agreement as she looked inside. "I agree, but it's the only one we have if we ever want to get home. Unless you have a metric ton of money we can bribe a councilor with."

        Rux chuckled in response. "If i had that much dough, i'd BE a councilor." And have enough leftover to buy a plot of land.

        "Nobody likes this, but we have to do it." Seqy said. "My sense isn't as fine-tuned as yours, but i should be able to guide my group fine."

        That made Pira, Eia, and Kader extremely nervous. Why do they have the rookie of the Ground Dragons? "We're going to die down there..." Pira gulped.

        "We'll be fine." Eia reassured him, though she doesn't buy it herself.

        As the groups got ready, Alua finally arrived with four rungs of rope, one for each group. She started to pass them out to the mature member of each group. "Ok, lets go over the plans one more time: every group has a Ground Dragon to serve as the guide as they can sense the dirt around them. The Dragons will tie the ropes around their necks, and the Furless Anthromorphs and the Outsiders, their waists..." which they all proceeded to do. "...now since we won't have anyway to talk to each other when we get separated, we will run on a time limit: 5 hours, then we call it a day. Hopefully we'll be lucky and find the efigy on the first go." They can only hope. "And a quick proviso, there are sections where it gets really hot. While we dragons can take it, i doubt the Outsiders can, so try to avoid those spots." The Aerid forms could survive. Well, Sokuro's and Eia's can, as they are in their Aerid forms, but Polosa can't transform since her Aerid self has the broken leg, and Bran doesn't have a transformation.

        Bran, who won't be able to survive the heat if it's as hot ad he thinks it is, slouched forward. First darkness, now intense heat? It is official, "Great... we're plunging into Hell..." He lowered his head. "...fun."

        That word rings foreign to their ears. "Hell?" Sil asked...

        ... to which Sokuro, waving her hand dismissive, responded, "Some human thing about fire and eternal torment; i'll tell ya later." That sounds terrible, but they have more pressing matters then the explain-game.

        Sil gazed into the deep dark cavern himself and shivered a bit. He did his breathing exercises to avoid getting into a panic, “(It’s okay, it’s okay… you won’t be alone, you won’t be alone…)” He thought to himself. As it worked, he felt someone tough him on his shoulder. as he would then soon feel someone touch at his shoulder, his gaze turned to the individual who did it.

        it was Sokuro "You ok?"

        "Y-yeah. Just... claustrophobic." A half-lie that's not wrong.

        Seqy, however, did take notice of what was going on with Sil and felt uneasy. His issues were deluted yesterday thanks to everything that happened, but... he's always hated these caves. “(I hope he is able to survive down in the depths...” She thought to herself. Least there's one good thing, “(At least he won’t be going alone...)" She looked to Bran and Tal, his companions. "(Hope you treat him well, Bran.)"

        Alua walked to the front of the group and looked down at the cave. No use delaying the inevitable "Everyone ready?" As they'll ever be. "Then let's do this." And so, in they went. 

        The maw was pretty big, but not big enough for everyone to go in en masse; had to be one group at a time. The cave slowly expanded as they went in. The newcomers took notice of the walls: whether it's from the dampness or embedded gems shining off whatever little sunlight it could, it shone like sparkling stars in the night sky.

        It got progressively darker and darker as they went further in... to the point they're getting bored. "How about we try playing a game to pass the time?" Tal suggested. The kids looked to each other; what game could they possibly play down here? "I'll go first. Ahem... i spy with my liitle eye a--"

        This game? Really? He can't think of anything better? Besides, it's too easy- so easy, everyone said it at once and in perfect unison: "a rock!"

        "You guys are good at this game."

        "Because that's all there is." Pira said. "Next time you do I-Spy, make sure there's more then one thing to guess, heh?"

        Tal slumped over and said to himself, "No need to be snippy about it."

        Further down and down they went, and further still. It felt like they were walking for hours- in actuality 20 minutes- and Eia loudly whined in her exclamation, "Geez, how far down does this go?"

        Alua pondered if she should give the full answer. The only map of the caves they have show that, indeed, they are expaaaaaaaansive. And she has personal experience from it too. "Pretty deep, i'm afraid. I was once lost down here for a week and never saw the same spot twice."

        "Until you managed to get out." Sokuro pointed out.

        "Obviously."

        "Ah, I feel like you guys are exaggerating on how big this place is." Kader proclaimed. 

        The triplets and Seqy all raspberried in their laughs. The ones who don't know really don't know. "They're not kidding." Terrux chuckled. "I can sense it; this place is like a insect hive."

        Crap on a shingle, it's really that enormous? Bran hung his head back and loudly groaned. This is going to suck. "....greaaaaaaat. If we run into Gi-Ants, i'm running the other way." They never really considered if any monsters existed down here. Most who go in don't come out for one reason or another. It's assumed they get lost and run out of supplies. They not once considered creatures that may lurk in here.

        Maybe they're worrying over nothing from the exasperations of a frustrated kid.

        Eventually, they had reached a development: multiple paths. "The fork in the road." Alua sighed. "But only three paths. Two teams are sticking together for now, but who goes down what path?"

        "How do we even pick?" Polosa brought up. "Not like we have sticks to draw."

        That is true. They should've planned for this. But Sil was able to come up with a solution. "Well, we don't have sticks, but..." He started picking some up. "... we do have rocks." He saw some confused looks among the crowd. "It's simple: the  smallest rock will go down..." He looked at the three paths. "... that one." He pointed to the one on the left. "... while the largest rock goes down that one." He pointed to the one on the right. "The other two groups will take the only remaining path. Sound fair to everyone?" 

        Fair or not, it's the only way they'll choose without bickering. "Sounds fair to me." Seqy said. The rest concurred. 

        He held his paws in a cup and extended it out. A member of each group- Polosa, Fira, and Eia- came and, without looking as that would be cheating, took a rock in closed hands/paws. With the last one still in Sil's paws, he closed it up. "Ready?" He asked, and they nodded. They opened up and....

        Polosa's group had the smallest while Sil had the biggest. "Guess that answers that." Polosa said as she tossed her rock away. Alua, however, was concerned with the outcome. Sil is going down into the caves alone and she's afraid of how it will affect him. Sure, he's got Bran and he's a good lad... Taltian, not so sure of. She wishes she could go with them, nut she can't switch groups, now that they're finalized and splitting up. 

        But with that all settled, everyone split up, going down their respective paths. Who was gonna be the lucky one to find what they need? Who knows.




        "Urrragh..." Quio exclaimed as he set down a full bucket of water he drugged up from the well. It was a lot heavier then he anticipated- he leaned on the well and wiped his forehead. He should've gotten more sleep last night, but he was too late to bed and too early to rise. This was going to be a crap day for sure. "When i said i'll stay behind, i had hoped someone would've volunteered to stay behind with me, but nope. Now he's stuck doing this all by himself. He'll even take the mouse- they are deceptive strong for their small size and could probably carry this easy.

        He rounded the corner of the house and looked out to the hurt. Many, if not all, were trying to find ways to pass the time or simply try to relax and rest. He envies them- he'll quickly trade places with one of them if it meant getting out of this work he's doing by himself. Heput the bucket down near the front door and exhaled- this was getting to be too much. 

        "Man, i'm beat..." He said to himself. He then went inside, leaving it behind. Within the orphanage, Fayin and Pearl were relaxing on cushions, listening to the radio. Nightwinge was also there, reading a book on history, and Ven sat at the table, looking at some local atlas' for any potential differences between them and the stolen map. As Quio passed the table by, he grimaced to the fox. "You know, you're  the least injured out of all of them, so you could help out."

        "I may not be physically hurt like everyone else, but my body is weak thanks to what the prick did. I can barely stand up."

        The dog pursed his snout, not believing what he said. "Un-huh. And i'm the King of Tianne." He then walked past the table, ignoring the glare the fox was giving him. He pulled some cups from the cupboards and set them down on the countertop. "... maybe we should dig a trough." 

        Nightwinge looked up from his book to add his own spiteful glare to the bunch. "You have no class or remorse, do you?"

        "No, i do. I'm just tired of being the errand boy to a bunch of ungrateful lazybodies."

        The absolute nerve of this jerkwad. He volunteered to stay behind so he doesn't have to go into those caves, and he's complaining? No no- complaining about the hurt people he volunteered to look after. "I have never felt more bile contempt for someone before now." Nightwinge droned, with Fayin, Ven, and Pearl nodding in agreement.

        A knock came at the door, which made Quio groan, whine, and complain again, "Like i care what you think, bird brain." Upgrade the contempt to outright hatred. Since no one else was getting up, he headed for the door himself. "You three can at least make yourselves useful, you know."

        Seriously?! What does he think they're doing, having a tea party? Fayin's listening to the radio for any news concerning the past events- there is some and it's never positive; Polosa and Sokuro are basically public enemy number 1 and 2- while occasionally looking out the window for any intruders, while Night is looking through the huts very short supply of history books for anything they could've missed, and Ven's doing his thing. Besides, Ven's too weak, Fayin can't walk for a while yet, and Nightwinge can't walk ever again, so what's the jerk's excuse?

        "Are you kidding us right now!?!" The three yelled just as a mocking Quio opened the door...

        ... and his heart immediately sank and his face melted. "Sadly, no he's not." Trach said with slime and venom in his voice. "He always leaves a bad taste.

        As anyone who knows the canine can contest, he got scared. Trach is at the far bottom of the list of people he wants to see right now, and top of the list of people who want to kill him. "aghfgbdjumgfdf!!! Trach!!" That set off some alarm bells, prompting Ven to slowly reach for his rifle on the other side.

        "Hello, Quio." He dismissively said as he walked in.

        "W-w-w-what are you doing here? How did you even find out where i was!?!"

        "it wasn't that hard, you idiot. That Green dragoness friend of yours and her Silver friend are all over the news, and it doesn't take an idiot to remember that the Female Silver had been seen wandering around the celebration with the Male Silver and his orphan buddies. You'd have to be an idiot not to put two and two together."

        "But it's a big leap in logic to assume Quio followed her after the fight." Fayin pointed out, keeping her calm and cool during this.

        Trach looked to her. Her appearance was surprising, but quick to piece together. "Ah, you must be one of those outsiders." Quick thinker. Let's hope he's smart and not cause anything. "True, it would've been... if one of our own didn't see the stupid mutt following Alua with the cavalcade parked outside."

        "Crap... this isn't good.... He could tell everyone in town where the escapees are.." The trio were not in any spot to help Quio; they were in no condition to intervene if this gets bad, and Ven was having difficulty moving his rifle. 

        "Now..." Trach slammed the door behind him. "... where is the map?"

        Qui gulped out of sheer fear, slowly backing away as Trach approached, slowly spreading his wings and puffing his chest, to make himself look bigger in a show of intimidation that was working. "w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-what map?"

        "The map you stole from the tower, you hijo de-" Quio quickly shushed him up before he could finish that horrible curse word... but too late for one as Ven's eyes went wide. He recognized that curse. 

        Trach slapped his hands away, which put Quio back where he was seconds ago. “H-hey now! No need to curse! I-I-I didn’t run away from the jov… n-not on purpose…" That didn't help- it just made Trach angrier. "...things got quickly out of control at the tower...”

        "Oh, i think EVERYONE is well-aware of that last part with all that damage, but i'm not in the mood for games." Quio's backside hit the edge of the table, trapping him. "Give. Me. The. Map."

        Shiiiiiit, what does he do? if Trach looks up, he'll see it under those atlas'. He had already planned to take it when Ven was done with it, but this puts a wrench in the works. He doesn't want to piss of Trach, but he also doesn't want to piss off Polosa either- she took on Termundus and Ocilus and survived! Clearly not one to piss off... but again, so is Trach! But without even deciding, he blurted out, "..... i-i-i-i-i-i-i don't have it. It's gone."

        Not the words the thug wanted to hear, and not what Quio planned or wanted to say. "What do you mean, GONE?"

        He was in a big pickle now. He needed to think a way where he cane keep his life, fast... and he may have found it: maybe he can pass the buck off to someone else, but w--- Argax! Those nitwit triplets mentioned him. "Exactly what i meant. Gone. Poof. Vanished. We were in competition with someone else and they took it to someone named Argax!""

        "ARGAX!?! Trach screeched. Not the reaction none of them expected, even the dragon himself. He recomposed himself and turned it around. "You are lying, you little bitch. Argax died months ago!" Is that true? If it is, then who hired the triplets- a brother? A imposter? Or is Trach lying? "Now tell me where it is or else your going facefirst into a smelly outhouse!!!" Quio said nothing, which is leading Trach to think he's telling the truth, but he won't admit it. Besides, he still needs to take him in; maybe the boss will get some good info. "Fine. If you won't tell me, then maybe Kar'kile can get it out of you." 

        Not what the mutt wanted to hear. “NO!” He screamed. He threw a mug, which Trach blocked with his wing. Quio was already by the fridge when the dragon got in front of him and harshly in the gut. Quio spit up whatever liquid was in his  stomach, rolling across the floor; he stopped right by Fayin.

        "You just had to do this the hard way, mutt." Trach said as he walked while waving the paw he punched with over to the unconscious dog. "But you just had to pick the hard way." Wasting no time, he picked the unconscious pup up and slung him over his back. He didn't leave yet, though... there's still the three of them. "..Now what to do with the three of you?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fox-looking one pick up a strange looking crossbow.

    It was taking all the strength Ven had to keep holding that rifle up, and himself from falling over. "How about you leave? You heard him- the map is gone. Now get lost." The two of them stared each other done, while Night and Fayin looked on in worry.




        As each group descended further down, the Ground Dragons in their group left behind indicators about where they've been, dragging their tails in the ground behind them, so that they don't get lost while trying to find their way out and so that they don't go down the same path twice. It's a good thing, too, for it was now pitch black. They planned for this and brought torches, though Sokuro had to one-up them with light orbs- she's the only one on this planet that can do that. Showoff. Eia can do something similar by generating electricity through her horns, making them glow.



        Further in, as the caves got darker and pitcher, but also as the gems grew brighter, "So these are the infamous caves of the origin isle." Kader said as he looked around at the dark, cold, and dreary tunnels of rock that surrounded them while riding on top of Seqy's head. "I expected something grander."

        "Maybe we'll find that further down." Seqy mentioned as her eyes looked up. "These do go on for miles, after all."

        Pira popped up in front of them and  jokingly riled them on. "We may find a long-lost tribe and they'll take us in to serve as their rulers."

        Sighing in her exhale, Seqy slowly shook her head; if she was bipedal, her arms would be on her hips to further emphasize her ludicrous that all sounded. "You really need to cut back on all those adventure books..." She sighed, which made Pira stick his tongue out in turn.

        "Eh, he ain't wrong." Eia said, in her Aerid form to do the trick with the horns mentioned earlier. "What i mean is that we may not find a tribe, but we may find a lot of ruins down here, and not just that dead statue thing. You did say these were around for thousands of years, after all."

        Thinking about what she said for a moment, Kader asked, "so by the sounds of it, ruins are prevalent on your world."

        "Oh, pbt, like you wouldn't beleeeiiiiii---"

        Her explanation was interrupted as they suddenly fell down a hole in the pathway they didn't see.



        Moving through the caverns, Terrum led Fira and Sokuro through it all, dragging his tail behind him as he did. He looked back periodically, making sure they were doing ok. "You guys doing okay?" he asked. "I know spelunking is not for everyone and we just entered some rough terrain."

        Fira's response began with a sputtering raspberry. "Everything's okay with me, no worries." He was having some troubles with the terrain, but thankfully having quite a good grip of it. This isn't his first time in the caves, but he's never been this deep before.  "Dirt's certainly not a problem with me."

        Sokuro followed up, "And i grew up on a mesa and live near a forest. Mud's my second name." It is? The three days they've known her, she's been battlescarred, but not muddy. And she would stain those pristine scales? Or that pretty dress her other self has? Dragenian clothing must be very sturdy and easy-to-wash. "Well, ok, not really. At least not in my Aerid form yet." Yet? "My brother, on the other hand... he's not much of a jungle boy."

        Terrum chuckled. "Ah, yeah... Terrux ain't much of a jungle guy either." He said as they kept moving through the tunnel. "He would rather be anywhere but nature, and we can never drag him out without incentive; he is really, really, really stubborn. If you look up the definition of 'stubborn as a rock', he'd be one of the examples." That made the other two chuckle. "Taltian, on the other hand, he'll not only go head-first into the woods, but pick a fight with the biggest creature he could find. Except spiders. He hates spiders.

        Sokuro grinned evilly as sinister stars lit up in her eyes. Her evil prank brain just got a nasty idea. "Spiders, eh? I think i saw a few small ones around the hut- i could grab some and put them on his shoulder."

        That made Rum lightly laugh. "Stars above... so you're the evil sibling in the family. Just our luck."

        Fira, however, snickered as evilly as Sokuro and skirted up alongside her. "I'm game."

        As fun as that sounds, he has to deflate their idea. He feels they're too devious if unleashed. "How about no?"

        "Party pooper." Both of them replied in unison.

        Before long, the three of them reached a large chamber, with multiple routes open to them. That's something that was expected, but not when it's seven possible routes. "So which way now?" Sokuro asked.

        "That way." Both boys said, pointing in different directions.

        Oh no. Oh, this won't end well. "..............oh brother..."



        Elsewhere, with the third and final group of kids, "So, how far down have we've gone?" Bran asked with his arms behind his head. 

        "Not that far, i'm afraid." Tal responded, using his ground sense to sense what's up ahead. "And we're only even past the tip of this iceberg."

        "We've been walking for hours and we're not even past the TIP?!" Bran shouted, losing his composure as he flipped. He knew the caves were big, but THAT big?! 

        "That's what i said." Tal responded, still keeping his composure. 

        His eyes flinched for a moment before lowering his upper body in self defeat. "Korpache, we're never getting out of here..." Sil and Tal looked to each other, wondering what 'Korpache' meant. Near they can figure, a curse word. 

        Sil patted the defeated lad on the back. "Don't be self-defeated. We'll find it. The caves are big, but not infinite." That's true. It's not like this will take forever. Just a really really.. really.... really........... really long time. He lowered his head again.

        Seconds later, Tal suddenly stopped and spread out his right wing to make them stop. "Wait a moment."

        "What's going on?" Bran asked.

        Sil then felt a soft rumble and nearly tripped. "Whoa!..." He looked back where he stepped and saw nothing he could've tripped on. He turned to the other two and saw they were unphased. "...did you guys feel that?"

        "Feel what?" Bran asked. Before any of them could answer, they heard a soft, guttural growl. It sounded so near and so far away. Gulping out of fear, he shakenly asked, "Tell me that was your stomach." To which they just shook their heads. "... i was afraid of that."

        They saw something shimmering in the distance... it was bobbing up and down and... getting closer. A lot closer. Concerningly closer. Getting a bad feeling about it, Sil took a precautionary measure and fired a small fireball down the path.

        It was like something out of a nightmare, or worse yet a eldritch abominations good dream, and one you never want to see running towards you: a giant piranha, snapping its jaws open and shut, as large spider-like legs carried it though the cramped tunnels. The fireball just bounced off it, and and stalactites and stalagmites were eating up in the guillotine. 

        So many "nope" alarm bells were going off that made the boys lose their minds. Their eyes were white from sheer terror. "IS THAT A *BLEEP*ING SPIDER!?!" Taltian screamed at the top of his lungs.

        "IS THAT A *BLEEP*ING PIRANHA!?!" Sil added on.

        Like a speed demon, Bran ran past the two drakes, screaming, "LESS TALK, MORE RUN!!!" No arguments, they just did, running as fast as their legs could carry them as the hungry monster chased after them, intent on feasting on fresh meat.
 

57: Chapter 53: Tomb Mappers and Monsters
Chapter 53: Tomb Mappers and Monsters


Chapter 53

Tomb Mappers and Monsters

???





        Down and down and down Alua's group went, deep into the darkness of the labyrinthine caves, unaware of the all the troubles the other three groups have found, not that they were in any position to help even if they did. As they continued down, Alua became more and more worried as her thoughts constantly returned to the orphans, and to Sil in particular. It was as plain as the look on her face, and Terrux saw that look when he looked back to see her trailing behind.

        "What's got you looking all gloomy?" He asked, prompting Polosa to momentarily point to herself, wondering if he was talking to her, but when he gestured to head in the other way, she realized it was Alua he was talking to and looked back to.

        "Hm?" She looked up from the ground. "Um... no. Just... nervous right now."

        "You weren't nervous back at the entrance." Polosa mentioned.

        "That was before we split up." She sighed, rubbing her face with her wings like hands. “I don’t know what I was thinking when they convinced me about this… How could've i've been so stupid?”

        "You weren't stupid." Polosa continued. "We all anticipated we would have to split up, so there's no sense in beating yourself up over it." Alua glanced away, feeling unsure about it, but Polosa continued on with strong words of encouragement, "You're a kind caretaker, just like those children you raised. You are also smart, while they... are actually quite intelligent for their age- i just realized that. And like you, they weren't about to turn away someone in need of help... or in this case, 6 misplaced people and a few dozen escaped prisoners."

         "7." Terrux chimed in. "You forgot that pet of yours."

        "Pearl's not a pet. She's a wild animal that got mixed up in all this."

        "Just sayin'." He shrugged. 

        "The point i'm trying to make here is that the kids will be fine." If only Alua could believe that. "Besides, have you seen us fight? We are far from pushovers. I mean, a tyke held her own against a demon and a Shadow in just as many days. If we can survive that, we can survive a few hour spelunking trip."



        Don't speak on behave of others, Polosa, cause not everyone is having a good time. Sitting down on the ground, grimacing away with her head resting in her left hand, lips pursed to the side, and tapping her pointer finger to her cheek, Sokuro, bored out of her skull, watched on as Terrum and Fira continued to argue on which path of take, a process that felt like it was going on for hours. Doesn't help there's more then two to take- by her final count, 7, not counting the one they came down.

        "I'm telling you, we go down that route!" Fira proclaimed as he pointed towards one of the many paths at their disposal. "It looks safer and more approachable." He jokingly smirked.

        "And i'm telling you, you are wrong!" Terrum shouted. "That. Is. The. Right. Way."

        "And how would you know?"

        Is he for real? Is he actually serious? Did he seriously just forget everything that happened back at the entrance? If this is a joke, it's the wrong time to pull it, but he's actually serious. "Seriously? I'M A GROUND DRAGON!!! That's how i know!" Fira dismissed him right away, waving his paw as he took a few steps away from him, leaving Terrum to snarl and growl and want to winge his little neck.

        And all the while, all Sokuro could do was helplessly watch on. Watch... and wait for one of them to concede. But that wasn't going to happen, sadly enough.
        



        Alua exhaled out a sigh from her nose. "I... suppose your right. You three... er, transformers? Changers?" None of those sounded right. "You know what i mean- the three of you seem to hold your own in a bad situation. And... while they don't show it, Seqy and the Twins are good in a fight too. It's just..." Her gaze grew more somber. "It's Silverwind i'm most worried about. You must've heard everything he's gone through by now..." Oh, they have. Multiple times, so no need to repeat. "... he's not a fan of the dark either. Some nights, he needs a nightlight. And yet, he's forcing himself to help you all."

        "Forcing himself?" Polosa repeated. "I don't think actively trying to help out qualifies to be put under the 'Forced' catagory. He could've volunteered to stay behind with Quio... which in hindsight probably would've been the better idea; i've only been around that pup for a day and i can already tell he'll skirt the duty HE volunteered for." She caught on she went off tangent and got back on track. "Sorry about that- went off tangent there. Point is, he didn't have to help us, yet he is, and on his own volition too. He's a good kid." 

        Alua slightly nodded in agreement. "He.. has been more outgoing and positive since this all began."

        Polosa slowed up to pull up beside her and lightly elbowed her while saying, "And you know, i think the lad has a crush on Sokuro."

        This is the first time she's hearing about a crush; it was enough to make her head dart over. "Wait, what, seriously? He likes her?" To which Polosa nodded in confirmation. "That would explain his shift in attitude, but how can you be so sure?"

        "Call it women's intuition. That and he's got some of the same tells someone with a crush has, like what that Eia girl has with Bran- girl is as subtle as a airship wreck." Odd analogy for a culture that doesn't know what a airship is. "Put Sil and Eia side by side and you'll see what i mean."



        Looking up at the hole from where they landed, the group that was Seqy, Eia, Pira, and Kader all looked up at it. They don't know how far they fell, but it hurt all the same. Nothing feels broken, thankfully, other then their pride in the fact they didn't notice it. "There is no way we're going to be able to climb up that hole." Kader said.

        “I mean… maybe we could…” He flapped his wings and flew up to try himself, but the rope was too short. He undid his rope, dug his claws in and tried to go up it himself, only to slide back the way in quite a comical fashion. “Nooooooo..." He mewed.  His claws gave way and he fell back down. "Ow... slick..."

        As Eia disappointingly sighed, walking over to the lad with the untied rope to put it back on him, Kader spoke up and suggested, "Seqy's a Ground Dragon, so can't she just create a pillar to carry us up?" He asked as he patted her on the top of her head.

        Seqy tried to look up at him but couldn't- hard to see when it's a rodent the side of your paw riding your head. "I'm not that skilled. i can barely move pebbles, let alone create an elevator." She looked to a rock right by Pira's aching body. She reached out her paw and attempted to move it, and it wobbled... but only tiny particles of dirt lifted off the ground, barely enough to make someone sneeze. "See?"

        As Eia went about tying the rope back around Pira's waist, she asked, "Why not just fly up?"

        "The hole is too small and our wings are too big when stretched, and with dark enough as it is, we'd bump into one another and the walls. Same with climbing; monkey boy there just proved it's too slick." Pira stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck hers out back. She then got an idea. "Hold a moment." She looked up to the mouse. "You're small, but surprisingly strong. You could climb up and--"

        "Not enough rope." He already commented. "And yeah, i'm strong, but not strong enough to lift two dragons and..." He looked to Eia and stumbled a bit; what can he call her? "... whatever she is."

        "Ferid." Eia replied as she finished up. "This form is called a Ferid. The Dragon form is called an Aerid." Right right, now he remembers... along with the fact that the Aerid Dragons can pretty much down every single element under the sun- heck, they could probably channel the sun, if not move it.

        "Hold it." He said. "Your friends said these Aerid Dragon things can use every element there is. So why can't you make us an elevator?"
        
        Not this misconception again. She's getting really annoyed by it; every newcomer seems to have that same stereotype in their head. Eia put a hand on her hips and let loose a lecture to teach this nitwit... who probably got all his information from the equally pigheaded Bran, she just realized. "First off, we have the CAPACITY to use every element. While we have one practically given to us upon ascension- like my Lightning and Polosa's Air- using the other elements requires training. I never once tried to manipulate the rocks and dirt, so i'm worse at it then Seqy here is. And secondly, we CAN'T use every element; only the Astrals and Silvers can."

        Legitimately taken aback by the lecture, and vowing revenge on Bran for the wrong info, Kader sat down and puffed, "........ you could've just said i can't."

        Releasing a irritated sigh, Eia slowly shook her head. They really don't have time for this. She looked down the new route before them. It's not the one that was chosen, but they got no choice. "Back to immediate topics... i guess we continue on."

        And so they did, walking down the tunnel deeper into the abyss. Picking moss out of his claws, Pira asked, "Think we'll find out way out since we're off course?"

        Seqy looked back to him and replied, "Maybe. If we get luckyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy--"

        As if their luck wasn't bad enough... They fell down another hole.

        They screamed as they fell, with Kader being the loudest with, "YOU'VE GOTTE BE KIDDING ME!! AGAIN!?! REALLY!?!?!?!"

        Pira was also loud... probably louder then the rodent. “Screw you too caaaaaaaaaaave!” Smack "OW!"



        "I think i can already see it in my head." Alua chuckled, having picture the flustered Eia and Sil side-by-side, trying to speak to their clueless crushes. It was amusing. 

       "See? It's funny isn't it?" Polosa asked.

        "It is..." She chuckled again, but the chuckle slowly faded. "I think the reason i'm so worried about him... is because he doesn't deserve all this torture the world has put himself through. He deserves a better life, and not people treating him like some demon that shouldn't have existed at all." She sighed a bit as she tried to forget all those feelings she felt that day, the day Sil's life went from bad to worse. “Maybe I’m being a bit overprotective of him, since he’ll eventually have to go into the world on his own…  and that’s the last thing I want him to feel, loneliness… all of this isolation…” Polosa and Terrux looked at each other, not knowing what to say. None of them ever experienced what they're going through, so they can't really give assurances it'll improve. “I know your coming here was an accident, but... i'm glad that it did. The last few days have brought him out of that rut of his and he's actually formed a strong bond with the girl. I hope it'll last long after you all return home, the hope and joy he surely must feel, and the fact that he is never alone."

        "Who knew we had such positive feedback?" Polosa commented. 

        "It's Sokuro i must thank. She brought a positivity to his life that he's sorely missed for so long. Heck, i could thank all of you for it."

        "Hey, don't go thanking us." Terrux commented. "We only just met the lad."

        "He's right." Polosa added. "All the credit goes to that bouncy ball of hyper with a neverending pool of positivity." 

        "She's a hyper child?" Alua asked- Sokuro never appeared to be like that during the last few days. Guess she was too busy with everything else to even be that.

        “Wait…” Terrux suddenly came to a halt, putting one with out in front to bring the ladies to a halt, while he put the other up to his ears. “Can you hear that?”

        The ladies looked around and heard nothing. "Hear what?" Polosa asked.

        After some time in the silence, it was slowly starting to become audible. Terrux recognized it- it would be hard to forget a simple sound like that. "It sounds like-"

        “Water." Alua interrupted to confirm. "I can hear it too.” The three of them continued on, each step making the sound of water louder and louder. They were definitely headed in the right direction.

        Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a rather sizeable cavern. Not large enough to pull aerial tricks, but they can fly should they need to. And the sound came from a small stream that flowed right down the middle, emptying out into a sizeable underground spring with a natural light being cast upon it by exposed sapphires and lapis lazuli's, which then also emptied out into a tunnel opening on the other side. "Well, guess we found what waters your springs up top." Terrux commented.

        "One of the sources, sure." Alua commented as she stepped forward to look at it. It was so clear, yet the reflection was so good. "Or one of the offshoots from the runoffs, cause i don't see how water going down makes it to the springs up top." Yeah, in hindsight, it wouldn't make much sense. But when does nature ever make sense?

        Kneeling down at the streams edge, Polosa cupped her hands and put it in until it filled up. She brought it up and took a taste "It's clean." She smacked her lips. "And pretty pure, too. It's like this place hasn't been touched since the dawn of time."

        "With how maze-like the caves are, it would make sense." Alua commented. She approached the spring itself and took a drink. Polosa was right- this is pure. And with how secluded it is... this could make a good bunker to hide from whatever badness erupts upstairs. Only they know about it. But that's for later. For now, "You're right. It is pure."

        "And with no exit other then the tunnel we just came out of." Terrux said after he had finished gazing around, while Polosa knelt down on the ground to look at something. "Unless you all wanna swim through there." He pointed towards the tunnel on the other side of the spring.

        "No." She approached him. "While i can use water, i'm not skilled enough to part the spring so that we can walk across it. Besides, it would be disrupting what ecosystem exists here." She looked around. "But you are right about it being the one exit. Guess we need to go back and go down one of the other routes."

        She heard the sounds of splashing water. She looked back and saw Polosa sitting at the edge of the spring, with her exposed legs deep within the water. "In a moment... my legs are still sore..." She delightfully moaned as she rested on her back.

        "I thought your Dragon form had the broken leg." 

        "It does, but phantom pains are a bitch..." She exhaled. She put her hands on her stomach, opening her eyes to look up at the gem-encrusted ceiling. "While you and Terrux were talking, i scanned the ground around the water- such a pure water source like this is sure to attract a lot of animals, and i was right. There were a lot of footprints." It makes sense there would be animals here. "Other then ours, none belong to any of any of the sapient species up top."

        "Sapient?" Terrux asked, not recognizing the word.

        "Dragons, Anthromorphs, Gryphons, and Phoenixes." Alua explained. "Any species that can perform complex math is sapient." Awful way to declare that, he thought as he stuck his tongue out in disgust. 

        "They're not big, at least." Polosa said. "If anything else, the biggest creature here is about your normal size." She looked at their 8-foot tall forms. "Which are pretty sizeable."

        "I hope they're friendly beasts." Alua said with visible worry. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if a monster got to the others."

        "I can't tell you not to worry." She exhaled. "Predators come in all shapes and sizes." Terrux sucked in and bit his lips while he and Alua shared concerned glanced. Polosa saw them doing it and helped put their worries to rest. "But i don't think there's much to worry about. If there are monsters, each group has a powerhouse that can take care of them. No monster is going to eat anyone." 




        "WE ARE GOING TO DIE!!!"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta7PPkwLZsg   No Escape by Daniel Herrera


        Running as fast as their little legs could take them, Sil, Bran, and Taltian ran as humanly and dragonly possibly as the vicious spider-pirahna pursued them, snapping its jaws rapidly and furiously, just like the normal killer fish, and with it having eight legs, it was a lot faster then the three of them.

        "I DON'T WANNA BECOME FISH FOOD!!!" Taltian cried.

        Bran, easily the slowest of them thanks to his only having two legs when compared to their four, made the mistake of looking back, and he didn't like what he saw. It was gaining ground fast, which gave him all the more inspiration to run faster. 

        Somehow, he sped right past the two dragons at speeds faster then them. "OUT OF MY WAY, SLOWPOKES!!!" He even left a cloudy trail of dust behind him.

        The nightmare beast continued to be relentless in its pursuit, and the kids knew they couldn't keep this up for much longer. Their lungs burned in pain- they are going to burn themselves out if they aren't able to get a break from this madness soon, but taking a break meant becoming horror food, and they didn't want that. Besides, how do they know that this beasts ancestors, or the beast itself, can't eat out tunnels? That's a scary thought.

        Before long, the three of them could see a light at the end of the tunnel; A literal light, not what dying people see on their deathbeds. There was only one thing it could be, and they were welcoming to it- they'd be able to fly away from this abomination. "OH, PLEASE let that be daylight!!" Tal prayed.

        They entered the light...

        ... andSil and Tal dug their claws into the ground, coming to an immediate halt before they ended up cannonballing into a lake of molten magma, but Bran didn't have such a luxery. He almost dove right in, but both dragons gripped the rope tight. The kid gagged when the rope pulled on his waist tight, but fell onto his butt all the same. 

        "Why is there a lake of lava?" Bran panted; already, the heat was making him sweat, but he was ignoring that based on the impossibility that laid before them. "WHY IS THERE A LAKE OF LAVA!?!" A crash and a sudden roar forced that train of thought to come to a halt. He forgot about the monster in that brief moment. "On second thought, the lake of death can wait."

        "NO WAITING, JUST RUNNING!!!" Tal yelled as he and Sil ran by. The rope tightened, Bran looked down, and was immediately dragged along right after.

        Good timing too for the the piranha-spider came dashing through the opening, almost getting a taste of Bran as it snapped it's jaws shut right off his shoe. Its sticky legs stuck into the ground so it can avoid the lava a lot easier then them, then turned to chase after them once more. The four of them ran along a pat that seemed to have been carved out of the rock itself, but no time to question why.

        It was Sil's turn to look back; he noticed how greatly the monster as trying to avoid the edge of the path the entire time of their chase. That thing must hate lava too, as it should- you melt into molten goo rather quickly and painfully. "We gotta get that thing into the lava!"

        That's a no brainer... there's just one issue with that: You can't exactly ask a monster to do that! "OH, sure! Let's just ask the primal monster nicely IF IT'LL GO FOR A DIP!!!" Tal shouted hysterically. 

        "Try using your abilities, you nitwit!" Bran screamed. "You manipulate rock: rocket it into the molten goo!!" There was no way that was going to work, but they have 0 options right now, so what did they have to lose?

        Spinning around with his paws glowing, Tal pulled at the air, which in turn pulled a pillar of earth out of the wall and straight towards the piranha-spider demon thing. Either it was too easy to notice, or the beast is a lot smarter then they thing, cause it dodged the pillar easily. Spinning around every so often, Tal kept pulling out more and more, each pull bringing more and more pillars out, until the pathway looked like a sideways plinko board. But, as you would expect, the beast kept on dodging, even climbing over most of them. It was never going to let up and they knew it.

        The trio kept running and Tal kept trying, but that was soon about to come to an end, as was their path. "CLIFF! CLIFF!!" Bran and Sil shouted. Tal whipped his head back and dug his paws into the earth, as did Sil, bringing them to a halt. Bran, however, could not do that, and so he zoomed right past them.,,, "AAAA!!" ... right over the cliffs edge. His speed and force pulled on the rope, bringing the two drakes down with him. The three boys landed hard on the warm surface. Suffice it to say, it hurt. "Ow..." The three of them all moaned.

        "Did we lose it...?" Sil drearily asked as invisible stars danced around his head.

        Nope. The beast leapt down from above, landing several dozen feet away from them. It immediately turned towards them and roared. "I hate fish..." Tal bemoaned. The piranha-spider readied to run in for its meal and charged. The three boys closed their eyes, ready for the end to come.

        "WHY DO I SEE BUBBLING ORANGE!?!"

        That out-of-nowhere screened made the three of them open their eyes, and for the monster to stop. The four of them instinctively looked up and saw a peculiar sight: more kids, falling in. The certain group of four hit the piranha's left eyeball, popping it. The beast roared in pain, hitting them with its head. They crashlanded down near a small pond of lava. 

        "I've had enough of falling today........" Pira moaned. Kader, swaying back and forth like a drunken fool, held up a single claw to comment, but gagged. He held his mouth, then rolled his eyes back and fell backwards off of Seqy's head. And as she was on top of the pile, Eia rolled off, feeling pain in all sorts of places. 
    
        "If i see another hole again...." Seqy whined. Being on the bottom of the pile, she tried to get up, but couldn't thanks to the extra weight. "SEQY!?" A familiar voice shouted in pure surprise.

        Opening her eyes, Seqy looked in the direction the voice came from and was surprised to see Sil and his group here. "Sil?!"

        And a certain growl brought them back to reality. The hurt fallers poked their heads up and, in unison with the boys, turned their heads back towards the enraged beast. Its popped eye healed up almost instantly, returning its vision. It turned its attention back to the kids and roared, scaring them good.

        "WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT THING!?!" Eia screamed in terror. 

        Sil's eyes went wide as he and the others screamed in terror. He then gasped softly as a soft pulse came out of him; he swears he could hear his own heartbeat. Furrowing his brow and closing his paws into fists, his eyes began to glow as energy surrounded his right foot. As the monster neared, he yelled, "You... don't touch her!!!" With a swing of his paw, he punched at... nothing. All that build up for no--

        Suddenly, a strong blast of air struck the side of the beast, catching it off guard. Its face distorting from the sucker "punch", and all in one fell swoop, the piranha-spider was lifted off the ground and flung far, far into the lake of fire. Landing with a big splash, the monster screamed, roared, and flailed in vain as the lava claimed it up, melting it completely.

        As terrible a sound as that was, the boys; well, just Bran and Tal, breathed a huge sigh of relief. Now they can finally relax... and possibly die from heart attacks from how fast they've been running and how strapped their lungs were for oxygen, making them pant like they ran a 10k. Sil, however, stood for a few seconds until his eyes changed back to normal, blinking when it did before joining his comrades in the exhaustion pile.

        The second group, being brand new to the madness, were not as tired as the boys. Well, they were tired of falling down holes twice now, but that's neither here nor there. They were equally as horrified by the monster they just saw, though. "What in the hell was that thing!?!" Kader yelled.

        "That..." Bran panted. "Was a... nightmare. A nightmare i NEVER want to see again!"

        "Don't jinx us..." Tal bemoaned as he flattened on the ground like a cat.

        With that madness dealt with, the group that fell got up off each other and onto their feet. Well... most of them; Seqy was still awestruck from what Sil did... and concerned. She can feel the energy coming off him... it was incredible, but also familiar. "Silverwind... what did you do?" She asked with concern in her voice.

        As exhausted as the other two, he glanced over to her. "S... saved your life." He panted, wiping sweat off his scales; it's so hot down here, it's making lizards sweat. He saw that there were claws on his paw, and there shouldn't be; too early in his life for them. Besides, these were glowing green, so his own powers at play. He wagged his paw to get rid of them, but they stayed. Eh, must've been from the adrenaline high. Back on subject, "What are you even doing here?" He asked as he waged his paw again.

        "We fell." Eia pluntly said. "The path we took had a hole. We fell down that, tired to get our bearings when we landed... then fell down another damn hole."

        "Ouch."

        Seqy looked out towards the lava, hoping that the monster wasn't lava resistant... Stars help them all if it is. So far, however, it seems to not be the case. "Meanwhile, you were chased by a nightmare."

        "A very bad nightmare." Tal moaned. He never ran that fast before in his life, and hope he never has to again. "Whew... but at the very least, we're not piranha-spider food..."

        "I'm surprised a creature like that exists down here." Pira said. "A spider, with all the caves and easy spots to make a web, sure, but a piranha? Those things are aquatic. Crossbreeding like that should not be a thing- it's impossible."

        "Clearly, it isn't." Bran panted. It is puzzling that it even existed, though. Pira's right: that sort of crossbreeding is impossible. Evolution? Probably... but the more likely answer is that it was grown or spliced in a science lab... but this world is too primitive for those. Isn't it? Ah, a question he's too exhausted to try and figure out. For now, he'll just call it. "Now let's just hope that was a one-off mutant and never run into another one."

        "Don't jinx us." Tal again said. As he, Bran, and Sil got up, feeling less sore then before, they realized they are short one very short member of the party. "Hey, un... where's the mouse?" Where indeed.

        "Hey, un, guys." He called out from a ways away. He was standing in front of a structure carved into the wall, with an intrigue design that looked similar to.... the Aztec's? Wait, hold up, how can that style even exist here? "I think i found the place."

        "Whoa..." Five out of the six went as they approached, but Bran was lost, wondering how this style can even be here. Nothing about this makes any sense.

        "Is that a temple?" Tal asked.

        "No." Now Bran spoke; his inner mind just couldn't resist. "Temples, no matter the culture, are usually very big to accommodate a lot of people. That looks more like a tomb..... but what puzzles me is that it looks like a style from back on my home planet. That should be impossible..." His voice trailed off as he and the others began their approach.

        The tomb had a single doorway, and it was carved to be open at all times. Having seen way too many adventure movies and played too many games, Bran's mind immediately went to booby traps, cause these places, tucked away from prying eyes, always have to have booby traps. He had no way to test it, though... besides, everyone else just went in anyways; screw caution, toss it to the wind.

        Within, they saw that it wasn't just some tomb, but a mausoleum where the walls were covered in tapestries and art deco paintings, and with many artifacts, from jugs of wine, plates that held what was at one point food, priceless antiques, and all other manner of sorts. were carefully placed all around the centerpiece: a large Dragon-sized coffin with a Jade dragon statue atop it, resting on its back. For a place that's supposedly thousands of years old, it looks like it was made yesterday... minus the dissolved food, of course.

        "........ well... you're not wrong about it being a tomb..." Sil commented as he looked around at all the art deco on the walls. As he looked, everyone took off their ropes to give their waists some breathing room; it's not needed now, and they'll likely need to explore. His gaze, and everyone else's, soon turned back to the large thing in the center. "That is a really big coffin."

        "How very astute." Kader listlessly commented himself as he, riding on Bran's shoulder, approached it. Damn thing was taller then the kid- heck, taller then all the Dragons with them. This Ghi'Ich'Tarl character must've been big in all aspects of life to have a coffin this grand. The first thing noticeable when looking at the coffin is, ""Though something this big and detailed is probably a sarcophagus." Eh, either/or; nobody wants to argue. "Is that obsidian it's made out of?"

        "It is." Tal said as he carefully tapped his claws against it. It feels like obsidian, alright. "But that makes no sense; Obsidian is volcanic glass, and there's no volcanos in this reg...." He cut his words short. He and the others turned their heads to look back out the door, back towards the lake of lava. "............... well... no active volcanos at risk of eruption, that is..."

        "Eating your own words sucks, doesn't it?" Bran jokingly listed.

        Walking around the great coffin, Sil was the first to notice something on the bottom: writing. Old writing. "There's writing on the side here." That got everyone's attention. Bran and Seqy approached his spot while the others kept looking around. "It's in English again."

        "English?" Pira asked from the other side of the tomb. "The same language from the tablets?"

        "Yep..." Bran exhaled. "Which just adds even more pieces to the puzzle." And boy does it. He knelt down and started reading. "It says 'Here lies Ghi'ich'tarl, The Great King whose triumphs can never be Tri'ed'... that's an odd way to spell tried... and it doesn't even make any sense in this context."

        Running a claw under his chin, Kader suggested, "Maybe it means his accomplishments were so great, nobody can come close, even if they tried." 

        "He must've been one amazing king if he has that as his epitaph." He got back up. "But why English again...?" 

        Wanting to get this over with as fast as he could, Tal clapped his front paws together and rubbed them, ready to get this done. "Alrighty then, if we're done reading a dead language, let's start looking for that effigy thing." He looked up at the tapestries and art deco. "Which one of these is the effigy?"

        "That's not what a effigy is." Sil responded. "An effigy is something you create with someone's face or  body plastered on them so you can remember what they look like, like a statue or a coin or a..." Sil stopped talking for a second, looking over towards the tomb... or rather, to the jade dragon on top of it. "Or the stone body on top of tombs and coffins..." He flew up and looked at it from the air. "Whatever we're looking for is related to the coffin of Ghi'ich'tarl."

        With that realization, everyone began to converge upon the coffin itself. If the map is here... where is it? "Maybe there's something in the eyes that will point us there." Pira suggested.

        "Nah, the eyes are solid. No encrusted gemstones." Tal said. 

        "Maybe we have to crack the stone open?" Pira suggested further, making Tal roll his eyes at this boys ignorance. 

        Looking on disapprovingly, Eia gave a deep sigh as she rolled her eyes, "I swear, boys will look for any excuse to cause mayhem..."  "Guys, guys, guys. You're being overly complicated. I read this book before." What book, Tal and Pira wondered as they looked at each other. "What we're looking for..." She knocked on the lid. "...is under the lid, in 'Tarl's clutches."

        That is one possibility, to be sure. Bran wasn't one to argue; he's seen enough adventure movies and shows to know that is almost always the case: the person in question usually being buried with the plot McGuffin of the story. How poetic that life imitates art. "You sure? Because this isn't a book." Kader asked.

        "It's better then just wrecking the entire place."

        "But what if we open it and we unleash a deadly curse that'll turn us into brain-eating zombies?" Pira hysterically asked, worried that that actually will be a thing.

        Sil and Seqy stepped away from their crazed orphan brother. "What kind of books have you been reading?" They both asked in unison. No, wait, he likely heard this on one of his programs. 

       Eia sighed again, lowering her head and pinching her eyes. "This is why i hate working with kids..." She said to herself. She doesn't have to take this baloney; this frustration. She kind snapped as she approached Pira, patting him on the head, "If it makes Pira feel better, the widdle scardy-cat can pull from the other side so he can have a widdle bit of protection from the evil curse." She patted him again, then lightly shoved his head away as she walked towards the sarcophagus. 

        "Someone's in a bad mood." Bran commented. "You ok, Eia?"

        Kader's turn to sigh, this time with a disapproving shake of his head. "Kid, she's trapped in a hostile world, her family is nowhere to be seen, she was knocked unconscious, fell down a rabbit hole TWICE, and got scared by a living creepshow. Of course she would feel pissed." Well, when he puts it that way... "All honesty, i'm surprised you haven't barked at someone too." Well, Bran is mature for his age.

        A few moments later, the kids were heaving and hawing as they struggled to move the surprisingly heavy obsidian lid. As per Eia's little rant, Pira was pulling with the rope they had used, with Kader also pulling as he was too small to help otherwise, while the rest pushed. And it was a slow process... 

        "Herrrrgh... puuuuush!!!" Tal grunted through his teeth.

        "I am pushing...!" Sil replied in kind.

        Was this thing even moving? Bran started to grunt, "Aaaaaagh, if i push any harder, i'm gonna have a hernia!!" Suddenly, the lid popped off, with the force from the pushing and pulling flinging it in Pira and Kader's direction. "Whoa!" They all went. Pira flew out of the way, grabbing Kader in time before the lid hit the ground in a bad position, breaking it into multiple small pieces. 

        That was NOT what they wanted to do.

        "Well..." Kader popped his lips. "We just desecrated a grave... wonderful."

        "It's not like we knew that was gonna happen." Seqy said. She was the first to approach the sarcoghagus and peer in. "And we would've... but there is no body in here."

        Here comes brainiac Bran with the rundown, "Even bones can turn to dust, given enough time. It takes a lot of just right conditions for fossils to be made. The heat from the lava probably didn't help conservation either. Only thing that would remain are jewels or jars or coin money."

        "No, i mean, there is NOTHING in here." She climbed up onto the edge, then hopped down into the empty box. "There's nothing in here: no dust, no powder of a former living being, no precious metals, nothing. It's squeaky clean." She ran her paw along the clean sides, making that annoying sound that comes whenever someone runs their hand down a window. "And with how hard we worked to move that lid, it's a safe bet graverobbers were never here." 

        "Now that makes no sense, then. Why build this special tomb for a King at a dangerous section of what is described as a endless maze, and not have any body to put in it?" All he got for that was just some "idunno" noises.

        As they talked, Kader and Tal were looking at the remains of the sarcophagus lid. They could sell it, but questions would most definitely be asked as to how they got it, so it's not going to be worth the hassle to haul it up. Shame; Obsidian can go for a lot. Like this huge piece that Kader just picked up. It can go for 10,000, easy... at least it would, if it was in pristine condition, but what's on the volcanic glass will bring down the price. "UN... guys." He called out to them. "I may be wrong." He went behind it so he can give them a clear picture of the scratches deeply imbedded into it. "... but i think Ghi'Ich'Tarl was a little nuts."

        Tal swiped the piece out of Kader's paws and looked at it. This couldn't have been pretty. "Scratches on the inside?" Several more of the kids picked up other pieces too. Some had scratch marks too. "You don't think he was buried alive, do you?"

        "Then where's any remains that something or someone was even in here?" Seqy asked as, with a flap of her wings, she jumped out. "The seal was air-tight, so there should still be a body in there that should be decomposing right now thanks to exposure. Heck, dissolved people dust should be in there, at the very least. But there's nothing."

       "He was near lava- i'm sure the heat had something to do with it." Bran commented. "As for the why....... could be a number of reasons. Someone with a deep grudge forced him in, or a political rival made his move... maybe even a serial killer... or someone who just didn't like him or his policies."

        "Or he was never in here at all." Seqy said. "With not even a ring or a claw or even fossilized poop left over, i doubt there was even a body in there to begin with."

        "Why build a tomb for no dead guy then?" Pira asked. 

        "Good question." Bran walked over and looked at the shard in Tal's clutches. He saw something nobody else was. "... i swear i'm seeing things, but... the scratches look so uniform."

        "You guys do know what this means, right?" Kader asked as he leaned on the coffin. "No map."

        None of them had realized it until she said it. They all exclaimed in anguish and aggravation, upset they were almost killed for nothing. "So we came all this way for nothing!?!" Eia groaned. She then kicked a shard of lid away; she missed most of it, but the back of her foot hit it to make it go rolling. She lowered her head and sulked. "Figures..."

        Was this all just some cruel joke from across time? Was Ghi'Ich'Tarl just some oversized manbaby who pulled history's longest prank, so long in the process, not even his bloodline exists anymore? "Now why would the tablets at the museum send us here, if there was nothing here to begin with?" Pira asked, frustrated that his and his brothers excursion into the museum may've been pointless. "Was 'Tarl pulling the world's longest prank?"

        The shard Eia kicked reached the edge of the doorway. The light from the lava lake hit the volcanic glass just right to where it began to shine, like a car reflecting the sun. Sil took notice of that while everyone else was sulking. The otherworlders must not respect the ancestors enough to avoid desiccating a tomb; it's bad enough they destroyed this priceless artifact. As he grabbed it and picked it up, the light from the glass shone along the shadowy wall on the far side, lighting up a tiny section of it, with the insides of the glass- all the knicks and such, being painted out. Everyone was busy looking down, sulking in their dumping feeling.

        "Huh... i didn't know it could shine like that." Sil commented to himself as he looked down at the glass. His claws pressed against it, but didn't leave any marks. He moved one such claw and it blocked the light in that particular spot. "Huh... you can do some fancy shadowpuppetry with this." As he moved to place it down, the gears in his mind began to turn, eventually reaching the conclusion they needed. 

        He froze when he put the shard down. "Wait......." He looked at his claws and even flexed them. Just one of them blocked the light coming from the shard. He picked it back up and looked at it. Why did the light show the innards of the obsidian in the first place? Last he remember, Obsidian isn't used as a light fixture OR shadowpuppetry; it shouldn't even be able to cast or reflect light in the first place.

        He then looked at some of the other shards nearby. He walked over to one such grouping and grabbed several of the shards with the scratches. Three scratches, all neatly carved in by someone likely buried alive.... or so they think. "Could there be...?" He walked back over to the doorway and placed them on the floor. 

        He picked one up and held it up to the light. His suspicions proved true: the scratched shard contained a word, or rather something inside the shard was created in such a way so that the word can be formed, with the scratches themselves serving as some of the lines for the words. He silently exasperated, surprised yet delighted his hunch was right. "I don't believe this..." He breathlessly laughed. He looked to the others and saw they were still sulking; how are they not seeing this? Is it too small? "Guys!" He called out to them, making them look his way. He instead gestured to the wall behind them. "Look." And so they did...

        And were floored by this discovery. How is a word being show on the wall? "Hehe... what the heck!?" Bran exasperated, breathless by this development. The word in particular spelled Untold... once again, in English. "Sil, what the heck did you do?"

        "The shard Eia kicked over here began to shine and it got in my eyes. I went to pick it up, and when i did, the innards of the glass shined on the wall- ya'll were too busy moping to notice." Curse you, negative emotions. "After that, the gears in my brain began to turn and then, i realized: Ghi'Ich'Tarl left us a clue on his sarcophagus after all, and it was in that epitaph you told us. You said he spelled tried wrong, right? As Tri'ed? He didn't spell it wrong. It was a clue; Tri as in a triangle, Tri as in Three, Tri..." He held up one of his paws and flexed the claws. "As in the number of clawmarks a Dragon's scratch can leave." He backed out of the light to show them the shard he was holding. "The scratches and the insides of the glass were made on purpose. He made them to hide a secret message."

        All of them were simultaneously amazed yet dumbstruck by that analysis. Nobody would've even figured that. ".... well i'll be darned." Kader laughed. "He did all that deliberately?" 

        "He obviously did." Bran said as he picked up one of the scratched shards. "Obsidian may be glass, but it's glass that can be manipulated and formed into any shape we want. Somehow, Ghi'Ich'Tarl's time had the technology necessary to put finely crafted designs within it, right down to the molecule." That word was a complete unknown to all them, but they didn't interrupt. "... What that doesn't explain is why he would need to leave scratches at all, or got to all this effort. Or even HOW he knew this was going to happen?"

        Kader jumped up high onto Bran's head and looked him right in the eyes. "Our earlier guess of political rivals comes to mind, kiddo." Bran swatted his head away, but the mouse was too fast. "The tablet the fire twins and I found said they had some sort of battle with whoever or whatever was on the other side of that Gate thing, right? Something nasty enough to scare them and hide its existence. Now, what if, and this is just a theory here so i could be dead wrong, but what if something happened here to make Ghi'Ich'Tarl leave this world and go to the other one? Like someone pulling a coup d'état? He may've sensed that was coming and made this secret message for his followers or his family or someone loyal to him to come and find or join him."

        If that's true, then Ghi'Ich'Tarl may've been a part of Dragenia's past way-back-when. "That's an interesting theory, to be sure..." Sil said. "...and it would explain why he's not in our history books; the guy who disposed him erased him, but... that doesn't explain why the usurper would keep this or those tablets intact."

        "Clearly, the tablets were made before the coup. And maybe the usurper kept them so that he may one day go and attack 'Tarl wherever he was, should he have wished it. Besides, you heard what foxy-boy said when he read it: The Council of the time left them intact in case someone found a way to use the Portal, or their missing warriors found a way to communicate."

        "A council AND a King?" Eia commented. "This country is weird."

        "There's more then just Naya, you know." Kader commented back. "There are other countries, so clearly at least one of them is gonna be a kingdom." She rolled her eyes at him, not really caring. "Anyways, that's all just a theory, but makes sense if you think about it."

        "Regardless if it is true or not..." Sil said as he tossed his shard up and down in his paw. "... We know there's something here." He looked all around the floor... at all of the shards around them. This is gonna take a while. "This is gonna take awhile; alright, let's start gathering up all the scratched shards we can and bringing them over here; if there is a message, we'll need all of them, and in the right order too." He looked back to the group. "Hope everyone's good at puzzles."

        Not really, no, but Pira had a suggestion, one that will make their jobs easier. "I've an idea." He put forward. "There are a lot of shards here and finding the right order to put them in with the limited amount of time we have is brutal, especially when we don't even know how to get back, not to mention having to keep all of them up in the light while we only have...." He counted in his head; a rare achievement. "...ba ba ba ba, 13 paws or hands to hold them. Bran has that nifty little notebook of his, so why doesn't he just jot down every word that comes up and he can play 'find the hidden message' back at the house?"

        Sil twisted his lips. It sounds like the lazy way out... ok, it IS the lazy way out, but Pira has a point: they don't have a lot of time to mix and match the correct order. And thanks to the monster chase, they have no idea the route they took to get here, so there's also that. "Wow." Seqy said. "Pira actually made a good point for once." He beamed so brightly at that complement.

        "Why not just fly up the holes you fell down?" Tal asked.

        "They're too small." Eia explained. "Our wings will hit the side and carrying Bran is going to make things even more awkward." 

        Right... he's the only one among them who can't fly. They could save him for last and have him hang under all of them by using all the rope, but he would then risk hitting his head, getting a concussion, and-- "You do know i made those, right?" Tal interrupted as he pointed outside, to the multitude of stone pillars that were freshly made to slow down the beastie. "I think i can widen a hole."

        Seeing the evidence to his power outside, it is a fair shot. Carrying Bran is still going to be awkward, but the wider hole would help out a lot. "Either way, it'll take us some time to fly up it while carrying Bran." Sil said. After thinking about it for a second, "Alright, we'll go with Pira's idea." The drake in question fistbumped in cheer. "Everyone except Bran, start gathering up the shards."

        And so they did, moving quickly to find the shards they needed. Over half of them had to be flipped over to see if they were the scratched ones; that took up a lot of time.

        Eventually, all 26 shards were collected and gathered in a pile, and yes Bran counted. One at a time, the scratched shards were held up to the light and the words shown. Bran copied the word down and they moved on to the next shard. Soon, all 26 were copied and written.

       "Ugh, finally..." Tal grumbled as he sat down. "If i never see Obsidian again, i will be a happy lad." While some agreed with him, Bran was already at work trying to find the right order.

        "I'll be happy to be out of this cave..." Seqy moaned as she flopped and melted on the ground. "I miss the sky..."

        Before anyone went to go grab the rope so they can tie themselves back up, Bran, on his third trial, had already figured out the hidden message. It really wasn't that hard; anagrams are harder then this. "Huh..." He said to himself. "I don't think i'm gonna have to do a lot of guess work back at the orphanage; i already figured it out." Already, they all thought? But it's a unknown language..... to them, anyways. Bran seems to know this English very intimately, and Eia recognized it from the colony but didn't even start of thinking to consider studying it. 
    
        "What's it say?" Eia asked.

        "I think it says: 'Seek the Isle of Fog. Upon its land lies the entrance to the Cavern of Halls. Within lies the untold power and mysteries of space-time.' If i got this right, the Cavern of Halls IS the Gate. His entrance must not as been as chaotic as ours was." He said to Eia, who nodded; they were sucked into a vortex, so Ghi'Ich'Tarl must've gotten... not that.

        "Alright, we got the location, but it's still cryptic." Pira said. "There's nothing here to show us what this Isle of Fog thing is from afar or where it is on a map. What is it with these ancient rulers and always leaving riddles? It's annoying." Boy, is it. "And since it's a old King- like so old, he's not in the history books anymore, then the island could be outside the wall and--"
 
        "It's Trochet." Sil interrupted. 

        Now the attention to turned to him. "It's what?" Pira asked.

        "It's Trochet. Alua's been teaching us about all the islands out in the sea, remember?" No, he doesn't- he's always asleep during study hour. "Anyways, Trochet is nicknamed the Isle of Fog because it is always in a state of perpetual fog, and has been since the beginning of the world. It is also a dangerous place because people who go there are almost never seen again. Many go to search for answers, or to escape, or because they're stupid daredevils. But once they go into the Islands depths, they are never seen again, seemingly vanished into thin air. I bet you my entire allowance that the Gate is on Trochet."

        Wow. Sil being the MVP of the day. Seqy and Pira were taken aback by that; they never thought they would see the day. "Damn, Sil, you are on FIRE today!" Bran laughed as he cheered. Sil lightly blushed thanks to that compliment, scratching the back of his head as he looked away.

        "Alright, so Trochet's the destination." Eia said. "Now all we need to do is find it on a map."

        "Which we have plenty of." Seqy said, referring to all the maps the fox back home was looking through. "Now let's head home so we can get out of this creepy place!" And boy, are they ready for that. Between falling and almost being eaten by a demon from Hell, they want OUT. And so they left; the plan being for Tal to widen the hole and for them to fly up it....

        ... that was until they heard a grinding sound; like heavy stone being pushed on a stone surface. They looked back and saw the jade head of the sarcophagus seemingly pushing itself towards the exit, almost like it's going to follow them. That's more then a little creepy, and they had one too many creeps today. 

        Getting suspicious, Sil tilted to the side and saw it was being pushed... by the mouse. His eyes slouched as he grimaced towards the greedy rodent. "Really?" 

        "Yes really!" Kader grunted. "Do you know... how much... Jade and Obsidian are worth separate, let alone... forged together? Combined... that's multiple wagon loads... Plus a lot more.... for the head off a coffin..."

        "Wow..." Pira went. "That's disturbing and creepy; even i wouldn't stoop that low."

        "So what? That's more... money for me."

        Eia softly growled; they don't have time for this. The flight up was already going to be difficult enough as it is; they don't need to drag dead weight with them. She approached the rat and picked up the head off the ground. "We are not taking this. We're gonna be heavy carrying Bran up as it is; the last thing we need is more dead weight." Bran looked down at his stomach; was he that big to be considered dead weight?

        Kader ran up her leg just as she started walking back to the sarcophagus and jumped onto the stone head to plead his case. "But this could set me up for life!"

        And he pleaded it terribly. She rolled her eyes; she really wasn't in the mood for this. She plucked him off the stone and turned towards the others. Unbeknownst to her, at least for the moment, the stone head's eyes popped open the moment it made contact with the light from the lava. "Can someone please take care of Mr. Greed here?"

        "Listen lady! I've worked my butt off for years and i'm due compensation! So..." He glanced down at the stone and saw that the eyes were glowing red. He didn't take much noticed of it at first until he did a doubletake, "... why is that thing glowing?" That prompted her to look at it too.

        Seconds later, everyone vanished into thin air. Just like that. And not just them, but also Sokuro's group and Alua's group. They all disappeared.

        The stone head fell to the floor and it would've shattered on contact if it didn't suddenly start floating mere inches off the ground. An unearthly glow emanated from the scattered shards. They all rose up off the floor, and each broken peace made their way back to the sarcophagus. Above it, the pieces congregated, moving around in a circle. One by one, each shard floated back down, holding their position as each one clicked back into place. 

        Soon, the lid was fully complete, save for one last hole. Once each shard was back in place, the stone head floated above the opening and slowly lowered down. It was inserted perfectly; the lid was rebuilt, like it was never broken to begin with. The glow stopped and the eyes closed.



    
       

        Up above, things were relatively peaceful. Animals of all sorts had gathered at the spring to take a drink of it's cold waters, innocently enjoying their simple lives, like nothing was ever going to happen.

        Then in one second, a group of people suddenly appeared several feet above, seemingly out of thin air. Caught off guard by their sudden transport, the displaced people blinked in confusion, looked down to see they were above the spring, looked to each other, then blinked once again as they looked back to you. They then yelled as they fell, splashing down with enough force to water the flowers and scare away the animals.

        And four bundles of rope neatly appeared, all wrapped up on the side.

        A cacophony of moans could be heard from everyone; a sudden teleportation was not on the docket. Still, there could've been worse places to fall into. 

        Sokuro's head broke up from the surface and spat water from her mouth, coughing as she did. "Ugh... i didn't expect that to happen."

        "Nobody did." Sil coughed. The fire twins floated up on the surface, on their backs, spitting water out like they're fountains. 
        
        Alua shook her head and hit her paw on one ear to get water out of the other; it always sucks when that happens. "Is everyone alright?" A mixture of 'yeahs, un-huh's, and a bitter "Just peachy..."' from Kader all sounded out. "Good... now, does anyone have any idea what just happened?"

        Seqy, Sil, Bran, Tal, Eia, and Pira all looked at each other. "Oh, we know." They all said in unison. The fact they did it all at once was creepy... but it could also mean one other thing:

        "And we know where we're going." Bran said as he held up his waterproof and laminated notebook. 
 

58: Chapter 54: Revelations
Chapter 54: Revelations

Chapter 54

Revelations

???





        With their clothes given a quick-dry by Alua's water manipulation and Polosa's wind- her Aerid leg is in a splint now, the group made their way back to the orphanage, all while the kids who had found the sarcophagus explained what they went through to the others. Alua took notice of how excited Sil was during the entira explanation process, and how the others described him as the MVP of the expedition: sending that monster into teh lava- she had no idea either of those were down there-, and figuring out the puzzle twice over. He's a far cry from the meek, scared, timid child he was just a few days ago.

        They were just finishing up with the stone figurehead, and everyone who weren't there had questions.

        "Was the monster that scary!?!" Terrux and Fira both asked in unison.

        Why are they asking that question? It was a Spider with a Piranha's body, or a Piranha with Spider legs; not a lot of room for imagination. "It was a eldritch abomination that i'm GLAD is dead." Bran exclaimed.

        "Eldritch?" Several of the kids asked.

        Bran groaned in response; he doesn't want to even attempt to try and explain that. If he had his phone, he'd be able to access it no pr--..... wait, no internet. He can't. All his phone would be used for is pictures and impromptu walkie-talkies. 

        "So headmistress...?" Sil started to ask. "Do you think we're right? About it being on the island?"

        That is a good question, and there's only one answer: that they need to go find themselves. "Trochet, huh...?" Alua said to herself as she and the rest walked along the path back to the house. "Since almost everyone who goes there disappears, and always in a perpetual state of fog, it would make logical sense for the Gate to be there."

        "Does it happen every time?" Sokuro asked.

        "Not all the time, no.... probably 8 times out of 10. That's still a lot of people to just up and vanish..."

        "I bet people who went there didn't expect to be sucked into it." Polosa commented. "If the Gate on the island is the same as the one that pulled us in with the force of a hurricane, they would've had no fighting chance."

        Sokuro lightly chuckled and walked on... but as always, her mind wandered, and it went to a thought she didn't realize until now. She came to a halt as she realized something, something that could explain everything. "Wait..." The group slowly came to a halt one by one. "... is this why Velx was so ferocious about us messing with the Gate? Because he knew it was malfunctioning and would bring us here?"

        "With all this new information, it stands to reason." Bran hypothesized. "The Tablets also mentioned a conflict during Ghi'Ich'Tarl's time... could that have been a war between the Astrals and this world? It would explain why he never wanted us near it; bad memories of his time here."

        "But then the timeline wouldn't add up." Sokuro continued. She looked to Eia and Polosa; she can already guess their reaction to what she was told. "A couple days ago, after the Shadow was destroyed, Lord Prissypants invited me to his private boat for a 'friendly chat', and i mean that sarcastically- there's not enough air-quotes in the world to explain how sarcastic i'm being. But i digress; as i was about to leave, i... sorta dropped the bomb we're from another world entirely..."

        "Oh...." Bran whined, facepalming himself hard.

        "Sokuro..." The other girls whined, frustrated she blabbed so easily.

        "I'm sorry; it was a slip of the tongue. Anyways, i also mentioned Velx and he just... snapped, something even that Ocilus girl wasn't expecting; it even frightened her." Now that's a shock to the locals here. Ocilus is never surprised, so to be caught off guard like that... "That's when he told me something: That he knows Velx... or as he knows him as, Velk. According to him, the original 12 Astrals were born and raised here as some laboratory experiments that helped destroy the Shadows, then just vanished into thin air."

        Well, that was a big revelation on their part. Good thing nobody believed it. "Now that's a load of garbage if i ever heard it." Polosa said, adamant that what she was just told was utter doodoo. Terrum added with, "An experiment? Termundus? What a lark." Kader was next with, "Now YOU read too many adventure stories, hahahahaha..."

        Sokuro lightly but nervously chuckled. "Heh... yeah... it is doodoo, isn't it... heh..." But she was unsure... it lingered on her mind the last couple of days, and what Sil and the others discovered may've helped confirmed that... but she's not sure anymore. They started walking back towards the house, with Sokuro lagging behind thanks to her thoughts.

        "But thanks to the Shadows and Terdummy still being in charge, we can't exactly show whoever's on the other side that things have changed for the better 'round here." Pira mentioned, and he was right.

        After some time, they reached the orphanage and saw that the injured camping out were riled up, and in a bad way. They looked afraid, like something bad happened while they were gone. Alua was quick to spring into action, rushing over to the closest injured. "What happened here?" She asked. "Did something happen?"

        "No, not really..." The elderly Gryphon responded. "Some dragon just came here, entered the house, then left with that grumpy mutt."

        "Oh no...." Polosa moaned to herself. "I should've anticipated this..." She exhaled, looking to the rest of the group who were looking towards her. "Trach... he must've come here under Kar'kile's orders to get the map... but left with the stupid dog for some reason."

        "The others may know what happened." Sokuro said as she and several of the other kids ran towards the door. The others weren't slow behind either.

        Opening it up, she was the first one in and saw that everything was fine. Fayin and Nightwinge look shaken and Ventus had sank in his chair, looking distant and withdrawn, but other then that, everything looked fine. There was no evidence of a fight, so Quio must've gone willingly, or Trach knocked him out. Doesn't really matter at the moment. "Are you guys ok?" She asked, as the others behind her began to enter, with Alua going over towards the injured ones. 

        "We're fine." Fayin replied. "Just wasn't expecting this big brutish Aerid to come in."

        "That was Trach." Polosa went on to explain. "Kar'kiles enforcer, or second in command, or whatever he is. He must've come for the map. What did happen here, exactly?"

        Nightwinge took over the explanation. "Well, as she said, this big dragon came in demanding the map from the mutt. He deflected it by saying it was with the triplets." Which was a outright lie since Ventus had it, but smart thinking. "I don't know why he did it, though; he was complaining the entire time and was even very rude, yet he kept knowledge and evidence of the map secret."

        Not the story Polosa was expecting, especially with Quio keeping quiet about the map. "Huh.... not what i expected." She glanced over to Ventus and saw he hadn't moved since they got back. The look on his face, it's like he was deeply shocked by something. "What about Ven? Why does he look like he saw a ghost?"

        "Honestly? I have no idea. He's been like that since they left. Trach didn't attack him or anything, so i don't know what would've happened to put him in such a vegetative stupor." That is a concern, to be sure... did the crystal they tortured him with left a lingering affect? She walked over to go check.

        "Oh, how did things go? Fayin asked. "Did you find any clues?"

        "OH, we found a clue alright!" Bran snickered, waving his notebook. "Our destination: Trochet, a infamous Isle of Fog where everyone that goes there vanishes, and the riddles left behind by Ghi'Ich'Tarl confirm that that is where the Cavern of Halls is located. All we need is a boat to get there." He lowered his notebook, pursing his lips and tapping it on his thigh. "Odd thing, though... it was all written in English again. And the structure looked like a Aztec mausoleum on the outside... things aren't adding up."

        As they talked, Polosa approached the seemingly stunned Ventus, who was just blankly staring at all the sheets of paper strum all over the furniture. "Hey, you ok?" She gently asked. 

        He lazily lifted his head and just as lazily looked over to her. "I... can't believe that i didn't see it before."

        "See what?"

        He breathlessly chucked. "I figured out where we are..." He moved some of the unneeded pieces of paper aside, leaving only the atlas of the world, or rather the known world inside of the fog. So many familiar landmasses are adorned upon it. The commotion caused everyone to look their way. He noticed that and he spoke up. "Nexia... this whole world!!... It's Earth."

        "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY!?!" Bran yelled in utter shock.

        "You heard me kid! This whole godforsaken place that has been nothing but a deathtrap to us since the moment we got here... it's Earth!"

        The Dragenian natives looked towards each other. Earth... That sounds familiar. That's right; wasn't that the home of the Human population of the colonists? But... things make no sense: according to them, Earth is a wasteland, not a bustling world. As for the natives of this world, that is a old name. "Earth?" Nightwinge spoke. "Terrae hasn't been called that in eons."

        Bran blustered and sputtered as he turned towards him. "W-w-w-wait, wait, wait! Y-you too? You also believe this is Earth?" He nodded, which Bran couldn't accept. "But that's impossible." He walked over to the atlas. "There's no way we can b--" He then looked at it... and sure enough, it showed him the picture of Earth's North, South, and Central American landmasses and. There was no denying it: Naya AND Earth.... they are the same. There were some differences, like Cuba seems to have been completely wiped off the map and a lot more islands are now off the coast of Chile, along with a lot more lakes in places there weren't, and of course the Wall of Fog... but other then those differences, it was the same. "........... i..... um..... bu..." He collapsed onto the floor, struggling to process this. ".... no way...."

        "Yes way..."

        Bran rubbed his head. Those random Spanish words......... it makes so much sense now. But this is all impossible. It has to be. It just has to be. "But... but that's impossible. Earth is a wasteland right now; how can there be life here? And for all of this to happen in just 323 years? There's now way; their history goes back hundreds of thousands of  ye--" He froze in his speech. Th.... there's no way this can be true, can it? "....What was the first civilization of this world?"

        "The First Ones?"Nightwinge replied. "We call them Forgers, but they called themselves huma--"

        "---anity.... son.... of a bitch..." This is confirming it more and more and more.

        Everyone else is having a hard time trying to follow what is going on here, but it sounds like this world is Bran's Earth? But he said it was a wasteland. They need more information. "F-forgers?" Eia was hesitant to ask, but did because this is all just confusing. 

        "The name we gave them, inspired by the countless tales about them." Nightwinge got comfy; this was gonna take awhile. "Long ago, Terrae Spiritua was a constant battleground; a endless string of wars and petty squabbles. All the fighting and meaningless pollution made the surface of the world uninhabitable, forcing them underground or to the stars. There, they waited until they could return to the surface and begin anew. The name we gave them, the Forgers, came from their creativity; their endless drive and desire to create, and to survive by forging instruments that would be beneficial to their survival. And eventually, they learned to forge Life: Us. Everyone, here in this room, wouldn't be here if they didn't create our ancestors. At least that's how the tale goes, because forging life out of nowhere? Madness..."

        Heh... yeah... madness... sure... it does explain how Ghilly knew English and why there was a Aztec tomb at the bottom of the labyrinth. "What happened to these Forgers?" Sokuro asked.

        "They fell, slain and driving to extinction by the same beasts of darkness that almost took us little more then a decade ago... and we've been their "playthings" for the past 504 thousand years."

        Ven's ears slowly perked up, wondering if he heard that correctly. "Wait.... what? How... how long ago did you say it was since they went extinct?"

        "500 thousand years ago. Or 503,791 years ago, to be precise."

        He was slackjawed, with not much to say. This.... this is too much for either him or Bran to take. The realization of all this weakened his legs; his knees buckled and his breathing grew more labored and shaken. He held his head as he fell back in his seat. "S...... so...... so not only.... are we on Earth... but we're hundreds of thousands of years... into the future?" 

        And the realization was also a blow to the system for the Dragenianites too. "That far.... into the future...?" Sokuro's breath grew more shaken as she fell backwards onto a beanbag chair. "T.... then everyone.... everyone back home is.... is dead..." Tears formed in her eyes as she thought more into it. That means her brother Taled is... is gone. "It would.... explain everything that we've discovered thus far..... but it doesn't answer HOW WE'RE THIS FAR INTO THE FUTURE!!!" She cried.

        "How.... how did we travel through time?" Fayin gasped. "It.... it's impossible, isn't it...?"

        "... Theoretically... yes." Bran managed to squeak out. "But... it seems recent events have... proven otherwise."

        They were all stunned to their core. This hellscape being Earth... being so far in the future, not even their great-great-great-great-great.... great times a thousand Grandchildren would know of them, or if their races even still exist in the first place. This was... this was a shocking blow to their morale and psyche, and it was starting to affect the others. The orphans, the triplets, and Alua all felt awful, that not only was all their work a wasted effort, but that even if they go home, it won't be the home they knew... if it even still exists at all.

        Thankfully, or callously, Kader had the words that would break them out of their motionless states and give them at least a small glimmer of hope. "Un... you're forgetting something here." He said. "So, the Gate is a time machine, not what you guys were expecting, and now you're so far into the future, it's doubtful even dust still exists on that world of yours, right?" Was there a point to this? Yes there was. "But you're all forgetting something critically important. The Gate took you to the future... so then the reverse must also hold true. It brought you forward, but who says it can't also take you back? Whoever created that thing must've known what they were building, so having it only go forwards in time would've been stupid as it wouldn't give them a way back. There must be a mechanism in the thing that would allow someone to go backwards in time too. Couldn't it?"

        "It...... is a probability..." Bran breathlessly said. "But.... but that's a really big IF. We don't even know it time travel is even a primary function of the Gate, let alone if it can even go back."

        "It's better to have a false hope then just laying down and giving up."

        A half-true statement to be sure... but they don't want to get their hopes up again, only for it to be torn down again. They were already on a high that took them to a major low in seconds flat and they don't want that again. If nothing else... they should at least make sure; check to see if they can't go back in time to their home. "I..." Sokuro sniffled with a frog in her throat. She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "I... suppose that's... that's fair."

        "Great. Now." Kader hopped up onto the table and went over to the map. "Let's see if I....... un..." He noticed something off on the back of Bran's hand. "UN... Branny... what's that on the back of your hand?"

        "Huh...?" The disheveled preteen replied. He wiped his eyes and looked on the back of his right hand. He never noticed it before now, but there was a black spot on the back of it, roughly the size of a pea. "Huh... that's new..." He turned to the locals. "Un, what's this...?" He raised and showed them the back of his hand.

        While the children didn't know what it was, Alua and Nightwinge did; their eyes went wide as they recognized it. "That....... that is not good..." Alua breathlessly gasped. Her breaking down like that is NEVER a good sign. "Have... you been in contact with any Shadows lately?"

        He thought about it and no, no he didn--..... wait. Wait, he did. "I... think so. When i woke up, i was found and captured by a trio of guards who... i think were out on a training exercise, or a vacation, or... i dunno. Anyways, they caught me and they were heading back to the city via the beach. Suddenly, we were attacked and the guards were brutally massacred, like something out of a horror story. I ran and hid in a opening at the base of that giant root that i thought was too small for it to get in. All i saw was its eye. It glowed and..... i passed out...." He looked at the spot on his hand again. "... they can melt and become actual shadows, like what the sun casts on us, can't they?" They didn't need to answer cause he answered himself. "... it must've gotten to me when passed out... But why not eat me? What even is this thing?"

        ".... a curse." Nightwinge somberly said.

        "A curse?"

        "There are a lot about the Shadows we know little about, but one thing we do know is there.... for lack of a better term, reproduction. Legend has it that Shadows are the wrath of the planet, sent forth from deep within as the answer to our sins, and the many sins of the past. But they are not infinite. Their numbers can be dwindled, albeit things are selective with how they can be. The way they replenish their numbers is by casting a curse on the one they choose; whoever they don't eat, they turn. But as far as we know, the curse can only be cast after a minute of... contact, powering up, chanting- pick a reason."

        As if they didn't have enough bad news already... now he's going to turn into one of those things? "................................................ wait... i'm going to turn into one of them?

        "Sadly, yes. You will."

        Why is all this bad happening when they FINALLY just got something good? Can the universe give them nothing positive!?! "... b-b-but you guys have a cure for that, right? They've been around for hundreds of thousands of years, so you must, right?"

        "I'm afraid there isn't. Once it is cast, there is no stopping it." Bran collapsed in his seat once again. "The time it takes to turn varies; some, it's over in a few minutes; others, it can take months or even years. Considering how the dot on your hand looks, you have the long timetable, likely because you aren't from this world."

        Sokuro looked at the back of her hands, as did Ven. They came into contact with Shadows, so why weren't they cursed? "Then how come we're not cursed? I fought one of the blippin' things and Ven was tortured with one of their gems."

        "That........................... is a excellent question. Maybe it's because of your magic? Or maybe you are and it's hidden under your clothes." Sokuro and Ven looked at each other, wondering if that was the case. Sokuro then scrambled towards the bathroom, to look herself in the mirror. Ven also got up from his seat, but was still weak, so he had to do a leisurely jog. 

        As the two of them went to check, Polosa asked, "Is there truly no way of lifting the curse? Surely there must be some way to do it. Maybe... maybe kill the one who cast it?"

        "If it was as simple as that, then there wouldn't be a lot of Shadows in their ranks."

        As everyone discussed this new development, Bran leaned to his right and held his hand to his face as his head started to hurt. And then, it started: the first of many waking nightmares- voices in his mind, whispering, taunting, cursing. There were so many all at once, he couldn't understand anything... but the tone they carried, it's almost like they were judgmental.

        "...then what if we go back home? We're not from here, so maybe leaving this planet will help deal with it."

        That... made him think. It's possible that could work; like she said, they aren't this world, and the Shadows came from the innards of THIS planet, so... "That...... is probable, but... not very likely. I don't remember a curse being broken from just moving from one place to another."

        "It can't hurt to try, can it? At the very least, there won't be another monster in the enemies ranks." True.

        "But... we don't even know if Dragenia still exists." Eia said.

        "Then we better hope it is. Even if it's just a wasteland by now, just being somewhere else should help him."

        "And me...." Ven whined as he came out of the bathroom, allowing Sokuro to finally go in. His chest was exposed... as was the larger black hole on it. "Must've gotten cursed from that stupid crystal Terducken tortured me with."

        Bran sank in his seat more, hitting his head on the table and holding it in place. There was a lot of things he wanted to do when he woke up that day. Turning into a ravenous demon was not one of them. "Great... now we really have to hope we can go back, or else we're gonna turn into monsters. Wonderful." He hit his head again, and again."

        "All the more reason not to shit around." Fayin insured. "Even if Dragenia is dust, getting away from this world will stop the process. Hopefully." Yeah... hope... that's all they can do right now, for if they fail to get Bran or Ven out of here in time... they're gonna be gone for good. "Now, where's this Trochet place?"

        Kader walked along the map, looking for it. "Should be riiiiight... here." He tapped his foot on a island in the middle of the sea.

        Bran leaned in and slouched back down. There's no humanly way this is possible, but it is cause it's happening right in front of him. The conspiracy theories of old were right. "........................................... you've gotta be kidding me..."

        Ven went over to check. "What, what is--................ you've gotta be shitting me."

        "What, what, what is it?: Kader asked. "Mind filling us in?"

        Bran popped his lips and tapped his fingers on the table. This was gonna be a doozy to explain. "Back on Ear----- back in your ancient past, a lot of strange things happened with no scientific explanation, leading to the creation of a lot of myths, fables, and legends. One such myth was a region off the eastern coast of North America, an area where a lot of strange disappearances happened. The region was called the Bermuda Triangle, named after the chain of islands in that area; People and entire vehicles, some the size of this house, would disappear without a trace, just, zzrrrt, gone. Scientists tried to give explanation, from gas bubbles to electrical storms... but tell me, would gas bubbles be able to take out flying vehicles? Or electrical disruptions to take out wooden ships that operated on wind power?" None they've seen in person. "Anywhos, outside of scientific explanations, there's also been a lot of conspiracy theories and wild tales about that place, like some gateway to Heaven was buried there, or a hidden Alien base, or even... a localized wormhole." He pointed his finger towards the island on the map. "And Trochet... is in the direct center of the bloomin' Triangle."

        "Bermuda, huh." Sokuro repeated as she came out of the bathroom, closing the door behind. "Sounds a lot better then Trochet. Er, no offense."

        "None taken."

        "I"m not cursed, by the way, so we got that going for us, at least." Fayin, Polosa, and Eia would check their bodies later for any curse spots, but they would find nothing; curse free. For the changers, it must be just that: the fact they can change forms. As for Fayin... different species entirely? They couldn't figure that out. 

        "But wait, hold up..." Seqy finally spoke up; she and the others were having trouble trying to accept all of this; they still can't. These people are from their past; they are Forgers? This all seems very confusing, and was even hurting some heads. "Let's... slow down before anyone's heads explode." The twins and triplets come to mind, but now's not the time. "We're all just having trouble with the fact that... hehe... you came from the past and you... you are Forgers."

        "Bran is." Ven corrected. "The rest of us just look humanoid."

        "Can you not?" Bran hissed towards him.

        Nightwinge lightly laughed to himself. "Wait, him? The kid is a Forger- a human?" He chuckled again. "That's impossible." Bran silently scowled towards the injured Gryphon. Afterwards, he grabbed Ven's phone and started looking through it. "The ancient Humans were a proud, mighty race that had no form- they could not be touched. They-" Bran held up Ven's phone, with the volume up to the maximum, and it played a documentary about ancient humanity. Well, ancient by 5791 standards. It was enough to shut the skeptic up. "..... ok, i stand corrected."

        Bran grunted a sigh, rolling his eyes and head back. He put the phone back on the table and approached the dragoness. "... look, Seqy, i'm just as confused and hurting in the brain as much as you; we all are. All this... it's so hard to accept. But we don't have the luxury of waiting around and doing squat anymore, cause thanks to your resident nightmares, we're running on a time limit, so... can we please just accept it and get moving before the two of us turn into rabid goons? Or at least wait until we sort all this crap out and we have a chance to breath?"

        He's right. As many questions she and everyone else has, he's right. They don't have time to lollygag and shoot the breeze anymore. They need to hurry before they turn. "Yeah.... yeah ok."

        "Un, question." Pira asked as he raised his paw. "if the Gate existed on Trochet, and Trochet was your Bermuda place, why didn't you know of it before now? You'd figure a artifact capable of transporting you through space AND time would be the most important find of all time."

        The simplest answer is usually the correct one, at least in this regard. "It must've been buried. Most, if not all, of the disappearances occurred at sea; it was probably buried deep underwater until... i dunno, a earthquake brought it up. ... it would explain so much, though, like why so many things that vanished there were never seen again...." As he went on about it, he began to wonder: ... were Dragenia and Earth the only worlds connected? "And now i'm starting to wonder if it's only Earth and Dragenia connected via this gate."

       "Now that's a big assumption right there, pard'ner." Ven drawled. "For now, let's just focus on the getting home part. We have our destination... problem is, we have no way to actually get there. We have no boat. Bermuda is right here... and we're all the way down here, on the coast of... what i now realize is the Yucatan Peninsula; how'd we miss that? ... And as you can see, there's no other island for at least a few hundred nautical miles, and not even dragons can fly that long." That is true. Even the strongest of Dragons wouldn't dare to circumnavigate the entire ocean. "Why not go the long way and just travel by land until we get to Florida... which is not here." He popped his lips. "Well.... until we get to the end of the continent then."

        "I wouldn't advise that." Alua spoke. "The Northern Regions aren't the most....... mmm... friendly of locations. They were one of the places hit the worse during the last invasion and... well, let's just say that they don't like outsiders all that much. Plus, there are some monsters up there that make the ones down here look like pets, and a giant wall that is impossible to sneak around, and Crux is just a bastion of paperwork on top of paperwork, and--."

       "Sailing it is then." Sokuro said before more examples can be given. "But after what happened in the city yesterday, i doubt anyone would let us buy a ship off them."

        Fira tapped his claws paws together with a evil grin. "Weeeell... we could take borrowed Termundus's vessel... not like he's gonna be using it now..."
        Sokuro popped her lips. "As tempting as that sounds...Yyyyyyyyyyyyyyeah, no. I'd rather not piss off the guy, even if he is demoted."
        Polosa tapped her fingers together, pondering if this next move of hers should be the correct one, but... it is the morally right one. "I know how to get one. But it involves some coercion." 

       "It involves Kar'Kile, doesn't it?" Terrum asked, to which Polosa silently nodded as she went to her bags. "Figures..."

       "Kar'kile?" Fayin asked.

       "Quio's crime boss..." Polosa went on to explain as she checked her knapsack for any crossbow bolts. "And someone i met before the fiasco at the Tower. He knows when to be ruthless, yet rewarding, and the dingus promised him an un-used map from the Vault in exchange for not killing him." Well, that explains why Trach was here, demanding the map then: cause the dog was an idiot. "As stupid as he is, Quio doesn't deserve to be killed by that ham. I think i can save him... i just need a bargaining chip." She looked to the table. "I need to borrow the map."

        Before she could take a step, the triplets got in her way. "Nun-un, like hell you are. Argax will kill us if we don't deliver it to him."

        Alright, she's had enough of this. They were told at the springs last night that they can deal with him, now they're just ignoring them. Her patience is razor-thin right now. "ENOUGH WITH THE ARGAX ALREADY!!!" She yelled, which took them aback. "I'm starting to wonder if this guy even existed and you're just using him as a scapegoat! Even if he does exist, I'll send him packing with his tail between his legs! But right now, we need a boat and to save the dumb mutts life, and this is the only way i can do it that doesn't involve fighting! And even then, i'd rather take my chances with a nobody off the streets then a local crime lord." Now why can't the triplets be thinking with this sound logic right now? "Besides, nobody else in this berg would ever think of selling us a ship after the crap we pulled, so he's our only hope of getting one. And knowing Quio, he'll probably have already blabbed about what's going on, and if that does indeed be the case...  i got something planned..." She looked down at her leg, picturing her broken Aerid leg over it. "... i'm just not gonna like the journey over."

        "You're really going to risk your life for someone you don't know?" Ven asked.

        "He helped me out when we first got here. I'm returning the favor."

        Before Polosa had a chance to leave, Eia raised her hand. "Un, can i ask something?" She turned to the boys. "If you two were from Earth, why didn't you recognize anything?"
                
        "We were too busy trying to find each other to really take notice of the scenery and surroundings." Bran, drapped over the table like a melted rug, grumbled in response. "...or notice that the language of this world is a variation of Spanish... guess it wasn't a malfunction of my implants after all." He tapped his ears. 

        "What about old buildings? There's some on Dragenia that goes back to the fall of the Gaharot Empire thousands of years ago."

        Ven shook his head. "Given the wasteland Earth turned into in our time, i doubt any remain. By the time my kind arrived on Earth, Troy had been wiped off the map for nigh on 4000 years, while we're at least 600,000, so, yeah, no, if any old Human buildings still exist, they are buried deep like the Gate. Assuming it's still around."

        As she leaned on her own leg, listening to the others talk, Sokuro's mind wandered as it tried to piece the puzzle pieces together. Eventually, her mind returned back to what Termundus said about Velx... and her eyes went wide with realizations that she hopes aren't true. Well, she hopes one of them is. "... oh my Gods...... i think it still is." She looked back to Fayin. "But... it also means Termundus is right..."

        "What, about Velx?" Polosa asked. "Don't tell me you are buying into that shlock Terducken said."

        "I hope he's wrong; i really do, but... if he's right, then Velx and the rest of the original 12 used the Gate and... traveled backwards through time to Dragenia. Then that must mean the Gate is not only still around, but it can indeed go in both directions. But... but there likely has to be some sy--" She snapped her fingers. "That keyboard-looking thing. It must be able to change the flow: forward for however many years, backwards however many years, or present. As long as it's not broken or nobody breaks it..." The Dragenian crew all then looked towards Ven, who glanced between all of them, wondering what was going on. "... we should be fine."

        His eyes furrowed as he angrily glared back at them. Of course they're still blaming him for getting them in this mess. It wasn't all his fault. "First off, it was an accident, alright? Besides, we wouldn't have been down there if Polosa hadn't taken me out hunting, or if you weren't looking at the Gate, or if the feral dumdum wasn't running around everywhere." Pearl raspberried back at him.

        "Ok, ok, we get it- you're all to blame." Sil chimed in, and with the truth too: they are all responsible for all this. "It's not helping you get back home now, is it?" No, it's not, and they knew it. Their silence confirmed it for him. "Alright then. Now... while Polosa's plan of coercing that Kar'kile guy may work, we need a backup plan to get a ship, and unfortunately, the only one i can think of is scavenging from the Graveyard."

        "The Graveyard?" Eia asked.

        "The nickname for an island called Rocky Heights; it's not far from here." Alua explained. "A lot of shipwrecks end up drifting there, so it's a hot spot for scavengers looking for some valuables to sell, or cases like yours."

        Eia scratched the side of her head. "Sooo.... what, we're gonna build our own in case Kar'kile ends up screwing us over?"

        "With how many shows i've seen about crime bosses, that's usually the case." Bran grunted as he got up from his chair. "But nothing wrong with cobbling together remnants and Frankenstein'ing up our own ship." That got him a lot of raised eyebrows and universally confused looks. Obviously, it was because of Frankenstein, but his mind was still too frazzled to realize. "Frankenstein. You know, the--... read a book, people!"
 

59: Chapter 55 : Resc.... Sav.... dealing with the mutt and a ship
Chapter 55 : Resc.... Sav.... dealing with the mutt and a ship


Chapter 55

Resc.... Sav.... dealing with the mutt and a ship

???







        As the sun began it's descent from the sky, three drakes and a rate flew across the sea, but not towards the mainland. No, their destination was the Graveyard, an island where most shipwrecks end up drifting towards thanks to the strong currents of the region. Hopefully, they'll find something here they can salvage to use as a boat. 

        "I thought you said this Rocky Heights place was close by." Terrum asked Alua, who was taking him and Sokuro there to scout out the place. They were currently in the clouds; their scales were now glistening with condensation. 

        "It is. It's just a longer flight."

        "That literally defeats the definition of close." Kader also called out; he was riding in Sokuro's paws, hanging on for deal life with a safety belt while also holding Ven's phone for dear life. The plan is to take pictures of all the viable wrecks and find one that would work the best- Ven served on navel ships when he was on Earth, so he knows what to look for.

        Sokuro, however, remained silent. Her mind was still reeling and her heart was still in shock, all from what they discovered: that this world is Earth, and they somehow traveled almost six hundred thousand years into the future, both things that should be impossible, but are and have happened... compounding that is the fact that the Astrals, her Gods, are... nothing but a bunch of fakes; just escaped science experiments. If that one is true, it would completely destroy everything that people know about her world. And that's on top of the fact that Bran and Ven are going to turn into those monstrous Shadows if they don't hurry up and get the hell off this marble.

        Terrum saw how silent and distant she was, and so flew over to her to try and comfort. "You ok?"

        "You know i'm not." She breathlessly chuckled. "Everything we just found down there... it's a lot to take in. You'd think the shock would past after a few hours, but... no. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

        "I don't blame you." Kader said from her paw. "That was a whole lot of crazy in that exposition dump. I mean, to think, that kid was a Forger all along, and that you guys are from a past so ancient, it should be labeled prehistoric. It's all just mind-boggling. I'd still be sitting on that chair, too stunned to move if that was more worldview that snapped."

        "I think she gets it, rodent." Terrum sciffed, which Kader just brushed off. He looked back to her and saw her expression hadn't changed. "I'm not even going to pretend to know what you are going through right now; i don't think anything is going to make that sting any less."

        "You have no idea how right you are." She responded.

        Some few moments later, the trio came out of the cloud they were in, and the two kids were in awe at the towering spire of clay and rock that rose up before them. At it's base, rising from the ocean and jutting out of the rock, were hundreds of sharp, pointy spikes, with thousands of ships caught within their clutches. It reminded Sokuro of the Koloron race course. "Well, we're here." Alua said.
        She says it like it's a normal thing. "Un...." Sokuro sputtered like a horse as she craned her head back to look up and up and up... the top seems to go all the way into the clouds. "That's Rocky Heights? That... is just one enormous hunk of rock and stone and clay and... psht, Voul know what else."

        "And it's also highest point in the entire country." Alua added.

         The outsider popped her lips. "Considering how flat i saw everything was on the mainland, i'll believe it"
        "Keep in mind this is highest point in the country, not the world." Terrum added.

        She nodded in her response, "Yeah, i think Bran mentioned a mountain called Everest being the tallest one on Earth."

        "If it still exists." Alua said. "We have been isolated for 75 years, after all."

        "And near 600,000 when his kind last saw it." Sokuro added on. 

        Kader, leaning on Ven's phone, popped his lips and tapped his cheek with a claw. "... you do remember that the longer you gawk at something, the less time you have to save your boyfriend?"

        "OH, right." Wait, did he just call Bran her boyfriend? No no no, that needs to be nipped. "And we're not dating." He shrugged. No skin off his back; he just said it to get their attention. As Kader got up onto his hind legs, she looked down to him and asked, "Do you have that phone thing handy?"

        "Yep." He tapped it on the side. "He also told me it's water proof, so it won't break if it drops in the ocean. Swimming after it would be a hassle, though." That it would. "Besides, we better hope that fox actually did serve in a navy, otherwise we wasted our time coming here for wrecks to salvage."

        "Well,  you never know." Alua exhaled. "There are hundreds upon thousands of wrecks down there. It's doubtful all of them are nonuseable or splinters."

        "I suppose." He leaned forward to look down. The waves crashed upon the jutted spikes and base of the spire hard; the currents here must be really strong to produce crashes that intense. "Though i'm not holding my breath."

        Sokuro pumped up her other paw, "Then we... un... what did Bran call it, Frankenstein one up?"

        "What even is a Frankenstein?" Terrum asked.

        "No idea." The other two responded.

        "You could look it up." Alua mentioned.

        To which Kader responded with a snort, "Fat chance of that. I barely know how to work this photo thing, let alone use every mechanism hidden in this small square."

        Sokuro exhaled forcefully, rubbing her forehead. Today has just been a roller-coaster when can it stop? "Sigh.... i hope Polosa's more successful in her endeavors..."





        Her's.... is going to be a little bit more tricky.

        Water was splashed on Quio's face, waking the mutt up from his passed-out state. After knocking him out and departing from the island, Trach headed straight towards home; back to the cenote. There weren't even any patrols to worry about- the city is still trying to accept what had happened yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, Kar'kile is not at all happy from what he heard from the subordinates who went to attend the festivities. 

        Quio coughed out the water as he sat up, spraying water everywhere. When he finally calmed down and opened his eyes, he saw where he was and was doing his best to keep his freakout contained. The room was completely dark, save for torches on the walls... and two bowls of flame lit right by Kar'kiles throne. He himself was sitting on it, his anger clearly visible with a angled brow and erythematic tapping of claws on the armrest.

        Quio shakingly got onto his feet, twiddling his fingers out of nervous habit as he did. "... i know what you're thinking, so--"

        "Zip it." Kar'kile barked, which Quio did. "I heard a lot of things yesterday that i didn't want to hear; so let me see if i got what transpired straight." Quio gulped. "You were trapped inside that tower for a full 24 hour day with that foreigner due to a accident that was entirely your fault..." 

        There was no way he would've been able to hear about that, Quio thought. "How did you learn about that?"

        "You just told me." 

        Quio's face sunk. He should've seen that coming. "Oh.... my fault for falling for that..."

        "But then." Kar'kile continued. "...not only helped the huntress attack Termundus while in the premises the very next day, putting a target on YOUR head and anyone you associate with, but aided in the 'liberation and relocation' of a couple dozen prisoners to the island where the Silver devil lives... and on top of that, you were also seen with three Ground triplets... the children of Swardea and Veldus, who were seen talking with that ingrate Argax a few days ago and currently have the map YOU said was a surefire steal and that nobody would ever know. That about sum it up?"

        "More or less." A guttural growl and a vicious glare came from the boss, which make Quio back up a bit. "Why are you so pissed about those three being kids of some old guards?"

        "That's private." He slowly began to get up from his seat. "What won't be private is what i'm going to do to you."

        So many alarms were going off inside Quio's head right now. Normally, he would ignore them for whatever hairbrained scheme he had, but for now... now was a good time to listen. .... he didn't. "L-l-look, boss..." He stammered. Kar'kile got on all fours and slowly started walking down the steps under his throne. "I-i-i get that your mad, but WHO could've predicted all that crap to happen, alright? Us getting locked in and Termundus getting his just desserts? B-b-besides, i didn't attack Termundus- that was all the huntress. And the map is still on that island- the foreigners are using it. A-all we have to do is go and get it and--" 

        As he instinctively, and idiotically, turned to leave, vines ripped up from below and snatched his leg, making him trip and holding him in place. Quio rubbed his nose as he rolled back around, seeing one of Kar'kile's magicians manipulating the plant life beneath them, then yelped when he saw the encroaching dragon. "You're staying put." He said menacingly. 

        "B-b-b-but i can go get the map right now! It's still on the island and--" A vine came out of the ground and wrapped around his mouth, shutting him up.

        "I really don't want to hear it right now." He stood over him. Water floated up out of the vines and coalesced above him, turning into a sawblade... a rotating sawblade. "I'm in a really foul mood right now, thanks to you. It was supposed to be simple, but you turned it into a trashfire. I WARNED you that you had one last chance for all the bullcrap you've done over the years!" The water-sawblade began to spin; Quio could hear the sound in his mind, even though there was none. "Consider this payback for my son, you maldito animal rastrero." Quio screamed in terror, but his screams were muffled by the plants. Nobody was going to come to his resc--
        The double doors kicked open suddenly. A sudden gust of air blew out the fire and flung the water-saw away; Kar'kile's lack of concentration turned it back into regular water. The three within looked to the entrance and saw a familiar and pissed dragoness standing before them. "Hands off the idiot." Polosa said with incredible gusto.

        Letting loose a soft and aggravated chuckle, Kar'kile walked around the idiot, stepping on his left hand on purpose. "I'm surprised you bothered to return, huntress."

        "It's Polosa." She puffed. She then nodded her head towards the prone mutt. "And i came for him."

        Kar'kile turned his head and looked down at him. He's just as surprised to see her here as the crimelord was. "For Quio?" He laughed. "Are you that stupid or have you fallen in love with the nitwit?"

        "Neither." She stepped in, slamming one door behind her with her good leg. "I'm just evening our debt. He helped me several times in the last few days; i'm just returning the favor."

        As noble as that was, Kar'kile didn't want to hear it. HIs operations are already in jeopardy as it is and he doesn't need some stupid foreign prick making it worse. "Listen, huntress, the two of you botched up your job. Now the tower's a mess, Termundus is pissed, and you and your cadre are all public enemy number one. I'm very tempted to turn you in myself."

        "But you won't." She retorted confidently. She's smart and knows how this game is played, and how crime lords react to power and boasts. "I heard of all Termundus' horror stories, and frankly- i call baloney. If he was so tough, how come he AND his underling couldn't take me out all by myself? It got even more embarrassing when Sokuro got into the picture." Sokuro?, Kar'kile thought. That must've been the female Silver. And... she's right, that is embarrassing for the general. "All he is is just a narcissistic bag of hot air. So tell me, big guy; do you honestly think you have a chance against someone who fought him and survived to tell the tale?"

        Kar'kile's eyes moved as he looked her over. She has the scars and the muscle-mass to back that boast up... along with something else. He noticed that one of her hind legs was in a raised cast. It must've been broken during the fight, which was just yesterday so it must still be in excruciating pain, and yet here she is, ready to start another brawl. "At the cost of your leg, it seems." That didn't phase her; she must've broken a limb before. "But that doesn't change anything except i won't try to capture you. Quio is still going to pay for wasting my and everyone's time with this foolish idea of his, and putting us in their crosshairs."

        Speaking of crosshairs.... 

        Polosa snickered to herself. Now would be a good time. Her only hope was that this worked. "You know... you're right, Quio must pay for his crimes, no doubt about it." His mouth still covered, Quio screamed out in shock at her betrayal. She knelt down and patted him on the head. "He's been a bad boy and needs the proper discipline." She stopped and turned to leave, much to their confusing... but she didn't take a step. "...but first, how about a little wager?"

        He raised his brow. This doesn't seem like the woman who makes wagers... so then why is she? "A wager?"

        "Yes," She pointed out the only open door and towards a small object aaaaaaaaaall the way on the other side of the cenote: a abandoned jar she found outside. "If i am able to hit that jar all the way here, you release Quio into my custody."

        "And if i refuse or if you miss?"

        "If i miss, i'll be your bed-buddy for the rest of my life. But you refuse, then i'll tell the boys to take the map straight to Argax and you won't see a lick of that treasure."

        How very interesting, he thought. She can't imagine her being willing to do her part of the wager if she misses, but she's hte one who brought it up... but he can't afford to lose that map. Worse comes to worse, he'll need the treasure to restart his whole organization again. "Hmh. Fine. But i would like to add on one provision: if you do win, you take Quio back to wherever you came from. He failed me for the last time and i can't stand to look at him again." Polosa was unsure about that, taking someone else from their homelike this, but Quio had no objections: he'll live, he won't have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his life, and to be honest, he's grown bored of this place. "But you won't be able to hit it from here. It's too far away to aim accurately." Show's what he knows, she thought.

        Stepping into the doorframe, she took a deep breath and concentrated. This was the only way to get him to listen without fuss and provide some help. It's not the smartest way, but she can't see any other way, especially with his bad attitude at the moment. As she looked out the door towards the jaw, she flexed her right paw, cracking it. She was ready.

        As she rose up on her hind legs, rearing her head back like she was about to blast a blast out of her mouth, her body suddenly began to glow as sparkles swirled around her, a display of light that utterly confused Kar'kile and the magician, but not Quio- he caught on. They saw her large light silhouette seemingly change shape within it, and then...

        *Bang!!!*

        A sudden loud and violent bang rang out. Seconds later, the jar on the other side of the underground lake shattered, the townspeople within the cenote were scared and shocked as to what that sound was... and Kar'kile was staring down the business end of a loud boom stick, which Quio recognizes as Ventus' sniper rifle, being held by a furless monkey with just one hand.

        Kar'kile and the magician were in utter shock by this, as they should be; everyone on the island are used to this by now, but everyone outside of the little clique they've made up isn't aware of any of this, leaving the crime boss in the same confounded boat the heroes were in only a couple days ago. ".... what... in the hell...?" Kar'kile snakingly said, and visibly too.

        "This is called a gun." Polosa said, holding it with one hand and her finger on the trigger while kicking the door shut with her foot. "An invention by those ancestors of yours you call Forgers, which i am sure you read about in your history books. You saw how accurate it can be. i've seen it kill multiple species with a single shot, but never Aerids like us, so unless you want to test if you can resist it..."

        At any other time, he would want to test it: he's not afraid... but the last 20 seconds have been jarring; a loud stick that just broke something over 100 meters away, being held  by a furless monkey that just changed from a large Dragon... how is someone supposed to react to this other then: "Ok."  He nodded to the magician, who nodded back and cut off the flow. The vines retreated and Quio coughed as he breathed. "But first, you gotta answer some questions, like what in the hell was all that?"

        She stayed silent for a moment, glancing to Quio to see if he was alright. He was. She looked back to him and said, "My secret." She lowered the gun, which made him also relax. "I didn't lie when i said me and my compatriots weren't from this country. I just didn't give all the details." She looked to the magician, who was cowering behind a pillar. "Before i go any further, i expect the two of you to keep silent about this, am i clear?"

        Seeing the power this outsider has, the magician nodded quickly. "Y-y-yes." She quivered.

        Polosa then looked back to Kar'kile, who seems to have regained his intimidating composure. "And you, big guy?" She asked.

        Kar'kile puffed out some smoke from his nostrils, then flung his paw like he was tossing paper over his shoulder. "Fine. Sure. Mum's the word. Whatever you say won't leave this room. Now, what are you?"

        "They're aliens." Quio groaned and coughed as he sat up. "And some magical mishap on their world brought them to ours."

        Polosa pursed her lips and twisted them; while annoyed that he interrupted, he's not all that wrong. "... You're not wrong, surprisingly enough." She confirmed. "It's more nuanced then that, but that's the short and sweet version: i am an alien from another planet entirely and a magical device- a superlarged Gate- brought me and the others here, and you know the rest of what happened." 

        "And this... magic trick?" He asked while gesturing to all of her.

        "Transformation." She held up her scale. "We live with our Gods and they provide us with magical scales that allow us into Aerids, or what you call Dragons. We can also use more then one element, while you are all saddled with just one." That explains all the elements she and that Silver used, at least. "But only just us Ferids. No other race can, so if you're thinking you can change into this form as well, you won't."

        He wasn't even at all curious about that; why would he ever give up this chiseled bod for anything lesser? But there was now one more lingering question that needs asked. "If you aren't from here, what made you fight Termundus?"

        "He held her boyfriend hostage." Quio grunted as he rubbed his chest.

        Polosa lowered her, slowly shook it, and sighed. "He's not my boyfriend." He would argue that the way she launched herself into battle says otherwise, but he's not really in a mood to argue. It's been a long day. "But yes, he was holding one of us hostage and was torturing him. Quio had nothing to do with the fight."

        Kar'kile clicked his tongue. "Too bad the officials won't see it that way when Termundus sends hit squads out to find him." She angrily frowned. "It doesn't matter what your reasons are: you still attacked a General, one who's a war hero no less, and they won't stop until they take you and your friends down, and i don't want you around when they bring down the hammer."

        Every fiber of her being is telling her to pound this brat into submission... but she immediately found a way to work this all to her advantage, and Kar was the one to bring that up for her. This was gonna be a cinch. "Funny you should mention that, cause we both want the same thing: for us to be gone. But sadly, we can't, because our ticket home is on a far away island and we have no way to get there...... unless you have a spare we can use."

        Kar'kile was quick to catch on. "You are one shrewd lady..." He darkly chuckled, which she smirked back. "You had this whole conversation planned from the beginning, didn't you?"

        "No, no not really. I was just lucky you said the magic words, is all." She shouldered the rifle. "But it does not change the fact we don't have a ship to get us to the island, so you better have a spare."

        He thought about it. He does have a good amount of ships in his fleet, but he is going to need all of them if he is forced to abandon this place, and he just built it like he wanted it to. But he does have one ship in his fleet, one he can potentially spare without it harming his evacuation method, should the need arise. "I have one ship i think i can spare."

        "Great. I'll take it."

        "I'm gonna warn you; it's not great." Kar'kile smirked before walking away back to his throne. Reaching the steps, "Oh, and there is one condition to you borrowing one of my vessels." He turned back around. "The map. If you're going out to sea, and the treasure is on an island, i want it. As in, i want you to go and claim it for me. Is that clear?"

        "I guess i got no choice in the matter, do I?" She really doesn't. "Fine, but i'm letting you know that we're on a bit of a time limit here: this world is having some adverse effects on several of the others and it may kill them if we don't get out of here. If the location is far beyond our route, like on the other side of the continent, then send someone else to do it because if we run out of time and they die, i'm coming back and you know what i will do. Is that clear?"

        "Crystal." He harshly replied before heading back up.

        Quio took that opportunity to get up and ask, "So...." That made him stop and look back. "... when you said go back to wherever she came from, were you just saying that, or..."

        The boss groaned as he pinched his eyes. He'll never get rid of him at this rate. "Look, i don't care where you go. I don't care what you do. Go to her world, go to the Northern Regions, or go to Craslk; i don't give a rats furry butt. I just do not want you near me or my operations anymore, alright? Now pack your things and get the hell out."

        Quio was hurt by his words; he spent so much of his life here with them, it's... going to be hard to say go-- "Alright that!" He... oddly said cheerfully. "Let's go pack 'em up!" He turned to the door and strut on out, leaving Polosa, Kar'kile, and the magician completely stupefied by his lack of concern. 

        "I....... did not expect that response." The magician commented.

        "Us neither." Polosa and Kar'kile said in unison.





        Some time later, Polosa, back in her Aerid form and awkwardly sitting to allow her broken leg to be raised, was waiting outside for Quio to finish packing up his things. She had been waiting for a long while, so he must be taking his sweet sweet time, or trying to butter up to Kar'kile again so he can stay. She can't imagine why; he's hated here, after all. Kar'kile had sent the magician on ahead to inform the dock crew or whoever to get the ship ready; as she is the only other person in the cenote that knows the truth, makes sense why it would be her, even if she does look scared stiff.

        The door to her left opened. She glanced over and saw Trach walk out with a cigar hanging from his mouth. He sat on his haunch's as it closed behind him. He took a puff, then exhaled out some smoke. Polosa coughed a bit and waved the smoke away with her paw; that's really annoying. "Another world, eh?"

        Add one more to the list of people who know, then. "Kar'kile told you?" She asked.

        "I'm his second in command; of course he told me." He took another puff. "I didn't believe it at first, but it does explain a few things, and answer a few holes in your story." Polosa just gave an audible grunt as her response. "So what's this world of yours like?"

        "A helluva lot better then this." She scoffed. He snorted a chuckle; it already sounds better, and she didn't even go into detail yet. "Our only worry are beasts called Phagos, but they hibernate so they're only a issue when they're awake. There's also no one trying to kill us all the time."

        "That must be nice." Trach commented as he tapped the cigar to get rid of some access ash.

        "Slavery is still a thing, though, but it's slowly being abolished. Most countries have gotten rid of it, but a few holdouts are being stubborn; stubborn enough for a resistance group to be formed."

        "Now that's how you know you are stubborn; people have to fight you to convince you otherwise." She softly chuckled as her response. "And hte Silvers?"

        "Replace 'royalty' with Demi-god and it's still the same explanation."

        "Wow. Now that's power." He took a puff. "Very crap fighter, though."

        "She's a kid." Polosa was quick to answer, and why would he say that about a kid? ... she's a kid!

        Slightly moving his front leg, he replied with, "And that's supposed to be an excuse... how?" She furrowed her brow in silence. "So you're telling me you never saw kids fight wherever you came from? No tussles in mud or dogpiling of friends or street urchins slapping each other for food?"

        Well, ok, when he puts it like that, of course kids would know how to fight. Sokuro isn't like that, though; she goes on adventures, sure, but rarely gets into any major scuffles. At least, not in her Ferid form. "Well, she's not like that."

        "Really? Cause the way you told your fake story a few days, it sounded like you barely know her, let alone knew she existed before she got Silver'd. If it wasn't for your current situation, would you even have cared about that kid outside of her being a chosen demi-god?" Polosa opened her mouth to respond, but remained silent. She glanced away from him before shifting backwards. "Yeah, that's what i thought."

        She slouched back, not wanting to admit  he's right... even though he is. "...... for the record, she wasn't chosen... the scale process is completely random."

        "Does that really change things?" Staying silent, she looked away. She's not exactly a people person to begin with, so... would she have cared so much even if she was just a ordinary Ferid with a ordinary scale and not a Silver? And come to think of it... she never tried to find any of the others during their separation; she was focused on the Silver; not even Ven was on her radar...

        Soon enough, the magician returned with a slip in its clutches. He approached and handed it to Polosa, "Here. Show this to the dockmaster and he'll give you the ship. I should warn you, however- it is a piece of crap."

        She looked at the slip, which was once again written in a language she knows nothing about but, given recent plot revelations, it is some form of Spanish. Still a language she knows nada about, but one she can learns when she gets back to Dragenia. ... IF she gets back to Dragenia. "As long as it can get us to the island." She said as she went to pocket it... but her Aerid form had none. Whoops.

        The magician turned to go back inside, but stopped halfway in his turn. "For the record, i don't believe your story about being from another world: it's all just a bunch of hogwash, if you ask me. But i do believe that ever since you got here, it's been one maddening minute after another, so please get home soon so things can go back to some level of normalcy." He then walked right in, missing a icy stare Polosa was giving back.

        With one last puff and exhale, Trach dropped his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it to put it out. "While he's not wrong about things going hogwild ever since ya'll came here... i do believe that you aren't from this world. Using multiple elements and being able to transform is kinda a dead giveaway."

        "And yet, nobody figured it out, and you three only know it cause i said it." He just shrugged that off. He turned his attention to the door and tapped his foot. Tapping his foot and exhaling incessantly, he continued to look; What was taking that mutt so long? Polosa noticed his actions and slightly nodded in agreement. "He is taking too long, isn't he?"

        "It's not that hard to pack, is it?" He asked.

        "He's leaving the only life- the only world- he knew behind because of his mistakes. How would you act if you were being forced to leave?"

        the answer was easy. "Probably hurt. But i wouldn't take this long."

        "That's where you and he differ, cause i know for a fact he feels devastated."

        "And how would you know?"

        ".................... i just... know these things."

        Before he could ask, the door opened up and Quio came out... with an obscenely huge quantity of luggage- 8 in total: two in each hand, one under each armpit, and two off his back. She doesn't remember having that much in his room, yet here they are. It also explains why he was taking so long; poor fella must've been losing his balance and putting down his backs every few minutes to give his hands and back a needed break every few minutes. "Ready." He grunted, trying to stay upright.

        "You packed everything?" Trach asked.

        "Duh. I doubt i'm gonna be coming back to get everything i have, so may as well do it all in one trip."

        Polosa sighed as she rubbed her eyes with her claws; this dog is both a imbecile and vainly materialistic... "Right..." She said to herself. She flapped her wings and hovered over, taking the bags from under his armpits. "Well, it'll take forever to get to the docks if you keep stopping every so often to take a break." She gestured Trach to do the same, which he begrudgingly did.

        "Aw, thanks you two." Quio gleamed with thinly veiled contempt towards the two of them, something they both picked up on rather quickly and easily, leading both of them to think: ... it was the luggage that was slowing him down, right? Even if they asked, he'd insist that it was. Polosa couldn't ask even if she wanted to; they're on a time limit. His load lightened, Quio led the way as the trio went down to the docks, which were conveniently hidden behind a natural rock formation. 




        Speaking of natural rock formations:

        Back at base, Ventus, who was resting at the spring with Fayin, Bran, Fira, Pira, and leaning to his left with a finger rubbing against his chin, was looking at the pictures Alua, Terrum, Sokuro, and Kader were able to take of the wrecked ships. There must be at least something there that can be of help, right? Problem is, untold years of crashing waves, nasty currents, and those sharp spikes did not leave any better for ware. "And this is all you could photograph?"

        "Yep." Kader nodded.

        "Mmmmmmm...... maybe looking at a ship graveyard was a bad idea. Lord knows how many years of decay and entropy would've affected these. I'm not even seeing any flotsam."

        "Flotsam?" Pira asked.

        "Yeah, flotsam." That just made the boy tilt his head, with a lot of imaginary question marks overhead. "You know, driftwood?" Now his brother joined in and even more question marks appeared. Ven rolled his eyes. "Pieces of wrecked ships that are still floating." Now they got it.

        "But what about this one?" Sokuro asked. She flipped through the pictures they took until it arrived on one that may be the best-kept wreck out of all they've seen. HOW it can still float after being split into two is anyone's guess. "It's still floating and mostly intact."

        "But sawed in half." Terrum said. "I don't know how it's floating, but i don't think we can use that as a ship."

        "He's right." Ven said. He pressed a button on the side and the phone shut off. "Don't get me wrong, it is the most promising one there, but... fixing and repairing it would require a lot of work, work we don't have the time or manpower for."

        "How much work?"

        She was not going to like this answer. "We'd be better off building our own ship."

        She did not like that answer. "Ouch..." She tapped her hands against her side. "... then we better hope Polosa is able to get a ship from Kar'kile."

        "What was that about me?" Polosa asked as she walked up to them through the woods in her Ferid form, prompting those gathered to turn her way.

        "You're back sooner then expected." Alua said.

        Really? it feels like it had been longer. Why does the time always seem to go by slower for her? She's had that feeling all the time in the last few days. "Yeah, well... things happened."

        "Like?"

        Ventus went on high alert when he saw Trach, the dragon that broke into the orphanage, coming up behind her with a subtle grin on his face. He was not here to  make pleasantries, but he did still speak. "Hello there." He waved. 

        "Him!?!" Ven yelled. He reached for his gun, but remembered that he loaned it to Polosa for her scheme. So why is Trach here? And where the hell is that stupid mutt? Why isn't he here?

        Polosa held her hands up to defuse the situation; she was quick to reassure the group that nothing was gonna happen. "Calm down, Ven. He's not here  for a fight. He's here to..... rrrmm.... come with us." That did not calm him down and she knew it. There was no way to sugarcoat this. "I was able to get a boat and save the idiot, but.... it came with a catch: we have to to a treasure hunt..." Can't sugarcoat the other part either. "... and also take Quio back with us to Dragenia as he burned too many bridges here."

       "We have to what!?!" The Dragenians present all yelled.

        "Don't worry. I told him if it was really far out of the way or took too much time, we weren't gonna do it- i wasn't about to risk Ven or the kid over some stupid treasure that probably isn't even there anymore."

        "We're freaking out about Quio!" Sokuro shouted.

        "To be honest..." Trach chimed in. "You don't HAVE to take him with you to your world; we just want him so far away from us, the boss won't kill him on sight, so drop him off on some deserted island or something- we don't care."

        As Polosa walked over to give Ven back his rifle, Terrum spoke up and asked, "So how  many more people know about your little secret now?"

        "Just 3..." She said as she handed the rifle to Ven. "...Kar'kile, Trach here, and some random magician who happened to be there. I swore them all to secrecy... or else."

        "Un, we don't have magicians." Pira said. "Least not the ones you're thinking of. We don't have the same magic as you; it's not even considered magic."

        "Ok, then some random plant manipulator. Sheesh."

        As she relaxed by the spring, Fayin sighed an exhale and mentioned, "I still thing there must've been a better plan then just ousting ourselves to a crime lord." 

        "Well, i was pretty strapped for options; if you had an idea, you should've spoken up earlier." Could, would, shoulda by this point. "But Quio may've done us a solid by getting caught: he didn't tell Kar'kile about our trick, so he was completely shocked and stunned when he saw it happen. If he did know ahead of time, i doubt he would've let us borrow one of his ships."

        Trach balanced his paw in a sort of balancing board method; 'kinda' is what he's going for. "The transformation, maybe, but that loud boom stick would've still convinced him."

        True enough; guns don't seem to be a thing here on this planet, at least not anymore or they're very rare. "Well, then, i got a double whammy. Besides, who's he gonna tell? He wants us gone, and given the last few days, can you blame him? I bet everyone in the city wants us gone." True enough, true enough.

        Sokuro flipped herself up onto her feet. "Speaking of leaving, you said you did get us a ship, correct? An actual one we don't have to... how did Bran put it again; Frankenstein up?"

        She shrugged. "It's a piece of crap, but it floats, and is surprisingly fast. It's down at the beach if you wanna see it- i think you can even see it from here." And see it they do.

        Bran sharply spat out through his teeth. "Figures he'd give us a piece of crap." He got up too. "He wants  us gone, but doesn't give us a fast vessel What self-respecting mob boss would ever lennnnnnnnn..." That's when he saw it and his mouth dropped. "... nnnnnn is that a fricken yacht!?!"

        Outside of Ven, that term is completely lost on everyone. "A yacht?" Fayin blinked. "What's a yacht?"

        "Looks like a floating trash heap to me." Fira said

        Digging and running his hands through his hair, Bran turned to them all in his flabbergasted shout, "ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING ME!?! You don't have Yacht's on Dragenia?! Oh, oh! i'm putting an end to that travesty!" How is this a travesty? It's just a boat. "Yachts are pleasure barges; boats used by the rich and famous for parties, meetings, plots for world domination... you know, all that good stuff. And when i mean the rich, I MEAN THE RICH! Like rich enough to own a whole skyscraper rich; rich enough to own sports teams, companies, a darn country, and i just lost you all, didn't I?"

        They all nodded. "Yep."

        "Great, figures." He slouched forward. "But seriously, none of you have heard of seen yachts!?" 

        "If we did, they look nothing like that." Pira said. "I'm just honestly not seeing the appeal."

        "Must be a Human thing." Kader said, and they were inclined to agree.

        "It's supposed to a status symbol." Ven spoke up. He grunted as he slowly lifted himself out of the water, with Polosa helping him and using the barrel of his rifle as a crutch. "Like Bran said, the rich and famous own those. Back in the old Earth days, to own one is to flaunt your money and your power; the bigger the boat, the greater you looked and the envious others were." He squinted his eyes as he looked towards it off in the distance. "Though whoever owned this was on the lower end: it's only a single decker sail yacht. And whose that on it?"

        "Quio." Polosa replied. "He's taking a nap."

        "Alright then, frame of reference best guesstimate, that thing is only 100, 150 meters long. Give or take; hard to say from this far."

        "It's also rusted over." Polosa said. The colonists looked at her funny, like how would she know what rust looks like? "You do remember we have airships back on Dragenia, right?" Right, of course, they forget; cause of the Gaharots. "Anyways, i've made some travels to Roko Harbor and i know what rust looks like and that is covered in it."

        "Great." Sokuro whimpered. "A floating death trap."

        "Eh, some Talyat oil should deal with the rust problem." Alua said, which prompted them to look at her funny. "Armor? Weapons? Made of metal?" Right... they forgot. Just like stupid questions, there can be stupid reactions.

        As they walked towards and approached the ship and saw how bad it looked, Bran was prompted to ask, "Metal can't last this long, can they?" He asked Ven. "Like there's no way a yacht can survive 600,000 years, right?"

        "Not a chance." Ven replied. "8000, as Babylon and Atlantis have proven, yes, but 600,000? Not a chance. That thing should be rusted dust now. And that's assuming the time between our arrival on Dragenia and our return to Earth didn't last a few hundred thousand ourselves. Even if we assume we are a MILLION years in the future, that thing should be gone."

        "Guess this adds more proof to the Time Traveling Gate theory." Sokuro said as she walked over to the two of them. "You said a lot of things disappeared in that Burmeda Triangle thing, right?"

        "Bermuda. And yeah... but i don't remember ever reading about a yacht vanishing in it."

        "Must've been so remote or the guy so unknown, they weren't headline worthy." Fayin said as she was riding on a table Terrum made.

        "Maybe." Bran took a few steps forward and spun around. "Who cares about the details right now? It floats and it moves, that's all that matters." Several of them nodded in agreement. "What is important is that we prevent it from sinking and deal with that rust."

        "Like i said, Talyat oil." Alua repeated. 

        Moments later, with the Aerids/Dragons help, the walkers were brought up onto the deck, a deck that, despite being..... let's be generous and say a million years old, looks surprisingly brand new. A path rounded the entire ship, with a large dip at the back for some natural seating; enough seats for 20. The hull may be rusty, but the wood has been kept in good condition. Bran opened up the hatch and went down into the hold with the kids while Polosa kicked Quio on the side, waking him up.

        "Huh. Wood still looks good." Ven knelt down and knocked on it. He heard some creaking within it and grimaced. "Though termites may still be a factor, if they still exist."

        "Guess Kar'kile did some kind of upkeeping on this thing." Polosa commented. 

        "Guy likes his boats." Trach also commented. "And if we ever need to evacuate, it's nice to have all ships ready to sail at a moments notice."

        "And the fact he let it rust?" Kader droned listlessly.

        "He didn't let it rust too bad." Bad excuse since half the hull looks like it's ready to fall apart. "But he has been neglectful lately." 

        Seconds later, the twins came scrambling up, gagging- for real or for gags, nobody knows. "Don't go down there!" They both gagged. "Rotten food. Horrible smell." They ran to the side facing the water and 'vomited'.

        "It wasn't that bad a smell." Sokuro said as she came up. "But they're not wrong about the bad food." She moved to the side just as Bran was slowly coming up, reading a... newspaper? 

        "What's that you got?" Trach asked.

        "Newspaper from Earth." He looked up at the date. "'Peace was declared between the African countries of Upper Volta, Mali, and Niger. More to follow.' from July 10th, 1975. Aw, whoever owned this was a couple years shy of Star Wars." As Sokuro moved it to ask, he held up a hand to stop her. "Later." He just said as he walked forward a ways.

        Terrum, who had been silent most of the time since Polosa returned, finally spoke up with some... not so good observations. "Un, i see a few issues here."

        The kids all groaned and the humanoids slouched over. "There's always an issue..." Bran groaned. "Just once i would like something to go right without there being a new issue..." He slung his head back, looking at him upsidedown, and asked, "What issues...?"

        "Isn't Talyat oil expensive?"

        Alua whined a groan as she lightly facepalmed. "It is... around 40 goldz... but Guardians and Guardians-in-training get it for free..." 

        "I see an issue too......" Sokuro said. "Sail looks like it's about to rip off that mast any second, if not rip apart entirely."

        "And what about food and water?" Terrum continued. "Trochet is a long ways away, so you would need enough for a round trip there and back. And what about space? There's barely enough room on this deck for us."

        Polosa looked around on the deck. He's got a fair point, to be sure. "Well, if it was just us Dragenians going on the cruise, the space thing wouldn't be a problem, especially since me, Sokuro, and Eia can transform, but as we know nothing about this world beyond the town, we'd be in a really bad spot so obviously we'd have to have someone come with us as a tour guide."

        "We could always build rafts to drag things." Fayin said. "And the sail can be easily fixed with some good ol' fashioned sewing."

        Ven and Kader looked at each other, with the former pursing his lips as he tapped his fingers on the seat he was on. "Well..." He popped his lips. "... guess that flotsam is gonna come in mighty handy now."

        A tired Quio scratched his head. "Flotsam?"

        Ven groaned as he facepalmed. "Not you too."
 

60: Chapter 56: Favor
Chapter 56: Favor

Chapter 56

Favor

 

 


        Math. The single worst thing to have ever been invented by civilized beings. Simple math, not a problem: 2 + 2 = 4, not that hard to figure out... but the high you go, the worse it gets. 222 + 389 = ..... you need help on that. It gets even worse when you get to calculus and quantum physics. 

        Math involving money is never, ever, ever fun.. usually because it involves such a huge blow to your wallet. All that hard earned money, down the drain, and Alua was certainly feeling the sting as Ven, after relocating back to the orphanage with the rest, was calculating how much they'd need to repair and upkeep that hunk of junk of a boat down by the springs. Music played over the radio, sung beautifully by Cyember.

        "How much did you say that oil was?" Ven asked.

        "40 goldz... but with a ship that big, we'd need multiple bottles... probably 7, maybe 10."

        "Alright, that's 400 goldz..." he typed that into the calculator function on his phone. "And we'll need a lot of food and water for a round trip. Back on Earth, it would take like a week to sail from Yucatan to Bermuda, and that's on a good day. At best, we would need food that survives for long travel times, like canned foods and salted meats." Salted meats? What kind of a world does he think this is; they have refrigerators, for crying out loud. "How much would that be?"

        "For safety's sake... 200?"

        "Alright." He put that in- they were now up to 600 goldz, and that made Alua wince. "Now, we'll also need supplies to repair what we can on the  yacht. Wood, we don't have to worry about thanks to all the trees here and the flotsam back at the graveyard. Nails, however... that's gonna be spendy."

        "You're right. 77, at least."

        Now up to 677 goldz. "And swatches to patch up that sail."

        "That's cheap- around 20 a bundle."

        "I'll put in 60, to be safe..." 737 goldz. "... and rope for the rafts."

        "We have some rope, but it would be safe to but several more. Those are also 20 apiece."

        Now 797. "I think that's all we need until we think of anything more."

        "800 goldz..." Sil winced. "That's a lot of moneys..." The other locals agreed. "How much do we have?"

        Alua really didn't want to say it. Her wallet took a nasty hit. "Between the carnival and feeding everyone outside..." She opened up her coin purse and shook it. Only two fell out onto the table. "We only have two goldz..."

        Even without knowing the currency exchange rate here, that is painful to hear. "Just two......?" Seqy groaned. She slouched down onto the beanbag she was sitting in, sinking deep into it whilest Sokuro softly planted her forehead on the table, digging into it with each turn. "We're gonna go hungry."

        "Don't say that." Alua retorted. "We never go hungry here. We'll just have to break into our stockpile." That made her groan even louder, and even the twins joined in on the groaning action; that means a lot of vegetables and they HATE vegetables. Just take all the food out of their stomachs already and start the starvation process now.

        Pursing his lips, Sil grabbed one of the coins and looked at it, turning it back and forth. It's true they don't have any money in their savings, but... well, Alua won't like to hear this, but she must know this is their only option. "You know...... we may be broke, but there are others who ain't."

        Sokuro turned her head so she was looking at him, but her head was still on the table. "Oh yeah, i'm sure a friendly samaritan will just walk up to us and say 'here you go, have some free money.' We're never that lucky."

        "True. But i think i know someone who would be willing. Someone who might still be in town."

        "It's not Kar'kile, is it?" Trach asked as he sat with his forelegs crossed. "He won't fund this: he needs every cent he can to pay for the evacuation, if and when it happens."

        "I wasn't referring to him; a crime lord is the last person i want to borrow money from. No..." He flipped the coin, "... my person of interest is more famous." He grabbed and tossed the coin to the radio. Polosa, who was sitting beside it, caught it just as the song ended.
The radio host would go on to say, "And that was 'Flight Among The Azure Skies' by Cyember Ilila, ladies and gentlemen; the famed music star will perform it live in a weeks time at Rotkart Falls, so those in the area: don't miss it."

        Alua's eyes went wide when she realized who he was referring to, and she was vehemently against it. "No. Nun-un. No flippin' way; we are not borrowing money from Cyember!"

        "If you have other ideas to get what we need, i'm all to hear it, but i honestly doubt a fund drive is going to help us at the moment, not when most of the people on this island are wanted fugitives. Besides, she's the only one i can think of who would be willing to help us with little to no question."

        "But with a caveat." Alua argued. "You don't know her like i do; she will use it to get something out of me."

        "She's that bad a person behind the scenes?" Kader asked.

        "No... just very flirty and pushy. She'll probably ask me out on a few dozen dates and i don't wanna go through another Cyember date again..."

        "Well, to repeat what i said, if you have a better idea to raise at least 1000 goldz, we're all ears. But until you do... you're just gonna have to bite the bolt." Alua whined as she lowered her head, not really wanting to.

        Meanwhile, Seqy and the twins were truly taken aback by how gusto Sil has become. This is the complete and utter opposite of what he was just a week ago. "Since when did Sil get a take-charge attitude?" Fira whispered to his brother and Seqy.

        "I dunno..." Seqy whispered back, softer in her cadence. "Maybe it was in him and the new girl brought it out or something? Or he's still on an adrenaline high from that monster chase? I dunno."

        Speaking of the new girl, Sokuro chimed up as she raised her hand. "Un, aren't we still wanted? We did battle someone in their leadership."

        Yes, they are. It's only been a day, so it's highly doubtful that they are off the most-wanted list yet. If anything, the search parties may've intensified, especially after the twins little excursion. Popping his lips, Ven said, "Yyyyyyyeah, and i'm not at all comfortable in letting the joker twins go on a Christmas shopping spree." At this point, they're just gonna accept the strange terminology each side is putting out and just leave it at that. 

        "It's doubtful things would've died down since our escape." Nightwinge commented. "It was fairly chaotic back there."

        "I dunno." Kader said. "Streets were strangely empty when we went earlier." 

        "And we didn't see any activity on our voyage here. In fact, there's hardly any boats out in the harbor." Polosa said, with Quio nodding.

        "Wait, none of you have heard?" Trach asked as he stood by himself in a corner.

        "Heard what?" Eia snapped. "We've been running our butts off." A little bit rude on her reply, but she's not wrong; it's just been a endless parade of events that has left her and many of the others exhausted. 

        "Oh, geez, where do i begin? Well, after the fight, the celebration ended early; all the out-of-towners went home. Well, almost all of them- i think Cyember is still in town for the next few days." Good, they didn't miss their window then. "And now, everyone is less focused on you guys and more on drama revolving around Termundus: he got in a lot of trouble for holding all those prisoners illegally, and potentially starting a war with the countries outside the fog."

        "Huh?" "What?" "Outside the fog?" were just a few of the responses he got.

        "Ya'll forgot, didn't you?" Bran said. "Outside of the people in this room and that Kar'kile guy, nobody knows we're from another world. They still think Fayin and Pearl are a undiscovered species, Ven is a furless Anthromorph, and that Sokuro is a emissary from a country outside the fog. To the ones in charge, Termundus could very well may've started a war with the outside."

        "Which he didn't." Sokuro responded. "I'm just some nobody orphan."

        "But the Council doesn't know that." Trach said. "And as such, as punishment for his actions, he has been demoted down to the rank of private."

        "HE WAS WHAT!?!" The Nayan crowd shouted in complete and utter surprise and shock. But none was more shocked- or rather, more alleviated, then Sil. Was this really true? Could his nightmares finally be over? Could the torment from everyone in town finally be lightening up after all this time?

        "Yes, he was. And the scumbag tried to pin all the blame on Ocilus, which... kinda worked. Ocilus was stripped of her title and rank; she's no longer Termundus' underling."

        "Holy Stars....." Alua breathlessly gasped as she fell back down onto the floor. "I... never thought i'd see the day... the despot toppled"

        "Wait wait, hold up." went Kader. "He's done far worse then just illegally holding and detaining prisoners for torture, so why hasn't he been kicked to the curb too?"

        "His reputation, i'd wager. He's a war hero and has gained a following among the people; some would even call it a cult. Even some of Kar'kile's own men look at Termundus as some great idol. I figure the Council was playing it safe; demoting Termundus to such an embarrassing position while also putting some, if not all, of the blame on Ocilus. That's my theory, at least."

        They heard him; they just weren't listening. So many here were dumbstruck by just the mere fact that Termundus was taken down off his high horse. So many people must be happy... well, outside his following, of course. "I just, i just, i just... i just can't believe this." Sil silently and breathlessly chuckled to himself.

        Tapping her fingers to the table and twisting her lips, Eia rose up her hands and clapped them to snap them back to reality. "Un, hello? Can we focus here? We are on a time limit and we still need to fix up a ship, and i doubt we've got time to do multiple trips."

        Alua shook her head to bring herself back and blinked several times. "Un, right, yeah, of course." She coughed and cleared her throat, but the shock was still in her system. The others tried to focus too, but... when you live with a monster in charge for years, it's hard to take your mind to anything else. "So, un... this should make things a lot easier. Trips to the city should be, un... should be safer. But to play it safe, Sokuro, Sil, Eia, and Polosa should not go; your Dragon forms are probably plastered on wanted posters, and we've only the one Anthromorph disguise to use."

        "Why lot me in with them?" Sil asked. "I'm not on a wanted poster- i didn't even do anything in the last couple of days."

        "Just because Termundus has been disposed does not mean all the bias and hate will magically go away overnight. If anything, his fans will lash out more fiercely." That would be a disturbing fact if it were true, which it was. 

        "Speaking of the disguise..." Bran said as he held it up. "You all do know that this was used for the celebration, right? I mean, it IS colorful and has a mask, so i'd stick out like a sore thumb."

        "Not if you disguise yourself just right." Ven said. Opening up Alua's medical supplies, he pulled out a large thing of medical tape. It would work better if they had toilet paper. "We'd just need to fabricate a story that would make sense for you to cover up your face."

        "Oh, that's easy." Sokuro snickered. Time for the master to work her craft. "We can say that we were heading back to our bolt when a stray fireball from the battle came in and destroyed it, scaring and burning our faces and singeing off our fur, so we came to the city to get supplies to build ourselves a new one, and with that excuse, nobody will bat an eye if a doctor takes the bandages off to check on us and see our smiling faces; they'll just think we're disfigured."

        "Hold on, us?" Bran replied.

        "Yeah. With this excuse, all five of us could enter the city." She pointed to Eia, Ventus, and Polosa as well.

        "Hey!" Fayin called out. "What am i, chopped liver?"

        "Sorry Fayin... but even with this story, you would still stick out being something nobody's seen before."

        Polosa lightly nodded in agreement; a sound strategy, just, "A sound story and proposal, but..." She grabbed the tape out of Ven's hands. "... we've only got enough tape for three people."

        "And i'm still too hurt." Ven said.

        "An easy fix." Sokuro said without breaking a beat. "We'll just say the boat belonged to a mother..." She pointed to Polosa, who raised her eyebrow at the idea. "... and her children." She put her arms around Eia's and Bran's necks. "... which are either both girls, a boy and a girl, or twinsies."

        "This actually could work." Fayin said aloud. But one last question needed, "So then what, while you all get the supplies we need to fix the boat up, someone else is gonna get the food?" 

        "Yep." Sokuro beamed. "Alua, Seqy, Kader, and the fire jokers aren't on Naya's Most Wanted, so they should be ok to go in. While us otherworlders deal with the construction material, they all get the grub."

        Alua deeply sighed as she lowered her head. "That means schmoozing up to Cyember...... how very grape-- i mean great." She's so distraught, she can't even say the right word.

        "I guess we get moving then." Polosa said. 

        "Not so fast." Sokuro said. "There's still one last thing we gotta take care of." She pulled the unsuspecting Bran and the irritated Eia over to her and held them close. "Who's gonna be your kids?" Those aren't odd words to say at all, and words Polosa never wants to hear again. 

 


        Mere minutes later, Alua slowly flew above the ocean's waters, skirting along it close enough to where the wind she was generating was leaving ripples behind her. She knows Cyember well, and whenever she has a concert at a location with a port, she'll bring her personalized ship. It astonished Alua how such a promising candidate for the Guardians would become so materialistic and ego-inflated. It's saddening, really. 

        "She sure doesn't lack for style..." Kader commented, riding in Alua's saddle bags.

        "She lacks for humility, that's for sure..." Alua snidely commented.

        Again with the snide rudeness. What did they all miss between them? "Ok, i have to ask: what happened between you two to turn you bitter towards her?"

        She looked away. ".... i'd rather not say. It's embarrassing." And that was all he was going to get out of her. Spreading her wings stiffly, she glided on down to the deck of the ship, landing rather daintily upon it; she knows Cyember would not like scruff marks on her ship. "So please drop it."

        "Alright, alright, i'll zip it." He sat back, holding one paw out over the side of the saddlebag. He pursed his lips, tapping against it. "So, where is Cyember, anyways? I'd figure she'd have seen us coming in."

        She would have, wouldn't she? But to Alua, the answer is so obvious, it would be a instant win at a trivia game. Lowering her head with a sigh, she exhaled, "Knowing Cyember..."


        That little pampered ex-protectoress was relaxing within the confines of her ship, lounging upon an array of pillows and cushions nestled on a recliner chair with cucumbers in her eyes, her hind-legs in the bubbling water of a hot tub, her left fore-paw's claws being filed down and the right holding a glass of mimosa with a crazy straw with several more full glasses on a table to her left, and an umbrella stand with several drink holders holding glasses of water to her right. The life of the rich and she earned it. Sure, most of it is from her inheritance and... yeah, she's a pampered rich kid all grown up. 

        Her loyal butler, a Gryphon of all species, approached and politely bowed to her, "Your ladyship, there is someone here to see you. She claims it is urgent that you talk."

        Cyember internally sighed; the downside to being famous is all the rabid fans who never give you a moments rest. "If it's another one of my adoring fans, tell them i'm busy writing my new song." She put the straw in her mouth and drank up her morning treat.

        "I'm afraid it can't wait, Cyember." A very familiar voice said.

        Cyember's eyes perked up, as did one of the cucumbers she lifted up with her claw. Standing next to her butler was someone she was not afraid to be affectionate towards. "Aluaaaaaa..." She chortled. "You're just in time for a pedicure." She waved away the Fox anthromorph, who backed away from her.

        Internally, Alua exhaled with disapproval. Some things just never change. "I don't need a pedicure."

        "Then how about a foot massage? Or better yet, a mimosa." She lightly shook the glass in her claws.

        "I'm not interested in any of that."

        "Then why are you here?" She asked as she put the mimosa down on a nearby glass table. 

        Alua lightly groaned at the thought of being along with her, but as this is a private affair none of the help need to know about... "It's... something we need to discuss. In private."

        "Oh." Then Cyember's mind began to wander to naughty things. "... oooooooh... oh, Alua~~ hmhm." Alua slouched forward; of course she instantly went to that. "YOu could've just told me~" She grabbed the cucumbers off her eyes and tossed them away into a nearby trash bin. "If you all can kindly leave, please." She told the help. They all bowed and left, closing the doors behind them.

        Now that they were in private... Cyember clapped her paws. The lights suddenly shifted to something more befitting the mood, dancing lights... danced along the walls, appropriate romantic music began to play; music that strangely had a beat to it, and the hot tub closed up as a round bed with red satin sheets descended from the ceiling- her room up above, actually- and nestled right in the middle. Cyember slid over to and up on top of the bed, striking a pose that would make men weep. 

        Alua should've seen that coming a mile away, yet she didn't and was simultaneously prepared and not-prepared for what just happened. And as... tempting as this all is, she has a mission to do. "Cyember... this is not why i'm here."

        "It is now, sugar~~" She giggled as she put a rose in her teeth. "Cause why else would you be here?"

        Kader poked his head up out of the saddlebag swiftly and boasted, "Not for kissy kissy time, i can tell you that much!"

        That is a moodkiller if there ever was one. "What the stars!?!" Cyember shrieked as she swiftly covered herself up with the beds blanket. "Why is there a rat in your saddlebags?!"

        A Rat?! He takes offense to that! The kid is one thing- he's from another world- but this lady knows better. "I'm a mouse, ya ninnie!"

        "Ninnre!?" She squeaked back. 

        Silently exhaling and tapping her claw on her forehead, Alua waited until they both stopped talking before she said anything; it's better then yelling over them. "If you two are done..." They were. Opening up her left eye slightly, she looked to the confused former bunkmate, pondering how she is going to word this right. "It's a long story, but i'll try to shorten it." Good luck with that. "Remember the Silver girl? Turns out, she's not from here. IN fact, she's from another world entirely, and she and her friends need our help to get home."

        After a brief moment of silence, Cyember gutturally snorted a laugh. "Snnnnnrt... you're serious, right? Ali, you have read way too many science-fiction books, because that sounds completely and totally ludicrous."

        They anticipated her not believing anything, so they brought their secret weapon. "Kader." Alua simply said; that was all he needed. Grabbing the phone, he hopped onto Alua's paw, then hopped off that onto the bed.

        The strange little tablet thing puzzled the singer as she leaned in to get a closer look. What's a black square void going to do with-- "Hello there, Cyember." A strange creature suddenly said as images just as suddenly came on, with her flanked by several other odd creatures. Scared and surprised out of her mind, Cyember yelled as she fell backwards off the bed, pulling several pillows down with her.

        Kader paused the video and leaned against the sideways phone, putting one leg over the other and tapping his for-claws against it. Shaking in shock, Cyember slowly raised up her head, wondering what any non-familiar person would wonder: 'what the hell was that?', but with a lot more worse words. ".... w.... w... what the hell was that?!" She hissed.

        "That is what is called a phone." Alua explained. "And it belongs to one of those people Sokuro mentioned- what you are seeing right now is called a Video; it's like a radio, but with moving images." Witchcraft, as far as Cyember is concerned. "And that girl in purple in the center is Sokuro herself."

        "What?! But that's impossible, she's a Dragon; we don't just change to.... whatever the hell that is at the drop of a hat!!"

        "You can't." Kader said. "They... can." He pressed the video and started it back up. Cyember made sure to duck low to avoid 'getting sucked in'.

        "<Hello there, Cyember. I can only imagine what you are doing when you are watching this; recoiling in fear, i'd bet.>" Spot on guess. "<As you can clearly see, we are not from around here. In fact, we're from another world entirely called Dragenia, but an accident brought us total strangers here and now we're stuck. We have found a way to get home, at least we hope we did, but we need money to pay for supplies to fix the only boat we got, and have enough food for the trip. And just to prove to you we are not making this up...>" Within the video itself, her body, along with Eia's and Polosa's, began to glow as sparkles spun around them. In an instant, their bodies changed into their Aerid counterparts. As the sparkles and the dust settled, Sokuro finished with, "<...... here is your proof. I hope you help us, because... well, you've seen what happened in the last couple of days; we would not survive.>" The video then ended, cutting to black.

        Cyember had no words to describe what she saw, as most people just newly introduced to brand-new technology or surprise revelations like that would be. She slowly rose up off the floor, making sure nothing more shocking happens again. "How... what..." She grabbed the phone and held it in both forepaws as she looked it over. "How... how can i even help them?" She turned it upside down and shook it. "I don't even know how to get them out of this."

        Alua took the phone out of her paws before she could break it. "Like i said, it's like a radio, but with video." She slid it into the saddlebags. "And you heard her. All we need is funds; 900 goldz, at most."

        Cyember took a few steps away, walking on her hindlegs as she ran her forelegs down her eyes and over her muzzle. This was all just... just a lot to take in. "Alua, this... this is a lot to process, ok? I mean, other worlds, transforming... whatever they are..." If she had hair, she'd run her paws through that too, so she'll settle for running them over her scalp and down behind her neck. "Why even come to me about money?"

        "Because you're the only one we know won't chase us off." Kader said. "You think anyone in town will talk to them after what happened with Termundus? Fat chance. We at least had a chance with you because of your relationship with Alua."

        "Kader..." Alua moaned as she lowered her head.

        "So i'm just a bank to you?"

        Alua calmly approached her... "Cyember, i know this is a lot to take in, but," ... but Cyember backed away and turned around to avoid looking at her. "Look, trust me when i say that i didn't want to do this. I suggested other options, but he is right in that you are their only route. They're scared and they want to get home."

        Cyember looked away, completely unsure and uneasy about all this. "I... i don't know.... i just don't know if i should. I could get into a lot of trouble for this..."

        "... that girl, Sokuro, she has a little brother. And the way she describes him reminds me a lot of Kaim." Cyember reached up and clutched at a pendent that hung around her neck, feeling all the heartbreak return. "..... you don't want her to suffer that same tragedy, do you?"

        Closing her eyes and leaning her head back, Cyember silently cried. Why did she have to bring that up? "..... They're that close?" She asked as she looked back, and Alua just silently nodded. She looked away once again, clutching the pendent even tighter. "..... you'll get your money. I'll... have Helr pull out a bag." 

        "Thanks, Cyember... and trust me, it hurt me to bring that up." She has no idea of what hurt is really like, not like how Cyember feels it. 

        Cyember stayed silent for a moment as Alua picked up Kader and put him in the saddlebag. It wasn't until she reached the door and went to open it that she finally spoke, "But before you leave... i want some favors..."

        Alua lowered her paw and looked back to her. "I honestly would've been surprised if you didn't ask for 'em."

        "First off... don't ever use Kaim as a weapon against me again... that hurt and you know it." She knows it, alright. It hurt her too to bring it up. "Secondly, i want a date. Like an actual date, complete with roses, chocolates, an extravagant dinner- the whole shebang."

        All... reasonable demands; not sure if Alua can actually give her the fancy dinner she wants, but she can try at least. "Alright."

        "And lastly..." She tapped her paw on the bed. Alua frowned as she slouched; she should've seen this coming. "You know what--"

        "Yeah, yeah, i know..." Alua heaved. 

        "Ooooo... this is gonna be interesting." Kader snickered. The two adults had forgotten about him, and when they looked each other, they had the same idea...

        Shove his butt outside the door with the table of mimosas and cucumbers, along with the saddlebag, and shut the door on his face when he tries to come back in. "Rude!" He yelled out, but they weren't listening, not with the music at max volume. Kader frowned, sat down, and crossed his forepaws. Soon, the scent of the mimosa's wafted by his nose. "... least i won't be bored." He grunted as he got up.

 


        "You know, i strongly suspected her to pick the kid." Eia commented as she and Bran were getting their heads and some exposed areas wrapped in medical tape by Fira, Pira, and Seqy while Polosa looked out at the city from the balcony. They had relocated to Kader's outpost since Bran remembered there being a lot of medical supplies there they could use to make this look as realistic as possible. She looked over to Bran, who was already looking like a mummy. "Though i'm not complaining..." She said under her breath.

        "I just hope this works." Bran replied, his voice muffled from the tape already wrapped around his head, leaving only his hair exposed. "A lot can go wrong if we say something wrong or they get wise or they don't buy the story at all."

        "And it'll all be for naught if Alua doesn't get the money." Polosa said. "You could've wrapped yourselves up like that for nothing."

        Bran poked eyeholes into his new 'mask' and looked at the mirror. "Eh, i dunno. Makes me feel like a mummy."

        "Mummy?" Eia and Seqy asked.

        "It's a dead person who got wrapped up in cloth. Depending on the culture, it could be for a number of reasons. From what i remember of history class, the Egyptians and the Incas did it to preserve the bodies as they believed the spirits are still tied to it, even in death. No body, no spirit. No spirit, no afterlife."

        "Sounds like the Klokteels back home." Eia said. "They're a island nation, and pretty stuck in their ancient ways." Bran verbally grunted in acknowledgement. "What of the other races in your colony? Did they mummify?" 

        "Eh, far as i can remember, no. Except the Argaliths, but they reserve that for those who have proven themselves as legends that will be remembered for all time, be they warriors, leaders, or citizens: they call them Arshlemes, with the human translation coming close as Mighty Ones."

        "Does any of this have to do with getting you guys back home?" Seqy asked, having grown tired of all the mummy talk already.

        "Un... no. If nothing else, it's a time killer." Seqy rolled her eyes. She had finished up with Eia, so she sliced it off with her tail and threw the tube to the side. "Like you don't do time killers either."

        "They're at least made entertaining." Pira said. 

        "I thought it was entertaining." Eia replied. 

        Fira snorted a laugh. "Yeah, only because you have a cr--" She stomped on his paw hard, making him shut up and scream in pain before he could go any further. He bounched around in pain, holding his hurting paw. "OW OW OW OW OW!! I think you broke a bone!!" Good, she internally thought. Pira went to help his brohter, who was still bouncing away.

        Dejected, Polosa sighed as she held her forehead. "I hope she gets that money, just so i can get a drink..." She looked out towards the sky. "What's taking her so dang long?"

 

 

        "Wow..." Cyember breathlessly panted, laying on her back and with her paws on her head. "That was.... wow..." She turned her tired head to look at Alua, who was already out of the bed and taking a drink of water from the umbrella stand. "You know the right buttons to push... and i'm surprised by how much stamina you had."

        "I raise four hyper-attentive and hyperactive kids all by myself." She chugged the water down in one gulp and wiped her mouth. "Of course i have high stamina- it's how i stay awake all day and don't go insane." That made Cyember giggle. She sat up, hugging a pillow as Alua put the glass down. "Now, about the money..."

        "Oh, you'll get it. But first, you just need to say those pretty little words i like."

        Alua frowned again. They just had a decent time and now she's pulling this? The girl has no shame at all. "Please don't make me beg..."

        Cyember leaned towards her, tilting her head so the ears could 'pick up her words' better. "Sorry, what's that? Afraid i can't hear you."

        She lowered her head. She's gonna have to suck it up and do it, otherwise those kids won't be getting home- they'll die of starvation or rust infection before they even got into maritime waters. Taking a deep breath and saying goodbye to her dignity, Alua said, "Ugh............. Cyember, you are the kindest, gentlest, most loving, and most generous Dragon i know. Your heart knows no limits and your patience is the stuff of legends."

        "Aaaaaand? You know i want you to say it."
    
        "......... and you're also a good lover."

        "There it is." She giggled. She tapped the side of the bed, which ascended back up into the room above. While she impatnetily waited, Alua looked around the nice posh room they had just made a mess in. While yacht is a completely new word to them, based on what Bran described at the one Polosa and Quio brought home, this could be classified as one. The bed soon came back down, carrying with it a cleaned-up Cyember and a big wade of... one piece of paper. That's not helpful. "Give this to Helr and he'll pull out what you need." She gave the paper to Alua, who looked at it and her eyes went wide: 1500 Goldz?! They only need 800, so what's with all this extra-- she figured it out- as thanks for the recent fun. 

        The dumbstruck caretaker held up the piece of paper, "This is.... way more then what we need. Like... 700 more."

        "Consider it a gift for... services rendered." Why does that sound bad? She got off the bed and gave the unsuspecting Alua a kiss on the cheek. "See ya when ya get back, sugar." She then winked. Flustered and clearly hiding her blush, Alua turned away and swiftly made for the exit. "And i'll foot the bill for the date; you just find the fanciest place you can." 

        That's not helping..... nor is the drunk mouse on the floor. It was the first thing they both saw when she opened up the door- a wasted rodent staggering his steps and stammering his words. "You kNOOw i coulted've been a conTENder!" He hiccuped. "I was to be the BEST there was..." He fell forward, unconscious.

        Picking up one of the glasses and looking with it, she asked the songstress, "How much alcohol is in these things?"

        "Enough to turn a mouse into that, apparently. Someone his size should not have a full glass."

        "No, they should not." Alua put on her saddlebag first before grabbing the plastered mouse and dropping him in. He went 'weeee' as he fell in. "Well... farewell." She awkwardly said before walking away.

        "Come back anytime, sugarcube." Cyember called out with a big smile on her face. Once the doors closed, however... the smile faded away and turned into one of regret. 

        She got out of the bed and walked over to the umbrella stand to get a glass of water herself. She grabbed it and took a drink just as the room turned dark and cold... something she's used to by now. She didn't even have to turn to know who it was, for it is always the same thing. "I thought you were in a coma." She coldly said as she downed the rest of it.

        A haunting purplish-silver glow came behind it. "A healing sleep." Soulless said. She turned to see a projection of a Dragon facing her; it's the only way he can communicate with his forces far away. "But i woke up for the new arrivals."

        "I'm gonna assume you saw all that."

        "Every bit. I'll admit, i'm amazed it lasted as long as it did."

        Cyember harshly put the glass back down; soft enough to where it doesn't break, but hard enough to make a noise. "Can we not talk about my love life? We both know you are not interested in that." The dragon projection held up its paws and lowered them down, moving on. "I still gave her the money as you requested, master..."

        If he could pat her on the head, he would. "Good job, Cyember. You do me proud."

        Proud... yeah, right. She's not doing this because she felt like it. But one thing that is bugging her is: why the sudden interest in the newcomers well-being? "... Lord Soulless, what will you do if they fail to make it back to the Gate and return home? Or better yet, why not let them open it and go through yourself?"

        "If they fail to return, then that's all that can be said for the cursed ones; the Shadows of Bran and Ven will kill the others and join our ranks. As for the none-cursed, that remains to be seen, but given how quickly they gained their reputation, i doubt they'll be staying there in Nexia. As for why i don't go though it myself, i'm still tethered to this plane of existence- if i leave, the Shadows will be gone. Also, there's no guarantee i would ever return if i did go through. I could end up trapped in another world just like the newcomers, but without my army."

        "So you don't want to go because you're afraid?"

        "If that's how you want to interpret it, fine. All i know is that i would be risking a lot if i dared go through there. Regardless, it's all a moot point as i am still in this crystal recovering from my war wounds, and rather pointless without the key."

        Right. Cyember forgot; doors/gates require keys. "So what next?"

        "For now, we just watch. Everyone in town is already convinced that the Shadow the other day was a rogue survivor, so we are in no danger, and even so, all their attention is on the Termundus drama. As for the otherworlders, the curses placed upon the males is slow-acting; it'll be at least a few months for the fox to turn, and a full year for the boy. Assuming they don't lollygag in the restoration of that ancient vessel, they should be well on their way to Bermuda in a months time."

        Now even he's called Trochet by its original name? ... just how old is he? "As for me?"

        "Your work is done. What happens next depends all on them. Do whatever you wish until i call upon you again."

        In other words, you're not useful to me at the moment... at least that's how she interprets it, and it's not wrong: he only calls upon her whenever he needs something. "Yes... master." There was one more question she had, one that had her a little nervous. "Before we disconnect, are you upset with me? I did help that otherworlder girl destroy a Shadow a couple days ago and i assume you are upset about that.."

        "Upset over an idiot who went too far? No. Upset that i lost one of my soldiers: Yes." She lowered an eyebrow in bewilderment; he's both upset and not upset? "It was to test her strength, not to try and kill her, but the thief affected Fhalanx more then i anticipated. As much as i should be angry, you stepping in to save the lass was a smart move in the long run; she's buying the rogue Shadow story, and that works in our favor. Just stay silent and everything will be fine."

        "I see.... very well, master." Without another word, the projection faded away and color returned to the room. Her knees buckling out from under her, she fell to them, shuddering in gasps as the anxiety took its town. Why is talking with him always so... so scary? 

 


        Back at home base, Sokuro sneezed loudly, almost falling out of the seat she was sitting in. "Gesundheit!" Ven chortled.

        Sniffling her nose, she looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Um... thanks, i guess?" She's not really sure what Gesundheit means, so she'll just run with it. With that random event out of the way, she slouched back in her seat. "Why didn't they choose me...?"

        "Recognizable voice, perhaps." Ven commented.

        "Of course it's that." She grumbled. She tapped her hands on her thighs, bored out of her skull. All the mysteries have been dealt with and all the plans finalized; there was nothing left to do, and it was boring the heck out of her. She looked around the room and found those that stayed behind were busy, with Fayin and Nightwinge out like lights, Ven drawing up some kind of a route on the map, Sil was outside helping the hurt, and Pearl was rummaging through the cupboards. And she's... doing nothing. She's got nothing to offer them other then a tank in fights, leading her mind to wander to places it shouldn't wonder... is that all she is good for; battle? The Silver is supposed to be a scion of things to come, and yet it already happened with the colonists. Is her role already finished? Is she nothing but some glorified living idol?

        This is why she should never be alone- she'll start thinking dark thoughts that would put a hamper on her spirits.

        Eventually, there was something she could do, but it was private. "I gotta go to the bathroom." She said as she got up out of the seat and headed down the clay hallway.

        "And you're telling me this why?" Ven asked, but got no answer.

        She entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She saw how huge the hole that was to be the toilet was and pursed her lips. "Right. Dragon sized." She said to herself.

        She closed her eyes and her body began to glow as she started to transform... only for them to burst back open and her fall to her knees as she felt a horrible pain in the back of her neck. The Phagos Wound was acting up again, and it was the worst one yet. It felt like her entire body was on fire, with the back of her neck feeling like it's been dipped in lava.

        And somehow, it got worse.    

        She silently screamed as she fell to her side, flailing about as it somehow hurt even more. This was the worst one yet. What was that place of endless pain Ven and Bran mentioned, Hell? This is it- this feels like Hell. The lava feeling in her neck spread across her body. Several veins began to bulge out of her arms and legs, each with a sickly green color. 

        Before long, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell unconscious. 

61: Chapter 57: Shopping Spree
Chapter 57: Shopping Spree

Chapter 57

Shopping Spree

???






        "This is completely embarrassing." Termundus complained as he looked himself in the mirror in his home office; thanks to his smartass being demoted back down to being a lowly private, he is forced to wear the trainee uniforms all privates wear, and it was ridiculous; this fiber-mesh silicone excuse of armor is useless and needlessly heavy, with a helmet that refused to stay on. The worst part was the color scheme; a disgusting puke red and green combo that looked like it was created by a child.

        What he doesn't know is that it WAS designed by a child- Cirrus when he was just a wee lad Sil's age, and it was custom made specifically for high officials who humiliate and shame themselves just like Termundus did. "This is completely undignified..."

        "What did you expect would happen?" Teluri commented from the doorway. 

        "Something better then this." He tugged at his chestplate, feeling uncomfortable. "I'm a war hero, dammit."

        "You held people who did slap-on-the-wrist crimes against their will and tortured with something that should have been destroyed, destroyed half of the tower, and almost killed a kid- a kid, mind you, who may've been someone really important in her home country and whose death likely would've started a war. Your 'war hero' status wasn't going to save you and you know it."

        He stayed silent for a brief  moment before commenting, "If it wasn't for that stupid third drake, i would've won."

        Teluri slowly lowered and shook her head back and forth, expressing the disapproval and shame she was feeling towards him. "... Termy... what happened to you? Why are you so violent and bloodthirsty? What happened to the drake i loved?" That line made him stop. "I don't know what changed you... but i don't like it... and if it wasn't for Seliox, i would..." She couldn't even say it, this hurt too much. Instead, she left without another word; she can't stand to be in the same room as him right now.

        Termundus stood silently for a moment, thinking about what she said... and how she was dead wrong. He hasn't changed, not now not ever. But if he was going to make it back to his rightful place, he was going to have to play the fool- play the man who realized his mistakes, changed his ways, and became better for it. He'll have to put on the acting of the century to pull it off. Issue is that he's gotten such a reputation, nobody would believe it. He'll have to go above and beyond to be a goodie-two-shoes.

        And right now, the first step is 'making up' with Teluri. He's gonna have to bring out his old boyhood charm for this one.

        Putting the last bit of his embarrassing armor on, he exited his office and went to one of the three places she goes after they fight: the terrace with a good view of the city, the gardens, or the kitchen. His first guess proved right- she was at the terrace. She was looking out at the city, wondering what went wrong to make things as they are now. So many things happened in the last 24 hours... it almost felt surreal. 

        Standing at the door, Termundus looked at his reflection in the glass and molded his face until he looked like he was guilty: sunken eyebrows, sullen face, and depressed forehead. This should work. Keeping that on, he went onto the terrace, slowly so the he may sell the deception even more. 

        "Look... i've been thinking and.... you're right; there is something wrong with me." She slowly turned her head towards him. "I don't know why i've become so horrible recently, but it has me scared and i don't know what to do about it. I'm scared and i need help..."

        "Termundus..." She cooed in sympathy. She stepped away from the railing and approached him. "I'll be here to help you. And tomorrow, i'm taking you to see a therapist." Well crap, he thought. He was not expecting that. This was an unexpected hitch, but he'll find some way to work around it. He could barely hid his disgust about the therapist idea when she touched his cheek. "Cause you deserve the help after all you've done for us."

        He can't believed that actually worked, and so quickly too. When she hugged him close and tight, putting her forelegs around him, he couldn't help  but smirk. If it was this easy to convince her, then everyone else should be a cakewalk. 

        On the flip side, Teluri did not buy a single word that hissed out through his lying teeth. She only played along. Termundus had recently shown that he will say anything to give him a leg up, even if it meant throwing a loyal officer to the dogs. This way, it will be easier to play along and learn what he's got planned instead of all these fights.

        "(Just what do you have planned, dear?)" She thought to herself. "(What do you have cooked up in that mind of yours to make me think you did a complete 180? I know you are up to something... what worries me is that i don't know what.)"

        Teluri quickly let go of the embrace when she remembered, "oh, you need to get going or else you'll be late for work."

        He slouched forward with sunken eyes- does he have to go? He's just going to be laughed at and mocked, which he was. "Do i really have to go? With how ruined everything else, i'll just be rediculed."

        "Which you rightly deserve after the mess you've caused. But if you can be a model soldier and behave accordingly, you should be well on your way back to General before  you know it."




Some Time Later


an hour after Alua met with Cyember





        Standing in line with all the other recruits and trainee's, Termundus felt so out of place, so... wrong being with all these fresh faces. It felt so awkward and he looked so out of place, like a grown man attending 1st grade. He could hear them snickering and gossiping behind his back- there is no way this can sink any lower for him.

        It did.

        The instructor walked right into view at the end of one of the lines- a gruff, no-nonsense Rottweiler Anthromorph who has a huge chip on his shoulder and no patience for stupidity or foolishness. "Alright, everyone! At Atten-tion!" They all stifled up and posed like the perfect soldiers they are training to be. Termundus was a bit slow at it; he wasn't even in proper positioning.

        As he walked in front of each fresh-face, he made remarks about their posture, "Tybalt, legs are too wide!" The brown dragon looked down and corrected. "Garf, we don't salute like that." The feline lowered her hand. "Federico, fold in your wings!" The gryphon did just that.

        And then, he got to Termundus. He always has his little bits of joy whenever new recruits join up and he gets to put them through their paces- let's them know what life is really like and how he can whip them into shape. Termundus... oh, he's going to have oodles of fun with this disgraced mess. "And then there's you..." He smirked, leading Termundus to grunt to hide his anger. "The high and mighty General, now brought down to mere recruit status." He approached him. "Tell me, Turkey, what's it like being among the riff-raff? Not as glamorous as your high and mighty office seat, isn't it?"

        "First off, don't call me Turkey- i hate that bird."

        "I'll call you whatever the heck i want, white meat, because you are mine now...," He started poking him in the chest over and over with emphasis on each word, "...and i intend to have fun." The last poke was harder then the others, which aggravated him. "And i'll put in you what your mama didn't: Discipline and Respect." He poked him twice once again as he said those words. Termundus just snorted in response, looking away to the sky as he did. 

       The canine smirked and stepped back. "Oh, that's how we wanna play it, do we?" He looked to the feline. "Recruit, what's the 4th rule of Tygan's training?"

        The 4th rule? She doesn't even know the first rule. "Un........ don't be a dick?" That caused some light snickering from the others, and even from the drill instructor. 

        "Heh. Close, but not quite there. The 4th Rule is not to try your luck, cause i won't get out rewards for stupid or ignorance..." He glared towards the former general. "... or holier-then-thou attitudes." Termundus softly and inaudibly growled. "What i do reward is obedience, discipline, hard work, loyalty, and comradery- the key ingredients into making a good and valued soldier, and qualities i hope stick with you." He gave one last look to the fallen hero before moving on, not even calling out the other recruits in line. "For now, run 20 laps around the courtyard, wall to wall."

        "Yes sir!" The recruits shouted before running forward to the first marker on the north side. All... except Termundus, who remained defiantly silent and still.

        Tygan caught on that he was silent and looked over to him. "Well, recruit? I don't think i heard you?"

        Termundus angrily growled once more- this was beneath him. He should never be taking orders from someone as insignificant as a Anthromorph; they are sub-creatures... and now he's under the command of one. His life got worse just from this things mere existence. But he kept his cool, since killing the dog on the spot would only destroy his chances of getting back into his lofty spot- his rightful place in the world. As much as it pains him to give in and follow the instructions of this thing, he had to do it. 

        He bit his lips and hissed through his teeth, "Yes...... sir...." Before running away to catch up with the others.

        Tygan snickered to himself, feeling giddy about putting the jackass in his place. "He'll be a hard nut to crack... hmhmhm, but it'll be worth it just to put that overinflated lizard in his place."

        Watching from the gate, Teluri slowly shook her head in disapproval. "He was lying to me after all." She said to herself as she left. "Why am i not surprised..."

        As she left the tower's base, she took notice of the well-worn streets, and the lack of people on them. The hustle, bustle, and energy of the last two days are gone now, replaced by a tense atmosphere. Those out and about are grocery shoppers, clean-up personnel, or the homeless; everyone else is hunkering inside their homes, and she doesn't blame them: they are all staying indoors to recharge after days of partying, out of fear out of the pair of skirmishes that took place in the skies in the last few days, or the threat of war with whatever country lies beyond the fog. She knows that last one won't happen since the outsiders aren't from outside the fog, but she's not going to correct them. Nobody would believe her.

        Wandering without thinking of where she was going, she somehow found herself in the southern part of town. She must've come here on instinct- the south part does have the best flower gardens and it's a nice place to unwind, but her issues require more then a stroll through a pretty floral bed. 

        As she turned to leave, she spotted some people lingering at the southern gate. They were just standing there, talking. Marauders, perhaps, taking advantage of Termundus' fall from grace?

        Not quite. 




        "I'm starting to smell in these things." Eia commented, looking down at her bandage-covered body. "Smells like farts."

        "That's good- it'll help sell the story." Bran assured her. "Least i hope it will."

        "It better cause she's not wrong." Seqy nasally responded as she had her nose plugged. "Just.... PU, what did you two eat?"

        "The same thing you guys ate, so what's your excuse?" The two kids from another world listlessly responded. They have none other then 'you're not from here', but that's been used so many times lately, it's run its course. Best to just go with it for now. "That's what we thought."

        Standing off the side and leaning on the one of the gate's posts, the equally wrapped up Polosa sighed as she rubbed her eyes, or tried to under all those bandages. "I need a nap...."

        "We all do." Alua said as she touched down. 

        Polosa pushed herself off the pole. "Well, you took your sweet time." She commented as she walked over to the flummoxed dragoness. She say the lack of color in her face. "What happened to you? You look like you saw a ghost."

        She looked away to hide her bluster. "You could say that..."     

        Oh, something happened with Cyember, alright. "Alright, what happened? You look pale."

        "Pale?" Seqy chimed up. "Dragon's can't get pale."

        "Bullcrap." Eia blustered. "We too can get pale." Really?, Bran thought. He never saw them get pale. Blush, yeah, but get pale in the face? Impossible. "So what kept you so long? Was it that difficult to convince her to give us the money?"

        Now Alua started to blush. "Um.... n-not really. It was.... actually pretty easy."

        "Then what kept you so long?" Polosa asked. As the blush grew brighter and she grew more flustered, it took no time for the three of them to figure it out. "Oh." The three said casually. As it clicked in their minds, "Oh! OH!!!"

        "What? What are you guys talking about?" Seqy asked as she and the twins walked over.

        "Nothing." The three outsiders swiftly said in unison.

        At that moment, Bran realized. "Wait, where's the rat?" Alua's face sank and she got pale, alright- as pale as a ghost. She completely forgot all about him during the thing. "Don't tell me the rat watched." She's hoping he didn't.

        "WhoSEA are yof calling a RAt, buster?" As if on cue, Kader lazily and sloppily pulled himself up onto the rim of the saddlebags, hiccuping like crazy and slurring his words. "I am No dANg rat. I... am ai mousthbitarian!" He slid back down, onto his front. "I'th stheen liquid gold... and It Tasted Great!"

        Great. He's drunk. And Alua remembered what they did with him back on the boat. "He stayed outside and must've had a bit too much of a morning mimosa."
    
        "Oh, my dad likes those." Bran commented.

        "I'veath seetn waving thlieds of blue. Gaahaha..." This was just sad.
        
        "I think he's a lightweight." Polosa commented.

        Eia tisked as she slowly shook her head; he would be a bad role model if someone made this mouse their hero. "That must've been some...." she had to choose another word so that the kids among them wouldn't know what they were really referring to- it's all grownup stuff, anyways. "... debate if he's already plastered."

        She tilted her head. "Debate?" Eia lightly nodded, hoping she would catch on, and she did. "Oh, right, yes, yes that was a... intense debate, and one i'm surprised lasted that long." She pulled out the heavy sack of money. "She even gave me a little extra."

        "Ooo, spending money." Seqy snickered as she took it and peered inside. The twins looked over her shoulders and looked in too, their eyes sparkling at the twinkling of the gold coins. Grins formed, which worried Alua enough to take it back.

        That was an impressive amount, Polosa thought after she caught a glimpse of what's inside. "Looks like it was a satisfying debate." Polosa commented. "Was it for both parties?"

        She blushed again, not even hiding it this time if they figured it out. ".... y-y-yeah, you could... say that." Her blue scales were turning such a dark red, she could pass as a crimson dragoness in bust portraits. 

        "We're not stupid, you know." Fira spoke up. "We know 'debate' is cover for something."

        They do? They shouldn't- they're much too young to know about it. "Then what are we covering?" Bran hesitantly asked.

        Pira shrugged, "I dunno, some food-eating contest."

        Food eating? How the heck did they get a food eating contest out of all the clues. Even Seqy is wondering why THAT was their guess; the correct answer was obviously a singing contest. The four mature ones in their party were simultaneously relieved that that was their assumption. Makes things so much easier. ".... sure, let's go with that." Bran said before turning to head into the city.

        The others weren't far behind her, but they didn't even make it past the arch when, "Well, fancy meeting you lot here." Teluri spoke up, leaning up against one of the poles with her forepaws crossed.

        Nobody expected her to be here, leading to a lot of freaked-out reactions, with Alua nearly jumping out of her scales. "T-Teluri?" Alua flustered in her blustery response. "W-what are you doing here? I didn't expect to run into you today. Um... nice weather we're having, huh?"

        That was her first go-to, she thought? She must really be absent-minded today if weather is the only thing she goes to first. "... really? That's the first thing you go to?"

        "Kinda nervous."  

        That's the understatement of the week. She walked towards the group- more specifically, towards the tall one of the bipedals. "Oh, i can bet, since you are trying to sneak in a wanted criminal." She grabbed one of the bandages and pulled, revealing Polosa's eyes. "You can cover a body, but not the voice."

        While not wrong, their story has it that they are in too much pain to talk, so what would the point of talking even be if you can just nod and grunt. Eia didn't think of that when she said, "She's wanted as a Aer-- a Dragon, but nobody outside the island knows we can change. Long as we're in bandages, we're golden."

        Teluri raised her brow. "What?"

        Bran raised her head to get her attention. "The plan is that Alua brings us in and explains to whoever askes that our convoy was attacked or our ship blew up and the damages done to us were so extensive, it caused permanent damage, like missing snouts and singed-off fur and hurt vocal chords."

        "And you honestly expect people to just buy it?"

        "Well, yeah."

        Yyyyyyyeah, what's not going to work, Teluri concluded. She hates to do it, but she has to break the news to him. "Listen, kid, you're a thinker with some imagination, i'll give you that... but you are thinking too big- i blame too many radio shows." They have radio here?, Bran thought. "How would you all be able to speak without snouts, eh? And if you are burned and hurt all over, how are you walking and not yelling in pain from just breathing? Try thinking of something small. Besides, it's not a good time: after two battles in the sky, a massive jailbreak, and a famed General getting demoted to the lowest rank possible. A lot of people here aren't exactly friendly. In fact, they're outright angry and dangerous, so a trio of outsiders just walking in after they 'supposedly' got in an accident that took off their snouts and fur would raise a lot of suspicion and red flags."

        Frowning and pouting under his bandages, he looked away from her and put his arms in pockets as he kicked a few pebbles away. "........ well, i thought it was a good plan."

        Sounds like they won't be doing this plan, then. Polosa pulled down the bandages over her mouth, allowing her to finally breath. "So then what would you propose as a plan?"

        "One that's simple and believable: that one of you is a burn victim and you came for supplies to rebuild your houseboat when you get better."

        That sounds far more plausible and believable. "That makes a lot more sense then what Bran thought up. Talk about overly dramatic." Pira commented.

        Bran darkly glared at him, "... sleep with one eye open tonight." He felt threatened, and so hid behind Alua for safetly. Ignoring that, he asked, "So, how is the Turkey?"

        "Turkey?" Teluri repeated. They never heard of a Turkey before. Is it some saying back with his kind? Or a slur? Or, as she soon concluded, was he appreciating Termundus' name? She went with that idea. "Un... if you are referring to Termundus, then he is not taking this demotion and slander well. But given his recent actions, being demoted was the lightest sentence he could've gotten."

        "And his lacky?" Seqy asked before correcting herself, "Er, former lacky?"

        "Ocilus hasn't been seen since the trial and that has me worried."

        That's scarier then a rogue Shadow- at least a Shadow has a purpose for why it does what it does. Ocilus does not. Least that's what Polosa figured to be. "Someone as unhinged as her running around without supervision? Yeah, that would worry anyone."

        Still pouting, Bran rested his head on his left hand, tapping his cheek with his pointer finger. "So... now what? According to her, my plan was dead on arrival and we didn't even have a chance to test it."

        "And who says it has to be left on the cutting room floor? Eia asked. "I think she's just being rude since her hubby has lost his lofty position." Teluri took offense to that remark, as did Alua- she knows Teluri and, while she would be upset, she wouldn't be tearing down any plans. "I say we go in and try it ourselves."

        Lowering her shaking head and sighing, Teluri rubbed her eyes. Kids can be rebellious, but do they really have the time to waste? "I'm telling you, it's a bad plan given the circumstances." 

        "Yeah, sure." Eia took his arm. "Come on, Bran. Let's go prove her wrong." She dragged the unwitting and unwilling boy into town.

        Watching them walk away, Teluri crossed her forepaws and commented, "That was rather rude." 

        For a brief moment, Polosa thought and remembered that, "She's 12 going on 13. I"m not sue what the ages are like here, but she's getting into the age where she takes a interest in the opposite gender. And also the 'rebel against authority' stage."

        Teenage years.... gotta love 'em. She's dreading when Seliox will turn that age, but that's years away. "........ un-huh. Whatever the reason may be, your original plan won't work."

        "We got this!" Eia called back before rounding the corner..
        
        Teluri held up several claws and counted down with them. "3, 2, 1...."

        "We don't got this." She whined as she and Bran cam slouching back, the bandages sporting fresh burn marks. While people weren't as violent, they were still hostile and some embers do tend to fly when frustrated.

        "I told you so." Teluri said, not even surprised that it failed. 

        Plopping down onto his butt, and then onto his back with a loud groaning grunt, Bran starred up into the sky. Things were going so well until now. He was so sure his plan would work. "So now what?"

        She raised a claw as she wondered, "There's a question i forgot to ask: why? Why risk coming back into the city and getting arrested again for wood and food?"

        Bran was hesitant to tell her since she is the wife of the worst thing they've met on this blasted rock, but Alua trusted her enough to tell her, "We found a way to hopefully get them back to their world, but it's on a faraway island and the boat we were loaned looks like crap, so we need things to fix it up, food for the trip-- things like that."

        A distant island, eh? That explains most of it. "I see. Where'd you find the boat?"

        They can't just say they're borrowing it from a local cartel boss- friendly or not, she may turn them in just on principal of that detail alone. "We... fo--"

        "We're borrowing it from a crime lord." Polosa just flat out said, prompting virtually everyone to react in different ways: Bran and the twins to facepalm so hard they fell backwards, Eia did the same but softer, and Alua looked at her with a 'seriously?' look. "What?"

        "A crime lord?" She replied with ill concern. "Who?"

        "Not saying. But he's powerful. And before you ask, i'm not a member of his little gang- we met under strange circumstances, but now we're not exactly friendly, but he knew i needed to get back to my world and so he lent me his ship... along with extra baggage."

        "Does this crime boss knows about your... tricks?" Obviously referring to the transformation they can do. 

        "Him and some random court mage or whoever that was..." Alua was gonna say that mages don't exist here, but they are pressed for time; if that's the term she wants to use, fine. "Point is, they want me gone and gave us a ship to do just that."

        "I think everyone in the city wants you gone; your people have caused nothing but trouble since you arrived."

        Understatement of the year. "Oh, we are well aware of that fact and we want to go home as quickly as we can too, for..." She was hesitant to continue, and Bran held his arm subtly enough to where she won't notice. "... personal reasons."

        "I see." Things got quiet for a moment before she said. It was a plan, for sure, but they could get caught if they slip up. Teluri, however... she isn't on the verge of getting in trouble.  "Well, what if I buy your supplies?"

        What did she say, the youths thought. Why would the wife of their enemy help them? "Say what?"

        "I'm the only one who's not on a most wanted list or under suspicion, i'm well known for helping others; especially those i never met before, and people will be suspicious of Alua since she took in the new Silver to begin with." She stopped to think for a moment on how she can work this better. "Tell me, do any of the three of you know how to handle mercantile bartering?" The locals clearly don't since they are too young to know anything beyond 'pay x amount of coins', and Bran and Polosa do not, but Eia does, or at least knows how from watching Drexyl lay her craft. She raised her hand, which prompted Teluri to pull her over to her. "Then you are coming with me."

        "Whoa, wait, what?!" She exclaimed under protest.

        "You know how- use that. And in hindsight, think about it: out of the three new dragoness' that caused all the trouble the other day, YOU are the only one who never said a word, meaning that nobody will know it was you who came to save the day and recognize your voice. And with me with her, it will make the story of her being a burn victim in need of supplies to rebuild her house so much more believable since i am known as the helper." She looked towards the fire twins. "And you two are coming as well, but to make it sell, you come in a few minutes behind us and act as though we just met, then you can carry it all back, Alright?"

        Look at Teluri, showing off her chops in the planning department. But Fira wasn't pleased with one part of the plan. "Hold on a tick, since when did we become pack mules?"

        "Yeah." Pira added in. "Last i checked, we were the ones who found the vital information in the first place. Twice!" He held up the mouse. "Along with drunky here." Kader hiccupped.

        "That was then, this is now. And right now, you're pack mules." They both pouted in frustration. 

        Bran took Kader from Pira's paws and gave him to Eia, who was disgusted he had to hold him. "Then take the drunkard here with you." He said.

        Under all thsoe bandages, Eia's face twisted in disgust. She normally avoids these pests, not hold them. It's bad enough whenever it's her turn to clear the hold of any of them. "A rat?"

        Kader briefly woke up, slurred, "Mouth to you, shemcy lady... zzzzzzz." then fell back unconscious. 

        Bran rolled his eyes- they were gonna have to bear with it. "His name is Kader and he's actually pretty strong for his size- he lifted metal dragon armor with no fuse." She found that hard to believe. "Just gotta make him sober somehow." That'll be the day, and nobody knows how to sober-up a drunk mouse. "Oh, and don't forget the money."

        Eia internally groaned- she forgot the money when she dragged Bran off. Maybe then the merchants wouldn't have been hostile. As Alua held it up to give to Teluri, the dragoness felt how heavy it is and couldn't help but look inside. "Whoa. This is a lot. How did you get this?"

        Kader hiccupped loudly. "She did the toottoot with the shinger, gyahahaha..." And then fell asleep, snoring.

        Teluri's mind went numb for a moment. That made absolutely no damn sense. At all. "The what with the who?"

        Alua glanced away as the blush returned. They all knew what he meant, or rather the mature ones here do. "It-it's not important right now."

        Having stood on the sidelines for most of the conversation, Polosa crossed her arms and frustratingly tapped her fingers. "So we got dressed up like this for nothing?" 

        Bran put his hands behind his head and commented, "Well, look on the bright side: at least you can pass for a mummy when Halloween rolls around." He tugged on one of the bandages.

        Halloween? What the heck is Halloween? "Hallo-what?" The puzzled huntress asked, with Eia also showing visible confusion.

        At this point, he should just give them a dictionary and let them read up. "Oh, the things i have to teach you..."





        Knock knock knock knock

        Sprawled out over the floor, the unconscious Sokuro lay still with nary a movement. A sickly green drool coming out of her mouth, staining the puffy shoulder sleeve of her dress. It matched the green spot the back of her neck had become. She couldn't even hear the knocking in her subdued state or feel the incredible pain of her neck.

        But, being merely unconscious doesn't stop your mind; stop your soul.

        Within her mindscape, Sokuro was floating in an endless, black oblivion. "Um... this can't be good." She commented as she looked at the black void around her. "Sil!?" She yelled out. No response. "Ven? Fayin? Gryphon guy? Anyone out there? Helloooooo?" Nothing. Not even an echo. "Where even am i?" She turned her attention downward, towards the blackness she was standing on. She knelt down and tapped it, but nothing; her hand went lower then her feet. "Oooook, that's creepy." Sputtering, she sat back, and was surprised to find her butt made physically contact with solid ground, when her knuckles felt nothing of the sort just a couple seconds ago. "Upgrade this to weirdly creepy."

        And now to scary as a gross drool-like substance dripped down from above. It touched on top of her head, making her react as such. "Eeeew..." She cringed as she rubbed it off. "Who's drooling on me?" Who indeed. She's supposed to be all alone in this void, right? She slowly  moved her head up to see the source of the drool;

        The Phagos. The same one that bit her. It looked down at her with its neck hunched, a predator stalking its prey. 

        "What in the heck...?" She shivered in fear. "But... you're dead. You have to be dead." Her neck suddenly began to hurt, making her reach back to it.

        She got no response from the Phagos as it snapped down towards her, mouth wide open to gobble her up. She stepped backwards in quick succession, but it was too late as it was too fast. She held up her arms to protect herself...

        ... and nothing. No pain, no death, no nothing.

        She cautioned an open eye and slightly lowering her arms, and found that she was in some strange room she had never been in before. It was dark outside, so she couldn't see a whole lot of detail; the only light present was from candles on a table. Someone was working at said table. Cautiously curious, she walked over to it to take a gander. 

        She saw a lampstand with a extinguished flame in front of her. She tried to sidestep to avoid it, but saw a book was in the way. She flailed her arms about to avoid falling, but did so anyways, right onto the table... or through it instead, that works too. Blinking confusingly, she rolled onto her back and sat herself up. She reached up to touch the lamp and her hand went through it.

        She got up, silently thankful she doesn't have to worry about knocking things over or creating a mess. But... just what is going on? What even is this place? This looks nothing like Misken, Novalle, Meoho, or Roko Harbor architecture. 

        The figure at the table got up and left for an unknown reason, leaving behind a letter. At a guess, she assumes he left to get fresh ink. She walked over to it to take a look. It was only partially done, but the first paragraph read:

        "Your Lordship,

        I have come to believe that there are elements within your council that threaten to bring an end to this war by ending your life. I suspect they are supplying information to the Astral supporters and will be making their move within the month. I am moving ahead on my project; if luck is on my side, you shall gain a weapon not even the Astrals can defeat. By the time of the banquet, the first Phagos shall be completed. The--"

        And the letter stopped there.

        This confused her even more. Did someone MAKE the Phagos? All of them? How would someone even have been able of doing that; you can't just create life. ... wait a tick, she worded that wrong in her head; course you can create life, but not outside a womb.... this is confusing; she'll figure it out eventually. 

        Glancing over to the table, she saw some flasks upon it, along with some other equipment that looks so strange and foreign. She approached one and looked inside. It had a creature of some sort inside; a really small one. It looked like a turtle- a infant runt of a Tklek Turtle, a species she read about.

        Without warning, it suddenly slammed against the glass of the flask, cracking it and scaring her enough to fall backwards. That one actually hurt. Groaning and grunting as she got up, she rubbed her back, and gasped in fear at the Phagos' head directly in front of her, staring at her. She made no moves- this was too damn scary. 

        Any pondering or thinking she would've had was cut short when she was suddenly hit in the chest by an arrow of light....

        ....and snapped awake, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. Shaking with each heavy breath her shocked state produced, she stared blindly towards the floor as sweat dripped down from her forehead and her hair. She could feel her neck sizzling, but the pain had gone away. ... Just how long was she out?

        She felt hot up above- she felt her forehead and it felt like she could cook an egg on it. "It was....... it was just a.... a hallucination." She concluded. Setting herself down next to the toilet and resting her head on the rim, She reached up onto the counter, grabbed a washcloth, and wiped off her face. 

        Lowering it down, she rested her head backwards onto the cabinet. "That one.... that one was the worst one yet...." She panted. She reached back and rubbed where she was bitten. The doc was right.... this is killing her. Just not in the way anyone would've expected. 

        Knockknockknockknockknock

        The sudden and frantic knocking made her jump in fear. "Hey, Sokuro, you almost done in there?!!" Sil yelled from the other side. "I gotta go bad!" She also still needs to go, but not as bad as him. She got up off the floor and put the washcloth back on the countertop before opening the door. He started to run in, but didn't even more when he saw how bad she looked. "Whoa..." Sil went, seeing the exhaustion and pain on her face.. "You don't look so good. You ok?"

        She wasn't paying much attention. "Huh? Oh... yeah... just... feeling hot all of a sudden." Hot? It's not that warm outside. "I... i need to go lie down for awhile, is all..."

        "Ok... you can use my bed, if you want."

        And she will do just that. "I'm sorry..." She whimpered. "... i'm just.... i want to go home so bad.... i hate it here..." She buried her face into his shoulder. 

        At any other time, he would've tried to console her, but he reeeeeeally needs to go. "UM, i see something has clearly upset you, Soky, and i'm here to help, but i REALLY need to go to the bathroom right now, so if you don't mind..." She didn't. She let him go. "Thanks." And he promptly zipped right on in, leaving her alone in the hallway as she went to Sil's room. She wrapped her arms around herself as she went that way- she'll have to wait for him to get out before she can go herself.

        instead leaning against the wall and sliding down it to the ground, she started thinking: was that real or a hallucination brought on from the pain? And if it was real... why show it to her? That particular Phagos is dead- killed by Velx himself, so there is no way it can do anything. And if telepathy is involved, they're on a completely different world and far in the future for that to be possible. So how, and why?





        Holding the mouse by his tail, a disgusted Eia followed behind Teluri, who was looking at the list Alua and Polosa wrote down before they came here. "That's a lot of rust-killer..." Teluri commented. "Is the boat really that rusty?"

        "Like you wouldn't believe." Eia confirmed. "I could feel myself getting tetanus just by looking at it."

        "Ew." She looked back down at the list. "The type she's asking for is pretty expensive... but it looks like they have every cent planned out. And why does she need all this wood? Is that for the boat too?"

        "To build some rafts." 

        "Rafts? Why would they need all of that wo-- wait a tick. "Wait, do you plan to take those prisoners with you?"

        "I don't know. They haven't said anything, but we're anticipating that'll be the case. Better safe then sorry, am i right?" Eh, not wrong... but still, that is a lot of wood, and Eia was making a major assumption here; they need the wood to create some space since the ship is pretty cramped for everyone to be on. Rafts would be nice, but they are what they really  need.

        Reaching the eerily empty shoreline, which left them worrying why the city felt so empty after such a festive couple of days, they continued on down it. Absent-mindedly passing by some storefronts, they eventually gazed up and noticed they were passing by a supply shop. Eia walked up and looked in the window and saw a myriad of items in there. "Should we try this place?"

        Teluri looked up towards the sign hanging over the door. "Qtar'shankes Implerium and Tradepost.... doesn't he mean Emporium since he's importing?" Eia shrugged in response. "Well, spelling error aside, if it's a trading post, they're bound to have at least one of the items on the list."

        "One way to find out." Eia said as she walked in casually, the little bell over the causeway ringing when she opened it up. Teluri entered not long behind her. The floorboards creaked under them- signs of age. But that doesn't mean the business was here that long; it just means the building was here for a long while. Besides, there are so many knickknacks and trinkets, but nothing in the construction or home repair sense; it's starting to feel like they won't find anything here. "Hello?" Eia called out as they entered, but to no response. The two ladies looked to each other and shrugged; maybe the owner was out to lunch or som--

        "Greetings!..." The shopkeep suddenly burst onto the scene, springing up from below like a jumpscare, and jumpscare he did as both ladies screamed, with Eia falling backwards out of the surprising shock. She tossed Kader up into the air as she fell, but Teluri was able to catch him before he went splat. The jolt was enough to wake him up; regrettably, it didn't sober him. "...And welcome to Qtar'shaks Emporium and Tradepost. We have something for everyone here." The brown dragon gloated. "What are you in for today?"

        "Something that doesn't scare the crap out of us!" Eia shouted as she sat up.

        "Ah, the wonders of youth." The dragon cooed, patting her on the head. "Don't ever lose that, kid." She internally screamed; What did he mean by that? What does that have anything to do with scaring someone?!

        Teluri thankfully stepped in before she got violent. "I feel like it's a longshot in this shop, but as she probably wants to kill you right now, i'm just going to cut to the chase so we can get out of here faster..." She doesn't waste time, does she?, Eia thought. "...but do you have any of these items?" She showed him the list.

        He pulled out a monocle and looked at it. "My my, that is one expensive looking shopping list. That would be enough to bankrupt someone." But it's not their money, so it's not their worry. "What project would even require all this wood?"

        Eia getting up off the ground provided Teluri with a visual example to go with it. "My associate here had a horrible accident yesterday; her boat burned down with her on it, now she seeks to rebuild it when she's healed. If you have any of these, it would be appreciated."

        "Hmm...." He looked at the list again. "The food and the wood, you'll have to look somewhere else, but i may have one thing for the rust. Be right back." He then went into the back of his shop, into a room behind the register.

        Was she was certain he was out of earshot, Eia whispered to Teluri, "That guy creeps me the hell out," as they slowly approached the cash register. 
        
        "I won't deny that the jumpscare was unnecessary."

        Eia sharply retorted, almost to the verge of yelling, "It was completely unnecessary!" 

        "Yes, completely unnecessary."

        Qtar'shankes- at least they assume that's his name from the sign outside- came back out with a huge jar of oil; it was clear and moved like water. "This." He grunted as he put it on the counter. "This is called Bopbob Oil; it is said to wipe away anything, no matter how stuck on or how long it was on. Rust? pbbt. It'll take off rust faster then feathers of a bird."

        Once again, this guy makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. And what is that smell Eia's sniffing? Smells... earthy; herbal, whatever it is. The oil? One sniff later, and no that wasn't it. It must be coming from the back room. "Let me try it." Teluri said. "I have just the thing to test it with." She reached into one of the pockets of her dress and pulled out a baggie holding within it a rusted old coin.

        Eia tiled her head; that's not something you see someone carrying every day, or at all. "You carry a rusted coin with you?"

        "It's a family heirloom that i wouldn't dare part with- it's said to have been my great-great-great-great grandfathers first transaction when he opened up a shop. And i keep in with me because, while i trust the servants, i don't trust them enough to not throw this away, and even more so for Termundus." Fair enough. She turned her attention to the shopkeep. "Do you have a small cup we--" She saw there already was one ready and waiting. "Oh, you already did it."

        "I plan ahead." He boasted. 

        Not the term they would use, but alright. She dropped the coin into the cup of oil and they watched to see if it would work. And, it did. The rust dissolved away, and in fair time too- took about a minute for it to completely go away.

        "It worked." Eia chuckled.

        "It worked?" The shopkeep blustered with bewilderment. Catching his oopsie, he corrected himself just as the ladies began to look at him like 'he didn't know either?'. "I mean, of course i knew it would work." Teluri took the coin out of the oil and looked it over- it was like new. She was truly amazed by this; she tried for years to clean it, but to no avail. Now it's like there wasn't anything to begin with. "If you are satisfied and interested in buying, that'll be 277 Goldz."

        Now THAT is a high price, near as high as what Alua wants to pay for the other brand. "Peg Bardon?" Eia stammered.

        "You heard me." He tapped the lid. "This is expensive stuff to import."

        This smells like highway robbery. Eia opened her mouth to question or haggle or call him out on it, but Teluri put down the money. "I'll buy it."...

        ...leaving the young one completely flabbergasted. What happened to that merchant mind she brought up earlier? "Wh- Teluri?!"

        "It's cheaper to buy this jar instead of what Alua wants to buy in bulk. And you saw how effective it is. It will make for a very good rust solvent."

        they never tested it fully and completely yet. All they know is that it cleared off one coin. This has to cover an entire ship's keel. "But how do you know it'll last?"

        "I dunno, but this fellow seems pretty trustworthy." He was picking at his ears, pulled out some earwax, and ate it, much to their disgust. "... if not a bit unorthodox." That's putting it EXTREMELY mildly. The kid would protest, but Teluri seemed pretty adamant this was a good purchase, and they are running pressed time. "Now that just leaves us with food and lumber."

        "Food? You two going on a trip after that boat is fixed up?"

        "Un...." They glanced at each other; they brought up the food thing when they came in, didn't they? What is with this guy? It's like he's not all there. "Sure. But it won't be for a month- at the moment, we're just browsing for places to get cheap... er, sailing provincials." 

        "In that case, the only Gooooooood place to get good cheap food here is Tocksin's place further down the shore." ..yyyyeah, considering how... er, eccentric this fella was, they doubt this new place is going to be good. Like, at all. "Wood, why not just cut out the middle man and buy some ready-made rafts?"

        "Rafts?" Rafts? They need rafts. "What kind of rafts?"



        
        "You bought how many rafts!?!?!" Alua and the kids all yelled. Adorning the beachfront of the island were a dozen wooden rafts, each build to accommodate at least 8 people each. It's more then enough.

        "Yeap. And for a bargain too." Teluri said as she tossed the bag of the remaining coins to the headmistress.  

        "What the heck made you buy rafts?!" Seqy coughed. "No, wait, i know WHY, but why so many? We don't need that many rafts."

        "Them." Eia said as she pointed to... well, one of the escaped prisoners, who came down to see what all the yelling was about. "I know they haven't said anything yet or if they have while we were gone, but Teluri got me thinking: What if they want to get away from this town when they get better? Cause i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want to stick around in a city with a corrupt lunatic who tortures me for kicks." That's actually a fair assumption; if the kids were in their shoes, they'd want to get the heck out of dodge too. "Besides, it's not like we ONLY bought rafts. We got some surprisingly potent rust-killer."

        Now that is something they needed. "Oh?" Alua went. Teluri pulled out the jar and they weren't all that impressed with the size. "It's... only one jar."

        "Yet this was able to clean the rust of a old coin like that." She held up the coin in question. "And don't worry. With what we had left over, we had enough to get a jar of the other stuff Alua wanted." She brought that out too. "For just in case purposes, of course." Or she thought she would get chewed out for not grabbing stuff that works vs a complete unknown. Maybe combined, they'll work like a dream.

        "And the food?" Polosa asked.

        "Guy we got the oil from suggested a place called Tocksins, and that stuff looked good. It's mostly seafood though, so i hope you got the stomach for squid and sockeye." They'll be out at sea, surrounded by fish. When food runs out, they'll have to resort to fishing, or if someone wants to skip the calamari, they can fish their own. "We did plan ahead and placed a reserve order."

        They all looked at the receipt and breathlessly gasped. "Holy smokes, how much did you buy?"

        "What? Is it not enough?"

        Not enough, she asks. "Are you kidding me?" Alua gasped. "This is way more then enough for a round trip."

        Teluri tapped her noggin. "Thus, the benefits of a frugal mind and a merchant relative." Or the curse of the impulse buy, Eia silently thought to herself. 

        Putting the receipt down, Alua looked out at the many rafts now along her beach. This was gonna be a pain to get over to the boat, but  they don't have to build their own now. There's still the flotsam they can drag over if they need to. But for now, "Well, nothing more we can do for this supply hunt. And the sun is setting. Should we head back inside?"

        "Heck yeah!" Seqy cheered. "It's almost time for a new episode of Captain Agile!" She ran towards home.

        Bran, Eia, and Polosa were puzzled. What did they mean by 'episodes'? ".... captain what?" The three of them asked. 

        "A radio program." Alua explained. "The kids love it." She then noticed they were missing a couple people; the other fans of Captain Agile. "Wait.... where's Piracus and Firacus?"

        Fira and Pi-- Teluri and Eia stiffened up as they realized that they forgot about them. "........... oh, slag." They both slouched. 




        Their poses completely the same, with their forward legs crossed, scrunched annoyed faces, and rapidly tapping feet, Fira and Pira sat under a canopy of a outdoor bazaar They figured this was where Teluri and Eia were going. Obviously, they were wrong since the supplies were gotten elsewhere, but they don't know that. "They did say to meet them here, right?" Pira asked.

        "I think so." Fira responded. "Otherwise, i'm gonna upgrade from kinda pissed to really pissed, cause this is some bull."

        "You said it, brother." The two of them then fist-bumped; they were gonna have to plan some quality revenge pranks when they head home, which may be soon since the sun was starting to set. 

        "There you are!!" Someone yelled. The twins looked and recognized a certain female Iguana, looking at them like an enraged beast ready to mess some people up. 

        Fira held up a single claw, then pointed it towards her. "Is that who i think it is?"

        "The guard we recently humiliated?" Pira responded. They imagined smoke coming out of her nostrils with each snarling breath. "Yep, absolutely, 100 percent."

        "Should we run for our lives?"

        "Yes, i think we should."

        They swiftly bolted, and she was in hot pursuit. She didn't have her spear with her this time, but they felt she would rip them both apart with her bare hands; just tear off the wings and claw out their scales; just gruesome stuff. Their legs spinning like wheels, they sped as far away from the guard as fast as they could,  but she must've taken jogging classes because she was too fast, fast enough to keep pace. But not in the air, which they swiftly took to, much to her frustration. 

        They sped by a street where a patrol was passing by, a patrol that had Termundus among its ranks. When the twins sped by, they kicked up a lot of dirt that went into their faces, making them cough. When they saw the Anthromorph pass by, that's when they took notice. 

        "Was that Miradel?" A parrot Anthromorph asked the others. Termundus didn't care about her, but he was curious as to why she was chasing the two nitwits from the island. They're annoying pranksters, not criminals, so why is she chasing after them?

        They'll get that answer soon; remembering they have wings, the twins looked at each other and smirked. They spun around, running backwards on their hindlegs, and stuck their tongues out at her while pulling down their eyelids in a insulting fashion. They then took to the air before she could grab hold of them. Coming to a halt, she looked up at them and snarled as they shoot their rears at her. "Niah niah niah-niah-niah." They went before flying away, laughing to themselves.

        "Evil whelps..." She snarled again.

        "Miradel?" One of her cohorts asked behind her. She looked and saw the patrol... plus another face she knows not to salute anymore. "What the heck just happened?"

        "A pair of lowlifes who got the better of me!" She growled.

        "Then tell me..." Termundus spoke up, his voice regaining some of that command it once had. "... why were you chasing Firacus and Piracus? What did they do?"
 

62: Chapter 58: Prep Work
Chapter 58: Prep Work

Chapter 58

Prep Work

???

 

 


        "... and then you put the thread through the eye the needle..." Ventus explained as he gave a visual example for the ones who were gonna help him sew up the sailcloth for the voyage. In this case, it was all the Anthromorph's that had escaped from the dungeons, plus Polosa since she knows how too. Why none of the four-legged beasties? That question was already answered: 4 legs, as in no opposable thumbs, as in sewing would be extremely hard for them unless they practiced, and a lot of them didn't. And with the string needed to sew up sailcloth, they need delicacy. 

        Regardless, some of the anthro folks never sewed in their lives, so this is a learning experience for them. "... tie the string to create a knot, then pull it down so they are at equal length..." Which they did, following his example. "... pierce the cloth with the needle, then pull the string through. The knot should keep to prevent the string from simply sliding through." A couple of them did mess their knots up and had to retry. Other then them, the others worked good. "And there you have it: you just entered hte world of sewing."

        "Tsheh..." A young feline anthromorph tsk'd to himself. He looked so young- probably a teenager. Nobody wanted to ask, but if that be the case: why did Termundus have a teen down in the dungeons in the first place? "Sewing is for wimps. I don't know why i have to do it."

        Ven sarcastically laughed. "Hem hem hem hem hem hem." Then he got serious. "Kid, when you are a hunter like me, you have to know a lot of things in order to survive. Sewing is one of those things cause, if you don't know it, your tattered clothes will only get worse until the point you have to throw them away, then you'll be naked in the jungle with all sorts of parasites digging their way into your body."

        "Yyyeah." Sokuro sarcastically mocked above the teen's head as she walked past while carrying a few clay bowls. "Yeah." Bran also went as he followed behind her. 

        "Even kids get it." Ven chuckled. The teen furrowed his brow and sulked in silence.

        Leaving the sewing club behind, Sokuro and Bran made their way towards the boat and rafts at the beach, where the gryphons, phoenix's, and dragons capable were helping clear and clean it up. Right now, they were messing with the rafts, making sure they could actually survive a trip in the open seas. Only a fourth of the rescued/escaped dragons were here- the rest went with Eia and the Earth Triplets to the wrecks to see about that intact ship aft that was found.

        "For such a small container, there sure was a lot of that cleaner stuff." Sokuro commented as she and Bran approached Alua, who was wiping off one of the portholes. "We filled up ten big bowls with that stuff."

        "10?" Alua responded. "With the stuff i had listed, we could've filled 15. Sigh... it'll have to be enough... we just better hope Teluri made a good purchase." The kids set the bowls down by the boat. Alua bent down to pick one up, but noticed something missing. "What about rags?"

        Bran lightly brushed her on the arm with the back of his hand, "I told you we forgot something." She stuck her tongue out at him. "We'll go back and get some."

        "Thanks." The two then ran back towards the house. Alua watched them leave while she picked up one of the bowls and flew up onto the deck. She hovered above it, setting it down on one of the seats. Quio came up from below, carrying some nasty-looking food in his arms. "Oh, that's disgusting."

        "I know, right?" He commented, plopping down down on the deck. It was disgusting to looking at, with flies and maggots everywhere. "I wanna know why boss never bothered to clean out the pantry."

        "Could've assigned men to do it, but they didn't cause they were lazy or spiteful?" Alua guessed.

        He lightly shrugged. "Fair guess." He was gonna need to wash his hands once he was done dealing with the refuse. As he looked out towards all the escapees helping, he asked, "So.... i wasn't paying attention at the meeting- why are all of them helping us?"

        A swift facepalm to the head was her first response, followed with, "You're kidding, right? Like you said, you were there."

        "And like I said, i dozed away." He rudely replied. She ran her claws down her eyelids, pulling them down before letting go. Why are they helping this guy again? Between the ungrateful attitude and the self-important arrogance, they should just toss him out to the sharks. "What?"

 

 

40 minutes earlier....

 


        
        The morning after Teluri and Eia came back with the rust-killer oil, Sokuro looked at the jug that was on the table in the orphanage and pursed her lips. For a boat that big, a jug this small won't be much help. It's just barely bigger then a watermelon. "Iiiiiii don't think this is gonna be enough."

        "That's what i said." Alua responded. "But both she and Eia were insistent it's that good. Guess we'll find out."

        "We can mix them." Fira commented as he put the other jug she bought on the table too- in case it wasn't enough, Teluri was wise enough to get some of the other kind Alua wanted. "Can't we? Or would that dilute it to where it doesn't work?"

        None of them were sure. It could, but also probably couldn't. Regardless, it was a risk they didn't want to take, not after how much of Cyember's money they spent. "Eh, let's not try that." Bran said. "We don't have enough money to buy replacements." Did they, he wondered. A quick shot to Alua, "Do we?"

        She shook her head. "There isn't any we can spare from other expenses." she confirmed. "So unless anyone has a big purse we don't know about, we're stuck using the new stuff... which i still doubt is any good. At least she was smart enough to get a bottle of the other stuff, at least."

        "What are you talking about?" Fira said as he held up the bag of money. "We have plenty to spare." He shook it, making the coins clink in a jingle.

        "That's for them." She pointed towards the door... the closed door. While embarrassing, the meaning was still there. "In case they want to come with us."

        "Yeah, about that," Ventus spoke up. "Was anyone ever going to ask them what their plans were? I mean, it's a big assumption that they will all come with us at all. What if none of them want to leave this place? Or the fact that some of them- not all, but some- may actually be terrible people who were down there for a reason? In that case, you'd be giving money to criminals on the run."

        "But they already are criminals on the run when they were busted out. And i just realized, nobody from the mainland has come searching for them yet." Now that she mentions it, no guards ever came here to search for the prisoners or to ask questions about Sokuro as she was seen with the orphans during the festivities. Except for Teluri, nobody from the mainland came here at all since the duel. It was both a weight off their shoulders, and a knot of concern in the pit of their stomachs- it's nice they're not in the radar right now, but how long could that last? "Strange."

        Sitting up, Nightwinge suggested, "Wouldn't the most logical answer be that they looked into all the arrests and saw most of them were bogus? It's possible we've all been granted clemency  since Termundus had so many trumped-up charges against us."

        "While i hope that is true, why wouldn't they have sent someone to interrogate us on Sokuro here? She was seen with us during the first day of the festival, and fought against Termundus the next day- any peabrain would make the assumption that we may know where she went."

        "Well, there is a big power shift going on, remember?" I don't think they'll be mobilizing troops to hunt them down yet." True enough. Termundus' punishment was sure to cause a lot of commotion. "And switching back around to the original topic since we went far off tangent; you are making a big assumption on the If's of what these people want- you didn't even bother to ask them anything yet."

        "Then why don't we just ask them then?" An impatient Bran suggested, the irritation not at all hidden.

        Alua sputtered her lips as she twiddled her claws. "Well, that's a bit awkward, don't you think?"

        "I think we found the issue..." Sokuro said under her breath.

        Bran facepalmed. This conversation is going nowhere. "Everyone keeps bringing it up but doing nothing about it. What's so hard about asking 'hello there, we understand that you are hurt, but if you would be willing to help us in exchange for a ride out of here, that would be appreciated. You don't have to help, but it would be nice.' What's so hard about asking it like that?"

        "Because we rescued them from hell and it would be seen as poor form?" Ventus rightfully assumed. "Just a guess."

        Eia was barely keeping her grievances in check during the whole conversation; now it's time to air them out. "Ugh, well i'm not from this world, so i'll ask them." She said while heading towards the door. "At least if they get mad, they'll be glad it won't be for forever."

        "No, they'll still be mad." Alua exhaled. "You'll just have run away to another world."

        "Bleh bleh bleh." She opened the door and started to head out it, but stopped when she saw that the prisoners had gathered in front of the house. At the head of the pack was a tattered and beaten grey-and-green phoenix who looks like he belongs in a hospital. When they first saw the injured avians when they first arrived, the locals got sick to their stomach. They are supposed to be graceful, not... what Termundus turned him and a couple of others into. "Oh. Um...Alua?" She looked back to the group. "There's someone for you."

        The caretaker looked over and saw the crowd at the door. "Um..." She walked on over to it. "We told you all if you need to use the bathroom, you don't need to knock." She slowed as she got closer. "Unless... there's something else you want."

        "You are correct on that." The phoenix replied. "We want to help."

        Well, that just made the last couple of minutes irrelevant, didn't it? "You want to help?" Alua stammered. 

        Resting her head on her hand, Sokuro muttered to Sil, "Well, that worked itself out, didn't it...?" To which the dragon lightly nodded back.

        "Yes, we do. You've all done so much for us, even though you didn't have to. So, after some talking about it, we agreed that we should help out however we can in getting these otherworlders home. Eye for an eye and all that."

        "Un, that's a saying for revenge, actually." Bran said as he held a finger up like a book nerd. "But the sentiment is there."

        Alua silently stood there for a brief moment as she thought about this. She was hesitant to ask due to how awkward the conversation could've gone, but with them volunteering, it seems like everything worked itself out without a problem. "Honestly, i have no problem with that cause we were just about to go ask you ourselves; to see if you can help us in exchange for a ride out." Funny how life works out like that. But the uneasy feeling still remained; not for the help, but for... other reasons. "Look... i'm sure most of you are perfectly innocent and dragged down into those dungeons for some really stupid reason, like taking the last cookie in the lunch line or something, an--"

        "How'd you find that out?" A turquoise dragoness shouted from the back. Ignoring that for now.

        "... And while you may be innocent in your heart, the state says otherwise. Technically...  you are all fugitives from the law, and unless that magically went away when Termundus was demoted, you're all criminals on the run, so... if any of you need a ride out, it's right there floating near the beach. We're not going to force you to come with us; it's a decision you all have to make by yourselves."

        "Well, you're not wrong with the fact we did paint a target on our backs when we went with you all... but it was stay and be tortured to death, or run and live- it's a bad 'rock and hard place' situation." In that situation, most of them would've taken the breakout option too; with no knowledge of what the future could've brought, it was the best idea they had. "So unless we were all given an exoneration, we would have to run and flee."

        "Then let's hope news comes soon." She commented.

        "While we appreciate the offer..." Seqy spoke up. "... A lot of you are still hurt, and terribly so. It's only been a couple of days, so is this even a smart idea in your conditions?"

        "If you're gonna ask us to lift heavy things, course that would be a problem. But scrubbing the deck and mending a sail isn't that strenuous on a body, no?" Sewing, no. Scrubbing..... well, maybe if they deal with the hull. "It would make us feel bad if you all do all this for us and we do nothing in return."

        They didn't have to talk to come to the same conclusion and idea: they need all of the help they can get right now, and these kind people are offering their help. With all that extra muscle, things could get done in a snap. What do they have to lose? Obviously, they won't let any of them do anything hard, strenuous, or taxing, but they need help in all other departments. "Mmmmmm.... Alright. You can help." Not the help they expected, or how they planned to obtain it, but any helps better then no help. "Oh, what's your name? Since the prisoners seem to look to you as their leader."

        "That they do." The Phoenix chuckled. "My name is a bit complicated, but my associates call me Quail." She nodded along, remembering that name. 

        And where was Quio during that?

        Under the table, hugging a bottle of mezcal as he tried hard to stay awake. 

 

now....

 


        "Now do you understand why they are helping us, lazy bones?" Alua asked the absent-minded dog.

        "Yeah yeah." He blew off, not really caring to hear any sob stories. "Helpless bums need help and all that."

        That did it. She's had enough of his terrible attitude. She pulled him harshly by the ear into a corner and set the mangy mutt straight.  "Show some respect, you heartless mutt, especially to your elders. I will not have you insulting and disrespecting these people! You understand me? I Will Not Have It. You being here is a courtesy, and i can easily throw you out as easily as the huntress brought you in. So stop your complaining, grow a pair, and actually do something with respect before we use YOU as a rag."

        He gulped out of fear. You'd figure after all the times he'd been held up over the years, he'd have learned his lesson. "Yes ma'am." He gulped before being let go. He slid down to his bum before she walked off to do other things.

        


        

        Some time later, Sokuro, Seqy, Bran, and Sil were scrubbing rust off the fore section of the boat, but they also had barnacles to deal with too. While they are unsightly, they play a rather vital role in the ocean's ecosystem... but for boats, they're a pest as their weight can create unnecessary drag, causing the boat to burn more fuel; the heavier it becomes, the more fuel is used. Important creatures, but annoying pests, and there were amany. "Ugh.... who knew scrubbing would take this much work?" Bran complained, feeling his shoulders ache. "I feel like Cinderella."

        "Cinder-who?" Seqy responded.

        He wasn't in the mood to go explaining things. ".... just hush up and scrub." Rude, but she shrugged it off and got back to it. As they scrubbed, he muttered to himself, "Though if i had my phone, this would be a good time to put on Whistle while you Work." 

        Near them, Sokuro and Sil were hard at work trying to get the barnacles off, though hard is a bit of an understatement- those suckers were stuck on tight, forcing Sokuro to go Aerid to get them off, a task easier said then done. "Well, be glad you aren't... on... RRAH!!!" She roared as she finally took some off. "...Barmacle duty. These suckers are latched on good." She tossed them into the sea, then scrubbed some of the rust killer where they were.

        "At least the tuff is working." Sil commented as he took a second to catch his strength. "The orange went away that easily. Guess this rust-killer is all it's cracked up to be." 

        Raising an eyebrow, Bran turned to the silver and asked, "Did you say tuff?"

        Now it was Sil's turn to find something odd. "What? No, i said stuff."

        Bran playfully shook his head. "Nooooo. You said tuff."

        "I said stuff." Sil responded, getting a tad miffed

        "Tuff." Bran insisted.

        "Stuff." Sil insisted back.

        "Tuff!"

        "Stuff!"
    
        This kept on going for some time, much to the girls chagrin; they didn't have the time, will, or energy to even get involved. "Are they seriously arguing over this...?" Sokuro tiredly exhaled. 

        "They're boys- they'll fight for pettier reasons then that." Seqy answered as she dunked her washcloth in the bowl.

        Sokuro lightly chuckled to herself. "Of that, there is no doubt. Vela, Leoi, and Zalet would get into squabbles over the last piece of bacon. They're the only three i know that would fight over petty things.""

        Who? This is the first time Seqy's hearing these names from her. "Who?"

        She handwaved it off. "Just a couple of other orphans I live with."

        "Strange. I only thought it was only you and your brother that were the orphans."

        "Did i say we were? Cause i don't remember saying it was just us. Weird." She shrugged it off and went back to scrapping.

        Seqy should've gone back to plopping up rust-killer, but her thoughts and questions prevented that. Some things just weren't adding up. "Hmm."

        "What?"

        "Nothing. Just wondering why you didn't freak out about them." Freakout? "Do you remember when you had that freakout about not seeing your brother again?" Oh, that's right; she she broke her own heart with the realization she may be stuck here. ...... why is she bringing this up? "You never mentioned anyone else. This is the first time i heard you mention someone that wasn't... what was his name again, Kaled?" Taled, actually. "This is the first i heard you mention someone else's name that wasn't his or Felx." Velx... is she doing this on purpose? 

        Sokuro was really, really hesitant to reply, knowing and fearing she wouldn't like the results of this conversation. Nobody would. "Just... what are you getting at?"

        "In that you're so hyperfixated on getting back home to your brother, you failed to realize all the others there that miss you as well. In fact... i'm starting to think you don't even consider them. You share a roof with them, yet... it sounds like they're not even worth of your concern."

        What a horrible thing for her to say! Sokuro tossed a barnacle down in frustration. "What? Yes they do."

        "Really? Then describe one of them to me."

        "Ok. Un... Baset is a bit brutish." She put her hands into her poc-- right, she was in her Aerid form, she remembered, so she slid down down her hips instead, while leaning on the boat with her elbow.

        Seqy was expecting more. A lot more, like the character description in a book more. "..... is that it?" Was that  not good enough?, Sokuro thought. That is a very apt description.  "What do you know about this Baset? What are their likes, dislikes, dreams, chores they hate doing- come on."

        Sokuro snorted a laugh, "Oh, that's easy; she..." Nothing. She could think of nothing. "... well, ok, she likes to um... to..... huh." But there are a lot of orphans living back home; no way she could forget all of them. But as her eyes darted around as she thought, and her body slouched over more and more, the more she began to realize that Seqy may be right. But she can't be right. "Un, ok, well, Leoi is a tinkerer, and un... mm.... well, Vela likes to, um.... um... and.... what was that last guys name?" She sloped down as the terrible realization made itself known: she knows nothing about the others.

        Seqy somberly exhaled; she didn't mean to hurt Sokuro, but... things just happen. "Told you so." She sighed to herself as she went back to work, leaving Sokuro to sink and stew in her thoughts.

        While she was having a bit of a mental breakdown, Bran groaned as he stepped away, moving his shoulder to work out the kricks he built up. This was going to take forever at the rate they are going. At least they got the front section, but still...  looking at the people working on the sails and the rafts, he realized what they need: "What we need is a montage."

        Seqy and Sil glanced towards him like he was insane. "A mon-what?" He asked.

        "A montage." He tilted his head, not understanding what's being said. "It's a gimmick in shows and movies to show the passage of time- boil a few hours or years into just a couple of minutes while advancing the plot, often to some catchy music."

        Sil and Seqy looked at each other, thinking the same thing: Bran has lost his mind. "A............ mon... tage. Un-huh..." He popped his lips. "Well, if this was one of your moving picture things, then we'd be able to. But we're not, now are we?"

        He crossed his arms sourly. "No need to be rude about it."

        Rubbing his eyes, Sil sighed an exhale, "Sorry, it's just been a stressful few days."

        THAT'S the understatement of the century, right there! "That's putting it mildly!" Bran snorted. "A lot has happened to fill up an entire season of a show, like holy crap wow!"

        "At least we have a break from all the crazy action thanks to the cleaning project." Seqy commented. "Cause holy frijole, so many battles..." She never partook in any of them, but her body feels sore just thinking about it.... for about 5 seconds, until Trach slammed a barrel right beside the boat, causing the three of them to look over, and to bring Sokuro out of her mind for a moment. "The heck is that?"

       "A barrel of salted pork." He tapped his paw against it. "We're gonna need more then just whatever the heck Teluri found. Nothing but squid and salmon? Yeah, that's not happening."

       "Salted Pork..." Bran exhaled. That is just so cliché, it hurts. "Did we even need more proof we're in a pseudo fantasy world?"

       "I can already feel the calories ravaging me." Seqy commented.

        "Ah, you kids don't know what you are missing." Oh, they can. Once in a while, sure, it's fine, but... all the time? That's a coronary disaster waiting to happen.


        
        


        His body still aching, Ventus took a break from sewing up the sails and went inside the house to get a cup of water; at least he can move without assistance now, which is more then can be said for a lot of others. Only Fayin was inside, along with Pearl, as she was the one tasked with finding the island from the treasure map. The entire dining table was littered with maps and atlases. 

        "How goes the mapping, Feyin?" He asked as he limped past the table.

        "I honestly don't know..." She sputtered. "Reading maps and matching shapes isn't my strong suit..." She tapped her claw on a pencil that her head was leaning on.

        As he grabbed a cup of water, he responded with, "You work for a god who can travel."

        "He teleports. Last time he traveled elsewhere by his wings was Xelut's terror. Though i guess you guys made him get off his ass, so... i'd say a month ago? On a technicality?"

        "Fair enough." He started filling it up. "But did ya?"

        She lightly hung her head backwards as she gave an exasperated moan. "Yes, dad...." He lightly scoffed a laugh as he approached the table. "If i'm correct, the shape here.." She tapped the treasure map the triplets stole. "...matches up to this one." Then tapped the one on the atlas, out in the middle of the ocean.

        Leaning in, Ven could see that, yep, they are an exact match. Some differences in artstyle, but the geography and topography's the same. "Jeke Isle.... looks like it's what was a part of Eastern Cuba... haven't been there for awhile, so it'll be interesting to see what's changed in 500,000 years."

        "500k years; i think we know what changed."

        He did, and he lowered his head to 'hide' his whine. Didn't work. "And that means no more plantains.... aw man, i liked those." The heck are plantains, Fayint hought to herself. The whine didn't last long as he bounced back. "But on the positive side, we don't have to make that big a detour. It's practically on the way." On the way, he says. Looking that the map, you wouldn't be able to make that assumption. To get to Trochet/Bermuda, the original route would've been a nice north-eastern sail. A few small islands on the way, but easily navigable, help not far, and almost a perfectly straight line. Jeke, meanwhile, is south-east, on what looks like the eastern-most part of that Cuba place as he pointed out, with the sail up to their target destination offering little to no islands between them. "And hopefully not part of Na... Nex..." Naya and Nexia sound so similar to each other, he can't tell which one is the country and which one is the city anymore. "This countries territory. More distance we have from psycho, the better. And we could drop off the prisoners there."

        "Considering there's no islands between us and Jeke, or from Jeke to Trochet, it will have to be." Kinda forced their hand, didn't it. Ven remembers a lot more islands then this. Must be related to whatever decimated most of Cuba. She then asked, "This Bermuda place, what kind of place is it?"

        "Simply put, a tropical paradise- a vacation destination. Or it was; can't speak for its current state 500k in the future without seeing it. It's like Evioly, but with a lot more palm trees and white sandy beaches and this perfect breeze that is just..." He finished with a mesmerized sigh- he misses that place.

        And it painted a nice picture for Fayin to imagine. "Hmm. Sounds lovely. And the Gate is located there?"

        "Maybe. Or somewhere else in the Triangle. While i personally don't know why Bermuda is the namesake, the Triangle is actually a huge swath of ocean..." He grabbed Fayin's pencil and drew the lines that made up the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle. "...from there, to Puerto Rico, to Florida, and then back. While Bermuda is the target region, it doesn't look like we're going to the island proper." That's good- less travel time. "If i am right, then the island we want is in the exact center. There was nothing there the last time humans were on Earth, but maybe the landmass was lifted, or something. It makes the most sense."

        Sound logic, but he's forgetting a few factors, like what if the Gate is on another island and it only opens in one direction for so far? Or that it travels? This is make Fayin's head hurt- the more she learns about this planet, the less sense it makes. "Earth sounds weird."

        Understatement, he thought. "The whole Milky Way was." 

        She lifted her head. "Milky Way?"

        "That's the human term for our Galaxy; my kind call it the Disk, the Argalith call it the Ether, yet Milky Way somehow caught on, and if you look at the origins of the name, you'd go, '... now why in the world would do they name it after a God baby squeezing on his step-moms breast while feeding?' It's confusing and weird."

        Fayin's face twisted in disgust; why would anyone name their home after something like that? It's weird... but made her realize something, something she doesn't think the others realized. ".... you know... i did notice something back on Dragenia that i was afraid to bring up because i didn't want to cause any problems so soon into the beginning of our coexistance, but... there are five races among your colonists, yet for some reason, everyone always talks about the humans. 'human term this, human saying that'- i know more about humans then i do about Kitsunes or Argaliths- i don't even remember what the other two races are called." Hesk and Adlez, but moving on. "Why is it nobody else refers to their own race when talking to us?"

        "I.... un...." He never really considered it before. This far and long after first contact, nobody probably did. They're so engrained into galactic society now; they're commonplace, like rats. ".... you know. I honestly don't know... and it.... is concerning, now that i think about it." He sat down. "Humans do have a history of subjugation, something they claimed to have moved on from... could a ecological takeover by them have been so subtle that nobody noticed, not even them?"

        Fayin felt a monkey on her back; she may've started something very, very bad when they get home. "I wasn't trying to start anything. I was just making a observation."

        "Yeah, i know, but......... the more i think about it, the more my stomach churns. Nobody noticed that they were becoming the center of all things in the Mil--- in the Disk. How could we have missed that?"

        She sank deep into her chair, groaning as she covered her face with a napkin. "Oh Velx... i probably did something really bad..."

 

      


        Elsewhere, Termundus was relaying what little the guardwoman iguana had told him, about the mysterious movements the fire twins had been making, and of rumors of Teluri making frequent trips to the island- guess nobody told them it only happened once thus far- and having been seen with a unknown person in the kooky part of town. His new superior- the captain who chewed him up earlier that day, however, wasn't hearing it, despite how many times he tried to insure something was going on. Slamming a fist on the desk, he pressured, "I'm telling you, there is something fishy going down on the Origin Isle."

        "And i'm telling you to let it go." His superior replied, not even bothering to look up from the paperwork on his desk "You no longer have a command, boy- you're down there with the grunts, and you're believing something someone with a temper problem told you."

        Termundus' blood was boiling. In his old life, he would've swatted this cur away... but he can't even sneeze without getting reprimanded now. "You are not listening to me. I saw my wife go that way yesterday and she never spoke to me when she came back. Then she's seen wandering around the 'kooky' part of town with some unknown wench in a cloak!"

        That made him lower the paperwork from his eyesight. "And it never occurred to you that she went to talk to a friend of hers after having to live with the crap you pulled?" No it didn't, actually. "You tortured innocent people down there; children too if these prison reports are to be believed." He threw down the paperwork and Termundus saw what they were: exonerations for most of the escapees. MOST of them as a couple were hardened criminals, but the rest were innocent like the captain said. "Never in my entire life have i seen such a callous disregard for life and such wanton cruelty. I'm not defending them or their actions, but at least other maniacs like serial killers have motives, as confusing and as messed up as they are. You did it for what, kicks? Surprisingly, your motives weren't written down!" Because they are far beyond mere plebeians like him, Termundus thought. "Termundus, not everything is some conspiracy. Not everyone is doing something fishy. And the world CERTAINLY does not revolve around a megalomaniac like you. So unless you are going to do something productive, GET OUT!!"

        The former general seethed in anger at the impudence of this lowly ass. Once he regains his power, he will take great pleasure in putting this fool in his place. But for now, he's no choice but to play along. "........... fine." He hissed out of his mouth. Begrudgingly giving a salute, he turned and left. He subtlety shot back, "Megalomaniac." to his superior before slamming the door behind him.

        Standing out in the tranining yards, it was all Termundus could do to avoid going on a rampage. So many people are daring to stand against him- it's gone too far too early and too soon. If he could, he would take out everyone one of them and make a throne out of their bones and rule this Starforsaken country! But that would have to wait as a dragoness private approached. It was one still loyal to him. She approached him and saluted. "Gener---" She caught on to her mistake and slowly lowered her paw, hoping nobody noticed. "...i mean, Private Termundus."

        He wasn't in the mood for bull right now. He went straight to the point, "What is it?"

        She gulped, scared of how he will react. She just had to draw the short straw. "Sir, we... we've been unable to find any traces of Ocilus. It seems she has vanished into thin air."

        That's not possible and they all know that. Even with Lightning as her element, she can't just teleport around all willy nilly like the electricity can. "Bullcrap- Ocilus doesn't just disappear. She's too boisterous, too bombastic to just vanish."

        "not to mention too sadistic..." THe soldier mentioned under her breath. She clammed up when she saw him giving her the evil eye. "Well... she did, and we have no leads- no relatives she could go to or..."

        He shook his head. "No, i know where she went. She did this during basic training, when it was getting to be too much for her. She broke down and decided to run away home, but i managed to convince her to stay and, well, the rest is history. Of course, i didn't have a demoted rank, neither did she have a two day head start."

        "A headstart to where?  Her home?" He nodded in response. "Where is her home?"

        He waved it off, "Just some insignificant fishing hamlet on a puny island called Jeke or whatever. What is important is that i get there so i can--"

        "Bring her back?" The soldier concluded.

        He stopped talking for a moment. He meant to saying he was going to kill her since she knew too much about his operations and his plans.  But bringing her back is the more socially acceptable answer. And it opened up new possibilities he hadn't figured before. "... yes. Bring her back."

 

        Some time later, Termundus had left, returning to his Private duties while his captain was nursing the headache the former general gave him. There wasn't enough seltzer in the world. 

        A knock came from the door, prompting him to look in its direction. "It's open." He said. In came Teluri, wearing something simple to go along with the mood she and the city were feeling. "Ah, Lady Teluri. What brings you by?"

        "Lord Cirrus, actually." She approached one of the chairs before his desk and he offered her to sit, which she did. "He said you had some documents exonerating the escaped prisoners."

        "I did. Came from uphigh this morning." He handed them to her and she took a look. "The higherups believe that the escaped prisoners were taken to the Isle of Origins thanks to the timeline of events they pieced together; that in the confusion of hte battle between the two outsides and Termundus & Ocilus, some may've escaped to the island in question."

        "As they are being exonerated, i can confirm that, yes, they were indeed. I'll tell you what i told the Council earlier: Alua and Seqious came to the city with the outsider Sokuro to appease to the Council in lending her aide in finding her missing companions, but clearly circumstances changed. In the fight, the two of them saw the escaped prisoners being led out by the other outsiders companions and, in the confusion, led them all to safety."

        "I thought so. I'd go deliver them myself, but your psycho husband changed those plans when he was placed under my command. But as you are close friends with Lady Alua and given your humanitarian nature, maybe it would be better if you delivered them yourself."

        "I see..." She looked through them all again. "Are all of them being exonerated?" 

        "Not all. A couple of them were incarcerated for legitimate crimes: one was a Parrot- a petty thief whose time was almost up, but given the circumstances and what Termundus did, he'll be reduced to a month's work of community service. The other.... the other gives me shivers. He is a Phoenix whose record is pretty frightening."

        She reached that part of the report and winced. She never heard of a Phoenix doing something like this before, but this Quail guy sounds like a real monster. "... He murdered an entire household?"

        "Showed no remorse too, if the report is accurate, and it was during a family gathering too, so there were a lot more dead then just the people who owned the property. The only survivor was a kid who was so traumatized by the event, she's in a mental ward."

        She felt a shiver as she realized, "And this Quail guy is on that island with all the others now....."

        "Given how powerful those outsiders are, i don't think they'll be easy prey." If only he knew about the secret they had, then he wouldn't be so confident. But the other outsiders- Ven and Fayin- may have some tricks Quail won't see coming. "Speaking of which, what is going on over there? Termundus seems to think something is happening."

        "There is." She got up. "You don't need all the details, but the short answer is: they hopefully found a way home and are taking that shot. Sometime this week, they'll be sailing out."

        "Then i wish them luck. They'll need it." He leaned back in his seat. "Hopefully with them gone, things will return to some semblance of normal." She went to open the door. "Before you leave, take this note to the 10th Guardsmen." He put it on the desk and slid it over, forcing her to come back to get it. "They were assigned to arrest that Quail guy, so they'll be going with you."

        "How many are coming with me?"

        "Four. Three should enough to keep the Phoenix contained but not give the others any worry. The fourth will take in the Parrot- according to his personality file, he's a wimp." She took the note and went to the door again. "I'd also be careful. Ocilus hasn't been seen since the trial, and given her personality, she may do something crazy and stupid."

        Teluri rubbed her eyes and somberly exhaled. Somehow, she's not surprised by that, but a loose cannon like Ocilus running without a leash... that's terrifying. "Considering who her mentor was... i wouldn't be surprised." She finally left, closing the door behind her.

63: Chapter 59: Issues
Chapter 59: Issues

Chapter 59

Issues

???

 

 


        As the noon sun shone down on the island, making the ocean waters glisten, a large and cumbersome half of a ship was being flown in. It was the same halved keel found when they went to the ship graveyard. In anticipation, the Earth Triplets and those strong enough to at least attempt to lift it via many ropes were sent to bring it back. Why? .... well, no good reason. Or any reason for that matter. They don't need it, so why do it? "A little bit more to the left." Terrum called up to the fliers from ground level, leaving the other 12 to carry it to where he wants it, which seems to be on that sweet spot between the sand and the rock. "A little bit more. A little bit more... just a tiny smidgen. And... Perfect. Now set it down gently." Some of them grumbled to themselves as they lowered it down as slowly as they can. "Gently... gently.... ge--" Screw it, they all thought at the same time, and just let go. It hit the terrain hard and listed, but remained upright. "That wasn't very gentle."

        "The thing was heavy!" Taltian shouted. "My paws was getting rope burn!" ... "Besides, do they even need this anymore? There's not really much need for this anymore if they got the rafts now."

        "Doesn't hurt to have a backup." It does in this case. "Besides, this place feels like it's in desperate need of a makeover."

        "..... with a rotting and weather-stripped half of a sunken ship?" Terrux asked, watching as the thing tipped to the side, ready to fall over at a moments notice. "That is falling apart."

        "Don't question my logic."

        "Oh, i'm questioning it." Seqy commented as she walked past with a empty bucket hanging off her tail on her way back to the yacht, freshly free from barnacles; they are dumping them off the far side of the root that connects the island to the mainland, so they won't come back with the tide as the current flows south.  

        As his two brothers landed beside him, Terrum put his forelegs around their necks and grinned, "It's going to be for a secret base!"

        That made Seqy come to a halt, then walk backwards towards them. "Secret be-- you don't even live here! Why would you need a secret bas--- oh Stars, it's to hide form the authorities if you get caught, isn't it...? You wasted everyone's time for that?"

        "Maybe." Terrum snickered. 

        Her eye twitching at the sheer amount of nothing getting the half of a dismantled boat turned out to be in the end, she lowered her head to hide her frustration. "... i hate Earth Drakes..." Ironic as she will one day manipulate the ground herself. 

        "You love us."

        "I really don't."

        "Yeah, you do." He patted her on the shoulder.

        With listless eyes, she raised her head then slowly turned to them. They made a big mistake. The triplets all gave a stupid smile before zipping away, with the peeved dragoness in hot pursuit. "Get back here, you moronic time wasters!" She yelled as she chased. The chase spread all over and looked so comedic, both Bran and Ven swore it was ripped straight out of a cartoon. 

        Lightly laughing to himself as he helped fold part of the repaired sailcloth, Quail commented aloud. "Ah, to be that young again."

        "I know, right?" Polosa replied. 

        Flapping his wings, Quail gained a few small feet in altitude to test out the cloth. The wind he generated picked up a small part and bulged it out. No rips and no tears- that part of the cloth was fixed. Before he came down, he saw something that worried him. When he landed, he said, "I'm gonna go inside and use the bathroom."

        "Don't take too long." Polosa commented as she folded up the cloth that was just tested.

        Near the root, Seqy tackled the triplets, pinning Taltian on top of his brothers. "Now what was that a.... bout..." Her voice trailed off when she glanced up and saw something.... concerning. Feeling scared, she backed up off the trio and called out, "................ um........ Alua?" 

        Catching her attention, the caretaker approached Seqy and saw what had the young dragoness so nervewracked; Teluri, with an armed escort. After the help she gave yesterday, her coming with a armed escort was... well, out of left field, to say the least. "Teluri, what are you doing here..." What she said next prompted many of the others to approach with extreme caution, "...and with a armed escort?"

        The arrival of the armed escort was scary to most here; this could only mean that she decided to turn them in anyways. Well, some weren't going to go down that easy. A Fox Anthromorph put up his fists like he was going to box; he even did the little foot motions. "If you came by to arrest us, you won't take us that easily!"

        "No need for a fight. For i bring good news." Good news? Stars above, they need some and need some bad. "You have all be exonerated." While the more mature people know what that term means, not everyone does; she was gonna need to explain it. "The Council looked at all of my husbands activities and found that many of you have been falsely imprisoned for crimes you did not commit. Therefor, they have reneged on his rulings and decided that, all of you are now free to go."

        Now that is good news! "Well, alright!" The fox cheered as all the now-former prisoners erupted into cheers and celebrations.  "WOOOOOO!!!" "I can finally go home again!" "No more dirty cave, no more endless nights! I can sleep soundly in my bed!" "Warm food, here i come!" "Pleasurable company, here i come!"

        As much as she doesn't want to put the kibosh on the new joy she brought to them, she can't let all of them go. "HOOOOOOOWEVER... Since you all did technically spring out of jail, you are in trouble, so, for punishment, you are all to be given 25 hours community service of your own choice." Well, that's not so bad a punishment, and they were all in agreement on that. "Also, there are two among you who did legitimately commit crimes and are to be taken back, hence my escort." That died all the noise down as many looked on with both concern and curiosity; who were the unlucky ones? "The first is a Parrot named Kiki. He was caught in the middle of a robbery, having stolen several thousand worth of clothes."

        "I stole that much?!" The parrot moronically squawked, prompting others to look his way. "Hey, wait, you expect me to go back to that stuffy cell?!"

        She shook her head in response. "No. By the time of recent events- AKA, the incident involving my husband and the foreigners, you were just a few days shy of release. Therefore, in light of that and Termundus' morally bankrupt actions in the dungeons, the Council decided to reduce the rest of your sentence to community service- 100 hours worth."

        Really? That's it? Just a week's worth of giving back to the community and he's off scott free? Where can he sign up? "Oh. Well... beats that stuffy cell. I'll take it." Teluri gestured to one of the guards. He nodded back and approached the surrendering parrot. "No need for cuffs. With a deal like that, i ain't gonna fight."

        "What about us?" The Dragenian crew excitedly asked, with all but Polosa having stupid grins on their faces as they readied for the good news...

        ...but Teluri shaking her head put the kibosh on that. "Sorry, but the lot of you are still wanted. Even if justified, you still assaulted a a.............. valued member of the military, and yes... i almost gagged when i said that." The crew frowned and slouched; so much for going back to the city.

        "You said you came for two, right?" Alua asked. "Who's the second?"

        A lump formed in Teluri's throat, recalling the monstrous actions she read about. She's likely going to cause a lot of nightmares among the crowd when she explains why. "... a horrible butcher of a monster. Nobody knows the motives for his actions, but this killer slaughtered an entire family, presumably in cold blood. The only survivor is this traumatized kid who, from what i was told, is suffering in a mental ward."

        Among the crowd, a lot of blood turn cold- they were on the same island as a cold-blooded killer? They were with them this entire time? Oh Stars, for once, Termundus' torture pulled through- they were too weak to do anything. ".... and he's here with us?" Pira shivered.

        "Yes. Tell me, do you know who or where this Quail is?"

        Now the blood turned to ice- did she say Quail? The-the phoenix who suggested they all pitch in to send the otherworlders home? The soft-spoken avian, that Quail? "...................................... did.... she say Quail?" One of the former prisoners asked. Voices rose up as murmurs spread amongst them.

        "So you do know this Quail?" Teluri asked.

        "Know him?" Alua replied. "He's the one who suggested everyone pitch in to send the others home as a sort of thanks for rescuing everyone. Are you sure you have the right person, cause the Quail we know wouldn't hurt anyone."

        "Sadly, that's how they get ya." Ventus chimed in. "There are people who look so kind and warm and gentle on the outside, but on the inside, they are outright monsters, using that innocence to their advantage so they can kill and kill and kill. Serial killers are the worst kind..."

        "There are those who really do that...?" Sil gulped.

        "Remind me to tell you about Ted Bundy later..." Bran sighed. "But do you have a picture? An image is worth a thousand words, after all, so if the guy in the picture looks like Quail, then..."

        Reaching into their saddlebags, one of the accompanying guards pulled out the arrest report and approached Alua to hand it to her. She took it and, ignoring everything, went immediately to the mugshot. And sure enough, clear as day, there he was. "......... it is him." The murmurs reached a fever pitch; they were living next to a deranged killer this whole time? How long before he snapped and killed all of them?! No time for what-if's; they have to find him before he flees. "Where is Quail?"

        Polosa answered, "He said he went inside to use the ba--- oh my Gods, Fayin!"        

 


        Quail knew this was coming. Eventually, the guards would track him down and drag him back. When he saw them coming with Teluri, that's when he knew the charade was gonna be dissolved and his past exposed. Coming up with the idea to make everyone fix the boat for him was a stroke of genius, he thought to himself, and now the heavy hitters are mostly tired thanks to the uselessness that flotsam turned out to be- you can't ask for dumber people. The moment Teluri mentioned his name to the gathered crowd, Quail had already dragged Fayin out of the back door and into a patch of woods in the back. He'll have to take the long way if he wants to reach the boat in time. 


        Just because Fayin was crippled didn't mean she couldn't fight back; she had her other leg and her arms, but she didn't  know where to hit thanks to all of his feathers, so she was going to have to mindlessly flail and hope one hits something critical. "Let me go! Let me go!" She muffled a scream through his feathers, which were draped over her as he had a wing covering her mouth.

        "Sorry kid, but you're my ticket out of that jailcell, and i am NOT going back there!"

        She stopped for a moment and blinked. He thinks she's that young? Eh, a nice compliment; too bad it came from the person kidnapping her. "Kid? I'm 36!"

        That does not make sense- if she's that old, how does her voice sound so young? ".......................................... you do not look it, grandma."

        "My kind can live 250 years, you jerk! Conversion wise, I'm around 17."

        "I don't care."

        Reaching the edge of the woods, Quail made sure they were in the clear before he started dragging her across the open terrain and towards the boat; hopefully they won't figure out  he's going for the boat until he's in the clear. "Why are you even doing this?" She asked. "What the heck did I do to you?"

        "You are collateral, girl- a bargaining chip in case i--"

        "QUAIL!" They heard Teluri call out. The two looked and saw everyone standing beside or behind her, confused yet peeved at current events. "Stand down!"

        Well shit, he thought. He could've stood a chance against the guards,  but not against everyone. "...get caught." It's a good thing he brought a hostage along; he may get out of this. "Why should I?! So I can be locked away again and experimented on?! Fat chance!"

        "That is no longer a thing." Teluri spoke in a calm and reasonable tone, hoping to use it to get him to calm down. "Termundus has lost all privileges' afforded to his rank, and has been demoted to a private. He cannot hurt you anymore."

        Polosa stepped forward, her crossbow at the ready. "You cannot possibly hope to escape all of us. I don't know why you are going for the boat and not flying away, but we have countless fliers here, and you know you can't stand a chance against the kids or me." Well, he could with her thanks to her Aerid form having a broken leg, but she'll have Sokuro to back her up.

        And that is true; she and the brat were able to hold their own against Termundus, and from what he heard, the kid held her own against a Shadow- he'd stand no chance, not as he is now. But that's why... "Ah, but not if i have, say... a hostage." He dragged Fayin forward, her mouth still covered.

        "Fayin!" Sokuro shouted.

        She managed to get her mouth free, shouting, "Someone get me away from this cre--" And he covered it back up.

        "As annoying as this brat is, she's the only way i'm not getting skewered on a pike by the brainless quarto over there, much less your manic husband."

        "I told you, Termundus lost his position after his crimes against the prisoners were exposed, and everyone received a pardon." Well, sweet, he thought; he's gonna get off sco-- "Except for you, murderer." His demeanor soured. "I don't know what possessed you to slaughter an entire household, but I and the rest of the Council can be damn well sure it won't happen again."

        "Well gee, with that kind of offer, that's a Hard Pass!" He pulled Fayin closer to her, this time with a sharp weapon against her throat: her own claw, the same one she ripped off. She sucked in her lips when it poked her throat, shutting herself up to give him less reasons to kill her. "You honestly expect me to go back into that cell, don't you? So i can be experimented again?!"

        Dense, but with a good reason not want to go back. "You are not-- I don't know what Termundus did, but it won't happen again!"

        "And why should I believe the idiot that married him?!"

        Nobody wants to say it, but the ball's in his court. And with Fayin held hostage, there is nothing any of them can do. .... except... one thing that Bran quickly thought of. Getting as close to her as he can, he whispered as softly as he could, "Psst.... Eia..." She slowly moved her attention towards him. "Can you use your electricity on him?"

        "What? How? I don't even know how i did that Afterimage in my sleep, so how could i use my lightning on Quail? I mean, I can try, but I can't promise any results. I don't even know if it will even work on him; i don't know how these Phoenix guys work! Besides, i don't want to hurt Fayin; she's been though enough."

        "I don't want to hurt you either, but we are tapped out of options right now with that claw at her neck. And i know you can use your powers- you're a fricken Shaman."

        "I only did one power when i was unconscious, and it's one i have difficulty with."

        Drowning out the insipid noises coming out of Quails mouth, Fayin caught notice of the two kids talking and came to the conclusion they must be planning something, and with it being Fayin, someone who's a potential Shaman, she knows the electricity power is going to be involved. She just needs to give them a shot. "And you expect me to believe that drivel about Termundus losing his General title? How stupid do you think i am?"

        Going against every fiber of his being telling him to not do anything stupid, Sil stepped forward a bit but stopped when he poked Fayin's neck with the claw. "Listen to her, Quail; she speaks the truth." 

        Quail scoffed at him, not buying it. At the same time, Fayin spied Eia readying up a shot in the palm of her hand. It's now or never. "Like i'm going to listen to a disgusting hal--" Suddenly, Fayin slammed her right foot down on his..... which was a bad idea since it was the same one with the crippling debility. She yelled in pain, falling over as he let go of her and the claw to grab his own. "OW OW OW!" Eia then jumped to the front of the crowd and got him with a good lightning shot that hit square in the chest. It only staggered him, however, but it was more then enough time for one of the guards to swoop in and pin him by the head to the ground. The other three guards rushed in, pinning him down too by going for his wings and legs.

        With a light smile on her face, Eia looked at the hand that shot the lightning ball; that wasn't a move that's in her Aerid arsenal, but it helped out. "Nice shot!" Bran complimented.

        With a light giggle, she moved the hair from her eyes. "Hehe. Thanks." 

        "Fayin!" Sokuro shouted as she rushed on over to the raptor's side; she was clutching her already hurt foot, hissing in pain. "That was a really stupid idea!"

        "It was the only one i could think of." Fayin hissed through her teeth. "Damn, this hurts like hell."

        "Can someone help take her back to the house!?"

        Fayin put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down... besides, she's in no rush to leave, not yet. "Ergh... not yet. I wanna know what reasons this jackass had for doing this." She glared to Quail, who was now being forced onto his feet.

        "We all want to know that." Teluri said as she headed towards the phoenix as he was now getting special cuffs put onto his legs. "Well, Quail?"

        Quail snorted, not feeling like talking. "Like I'm going to tell you; you're the one who did nothing while your hubby went crazy."

        Ven groaned, hanging his head back. "That's it, enough with Termundus- I'm getting so sick and tired of hearing of him; it's like we can't go a minute without talking about him." That is something they can all agree on. "That said, it's a safe bet we know who clipped those wings, but you must've known a hostage wasn't going to work out, so why?"

        Surprisingly, Pira was the first to figure out Quail's plan, and anyone who knows him knows he's not that smart, so this is actually pretty astonishing to them. "So that's why you suggested the prisoners pitch in on fixing up that boat? So you can get a free ride?" Now everyone caught on, and Fira looked at his brother with a slacked-jaw. "If that was the case, why didn't you just take it when they brought it in?" And there's the dumb again; he literally said the answer at the beginning. 

        "I'd be dead from the rust and whatever diseases infested that thing. But all that free labor, it would've been cleaned up in a day and I'd have sailed off scott free." Fair enough reason, they figured. He turned his glare to Teluri. "But then little miss sunshine just had to come in and ruin it."

        He tried to get loose, but the guards had him tight. One of them got cocky and said, "Well, you will be taking a boat: back to the city where you will be tossed back in your cell."

        "Try it! Even if you're right and the psycho's been usurped, I'll be out. His forces will be replaced by lackadaisy security and I'll just waltz right on out."

        The same guard snorted. "You underestimate us."

        She feels like she already knows the answer, but Seqy asked, "What were you going to do to us once the boat was better?"

        "Once everything was finished, i was gonna poison your drinks then sail away." Yep... she expected that answer: kill and run... "Clipped wings can only carry you so far."

        "And the family you killed?" Teluri asked, hoping for answers. "From what i read, you were..... cruel, heartless, and sadistic. So why?" He said nothing. Just looked away in stubborn defiance. "You're not going to tell us." She concluded. He was not going to say anything; that's what he did when he was first arrested and that's what he's going to do now. "Fine. Get some rope and Phoenix cuffs, and haul this monster back to his cell."

        The guards nodded and started to pull him away, but Quail just kicked and shuffled, making it difficult, even almost getting out of their grip at one point. The guard in charge of Kiki wanted to go help, but he'd be leaving behind a prisoner... one who isn't going back into a cell and has no reason to run. "You're not going to run away if i go help them, are you?" He asked the parrot.

        "Why? And go from community service to a prison cell? I'm not that stupid; if anything, i'll help ya haul the guy in- may shave off a few hours."

        "That won't be necessary, but good to know you won't run away, at least." He then ran to help his comrades. Kiki walked to a nearby rock and sat down on it.

        With that... unanticipated and dangerous distraction dealt with, everyone slowly began to return back to their jobs, but this was going to be at the forefront of conversations all day; they were already talking about it as they broke apart back to their tasks. Nobody would've guessed any of this to happen, or even why. All this did was accomplish nothing and waste time... Well, not completely- they did stop a murderer from getting away.

        "I... did not see today going this way." Terrum commented.

        "None of us did." Polosa said. "Like we could've guessed the helpful guy who suggested the escapees help was actually a villain." She put her hands in her pockets. "I thought those Phoenix fellas were supposed to be graceful or something, so what did this family do to make him go from graceful to psycho?"

        Taluri slowly shook her head, wondering that herself. "I don't know... I read the reports- there was no connection between Quail and the family he killed... but something did have to have happened for him to just slaughter a whole family..... but all we can do is speculate as to what: assassination or robbery gone wrong? Rage from something unrelated? For kicks? Severe mental issues? Unless he says something, all we can do is guess."

        Ven scoffed in disgust, glaring away with a rare somber expression on display. "There won't be a reason good enough. People like him... they're broken and want people to suffer for inane reasons."

        "You know this?" Eia hesitantly asked.

        "I've been alive for a long time, kid. I've seen some messed up things that... can make it hard to sleep." Some of those stories and memories creeped back into his mind, but he shoved them aside like he had always done. "This has been a long day.... and it's not even noon..."

        Ain't that the truth. After what just happened, they all want to nap terribly, but duty calls. Teluri cleared her throat with a cough and spoke, "... So, um... how goes the ship?"

        Not the smoothest segway they can think of, but it helps; anything to move on from the sudden crapshoot that just happened. "It's, un... going well." Alua responded. "That rust-killer you got has proven to be surprisingly effective. Too bad it can't do the same for all the barnacles. I hear those are hard to get off."

        "PREACH!" Bran, Sokuro, Sil, and Seqy yelled.

        "And the new beach ornament?" She pointed towards the dilapidated flotsam of a wreck.

        "Originally, we were gonna break it down and build addons to the boat since it's gonna be cramped with all those prisoners coming with us. But with the exonerations, we don't really have much of a need for it. Or for the rafts.... on that matter, will the person you bought them from give refunds for returns?" That's when Eia slapped down the bill for the rafts. While the Dragenian's couldn't read it, Alua could, and in big letters said: NO REFUNDS!! "Great... all those rafts and nothing to do with them..." She lowered her head. "Why is my front yard a hoarder's nest...?"

        "Oh, before i forget, here are all of your exonerations." She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out all of them. She turned to the prisoners and held them up. The first name she called out, which belonged to a Wolf anthromorph, took his. "Congratulations, you are now all free... not counting the 25 hour community service." 

        "Thank you..." He sniffled, looking at the freedom in his hands. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

        With his paws behind his head, Taltian asked, "Eh, now that you guys don't have to run, what are your plans now?"

        "That is a good question.... we were all prepared to flee for our lives, but now we can go back to our homes and get back what was taken..." He looked back at the other prisoners as they now started to get their papers and returned to their assignments after the fact. "But it's up to each of us to decide what to do with that. Besides, Quail was right about one thing: we owe you all a lot for springing us out of jail and healing us, so it would right to at least see you off when we finish the boat."

        "Just wish we had the knowledge of foresight, though." Sil commented as he looked towards the boats. "The rafts ended up being a waste of money and the keel a waste of time and effort that's now become an eyesore on our beach."

        Pira and Fira put their forelegs around him, both wearing stupid grins as they already had plans drawn up. "Ah, come on, Silly, think about all the possibilities: it is a fresh new hiding spot, it has character, it has pinash--" It immediately fell forwards. "... it's facedown like its dying..." Sil then removed their forelegs from his neck and pushed them away.

        "He's not wrong." Bran commented. "Some work and you could put in a secret entrance." Now that was an idea, the local kids thought.

        "Oh, before I forget..." Teluri spoke. "Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian, i have a special surprise for you."

        Their ears perked up and their eyes lit up: they love surprises. "A surprise?" The three of them bundled together, looking like complete dorks with stars in their eyes.

        As the triplets gleamed at her with anticipation, Alua saw it: the glint in her eyes, one she had since their younger years and never grew out of. This wasn't going to be a gift: this was gonna be a prank. "Why yes indeed. A special one. One I'm sure you will like- it's perfect for the three of you."

        "Oh heck yeah!!!" The three cheered. "What is it?"

        "YOU THREE ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!!"

        And the elation was replaced with fear and dread. They know those voices; they'd recognize them anywhere. They didn't dare look back, but instead looked to Teluri, who had a grinning snarl on her face: she set this up. Slowly creaking their heads back, their worst nightmares were realized as they saw them storming up: "M-m-mom!?! Dad!?!"

        "You have parents?!!" Polosa angrily shouted.

        "Yes they do." Teluri spoke authoritatively as she crossed her forelegs. "Valued members of the guard, no less; well, less valued now after the breakin."

        Racked with fear, Terrum was barely able to speak out the words, "H-h-h-how did you know we broke in?!"

        "I can name a few dozen ways." Polosa angrily snarled, holding up a fist; if only it was set on fire to accompany the murderous fire burning in her eyes. 

        The fear in the eyes of the triplets were plain to see when their mother and father finally got to them, though scared wouldn't be the right word for this. More like: Mortified. "You three are in serious trouble!!" She spat when she got in their faces.

        "B-b-but mom, we--" She pulled on their ears. All three of them. Yep, she's that good and that angry. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

        "Do you know how worried sick we have been about you three?! We've been waiting at home for a week for you to return, but you never did, then we find out you played gangbanger and got hired by a thug to steal from the Council Vault?! What the hell is wrong with you!?!"

        There was no way to word this in a way that made them seem innocent. "W-well, un--"

        "Zip it!" She pulled harder, making them bounce in pain. "How do you think we would've felt if you had died, huh?! Or if we never saw you again?!" They did and decided it was worth it. They weren't going to say that out loud, but that's where the ball is laid. Ultimately, a big mistake on their part. "When we get home, you three are getting some serious discipline!" She then dragged them away by the ears, with the triplets shouting in pain.

        All that could be said about how everyone was reacting to this could be summed up in one phrase: What the hell just happened? "... i did not see that coming." Ven said.

        "They came to my home this morning, begging me to help them find her children. They were not pleased when they found out their sons were the catalyst for everything that's happened lately." Teluri explained. Polosa thought about it and... yeah, they were kinda the linchpin: if it wasn't for them, Polosa would never have gotten inside the vault and locked in for a time, and she never would've been able to find Ventus in the dungeons, therefore leading to Termundus' humiliation and the freedom of the prisoners. Funny how the world works somethimes. "But i doubt anyone can explain as to WHY they pulled this stunt."

        "If it was for attention, they definitely got it after pretty much igniting a war between us and Terdummy." Ven said.

        Bran coyly took off his goggles and held them close to his heart in solidarity. "Let us pray for our fallen comrades, for they are about to receive a whoopin' and not be able to sit for some time without screaming in pain." Pray, no. Imagine, yes. If that was all they got for their actions, but they all know it wasn't going to be. They were gonna get far worse then just a smacked bottom.

        With most of the crowd gone, and the triplets carted away to suffer, they finally tended to Fayin, who was still in pain from her stupid move. "Ow ow ow...." She hissed as Ven bandaged it up as best he good, but once it broke again, Polosa stepped in and used her own bandages- Dragenia cloth works best in this case.

        "Why does this keep snapping?" Ven asked himself as he looked at his bandages. 

        "Cause ours don't account for the sharpness of Dinosaur claws." Bran said back. "Theirs do." Fair enough guess, Ven thought.

        "You doing ok?" Alua asked.

        "Oh... yeah.... just peachy..." She hissed. "Foot's killing me, but i'll live..."

        "Well, of course it's gonna hurt." Polosa commented. "You slammed it down on a birds."

        "Didn't have much of a choice, did I? It was that or be a psycho's hostage... i chose the one that let me live, albeit in a lot of pain." 

        "Speaking of which..." Ven spoke up. "How long does it take for Gaharots to heal nasty wounds like that, anyways?"

        Fayin knew where his question was going, and she unfortunately had to agree with him about it. "A couple weeks... but with our side quest, the travel time, and needing to actually find the dang Gate thing, I doubt we'll make it back in time to reattach my claw. I'll be a cripple the rest of my life."

        "Well, I wouldn't say that." Eia said. "A limp, sure, but doubtful you'll need crutches or a wheelchair." Fayin gave her a nasty glare, and Eia felt it- it's like she wants to slice him. "Shutting up."

        "You do that." Fayin snorted.

        "How did that jerk even jump you?" Polosa asked as she finished wrapping the wound. She pulled out a knife and cut it. "You were facing the door, weren't ya?"

        "Yeah, but he played it cool when he said he was going to the bathroom; must've had a lot of time to learn to play it cool. When he grabbed me, Pearl tried to--" She realized something awful and her voice grew desperate. "Oh Gods, Pearl! When he started dragging me away, Pearl tried to bite him, but he stabbed her with his talons and chucked her into a wall!" And that was more then enough to make the kids rush back towards the house

        When they stormed inside, Sokuro, Sil, Seqy, Eia, and the fire twins didn't see Pearl in plain sight, but a trail of blood that lead under the bookcase. Sokuro got flat on her belly and looked under to see a whimpering Pearl curled up, mewling and crying. "Lift it up, lift it up." The dragons wasted no time on that, putting in maximum effort to lift up the bookcase. Sokuro reached towards the wounded Kalamander and pulled her to her. The kids set the bookcase down and almost all of them gasped when they saw how horrible the injuries were: four deep puncture wounds on her side, all still bleeding. The poor thing whimpered in pain as she was slowly picked up. "Hey, it's ok." She softly said. "We got ya, we got ya. The meanie head that did this to you is gone now."

        "She doesn't look too good..." Seqy whimpered. 

        "The only one of us not to get hurt during our time here, and that jackass had to go and do this." Eia grumbled. 

        Alua came not a few seconds later, having clearly flown here as her wings were outstretched... and preventing her from entering the door until she closed them. "Alua, she doesn't look so good..." Sil relayed to her as she walked in. 

        "Oh..." She somberly cooed. "Those... are bad puncture wounds..."

        Sokuro could barely hold back the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat; Pearl did nothing wrong to anyone. She was just a wild animal who had nothing to do with anything; heck, she slept most of her time here. She did not deserve this. "What do we do?" Sokuro pleaded, nearly choking up. 

        Alua wasn't sure if they can help her- she could be too far gone. Saying anything would get the kids hopes up, setting them up for disappointment, but... they had to try, at least. "Let's... try the springs and hope the healing properties there can help her." They had little options but to go with that. Wasting no time, they quickly took to the skies.

 


        Elsewhere, back on Isle of Shadows, Soulless had watched what happened and was speechless. Phoenixes are supposed to be morally superior, yet this one was a serial killer. As he watched the cuffed up Quail get tied up like a Christmas Tree ready to be shipped, Soulless was finally able to mutter a sentence. "That was unexpected..."

        "Yes, it was..." His second replied. "A murderous Phoenix. Those two words just don't belong together."

        As Quail was picked up by his escort and flown back, Soulless had an epiphany, one that would serve him greatly. "And yet I'm curious to know what it was that turned him into one.... and if he can be useful."

        The big brute looked at him, wondering if his leader was being serious. Does someone vulnerable to Soul Magic really want his archenemesis' here? ".... sir? A Phoenix? Are you kidding me? They're one of the only things in this world that can harm us."

        "Which is precisely why having one on our side would be very beneficial... he could teach us how to resist it." 

        "But sir... he is clearly unhinged and may not hesitate to betray us on a moments notice. Just because he's deranged doesn't mean he'll help us."

        "Then it is a good thing i have you, Azurite, and Vendetta to convince him otherwise"

 

 


        By the time Bran had finally caught up to the fast moving dragons, they had already put Pearl into the springs, hoping the magical healing properties would help her. Bran was panting up a storm when he got to them; felt like he almost popped a lung. "You... could've waited..." he wheezed, but nobody listened. Catching his breath, and taking a long time to do so, Bran headed towards them and saw the little Kalamander resting in the water, with her head resting on a rock on the shore. "How is she?"

        "I don't know..." Sokuro whimpered. "The bleeding's stopped, but the wounds aren't closing."

        "I think we already said it, but it's not a magical cure-all." Seqy said. "It will help, but it will still take time."

        "Well, if the bleeding has already stopped, that's a good sign it's working, right?" Eia asked.

        "I hope so."

        "...I still don't get it..." Sil whispered to himself, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Phoenix's are supposed to be these graceful, majestic creatures... why would one of them do something so horrible?"

        "I don't know..." Sokuro sighed. "But he sure hid it well. Before he got found out." She heard movement in the bushes behind them, forcing her and the rest to look back. Alua came through the woods, and it looks like it was just her. "Alua...."

        "How is she?" She asked as she approached the springs.

        "I don't know... the bleeding stopped and she's breathing, but the wounds aren't closing..."

        "I believe we said the springs weren't magic cure-alls... but if the bleeding stopped, that's a good sign. She'll pull through... though I can't say much for her mental state... this whole event could've traumatized her."

        "It put her off to Phoenix's, that's for sure...." Fira commented. "But animals can get traumatized?"

        "Yep." Bran said without hesitation. 

        Eia ran in front of Alua and pleaded, "Don't you have any healing magic that can help?" 

        "Healing ma-- as much as we would all like for that to be real, that sadly doesn't exist. It only exists in fairy tales and adventure stories. And even if it did, the only ones capable of it would be--"

        "Phoenixes..." Sokuro concluded. Alua's silence to that assumption confirmed it. "...figures."

        "Well, that unfortunately tracks..." Bran said as he put his arms in his pockets, "...in my time, the Phoenix is a mythical bird that dies from bursting into flame and is reborn from its ashes, painting it as a symbol of immortality." That doesn't really track here; they never saw a Phoenix do it, at least. "I barely saw any at the celebration, so I'm assuming they are rare."

        "Not rare, just reclusive and secluded. You'll always find some wandering around, but the species mostly just keeps to their nests."

        Rubbing both her forehead and eyes, Sokuro sharply exhaled, feeling tired and fed up with all of this. "Great.... a race of introverts... That's the last thing we need." Sitting back, she gave up hoping that things were going to slow down. "Is it too much to ask for just a little break...?"

        There was one thing that would help. "Well... the boat is nearly done getting spruced up." Fira nervously chuckled. 

64: The World of Dragenia: Legend of Dawn
The World of Dragenia: Legend of Dawn

The World of Dragenia

Dawn

 

 

        Hello there. My name is Auralite, and i am going to be your guide to the many oddities and excitements of this marvelously devious little world called Dragenia. I don't know who will be reading this, so i am going to try to be as thorough and concise as i can. ... should i use big words? Wait, is this mike recording everything i'm saying, even the thoughts i say out loud?

        Eh, ahem, yes, well, let us get started on this tour of the world, shall we?

        As with all things, our tour starts at the beginning, with a legend:

 


        The Great Abyss... a grand expanse of darkness with tiny points of light said to house many a horrifying creatures and demons. Counteracting the Abyss was the Grand Light, a marvelous orb of light surrounded by wisps of cloudy vapors. It's from this Light that the creator Umatz came forth and with mighty powers, merged rock, water, air, and fire to form a lush garden paradise: Dragenia. Appointing many a animal and plant upon it, Umatz became one with it and fell into a great slumber, exhausted by his mighty deed.

        When Dragenia was in its infancy and after its creator Umatz fell into a deep sleep, beings came from the Abyss; the first beings that would call Dragenia home: The Saurankens. According to what few texts remain, they came to Dragenia upon great flying machines that spewed fire, rained light, and birthed smaller machines. Settling upon the land, the Saurankens had conquered the world and ruled it for many years...

        ... until one day, when their power vanished. The cause a mystery, the effects were true: the great machines fell dormant, the light never rained again, and the Saurankens were stranded on this island in the dark without their great fears. But the fear did not last forever as they were able to restore some of their glory through... other means... tapping into a power that should never have been found.

        For countless eons, the Saurankens called Dragenia their home. While unable to reclaim their former glory, they were able to live somewhat familiar lives, with most aspects of their former days restored as they crafted a mighty empire. It was quiet and secluded and peaceful, but they were alive and nothing could take away from their paradise...

        Then something came to take away their paradise.

        From a shining light they appeared: The Astrals, 16 mighty lizard Gods with grand powers the likes of which the Saurankens had never seen. They had come to Dragenia to rebuild, but the Saurankens had no intent to let their home fall to the likes of strangers. For years, the two sides clashed for control of the planet, with neither gaining or losing ground. It was a stalemate.

        Until he appeared.

        From nowhere came a pair of displaced youths: brothers from a new realm, brought to Dragenia by providence. Due to their odd ape-like apperance, the Saurankens gave them a slur suitable for their odd shapes: Ferid, a word originally meaning 'strange ugly beast'. Dragged into this conflict, the Ferid brothers and the people that followed were outmatched. 

        But then one they, they met him: Umatz, God and Creator of Dragenia. He bestowed the brothers a gift, one that would shock all: the gift of transformation and ascendance. Tapping into magical powers by scales gifted to them from Umatz's own body, the brothers were able to transform into mighty beasts just like the Astrals. Befitting their new status, the Ferids gave these new forms new name for their new form, twisting the word the Saurankens once used as a slur into a name of hope: Aerids, meaning 'strange mighty beast'. Together with the Astrals, the brothers and more members of their kind were able to topple the once mighty Sauranken Empire. The brothers were hailed as heroes; the eldest, Nascent, would be remembered for all time, while the youngest faded into shadow and memory.

        Now humbled by their agonizing defeat, the Saurankens, having now been reduced to the weakest of their kind- the raptor-like Gaharots- made peace with the Astrals and the Ferids, promising to share the world for the sake of their future. But as time went on and details of the war faded to history, the once proud Saurankens, now remained to Gaharot, began to feel the yoke of oppression, despite all the newfound peace the newcomers brought.

        As time went on, things had changed as a new tradition was formed: the Astrals were elevated to Godhood by Umatz, and every year a ceremony was to be held where new Ferids would gain a magical scale of their own, allowing them to be just like the heroes that brought them this gift. Many a Gaharot would attempt to partake in the ceremony, and while Umatz gave his Scales to them willingly, the magic never worked. Through reasons unknown even to Umatz, it only works on Ferids. Many have speculated as to why, with the most prevalent theory suggesting that the Scales react to residual magic within Ferids, and that Gaharots have none due to their past of machines.

        For more then 6000 years, the races had coexisted in a... rough peace, with many ups and just as many, if not more, downs. The Astrals settled into their new life as Gods, wishing to forget their past, the Gaharots have invented flying ships to put them on equal footing with their planetoid brothers and sisters, and the Ferids have asserted themselves as the dominant power of the planet, for better and for worse. Memory of the War faded, leaving behind only fragments of once were to be told as legend.

        But now, as it stands, the history of this world has reached its singularity: where the actions of a strange girl and a monster will either break the planet, or reshape it into something better.

        Sokuro and --- [[NAME REDACTED]]]

65: Chapter 60: Set Sail!!!
Chapter 60: Set Sail!!!

Chapter 60

Set Sail!!!





        With the help from all of the now exonerated prisoners, the boat has been cleaned, restocked, and refreshed as best as it could be. So much work had been put into it, It looked like it came off the assembly line. Alua and several others went into town to get the supplies needed for the trip, for the otherworlders would set sail in the morning, with them getting back by the time night fell. It was a week... a hellish week of seemingly endless chaos, with more certain to come once they depart for Bermuda, but for now, resting under the blanket of the beautiful night sky, it was a moment of peace they all sorely needed.

        "Wow..." Eia gasped as she looked up at the night sky; Dragenians grew up seeing The Great Light, what they called Andromeda, in the sky every night, but it looked sorely different compared to the Milky Way. From Dragenia's angle to Andromeda, it looked like a orb with wisps around it, but looking up at a new galaxy from a different angle was an experience. "It's so beaituful..." She couldn't even speak right, she was that entranced. "And this is your home?" She asked Bran.

        "Was." He said as he and the other major players sat around a crackling fire, one of many dotted along the beaches. He looked over to Sokuro and Fayin, who were tending to the poor Pearl who was resting on Fayin's lap. Her entire midsection was wrapped in bandages, a process that was difficult thanks to her squirming; it confirmed she had no broken bones, at least, so that was a good sign. "How is she doing?"
        Sokuro didn't break her eyesight from Pearl. "Alive, thank heavens... but she's not eating anything."

        "She did just go through a traumatic experience." Polosa said. "With that and all the pain I'd be going through, eating would be the last thing on my mind in that situation."

        "You raised these things, right?" Kader asked, resting against a bottle of rum that was taller then he was. "How long can these Kalamander things last without food anyways?"

        Polosa shook her head. "No, i didn't raise Pearl; none of us did. She's a wild animal that got roped in through the baddest of luck, same as all of us. And no, I didn't own any other Kalamanders as pets, but I did read about them in survival books. If I remember right, they can go 5 days without food before negative consequences begin to rear, if drastic circumstances arise."

        "Let's hope she doesn't wait that long..." Fayin somberly cooed as she gently pet Pearl's head. 

        Kader speaking got Seqy curious about one thing that occurred during the whole debacle hours ago. "By the way, where were you and that dog during the whole Quail situation?"

        "On the boat." Kader replied. "I found the lardass drinking in the hold. I stole this bottle from him and we were running around the cabin like a couple of nitwits when we heard the commotion outside. We looked out and saw everything that was happening; Quio thought he was gonna steal the boat, so we hid in the cabin, ready to jump him if he did. Obviously, that was a waste of time."

        "No it wasn't." Alua said. "It was a smart idea." 

        "Where's Not Tom now?" Bran asked, with Kader's response being a point to Quio, who was on a outstretched rock, heaving everything he ate that day into the sea. Waking up from sleep to a hangover is bad enough, but waking up from a nap, oof. "I had to ask." And from one gross situation to another, 

        "Who wants s'mores?" Ventus asked as he came to the campfire with a freshly made batch- how did he make them all without anyone noticing?

        And the question was lost on everyone but one because nobody present, minus Bran, knows what they even are. What the heck is he even offering? "Some Mores?" A very confused Pira asked. "Some more of what? More fire?"

        "S'mores." Bran deadpanly said as he rested his head on his hand. "It's a campout tradition.."

        Some tradition if nobody's ever heard of it. "I never heard of it." Sokuro said.

        "Same." Most everyone else added.

        "Sounds fancy, though." Kader finished.

        Bran merely shrugged, not really feeling keen on having some. "Eh, not really."

        "Not a fan, Bran?" Eia asked.

        "Not a fan of how sticky it is." Sticky? That made her want one- she loves sticky foods. If this had honey, it would be heaven. Ventus walked around the group, passing around freshly cooked S'mores to everyone in the group. "On that note, how the heck do you have supplies for s'mores?"

        "I had some in my pack. Guess the guards didn't think food was suspect contraband." Or they were confused on what the heck he had in his pack, to the point they didn't bother testing it. That or they were too creeped out by Termundus' torture methods. Either way, doesn't matter- that's past and this is now. "That said, i only have enough for everyone to have one, so you better savor it."

        Fira looked at the strange treat in his claws. This is like nothing he has ever seen before, and he and his brother have seen a lot more more then Alua and the others know. "I don't know if I'll like it."

        "It's yummy yum yum." Ven smiled. "It's made from graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows." Many tilted heads and confused expressions were had that night. "You guys don't have those here, do you?"

        "We know what chocolate is..." Kader responded. "...but i never heard of graham crackers or marshmellows."

        "Mallows."

        "Whatever."

        Fayin tilted hers around, wondering just what that gooey thing is. "We have graham crackers and chocolate on Dragenia, but marshmallows are foreign to us too. What's it made out of?"

        "You don't wanna know." Both Ven and Bran responded in unison; nobody would ever eat marshmallows again if they knew it was made from horse hooves.... or maybe they would- the food the two of them have had the month on Dragenia and the week here have been weird.. by their standards, of course. 

        Well, Ven went to all the trouble of making them, so the least they could do is try it. Bottoms up, and they all took a bite. Some took to it instantly, like the kids of course- like they're gonna say no to sugar. The adults didn't find it terrible. "Of all the people to get stuck in a strange world with, it has to be the one who packs junk food." Polosa commented with a chuckle as she took a second bite out of hers.

        Ven gave a hearty chuckle as he held his up in a 'cheering'  motion. "Shows what you know- I forgot I had these." He took a big bit out of his.

        As he was not the one distracted by eating, Bran immediately caught what he said. ".......... for how long?" He nervously asked.

        With his s'more in his mouth, Ven thought about it. "Mmm........ given the travel time between galaxies, at least 120 years?" 

        RED ALERT! That is FAR beyond the safe to eat deadline by... at least 119 years! Bran shot up to his feet and shouted, "Drop the s'mores! Nobody eat any more s'mores!" And most complied- food after that long is just wrong.

        Some.... were more hesitant to give theirs up. "... but I'm almost done with mine." Fira said with his mouth full.

        "And i finished mine." Sil said.

        They... were not going to have a good time tonight. "... Alua, do plumbers exist on this world? Cause i think when morning comes around, you're gonna need one with the Food Poisoning you're all about to suffer from. That or share Quio's rock."

        "Plenty of room..." Quio moaned from his suffering stone. 

        Throwing her S'more into the fire, Polosa went over to the fox and grabbed him by the rim of his ears... "You nitwit, are you trying to poison us?!" ...shouting as she pulled him close. 

        "Ow ow ow, Stop that." Ven winced in pain, smacking her hands away from his ears. As that went on, Bran snatched Sokuro's out of her hand and took a close look at it. "And how was i supposed to know they went bad?"

        Bran saw what he needed to see and shoved the tainted treat right in his face. "Probably from the MOLD THAT'S GROWING ON THEM!?!" It was faint, but it was there: green, a color marshmallows should not be. In Ven's defense, it was a really light green that you had to really squint to see... still a bad move he never checked it. "These things have a shelf life of 6 months, you idiot!"

        "But they were frozen Nevermores- frozen foods don't go bad, and Nevermores can last up to 30 years." That didn't make it better.

        "Freezer burns exist and mold can grow in cold, dummy! And Nevermores? Really? The only reason they last so long is because they have so many bad things in them. There was a committee back on Takshoon on whether or not they could legally be declared a type of warfare! I'll be lucky to hit 30 with the crap you just fed us, let alone 20!"

        Fuming to the point the kids were imagining her face turning red from anger, Polosa pinched her eyes and growled, "I swear, your brain is mush!" The rest of the group started to throw their s'mores into the fire too- if they were going to get food poisoning, they won't want a full cavalcade of pain. Too bad Fira and Sil won't feel the same.

        Feeling bad, Ven tried to make the most out of the bad situation and tried to turn it around to a positive note. "But they were still tasty, weren't they?" That was not that note.

        He just signed his death warrant. While inappropriate amongst the canines, Quio, whose stomach had just began to settle to prompt his return back to them, knew the perfect words for this: ".... Polosa. Sic 'em."

        She grinned with a snicker, cracking her knuckles. Ven felt it: his life was in danger. "With pleasure."




        Some time later, after some of the group had nodded off to dreamland and as the fire began to dim, and Ven had been properly punished, Sokuro was elsewhere, laying on her back and staring up at the stars... stars that are completely foreign to her. That didn't deny how beautiful the sky was; so many colors... and they have their own Great Light too, but this one looked like it was surrounded by a cloud... even their own sky box is weird... and even a little off-putting... 

        "Star watching?" She heard someone ask.

        Tilting her head back, she saw it was Sil that asked that question. "Huh? Oh. Hey, Sil. No, i'm just..." She quieted down as he walked over to her. "They all look so different..."

        He looked up towards the sky. "The stars?"

        "They are all in different places. None are where they should be. It.... it's just not right..."

        "I supposed if i was in your position, I'd be thinking the same thing." He grunted as he sat, then laid down beside her, also on his back as he looked up towards the sky. "They sure are pretty, though."

        "I suppose so..." She went quiet for some time. He didn't say a word- anyone could tell she was dealing with some things... guilt, most likely, with everything that's happened. "before Bran came to my planet, we all thought that the Stars were souls who willingly gave up reincarnation to enter some sort of suspended state of being, holding back the darkness and the monsters of the Abyss... but knowing that there is no such thing is..." She choked up. Sil wanted to ask, but stayed silent. "Now I'm wondering which one is Dragenia... if it even still exists in this time period...."

        "With so many up there.... it could be any one of them... We may not even be able to see it from this side of the world." She hadn't considered that. Different sections of the world would obviously have different night skies as well. Dragenia may not even be visible at all. "Have I ever told you what we think the stars are?" He continued on in an attempt to distract her from whatever demons are clawing at her mind. The mere question already worked. "Eternal Celestial Figures. That's what we think they are. I don't know why- i didn't ask or nobody knows... but if i were to guess, I'd say they were Gods, or something like that. I mean, something has to explain why we say Oh My Stars, right?"

        "Wonder if Alua would know... but my curiosity is what got us in this mess, so I'm not even gonna bother... i'd go do some endless rabbit hole ending with me causing a war against the Gods." Weird way for the mind to go, Sil thought, but Sokuro is weird enough as it is. This is just adding to it. "Though the Stars as Gods... that's kind of like mine. But more grander."

        She softly laughed. "Without a doubt."

        A silence fell upon them, a silence they didn't mind. Looking towards him, Sokuro asked, "Hey, Sil. What would you be when you grow up?"

        "What kind of a question is that?"

        "Something to break the doom and madness of the past week. It's been so damn long since we've had a chance to unwind... it's been needed and refreshing... besides, I need something for my curiosity to eat at."

        "That's gonna get you killed, you kitty cat." Sil joked, to which Sokuro mewed in response, making him laugh. "... well... I'm not really sure. Nobody in town likes me, so who would want to hire me for a job, right? But....... if i could... I'd join the political sector and undo all the ill thoughts everyone has about me, and this worlds Silvers in general."

        "Blegh... I'd never be able to stomach politics- it's so gross and boring and filled with people more immature and ill-tempered then babies. Just don't start a war and you're fine with me..... Oh Zlzry, I'm barely 10 and talking politics; what even is my life anymore?"

        Sil chuckled again. "Ok, so you won't go into politics, but what will you go into when you grow up?"

        "That... is a good question. I guess I never gave it much thought about it." She held her scale up to the night sky, letting the stars shine on it. "I imagine I could have any job I want, since I'm so... revered and all...- considered a Demi-god back home, remember?" He remembers the explanation. "But... i don't wanna be queen or empress, I won't want to lead armies- I barely like helping out on our local farm."

        "There anything you do like?"

        "Being with my friends and having fun... but you can't really have a future with that, now can ya...?" She lowered her scale back down, still holding on to it tight. "If Dad were here, he'd be able to help me... He was always smart like that... Mom too..."

        Sil stayed silent for a moment, mostly to give her some time to herself. "... you know... if you believe the Stars on your world are spirits who keep evil away, then... who is to say that your parents aren't one of them?"

        "I had thought of that... and i hope it's true... just so i can feel like someone is looking back at me from up there..."

        "What are you two doing over here?" A boys voice asked.

        Looking back, the two saw that Bran, Eia, and Seqy were standing right there. "Just talking..." Sokuro replied. "Star watching... and contemplating the future..."

        Eia slightly chuckled as she and the other two went over to them. "Ah, well, get used to that last one; it gets worse as you get older."

        "Thanks for the warning..." a deadpanned Sokuro replied as the other three laid down beside them, their bodies facing in all sorts of different directions just like a drawn star. They stared up in silence for a long time and probably would've gone all night- this may be the last night of peace they'll get until everything is settled. And even then, things aren't going to be the same for either world, not with everything they had changed and what they had learned; what the tomb group told her about Ghi'ich'tarl is still bugging her.

        Eventually, after what felt like forever- in actuality 5 minutes- Sil broke the silence by asking, "... hey Bran, you're a smart guy right?" He's average for a kid his age; most of his knowledge came from his phone, which he doesn't have at this time. "Tell me, what are Stars?"

        "Aren't they spirit guardians or something?" He replied, not wanting to ruin the ideals both cultures have. 

        "I just wanted to hear what your kind thinks they are."

        Bran popped his lips; he really doesn't want to say anything. "I don't wanna say; it'll kill the mysticism."

        "Please?" He pleaded. 

        Not the begging... "Fine." He sighed. He felt like he needed to mature as his refusal to say no to people begging is becoming a hassle; if he did and could, they wouldn't be here in this situation right now. And there was no better way to word this to make them appear mystical anymore, so... "Well... they're just balls of plasma and gas that generate light and heat. If you look at photos, the surface looks like it's made out of lava.""

        They all waited for something more, but... nothing. "That's it?" An annoyed Eia asked. "Just balls of gas?"

        "I told ya i didn't wanna kill the mysticism." They should've listened to him. "Though in my world's past, it was more extreme; some even believed the Sun- which is also a Star- was a God or THE God, though I doubt you all have something similar. Do ya?" They all shook their head 'no'. "Thought as much."

        "So there's nothing special about them?" Seqy asked.

        "Well, there kinda is. They generate the heat and light needed for us to live, and the quantum chemistry needed to do so has to be so precise for it to even be possible, so I--"

        "I meant magical." Seqy corrected. "I meant mystical. I meant... nothing so boring and lifeless."

        Did she not here the precise chemistry needed for stars to even exist? Ah, who cares, its getting too late at night for a argument. Besides, "... well... who knows. There is so much about the universe we don't know in spite of everything we learned. It's like it taunts us- we find out one thing, then three new things to figure out appear as if out of nowhere... geez, the universe can never catch us a break." Sokuro softly chuckled to herself; seems she's not the only one with a crippling curiosity.

        Seqy nestled deep into the grass. "Maybe your smarties should just sit back and relax once in a while- all that sciency stuff can't be good for ya."

        "It's pronounced Science." Bran responded.

        She didn't ask and she doesn't care. "... ooook, and when am I going to use that word again in my life?" A lot of times, he figured, but fine. He'll concede. 

        And with that out of the way, Onto the next question, this one from Eia, "So, Bran, you lived on this Earth in the past, right?"

        "Personally? No. I grew up on a planet called Vega, in a system of the same name. Vega was..... harsh, to say the least. The sky was always covered in a thick smog, so I never got a view like this growing up. Wild water was toxic and fresh water had to be quadruple filtered or shipped in, food was crap, and on bad days we had to wear breathing masks everywhere so we don't destroy our lungs. Wild animals and plants were all but extinct, gangs were fighting over territory and cared little for collateral damage, and our governor was a greedy pig. Literally- he was a Gafflank; they are evolved hogs."

        She grimaced at the answers; she must've heard him explain Vega before, but never in this detail. All he said was it was polluted, not a Abyssian cesspool. "That sounds horrible."

        "Yeah." His voice grew somber. "It was like that on a lot of other planets too- just... too much pollution and decay. We squandered what we had and we... ran. They say we left to give our home galaxy a chance to heal but, come on, it's obvious we ran from the problem rather then try to fix it." Sokuro felt pain. Those words hit hard... but she doesn't know why.

        "Let's hope you don't do that on Dragenia then..." Eia replied just as somberly.

        "You and me both." He replied, hoping it will not happen again.

        Sil and Seqy glanced towards each other, feeling like the conversation took a sad turn. They had to change that. "So..." Seqy started. "What will you three do once you get back home?"

        "Give my brother the biggest hug of his life." Sokuro was the first to respond. "And... maybe make some needed changes..." She was referring to what she and Seqy talked about earlier that day, about how she knew nothing about the other orphans despite living with them for years now. Seqy didn't pick up on the subtlety. 

        Bran was next, "Just collapse onto my nice, warm, comfy bed and sleep for over a week, cause damn the floors of the house sucks." The two locals would argue, but he was truthful- they are not made for sleeping. 

        "I know what I'm gonna do." Eia said. "And that's take a really long shower, cause I smell horrible."

        There was no hesitation from the others. "Yep." "Yeah." "No argument from us." "You are rank." "My nose hurts being around you."

        She won't lie: that hurt a bit. "... Wow, guys, way to be... subtle."





        The five of them weren't the only ones having a restless night. Virtually everyone in the Termundus estate was on edge, have been since the trial. While he may be down to the lowest rank possible, Termundus was still powerful physically and several of his loyal peons here would still do his bidding with no argument. His lowered stature did allow some to be more daring, but nothing to the extent of... well, you saw how he acts. As for Termundus himself, he was in his bedchambers, laying atop his fanciful bed as he waited for his darling wife to come to him.

        That wasn't going to happen. 

        As Termundus was getting comfy for some fun, Teluri took her pillows and the big blanket off of it. "I'm sleeping in Seliox's room." She sharply told him as she headed for the door, dragging the big blanket behind him.

        "Wait, what?" He replied. "This is the first time I've seen you in months and you're blocking me?"

        She threw the beddings down and glared at him. "I can't stand to even look at you right now. I expected a darling husband when I came home, not a heartless monster who tortures for fun."

        "Are you really going to believe some stupid guards?"

        "I'm believing the dozens of innocent people I saw and spoke to. The stories some told were... disgusting... to the point that I can't stand to be in the same room as you, let alone the same house."

        "Teluri..."

        "Enjoy sleeping by yourself for a good long time." She then left, slamming the door behind her.

        Any rational person would go after her to try and talk things out, or take this time to learn how to better themselves. Termundus was anything but rational. Instead, he looked out the window to the moon in the sky. "She won't understand..." He held up the bleeding red gemstone, holding it up to the moonlight. "She will never understand..."

        Teluri entered Seliox's room moments later, muttering and grumbling to herself. The blood had been cleaned and the cage had been taken out, leaving behind no visible traces that there was a hostage held here. Who was here, however, was a somber child who had had enough and just wants to sleep the days away, least until she came in. "I hope you don't mind." She said as she came in, dragging the blanket behind her. "I just need somewhere else to sleep."

        "Fight with d... with Termundus?"

        "Yes, and i just can't sleep in the same bed as him, let alone be in the same room." She threw the pillows down on the floor. "I hope you don't mind."

        "No no, it's fine. I... can't stand being around him either right now." So they are in agreement: Termundus sucks. Putting the blanket down, she laid down upon the floor and exhaled. "Why did things have to turn out this way...?"

        "Because of those jerkwads from beyond the Fog!" He was quick to snap. "If they never came here, nothing would've happened and things would be as they were!"

        She lifted her head, wondering where this anger came from. "I met those so-called 'jerkwads'; they are nice people. Their hands were forced, just like everyone else's." He scoffed, not believing it. She sighed, fearing that Termundus is already having an influence on him. She can't have that, not with recent information. After resting her head on her pillow and thinking about it for a moment, she then had an idea.




        Finally... it was time. Days of work completed in only a handful of hours thanks to the tireless lot, the ancient Earth 1970's sailboat yacht was fixed up, repaired, polished, de-barnacled, and made to look spick-and-span as it did back in its year of berth. Resting upon the ocean waters, with ropes attached to the recovered flotsam to prevent it from floating away, everyone was getting ready. It was early-ish in the morning- more light to sail with.

        The strongest among them were loading up the food required for the long trip, while the kids took a tour of their new home for the next few weeks. "Wow." Sokuro chuckled, seeing her reflection in the waxed floor. "This is a complete reversal of what this was yesterday."

        "Amazing what a few dozen people can get done, eh?" Bran asked as he leaned against the railing. "Especially those who, at the time, had no place to go."

        "I'm still glad they helped us." She replied. "We'd be here a lot longer if they didn't." 

        "Coming through." They heard below. The kids looked down and saw Fayin being lifted up onto the deck, her front legs held by the twins while Seqy held Pearl close. "C-c-careful, careful, Careful!" Fayin pleaded with the twins as she was slowly put down on arranged pillows in the lowered segment. Once she was on it and with no chance of getting hurt, Seqy gave her the hurt Kalamander- her internal injuries had healed thanks to the bath in the healing spring, but another quick dip earlier in the morning aren't don't much for the external ones- she was going to have some bad scars. "Whew... thanks." She said to the three of them.

        "No prob." Seqy responded.

        "Though I'm jealous you get the most comfy section." Fira complained. His own brother felt disgraced by that comment and smacked him upside the head. "Ow. Yeah, i earned that."


        As the kids played around, Ven watched in earnest for a moment from the captains wheel; as the oldest and most experienced out of all of them beyond a shadow of the doubt, he was elected to be their navigator. That said, while he should be getting ready, he was talking to his former cellmate, who was resting on top of the cabins roof. "So, Nightwinge..." He asked, getting the Gryphon's attention. "You never told us what your plan was now that everything is over. You're exonerated, so you can go back home if you wanted."

        That would be nice... but he has doubts about that; one look at his mangled and flattened hindlegs would attest to that. "I could... but most of my old life is destroyed now, thanks to that monster turning my hind bones into powder. And even then, my actual home isn't even in this town- I was only here for the celebration, which I didn't even get to participate in; I was robbed of fun."

        Well, technically... "Well, you kinda did... though I doubt escaping from the dungeons would work or count as a parade." That wasn't a good replacement and he knew it. Ven popped his lips, then turned his gaze to Nightwinge's destroyed legs. It wouldn't be right to just leave them like this; he should at least offer. "You know, we do have the ability to replace lost limbs with artificial prosthetics." 

        The Gryphon tilted his head in confusion. "Arti-what?"

        "You get fake legs that feel and act just like the real thing."

        Interesting, Nightwinge thought- complete limb replacement. And that was in the past, too... what technology did they lose in the eons between Ven's time and now? Cause replaceable legs and arms would be very useful, and he is tempted to go... but... "As tempting as that offer sounds, I'm afraid i need to decline for several reasons. One: does your time have any Gryphons involved?" 

        In the 14 million years Ven has been alive, he hasn't seen any species similar in appearance to Nightwinge's race. They have avian races, but none that look like a mythological creature like him. "No, we don't. They don't exist in our time, at least not your kind."

        "Then you don't have any artificial limbs for me." Fair point, and making a new one from scratch just for one person would take too long. "Besides, we have our own type of Prosthetics. I don't know the nitty gritty behind it, but they make them out of crystals- long as i have enough money, i should be able to get a couple for my kind legs." That's good to know, Ven thought. "But to keep the list going: second, many members of my race can get........... jealous, to put it mildly, despite our being world focused. If they see me walking around with shiny metal legs never before seen, I'm certain I'll get jumped and them taken away." They are also giant crows... ain't that just loverly. "And lastly, before things happened, I was on the way to our capital- I had, or hopefully still have, plans."

        Plans, eh? "Oh? What about?" Ven asked, his interest piqued. 

        "Afraid i can't say."

        Mysterious plans, that's even more juicy... but eager as he was wanting to know, Ven didn't pry. "Gee, aren't you vague." It also made him realize something. "So I guess that means you aren't coming with us?"

        "No, I'm not, because now on top of my own plans, I must now speak with our leaders about the Termundus situation; it's no secret that the dragon has no love for other races, but with what you and I experienced as his 'guests' in the dungeons... it was beyond anything any non-dragon could've anticipated; my leaders need to be informed." That is a dark sort of sense, Ven concluded. Why let rumors of the Devil be told when you have first hand accounts of the horrors that need to be warned about? "So... i wish you all the best of luck, and Star Speed on your journey home." He offered one of his front paws in a sign of friendship.

        Ven took it, shaking his hand. "And good luck to you too, on whatever you are doing."

        


        While watching the final supplies get loaded up, Trach sat back and let them do the dirty work: just because he's coming along doesn't mean he has to help with all the hassle; his job is just to take the treasure home, nothing about no hunt for a magical portal. "If someone woke me up and told me i was gonna go on a cruise with people from another world and another time, to find some magical portal that can send them back to where they came from, after they caused a ruckus that upset the balance of power AND also deal with what could be a wild goose egg treasure hunt... I'd have called them mad."

        Kader, who had finished up his task and was eating a cracker, responded with his mouth full, "Admit it, you love it here with us."

        "I don't even know you." Trach harshly responded. "I barely know the huntress, and I unfortunately know the idiot.. so what is there to love?"

        The rat shrugged in his response, "I dunno."

        The dragon snorted smoke in the critters face. "Exactly. You don't know. I--..." He quickly changed gear when he saw an all-too familiar face approaching the boat. "Mrs. Teluri?" He said aloud, prompting all the rest on the vessel to look out, at various times of course. 

        "Greetings, all." She responded with Seliox in tow.

        "What brings you by today?" "Sokuro asked. "Come to see us off?"

        "Well, sort of- it does relate to him." She gestured Seliox to step forward, which he did. "I was hoping that You all could take him on your trip to the island."
       
        Mr. Grumpy Pants, however, didn't want to go, ESPECIALLY with those that disgraced his 'father', as scummy as he may have been. "Why am i even here?"

      "Because, Seliox, they are your friends and they need help."

      "Only one of them is." It's a safe guess as to who that one is. "And one of them caused Ter--... Father to be demoted."

      "You know as well as I that that was his own doing; his temper got the better of him. You know how he can get, and he took it too far this time. Thank the Stars nobody died." ... "I know you are afraid of what's going to happen to us, but i promise you that nothing bad will. And even then, you still have all your old friends to help you, just like how you would help them in return. And now, it's their friends- the otherworlders- that need our help."

      That made him look at her like she had gone crazy. "Otherworlders?"

      "Wow, you didn't tell him yet?" Sokuro called out. "With all the crap that's gone down, i figure you would have by now. Pretty much everyone here knows, anyways, so why bother trying to hide it now?" Seliox was lost as to what she is talking about. "Tell you the truth, Sel, we're not from beyond the fog. We're technically aliens: we're from another world, far far in the past, and we ended up here by mistake, but now thanks to some hopefully credible leads, we're heading home..... hopefully."

        Seliox was slackjawed, with not much to say. That series of words made no sense whatsoever and it showed plainly on his face. "Wha... bu... ho..... What...?"

        "You heard me." Sokuro chuckled back.

        As amusing as blowing a kids mind is, Quio heard something off about what Teluri said earlier. "But... Mrs. Teluri, i think your information is screwy, cause it's just us going on this journey, nobody el--"

        "What are you talking about?" Seqy interrupted. "Of course we're coming along."

        Ooooooh, this is awkward, most of the Dragenians thought. The locals actually thought they were coming on this venture? They can't. It's already been hectic enough as it is. "... un, no, you're not." Quio insisted.

        "Yes we are." She affirmed. 

        "No you are not." Quio, along with the added Polosa and Ven, affirmed in kind.

        Alua put her paw down and put and end to this back and forth, "Yes we are." 

        Polosa was hesitant to respond, but did anyways, "Alua...we, we appreciate the offer, but you don't have to do this. You've all done enough as it is, and it wouldn't feel right if you were hurt during this."

        "And you won't? You're new here- you are babies in our world: everything normal to us is alien to you. The three of you will stand out like a sore thumb since you have single colored scales, you three will since you are strange animals nobody has seen, and one of you is a Silver to boot. You can't just abandon us to go off on some wild goose chase because you will be eaten alive by whatever is out there; it's only fair that we help you and see this through to the end- we already did a lot by helping you when we did.."

        She makes a lot of valid arguments. "I.... to be honest, I'm surprised you are taking the orphans on this venture too."

        "And why shouldn't I? I am a caretaker, and last i checked, Sokuro falls under the criteria of those who fall under my wing, which means it's also up to the others to help keep her safe." Sokuro slinked back, blushing a little out of embarrassment. "And, let's be honest, we could all use a change of scenery after the madness of this last week." Boy, ain't that the truth... they can all do with some fresh vistas. "Besides, it's not like we're following you to your world- this is just to make sure you actually get home safe and sound, like good people do."

        "And we're stopping off at a party island!" Fira cheered to the skies, wearing a stupid getup with a sombrero and... where did the confetti come from? "It's party season there, people!" He did a really stupid dance, one that made the other kids cringe. Even his own brother took a few steps away, not wanting to be associated with this.

        "This isn't a field trip, you know." Bran responded. "It's a journey filled with dangers and monsters."

        "We know!" Fira cheered. "That's what makes it more exciting!" He put a sombrero on Bran's head, this one coming with dangling bells. "So let's get sailing and get funky fresh with the dance moves! I mean ziploc fresh!" The heck is a ziploc?

        He has officially lost it. Did he mistake the fishing village they are stopping it for a different port? He must be. "Aaaaaaand on that note..." Sil awkwardly chuckled. "...you sure you want him to come with us, Mrs. Teluri?"

        She nodded in response. "Yes. I have hopes this trip will do him some good... and keep him away from the turbulent times going on in the city, and at home... especially at home."

        That brought some bad thoughts into their heads: is Termundus an abusive father? Even if he wasn't before, the sudden demotion and tarnishing of his reputation would certainly start it. "Can't fault you for that." Sil said through his teeth.

        Out of nowhere, Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian landed facefirst in the sand, groaning in pain and pulling their heads out of the sand just as their mother stomped on next to them. "And they are coming with you too!" She said with such boastful... scariness. 

        Everyone remained silent, not sure on how to react to this or how to spin it. It's... so out of nowhere and sudden. While they can use all the help they can get... does it have to be from them? But saying no to her would be a worse idea. "... why would we want to bring these nitwits along?" Polosa scoffed. "They're part of the reason we're in trouble on this rock in the first place. For all we know, they could get us in even worse trouble."

        The mother nodded along. "Exactly. Which is why they are coming with you, as a form of repentance, RIGHT?!!" The triplets recoiled in fear, and nodded with that same fear. "And because I'll flog them alive if they don't. Got it?!!" 

        They nodded nonstop, "Y-yes, ma'am, mom, mom ma'am," before running over each other to get to the boat and to the safety of the others. Maybe Termundus isn't the abusive parent they should worry about.

        Already feeling drained, Eia pinched the bridge between her eyes and rubbed her forehead with the same hand, lowering her head as she exhaled in exhaustion, "This is gonna be a long cruise..."

        "We sure do have an interesting entourage." Bran commented as he stood beside her, and she nodded in agreement.

        Alua then remembered something important. "Teluri, while we're gone, can you--"

        She already knew the question before it was asked. "I'll keep an eye on the place."

        Now it was Fayin's turn to remember something. "OH, before i forget...." Standing up as best she can, and with some assistance, she managed to walk over to the railing, "... here," and tossed down a familiar item that Teluri caught easily.  

        "This is- wait, you're the one that stole our pizza paddle?" Teluri asked.

        Fayin snorted in anger, "Tell your husband 'thanks for the hospitality'," and headed back to her cushions. That confirmed what was in the cage in Seliox's room for her... but all that blood lost, she shouldn't be alive. It's a miracle she is.

       


        Finally.... after enough dilly-dallying, side quests, distractions, and turmoil, everything was finally ready. Now was the time to finally depart and start the journey home. Climbing up to the top of the cabin, Sokuro looked down at everyone with a stick she was using as a cutlass, and her hood shuffled around to look like a captains hat. She's always wanted to do this.

        "Everyone ready?" She called out to everyone. They all nodded to her. She smirked a grin, swinging her stick forwards and proclaiming, "Then let's set sail!"

        On cue, Eia and Bran unfurled the sail cloth and Ven turned on the engine. The wind caught the sail and the engine sprung to life. For the first time in eons, this old 1970's yacht was finally going to fulfill the purpose is was made for: to sail across the open seas.

        The crowd on the beach waved and shouted farewell to their departing rescuers, and they, minus Trach, waved back. They continued on until the occupants of both parties turned into small dots on the horizon.

        Once the boat was a good ways away, the escapees left the island and returned to the mainland. Once they were across the long bridge, they all went their separate ways, with many returning to the lives that were unjustly stolen from them by their 'gracious host'. Would they speak of everything they had witnessed to others: to their family and friends and random blokes at the bar? Well, undoubtedly, yes, but who would believe them? Outside the fog is one thing, but from another time and place entirely? That's delving into the realm of science fiction.

        As they traveled down the street back towards the city, and after taking several looks at her crippled gryphon companion, Teluri recognized where she remembered him from. "Wait, i know you from somewhere..." Nightwinge lightly laughed- took her that long to notice, did it? "Yeah, that's right, you're Prince Nightingale from the Western Temple."

        He held a claw up to his beak and shushed. "Not while I'm in town, your ladyship. I am here on vacation, that's all. While I am here, please call me Nightwinge." She nodded... though this is big and could have lasting repercussions on the relations between Nexia and the rest of the Gryphon nation once they learn what Termundus did. "Now... we have a lot to discuss." And he is not wasting any time.



        Sil, Seqy, Fira, Pira, Terrum, Terrux, Taltian, and Seliox looked back at the island from the rear of the boat, watching as it grew smaller and smaller the further they sailed away. "Never thought I'd see our home get small like that." Seqy commented, to which the other orphans he grew up with nodded. 

        "It's sadly a common sight when you have duties that take you abroad." Alua commented as she stood behind them. "And one I'm all too familiar with."

        "Agreed." Kader said as he sat on top of her head. 

        That's when they realized that they had completely forgot about Kader... but he's not freaking out, so he wanted to come along? "Wait, Kader, you're coming with us too?"

        "Yessiree." He jumped off of Alua's head and landed on top of Sil's. "I needed a vacation bad... plus I need some space from Argax- he came by my tower the other night and he looked steamed, something about us jilting him out of a good score." That made the triplets inhale through their teeth.

        "Isn't that the guy Trach was talking about?" Pira commented.

        "It was." He said as he and Quio approached, with him dragging the mutt with his tail. "The same lecherous lout who pretty much started this mess, if information supports me."

        "No... he is..." Terrux groaned like he had constipation. "Now I'm scared what's he gonna do to us."

        "Nothing, if I have anything to say about it." Trach replied. "He belonged to the same enterprise as I until he became too big for his britches. Now that he's put it in jeopardy, I need to pay him a visit. I planned to do it before we left, but my contacts said he left town after the duel in the skies, likely to hide until the heat dies down."

        "You think he'd stay there in Nexia?" Fira asked.

        Quio nodded, knowing he will. "He's a leech. He knows he can curtail up to some of his old lads and 'convince' them to do his dirty work, not to mention the reputation he earned there, one that took him years to cultivate. He won't leave when he has that much sway built-up." 

        "Something you'd know from experience of being a leech yourself..." Trach grumbled loudly, making the dog slink back a bit. "But I'll take care of him when I get back."

        The triplets groveled up to Trach like he's their guardian angel. "So you'll protect us, Mr. Scary Man?" They mewed with puppy-dog eyes and quivering lips.

        As... disturbing as that display was, he will protect them. Argax is a pain that needs to be dealt with. "Get me that treasure for Kar'kile, and you can consider me your guardian until Argax is six feet under." The triplets jumped up in cheer, then hugged him tightly. "... though this may end you first- let go of me." They did.

        Meanwhile, at the front of the ship, the Dragenian crew finally relaxed- the first true relaxing feeling they've had in days. Now, all they have to do is focus on getting home, but for now, it's nothing but sitting back and letting the ship do all the work.

        Stretching her arms up, Fayin loudly grunted,"ERrrrrrrmmmm.... aaaaah...." Done, she lowered her arms, and upper body, back down onto the cushions, setting her head beside the resting Pearl. "Finally, we can put this hell of a week behind us..."

        "It's been a week?" Bran whined, feeling like he aged years in the time they've been here. "It feels a lot longer then that." 

        "It had that feeling, didn't it?" Eia commented. 

        Stretching himself, Ven went over to the cushions and flopped down on the other side, making sure his right arm or leg didn't accidentally hit Fayin, "I just want to get home and just do nothing but sleep." He finished facefirst into one of them.

        "We still need to get home first." Polosa said, unaware she may've doomed them all.

        "Then please don't jinx it." They all said in unison. She looked at them, wondering what she did wrong.

        Softly laughing to herself before it eventually faded away, Sokuro turned her attention forwards, out towards the wide open sea before them. She had never been on the water like this before- it's fun and exhilarating so then why isn't she enjoying it? Why isn't she enjoying the salt water splashing upon her face, or watching the waves hitting the keel? Is it the chaos they left behind weighing on her? Or was it what laid ahead? She held her locket in her hand, just staring blankly at it for a time. She closed her hands around it and held it close to her heart.

        "I'm coming home, Taled..." She said under her breath. "I'll be home soon... and hopefully you didn't do anything crazy while I've been gone..."
 

66: Chapter 61: Descent to Blood
Chapter 61: Descent to Blood


Chapter 61

Descent to Blood

7/11/5802

 

 

        "VELX!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

        When Arlye and a older Taled came down into the off-limits Basin to search for clues as to the whereabouts of the missing six, the sudden reappearance of the Astral that had vanished not long after that was a surprise, to be sure; it was thanks to him that Novalle and Misken was able to get along as well as it did. With his and the six's disappearance, the blame had been placed solely on the colonists and things went to pot, but thanks to his return...... well, nothing was going to improve.

        "He's alive?!!!" Taled shouted in pure surprise.

        "We told you he was!" Arlye responded. "You never believed us!"

        Taled ignored him, feeling breathless and awe inspired. Their missing God had returned, and it was all thanks to him. "That.... that's... It's a miracle! It's a bonafide miracle!" He breathlessly laughed. 

        That it was, Arlye thought; now things can return to how they should be... but as he got a good look at the formally displaced god, he spotted a lot of wrong: the most obvious was all the damage all over his body: missing patches of feather and fur exposing scales; with some of those patches lacking scales completely, the holes in his wings, the blood that strained his formally angelic physic, and his mental state... he looked traumatized, horrified, and fearful. He was looking everywhere, endlessly muttering to himself, like he was afraid someone was after him. He had been through something terrible, and Taled was completely oblivious to it. ".... un, kid..."

        "Oh, wait till everyone learns about this!" He spoke to himself.

        Alyle tried again. "Kid."

        "This will fix so many things!" Taled smiled.

        Big gun time. "KID!" Arlye yelled.

        "What?!" A furious Taled snapped back; can't the alien let him enjoy his moment.

        "Look at him." He finally did, and not just some glance either, but a full look, and he saw what Arlye saw before: a broken mess of a Astral. "He's not looking to good."

        Taleds heart sank at this sight: the Astrals are powerful, allknowing, untouchable... so to see one of them reduced to this sorry state... "By the Gods... what could've happened to him...?"

        "Nothing good..." The alien passed by Taled and carefully approached the nervous wreck, being careful not to making any sudden movements or approach to fast. "Um.... Velky?" Velx yelped in fear, panting heavily like a scared dog as he looked at the approaching being. "How are you doing? It's been a long time sin--"

        "STAY AWAY!!!" Velx shouted out of fear. He skittered away from Arlye and hid behind one of the small buildings. Arlye came to a halt where Velx originally was and looked back to Taled, who is just as perplexed as he is. "He's coming, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming, he's coming!"

        "He?" Taled repeated. "Who's coming?"

        "Cant let him find me, can't let him find me, can't let him find me. No no no no no."

        The kid walked up next to the alien and the two looked at each other with the same look of concern plastered on their faces. ".... Lord Velx? Are you o---"

        "Must hide, must hide!" He grabbed a shoddy tarp and put it over his head; a toddlers way of hiding, but given his current state of mind....

        Arlye tried to process what he and the boy had just witnessed, but.... well, how are you supposed to react when one of the worlds deities suddenly appears and act like they belong in a institution? "... What the hell just happened?" He asked himself.

        Taled had no answer; this was a first for him... and possibly in the entire history of Dragenia. "I have never seen any Astral like this before."

        Velx never saw anyone like this in his entire life... which slowly led him to wonder just what was on the other side of that door. He slowly turned towards it. The brief energy it had was gone, returning it to its cold lifeless state. "I fear I already know the answer... but something happened on the other side of that door, something to mentally break him and do all that damage to his body. The question is.... what?"

        "And if whoever did this could break a Astral....." His mind wandered to his sister, and whatever horrors she could be facing, even at this very moment. And if it broke Velx... "By the Gods..." He staggered back, putting a hand to his head. "Sokuro..... what have you been going through?"

        Arlye saw that the kid was on the verge of a panic attack and immediately jumped in to stop him from hyperventilating himself into blacking out. "Hey, hey, breath. Breath slow. Don't jump to conclusions. We don't know for sure the six are getting the same treatment as him- we don't even know if they went to the same place Velx did. Best case scenario, if they were on the same world, is that they brainwashed the kids. It's not the 'best' best case, but I'd rather take that over death, and at least brainwashing can be reversed..." He looked back towards the door, as did Taled. "Assuming I'm right, of course..."

        "And assuming they even went to the same place..." Taled repeated, which Arlye nodded in agreement with.

        "Not enough hiding space, not enough hiding places." They heard Velx whimper. They looked back to him and saw he was trying to find a good hiding spot, but nothing was working. Then he moved on to something that made no sense, "No, no, never done. Never done. Must find a hiding spot, must find a hiding spot."

        Feeling a lump in his throat, Taled worked up the courage to ask, "........ Arlye... can your machines fix a broken mind?"

        "If we could, therapists would be extinct. Our medical professionals and machines can repair any physical damage. Psychological.........." In his need to find a hiding spot, Velx hit his head against what looks like a sign pole, knocking himself out. It looked pretty painful; for all they knew, it could help. It wasn't going to, but no harm in a fool's hope. ".... you'd need an army of therapists to tackle this, cause Velx is broken to the core- I think he ran into that willingly."

        Taled rubbed his arm, feeling like the next question was gonna be the wrong thing to do. "Do you think he'll be safe if we go and get help?"

        "At the moment, with him knocked out, yes. Besides, when he wakes up, He won't be able to go anywhere, not with those holes in his wings. And from what we've seen, I don't think he is capable of hurting himself. Not willingly, at least. But to be safe, we should hurry."

        "Agreed." Taled barely took a step when he heard something crunch underneath. He lifted his foot and saw he stepped on something... something that shouldn't be down here, yet helps confirm Arlye's story. "A phone?" He squatted down and pulled it out of the dirt. 

        "A phone?" Arlye repeated. "Here?"

        "This helps confirm your theory, at least." The youngster brushed the dirt and mud off the screen. He pressed the button on the side, but it didn't come on. "Must be out of power."

        "Considering it's been down here for over a decade, I would be surprised if it did still work." Arlye quipped. Taled cleared off the rest of the muck before putting it in his pocket. "But at least with this, we'll get some idea to what happened here." 


        

 


        Back up above, things were about to go from stressful to really bad; Horfil and Frit were observing the colony from the woods that surrounded it, and were simultaneously dumbfounded and disgusted by what they were seeing: shiny buildings, strange creatures, disturbing clothing, everything that Hopa said was true..... 

        There was no way Horfil could hide the disgusted look on his face. "... What matter of Uela is this?" he gasped, feeling sick to his stomach.

        Frit wasn't reacting with as much vitriol as his companion, but he's not shy enough to admit just how bad this all looks. "Everyone looks so........ wrong."

        "Very wrong." Horfil gagged.

        "What even is this-- shiny huts? Who builds shiny huts?" Frik asked. "That will just make things needlessly bright in the summertime." Not the reason you'd expect him to be disgusted over, but there it is.

        Horfil was somehow able to keep the bile that had been rising down, though it was very difficult. "Whoever these things are are, eviden---" 

        A strange loud roar came from behind them. It was unlike anything they had ever heard- it sounds.... primal, chaotic... unnatural. What it was was immediately answered when a shiny metal... thing flew overhead; a simple large box attached to... something that was on top. Flames came out of it, the source of that unholy roar, and it also produced a strange vile odor; like the liquid the Gaharots use in their flying machines, but worse.

        It was all the proof they needed to confirm Hopa's claims. "By.... the.... Gods..." Felk breathlessly gasped, in shock at the monstrosity he was witnessing. They saw the contraption land inside the walls of the place and watched as people walked off it. Yet even more proof that these people are not natural. "Astrals above.......Hopa was right.... this is a city of demons... and Misken allowed this for over a decade?"

        That's right...... they did. The people of Misken knew of these things infesting their land, yet did nothing about it. The fact this had been allowed for over 10 cycles was deplorable, with no action from the Gods even more so. That's when it dawned on Horfil: why the Gods didn't do anything....... "They are the ones responsible for Velx's death! That's why the Astrals never did a damn thing about them; they'd kill them!"

        "By the Gods..." Frik lost his composure and nearly fell out of the tree, but his hand instinctively grabbed the branch to make sure that didn't happen. "If that's true, then... what can we even do against them? If more of what Hopa said is true, then they carry weapons that can shoot light. There's no way we can survive against that!"

        The horror Horfil had been feeling had quickly turned into rage. These monsters were responsible for everything wrong!! Well, time for to make them pay for it! "Yes we can!" He snarled. "The Astrals number 63, while we mortals number in the thousands! We need to get back and warn everyone now, And launch an inquisition against this... farce, this affront to the Gods. If the Gods refuse to do out of fear, then we we do out of devotion! These things will NOT get away with blemishing our lands and corrupting our people, not if I have anything to say about it!" He jumped down from the tree and ran off, with Frit right behind him.

 

 

 

        At around the same time, Arlye and Taled had just come up from the Basin and were making their way towards the colony by using a secret passage in the far left side of the mountains; a passage so secret, Taled had no idea it existed, and he was pretty on the ball about these sorts of things. With it being the middle of the day, no such worries that the two of them will encounter anynody.

        "Well this is... pleasant." Taled commented as he swiped a cobweb out of his way. He heard a crunch under his boot that made him stop. He looked down and saw that he stepped on a bag of chips. "... very.. pleasant." He commented again. "Where did this even come from?"

        "It was made a few years back, as an escape tunnel in case we were attacked. Now, teenagers use it to sneak out at night and go partying, swimming, things of that nature." He looked back to the kid, "And as far as I am aware, your kind also use it to sneak inside Novalle; i did catch a couple Ferids coming out of this a few times."

        Ferids willingly come here? What gall. "Why would they ever want to do that?" He asked unbelieving. 

        "I'll give you a hint: it's something you lack and it rhymes with clemency." 

        Clemency? Taled thought for a brief moment, realized what it was, and scowled back towards him; he did indeed know what intimacy meant. "Well, if you allow my kind to enter regardless, I don't know why we didn't just enter through the front gates; you're the....... the un...... what was it you were again- it's been a hot minute."

        "Chief of security." He looked back towards the kid again, this time with a angry scowl. "And YOU aren't exactly welcome in Novalle, not after all the crap you pulled with Hopa. You did a lot of horrible stuff to us over the last 11 years, and not all of it has healed away. You still need to apologize to Bran's parents." Taled stayed silent, not wanting to listen to this sob story. "Hence, why we are taking the passage, that and that it comes out right near Georgia's home."

        "Oh, so it's an escape hatch for your empress, is it?" Taled smirked. "Figures the powerful need it more then common folk."

        It took every fiber of Arlye's being not to slap the insolent pup across the face; there were many times where he wanted to put the brat in his place, but he couldn't due to multiple reasons, top of which risking starting a conflict. "Kid.......... you are very lucky I'm not hitting you right now. Now I'm willing to overlook that remark because we have something more important to take care of, but do it again and you'll regret it. Understood?"

        "Crystal." He replied mockingly. That would've been perfect grounds to hit the kid, but he didn't- they have a mission to do.

        Reaching the end of the passage, which came out near a mechanics shop, Arlye peered out to see if the coast was clear. It wasn't, but there was barely anybody here, so they could risk sneaking in. He slinked on out and Taled followed right behind. As they did, Taled swore that he saw Eriod here, but he didn't have the time to check.

        

 


        Setting her book down on the small table beside her, Georgia, with more grey in her hair then a greyhound, held a hand to her mouth as she yawned loudly. Today was such a long day, and it's not even noon yet. She needed a nap pronto. She got up out of her barcalounger to head to her room when she heard a knock at her door. She dejectedly exhaled, feeling putout as she went to answer; just because she is tired doesn't mean others were.

        Pressing a button on the frame, the door hissed open, seeing a familiar person standing there. "Arlye, finally, there you are. Where have you been? You vanish the moment you get back an---" That's when she noticed the Novalle enemy number 1  behind her. ... well, number 2 after Hopa, but damn close in the percentage. She may be older, but she was still quick on the draw, swiftly pulling out her pistol and aiming it right towards him. "...... What is HE doing here?"

        "I feel so welcome." Taled sarcastically quipped. 

        Arlye pressed his paw against the muzzle. "Georgia, relax. There's a-"

        "No." She pulled her gun back. "No I'm not going to relax. He and Hopa have persecuted us for over a decade for something we never did! We have spent years scraping by while he and his kind laughed at us and mocked us! So you better give me one damn good reason why you let him in our walls or I am gonna turn his Dragon half into a purse!"

        Taled welcomed himself in, squeezing past Arlye's intimidating frame and past the peeved mayor. "Believe it or not, I'm helping." He said as he looked around; this is the first time he's been in one of their huts.

        "Helping? You?" She stepped in front of him, keeping him from going any further. "You've been accusing us of a horrible tragedy we didn't do for over a decade, you personally put my husband into a coma, and you failed to aide us during Frostnight, and all of a sudden now you are choosing to be nice? I should call security and have you arres--"

        "We found Velx." He interrupted.

        That shut her up. "......... you what?"

        "It's true." Arlye said, closing the door behind him as he came in. "I was with him."

        Velx... it was his vanishing that made a already tense situation back then worse. Taled could've said that just to get inside the colony, but if Arlye also saw him... "Arlye, explain yourself." She demanded, still keeping her gun out."

        "Do you remember that theory your husband had? That we could detect their transformations on our sensors? Well, a few hours ago, I led a team to the Argo to extract more material for the walls. While that happened, I plugged in a copy of Solstice to run through the logs to see if any ships followed us to this galaxy, in hopes we'd have some fighting chance should anything happen." Taled's ears perked up; was that an admission to warmongering? ... Nah, sounds like it was for defense. "As he looked through, he eventually got to the time we arrived here, and it proved Belfast's theory correct: we can detect their transformations, as energy surges. And almost immediately after, he found something: there was a massive energy surge from underground the same day the six vanished, one far more powerful then any Transformation which not only proved his theory right but provided us with a clue to where they went. I approached Taled with the information that whatever happened to the six must be down there, and we made an agreement to work together... for now. We found a gigantic door, tall enough for even the Argo to fly through. It activated by itself when we got close and it popped Velx out."

        Georgia stood there and absorbed what he said, trying to make some sense of it but coming up short; she was just flashbanged by words... but if they are speaking true and Velx is indeed back, she needn't have to worry about the finer details. "If Velx is back... Then why isn't he here with you?"

        "He lost his mind." Taled said. "Whatever happened to him on the other side of that door mentally broke him; he's become a blubbering mess; a scared child that looks for places to hide. And besides, he can't follow: his wings have many punctured holes in them. He can't fly even if he wanted to."

        Arlye nodded in agreement, then added, "And we are working off the assumption that wherever Velx went, that's where the others are too."

        "Are you certain?"

        "No. We know nothing about this thing operates."

        "Which brings us to now." Taled said. "I figured, with your advanced technology and whatzits, you have some device or drug that can help restore him back to normal. Well, do you?"

        That explains everything all neat and tidy enough... but he's gonna be disappointed when she tells him, ".... Taled, the mind doesn't work like that. Even to this day, with thousands of years of medical advancement from across numerous species, we still don't know how it truly operates. I don't think it can be truly or fully explained. I'm afraid there's no magic cure-all for brain troubles."

        That was not what he wanted to hear. His heart sank a bit, feeling helpless as he could do nothing to aide his deity. "So... he'll remain like this forever?" He asked, hiding his growing emotions.

        "Hopefully not."

        "And again, the mind is weird." Arlye interjected. "There are times when it'll just fix itself, or do nothing. Besides, i don't want to risk giving him something that'll OD him."

        That is a term wholey unfamiliar to the kid; he's heard it mentioned a couple times but never got an answer as to what it meant; he was never going to get it from people he angered. "OD?"

        "Overdose: bad reaction to drugs in your system, usually fatal. And come to thank of it, we don't know what our medicine will do to your kind, and I think i speak for everyone when I say we don't know what will happen to a Aerid if they take it and has a bad reaction."

        Great... this is just great... Taled rubbed his eyes and the back of his head as he stepped away from them. This is not what he wanted to hear... but he didn't hear them offer any alternative solutions. He asked, "Do you at least have anything that will calm him down? At least enough to where he can talk normally?"

        Georgia nodded. "We have mood killers and downers; usually those who are having a bad time take them to get peace of mind."

        Sounded better then nothing. "Will those work?" He asked.

        "We don't know." Arlye said. "We can't make any guarantees, kid. We don't even know what kind of affects our drugs will have on a Aerid body, much less an Astral." That's when it dawned on him: if Velx does react badly to the drugs... how will Taled react to the reception at large. He's already a hair-trigger away from going ballistic. "If we do give Velx the drugs... you're not going to kill us if he OD's on them, are you?"

        Normally, he would. He'd make his usual threats and scare them before going in for the kill, but this time..... something felt different about this time. Now.... it wouldn't feel right. "............. i was the one who made the plea to use them; if he dies, that will be MY responsibility to deal with."

        Georgia breathed a sigh of relief as she tried to calm down; her heart was beating rapidly ever since Taled came in. "In other words, it's a 'no i won't', which I'll take." She went to her counter and grabbed her tablet. "I'm gonna put in a special order at the pharmacy; tell them that one of your fellow villagers needs it." Taled raised an eyebrow, which she caught straightaway- she didn't even need to look up. "What, you think we never notice when a teenager sneaks in? And a good chunk of the Miskenites are still on... mostly friendly terms with us."

        Taled crossed his arms with a grin. "I caught one such friendly term this morning."

        "Told you they are hooking up." Arlye snickered jokingly. Taled rolled his eyes, again feeling disgust towards such an idea.

        A lightbulb went off in Taled's head as he remembered something. "Though that does remind me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the old phone. "We found this in the Basin." Georgia looked up from her tablet and leaned forward for a closer look. "It obviously belonged to one of the missing six."

        "Indeed it does." She said. "Could be the kid's, or it could be the fox's. It's too caked in dirt to tell."

        "Do you think Solstice would be able to pull information out of it?" Arlye asked.

        "Possibly. If the internals aren't broken." With one final tap of the tablets buttons, "Alright, the order is sent- it'll be about an hour before it's ready." She put it down and took the phone from Taled. "I'll go take this down to Main Ops, see Solstice can get something out of it." She grabbed her coat and started putting it on. "You stay here, kid; you aren't very liked around here and a lot of people want payback for what you did." What else is know, Taled thought as he rolled his eyes yet again. "Arlye, keep an eye on him." And with that, she left.

        Arlye twisted his lips and crossed his arms. Him? Keep an eye on a wild card? "Easier said then--" The whine of the activation of a television came from behind. He looked and saw that Taled had already made himself comfortable in Georgia's home, having turned on the tv. What was playing was a old sitcom from 3232: Love in the Galaxy; it's about a couple that opens up a boarding house and the hijinks and lessons that follows. "On second thought, this could be very easy. How'd you know how to do that? I thought you hated us."

        "I do. That doesn't mean i can't learn about you, does it- get to know your enemy and all?" 

        "Well..." He had no response- the kids logic, however flawed on reasoning, is spot on in execution. "....point goes to you."

 

 

        
        Whistling a jaunty tune, strolling though the back roads of Novalle without a care and spinning a pocket watch in his right hand, a long yet familiar stranger crept through, wearing the cloak he really should've washed after confusing the Silver at the Koloron. But that stink... his mere presence.. he exuded evil. While those he passed didn't know it, he was the cause of every cold chill they felt. Rounding the corner, he saw his destination: one of the many gun emplacements built into the mountainside, and below that he saw the gunner on his lunch break.

        Stopping the spin so that the watch would land right in the palm of his hand, he approached the gunner with familiarity. "Excuse me, kind sir..." He asked, gaining the gunners attention. From behind his cloak, he summoned a needle that gave off sinister vibes. "... can I speak to you for a moment?"

 

 


        Their splashing footfalls echoing through the cavern, Arlye and Taled were once again back down in the cavern that fed into the Basin, with Georgia right behind them, dressed up with enough spelunking attire that would make a Hiker envious. Despite the tensions between them all, the colonists kept their word and never went down into the Dragenian Holy Land, so this was going to be brand new for the colony's leader.  

        "So, what's the Basin like?" She asked the two of them. 

        "Very damp." Arlye responded bluntly. "It is a very humid place. It is also surprisingly enormous an--"

        "She'll see what it looks like in a few minutes." Taled snidely responded. "No need to waste your breath explaining it to her. Doubt you'll be able to do it proper justice, anyways."

        "Rude." The two offworlders responded. 

        "But he's not wrong." Arlye said. He slowed down to back up so he could talk to her more 'privately', or as private as you can get in a narrow cavern. "Actually, from what little i've seen, it's an enormous cavern that could fit several Argos, which opens up into a even bigger cavern that can hold hundreds."

        "So, it's big, is what you are saying."

        "Yeah, pretty much."

        Taled groaned to himself, tired of all their constant talking- it's like all the colonists ever did was talk talk talk talk talk. "(I've met kids who talked less then this....)" He thought.

        Eventually reaching the end of the tunnel, Georgia looked on in astonished amazement at just how enormous this whole system was. Not even ringworlds had subterranean levels this big- not even Teek, the Teekley homeworld, had caverns this big, and that was what their planet was known for. 

        "Wow.... you, um..... you weren't kidding about words not doing this justice."

        "Told ya." Taled said as he walked past her. 

        "Just the sheer enormity of it... how is all this just hidden away underground?" Taled glared back at her, which she felt. "I'm not talking about religious reasons, kid, but the... how? No tectonic activity should be capable of this."

        "Tecto-what?" The kid asked confusingly.

        "Quakes, kid." Arlye responded. "And I don't think shifting plates were the cause of this natural wonder, Crox. Otherwise, THAT would be buried." He pointed out in the distance towards the great golden door- the cause of all this trouble.

        "Whoa... you weren't kidding about that being big either."

        "Why would we lie about this?" Taled muttered out loud. 

        Arlye had to be snarky with his response, "Gee, I don't know, kid- you've gone psycho, so why don't you tell me?" Taled gave him a angry glare, wanting to rip his throat out but couldn't.

        Georgia, in an effort to derail this awkward moment, asked a very important question: "So you said Velx came out of that, right? Well, where is he?"

        Taled was gonna be rude with his response but saw that, as she said, Velx was gone. "That... is a good question. He should still be in that village at the base of the door. Last we saw him, he had knocked himself out. Maybe he woke up and fled into one of those buildings while we were gone."

        "One way to find out." Arlye said as he took the lead on the trek over.

        The absolute majesty of the Gate grew more and more impressive the closer they got, making Georgia pull her neck back just in an attempt to see what's at the top of the thing. "That... is a big door."

        "Told ya." The two males said in unison. 

        "Who do you think built it? And for what purpose? That's the bigger mystery."

        "Right now, what happened to my sister is the bigger mystery." Taled snorted. "So focus on that rather then the origins, ok?"

        "Ok. Geez. I was just making a comment."

        Georgia got a full apperciation of the very enormity of the giant artifact the moment they entered the village; she felt like a rat next to a cat... a big cat, like a lion. Or would the elephant be a more apt comparison? Either way, she feels puny. But, like Taled said, no time to gawk: they need to find a Astral.

        Arlye rounded a corner that led into an alley behind what he assumes is a butcher shop from the antiquated knifery he spyed through the window and found their quarry, cowering behind some barrels of what he hopes is decomposed meat- anything that lasts a few thousand years cannot be good for the digestive tract. 

        "I found him!" He called out, luring the other two his way.

        Taled stayed silent when he arrived, while Georgia, who arrived a few minutes behind him, saw the state he was in and gasped. This is not what you would expect a God to act. "Oh my..." She breathlessly muttered. "Velx?" Velx twitched when he heard his name. "Hey, hi. Remember me? Georgia Crox. I--" Velx didn't want to listen to anymore; he rolled up into a ball, holding his head in fear and pain. She pulled back, feeling uneasy. "Was it something I said?"

        "He's been like this since he emerged." Taled explained. "Just a..... just a mess."

        The implications behind this; what could've led to this... it's disturbing and uneasy. "Lords above..." She turned her attention towards the Gate. Just.... just what is that thing, she thought. "What could've happened on the other side... to turn him into this?"

        "That is the big mystery right now..." Arlye somberly said. Taled would argue that finding his sister is the bigger mystery, but it's a 50/50 shot that she's on the same hellscape Velx escaped from, so they overlap. "But if it was terrible enough to break one of the original 13 Astrals, then I fear for what those kids are going through."

        "Assumi--" Taled began...
        
        ...only to have Arlye brush it off. "Yes yes, assuming they're there. But the only way to find out if they are there is to get him mentally sound."

        "All of which is rather moot if I can't get close enough to him." She pulled the bottle of pills out of her backpack. "Unless we finally invented a pill that can work at range." Taled opened his mouth to ask and she cut him off at the pass, "No we didn't, kid- i was being rhetorical." 

        "There's always tranquilizer darts." Arlye said. "But that would just make things worse, wouldn't it?"

        "Yep." Taled chimed in. "And cornering him is out of the question; a cornered animal is the most dangerous type of beast- that's when they have nothing to lose." A sound point... and who knows how dangerous one so mentally broken can be.

        "Well, we need to think of something." Georgia huffed. "Maybe if we put out some food- we could hide one of the pills in it and have him eat it."

        "He's not a dog." Taled scoffed.

        Replying to Taled, Georgia took a glance into the house Velx was in and, "Then you think of so-- and he's already running." That he was, having busted through one of the walls and running for dear life.

        The trio ran as fast as they could to keep up with the fast moving Aerid, but there must be some hidden Astral trick they don't know about cause he is significantly fast then them. "Wait, Velx!" She called out.

        "Damn, he's quick!" Arlye panted.

        Skidding around a corner that opened up into what they assume was a park, Georgia tried again to calm down the broken beast, "Velx! Please! Calm down! We're not here to hurt you! We are here to help you!"

        He was not having it. "Nonononononono, stay back! Stay back!! Stay away from me!!!"

        "Velx, please, we--"

        Suddenly, the ground violently shook, hard enough to break, shatter, and crumble several of the ancient homes a nd send the four runners down hard onto the grounds, despite their best efforts to stay up. "Whoooahaa..." But they all had a date with the dirt.

        "Ow..." Crox hissed as she rolled onto one side while holding the other. 

        Taled grunted as he picked himself up, rubbing his chest. "That was a bad quake..." 

        "No...." Arlye grunted; he was the least hurt, though the bad bump on his head would say otherwise. "...that sounded more like an explosion." 

        Taled moved his attention upward, keeping an eye open for any falling rocks or boulders... when it dawned on him that he may know what the cause was. "......... i think i know the answer, but remind me: what's directly above us from here?"

        Arlye and Crox thought about it for 0 seconds because they already knew that answer. ".......................... Novalle."

        They were quick to their feet, and Arlye wasted no time, "You brat!" in tackling Taled and holding him up by his shirt. "This was just to distract us, wasn't it?!"

        Taled put his hands on Arlye's in an effort to get himself loose from the aliens grasp. At least he wasn't hurting him.... at least. "Agh, no! You saw Velx- no one alive should be able to crack him like that! And why would I only distract the two of you?"

        "Cause she's our leader and I'm the chief of security? The two most important roles here?"

        ".... now, see, if i was smart enough, that would've been a good plan, but it-- agh, there wasn't one! I don't know more anymore then you!"

        Arlye stood there in silence, softly growling as he determined what to do with this arrogant piece of work... but he ultimately decided to let him go. "Just get us back to Novalle so we can see what is going on." He huffed.

        Rubbing his throat and glaring at the Argalith, Taled began to glow, but while the trademark sparkles of the Aerid transformation came from him, Velx ruined it by tackling him to the ground, "Brahg. What are you--" He tried to get loose, but couldn't... then he saw Velx's eyes...these were not the eyes of a madman, but someone with an intense fear, a pure fear that you'd only feel if you saw Hell.

        "Beware of him! Beware of the monster; the demon of the past!! He's returned and we'll be slaughtered like cattle!! We won't be able to escape his wrath!! We will all suffer at the hands of P--" 

        Blood suddenly burst out of Velx's mouth, covering Taled's face in it. Shaking and shivering in fear, the boy looked down Velx's body to see a fresh new hole in his neck, cause by a curved blade that was still in it. Taled shakingly looked back up to Velx's eyes and saw they had gone white. The once noble Astral's lifeless body fell over to the side, leaving the boy truamatized.

        "Velx!" Arlye and Georgia screamed in shock.

        Frozen in place, all Taled could do was look ahead. When he heard the squishing of the weapon being pulled out of Velx's body, his eyes followed it back as it was pulled back by a string to its owner: a unknown figure perched on the side of a building like a gargoyle, whose identity was hidden behind a foreboding cloak. When whoever this was raised their head, sinister yellow eyes glowed in its shadows.

        "Who..." Georgia managed to gulp. "..... who is that?"

        

 

 

        Pulling a bouquiet of flowers from out of nowhere, Dan slid in front of Eriod and presented them to her. "Enchanted, mon cherie." He attempted with a bad French accent... a REALLY bad attempt at one, but the clueless Eriod didn't know any better as... well, she never heard French before, so how could she? Regardless, she took the flowers and gave them a sniff. 

        "You do know how to flatter a woman." She giggled as she scooched over on her bench.

        "I aim to please." Dan giggled as he sat down on the bench in a 'smooth' manner... and by that, it's slipping off when he tried to be swave. It made Eriod laugh all the same, which made Dan laugh in kind. "Smooth, Casanova." She giggled. "Real smooth."

        "Heh.... yeah..." He rubbed the back of his head. "And where did you learn about Casanova?"

        "I read." She said as she leaned back, intentionally trying to look as sexy and inviting as possible to the love-lorn idiot. It worked, making him blush and gulp. She turned up the heat by moving her hand to his and asking sensually, "So... you never did tell me why you find Dragons so.... infatuation?" She had her tail run under his chin, making him shiver.
    
        "Bbbbobobobobrraaaaaa.... Well..., I, and this would... sound embarrassing out of context, but un.... I--"

        Suddenly, one of the colony's defense turrets exploded in a violent matter, putting an end to this flirt fest. Alarms were swift to sound as guards, soldiers, and anyone trained to use a gun mobilized. From the fires of the destroyed turret came an bronze-colored Aerid... a ferocious looking Aerid with a ornate headpiece. Several more flanked him, and in the distance was.... a small army, along with several Gaharot airships.

        The Aerid with the ornate headpiece snarled as he looked over the colony as they ran around like ants. He was swift to find that several of his kind had dared to interact with these..... monsters. "GET OFF MY LAND NOW!!!" He bellowed. "LEAVE MY PEOPLES SIGHT NOW!!!"

        Eriod recognized the voice and was stunned to hear him. "S-Shaman Horfil?" She gasped, shocked as all letout. Horfil glared in her direciton and snarled with bared teeth. Dan backed a few steps away, knowing things are about to get really ugly, and she can't blame him.  "Wait, you don't understand! We--"

        He shut her up by summoning glass out of thin air. The glass sharpened into spears that he pointed right at her boy toy- of course he had to be an Ajixis. "No, I understand it perfectly. Hopa told us on his death bed that your village aided and abetted these... Demons and monsters from the Abyss!"

        There was a lot to unpack there, with the leading one being, ".... Hopa's dead?" She breathlessly responded. She hated the man, but to hear him actually dead... it's a shock to the system.

        "Yes, he is!" He saw that the ants were preparing their strange weapons, which angered him even more. "And now these... THINGS will feel our wrath for his death!"

        "Why?" Heard one of them say. Someone from the refuse stepped forward, one with strange things on his head and a fluffy tail. ... Disgusting, Horfil thought. "Hoopa was old even when we settled- old age took him, not us!"

        "Besides, we've been on this planet for over a decade and nothing bad has happened!" Another colonist pointed out. 

        "You lie!!" He screamed. "Heshalt is in ruins and Emperor Axios is dead, thanks to that Beast you unleashed." Heshalt? Axios? What is he talking about? And what Beast? It's true that they haven't received any news from the mainland for some time, but none of this is making any sense. "...the Janissaries wiped out every royal on the mainland and took over, and now things are worse then they have ever been, and it's all thanks to these... THINGS!!!"

        He's quick to pass blame around... the only issue is that nobody has any idea just what the hell he's talking about. Nothing is adding up and all it is doing is creating headaches for both Novallians and Miskinites combined. "Hold on, hold on... What Beast?" Dan asked.

        "Don't play dumb with me, Demon!" He wasn't going to let up on this, was he? Is it that hard to get a straight answer and give a name? "The monster you let loose, the one that destroyed everything: P--"

        Suddenly, a shot fired out from one of the turrets. It shot past the ranting Horfil and hit the one Aerid that flanked him to his left. It hit Frik. 

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McjvF5MB_2I  Ghidorah Theme - Godzilla: King of the Monsters soundtrack

 


        "Who..." Georgia managed to gulp. "..... who is that?"

        "I have no idea..." Arlye responded. "But.... they feel.... cold."

        The mysterious figure snickered a scoff as they stood up. "I've been called far worse, creature." He said in a cold tone.

        This stranger... this unknown variable felt wrong, felt off..... felt evil. Taled remained in shock, unable to bring forth any words, for how could he: he just watched someone he looked up to get skewered by a complete stranger, all for reasons that will remain forever unknown to them. Georgia, however, was not in such shock and was able to muster a simple, "Who are you?"

        "Who am I? Who am I, she asks. Hahaha." He stepped forward off the building and slowly descended down to the ground. "Woman... I am someone who is royally miffed." Arlye slowly got up to his feet, feeling like something bad was going to happen. "I finally tracked down the hiding place of my prize, and what I find instead? A trio of pissants and a fallen idiot." He looked over to Velx's lifeless body. "Well... ex-idiot." 

        His mockery of Velx brought Taled back from his daze. "You dare mock Velx that way?!" The boy shouted.

        "Why yes, I do." He spat at it, infuriating Taled further. "He got all he deserved, as will the rest of his wretched kind..." He turned his attention squarely onto Taled. "But first... I want it. I know you have it, so give it to me."

        Want... what, Taled thought. That request was confusing, leaving him confused. He looked towards Arlye, who shrugged his shoulders unknowingly, then to Georgia who did the same while also raising her hands. "Want what?"

        Suddenly, the stranger was on top of him- there one minute, gone the next- and ended up strangling Taled by the throat as he had him pinned to the ground. "Stop playing dumb with me, brat!!" The stranger yelled, spewing spittle down on him. It all happened so fast, Arlye and Georgia had little time to even do anything. "I can smell it on you- you came into contact with it, so I know you have it, so where is it!?!"

        Taled struggled to breath as his legs flailed and his hands tried to pry his attackers hands away. "I.. don't know... what... you are... talking about..." He gagged.

        That wasn't the answer the stranger wanted. He increased the pressure, turning the boys face purple. With a snarl, "I said.... don't... play... dumb..." He increased it again. Taled's struggles slowed to a crawl as his eyes slowly rolled back into his eyes. This was his end...

        ... if not for a proper tackle by Arlye booting the stranger away, allowing air to enter Taled's lungs. He coughed violently as he rolled over, all the while Arlye stood over him, with one hand holding a combat knife, and the other a SMG. "He told you he doesn't have it." He said. Georgia ran over to check on Taled's wound. "I don't know what your deal is, but I'm gonna put an end to it before it gets out of hand."

        Feeling unphased by both the tackle and Arlye's demand, the stranger brushed his shoulder and rolled it, showcasing the tomahawk in his hand. "You are a stupid mortal." He flipped the tomahawk up into view and held it backwards, like a combat veteran with a dagger. "Maybe once I kill you and the bitch, the child will be more talkative."

        "Who are you calling a bitch?" Georgia asked as she got up from tending to Taled.

        "Exactly what i meant..." He suddenly thrust his left arm forward, launching torrents of electricity from it. "... you cur!!!" They moved so fast, Georgia had no time to react. She screamed as she was violently electrocuted. All the boys could do was look on in horror as she was fried.

        After what felt like an eternity of pain, Georgia's cooked body fell over, her skin fried to a crisp. Taled, who normally isn't grossed out, threw up at what Crox had been reduced to. Arlye, on the other hand, was enraged. A deep-seated anger arose in him as his eyes narrowed. "You BASTARD!!!" He rushed towards the stranger; he had no weapons except raw brute strength and a simple knife, but its more then enough to end this monster.

        Visible under his cloak, the stranger snickered and twirled his tomahawk. "This is going to be fun."

 


        Meanwhile...

        ..."Hold on, hold on... What Beast?" Dan asked.

        "Don't play dumb with me, Demon!" He wasn't going to let up on this, was he? Is it that hard to get a straight answer and give a name? "The monster you let loose, the one that destroyed everything: P--"

        Suddenly, a shot fired out from one of the turrets. It shot past the ranting Horfil and hit the one Aerid that flanked him to his left. It hit Frik. 

        A hole blasted in his chest, Frik fell from the skies with no guesses as to whether or not he was alive, and even if he was, falling on a hoverbike and getting it plunged into your spine would definitely do it.

        Everyone was confused, looking around for who could've fired that shot in the first place. Something that powerful, it could only have come from a defensive turret. 

        "Who fired that shot?"

        "Where did it even come from?"

        It was panic down in the colony, and it only got worse when a second shot rang out, this one heading straight for Horfil. His glass took the attack, shattering to pieces that he simply reassembled and shot back, slicing through one of the turrets and killing the operator; nobody would ever be made aware of the trance he had been put under, not that it mattered.

        The die had been cast.

        "You.... dare attack me..." He snarled. The glass returned to his side and split and sharpened into dozens of spears. "THIS ONLY PROVES YOUR GUILT!!!" He yelled unhinged. He turned to the others and raised his arms in a battle cry. "EVERYONE, TO ARMS!!! WIPE THIS DEMONIC SCUM OFF THE FACE OF DRAGENIA!!! IN VELX'S NAME, WE WILL CLEANSE THIS WORLD OF YOUR CORRUPTION!!! CHAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!" The army of like-minded individuals behind him all yelled in sentiment.

        It took no time before fireballs, cannonballs, and other elemental attacks were blasted straight towards the colony.
        

 

 

        Arlye yelled as he swung his knife. The Stranger ducked, but Arlye anticipated this, flipping his blade down in a stabbing moment. The Stranger spun his tomahawk backwards and caught the blade. He then thrust his body upwards, hitting his head on Arlye's chin. The Argalith grunted in pain as he staggered backwards, only to get sideswiped by a whack to his left shoulder.

        Argalithian scales are tough, being able to deflect old projectiles like bullets with ease, and absorb laser fire for a time; there was a reason why they were considered the best warriors in the Milky Way. Bladed weapons also suffer the same effect as bullets.

        The tomahawk was embedded deep into the shoulder. Arlye screamed in pain, but was quick to deduce that this leaves the Stranger with no weapon. He pulled away from his cloaked adversary and swung his knife, forcing the Stranger to jump backwards. Arlye kept on swinging and swinging and swinging, and the Stranger kept dodging and dodging and dodging. 

        "Stand still, you monster!" Arlye shouted as he kept on trying, but the pain in his arm was distracting him.

        "How about..." The stranger then kicked Arlye in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. "...no." Another kick- a roundhouse this time- sent him straight to the ground. The force of the impact knocked the knife out of the aliens hand.

        And all of this time, Taled just sat there and did nothing... and you couldn't blame him; he just saw Velx, his God, get killed and watched Georgia get cooked. No matter how old you get in life, those are the horrors that will traumatize you for life. Even when Arlye yelled in pain from the Stranger ripping his tomahawk through his shoulder, cutting open a big hole in it... he just stayed put, unable to process any of it.

        His weapon back in his hands, the Stranger tapped the head of the tomahawk in his free hand multiple times, glaring down at Arlye as he held his wounded shoulder in pain. "I expected a better fight. I thought your kind were supposed to be warriors."

        Grunting in pain as he was able to somehow get onto his rear, Arlye glared up towards him. "I'm... out of practice..." A miserable excuse. "And you are right, I AM a warrior... a warrior that plans for any situation!" Sharp cleats came out from the bottom of both his shoes and he kicked forward, getting the Stranger good in the gut that sent him back into a wall of one of the homes that surrounded them.

        Up on his feet, Arlye rushed towards his foe, still holding the wound in his arm shut as best he could but blood continued to seep out. He didn't have a lot of time. Just as the Stranger got out of the hole freshly made by him, in came the alien with another devastating kick, this time sending them both though it. The Stranger fell onto a table. He rolled off of it just before Arlye jumped down onto it, shattering it into pieces. 

        Picking up one of the pieces of the broken table, the Stranger swung it with all his might when Arlye made another charge, discombobulating him and knocking out several teeth. The wood suddenly burst into flames as hellish cracks appeared in it.

        A violent kaboom followed, blasting Arlye out of the house and back to the park where the fight began. Scorch marks covered his already hurt arm- he just can't catch a break. Arlye struggled painfully to get onto his feet, all the while his opponent strode on out of the destroyed house like it was nothing. 

        The ground rumbled as more and more rock and debris fell from above. The Stranger looked up, which provided Arlye a good distraction to run and get his knife...

        ... only for the tomahawk to pierce his leg, making him lose his balance and fall over. How is this foe so strong, to be able to pierce Argalithian scales? It should be difficult, not easy like warm butter. Regardless of how, Arlye resorted to crawling, a difficult task when your arm and leg are hurt to the point of crippled, and running the risk of bloodloss. 

        He never even got close to it when the Stranger picked it up. "Tsk tsk." He went, demeaning the warrior. "How sad; the widdle warrior lost his knife." He then crushed it in  his bare hands, something that should be impossible... and what's even more impossible is that were no cuts left on his palm. "Pity."

        The Stranger forced Arlye onto his bad side, making him howl in pain. The Stranger then strode on over and removed the tomahawk from his leg, making the Argalith grunt in pain even more. "What... are you...?" Arlye demanded to know.

        "Someone... who is really annoyed right now..." 

        And with one fluid slice to the neck, another life was taken.

        And then there was one left. The Stranger turned his attention to Taled, who was, in all sense of the word, stunned. "A.... Arlye........?"

        "Not anymore." The Stranger snickered. "Not unless you wanna turn the crocodile into a purse." In a flash, he was on top of Taled who didn't fight back. "But you... i won't make your death easy. No. This fight left me famished, and I am very hungry."
    
        That's when Taled's eyes went wide. "No.... no no no, you can't!" He saw the Strangers mouth twist in a sense of sickening pleasure. "You monster!" He got loose of the Strangers grip, but was kicked down to the ground instead, landing flat on his back. He tried to get back up again, but was stepped on, keeping him pinned to the dirt, and no amount of punches to the foot was going to change that. "You won't get away with this! Once the Astrals learn of this, they will hunt you down!!!"

        The Stranger burst out laughing at the statement. "Hahahahahaha... hahahahaha.... hoo.... keep dreaming, kid. Ho ho ho hooo...." This infuriated Taled even more, but more pressure to the Strangers step prevented that. "I don't think the Astrals will be able to do anything. Otherwise they'll suffer the same fate as the moron there." He pointed towards Velx's lifeless corpse.
        
        It took him a few seconds, but Taled pieced together what he meant, and it shocked him to his core. "You.... you didn't..."

        "Oh..." He stepped off. "I have." A golden glow suddenly began to come from Taled's chest, making the boy grunt in pain. He glanced up to his foe and saw that he was wiggling his fingers like a magician, with his fingers also glowing the same golden glow. "... and nobody will ever know, cause the four of you just had to be heroic and play dumb." The pain got worse, making him hold his chest as the glow got brighter. It felt like something was trying to rip out of him. "Now you get to pay the consequences for your insolence..."

        The glow died down, allowing Taled to breath. "So... this is your trick..."

        "Oh? You know of this spell?"

        "I do..." He gulped. "I learned of it in my studies... It's forbidden for a reason!"

        "So what? Not that knowing about it will do you any favors." The glow came back, more powerful and more painful then before. Taled withed on the ground, twisting in agony as it got worse and worse and worse. "Oh, and know this: when I find that stupid girl you call a sister, I'll make sure to say you said hello before I kill her too. Give her a nice splash of hopelessness and heartbreak; adds to the flavor."

        That sent Taled to the breaking point. Despite the pain, he got up to attack, finally doing something in this bloodbath. Under the hood, the Stranger rolled his eyes and swung his tomahawk as the boy charged at him. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SISTER, YOU FU--"

 

 

 


        Sokuro snapped upright, lifting her head out of her parents book, and feeling a dark, chill shiver through her. She looked around the bow of the ship and saw that she was all alone, and there was no cold breeze. She put down the quill she was writing with and rubbed her aching head.

        "How ya doin', kiddo?" Kader asked as he approached from behind, scurrying along the middle section.

        "I'm doing fine, just..." She stuck her pinky finger in her ear and rubbed around, thinking she was hearing things. "I thought I heard somebody scream."

        Kader looked around- it was nothing but ocean. It was only them out here, and nobody in the back was reacting like someone fell off the boat, so that's out as a answer, if there even is one for hearing things. "I didn't hear anyone."

        "... Yeah. Must've been my imagination, is all."

        The mouse jumped off the middle section and onto her leg. He peered over the cover and asked, "How is your story coming along?" 

        "It's coming along fine, but..." She looked down at the paragraphs she had written, and the images Bran had drawn in the empty pages:

        For the past few days of their currently 9 day voyage, she had been writing about their time here on Naya and everything that had happened: about the strange creatures and their cultures, all the people she had met- good and bad-, and of course about Silverwind, Termundus, and the Shadows. Nobody would believe them without proof, and while the injuries they obtained on this trip would prove sufficient, the six of them would need more to prove it true, so between Sokuro's short autobiography of their visit, Bran's drawings, and the pictures Ventus was able to take on his phone, there should be enough to silence even the most stubborn deniers.

        "... but.... everything involving that Ghi'ich'tarl guy, I don't know how to describe it. According to what the others found, he supposedly made contact with Dragenia when WE supposedly invaded them, and yet we have nothing in our records back home about any sort of meeting or defeat."

        "Maybe because your ancestors wanted to keep such a defeat a secret?" Kader suggested. "And if this Ghi guy is right and that Gate can travel through time and it did bring you this far into your future, then his beef with Dragenia could've happened long after you all died."

        Not a charming thought to use her and the others future deaths as pins in the timeline, but he does have a point: the Gate does seem to have the ability to travel through time, something Ghi'ich'tarl sorta confirmed with his coffin puzzle, so it is possible the conflict happened long after her tenure as Silver was done... aaaagh, time travel makes everything more complicated, she internally screamed. ".... i suppose so..." She was able to put out. She leaned forward and scratched her head once again, her mind returning to wondering just where in the world that scream came from. She didn't fake it, that much is clear, but nobody else heard it. And it.... sounded familiar, yet not. 

        "Land ho!!!"

        Thank Astrals, something to distract her mind. This was a puzzle she was going to have to wait to solve, for now they have a job to do: to "repay" Kar'kile for the use of his boat by getting him treasure, and it's hidden somewhere on this island: Jeke Island. After this side quest was done, it was on to Bermuda- to Trochet- and finally to home.

        If any of them could 'sense' the air, they would've felt electricity scathing along it. Treasure wasn't the only thing awaiting them here.

67: Chapter 62: Snap
Chapter 62: Snap


Chapter 62

Snap

???





        "What in the world happened here?"

        Termundus asked that out loud as he and his replacement squad looked at the remains of what was once a lively gathering of people on the shores of the Origin Isle. After being bounced around between a embarrassingly large number of them after his original squad went out on a mission he wasn't allowed on, this is his currently reassigned one... after 10 others. This current lineup was comprised of several Anthromorphs- Termundus is just livid at the idea- and a couple of regular Dragons, which also included their captain. The burnt remains of bonfires, thrown away bits of food, and stranger still, a upright keel of a decimated boat and several deserted rafts floating on the shoreline. 

        "Looks like someone had one hell of a kegger." One of his fellow soldiers, one of the Dragons, chuckled as she lifted up a empty cup. He looked out towards the shoreline and saw the tower of boat sticking out of the sand, along with several rafts moored along the shoreline. "And got... crazy? There is no sensible way to explain that keel in the sand."

        "Which does not make any sense." Termundus said. "I know the people that live here- it's just a bunch of nobody orphans and their wimpy caretaker who don't do anything."

        "They didn't seem that wimpy when they whupped your butt last week." Another of his fellows, one of the Anthromorphs- a cat one- jeered, causing the others to snicker. Termundus would normally slap someone for speaking of that day, but he no longer had the rank to do it, so he had to put on a stupid smile to hide his anger; he was making an internal list of a whole lot of people who will receive his reckoning once he's back in his position. 

        "Enough, everyone." The captain of the squad ordered. "As amusing as it is to make fun of Termunsus for his shortcomings..." He said his name wrong on purpose, didn't he? That's what Termundus felt, at least. "...we are here on assignment. Nobody has seen hide or scale of the the kids or Alua for 8 days now, and we need to find out why." Termundus rolled his eyes when nobody was looking.

        He approached one of the former bonfires to investigate. "Hmm.... This wasn't a 'kegger' that was thrown here, Ensign Tegar, but just a small party. Several, if the other bonfires are to be believed, meaning that the attendees were many. And it wasn't a birthday or celebration, else there would be confetti and streamers." He looked around and saw faded footprints. Some looked out of place, made with... something that left weird marks. "And it wasn't just Dragons that stayed here, but also Anthromorphs, Gryphons, and even a Phoenix..." He, and the others, looked to Termundus, who felt like he was being singled out. "The same composition as the prisoners you had."

        "You can't prove it was the same crowd." Termundus was quick to defend.

        Will he never admit he was in the wrong? Is it that hard to ask? "... Anyways, seems they were here, and were for some time, along with... others..."

        "Others?" The cat Anthromorph asked as he walked forward. 

        "Yes. Strange footprints that don't belong. Look at this one, for example: this one looks like a bird print, but the bird in question would have to be the size of a adolescent Dragon. And here, these look like the sandals you Anthromorphs wear, but why would it have some intricate pattern underneath? Who would see it?"

        "Who cares?" Termundus grumbled. "Some kid probably decided to draw in it."  

        "You are really getting annoying..." One of his Gryphoness cohorts sighed. Termundus grumbled again, really wanting to be transferred again. "Is it too late to send him with his other squad?"

        "You have to ask...?" The Dragoness from earlier exhaled.

        As they chattered, their squad captain continued on investigate, eventually reaching something peculiar. "How odd..." He bent down. "A pair of these strange feet suddenly stopped and a Dragon continued where they left off." He looked around that small area for any clues. "Whoever this was wasn't attacked, or pushed or pulled. It's like they... changed. Transformed, even."

        "Now that is preposterous." Termundus snorted. "Nobody can change bodies like that; not even the most powerful Phoenix is capable of that."

        "Hate to say it, but I'm with him on this." The cat said.

        "As am I..." The captain regretted. "And yet... there's no other evidence to say otherwise."

        "Do you think it's related to those strangers, sir?" Yet another member of the squad, a Parrot, suggested while keeping his distance from Termundus, fearing his reprisal. "The ones that appeared and fought that rogue Shadow and Termundus last week?"

        That could be a possibility, the leader concluded. "The female Silver and her friends? It's possible. If the rumors of them being from outside the Fog are true, they may have developed some kind of magic that allows them to change shape." 

        Termundus rolled his eyes yet again, feeling his brain dying cell by cell every second he has to mingle with these plebs. He already knows the truth behind those strangers: that they are from another world completely. But he won't tell them: he won't tell those who are under him. Why bother when they can just be stupid for your amusement? "You yet continue to amaze me, captain..." He said sarcastically. 

        The captain would give him a stern talking too if the last of his squad didn't call from within the house. "Captain!" She called out. "You're gonna want to see this." With that, Termundus was 'spared' a lecture as the squad went towards the house.

        As they approached the house, the cat jogged on up to their captain and whispered to him, "You wanna tell me why his first squad wasn't allowed to take him on their mission? Cause I'm getting ready to bean his head in."

        "They went to Jeke Island to bring Ocilus back for further questioning into Termundus' crimes. She was privy to all of his illegal evil, so they need information, and taking him along would make things worse since... you know." He knows. "I'm not sure on why they need her back when they kicked her out, but I think that maybe it's to find solid proof to arrest him without earning the 'ire' of his followers on this being an arrest on hunches. Least that's what I'm hearing."

        So after the public display of shame and demotion, the Council is going to move forward with arresting him for his crimes? About time. "Now how do you know that?"

        "My husband's a guard up in the chambers and is a talker."

        Reaching the homestead, the squad entered and saw how tidy things were. Well, tidy-ish; the table was covered in papers, books, and maps. "What is it, ensign?" The captain asked.

        "Cupboards are stripped clean." The Iguana- the very same Iguana that chased Fira and Pira through the streets when the brothers distracted her from Kader's mission of intel gathering- said as she opened up one. "Place is picked clean of any food, like they didn't want it to rot while they were away... whoever they were."

        "Alua." Termundus said, prompting his squad to look his way. "A failed Guardian runs an orphanage on this rock, with that Silver among their ranks. Also includes a pair of fire twins I believe you had the misfortune of meeting." That made the Iguana's blood boil.

        "Well, if that's the case, where's Alua?" The Gryphoness commented. "Where are the orphans?"

        While they were all talking, the parrot had been looking through the books they had here- reading was his hobby- and eventually picked up a book that had a loooot of bookmarks. He opened it up and flipped through to the myriad of bookmarks. "Huh..." He stood up. "My guess is... a vacation."

        "This, sir." The iguana- the same iguana that chased Fira and Pira last time- said as she gestured to the table. "Seems whoever lived here was very keen on finding something."

        "And confirming that whoever lived here went with them." The Gryphoness said as she went to the cupboards and looked through them. "Place is picked clean of any food, like they didn't want it to rot while they were away, but as travel food or one last hooplah out in the bonfires?"

        "Either, I'd reckon." The captain said. "And it seems... that those strangers were interested in finding an island." He flipped though them slowly, making sure he was getting everything right. "The pages bookmarked all have to do with routes and exploring... with some of them highlighted and focused on two Islands: Jeke and Trochet." Termundus' ears perked up when he heard the names of the islands: one is forbidden, and the other is where he suspects a certain zapper to be.

        "Trochet?" The dragoness repeated. "Trochet's a ghost island and crawling with monsters."

        "That is just a urban myth." The captain replied. "Like the Chupacabra." That poor goat-sucker is still a myth even this far into the future; it's never gonna catch a break. "But Trochet is the site of a lot of disappearances and has been a no-go zone even before the Fog settled in."

        "And Jeke?"

        The captain merely shrugged. "Supplies, maybe. It's clearly a stopover while they go to Trochet."

        "That would explain all those rafts on the shore." The cat figured. "Trochet is too far for a flight, and going on land or island hopping would take way too long. If we are correct and that they went to Trochet, they obviously needed a boat. Maybe... they thought they could build one out of recovered scraps, or use rafts for their journey. Clearly, neither was the case. In that sense.... who gave them a boat?"
        So they are running, running away from him. Termundus internally snickered.. but was soon overcome by a feeling of unease; he won't be able to get his revenge on those twerps if they get out of his reach. "... Sir, I request permission to go to Trochet and--"

        "Denied." The captain quickly rejected.

        ... A rejection Termundus didn't take kindly too. He hates being told no. "... Heh, you don't understand; I AM going because i beli--"

        The captain slammed the book on the table, making some of their squaddies jump in surprise in their investigations. "No, YOU don't understand. YOU don't give the orders around here anymore- I do. YOU lost that privilege when you went tyrant. So you are going to listen to me when I tell you you are not going. End of discussion." The two had a tense faceoff that was already on the verge of resorting to violence if the sharpened emerald rock behind the captains head was any indication. And thanks to Termundus' reputation, the captain predicted that was what he was going to do. "I wouldn't do that."

        "And why not?" Termundus snorted. 

        "Because if you kill us, they will send another squad to investigate when we don't check in. They will piece things together when they don't see your carcass amongst ours." Crap, he's right, Termundus thought. They will send people to look for them... not that it mattered to Termundus. "Now... I am going to overlook this attempted murder because you are a narcissistic asshole still getting used to reality, but I will be telling your real captain when he returns, and if do it again, we will go straight to the top, straight to Cirrus himself. Is that understood... PRIVATE?"

        Termundus stayed silent for a few brief moments, moments that had everyone on edge; they won't be able to overpower the former despot if he tries anything. ... thankfully, they won't have to as the emerald dropped harmlessly onto the floor. "Crystal.... easy to replace." That was a threat. An intimidating threat, but the captain kept his calmness and composure; he was not going to back down to a bully like him.

        "What was that?" A new womanly voice asked. They looked to the doorway and saw the only "friendly" face Termundus had, and that was waning by the day.

        "Lady Teluri." The captain responded. He and the others gave a slight bow while Termundus just raised an eye in suspicion. Why was she here? "What brings you here?"

        "I'm housesitting."

        "So this is where she kept disappearing to..." Termundus mumbled to himself. 

        "So, Captain... " She looked at his nameplate. "... Taun, what brings you by?"

        "We're investigating the disappearances of Lady Alua and the orphans under her charge... but as you said seconds ago, you are housesitting, so you must know where they went."

        "I do. But I am not going to say."

        "And why not?"

        She briefly turned her attention- her glare- towards the evil among them. "... cause of that big lumbering oaf I call my husband. I don't trust him to not take off in pursuit in some twisted form of vengeance." A smart call; it's a bad time in your life when even your own wife won't trust you... well, it would be for normal people, but Termundus is anything but normal. Or sane. "But they are safe, I promise you that. They departed with the outsiders, to help them look for the way to get them home, so SOME of you can rest assured that the troublemakers will soon be gone."

        "So then what's with the tower of flotsam and all those rafts?" The cat asked as he leaned on the table.

        "Consequences of overplanning: the keel sticking out of the sand was to serve as ready-made materials in case they needed to build a boat from scratch or create an expansion, while the rafts were for if the prisoners wanted to leave with them."

        "The prisoners?" The captain asked while Termundus perked up yet again... and not in any hopes, since they will spread word about what he did to them... especially with one particular method. 

        "Oh, I meant the now EX-Prisoners, that ones who escaped from my husbands charming care during his duel with the outsiders. They took refuse here , all the while the Council were wise to overlook their so-called "crimes" and give them pardons. Well, all except for two who did commit crimes: a petty criminal who thanked the stars when his sentence was replaced with community service, and the second was a cold-blooded killer who did not have any regret or remorse for his actions. And I will not reveal who they are, again due to... reasons."

        Termundus stepped forward and insisted, "No... I believe you should."

        "No. I don't." She defiantly replied.

        She's really trying his patience this week- nobody can ever know about his methods, especially of a certain gemstone. "... Heh, woman, you aren't listening to me: those lowlife scumbags are lying to you and--"

        "Cut the bullshit!" She yelled unexpectedly. The room grew cold, silent, and tense- it's rare to see Teluri yell like this. The others felt like they should leave so they weren't in the middle of this, but they were afraid to leave because they don't know how the cruel idiot will react to this; they may need to save her if it gets bad. "You had kids down there. Children! There is no excuse to explain why you thought subjecting children to such horrors was permissible!" 

        "Nobody was going to miss a couple of street orphans!" He retorted. Teluri was taken aback by this; he really is trying to make excuses.... horrible. "I did the city a favor by removing those eyesores!"

        "And jsut what were their crimes?!" The captain ordered, butting in.

        "Spreading slander by some foolish game of theirs!"

        "That's it!?" The gryphoness and dragoness shouted. "You tortured kids because of some game?"

        "They insulted me!" He scoffed at them. "I don't need to take this from plebians like you." He headed straight for the door.

        "You are not going anywhere!" Teluri said, getting in his path.

        "Get out of my way, woman!" He ordered, but she refused. "It is not right for you to be treating me like this and embarrassing me even worse then I already am."

        She pinched the bridge between her eyes. "OH my Stars, I cannot believe this... I have no right? No right to treat you like the de-- how conceded are you?!"

        "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

        "It means you're a sadistic blowhard, that's what it means!"

        "AND YOU ARE A TRYHARD LITTLE BITCH WHO--" A very hard slap to the face shut him up. The slap was so hard, it actually broke skin. His squadmates tensed up, with the cat sucking in his lips; this just got really, really bad.

        They could see the hurt in her eyes... they could tell that this was not normal in their lifestyle; what Terdummy was doing was abhorrent, to say the least. "How.... dare  you...?" Her voice quivered. "I defended you when I shouldn't have... i loved you when i clearly shouldn't have... I was right to send Seliox with them..." She turned around to not give him the satisfaction. "Don't bother coming back to the house. You are no longer welcome there... And when I get back to the mainland, I'm reporting straight to Cirrus about your other monstrous actions... you are no warhero... you are just a monster." And with that, she walked out, feeling her heartbreak worsen with each step. 

        His second team of squadmates gave him hated looks as they passed him, sneering at him with vile vitriol and hate just like the first team did when he joined them. "You are a devil." The parrot said, following the others as the last one out. 

        Alone, Termundus stood motionless, unable to grasp what just had transpired and, like all self-absorbed megalomaniacs, wondered why they all hated him. "She struck me..." he said as he rubbed where he was hit. Feeling something wet, he moved his paw and saw blood. He was bleeding- nothing profusely, but enough to take notice. "And she drew blood." He closed his paw like a fist. "I think I'm falling in love all over again." He said with a sickening smile.

        But that all fails to overtake the hate he was feeling: his life is in ruins; his wife is going to leave him, his reputation sullied, and he's forced to traipse around with these troglodytes. He angrily hit the wall with his fist, cracking it and tearing off some mudded plaster from the impact. This was all the Outsiders fault, the purple and the silver! They were the ones to blame for his fall from grace. Tempers flaring, he reared back and yelled,

        "That woman from the tower.... that accused female Silver... I'm going to kill those bitches for ruining my life!!!!"

        And he knew just where they were going.






        Having watched her enter the nearby woods, the captain followed after her into the thick brush. He found her in seconds, sitting on a rock and crying her heart out. It felt awkward to be around, but he did not blame her for breaking down; what happened back there was.... was rough to watch, and possibly even rougher to experience. 

        "Un, Lady Teluri? Are you ok."

        She sniffled, somehow silencing her sobs, with tears still falling down her face. "Am I stupid....? To not have noticed...?" She sniffled again. "Back then... he was kind, caring, attentive...... So what changed...?"

        "Lady Teluri?" She cleaned her tears as she soon turned her gaze towards the Captain

        "He is not the dragon I knew.... He has become something horrible..." She held her head, feeling horrible for not realizing everything sooner. "...was it my fault for him turning into this or was I too blind to see the monster that he truly was?..."

        "Blind." He was quick to reply. "You were blind to it out of love. You didn't want to believe that he may have turned into... into what he has turned into... or if he ever was like this since the beginning ..."

        "That's what scares me the most..." She shuddered at the thought of it. "That all that he was... all that he is... is not who he was at all..." She was close to breaking down again. "...he was so kind and gentle when we met; he treated me like a queen... now to see him revealed to this monstrosity is... is..."

        That, he had nothing to respond quickly with. "I... honestly wish I knew what to say..."

        "It's fine..." She sobbed softly. She wiped her eyes with her leg, but tears kept on coming. "...... I'm just... glad Seliox isn't here to witness all this..."

        Now that she brought it up, the kid has been strangely absent from public life lately; if it was to avoid the fallout, good call. "Oh yeah, I did notice an absence from the kid. Where'd he go, on vacation?"

        He's technically not wrong. "Of a... sorts."

        Things fell silent. The captain stayed silent as Teluri shuddered a few last sobs; this last week had been eye-opening, but horrible... divorce isn't something that comes up often in society and even frowned upon, but with how hellish her husband turned out to be, she has no choice, social standings be damned.

        And what happened next definitely put a lynchpin to that thought.

        "We have a big problem!" The other dragon of the group shouted as he ran through the brush, crashing through and almost hitting the captain. 

        "Whoa whoa whoa!" The captain shouted as the dragon dug his paws in the dirt to skid to a halt. Teluri got off her rock, wiping her eyes once more. "Slow down there, tiger. Now what's got you in a tissie?"

        "It's Termundus! He's gone off the deep end! He attacked the others and just stormed off!" As if Teluri's heart couldn't sink any further. The captain ran back the way they came, hoping his charges were alright. Teluri and the dragon followed soon after him; her magic was going to be needed.

        They returned to the house to find the rest of the squad on the ground, hurt but alive. The captain went straight for his second- the cat- and lifted him up. He had a nasty scar on his arm and bruising all over. "What happened here?"

        "Termundus... went rogue." He struggled to say. "We heard him yelling something inside the house and doubled back to check. Next thing we knew, he mopped the floor with us and just left, mumbling something about killing those bitches."

        "Oh no....." Teluri whispered aloud, knowing full well his intention. "Oh no no no no no no..." She looked out towards the horizon; towards the north. "He's going to go after them; he's gonna go after the outsiders."

        "He wouldn't." The captain sternly replied, believing that while Termundus is psychotic, he's not insane. "We know nothing about those outsiders- if any of them turn out to be royalty of some kind and they get hurt, or worse killed, then he could ignite a war with whatever power is outside the Fog."

        "Given after everything we've seen this last week, would you put it past him?" The gryphoness responded snidely.

        The dragoness made herself roll onto her back, feeling her legs getting sore and giving them a breather. One of them may be broken. "But how will he even catch up to them? Nobody can fly that fa--" They heard a loud crashing noise coming from the beach.... and just a few seconds later, the parrot came flying up. "Don't say he didn't turn the flotsam into a serviceable ship..."

        "Ok. I won't say it." The parrot said... and nothing followed, so that pretty much confirmed it.

        Running his paws over his scalp, the captain was feeling aggravated and growing more so by the minute. "Dammit! This got out of hand fast!" He turned to the dragon, the only one of the squad not hurt. "You, fly back to the mainland and inform the Council! Hopefully by the time we return, they'll have a ship ready so we can pursue." The dragon nodded and took to the air. 

        "He won't make it back fast enough." Teluri said. "Termundus already has a huge lead on us; he would be better off trying to destroy the flotsam."

        "And risk him dying?" The captain responded. "Not a chance. Not if we beat him there first. We know the locations from the book: Trochet and............. Jeke..."

        "What's wrong with Jeke?" She asked.

        "Cause Jeke is Ocilus' home town, and it's where Termundus' first squad went: they went there to arrest her, who we believe fled there immediately after the trial to avoid punishment."

        She held her head. "... oh, Stars above, can this get any worse?"

        







        "I'm booooooored..." Taltian whined as he draped himself over a barrel.

        Having been here for a little over a day, the group was already beset with troubles: most notably this intense heat. Nobody said this island would be a furnace; you'd figure the lack of trees would've given it away when they sailed in. The second problem they encountered was the docking fee; whoever owns this is running an extortion racket, making it hard for people to dock, buy, and sell their catches, which isn't fair to the people living in this robust port town: built entirely on stilts sticking out of the water, the wooden huts had plenty of natural shade- that answers the 'lack of trees' question, too. A small town between 100 to 200 people, the people here live simple yet gentle lives, leaving politics at the door... even so, news of what happened at Nexia hasn't spread this far, which gave them some breathing room.

        As they were not on the local most wanted lists, this meant that the Dragenian's could walk around without worry. They garnered some attention from their single colorations and the fact one is a Female Silver, but they left the group well enough alone; they're not brainwashed to hate Silvers like what Termundus did back in Nexia; that skyrocketed this place to Sil's fave place to be. That said, they did need to keep their true identities a secret, so Fayin had to stay on the ship- not like she could go anywhere anyways- and they had to work with the excuse that Ven and Bran were shaved Anthromorphs which, given the heat, was a believable excuse.

        As for the reason they stopped at Jeke to begin with, this damn Treasure of whatever the heck it is, Trach went out to go find it, taking the able-bodied members of their group with him, those being Kader, Terrum, Pira, Seqy, and Eia, and by able-bodied, he meant the smartest and most capable among them. Everyone else- Alua, Fira, Polosa, Sil, Sokuro, Seliox, Fayin, Ventus, Taltian and Terrux, Quio, and Bran- was back at the boat or wandering around town. Obviously, it was for insurance purposes- if he has them with him, then the others won't leave; friendship can be predictable like that.

        "Try sweating through your only pair of clothes!" Bran complained. Even under all the shade the covered dock provided, he was still sweating buckets. Not even Vega was this hot, and it had some bad days. "I don't have a spare pair!"

        "I feel fine." Fira snickered as he floated on the waters surface with a coconut drink in one paw and grub in the other.

        Tal pointed to the floating fire drake. "You heard him- take a swim!"

        "Easy for you to say; You're an Ae-- a Dragon, you don't sweat." Tal rolled his eyes as Bran turned towards the floater, "And you're a Fire Dragon- you deal with heat all the time; you literally barf it up."

        "Doesn't change the fact it's still hot as heck." Fira replied as he took a sip loudly enough to irritate him. To add insult to injury, he loudly exclaimed, "AAAH!" after finishing. "Refreshing." Bran glared at him- he's gonna steal that drink.

        "Yeah, it's a real scorcher today..." Sokuro panted as she waved a fan in her face. "How much longer until they get back?"

        "They only left an hour ago, so just relaaaaaaax." Seliox cooed as he relaxed on a lounge chair; how he is not sweating up a storm is anyone's guess. 

        "Again, you aren't the one sweating through their clo--" And he was kicked into the water by Terrux. 

        Bran was quick to surface and shook the salt water out of his head. "You're not sweating now, hahaha." He heard Rux laugh.

        "Yeah yeah, funny- you're lucky this water feels good, or else I'd come back up there and hit ya." He floated on his back, feeling a sense of relief now that he's not dying to heat stroke anymore. He wondered why it's so hot; from what he read, Cuba was never this bad. It had bad scorcher days, sure, but nothing that felt like being inside a volcano inside another volcano. 

        "Hey, un, where's Fayin and Pearl?" Sil asked, taking notice at their absence. "She can't leave the ship, so where'd she go?"

        Exhausted, Sokuro was able to say, with her voice slowly fading into a drawl when she realized... "Relaxing down at the freez........... er............"  ... they have a freezer. It's not big, like most 1970's things, but it works. 

        And just a few seconds after she said it, they all had the same idea, which resulted in a mad dash towards the cool cold air, and it was a spectacle; so much yelling, pulling, and climbing over people, just to get to someplace cold. 

        "I'm first!" "No, me!" "I'm the youngest!" "I'm the oldest!" "Out of my way!" "Ow, who elbowed me!?" "Age before beauty!" "No biting!" "Get your butt out of my face!"

        And in the commotion, Sil was tossed into the water, splashing down right by Bran and Tal. When he surfaced, the other dragon offered him a coconut drink. "Water's fine, huh?"

        Looking at the coconut, Sil took it and took a sip. Not bad; very milky. "Well, beats being in the sun all day long." He commented as he watched with the other two the chaos that was unfolding. "And being in the middle of that." The dragons took a leisurely sip out of their straws at the same time.
        



        Meanwhile, at a nearby cantina that had excellent shade, was miraculously cool, and had faaaaaaaaaaans. The grownups of the group- Alua, Ven, Polosa, and Quio were at the bar taking a well deserved break; if only this place allowed kids, then they wouldn't be fighting over a small freezer barely big enough to hold a dragon's head. But no kids allowed, leaving the adults with some quality alone time, which was needed: being cramped on a boat for 9 days with rowdy kids is exhausting. 

        "So, what do we do about Trach?" Quio asked out of nowhere with a skewer poking out of his mouth.
        "What do you mean?" Ven asked, who was patiently waiting for his food to arrive; something that isn't calamari, please! He had mostly healed up on the cruise here, but the scarring left by the gem... that was gonna stay.

         Quio took the skewer out of his mouth and continued, "Well, cause I just realized something: If there is treasure here and Trach finds it, how is he going to get it back to Nexia? I worked with him and I strongly doubt he'd just let us leave him here. But if we take him back, that would be a lot of time wasted."

        Wondering that herself, Polosa pulled out Ven's phone- did she just swipe it out of his pocket?- and scrolled through the picture that had the map on it. She handed it back to the perturbed Ven, who zoomed in while giving her a glare. "And unfortunately, there's no mainland landmasses we can drop him off at for him to walk home.... and if we do it and he protests, when he makes it back to Nexia before you guys, he'd probably tell his boss that we abandoned him. It won't affect us Dragenians since we'll be back home, but it will effect you guys."

        It would. Any blowback would be situated solely on Alua and the kids. "Would Kar'kile attack kids?" Alua asked the former gang member.

        Quio shook his head... but soon switched to a 'maybe' hand wave. "Attack? No. Kidnap and hold for ransom, yes, but they'd be well-treated hostages." Both options were bad... but at least they wouldn't be hurt, so that's something at least.

        "Too bad Florida doesn't exist this far in the future..." Ven commented while playing with his spoon by making it spin in his fingers. He continued, "Taking him back would be a big waste of time; we spent 9 days getting here, and we'd have to spend 9 more taking him back, and another 9 just to return to where we started. That would be an entire month wasted just on travel time, and that's not even counting however long it would take to get to Bermuda AND explore it."

        "Hopefully he's aware of that." Polosa said. "If not, we'll give him his options: Come with us, walk home from-- Florida, you called it?" He nodded in response. "From there, or wait here for us to return. Either way, going back when we're at the halfway point is out of the question."

        Alua nodded in affirmation, "Then we'll confront him about it when he comes back and go from there."

        With that to look forward too, all the grown-ups could do until then was drink, eat, and wait... Ven licked his lips when his food arrived; he was starving for a good piece of meat, and it's something that's not calamari or seaweed, so bottoms up.

        "By the way, Ven, how are you feeling?" She asked.

        He blinked as he looked at her with a full mouth. "What do you mean?"

        She pointed to his chest. "Your wound from Termundus' dungeon. The Shadow Spot."

        Right... that's what she meant. He set the fork down and sighed... it was a tough time, being told he was going to turn into a monster, and the last few days didn't help matters. "Well... it doesn't hurt or anything, but..." He undid the buttons on his coat and opened it up, revealing that the spot on his chest had gotten bigger, now being roughly the size of a eggplant. "I don't think it's getting smaller."

        "Oh no..." Polosa sighed. She reached out to touch it, but Ven closed his clothes. She pulled her hand back and looked at the table for a moment before asking Alua, "Isn't there anything you can do to stop this?"

        "Sadly, no. Best I could do is slow it down, but I don't know how."

        "Crap..."

        "Hey, it's nothing to worry about." Ven said. "It's only slightly bigger then the last time i checked, and we only have one island to explore; we'll get back before me and the kid turn into monsters that try to eat you."

        "Right..." She plopped her head in her hand. "I forgot about the kid..."

        This was a situation that they had no control over, other then speed... whatever Trach and the others are doing in their treasure hunt, they were gonna need to hurry. For now, however, they were gonna eat in silence. but they couldn't even have that as a certain figure entered the bar, on the other side of a load-bearing pole.

        The wasted Dragoness staggered her way to her favorite stool and draped herself over the bar. "Baaaartkenp..." She slapped the empty mug down upon it. "...gimme a*hippup*nother."

        The barkeep, another Dragon- hazel in color- came to her and grabbed the mug. He looked in; not even the suds are left. "Another one? I'm gonna have to cut you off if this keeps up; this is your 6th glass today."

        Polosa's ears perked up, hearing something oddly familiar. "Did you guys hear that?"

        "Hear what?" Quio asked.

        "That voice. It sounds familiar..." She got up to go look.

        Meanwhile, the drunkness demanded she have more. "Juht give me another o*Hippup*other one. Orsh better yet, givme the bottle."

        The barkeep was hesitant to do so; this would be her 7th drink and it wasn't even noon. "I don't feel like I should."

        "I'll tell you what you sssssssssould be doingk, and that's getting me a drunk. Now." Too late for that; she already was drunk. She swiped at the air, and fell backwards, landing flat on her back. "And I am on va floor." She held her head back with a open mouth. "JUst pour it in my gullet. Go full*hiccup*tilt."

        Her eyes spinning, the figure that entered her vision was broken apart in several that spun around and around and around. "You have got to be kidding me." The spinning head of Polosa commented.

        "Heeeeeeeeeeeey, it's Greeeeeenie.... that's my favorite color!" She got up to her feet, only to fall flat on her front. "Hooooow ya been, Greenle? Readshy for round 2? I can take on all six of yash."

        "Is that who i think it is?" Ven asked venomly as he rounded the corner.

        "Yep..." She rolled her former foe onto her back, who was out like a light. "... it's Ocilus."
 

68: Chapter 63: This is the Treasure?
Chapter 63: This is the Treasure?


Chapter 63

This is the Treasure?





        Nobody knew what to expect when they began the treasure hunt; Bran even warned them about the stereotypical traps that could lay before them: trapdoors, boulders, spears or arrows in the walls, pitfalls with spikes- all that wonderful good stuff seen in everything featuring treasure. But, as luck would have it, the group that went searching: Trach, Eia, Terrum, Kader, Seqy, and Pira, never encountered any boobytraps of any kind, not even a tripwrire. It was just a plain ol' cave.

        But they did encounter one thing.

        "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

        One misstep sent them down a hole, landing in a dogpile, with Trach on the bottom. Kader landed on top of the pile and struck a pose like he won a competition, which he kinda did... the 'not being on the bottom of the pile' competition. 

        While everyone moaned and groaned, a clawed paw came out from under the pile and pulled the squished Trach out, or at least pulled his head out so he can get some air. "Why me....?" He wheezed.

        "Why indeed?" Kader snidely snickered. He jumped down off the top of the pile, landed on Trach's nose, then bounced off it like a diving board. He struck another pose, while Trach sneered behind him. "I did warn ya'll to watch that step, but you just didn't wanna listen. You were all 'it's fine, let's just go', and here we are."

        Eia, in her Ferid form, rolled off the pile and groaned. "I... am really starting to hate caves...."

        "That's the second one we've fallen down..." Seqy grunted as she and Pira got off the pile, leaving only Terrum, who was as flat as a pancake. "Do we get a prize if we go down a third one?"

        "Yeah..." Pira cracked his back. "A broken body."

        With the kids off his back, Trach got up and looked up where they fell. "Which I think I have..." He grunted, feeling achy all over. "It wasn't even that far of a drop."

        "You shush!" The kids all yelled. Kader, meanwhile, was propping Terrum back onto his feet, but he was a bit dazed. A few quickfire slaps from the mouse brought him back.

        "Anyways..." Trach ignored them as he took a step... "...let's continue on so we can finally get this--" ... right into the lid of a foot locker hip first. ".... ow..." He squealed, falling over with crossed legs and a injured pride.

        "We found it." The kids said in unison.

        "... i've noticed." Trach squeaked.

        "Would treasure even be in a foot locker?" Terrum commented as he walked over to the locker and looked it over. "Hmm..." He knocked on it. "This is pretty old... and with no other discernable markings other then a padlock. If there is treasure in here, it's not gonna be much." Just their luck, if that's the case. "It's also possible this could be a coffin."

        Seqy blinked several times, realizing that they did the same thing back on the Origin Island just a couple weeks ago, venturing into a cave in search of a dead guys grave; even the team composition is the same, minus Trach. "Anyone else getting a sense of deja vu?"

        "Yep." The kids all responded in unison.

        "Except this time there's no monsters trying to eat us." Pira said.

        Working through the pain, Trach shakingly got to his feet. "Monsters?" His voice lowered a little back towards his original octave.

        "Don't ask." They responded.

        The sound of rock hitting metal brought their attention back to the foot locker as Terrum broke off the padlock with a good sized rock. "Now then... shall we see what is inside?" He looked towards Trach. "Would you care for the honors, your grouchiness?"

        How amusing, and yet not wrong: Trach would rather be back home then here. Home may also be a cave, but it's a civilized cave. "Ha... funny..." He said with a deadpan. Tossing the padlock away, he pulled up the lid to witness what they came all this way to find: was it Gold? Silver? Crystal? Diamonds? Pearls? Platinum? No, it was....

        "It's..... clothes." He let go of the lid, letting it fall back. When he said what they were, the party started to approach. What they came here to find was, "Just... dusty, raggedy old clothes." He pulled out a old red frilly dress which had seen better days.

        This was not the treasure they expected or wanted to find. "Yeah, but they looked fancy." Seqy said as she pulled out a pair of tuxedo pants. "Though it looks like they are only meant for Anthromorphs."

        Tossing the dress aside, Trach had a fit. "Uuuuuugh...!!!" He kicked a large rock hard into the ceiling, making the kids worry he was gonna cause a collapse. Thankfully, he did not. "...who in their right mind would leave a foot locker of dusty old rags in a cave?!"

        Kader jumped onto the lid of the box and peered in. He could smell the mothballs from there. "Well, to the right person, clothes can be more valuable then gold. And these do look pretty fancy, so they could fetch a pretty penny to collectors or museums." Not as much as a horde of gold, Trach internally huffed. "Though you aren't wrong about one thing: why would they leave a trunkful of clothes in here? And make a map?"

        "So they wouldn't forget such a unorthodox hiding spot?" Terrum suggested. "Just throwing out a hunch."

        "A hiding spot for what, a robbery?" Eia asked. "I can legitimately think of no reason to hide fancy dress gowns in a damp cave other then the hider was kooky." 

        "Still better then nothing." Pira said. "Like the rat..."

        "Mouse."

        "...said, if we sell these to the right person, we should make a pretty penny."

        "Yeah? Do you know any collectors or museums who would be willing to pay for tattered old things?" Does he not know how museums work?" Half the stuff in Naya's museum ARE old and tattered and broken. "This stinks. Only thing in here that looks salvageable is a hat..." Which he promptly pulled out. It was a lightish pink sunhat with jewelry encrusted around the rim. "...a hat with jewels embedded in it. At least i'll be able to make some pro---......" Then he took a closer look and got even more disappointed. "Just my luck... Zircon."

       "Zircon?" Pira and Eia repeated.

        "A mostly common mineral, with the ore durable enough to resist heat." Terrum said. "It is even turned into scissors and knives."

        Trach looked at the hat and grumbled, "Great, so I can make a steak knife out of this... or forge a dagger I can use to kill that damn idiot that led us on this wild goose chase." He huffed as he tossed the hat aside.

        "That would be your boss." Seqy said.

        He walked right into that one. ".................................. I meant the mapmaker." Trach rubbed his eyes. "But of all materials, why zircon?"

        "Maybe it was a fashion statement back when she died?" Pira guessed. "Or she just liked how it looked; how should we know?"

        "Uuuuugh... this was not worth the trip..." Trach started heading for the exit, spreading his wings as he got ready to fly. "Do whatever you want with those rags- I need a stiff drink."

        Well, if he won't take them for some extra cash, they will. "If no one takes it, i'll claim the hat." Eia commented. It's made for Anthromorphs, whcih she kinda sorta maybe is on this world. She put it on her head; it matched perfectly with her dress. It was going to take some growing in to, but she'll make it work. For the triplets, they could use it to pay off Argax. He won't like how small the amount is or where it comes from, but he'll have to live with it. Closing up the lid, with Terrum using his powers to fashion a temporary lock out of the surrounding stone, Eia picked up one side... and Kader effortlessly picked up another, which surprised her. 

        "Whoa, what the?" She peered under it towards the rodent. "How in the world?"

        "What can I say, I work out." Kader chuckled, leading the way as the pair headed for the exit shaft, following behind Pira, Seqy, and Terrum.

        She was having trouble wrapping her head around that. "... you're a mouse! There is no real way you should be this physically strong." 

        "Have you not seen how ants work?" He replied.

        "But they lift leaves and stuff, not lift heavy crates, and moreover..."

        The voices trailed off as they flew up the shaft they fell down; Eia carrying the case herself in her Aerid form, returning the cave to the silence it commonly knows...

        Moments later, a sizeable piece of rock fell from the ceiling from the impact site Trach made and chipped away a tiny portion of the platform the foot locker was found on. A tiny crack formed and spread, breaking off more, as if the missing weight shifted things. More soon fell away, revealing a golden glow underneath. If only they stayed a minute longer...

        Oh well.
        





        "There is no way this is Ocilus." Sokuro bitterly said.

        Ignoring the wretched heat, the group had returned to the upper deck after Fayin kicked them out- with assistance from Pearl- and saw Ocilus staggering her way down the dock, following behind the angry adults. The reactions to seeing her here were fear and horror... until they saw her hiccup loudly, take a huge swig from her bottle, and crash on a sack. Most stayed back on top of the ship, while the adults stayed on the dock as they were the most ample line of defense should the former underling snap and attack... though Ven kept his distance from her and climbed up onto the boat for obvious reasons.

        "It's her." Polosa said, already getting tired of Ocilus being around. "My leg says so."

        "There's just no way."

        "Eh, I have it on good authority that this is indeed her." Alua said.
    
        "Whose?"

        She gestured out towards the wider town. "Everyone who lives here. Apparently, Jeke is her hometown."

        Of course it was... all the kids moaned and groaned; why is their luck so damn awful...? "Oh of all the rotten..." Taltian sighed, rubbing his eyes while tapping his forehead. "... given your guys' luck this last couple of weeks, I'm shouldn't be surprised." His brother Terrux nodded in agreement.

        "But she's supposed to be scary." Sokuro said. "She's supposed to be this sadistic villain who got her kicks torturing the others and almost killing me and Polosa, not someone wasted off her ass."

        Ocilus tried to head towards the child, but fell right onto the wood. Again. Just how drunk is she to where she can't even walk straight for more then 5 feet? And it's not even noon. This is just sad. "Hey, thow some respect." 

        "Respect to someone who almost killed me? Thanks, but no thanks."

        "I say we toss her into the drink." Fira said. "A good dip in the ocean blue might do her some good."

        "That would sober her back up." Terrux replied. "And think about it: drunk Ocilus isn't attacking us, but hungover angry Ocilus will."

        "Good point; let's get her a few cases of tequila then." The two of them jumped off the boat and started to leave, strolling on past, but Alua grabbed them by the tails and pulled them back. 

        "Still, it is odd to see her here." Bran said. "It took us 9 days to get here by boat, so how in the world should she even be here? Even if we factor in all the time after the battle we spent in the cave, getting supplies, and fixing up the ship, it still would've taken her some time to get here, and shouldn't be this wasted in just a few days."
        "Like a bolt of lightning." Seliox said. The kids and adults looked towards him, which put him on the spot, but that's nothing new. "Ocilus' element is electricity, and electric Dragons can move as fast as a bolt of lightning. She clearly used that speed to get here."
        "Then why didn't she move like that during our fight?" Sokuro asked. "If she did, she would've won."
        "From what I remember, lightning-based Dragons burn the most energy; using that to zip around the battlefield would leave her at a disadvantage with how much she would've spent, so traveling so large a distance so fast would've been extra taxing on her body, especially after such an intense fight and trial."

        "And after what we did, no wonder she's shitfaced." Polosa said. She glanced up to the boat and saw Ventus storm off into the boat's interior; he looked so furious.

        "My fach isn't in shit." Ocilus hiccupped. "It's in wood. Gahaha..." 

        "I'm half tempted to get popcorn." Fira giggled.

        Ocilus popped onto her feet. "OH, popcorn! Yes yes yes, i want popcorn! Are we gonna go shee a movie? I wana see that Emerald fella... He'sh hot. Ghahaa..." One misstep had her falling into the water, where she floated facedown. 

        Alua sighed, watching on in silence as the once powerful and feared warrior on the mainland was reduced to this. There is no excuse for her actions: everything she did was deplorable... but on the surface, in the people's eyes, she WAS a high-ranking figure... now she's like this, a drunk slob who can't even function. Using her powers to manipulate the water, she brought her back onto the dock. "Weeeeee...." Ocilus went.

        Meanwhile, inside the boat...

        Fayin and Pearl sat in front of the freezer, taking advantage of the cold cold air to keep themselves cool during the heatwave; when everyone came up, they shooed them off violently. They won't get so lucky with Ven, who took a bottle of rum out of the freezer and slammed it shut. "Hey, I was using that."

        "Tell that to someone who cares." Ven bitterly and uncharacteristically snapped back at her.

        "Geez, what's got you in a--"

        "Just get out." He hissed... something he never did.

        Feeling legitimately threatened, Fayin complied, feeling that something was... off about him. "Ok..." She grabbed Pearl in one hand and, using the other, limped her away along the various innards of the boat towards the exit, passing by a confused and concerned Polosa. 

        Ven snorted when he saw her, then sat down at the table to ignore her. "This is a disturbing new side to you..." Polosa hesitantly commented.

        Ven took one big swig of the rum, "Of all the fricken people to follow us, why did it have to be her?"

        This doesn't feel right, she thought. Something was very wrong here. "Ven? Are you ok?"

        "No, i'm not ok!" He snapped. "Do I look ok to you?"

        No... he does not... but that's not what she feels is the issue. There was something else; she felt it. "... it was far worse in the dungeons then what you told us, wasn't it?"

        He looked away. "... i don't want to talk about it." And took another big drink.

        "And i'm gonna keep pushing until you answer me." He kept looking away from her, despite her getting closer. "I have never seen you act like this before, so Velx forbid I be a bit concerned." He's surprised she's showing concern at all. She always came off as brutishly heartless to him. "... how much worse was it down there?"

        "...Much worse... i don't know what it was like for all the others, but for me... Those two days were an eternity of pain, and when she partook in it personally... it was Hell. The worst part was that she smiled for all of it. Smiled. At my screaming in agony. I have been alive for over 4 million years, and I had never experienced pain like that." Polosa stayed silent as he talked... how could she even respond to this? He didn't look great when she found him, and now... she could only imagine the hell he was put through. He said that they used some type of crystal... could that crystal really be able to generate that kind of pain? It didn't seem possible, but here it was. Gripping his bottle tight, his demeanor changed to hate. "I should just kill her right now while she's like this." He got up and went for the doorway, but she stepped in his way. "Get out of my way, Polosa."

        She stood firm. "No."

        "That bitch deserves to die for all the pain she caused me."

        "And what will it bring you? Satisfaction that she died before you? Or will it magically reverse the pain done to you? No, it won't; it will just make things worse."

        "And how would you know? You don't even know what happened to me!"

        "Yes I do!!"

        "How would you know!?"

        "Because it happened to me too!" She blurted out. She covered her mouth when she realized what she had revealed, which threw Ven for a loop. He saw an expression he thought didn't exist for Polosa: worry. She lowered her hand, but took a step back. "I..." She hesitated, but ultimately gave in with a exhaled sigh. "I know it's not the same, but... Back before I lived in Misken, before i even set foot on Evioly at all, I was a mercenary. My last job: I was hired by a kingdom on the mainland for a war they were losing- they were one of the last holdouts on abolishing the Gaharot Slave Trade." She felt him judging her. "I know, but my mind wasn't thinking: I just wanted my next paycheck. Anyways, doesn't matter: my army lost the final battle completely and I was one of the few survivors. The Jannisaries thought, with my skill, I was more of a captain or lieutenant in the regular army rather then just a merc, so they took me and tortured me for answers, demanding I give them the secret to the capitals defenses. I refused and for days, they........" She tensed up, which he noticed, and he swore he saw her tear up. "There are some things that just can't be given back... When I eventually escaped, I thought killing my tormentors would make me feel better, but... they just left me with a hollow feeling and a bitter taste. I... did things that still make me sick to my stomach."

        That all sounded tense. He never would've guessed she had been through that. And now his imagination was filling in on what horrible things happened to her. If they were as bad as he depicted in his mind... "Wow.... I... I didn't know."

        "Nobody does. Only Velx knows, as did his last Handmaiden before he died. It's a part of my past I want to forget, not just because of the pain I was forced to endure... but all the families and lives I destroyed in my quest for revenge. I..." Her breath started to shake. "I did terrible things that I regret, Ven. I understand your hatred towards Ocilus- i truly do... but trust me when I say that following through with it won't work out."

        "That..." He had no words to say in response to that. How can anyone? The girl went through hell similar to his and he never even knew. The two of them stayed in silence before Ven eventually asked, "I... get why you would want to keep that quest a secret, but why your former life as a mercenary?"

        "Cause there are some jobs that many would deem.... questionable, to put it lightly. And like I said, the kingdom that hired me was still trying to desperately hold on to the Gaharot Slave Trade... Fayin and all the other Gaharots would look at me in scorn, if not outright hate me, and I don't want that: I love this life I created for myself in Misken and I love all the people who live there..." Outside, they heard one of the kids fall, at least they think they fell, while the others laughed. Or maybe it was Ocilus that fell again. Who's to say? "... even if some of them are annoying..." She sat down at the table, burying her head in her hands. Ven joined, sitting across from her. She looked up from her hands and exhaled. "So what now...?"

        Ven lightly shrugged. "I.... don't know. Something to distract us from this hateful pain, I guess."





        At the same time, who should return to the dock but the treasure group, with an embittered Trach leading the way while his troupe came behind him, with Eia and Kader still lugging the box.

       "We're back..." Seqy cheered out with open wings. "...and you won't belieeeeeeewhy is she here?" She asked when she noticed Ocilus, passed out on a rolled-up pile of rope.
        "Would you believe they found her drunk in a bar?" Fira said. "Cause they found her drunk in a bar."
        "Ho ho ho, for real?" Eia laughed. She let go of the box, almost squishing Kader in the process, and jotted over to see the former terror. "Oh, this is just gravy."
        "Yep, it's all true." Quio said. "According to the barkeep, she got here little over a week ago and just drowned herself in every alcoholic thing they have."
        Eia nodded her head slightly with twisted lips. She could certainly understand why. "Well, after that shitstorm you were all in, I can't blame her, but why is she here at the boat?"
        At that point, she woke up and slurred, "Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuth are all under arrest, heyahaha..."
        "That's why." He said.
        Ocilus reared up her head and burped loudly. Eia, Quio, and Alua twisted their faces in disgust, with Eia taking off her new sunhat and using it to fan away the fumes. "Yuck, i'm gonna get drunk off her breath alone.." She remembered that one among their party had a worse experience with the former second, worse then all the others combined. "Oh... I bet Ven isn't happy."

        "At meeting his former jailer?" Pira asked. "What do you expect him to feel, elation?" That's when he noticed that the fox ain't here; he up and gone. "Huh. Where did he run off to?"

        "Polosa's gone too." Sokuro said, taking notice at the absence of the huntress, as well as the newly arrived Fayin who, last she checked, was down in the hold with the freezer.

        Kader's ears twitched, like he was hearing something from afar. Quio heard it too. "Anyone else hear moaning?" The rodent asked. Nobody else was hearing any moaning, but those two certainly were.

        That's when Alua noticed that the front of the boat was shifting every so slightly, going up and down and-- her face went bright red as she pieced it together and stammered for a bit. "Ubababa, Hey, un, kids, you wanna go get some horchata? The bar serves 'em and he makes them with cinnamon and chocolate."

        The local kids all grinned; they haven't had that in a long time. "Horchata!" They jumped off the boat and flew straight towards the end of the pier.

        "What's horchata?" Eia, Bran, and Sokuro asked as the former two departed from the ship with Sokuro's Aerid form carrying Fayin and Pearl in her arms.

        "You are in for a treat!" Pira cheered as he went to join the others, with Alua and Quio dragging Ocilus away by using her bottle of alcohol as the proverbial carrot on a stick.

        The group of Dragenians looked at each other, wondering what they were gonna get into. They just shrugged it off and walked along the dock to catch up to them. "So, how did the treasure hunt go?" Fayin asked. Eia gestured to the trunk as they passed by it, with Kader hopping onto her outstretched arm in the process, much to her chagrin. "Un... what?"

        "We came all the way here for that?" Sokuro asked.

        "Yep..." Eia sighed. She reached it and pulled out the tux from before. "... a bunch of old, smelly, mothballed clothes."

        "So, you got jibbed." Bran said as they started heading down the pier again.

        Fayin groaned loudly, frustrated that "... we diverted our attention to get that damnedable treasure, and it's not even treasure! It's just a bunch of raggedy old ballgowns! Who would even bury this stuff?!"

        "At a guess...." Bran started up, "... someone who stole all this stuff, thinking they were worth a fortune, and stashed it away where he thought nobody would look. Obviously, if true, the robber never came back for it- probably caught or died before they could come back." 

        "Lucky us...." Fayin droned. 
         
        "Only thing that wasn't in tatters was this hat." Eia said, pointing to it on her head. 

        "And you're keeping it?" Sokuro asked.

        "Heck yeah. After everything we've been through, I deserve some recompense. Besides, it looks good on me. I might start a fashion trend when we get home."

        "You do know you slept through the first couple of days of near-death experiences, right?" Bran asked.

        That she did, though not by choice and probably with some medical consequences she doesn't know of yet. She pouted when he brought it up, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. ".... still looks good on me."

        "Heh, ok, we'll give you that one." May as well give her something. "So Bran, what's this horchata thing?"

        "No idea; never had it myself, so this'll be new for all of us."



        At the bar, Trach was drinking in silence, or at least he was until the kids and their chaperones came in... along with a passed out Ocilus, that Quio and Alua dumped in the corner. He'll admit, he didn't see that coming. 

        He did see this coming, though.        
        "Clothes!?" Quio laughed as he approached the bar for the second time that hour. "Hahahaha. We go through all that, I almost die, and Termundus gets dunked on, just to get battered old clothes?! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" 

        "Yeah yeah, rub it in..." Trach took a swig of his drink. "Even though you're the one who grabbed the map in the first place."

        "Hey, there were hundreds of maps in the vault, and most of them were X'd out. So the first one I grabbed turned out to be a bust; who's to say the other maps wouldn't have lead to the same thing?" Easy for him to say- he's out of the game. "Besides, we were on a timecrunch." Trach subtly rolled his eyes and took another drink. "Was there even anything in there that WAS salvageable?" 

        The dragon put his glass down. "A hat... just a simple, measly sunhat with worthless zircon embedded in it... that the offworlder girl is taking with her."
        "So you got gipped."

        "Pretty much." He took one more swig before signaling the barkeep for another drink, which he will get to after he is able to write down all the orders from the kids while trying to corral them outside- they can't be in here, they're underage, and they got no kiddy section; closest they have is the outdoor patio, which he is trying to corral them towards with Terrum's help.

        "There are other clothes in the trunk, you know." Alua said as she approached the bar and sat down beside the two of them- she figured it was a good idea to prevent any bloodshed between the two former coworkers, and she trusts the offworlders to keep an eye on her charges.

        "Uuuuuuuuuugh..." Trach planted his face on the barcounter. "...all those maps you could've grabbed, all those valuable artifacts and riches waiting, and I get something that got eaten by gnats."
        "You said they were embedded with zircon, right?" He nodded, as painfully as it looked when he didn't lift his face up to do it. "Then look at it from a spiritual standpoint: Zircons are meant to cleanse you of negative energy's and give off a protective aura. They are also meant to attract wisdom, honor, wealth, success, and help one become better organized."

        "That's a load of hooey." Trach spat. 

        "Then sell them to a museum or something- I don't know! I was just trying to help you make something out of a crap situation."
        Quio silently and awkwardly stood there, twiddling his fingers and popping his lips until he asked, "So what will you do now?"
        "Well, according to the barkeep- who, by the way, has yet to refill my glass..." He held it up and shook it, getting the barkeeps attention. "According to him, the next ship to the mainland isn't for another week, so I guess you're stuck with me."

        ".... great..."

       As the Dragenian members of the group finally caught up with them- Alua already ordered for the four of them- Eia finally took notice of a certain someone she didn't take notice of when she got back, mostly because she didn't believe this was really her. "... is that who i think it is?" She asked as she pointed towards the wasted former guardsman in the corner.

        "Ocilus wasted off her gourd?" Sokuro responded as she set Fayin down at a table. "Yep."

        The confused raptor tilted her head, "How did she..."

        "According to Seliox, lightning drakes can move really, really fast, so she's been here a while." That's when she had a thought. "Can you do that, Eia?"
        Eia briefly looked at her like she was crazy before answering, "No. And I don't think anyone back home can do that, though it sounds fricken useful. And if we can, it's obviously not far distances, otherwise we'd have heard about Electric Aerid Criminals just disappearing after a crime."
        "I'lsh tell you hows i did it!" Ocilus blurted out as she woke up, hiccuping like a champion. "I didd it... like a fox. Hahahahah...." She then fell back under. 
        "And we were supposed to be afraid of her?" Kader droned.

        "You are looking at the consequences of alcohol abuse, kid." The barkeep said from the bar as he started on the goodies. "She splurged like crazy when she came back and hasn't shut up since; she keeps going on and on and on about how she was robbed or something- it's hard to tell with all that slurring."

        As sad as that is, the mutt focused on a few choice words. "Hasn't shut up?" Quio repeated. He then lightly bonked himself on the head, then hit that same hand on his other hand. "Ooooooh, I think I got it." He strode on over to her whilst Trach, Alua, and the Dragenians watched. "She's the truthful kind."

        "The what?" Bran asked with a lowered eyebrow.

        "Boy..." He knelt down at the former threat, who was sucking on her own claw like a baby to a bottle. "... in all my years, I've learned there are different kinds of drunk: Loopy, Violent, Stupid, and Truthful. If there is a pattern, nobodies figured it out. As for dear ol' Oci here, i think we can rule out Violent drunk and Stupid drunk- she hasn't attacked us thus far and she recognizes us."

        "And what's loopy in this regard?" The boy responded.

        "Can't talk, can't walk, can't do anything; pretty much a staggering slug that sees things, and she ain't that either."

        Trach walked up behind him with his front legs crossed like angry arms. "And just how do you know all about this levels of drunkness schpeel, dog?"

        "You have to ask?" Quio responded. "Barcrawls, baby. Barcrawls."

        "I had to ask..." Trach responded in disapproval. 

        "You honestly think she'll actually tell the truth?" Fayin asked.

        "I know how to test it." Alua said as she stepped forth. "She knows the answer to a question I also know the answer to. Ocilus..." The former menace looked towards her, blinking one eye then the other. "...what is Cirrus' favorite food?"

        "Farladoons witch a little chocolaktey center."

        "A what?" Trach went.

         "Macaroons, particularly with a chocolate center." Bran recognized the cookie- he had some the day before they were sucked to this madness, but it was lost on the others. "In the public sphere, everyone assumes his favorite dish is some fancy spread like.... well, whatever example I give will be lost on your offworlders, but in truth: the man really likes those cookies, which is something only those in good standings would know, so she's being truthful."

        "Then how do you know?" He asked.

        "He came by the academy about a year before I left. I overheard him talking to the chef when I was coming to turn in my plate, making a specific request for those cookies. Chef asked why and Cirrus' reply was simple: 'cause I love 'em'."

        And now with that knowledge under their belt, Sokuro snickered as she thought of many many questions to ask her, but had one to test the 'drunk truther' theory out some more. "Ok, I got one, I got one: Ocilus... why are you so mean and sadistic?"

        "Sometime tells me we won't like this answer." Eia commented.

        With both eyelids closing at different times, Ocilus burped up a nasty smell and went on to begin her tale, as best as she could, anyways. "Vell, I--"

        The story Ocilus told- her backstory- had been deemed unfit for both young and mature audiences by everyone present that heard it. To provide you the quick rundown... it was a very literal Hell, and that's putting it nicely.

        "...and then i keft home after shpitting on momma's grave like the rotten cow she is! Hahahaha...." She fell backwards once more, laughing up a storm.

        While the others just looked on, severely traumatized by what they had just heard. "......... called it......" Eia whimpered, feeling like she was going to lose her stomach. "....... i'm gonna go throw up now..."

        "I'm gonna join you..." Bran shivered. Kader was unconscious; that story was just too much for him, and he watched Bran perform haphazard surgery and saw a Shadow turn someone into bones viciously, so that's saying something.

        Alua had her paws to her mouth, utterly dumbstruck that someone would treat someone like that. Even the usually coldblooded Trach was shaken from what he heard. "My Stars..."

        "Yeah, she did not have a good time growing up here." The barkeep said as he was finishing making the horchata's. 

        Shaken, Fayin turned to him and asked, "And nobody did anything about it?"

        "I wasn't born then, lady; I don't think I was even a glint in my dad's eye yet. Besides, from what my parents said, they all had their suspicions, but didn't act on... well, you heard how terrifying they were."

        Sokuro, feeling the most traumatized out of everyone, held her head as she sat at a table. Her hands were shaking, which shouldn't: Ocilus was her enemy, so why is this affecting her so? "...Is everyone on this dang planet messed up in the head, cause what the heck!"

        Finishing a bout of dry heaving, Eia finally got to ask, "Can we... can we move on to a different question, please? I want... no more backstory." She pleaded as Bran woke up the little mouse.

        "Sadly, the one I have will likely be as terrible on our stomachs." Quio said. "Back down in the dungeons, when I was helping those Earthen jokesters free the prisoners, I saw that your master performed tortures that no sane person would ever condone, which he almost did to me. Why? Why does-- did he do it? We understand why YOU are messed up, so why is he? Why did he do it? What reason would he have to perform such horrible actings?"

        "Jusht because..."

        Somehow.... they expected that to be the answer. But they didn't want it to be the answer. ".............................. That's it? J-j-j-just because?"

        She grinned from ear to ear like the drunk idjit she is. "Heeeeeehehe, yeah. He reaaaally likes it when they shcream..." She then noticed the horchata being made. "...ooo, ice cream."

        "She's blitzed." Kader sighed. He jumped onto her snout and snapped his claws. "Hey, drunk heap, focus."

        With no energy, she lazily looked to Alua. "It's just not the furbalsh and the birdies. He hatesh everyone with equlth scorh."

        "Even other dragons?" Sokuro.

        "Pbbbbbbt, nooo... just those that chroshe him, like all of ya'll. He just hatttes the other racshes more. But for schome reason, Shilvhers will pissh him the flak off. Never found out why; i jusht went with it..."

        Alua took a step back, horrified by what she had learned. She, like everyone else, assumed there was a reason for Termundus' hatred and cruelty... but to learn that he does all that just because, with no reason behind it, especially his hatred towards Silvers and Sil in particular, "Guess that confirms it: he truly is a monster with no heart and no soul. There is no excuse for that, that... demon's behavior anymore."

        "Afraid not..." Kader said, looking away as he held his arm behind his back. "Some people are... just born evil and will become evil, no matter how much love given."

        "I suppose.... Teluri is gonna be so upset when I tell her, though..."
        They didn't want to play 20 questions with her anymore- two questions already left them wanting to seek out a Holy object to purify their souls. As Ocilus tried, and failed, to get out of her corner, the others stepped away from her to converse in private so she wouldn't hear. "So what do we do with her?" Alua asked.

        "What do you mean, what do we do?" Trach responded. "We leave her drunk ass here and continue on." Quio and Kader nodded in agreement; as natives to this land, they have/heard of Ocilus' terribleness, so they know full well what she is capable of... 

        ... the otherworlders, not so much. While Sokuro also doesn't like her, she can't help but feel sorry for her. One bad day and she ran home to drink her life away. "I understand that you have strong reasons to hate her and with good reason, but.... look at her." She gestured towards the broken soldier. "She can barely do anything. She can't even get that bottle to her lips anymore."

        "For Now." Quio hissed. "But what happens when she gets sober?"

        "Then she'll have more then just Polosa and Sokuro to battle." Alua said; she saw Sokuro fight two battles back to back and hold her ground against vastly superior foes. "Even she knows when she's outnumbered. From what i understand, Sokuro is new to this whole... Ascension to Dragons business on her world, but she held her own against a Shadow, AND Termundus & Drunky over there, and Polosa was at one point winning; without Termundus to back her up, I believe the two of them would be able to deal with her should she attack."

        "That's great and all..." Fayin interrupted. "... But she is still dangerous. She doesn't need to launch a full-out assault to do damage."

        "Thankfully, subterfuge isn't her strong suit." Alua assured. "She always likes to be up-close and personal."

        "So she won't use poison or stab us in the dark?"

        "No. Like I said, she likes the heads-on approach." 

        That still didn't fill the raptor with confidence, but the last couple of weeks have shown Alua isn't a liar, so she has that at least. "... If  you say so." She and the other kids were given cups of horchata. One drink and, "Huh. Not bad. Sweet, smooth, creamy, with some hints of corkrea." Bran and Alua looked at her with raised eyebrows. "It's what we call Vanilla."
        

        Meanwhile, outside, the kids were enjoying their horchata's. It has been far too long since they had something that wasn't water. 

        "Wonder what they're talking about it there." Terrux wondered as he looked inside.

        "Not our problem." Sil said as he took a huge sip. Terrux nodded with a shrug and took a big drink himself.

        It was going to be their problem in a couple hours.

        


        
        Several hours later...

        "Whoa..." Polosa panted heavily, her hair a complete mess and her clothes strung everywhere on the floor and barely a blanket to cover herself.

        "Agreed..." Ven panted back, also a complete mess, but as he was covered in fur, so that hair was more messed up. 

        "This probably isn't the best way to deal with repressed issues, huh?" She asked.

        "Probably not."

        After regaining some much needed air, she asked, ".... Round 4?"

        "Heck yeah." He responded, pulling the blanket back over them... at least he would've, if he still had the stamina. "No... I don't know you, but I'm getting sore."

        "Same..." With that said, Ven laid back down and tossed her her bindings, which were hanging off a lamp. She grabbed them and went under the sheets to put them back on in some privacy... not really needed after all that- he saw it all- but he wasn't going to complain. He does need a cigar, though. "What time is it, anyways?"

        He looked out the window and saw that, "Un... the sun is setting."

        She poked her head out. "Wait, what?" She looked to the window. "How long have we been in here?"

        "A long time. Since noon, i think?"

        "Wow." She slithered her way out. "Think they're looking for us? We did disappear after Ocilus made her return."

        "Probably not. We're adults." He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his pants. "They probably think I left to have some alone time and you followed to comfort me."

        "Oh, i did more then comfort..." She giggled, tapping him on the snout.

        "Careful girl, or else there will be a round 4." He slyly replied. As he shuffled around under the sheets to get his pants on, he wondered: ... where does this leave them? "By the way, where does this leave us?"

        She never thought of it, herself. "I don't know. I mean, i think of you as a friend, but not exactly mate material. I don't love you in that way or anything."

        "Same here." He tapped his thumbs together. "There is a phrase used- i don't know if you Dragenian's have an equivalent, but it's called Friends with Benefits." She looked at him with a tilted head. "Basically, it's... well, what we just did: we're friends, but we have some fun with none of the relationship baggage."

        "Oh, so that's what it meant." She said out loud, causing him to tilt his own head. "What? It's not my fault I overhear conversations. Besides, yeah, I can see us being that." Grabbing her overclothes, she slid the shirt on and tugged it down. "Well, best get out there before they send out a search party."

        "WE'RE WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?!"

        That chorus of screams were not happy. "Something tells me we're not high on their list of concerns." He responded.

        And he was right, for the adults told the kids what they planned to do with their drunk addon after they had just returned to the boat, who was now passed out in a bangle of rope with beer-laced drool flowing out of her mouth, and they were not happy about it at all.

        "We're taking her with us." Alua repeated.
        "Are you insane!?" Sil yelled. "She's a monster!"

        "Well, if you heard what we heard, you'd think twice about throwing her to the curb." Bran said. He shivered in disgusted fear. "I'm gonna have nightmares tonight." Eia gave him a hug from behind while Sokuro patted him on the back. 

        "This is a big mistake..." Seqy sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "You do remember what Ocilus is, right?"

        Alua sighed, wondering how best to get through to them. "Please listen, I don't like anymore then you, but we looked at this logically and we'll need her help. Trochet is a dangerous island; almost everyone who gets there vanishes, and there are reports sailors-by that they heard unnatural things seen and heard from within, so we'll need her power. That, and... maybe showing her a little kindness is what is needed to help her. She's never had any."

        "And what happens when she tries to kill us when she wakes up?" Taltian demanded to know.

        To which Sokuro responded, "Cause we have... un, me, Eia, Polosa..." She counted on her fingers how many Dragons/Aerids they have on their crew. "... Alua, Sil, the triplets, the twins, Seqy, Seliox, Trach...- we fliers outnumber her 13 to 1- even she knows that's not good odds. It won't be like last time- she had backup and that demon of a general with her. And also, keep in mind, it was just me and Polosa against her AND Termundus, and we held our own, so her against all of us? She'd be a stain on the docks." They heard her snorting up a storm. "... not to mention she'll be hungover as heck when she wakes up."

        All the gathered kids did was look on in silence and disappointment before departing, wanting some space from those they thought were protecting them.

        "... I warned you." Fayin said as she laid on her laid-out pillows.

        "That you did..." Alua sighed.

        Eia, perched up on the ledge, looked to the distrait Alua. "I barely know Ocilus since I had no interaction with her other then saving Sokuro's sorry behind, but if whatever everyone says about her is true, can you blame them for reacting so hostile?" She moved her legs over the ledge and jumped down onto the pier. Sokuro and Bran followed behind her as they left to catch up to the others.

        "That went well." Quio joked.

        Alua sighed, pinching her eyes. "Not now, dog..." 

        "Fine, fine." He heard the door to the cabin open. He looked over and saw Ven climbing out of the cabin, with Polosa coming up a few seconds behind him. Both looked like nothing happened, but he knew something happened. He turned on his butt- he was gonna try to mess with them. "Hey you two." He called out in a innocent sing-songy manner.

        The two jumped in their skin, seeing that Alua, Quio, and Fayin were on the boat. Polosa brushed her clothes like she had just been dusting. "OH, un, Quio. Didn't know you were up here. Along with... Fayin and Alua."

        He grinned- this was gonna be easy. "So, where'd you go?"

        He saw nervousness come over her; she's a terrible liar. Ven took over for that question, which he anticipated. "Oh, just... out for a walk." That's what they call it on Dragenia, Alua and Quio thought. "Seeing Ocilus again really triggered me and.... and I just needed some space away. Polosa followed me to keep me company." The two lovers saw that they weren't buying it with unconvinced glances. "Why are you all looking at us like that?"

        Quio got onto his feet and approached him. "I'll give you a hint- no, a suggestion." He put an arm around him like a friendly friend and grinned, "Next time, close the windows."

        With that comment, both Ven's and Polosa's faces turned bright red. "You heard us?!" Polosa shouted. "You perv!"

        "Nope. I'm innocent." He tugged on his ears. "We canines have very sensitive hearing- my breed alone can hear for miles."

        Ven groaned as he rubbed his face with a single hand. "Not sure about the breed thing, but the sensitive hearing is true..."

        "Not to mention I saw you rocking the boat." Alua added, which made Polosa blush even more.

        As if things couldn't get worse, Fayin also joined in on the ribbing, "So how'd it go, lover boy?" 

        This was a minefield if there ever was one. One wrong word and Polosa's gonna skin him alive. "It was... fine."

        That wasn't the right word; Polosa's embarrassment was replaced with ire. "Fine? I was a 'fine' to you?"

        "Well, I'm not gonna give them the full details!"

        "Lovers spat already?" Fayin joked again, resting her head on her claws like a evil villain at a desk. 

        "We're not lovers." Quio was quick to correct. "We do not love each other in that way. We're--"

        "Friends with Benefits?" Quio and Alua accurately guessed. 

        That was a unfamiliar term to Fayin. "Friends with what now?"

        Quio groaned internally- why is it both not a surprise and yet a surprise that they know the term here? "Yes.... that's the term... one known here, it seems." She lowered her head between her shoulders, feeling more embarrassed then before.

        "What's this Friends with Benefits thing?" Fayin innocently asked.

        "We'll tell ya later." Quio replied. 
 

69: Chapter 64: Argax Ends Tied
Chapter 64: Argax Ends Tied


Chapter 64

Argax Ends Tied 




        Pounding pain... that's always a wonderful thing to wake up to. Gotta love hangovers. "Ugh... ow.... my head..." Ocilus painfully grumbled as she held her forehead. There's not enough painkillers in the world to handle this. It even hurt to move, but she tried anyway, eventually realizing she was in a bundle of rolled-up rope. "Master, you would not believe the nightmare I--...." She cut herself when she saw that she was on a dock at night... with the louts that got her in hot water in the first place, with the tone of her voice shifting to angry to reflect that. "... had."

       "She's up." Ven said bitterly. "And sober." He walked away just as Sokuro walked up.

       "Rise and shine, Oci." She said with a grin...

       ...Ocilus wanted to punch that grin. "Don't ever call me that."

       "Ok, Oci." Sokuro grinned again.

       She wanted to shock this arrogant little girl for all she's worth... but everything hurt too much- she's not even gonna attempt a spark... and she doesn't know if that's beer or her own spit on these ropes; regardless of which, it was flammable enough to where just snapping her claws would ignite it. "... ugh.... if i wasn't so hungover and achy, I'd be putting you in your place.... Though i must still be drunk, cause I'm looking at a furless anthromorph with a lizard tail."

       "Reallly? You think you could take on 10 Aerids?" Ven boasted.

       The former soldier tilted her head. "..... Aerids?"

       "Whoops." He chuckled, realizing his whoopsie.

       "Nice going." Bran sneered back as he took a drink. "Guess we better tell her. Thanks a lot, blabbermouth."

       "It was a slip of the tongue, so sue me."

       "I will."

       ".... wait, that's a joke; a figure of speech."

       "Yet gonna become a reality when we get home."

       "You shuck."

       As the two strange boys argued back and forth, Ocilus just watched on in dumbstruck.... dumbstruck. There's no better way to put it other then that. "......... are they always like this?"

        Sokuro nodded, "Yes... yes they are."

        Ocilus turned her frustrated attention back to the little girl and demanded, "Who are you? What's an Aerid? And why are you here- did you all follow me?"

       "Last question first: No, we did not follow you." She held up the map, now with a fresh X on it. "The map they stole just happened to lead us here- we had no idea you lived here until you were found getting hammered at a bar- according to the guy, you were blitzed the second you came here." That explains.... so much right now about her aching head and diminished body. "As for us... well, you'll find this hard to believe, but me and the rest of these 'unknowns' to you: we're from another world completely."

        Ocilus looked at her with a great big helping of, "Huh?" All of that just sounded so made up.

        Time for a explanation then... a really long one. "You see..."

       And with help from some of the other Dragenians and the friends they made, they explained to Ocilus what they wanted her to know; while leaving out some personal and super-important things, they told her how they got here: about the Gate, about Dragenia and the Aerids, the borderline deification of Silvers.

        And even after all that, it was all so hard to believe, yet she was going to have to. Exhaling into clasped paws she had in front of her snouth, she asked, "... so let me see if I got this straight: you were all transplanted here from another world... from the past... all because tiny here was deathly curious about some giant door, and because Fido there hit a important piece of it with his butt."

        "Pretty much." Bran confirmed, with Sokuro hiding her embarrassed blush by pulling down her hood, and Ven scoffing at the tale- it wasn't his butt, it was his back.

        It was a lot for Ocilus' marinated brain to take in. "........ either I'm still drunk or the whole world's gone insane." She moaned, holding her head. "I need another drink."

        "You just got out of a stupor with a splitting headache to show for it, now you wanna go back into it?" Polosa retorted.

        She rubbed her head some more, looking at her foe with distain. "I have nothing better to do!-- ow...." Yelling was a bad idea- it just made the hangover worse. "... makes you all tolerable." 

        "Yeah, yelling isn't exactly a smart move, now is it sugarplum?" Fira grinned stupidly, putting an front leg around Ocilus' neck allsofriendly like. One sideways glare of death from her later, and he was sent flying into the water. "It was a jooooooke...." And he splashed down.

        "I think she lost those smarts when she went on a binger." Pira said, showing no remorse to the fact his brother got sent to Jersey.

        "Shut up." She hissed.

        Sokuro sighed to herself, rubbing her forehead; this was going to take a lot of work. "Look, I get that you are still mad at us for what happened back in the city, but--"

        Mad? Mad?! That was the understatement of the century right there! Ocilus snapped towards the kid and barked at her, "Mad? Hoh, mad is putting it mildly! Everything was going fine until YOU and your cavalcade of freaks came here, and you ruined everything after only several days! So yeah, I'm a little mad!" She angerly scoffed and spat as she backed away. "I don't have to take this. I'm out of here." She turned to leave and made it down the pier feet when...

        "Are you projecting because you're still trying to escape your parents?"

        That made the normally furious dragoness stop in her place. She slowly turned back around, with a mixture of anger, fear, and sorrow all running through her. ".............. what did you say?"

        "Un, Sokuro..." Sil reached out to grab her shirt, but she had stepped away, towards her. "...what are you doing?"

        "You're a truthful drunk- we learned a lot of things about you in your stupor, like the horrors you had to endure." They.... know everything? For the first time in ages, Ocilus felt fear, but it was soon replaced by malice. "I'm sorry that happened t--"

        An electric shot hit the section in front of Sokuro, who leapt back after it happened. Ahead, Ocilus was panting like a rabid animal, with a mad look in her eyes. She could do it... she could kill her right now and finally get revenge of the cretin who ruined everything, but then she would have to contend with the others, and while most of them were kids, there was no way she would be able to take all of them. "Stay the hell away from me. ALL OF YOU!!!" With a desperate flap of her wings, she took off.

        They all turned towards her as she got the feeling she made things worse. "What?"

        Most of the others looked towards her, some with lidded eyes. "You just had to play psychiatrist, didn't you?" Seliox reprimanded. 

        Now she felt bad, sinking her head between her shoulders out of habit. "I was just trying to help."

        "There is no appealing to someone who lives off of hate and pain." Seliox shouted softly. "You're fooling yourself if you think you can appeal to a monster, no matter how 'tragic' her story is." Not long after that, everyone scattered- what they feared would've happened when the monster got sober didn't happen, and now the idealist among them was left the fool... she sure felt it as the others left to go do their own thing for the night.
   
        She stayed on the pier, leaning against a docking moor, feeling like an absolute doofus. She didn't move, but her eyes did, when she heard Bran on the other side of the boarding ramp, going through the trunk the others brought back with Eia, Kader, and Trach.
        
        "Holes." He put a pair of pants to the side, "Holes." Followed by a scarf. "And More Holes." The last one was a pair of women's dress shoes that lost all its luster.

        "That bad, huh?" Trach moaned.

        "Every piece of clothing in this trunk has holes in it, some massive in proportion. The only thing in remote good condition is Eia's new hat, and even then it's got holes."

        Eia took it off to look at it. Yeah, there were some, but nothing a little fixin' won't fix. "If this hat were bigger, my Aerid horns would be able to fit though them." She then put it back on.

        Groaning like a kid that ate too much candy, Trach lowered his head and tapped it against the edge of the trunks lid. "So, think I can make money of these?"

        "Maybe..." Kader replied for him. "Eh, but not much. Museums do take what they can get, but would they accept rags like these?"

        "Can't hurt to try." Bran shrugged. He picked up a dress suit and looked at the cufflinks on it. "Especially when they are human clothes."

        "Say what?" The other three responded.

        "You didn't notice that they are not made for Anthromorphs? Look at how they are made: there is no hole for tails to come out of tuxes and suits, and no buttresses big enough for them to be in either. The sleeves are too small for feathered folk, and the collar too narrow for any head to get through since snouts and beaks would get in the way... unless, of course, you are a human." ... "What also helps is a little tag in the inside of the dress Eia got her hat from that says 'Property of Lady Gilda Beuigard, New Orleans 1855'." And there's the clincher. "If she was born in the right time period, Eia would've been the belle of the southern ball."

        "Huh." Trach grabbed the dress that was used for as an example and looked at where the name was. He can't read it, which must mean the kid is telling the truth. "They may pay more for something so ancient, even if they are raggedy. but why hide it in a cave? And wouldn't material like this disintegrate after a few centuries? Between time and moisture, there's no way these would've survived 300 years, at least."

        "Must've gotten here the same way us and the boat got here: the Gate." Right. That. He forgot about that- if that thing can transport cars and boats, then a trunkful of clothes would've been a cinche. "That, or the trunk had some good preservation magic to keep them from disintigration. Either way, here we are."

        Trach threw the dress back down into the trunk and rubbed his eyes. "Ugh... I need a drink." He left the three of them to head to the bar.

        "I'm feeling hungry, myself." Eia said.
    
        "Same." Kader responded.

        "Then we're unanimous." Bran said. He put the clothes back in and shut the trunk. "Let's go get some grub."




        At the opposite end of the pier, nearest most to land and leaning on a closed food kart, Ocilus blankly stared down, down at her former badge. This signified her rank- that she was to be respected and feared. Now... it's just a worthless piece of tin. That was when she probably should've caught on that her boss was evil: he barely gave her the time of day when she first joined, and he was so uninterested and distant, like he didn't want to be there. So then what changed? Her abilities? If that was the sole reason, she probably should've just become a gang member.

        "You wore a badge?" She heard from behind.

        She looked and saw the third transformer of the otherworld group- the preteen with a chip on her shoulder. "Great... another one of you." She grumbled.

        "Hello to you too." Eia said as she walked up beside the prone figure.

        Great... she's gonna want to talk, Ocilus thought to herself. But... who was this kid, anyways? She forgot more then half of what was explained to her already- the alcohol is still kicking her ass. "Hold on, gimme a moment..." She groaned, her brain hurting like crazy as she thought. "Through the process of elimination, I'm gonna hazard a WIIIIILD guess and say you are that purple jerk that saved their bacon during the fight with that light show." 

        "That would be me. We haven't properly met, have we? Name's Eia." She offered her hand.

        "And at what point did I ask?" She didn't- it's called being polite. "If that's the case, hi, my name is 'I don't care'." The rude former guard turned away in a huff.

        All the stories Eia heard don't do this lady justice. "Walked into that one." She muttered to herself. "And with your attitude, guess everyone was right about you being a violent grump."

        Ocilus moaned and held her forehead yet again; this hangover wasn't going away, and this child was just going to make things worse. "Please don't sit down, please don't sit down, please don't sit--" Eia sat down beside her. "She sat down..."

        "So you grew up here, right?" Eia asked. Ocilus knew where this was going to go and did not have the time, energy, patience, or mental cognition to handle it. Before she had a chance to speak, however, "Why is it so damn hot? It wasn't this hot anywhere else we've been.... which only include the city and this island, so what the heck?"

        Or she can ask that; that's a lot better then what Ocilus thought was gonna come out of her lips. "I... don't know. I've heard it's something to do with the lack of trees or something- I don't know and I don't care."

        "You've said that a few times already, but do you really?" Ocilus' response: a guttural growl that vibrated her lips. "Neeeever mind."

        Why is this lark sitting down beside her, Ocilus wondered. Hasn't she suffered enough today? So why is this kid trying to get chummy? She needed to get rid of her and was about to do so, until a popsicle bar suddenly appeared in her claws, and later in Eia's hands. They looked behind, leaning their heads back, and saw Sokuro with a couple handfuls of popsicles. "What? They're tasty." She said before heading off.

        Ocilus gave a glaring glare, righting herself as she stared at the ice cream in question. Her hungover mind cannot remember if cold treats are a boon to curing hangovers or a determent; makes things worse. Doesn't matter in the slightest as one lick and she hated it: she hated the green apple flavor. "... your friend is annoying." 

        "I'd hardly call her my friend- more like an acquittance." Eia responded, looking at her popsicle before taking a lick herself. It was a flavor she didn't like. As these were flavors they didn't liked, they swapped to see if the others would be better. It was: Eia liked the green apple. 

        "Huh. Lemon-Lime." Ocilus said to herself, taking some bites out of a flavor she did like. Thanks to their hot innards, Nexian Dragons don't hurt their teeth when they bite into something cold. Unsure about Dragenian Aerids. "How do you put up with her?"

        That is something Eia wished she knew; she can't stand the kid, and yet puts up with her nonsense? If it was to get close to Bran, then mission accomplished, and yet Sokuro was still annoying. "I don't know. These last few weeks have, at best, been trying on my patience with her, and all the time spent together back home didn't help matters either. But she's not a terrible person- her heart is in the right place; she just lacks... something; it's not a filter... it's on the tip of my tongue."

        "Boundaries? Social awareness?"

        Solid guesses, but they didn't sound right. "No, I don't think that's it..." Now her brain was starting to her, and she didn't even need to be drunk. "it'll come to me at some point." 

        "Right.. and when it does, it'll be long past anyone gave a crap." She huffed, turning away from her in aggravation. 

        Eia only met the thunder pain-in-the-tuckus once, and it was only for a few seconds at the end of the battle in the city. All she knew about her until now was her reputation and her attitude, all of it seemingly spot on. But given what they now know, it could be explained. "...We know, by the way."

        That made her turn back. "Huh?"

        "We know what  you went through as a child- like we said before, you're a truthful drunk." Does everyone know her past now? What is this, friendship happy share time? These plebeians should not know anything about her other then they should fear her! "I don't even know what to say to all that... to what happened to you... it sounds like something out of a horror novel set in the bad place, where the most cruel and depraved dwell."

        Great, Ocilus thought with lidded eyes, she's getting poetically philosophical. Not even close, but when has Ocilus ever cared thus far? "So now what, are you gonna try and preach to me that I'm a tortured little child on the inside, lashing out at the world for failing to help me?" She scoffed with a snort. "You're fooling yourself."

        "You said it, not me." Ocilus froze, realizing she walked right into it, or rather dove face in. "And let's not fool yourself- something tells me you already had a violent streak as a kid." Even without your parents. But if Sokuro were here, she'd probably say there's some goodness in ya somewhere, buried deep." The listless lack of a response said it all. "Or you were just a psychotic little sadist at birth and your parents just fed it- what do I know?" 

        Getting to her feet, Ocilus approached her, getting too close for comfort as Eia could see the electric sparks passing between the larger drakette's horns and claws. "I had to deal with enough psychobabble when I joined the military, and I don't need you or anyone else playing therapist today. There is nothing wrong with me." As much as she really wants to last out and hurt someone, the kid wasn't worth it. "You are as annoying as her."

        "Ouch." 

        Everything hurts right now and everyone is on her case; Ocilus needed to leave pronto before she actually kills someone and triggers a hunt for her head. Rubbing her sore eyes once more, she started away. "I don't even know why i's still talking to you. I'm just going to head home and--"

        "BRAKAKAKAKT!!! ARGAX!!!"

        The sudden scream of the earth triplets caught the two of them off guard- it caught everyone off guard. Most of them got nervous; they recognized the name. Most of them. "What was that?" Ocilus asked. 

        "Someone ye-- wait..." Eia figured out. "Did they yell Argax? Oh lords...." This was the last thing they needed.

        "Who?"

        "If what I was told was true, the catalyst to all your current suffering."

        

        


        Around 70 seconds earlier...

        Feeling cooped up from being on the boat for so long, Fayin asked that she be taken to the tavern before she went stir-crazy. Despite some protests, they ultimately caved and took her to the establishment, and naturally the owner had some questions- unlike the other girls of Team Dragenia, she has no form to transform into, nor a 'different breed of anthromorph' coverstory the boys have. This was going to take some doing. "What in the world is she?"

        "Shhhhh..." Fira and Bran shushed. "She's very sensitive about how she looks."

        Ignoring that, and the fact a kid is in here, the barkeep kept his eye on the unknown critter as she was sat down on the biggest chair they could find, which was a refurbished 1980's Barcalounger. If clothes, boats, and other such oddities from Ancient Earth can pass through the portal, why not a recliner? "What even is she? She looks like nothing I have ever seen before."

        "She is someone special..." Alua said as she approached the barkeep. "...someone whose master would be very upset if something happened to her."

        Glancing back to the critter, he noticed the wound on her foot, which explained why she was carried. "Looks to me like something already did." He commented passingly.

        "Exactly, and it will happen to you if you talk." She placed down a stack of coins, 'heavy' enough to make the barkeeps eyes pop. "Here is 100 coins to keep quiet about what you just saw... and to bring her something strong; she's had a rough month."

        That thing has been like that for over a, "Month?!"

        "Let's just say the stuff that happened in the city wasn't focused solely on Ocilus." Bran added on, with his voice slowly trailing off as he remembered the roughshod halfgood surgery he had to do to keep the dino from bleeding out. "And some really messed up shit happened to her in particular..." His shiver was not to sell the story to the barkeep; he did it out of remembering the memory.

        Say no more, "Strong it is." He went to go make one right up.

        Exhausted, the tired Bran rested his head on Alua's side. "After everything that happened, I think I need one."

        "Not until you are a lot older." Alua quickly responded. Bran fake-sobbed in response whilest Fira patted him on the back with his tail.

        A few tables away, the triplets sat alone, fuming about the recent Ocilus development and no treasure to even show for their troubles, and were taking their frustration out in the only healthy way possible: by gouging down food until fullness overpowers irritation. "Can't believe they're entertaining the idea..." Terrum pouted; he can't even enjoy his dinner, he's that peeved.

        "I can't believe it was all for nothing." Terrux grumbled, tearing apart a crab leg to vent his frustration. "Nearly dying and getting roped into this, and for what: rags for clothes."

        "We can't even sell 'em!" Taltian said with a raised tone. "They're worthless!" 

        "Except to a museum..." Rux responded, dipping part of the broken crab leg in melted butter. "...and even then they probably won't pay much."

        "Ugh...." Terrum grumbled, lowering his head so hard and fast, he made the table bounce. "This trip sucks... we should've stayed home with mom and dad and not be out here with--"

        "THERE YOU ARE!!!" A loud booming voice echoed.

        The triplets freaked the hell out, realizing who that was and screaming in abject terror when they reunited with 'him', "BRAKAKAKAKT!!! ARGAX!!!" The yell caught the attention of everyone in their group.

        Argax  being here at the same time as them is an impossibility, and yet here the lanky drake was, in all his skin and bones glory. That didn't make him any less dangerous, though: when he was doing, he was gonna have the three of them on spits over a fire. "FINALLY, I GET TO BREAK YOU!!!"

        Around this time, most of the others had come to the triplets aide, which were the rest of the kids at this point since the adults were the only ones in until now. None of them, except Kader, had seen Argax before, so they were in for a surprise. "Hold it right--..." Seqy started to yell as she and the others came stampeding into the establishment, only to come to a halt when they saw how small their foe was. "Wait... is that him? That's Argax?"

        Kader nodded from atop Eia's head. "Yep, that is him, that is very much him." 

        The surge in energy to save their companions from an attack was slowly shifting towards a generally feeling of... 'really?' How are three preteen dragons with incredible use over the dirt and rocks beneath them be so afraid of someone who looks like he can barely walk.. unless this is to throw his foes off guard before he gets them with a knife to the back like an assassin. In that case.... very convincing.

        Sil scratched his head. "The way the three of them talked about Argax, I half expected him to be this scary crimelord, not... this."

        Seqy lightly and breathlessly laughed to herself; these three weren't gonna live this down. "I could blow a breeze at him and he'd go down."

        If Argax wanted to get out of this situation in one piece, he should not have opened his mouth and said, "Silence, wench, and go back into the kitchen; men are talking."

        And now the 'really' feeling is fading and getting replaced by a growing hate. That's gonna get a lot stronger as this goes on. ".............. i already don't like you, so why don't I just--"

        "I said shut up, you cow!!!" A large sharp rock whooshed past Seqy's head. Argax had several rip up through the floor and hover around him. Now they're slowing piecing together why the triplets are afraid of him: he's an unhinged jackass who has no qualms in harming children if need be. "These *bleep*ers..." Vile little fella, ain't he? "...Screwed me over and it's time for some payback!"

        And now around this time, Eia and Ocilus entered the fray. "What's going on in here?" Ocilus demanded.

        The next nail in Argax's coffin came with, "Oh, look who it is: the fallen cow!"

        "What did you call me?"

        "You heard me, you whore! Now go back to your pit before I put you back there!"

        Electric sparks started to rise around her: her urge to kill was rising exponentially. "I'm so looking forward to punching you."

        "I think I'll join you in that." Alua said.

        "I'd love to see a thing like you try!" 

        Feeling like they can defuse the situation with humor, Fira and Pira went to work. "Gee, I wonder why he was kicked out of the gang to begin with." Fira commented.

        His brother followed with, "I know, right? He's such a wonderful people person."

        This back and forth between the two went on. "We should start a show with him: we'll call it... the Jerk."

        "Nah, not offensive enough given his palate of being a jackass whose probably high on an old stash he kept from when he got kicked to the curb."

        "You know, that would explain how he got here with no boat. That and revenge."

        "But revenge against those three? They're not even worth stealing their milk money."

        "Deranged loony insane-asylum escapees are not the brightest bulbs in the flower garden."

        "Fair, fair."

        "Is now really the time for this?" Quio asked. "Cause Argax was not a good person  back then and he clearly hasn't--" A sharp rock whisking by made him shut up.

        "Quio...." Cover your ears, kids. "...What the *bleep* are you doing here, you *Bleep* *Bleep* *Bleep* bitchass *Bleepbleepbleep bleeeeeeeeeeep*! You came here for revenge, didn't you?!"

        "Revenge? Dude, I barely know you."

        There weren't enough adults to cover the children's ears- they all unfortunately got to listen to that serenade of abject torture. "I think my ears are bleeding from all that cursing..." Ventus joked. "...does anyone have the mute button on this guy?"

        Argax didn't take kindly to that. Instead, he coated his paw in pebbles, then gave the fox a very hard punch, sending the unsuspecting critter to the ground. "And stay down, you non-dragon demon!"

        "Hey!" Polosa yelled, using her winds to knock the pebble glove away. "Don't you dare to--" 

        "Shut it, bitch, and go back into the kitchen where you belong!" And for no reason other then it felt good to him, he kicked Sokuro right in the gut, again for no reason other then, to him, it felt nice. And several sharp spears of rock kept the others from getting close. Seqy was trying to get rid of them, but coming up empty. "Same goes for these rugrats who belong in the mines! But right now, I'm going to kill these three, take the map, find the treasure, and get rid of that accursed drake that ruined me! Now give me the map!"

        There's no way they can make it worse, but un... Stars above, Taltian is gonna try. "Un, hate to brake it to ya, but the map was bogus. The only treasure there was a trunk of clothes."

        "Oh, you expect me to fall for that bullshit!?! You're on Jeke Island, where a hoard of gold stashed by Captain Emerald is said to be hidden, yet you are telling me that you came all the way here AFTER you broke into the tower just for the hell of it? I call bullcrap!!! NOW GIVE ME THE *BLEEP*ING TREASURE BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO MUSH!!!?!!! NOW GIVE ME THE STARDAMNED MAP!!!"

        "How about you get lost?!" Seliox demanded. 

        "Who dares..." Argax turned his gaze back 'round and saw the adopted protégé ready for a fight. "Termundus' little whelp, now all alone. Perfect: i'll kill you and redirect Termundus' anger towards Kar'kile! THey'll kill each other, leaving me to overthrow his position and use my now power to kill all of you worthless dungbeetles!"

        "Ahem." A looming shadow was spread over Argax, whose threatening and intimidating façade went away just after that one sound. The rocky spears turned to brittle driveway rock, which Seqy noted was made out of pumice. "Overthrow who?"

        In an instant, Argax turned into a quivering mess, afraid for his life at the arrival of his former boss. "Abthtata.....Trach.... Trach... Trach.... you're here... hi..... I.... didn't know you were here."

        Trach wasn't in the mood for fun and games: he already wanted to send Argax beneath the waves just for knowing he was here, but to hear him threaten and abuse everyone... that escalated. But first, he's gonna make the worm squirm. "You wanna run by me how you plan on overthrowing Kar'kile?" 

        Argax couldn't speak- he was that horrified. "Welliabtkautakta..."

        "Or why you recruited children whose parents run security in the tower? And just now hit HIT a kid, along with a cripple?" Ven wouldn't call himself crippled, but he's not about to interrupted a putdown. "That is just low, even for  you."

        "Atbatlkautatbata..."

        "Or why you lied to Kar'kile about Tehile?"

        "Uh-oh." Quio yeeped. 

        "His who-now?" Sil asked. 

        "Kar'kile's cousin, and one he really liked... who this dumbass sold into forced servitude for pocket change." 

        If they didn't have him before, they did now, and he would skyrocket to the top of the hate list with what he said next, "No, that was all a misunderstanding! He told me he wanted to go into slavery- I was just helping him along: I do it all the time. It's a service. The world would be a lot better place if people were enslaved at a young age, kids included. Who cares about their rights?"

        He was suddenly and brutally clawed on the face by Fayin, who through sheer force of will walked through the pain her foot gave off to give him his just desserts. "Nobody would be willing to go into that! I have never met anyone so heartless, cruel, and amoral in all my life! You are a disgusting monster!"

        Instead of taking her words to heart and thinking about what he did wrong, which he was never going to do, Argax got mad that a woman hit her. "You dare touch me, woman!?" He got ready to hit her, only to be grabbed by Trach and pinned to the ground. 

        "You are lucky the people you sold your victims to were more then willing to negotiate for their release... but Tehile is DEAD because of you."

        "So what?" He coldly replied. "I never liked that guy to begin with."

        "He's dead." Fira commented. 

        Using his powers over earth, Trach wrapped Argax up in a cigar-shaped boulder with his head sticking out. "I think it's time you and I had a nice, private chat." He turned to the others. "This is where we part ways, comrades. The treasure hunt may've been a bust, but I found something to occupy my time until the next boat back... which should be about a week or twos worth of quality time with  you."

        "You think you can harm me? ME!?! I AM ARGAX, YOU LOWBORN CUR!! IF YOU HARM ME, YOU WILL SUFFER FOR YOUR CRIMES!!!"

        "Just shut up already." Trach said as he dragged the helpless loser out. He knew a nice, private spot to take him, and where nobody will delve deep into to find the body once he's done. "Good luck on your trip home." And with that, Trach left through the back exit, dragging Argax with him.

        A long silence of pure 'what just happened' permeated everyone. "Wow." Bran went.

        Sokuro nervously laughed- the situation wasn't funny, it was more a reflex. "Holy crahahahap."

        "Wow." Bran went again.

        "That may've been the most diluted, self-absorbed, and egotistical psychopath I have ever met." Ven said. "And I've been alive for a few million years, so that's saying something."

        "Just... wow." Bran finished.

        "He makes Termundus look like a cuddly teddy bear." Alua commented. "..and that was a weird sentence to say, and yet compared to that guy!"

        Ocilus, however, was in disbelief. That spindly little thing was the cause of her current situation? His power over earth was frightening, but it was more for scares and intimidation then anything- she saw him struggling to keep all those rocky spears afloat, even if he did work hard to hide it. "That? That was the cause of all my suffering?"

        "Yep..." Kader replied. "And think about it: If he didn't hire, or scare, or whatever, to those three earthen nitwits..."

        "Hey!!!" The triplets yelled.

        "... then they would not have been up there to get Polosa and Quio trapped, meaning they would've left with the map with no one being the wiser therefore you guys would not have found them in the treasure room, ergo you would still have your lofty seat by Turducken's side and not here, sleeping in the gutter and consuming enough beer and rum to fill a pool."

        ".................. Is it too late for me to follow that Trach guy and help him?" She looked towards the triplets, not forgetting their role in all this. "... and you three were scared of him?"

       "He was very intimidating when he approached us." Terrum clarified.

        "He sure had that in spades." Eia said. "But it was all hot air behind a thesaurus' worth of curse words. Safe to assume he uses intimidation as his primary weapon, not his element."

        "Tell that to that punch to my gut." Ven commented back, rubbing where he was hit. "Ooof... I'm about to horchata all over this chair..."

        "He wasn't that powerful." Ocilus commented.

        "Come again? Did you not see what we just saw?"

        "I did, and I've a keen eye. Since you clearly didn't notice, he was struggling to keep those spears afloat, and that punch on you took most of his strength. If he hit the reptile over there, he would've had nothing, which may be true as he made no attempts to break out of Trach's little coffin, despite them both using the same element. The kid is right: intimidation is Argax's bread and butter, not full combat."

        "Well, he still knocked the wind out of me." He grunted as he rubbed his chest. "And none of ya'll did anything to break those spears he made."

        "Well, we didn't know he was all bluster 3 minutes ago, now did we?" Ocilus responded mockingly.

        "I do know this much..." Seliox started. "I take back all those things we said about you."

        "I too would like to rescind some of those statements. You, somehow, are more tame them him."

        "Tame?" She wouldn't exactly say she's more tame, but she has more... awareness? Self-control? The ability to not come off as a hellspawn lunatic who would fit it with the demons of the underworld? Possibly, maybe; Ocilus won't argue with it, as that was a lot even for her. "Oh, right, yes, tame... yeah, that Argax guy is... I got no words other then what the twerp already said: Wow." She then looked towards Fayin, who was sitting back at her seat, still fuming and furious about what just happened. "So what's her issue? Out of all of you, her response was very... animated."

        And for good reason, as it is a very touchy subject matter. Polosa explained it to her, "Um... slavery is still a thing on Dragenia, with it focused entirely on the Gaharots like her. It's dead most everywhere, but some countries refuse to give it up, and they are known to be... brutal when they..... ahem, recruit. And while I don't know her full story, it is known she had a particularly bad owner. As in metal spikes on his whip and flogging for even the most minor inconvenience bad."

        Slavery... the way the offworlders talked about their home, it sounded like sunshine and rainbows compared to here, but even paradise has a darkside, she guesses. It's not that far off from what she experienced. "Oh..." 

        Fayin heard Polosa explain it to her and was upset that she did; half because they were telling someone they don't like, and the other half being it dredges up old memories, as if they weren't at the forefront already... She got up from her seat and said, "I'm heading back to the boa," and she limped on away, ignoring the pain.

        "She's got the right idea." Alua said. "It'll be nighttime soon and we can use that lull in the baking to head out."

        "Thank GODS!" Sokuro tiredly proclaimed. "This heat is killing me..."

        "Wait, you're leaving now?" Ocilus asked. "But it's night time."

        "Exactly!" The kid shouted as she marched out. "It was unbearable today; I think I sweated a bucketful, and nobody wanted to be leave the nice cool shade."

        "And we couldn't risk burning out the engines." Bran added on as he passed. He stopped as a thought came to his mind, prompting him to back up. "Hey, Ocilus, you grew up here, so do you know why it is so hellishly hot?"

        "How would I know? I'm not some weather ready person."

        'Meteorologist." he corrected.

        "Whatever." She puffed. "What I do know is that it has to do with the lack of trees or something."

        Ven clicked his tongue and said to himself. "Different species, yet history repeats..."

        Bran heard him say something, but didn't quite hear it. "Huh?"

        "Nothing." Ven quickly went.

        As the group started back towards the boat, Seliox looked back to her and hesitantly asked, "So what are you going to do?"

        "I'm coming." She affirmed.

        Not the words most of them wanted to hear. Alua and Sokuro mentioned that they would try to talk to her and convince her, but... they didn't expect her to actually come along. Sil was the one who didn't like that response the most, but he hid it under a simple, "Un, beg pardon?"

        "Because what I heard is bogus: other worlds, traveling through time- it's all a load of hogwash. I do not believe this story story, about them being from another world. As far as I know, these three are a bunch of gremlins who figured out a magic trick, or some Dragon pranksters who took things too far. I want to be there when this lie of yours blows up in everyone's face and exposes you all for the fraudsters, miscreants, and ruiners that you are."

        That last one was a bit too far of an example... but they did just irrevocably change the status quo in Naya, revealed a startling truth that will shake Sokuro's world to the core, and may've destroyed a once-loving relationship, so... sure, why not. "And if we are telling the truth?" Polosa asked.

        She scoffed at the very notion... but on the chance they are actually right, "Then... I'll eat my wing, I'll join a convent, I'll start a charity- I don't know and I don't care, because I am right and you are all fakes."

        As they kept walking, Sokuro whispered to Eia and Bran, "I'm afraid to ask or wonder what she'll do if she thinks we're lying." And the three of them shared the same concerning feeling and suspicion: something bad, something they don't want to be around to see if she truly believes all this was one big elaborate lie... which it isn't; everyone in their group can say it isn't, but it would be hard to explain this to crazy.
 

70: Chapter 65: So Much for Niceties
Chapter 65: So Much for Niceties


Chapter 65

So much for niceties




        At last... with the cool night sky and the breeze of the salty sea, the group were no longer sweating puddles in their clothes or whathaveyou and could finally chill; if only they had a tub full of ice. As the darkness reached midnight, most all of the kids were down in the hold, fast asleep- if they get to Trochet tomorrow, and if it's as dangerous as they suspect it is, they will need all of the strength they can get. Not everyone was asleep- the adults were still up, as were a couple of the kids.

        Ocilus, still suffering from her hangover- which had mostly faded away thanks to all the water she had been drinking- finished chugging down a bottle of said liquid. She peered inside, saw a few more drops, and tapped on the end to make sure she got it all. Along with her, the other adults were up on deck, although Alua stayed down in the hold to keep an eye on the kids, and for some peace and relaxation. A couple of the kids couldn't sleep and were up here too.

        Throwing her bottle away, she saw Seliox looking out at the star-filled horizon. She went to him as he was the only one here she tolerated, being Termundus' son and all.

        "I'm surprised to see you up this late." She opened with.

        He didn't looked back to her, not fully- just a sideways glance. "You know... i never got to see the horizon like this before. Back at the orphanage, the view was blocked by trees and the distant mainland, and the mansion was deep in the countryside. Now, surrounded by all this... it makes you realize just how insignificant we all are."

        Ooooook, she thought as she took a step back. She didn't plan on him getting all existential on her. But that wasn't why she came over to him, "Look, I understand your former nitwits for friends going with the liars on this trip, but not you. Why are you here with the rest of the plebs?"

        Now he looked back to her. "Because of you and Termundus." A response she should've seen coming, but more taken aback by him not attempting to correct himself with 'father' "Once your crimes had been exposed, Mother believed it a good idea to be away from the city for a while, to keep some space between me and him."

        "Hey, I was ordered to do some of those things by him." She quickly retorted.

        While a small sliver of truth in there, it's not enough. "Some things. Not all, not most, but some, meaning you were responsible for the rest. And 'just because I was following orders' isn't a good excuse- it's what horrible people use as an excuse to try and justify their horrific actions. I saw your smile when I came by the tower a few times- you enjoyed your work. You love causing pain and--" His brain soon came to a realization that made sense to him. "Wait... that's why you came with us, isn't it?"

        "Beg pardon?"

        "It's not to laugh in their faces if their story is proven false. It's to eliminate them- find that door or not, you plan on killing them or taking them hostage to get back in Termundus' good graces, isn't it?"

        While that would make her feel better, it would NOT get her life back; their crimes were exposed, and eliminating the otherworlders won't help in the slightest. It will make her feel better, but not reverse time. Besides, "What a load of rubbish. Any loyalty I had to your dad went out the window the moment he tossed me to the wolves to save his sorry hide. And while killing these idiots would be soooooooooooo good, it won't give me back what i lost."

        "Then tell me I'm wrong." He demanded. "Go on, say it. Say it. Go on, say it."

        She rolled her eyes with a distasteful scoff. "I don't have to put up with this nonsense." She then walked away from him.

        "Because you know I'm right." He said last, making sure she heard him before she went out of eatshot. 



         Fuming after her conversation with the kid went bellyup, Ocilus made her way to the front of the boat, wanting some needed space and wondering why she came at all, or why she should even bother. She was going to let off some steam but saw Eia standing at the bow, doing..... something. She was thrusting her hand out, swinging her arms side to side; if this was interpretive dance, it's odd. "What are you doing?" She asked the preteen.

        Eia thrust her hand out, "Trying to... ergf..." And did it again. "...summon some... rregh... "and again. "...magic, gagh."

        That wasn't compatible to what she was told be all of them. She was told that these Dragenians need to be in their Dragon-like form in order to use their abilities. "I thought you had to be in your... whateveritwas form in order to do that."

        Her arms getting tired, Eia stopped what she was doing and rubbed her upper arms. "Aerid, and yes that is true..." She grabbed a water bottle and took a drink. "...but some individuals are able to use their Aerid abilities even as Ferids. We call them Shamans." A rather mediocre name, Ocilus thought. "When I rescued Sokuro and Polosa from you and your boss, I wasn't actually there; I created an illusion- a... copy of me, if you will. And I was technically in a coma at the time, too."

        Ocilus won't lie- that was impressive, that she was able to do that in a coma. "I will admit, that is impressive, if not dangerous."

        "At least it all worked out." Not in Oci's case; getting blinded and later thrown to the wolves wasn't what she would call 'worked out'. "But the kicker is that I was... well, this." She gestured to her normal Ferid body. "I wasn't in my Aerid form when I did it."

        "It sounds like you think you are one of these Shamans yourself."

        "That's what i'm thinking too.. and it's going to cause some commotion." And here comes the explanation- Oci wasn't going to ask cause she knew the kid would explain it anyway. "See, Shamans are not common; there's only 24 at any given time- there hasn't been any more then that ever. Only way you become a Shaman is if there are less then that and that one of the other Shamans is dead, only then could the Scale you get at the ceremony allow you to do this." With a wave of her hand, she made several small waves in the water ahead. "Thing is, I didn't hear anything about any dead Shamans before my ceremony and for the past two cycles."

        "Well, considering how primitive your planet sounds, it's no wonder: Word of Mouth can only travel so fast." Now that made sense, Eia thought. And she's only served with Drexyl for a small time; couple that with the 4 month travel time to get to Evioly and it's no wonder she wouldn't have heard of it. With the colonists technology, however, that may change. "And I didn't know the laws of... Shaman whatevers were so strict."

        "Strict?"

        "ONLY 24 Shamans? ONLY 1 Silver? I never knew you all were so strict on keeping to a number. You have to admit, it's a little suspicious." 

        "It's just nature, and with thousands of years of history to back that up. It's not strict of it's true, which it all is."

        Ocilus couldn't help by see many flaws and holes in everything she was told. She didn't question it before since she was surrounded by whelps eager to give her a beating, but now that she's all alone with one, "Un-huh. Sure, and none of you stopped to think that maybe your so-called Gods were crippling and leashing you with these gifts and these tricks?"

        It felt like to Eia that Ocilus was trying to cause trouble where there was none. It's not worth hearing her ramble on about a world she only learned about a few hours ago. "They aren't tricks."

        "Whatever you say, I just know better then to be brainwashed."

        Again, just trying to cause trouble, and it was working... very slightly- Eia was feeling peeved more then anything. "I'm going to ignore that, cause otherwise I'd have to shock you."

        Sparks crackled between Ocilus' horns. "Not if I beat you to it."

        And seeing that immediately broached a different subject for Eia to change too; better then hearing the ramblings of a madwoman. "Oh, that's right, you're an electric user too."

        "Too?"

        "Electricity is my base element too, though I'm far from being a master at it like you- you did a fricken cannon blast, after all." 

        "... un-huh." was all Ocilus responded with.

        "You are just wonderful company to be around... and me without my sarcasm sign."

        Ocilus pinched the bridge between her eyes. "... I'm starting to regret coming on this trip."

        "Then why did you in the first place? Cause you were lonely?" That's when Eia figured it out: "Oh my Astrals above, you are."

        "What are you prattling on about?"

        "You're lonely."

        The former henchwoman scoffed at the idea. "Now why would I be lonely? If anything, ya'll should want me lonely- prevents me from killing you in your sleep."

        "That doesn't make any sense." It really doesn't. "But you never had someone actually care, did you? Your parents were horrible beings that I HOPE are in the bad place. You thought you had a better parental figure with Termundus, but he used you for your powers and abilities. Your reputation as a vicious sadist kept others from even coming close to you. You never really had anyone who didn't use or abuse you, didn't you?"

        A lump formed in Ocilus' throat as her paws got clammy and her breath shaky. She hid it from Eia best she could. "...I'm about to have you sliding across the deck if you don't shut up." She fumed.

        "Fine. I'll be quiet. But... if you really meant that, you would've been more ferocious with your threat." Then she got an idea, one that may be bad in the long run. "Maybe you could give me some tips and tricks on the electricity stuff." A sideways glare was all she got. "Alright. I'll zip it." She left to head down into the hold, feeling tired enough to sleep for a week.

        Ocilus stayed where she was, silently fuming to herself. The three times she tried to talk to people, in ended in disaster. Well, ok, Eia wasn't a disaster, but she brought up subject matters she should've left well-enough alone- the education system must not  be as broken in Drageina as it is here for her to be smart like that. "(Listen to her... acting like she knows me. She couldn't be...)" and yet despite all of that... the kid was spot on. "(Sigh... she couldn't be more aggravating.)" She was really regretting forcing herself onto this trip now.


        She headed back to the other adults, who had gathered around the captains wheel and lounging on the cushions and benches. Ocilus took the seat that was more isolated & alone and just sat in silence, not wanting to become a part of this conversation, but it didn't take long or much to change it to her, much to her chagrin.

         "What about you, Oci?" Polosa asked sarcastically. "Any riveting tales in you time working with 'him'? Did you rough up any innocent families or steal pocket change from a poor ol' beggar?"

       "Geez, hammering it on a little thick, aren't ya Nottingham?" Ven commented.

        She just sat down and they weren't given her time to chill. Heading back home was looking more and more appealing. "Oh, har har, very funny, cause I worked with a jerk, I only know jerk stories.... which I do, in spades." And the sarcastic question just got real; they both did and did not see that coming.
        Fayin, who was lounging on the longest chair available across from the former brute and trying to relax, glanced up from her sleep to see her sitting there. "Great...." She said with sarcastic distain. 

        "Greetings to you too." Ocilus grumbled.

        "Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk to barbarians." She hissed.

        "You already are." The dragoness snidely replied. 

        The other adults looked between them- this was already tense; this could become a cat fight. Ven stopped that from happening... in the worst way possible in this situation. "What do you even want?" He coldly asked.

        "I'm bored, that's what." Ocilus responded, to which both he and Fayin scoffed. They believe her; it's just that they feel she wouldn't be bored if she was torturing some poor soul. ".... I don't usually say this, but I do understand what you went through."

        "Beg pardon?" They both asked, confused as to why she would just up and say that.

        "I meant it more towards the Dinosaur." So just gonna ignore the man you actually tortured? Ven puffed as he crossed his arms, leaning back on his seat behind the captains wheel. "What I mean is that I know what it means to be enslaved, but the torture works too."

        Geez, how punchable can she get, Fayin thought. While Ven knew what she was talking about, Fayin doesn't- she didn't hear the backstory Ocilus spewed out back at the bar. "Pheh. You? know about torture." The Gaharot huffed. She knows quite a hefty amount, the other adults thought to themselves. "I very much doubt that."

        "But I--"

        Fayin cut her off and went out: "No, I know how monsters like you work: you pretend to be nice so you can gain some leverage to use to try and mentally break someone down. It's not happening here, buster, so lay off with the fake sympathy." Alua and Polosa looked to each other, and Ven to Quio; the four of them knew this was going to get nasty fast, but Ven can't leave since he was in charge of the captains wheel, and trying to go down into the hold would cut between the two fireheads. 

        And so it was as Ocilus was very quick to anger. "Fake sy-- look, carhown, I went through some shit too, so you can't just act like you're special in the dark past department."

        "Oh, sod off." Fayin raised. "That's bococky! You're a demon yourself- you pro--"

        "Because my parents did it to me." Ocilus blurted out. It stopped Fayin from yelling, and put the other four on edge. Again, they all know the story, but they don't know how the injured party will respond, or if Ocilus would elaborate for her. She was, even if it was hard to do- she's not wasted like before. "...When my mother died, something in father snapped, and he and my new stepmother become monsters. They tortured me day in, day out, 24/7. I became their maid, their cook, their servant girl, their punching bag; there were weeks where I would go without food. I was the living experiment for all the drugs they made, left at the mercy of their 'friends', and at nights, I was...." That one left the worst feeling... but it got through to Fayin. Mostly. "... great, now I'm more pissed off. Thanks a lot."

        "Me? You're the one who brought it up."

        Ocilus looked away, "Just shut it." and rested her head on the sofa. 

        Fayin was stunned. She experienced horrors before, but this... this was seriously next level. This sounded like something out of that human place she heard about- Hell, she thinks it was called. "There's no way all that was true, right?" She asked the others.

        Quio slowly shook his head. "I wish, but... the barkeep confirmed it. She may be exaggerating some parts of it, but.... yeah, it was that bad."

        Upgrade the Gaharots' stunned feeling to visibly shaken. "This world is so much more messed up then back home..." She shuddered. "Who... does that to their own child?"

        "Someone with no heart; no soul." Ven said. "Someone who feels no remorse or sympathy." It sounded like he spoke from experience, which he was; not personally, but he saw and heard things across the galaxy. "Ocilus isn't the first story I heard about horrible parents. But it still sickens me every time, and he story is in the top 3 of the horror stories I heard and seen, for sure."

        Alua followed that up with, "... Termundus likely didn't do you any favors in the fatherly role model department, but I'll give him this: he may be a no-good snake, but he's not pure evil and gives credit where it's due. He's no role model, but he's still a hundred times better then all that."

       Ocilus looked away from them again, unsure how to process all of this. She never told her story to anyone, drunk or not; not even Termundus knew of all she went through. How was she to react? With thanks? Pride? Villainy? Her body made that instinctive response for her, "I... didn't ask for your sympathy..." 

        Fayin rolled her eyes. "Saw that coming..." She said aloud as she curled up like a cat to keep warm.

        With his hands behind his head as he laid back, Quio asked back to dragoness, "So Oci, do you know how long it'll take to get to Trochet from here? We're on a strict time limit."

        "What did I tell you all abou-- Wait..." When her mind processed what he said, it was enough to make her stop in her tracks. "Wait, did you say...Trochet?" She tensely asked. That unexpected tone from her prompted the others to stop. "That... accursed isle? That is your destination?"

       That is not a good thing, for her to suddenly stop and have a quiver in her voice. "Un...... yeah?" Polosa hesitantly replied. "Based on evidence we found, we believe it's the way home."

         The once untenable demon was now shaking in fear. "... trust me: you do not want to set foot on that forsaken island. Nothing exists there except death."
       "That's absurd." Fayin scoffed. 

        "How do you think I killed my parents?" She shouted, but not in a way to make them scared of her, but more in the lines that she herself was. It was enough to make them shut up. "I killed them with a lied; I told them I saw one of their 'customers' take their product in that direction and that I heard them saying something about finding out how to make more and cut in. They chased him there and didn't find anything. And before they could get back to the boat to beat me, some.... THING attacked from the isle and dragged them away. I didn't see the creature or what it did, but... their screams were bloodcurdling- hellish, even." Was that disgust they saw paint over her? It was as her mind took her back to that time and imagination filled in the blanks, and she had a warped imagination. "...If we go there, we will die. There is something on that island, something horrible, something cursed, nightmarish even!"
        Alua, being the most empathetic of those present, saw that Ocilus really was afraid for her life. "Holy stars, I think she is scared."

        Polosa grunted as she leaned into a position that gave off an air of confidence. "Even if there is such a monster, I think all of us combined can take on whatever is waiting for us on that island. It can't be any worse then your old boss, now can it? And only two of us were able to hold our own against the two of you; 10 plus flyers with magic? I think we got this covered."

        Ocilus wasn't surprised they weren't believing her; she's done nothing to inspire confidence in.... well, anyone other then Termundus and his prospects. They were doomed, no ifs ands or buts about it. "... you are all making a very, VERY, big mistake, and I made one coming with you."

        "Yes, you did." Fayin sneered. "But too late to do anything about it now? We're too far away from your old stomping grounds fo--"  Ocilus' body suddenly glowed electric blue. She zipped up to the skies like a bolt of lightning and zipped away back to home, her travel movements being as sporadic and erratic, and fast, as a lightning bolt. "I forgot she could do that."

        "Aaaaand there she goes." Ven whistled. "Good riddance- now we don't have a liability dragging our tails."

        "But what if she was telling the truth and there is a nasty monster on the island?" Quio asked. "Then we really screwed ourselves over by losing one of the most powerful combatants we had."

        "She would've found ways to betray us." Fayin said, speaking from personal experience. "It's just in the nature of these blackhearts." 

        "Maybe..."






       "How about that?" Soulless commented as he and the other Shadows continued watching on. "Even the fearless Ocilus has something she's afraid of. I never thought I'd see the day."

       "Yes." Vendetta said. "And here I thought Sadists had no fear."

        Although he had no face, they all felt Soulless' attention turn to his second, "Is there anything that would even scare someone like her on that rock?"

       The second thought about it for a moment, then summoned up a tactical overlay of Trochet island. What he saw was disheartening and very concerning. "Un..... oh no..."

       "What is it?"

        Fear painted over the seconds face; if there was a way for this to have gotten worse, this was it: "Um.... Felladae has... claimed that island, sir." 

       "Felladae?!!" Vendetta exclaimed out of fear. 
       
        It's rare, if not impossible, for Soulless to feel fear... but this... this did it. "Vendetta, I believe the time is now for you to head to Trochet and render what assistance you can to the otherworlders: I don't care what, I don't care how, just make sure they are able to leave. If Felladae is on that island and it slaughters everyone, then we WILL be exposed; worse still if it is able to get to the mainland."

        "I understand." With a flap of his wings, Vendetta summoned a portal of black fire behind him and stepped through it.

        "What's Felladae, sir?" He heard a random Shadow ask.

        "You must be new here if  you don't know if that thing." He's right- the Shadow that asked was new, relatively speaking. "Felladae is the most violent... 'THING' to have ever graced our isolated slice of Hell." That bad? "Let me put it this way: that monstrosity makes Termundus look like a kitty in comparison. But it's supposed to be imprisoner in a crystal like me, so how did it esca--" That's when he had a realization: the 'how' was already answered, and their followups were sailing towards their deaths. "The experiments..."

        "The what, sir?" His second asked.

        Soulless remembered that day all too well... the day he was defeated and forced into this state, and he bore witness to the aftermath too: of what happened to Termundus and his brothers and sisters. "It's the past coming back to haunt us, with this... being the worst consequence imaginable."
 

71: Chapter 66: Nightmare Life
Chapter 66: Nightmare Life


Chapter 66

Nightmare Life





        Rubbing his rag though the dirty glass, the barkeep silently worked. It is a slow night tonight- only a few people here for drinks. He's usually busy around this time. Outside, he heard the crackling of thunder, but didn't look: he knew what it was. There's not a cloud in the sky yet a thundercrack? There's only one thing, or rather one person, it could be.

        And sure enough, here she was, coming into the place like she owned it; given how much she's drank in the last 9 days, she may as well be. "Well, you didn't last long with them." He commented as she approached the bar. What happened; got the cowards feet?"

        Ocilus reached the bar and pulled up a seat. "Just give me something strong." She sighed as she rested her upper body upon it.

        "No."

        She looked towards him. "No?"

        "You heard me- I'm cutting you off."

        Her eye twitched at his defiant arrogance. "You dare?" She hissed.

        "Oh, yes I do."

        She so wanted to toast him alive, but without her protection, she can't do a damn thing without reprisal- the others here would be well in their rights to detain her, or even take matters further. She would've taken them all... but it was best  not to add more onto her list of charges. ".... fine. I needed to use the bathroom, anyways..." She got from the seat and headed for the little girls room.

        As she rounded the corner and out of his sight, a group of sailors came in, having a merry old tune. One of them, a experienced old canine, went to the bar to make the orders while the rest of his chums found a table. "Barkeep, give me some fine drink tonight, we're in a celebratory mood."

        Finally, some costumers, the barkeep thought. "Why's that?" He asked as he reached under the bar to pull out some quality rum.

        "Cause that punk Termundus finally got put in his place. His crimes have been exposed and he's been stripped of his rank and niceties."

        "Finally. From what everyone says about him, that monster needed to be put in his place."

        "And get this: he claims he was brainwashed by his second- he completely threw her under the bus to save his sorry skin. Now she's gone missing and is being hunted down."

        He looked back. "His second?"

        "Yeah, a real sadistic little creep- got off on torturing poor chaps." He grabbed the newspaper he brought with him and put it down. "Here, read all about it."

        The barkeep grabbed the paper, "What was her na--" and stopped himself short when he read the name and saw her picture printed in black and white.

        "Oh, someone named Ocilus or something like that."

        Several minutes later, now that everything had been said, the now refreshed Ocilus exited the restroom wiping her front claws with a towel. "Do not go in there. Someone before me left a nasty me--"

        He thrust the paper up into her face- her snout was the first to hit it, almost knocking it from his claws. "What the hell is this?"

        Ocilus' demeanor quickly soured from her already pissy mood when she saw her mug in the headlines. "Where did that come from?"

        "Them." The sailors waved. "They came in just after you left for the bathroom, along with some very colorful stories." Knowing how the rumor mill works, none of it positive. "We always knew you were broken in the head, but this?" 

        "What's going on?" One of the local fishermen asked as he and his buddies approached the bar after a hot day fishin'.

        "Read this." The barkeep passed the paper over.

        As the head fisherman read it, his tone grew more and more somber and depressing: "Wanted: Ocilus Terfal on: Multiple Accounts of Sentient Trafficking, Multiple Accounts of Cruel and Inhumane Torture, Multiple Accounts of Fraudulent Arrests, Multiple Accounts of Reckless Public Endangerment, Multiple Counts of Attempted Murder..."

        "According to the sailor and this paper, Ocilus here kidnapped loads of people, including children, and locked them away in the dungeon so she could perform twisted experiments for no reason other then jollies. Is that true?" Ocilus stayed silent, looking on in her defiant way. It was this silent that confirmed it. "It's all true then."

        "They were all Termundus' doing!" She shouted. Unnoticed by everyone, her left eye twitched, and in her vision things began to distort around.

        "Even if that's true, you still went along with it." The sailor shouted from the table with his buddies.

        "It gets better." The barkeep said as he took the newspaper back. "Apparently, there were some strangers in the city, who claimed to have been from outside the fog- it was thanks to them that these horrors were exposed. Nobody knows who or what they are, other then they are not from here, with rumors ranging from lost explorers to runaway royals to poor sailors in the wrong place at the wrong time. Regardless of which, she captured and tortured one of them for no reason. Now the new rumor is that, thanks to this incident, if they are able to leave, they'll ajbtkauthabtalt..." Ocilus shook her head; that garbled mess came from nowhere.

        "You idiot..." The fisherman grumbled.

        Ocilus glared at all of them; these plebs are out of place- how dare they gang up on such a sweet little gir-- wait, who wrote this?

        "What is the matter with you?" The barkeep shouted, his voice twisted up to something unrecognizable. "You need to bffiaoutalethatat-----" It came again... and for the worst, too, as the voice changed to something truly horrible. "...after and kill them."

        "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I---..." She recognized it.... one she never wanted to hear again... "...what did you say?" She slowly looked towards the barkeep and saw that, in his place, stood her father: a large, hulking bruiser of a dragon, one that could easily be mistaken for a monster.

        Then a new voice entered the scene. "You heard him." Ocilus froze up when she heard that voice. Looking to the fisherman, she saw that he had been replaced by her mother: a lanky dragoness who had a few too many goings at their own product. "Go kill them."

        "Kill them?" Ocilus whimpered, now replaced by the scared and timid little girl she was when her nightmares were at their peak.

        The world around her began to twist and distort, turning blood red. Every other sailor, fisherman, and patron had changed into her mother and father, who surrounded her and took turns berating her, belittling her, abusing her. The first of her parents grew larger as their faces melted into a sick horrid mess.

        "We've taught you better then this." Her nightmare of a father unnaturally growled.

        "You are a failure of a sentient being." her nightmare of a mother hissed.

        All the faces began to rotate around her like some hellish house of horrors. As they grew bigger, she grew smaller. Clutching her head, she curled up and closed her eyes, wanting this nightmare to end. She so desperately wants it to end.

        "I should never have laid your egg."

        "Your mother should've gotten with of you when she had the chance."

        "You are nothing."

        "You are nothing."

        "Less then nothing."

        "Less then nothing."

        "A failure."
    
        "A disease."

        "A monster."

        "A killer."

        "A rot."

        "Abomination."

        "Rid us of you."

        "Die already."

        "Die already."

        "Die already."

        "Die already.

        Die Already.

        The patrons, the sailors, the fishermen, and the barkeep looked down at the shivering mess of a creature that is Ocilus, who had collapsed to the floor and started muttering and mumbling to herself. This was all new to them- this never happened before, not even when her parents were still alive to begin with.

        "Un... what's going on here, boss?" One of the sailors attacked the senior among them.

        "I have no idea." He looked to the barkeep. "You?"

        "I don't know either." The barkeep replied. "This has never happened before in the entire time I've known her."

        Small arcs of electricity began to appear across her body, preventing anyone from getting close to her. 

        "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop." was all she whispered, with the arcs growing bigger and bigger with each uttering of stop.

        "Oh, this can't be good." The fisherman commented.

        "Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop."

        "We should probably get out of here." One of the patrons commented as she, and everyone else, slowly backed away out of fear.

        "Stopstopstostopstop--"

        KILL!!!

        All that happened in a flash that took no less then 2 seconds, yet for Ocilus, it was an eternity. 





        Back aboard the boat, Ven's nose twitched as he smelled someone odd. He looked up to the sky and saw no clouds blocking the stars. "Anyone else smell ionized ozone?" The ladies and pooch looked at each other and promptly shake their heads in response. They don't smell anything. Ven twisted his lips- Quio should have since he's a canine like him, or maybe he does and doesn't know what ionized ozone is: it could go under a different name here. Ah whatever, he shrugged it off; he figured it was probably a loose wire that needed fixing.





        The first that came to Ocilus' senses after she had regained them was the smell: ionized ozone. The scent of electricity. Sitting herself up off the floor, the sore and dazed Ocilus blinked her tired eyes: everything was so bright. A few more blinks, and she saw it: 

        Carnage, everywhere.

        The tavern had been blasted to smithereens, with the charred electrified corpses of everyone inside all around her. Looking past the fire, she saw that the devastation was widespread: the entire town had been wiped off the face of the map. No survivors.

        She looked to her paws, seeing her electrical powers coursing through them. She did all this: the massacre and destruction of an entire town with a population of 412. She was framed and took the fall for Termundus' evils back on the mainland, but this... this is something she did. There was no way and no option to pass the blame, this was all her. They will execute her for sure thanks to this, and she'll become wanted in every country if she runs. There was no other option left for her now.

        Spreading her wings, she looked back to the remains of the barkeep, then flapped her wings as she took to the sky. Coming back here was a mistake. She needed to get away from this hellscape of a world. 

        Boogeyman be damned, that Dragenia place sounds a lot better then here.



        


        Feeling the weird of his eyelids bearing down, Ven yawned as he leaned against the captains wheel. The others looked like they were getting ready to sleep too. Now he's wishing they drew straws to see who would go to sleep first then wake up to take over sailing for the day. 

        The flapping of wings coming up behind them prompted him to look back and see the wonderful lady return to their humble boatride. "Well, look who came flying back?" He jested as Ocilus came flying in, landing on the deck with nary a care. 

        "She's back?" Alua asked aloud.

        Fayin tsked, "Damn, I thought she was gone."

        "That lasted, what, 10 minutes?" Polosa playfully jested.

        "Felt more like 5." Quio responded.

        Ocilus ignored all of them and went to the first empty seat she could find and plopped down on it, curling up to face away from them. "So what made you change your mind?" Ven asked, but he got no response. That prompted some concerned glances from the other grownups. 

        "What happened?" Alua asked. Her response were the newspaper and the wanted poster tossed her way by the curled-up dragoness. The caretaker picked them up and looked them over. "I see."

        "What is it?" Quio asked, leaning back to try and see what's on the pages.

        "Seems news of the trial and its aftermath are spreading, with Ocilus getting multiple charges on multiple accounts: attempted murder, torture, kidnapping. And according to this, there is a warrant out for her arrest due to her fleeing the city before proper punishment could be reached." All things she did. "Someone must've come to Jeke after we left with news and she didn't want to stay to face the wrath of the townsfolk."

        "I bet the reason she came back to us is because we're the only ones who don't want to skin her alive. Or turn her in for that money." 

        "Speak for yourself." Fayin droned, glancing sideways towards the beaten drakette. 

        Quio rolled his eyes. "I meant that, despite being the ones she did all the stuff to, we're the only ones who, surprisingly, don't want to turn her in."

        "Lucky her." Fayin again droned. "But what's stopping us from turning her in in the first place? We could just turn around and go back to Jeke. It's not like we're--" With his lips pursed to the side of his snout, Ven lifted up part of his shirt to show the slowly expanding darkness of the Shadows. The young raptor had completely forgotten all about that. "... on a... time... limit."

        "Well, we are." Ven scoffed, feeling insulted that she forgot why they needed to hurry. "Besides, we'd have no use for the money since we're going home anyways." He looked towards Alua. "She could use the cash- she could use it to pay back that Cyember chick for the loan."

        "If only..." Alua said under her breath. 

        "So what now?" Quio asked. "Do we still take her with us?"

        "Yes." The eldest among them nodded. "Though what will happen will be anyone's guess."

        "I wouldn't count on her staying around, though." Polosa rightfully pointed out. "Depending on what happens, she may flee when things get worse."

        "To where?" Ven asked, and provided the answer. "Word is spreading, and with this part of the world being closed off from the outside, her selection of hiding places are slim, and even then it won't stop bounty hunters. Whether any of us like it or not, she's stuck with us and we're stuck with her."

        Having had enough of them talking about her like she wasn't there, Ocilus grabbed the pillow she was using and headed for the front of the ship- at least then she'll have a modicum of peace and quiet. "I think we pissed her off."

        "Whatever gave you that idea?" Fayin sneered.




        As the night worn on, eventually even the adults had to succumb to the allure of slumber. To prevent their boat from drifting, Ven dropped the anchors and found his sleeping area among the rest of the upper deck lounge seats. It was a warm night out, so they didn't need many blankets. Soon, everyone was fast asleep... except for two.

        Eia woke up in the middle of the night- around 3 AM- and needed a cup of water for her dry mouth. Unfortunately, the door to the fridge was blocked by multiple sleeping bodies; it was one big clusterpile down here. Lucky for her, it wasn't the only way to get water: there was a cooler up on deck she could get. She had to be very careful not to wake anyone up as she tiptoed her way towards the stairs, up the stairs, and towards the cooler, which had Fayin's tail draped over it. Moving it ever so slightly and diligently to the side, Eia creaked open the cooler and took out a bottle of water.

        She twisted the top to open it up, but ended up getting distracted by strange lights coming from the front of the boat. Curious, she headed that way, wondering what was going on. Turns out, it was Ocilus, fast asleep... twitching in her sleep with random electric sparks coming off her body.

        "No.... no...." She muttered in her sleep. With each utterance, the sparks grew larger. "No... no...." Her head flopped back and forth like a whip as sweat dripped down her scales. "No... no... no..."


        In a instant, everything happened. Screaming to the heavens an unearthly screech, she called down a gigantic bolt of heavenly lightning, striking herself and blasting out in all directions, piercing and slicing through everyone in the tavern. The wood burst into flames from the sudden intense heat as the newly electrified corpses were pushed back. The electric blast broke out of the tavern and spread across the entire town, sparing no one.


        Snapping her eyes open, Ocilus shot herself upwards, panting heavily like she had just run a marathon. This was... going to haunt her till the day she dies.

        "Are you ok?" She heard someone ask.

        Looking to her side, she saw the young girl Eia squatting a few feet away. "Oh..." Ocilus gulped as her pants became slowly and more shallow. "It's you..."

        "Are you ok? Eia asked with concern. "You looked like you were having a bad dream."

        Ocilus glanced away for a brief moment. "... more like a living nightmare." She muttered. She looked back when she heard the water bottle shake near her ears, being offered by the girl. Without a word, Ocilus took the bottle and took a few big gulps.

        At the end of the last gulp, Eia commented, "I guess people like you can get them."

        Stopping her drinks, Ocilus lowered the bottle and looked back to her. "People like me?"

        "Sadists. The cruel."

        Again with that... don't they have any other words to describe her? "......... not funny." She bitterly said as she handed the water bottle back to the offworlder.

        "Sorry." Eia replied as she took it back and took a few gulps of her own, emptying it. After a silence, she asked, "...What was it about?"

         A mistake. A big one, even by her standards. "I'd.... rather not talk about it. It was.... personal."

        "Alright. Alright." 

        This may make her appear weak, but she needs to ask this. "And.......... can we stop with the name calling? It's getting to be rather annoying." 

        Sounds like the near endless onslaught of insults and jeers are finally starting to get to her. Not that Eia can't blame her. "I can try, but I can't speak for the others, but I'll try at the very least." Guess that's all she could ask for, Ocilus thought to herself. Eia got up and started away before stopping to say, "Oh, and Oci? Just so you know, I'm here if you want to get things off your chest."

        "Is there a point to this? Are you going to tell me I'm lonely again, or that you want to turn into my therapist?"

        "Just because you're hard-skinned doesn't mean you're impervious. Your mental state is still capable of being hurt, and you've had a really rough month." That is putting it VERY lightly. "Regardless of your boasts and tough-girl attitude, you are still only mortal. Just know that you have someone you can talk to here. That's all." She then left, leaving the broken dragoness alone to ponder her words. She's getting lectured by a child. ... a child that cares, for some reason. She looked to her paw, watching her energy surge between her claws.

        What to do now, she thought. What to do...



        
        


        The following morning, Ven was the first to wake up. It wasn't the first time he purposefully gave himself a short sleep time- he's done it multiple times before. As he sat up from his seat and cracked his back, he saw that they were moving. That should not be right: he dropped the anchor. Looking towards the captains wheel, he saw Ocilus at the helm. Did she stay up all night?

        "Un...." He looked between her and the horizon. "Did... you...?" He puffed as he got up to his feet.

        Ocilus let go of the wheel just as he got to her. "You're welcome. I just saved your ass a whole night." She coldly spouted before heading back to her area at the front.

        Seqy climbed out of the cabin, rubbing her tired eyes just as the former second passed her by. She watched her head to the front of the boat, wanting to be alone. "What's going on.....?" She asked sleepily. 

        "I... have no idea." Ven replied. He got a light shock when he grasped the captains wheel- like those shocks you get when you shuffle your feet against the carpet and touch metal- and pulled back. He waved his hand to disapate some of the shock, then grabbed it again.

        By his calculations which he did in his head, Ouilus saved them a few hours, maybe a whole night... but why? Given her attitude towards them all, there's no way she would and should bother helping, right? Could something have happened back on Jeke they don't know about? She was only gone for a half hour last night, but that's enough time for something to happen: a stern talk, mayhaps? Or her figuring out that what she was doing is no way to live. It's either all those or the simple fact that she wants to be as far from the mainland as dragonically possible.

        Eh, doesn't really matter now- if it is that, then Trochet fits the ticket; no one ever comes here, by the sounds of it. But if it's any of the other options, though, he should thank the people of Jeke for whatever they did to..... very mildly soften her attitude. 
 

72: Chapter 67: Arrival A'Vendetta
Chapter 67: Arrival A'Vendetta

Chapter 67

Arrival A'Vendetta

 

 

        "How long until we get there...?" Fira complained. "I'm bored..."

        Ven hit his head against the spoke of the captains wheel- how many times has he heard that on this trip and annoyed him? "We'll get there when we get there." He hissed. "Besides, we must be close." Ahead of them, he saw a rolling bank of mist pass in front of them, and it slowly got thicker the more they sailed in. "What with fog starting to roll in."

        Several days had passed since the group had left Jeke behind for Trochet, and it was a fairly straightforward sailing experience. Literally- it was one straight line from point A to point B. By Ven's calculations, they were already there: at the south-western edge of the infamous Bermuda Triangle, the region of sea and sky where, back in the day, was the site to numerous disappearances that remained unexplained and unfounded. Now, they can only hope that the Gate they assume was responsible for all of it was still around and could get them home. The question is: is it on an piece of land that rose from the sea in the last million some-odd years, or will they have to sail all the way to Bermuda/Trochet itself?

        They were gonna find out in no time, but until then...

        As she had done for the last few days, Ocilus laid at the front of the ship, keeping her distance from everyone. In the time since she came back, she barely spoken to anyone, speaking only when she needed to.
        
        "Are you hungry?" Eia asked from behind. Ocilus glanced back and saw a plateful of sandwiches. "We made sandwiches."

        She brushed her off. "I'm not hungry."

        "You sure?" Eia pursued. "You barely ate anything the last few days."

        "I just don't want to be around her right now."

        "Sokuro again?" The kid asked as she set the plate down and sat beside the dragoness.

        "The kid just won't take a hint." A double meaning: both to Sokuro never leaving her alone, and to Eia doing the same thing, but between the two, Eia's more tolerable. Still, "How do you put up with her?"

        Eia grumbled an exhale, "It's less a question of how and a more a question of willpower." That made the elder cock an eyebrow; what is the kid trying to get out of putting up with the annoying twerp? "I have to tolerate her cause she's friends with the boy I like."

        "Oh?"

        She pointed back towards the group, prompting Ocilus to look. "The one in all black, Bran. Arguably the second smartest one out of everyone here."

        Oci glanced over to the girl and saw she had a slight blush on her cheeks. "You are smitten, aren't you?" She asked not in a joking matter, but serious.

        "Yeah, and I don't know how to get close to him without HER being there all the time." Yeah, Ocilus has noticed that Sokuro has constantly been near the black-clothed kid- at her age, it probably has less to do with love and more like a possessive friendship. "They've only know each other a month, yet she hangs onto him like a gnat."

        Ocilus thought in silence for a moment and, "Hmm......... I'll distract her."

        That was not what Eia was expecting or anticipating, especially from her: Ocilus hates them, so why help her get a potential date? "Wait, what? Why? You hate us."

        Oci was wondering that herself- it goes against her very nature to try and help others... but this does come with an unexpectedly added benefit that she will exploit hard. "I tolerate you. I put up with the others. I hate that kid, and this just helps put the screws to that nice girl attitude."

        Far from the reasoning she expected, yet at the same time it was. "Ooook then, i can't believe I'm getting romantic help from a luuuu-- i mean new acquaintance." She coughed as Oci glared at her with lidded eyes; she almost called her a lunatic, and she promised to try and cut back on the namecalling. "So, what are you gonna do?

        Simple, "Hey, kid!" She called out. All the kids looked her way with a mix of concern and perplexion. "Sokuro was it?" Sokuro pointed to herself questioningly before Fira lightly pushed her forward, mostly to protect himself. "Come here a sec."

        "That works." Eia commented. She got up, silently said 'thank you', then headed down towards the others, passing by the cautious Sokuro as she made her way up.

       "What is it?" She cautiously asked, wondering if she did something wrong.

        Ocilus did not have to think of some flimsy reason to justify her calling the girl over: she had one that had been lingering in her mind since her first night with them and it's something she felt would bug Sokuro. That and it was a time killer. "That Eia kid- the first night I was here, she mentioned she was a Shaman, whatever that is."

        "Yeah, she mentioned back when she saved us from you and Turdnugget." That's a new one. Terdummy and Terducken must've run its course. "Why talk to me about it?"

       "Well, she says there can be no more then 24 at any given time. Is that true?"

       "It is. At any point in time, there can be no more then 24: there has never been any more then that. It's just how it's been since the dawn of history-- our history. The only way a new one can be picked is for one of them to die."

        How very peculiar, she thought. "Alright, alright. Now, before you came here, have you heard of any Shaman dying?"

        Did she? She hadn't heard of any Shaman kicking the bucket before their arrival here. As far as she knows, they are all still... alive. "Well, no, I..." That's when it dawned on her: no Shaman is dead, and yet Eia can use her Aerid abilities in her Ferid form, an ability exclusive only to Shamans. "... wait... she used an illusion spell to save us, but she was unconscious and in her Ferid form." From the context, Ocilus figured it was the humanoid/furless Anthromorph forms they have. "But... but but but that is impossible."

        "Cause no Shaman died, right?" 

        "Right, and yet..." Looking towards her, Sokuro saw Eia summon a small light of flame on her finger to try and impress Bran. It sorta worked, who was equating it to a gun or a lighter.

        "And yet, we just saw her make a literal finger gun." Ocilus smirked. "And also, on that first night, she made a small amount of water move with a wave of her hand."

        That should not be possible at all. All the Shamans are alive, so Eia should not have these abilities. "But but but but, but that breaks the laws of nature."

       "YOUR laws of nature. Different world, different rules. You yourselves said that you were transported here from the past, right? Well... sounds to me like there are some dead Shamans today."

        That may be true... but it still does not change the fact there should only be 24, ESPECIALLY when they go back. "But but but... when we go back and she is still able to do it, then..."

       "Then you will need to up that number to 25." The former soldier smirked. 

        If all of this was just to get under Sokuro's skin, it worked as the kid was on the verge of a full freak out. She daintily and quickly strode back towards the group, wanting to talk to a grownup that isn't an evil dick to get some answers, and there was only one other Dragenian here that can. "Polosa, can I speak to you in private? Please. Now, please, now, please... Now." She asked as she quickly made her way towards the stairs to the cabin. 

       "Ok?" THis was odd behavior coming from the kid, but Polosa followed her down into the cabin regardless. Eia glanced back to Ocilus, who had a slight smirk she has hidden. Once down below, she asked, "What's going on?"

       "There can only be 24 Shamans, right?" Sokuro asked right out of the blue.

       "That's a out-of-nowhere question."

        The kid rapidly shook her head, like a conspiracy theorist on too much coffee. "No no no no, it's a very not-of-nowhere question, so please answer it." 

        As if this kid couldn't get any weirder, but Polosa replied regardless, "...Yes. There can only be 24. For a new one to be selected, someone needs to be dead."

       "That's what i thought." She whined, biting her lip.

       "Wwwwwhy bring this up?" Polosa hesitantly asked.

       "Cause Ocilus said something that has me worried now; I didn't think much of it at the time since we were in the fight of our lives and still running on adrenaline, but... Eia is a Shaman."

        How is this news? They've known that since the fight in the city. "Yeah? We know that- she used a Aerid ability while in her Ferid state."

       "How old do you think Eia is?"

        Polosa got a feeling she knew where this was going, "mmm..... eeeeh, 11? Maybe 12."

       "Which means she would've had her scale for a least a cycle, maybe two."

       "And this matters because...?"

       "Because no Shamans have died in the last couple of cycles. When we got pulled through, all 24 were still very much alive, and last I checked, Shamans are chosen the same way as all of us: randomly during the Ascension Ceremony. They don't just magically appear like 'oh, how about that, I can fill a cup with my finger' and then go zappidy-zap on the next poor schlub that crosses them."

        And there it was; Polosa's hunch was right: the kid was freaking out over the new Shaman in town. Er, on the boat. The answer was fairly obvious to those who weren't having a episode. "Kid, we're a million years in the future, with everyone we know dead by this point. The mere fact we can still change forms is proof Dragenia is still around, meaning that even at this great distance, we still operate by the rules."

       "You didn't hear me. Shaman powers don't appear on some rando when one dies. They are chosen at the Ceremony, just like me and my Silver form. Yet she did it, in her Ferid form and in a mini-coma, no less. Lightning Aerids may be able to create illusionary copies, but she still needed to be a Aerid, but she was a Ferid when she did it."

        "Sokuro, things have been screwy ever since we got here. Take our transformations: normally, we grow to sizes bigger then houses, yet here we stay the same height and there should be no reason for that. Heck, i had a waking dream where i was the size of a mouse inside one of those houses." Bran said the same thing earlier- something about fitting inside that tree bridge thing. "So what's going on with Eia shouldn't be that far out of the ordinary in our visit here."

       "Why are you guys talking about me?" Eia asked as she peeked in.

        Perfect, now Sokuro doesn't have to go out to get her. She ran to the door and pulled Eia in by the hand, "Eia, listen, there is something off about all this."

        Eia angrily frowned, taking her hand back. Figures that the high and mighty Silver can't let someone below her have a special gift too. "Yeah, something is: you don't think I'm a Shaman."

       "No, I do- even if I didn't, the evidence is there... but therein lies the problem: there was no dead Shaman when you got your Scale, and nobody has died in recent cycles, so there is no way you should be able to be one, far in the future or not. And even then--"

       "You're just jealous cause you can't do this trick." Eia huffed.

       "It's not jealousy, it's concern! There can't be 25 Shamans- it just doesn't work like that."

       "Well, you are the Silver- changes always happen when one of  ya'll show up. Maybe the advent of a 25 Shaman was on the cards."

       "2 cycles after you got your scale? Eia, you know things do not work like that!"

        There was no way Polosa was gonna put up with this back and forth nonsense. "This arguing is getting us nowhere. we're just going around in circles at this rate." The two kids silenced themselves, with Sokuro still having that fearful concern painted clear as day. "But there is something I would like to point out: This world has been bizarre. For starters, the fact our Ferid and Aerid forms are the same size on this world is offputting."

        Eia looked down at the youngest with a smug look. "I think you just got your answer, Nosey-ro: this world is nuts. Nothing that has happened on this world has been normal to what we know back home- like she said, when we Ascend, we don't change sizes. And let's not forget the fact that the boys are slowly getting swallowed by a dark spot on their bodies cast by some evil voodoowhodoo by what can be best described as Flat Demons." When she puts it like that, everything sounds so silly. If only this was a world of fiction they got pulled into: THAT would make more sense. "Maybe you are right: maybe me being a Shaman is impossible, but that's where we are now. For all you know, this power will go away when i step through the Gate."

       "Or maybe it'll be permanent." Ocilus said as she came in, wanting to see how bad the damage she made was.

       "Haven't you done enough damage already, Ocilus?" Sokuro huffed. Eia side-eyed the former soldier: figures she's the reason why the tyke is in such a stir. Still, good distraction, she... well, started the process on getting closer to Bran.

       "No Oci from you? Finally, I'm wearing you down." A lidded glare came from the kid, which Oci merely shrugged off. "Anyways, all I did was make a observation; you're the one who took the information and started this spat."

        Steam  hissed out of Sokuro's ears; she wanted to get in Ocilus' face, but she settled for pointing at her and hissing, "Because you, you, yoooooou...."

       "Me, Me, Meeeeeeeeee..." Ocilus mocked back.

       "Enough!" Polosa exclaimed once more. "This is getting us nowhere, and it's grating on the ears. Sokuro, Eia brought up a good point: if these new Shaman abilities of hers are temporary, they should go away once we enter the Gate and return to our time and that'll be that. If they don't go away, THEN you have permission to flip out."

        The conversation was interrupted by two very important words they all wanted to hear for over a week now: "Laaaaaand Hooooo!"

        Finally, with land in sight, they can finally focus on getting back home. But first, "Think you can do it until then, Soky?" Polosa asked politely before heading up towards the deck with Ocilus and Eia behind her.

        Sokuro lingered for a second before mockingly saying to herself, "'Think you can do that, Soky?' Bleh." and sticking out her tongue towards the three ladies ahead of her before following them up.

        Back up on deck, the layer of fog had gotten thicker from when they went down into the hold. They could still see, though, which was good news. The bad news, was gonna be trying to find anything at the huge island that was before them. "Is that the place?" Sil asked.

        "Must be, if we're this close to the Wall of Fog." Ven replied, looking up from the map and double-checking the GPS on his phone to confirm this was indeed the right place. "It's certainly seen better days, though." That is an understatement; some bad stuff must've gone down in the last few dozen millennia to turn a tropical island into the oceanic Rockies. "Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to Trochet, otherwise known as...." The last time he was here, it was a tropical paradise, but now.. it's like someone drained the color and dumped half the Himalayas out here. Even so, this was their destination:

        "Bermuda."

 


        Back at Jeke, the squad dispatched to arrest Ocilus and bring her back- Termundus' first squad before he got reassigned to a new one: Federico the Gryphon, Tybalt the brown dragon, Garf the feline Anthromorph, and their commander Tygan the Rottweiler Anthromorph, had just arrived... and were mortified by the absolute carnage and destruction displayed before them.

        "What in the hell......" Tybalt gasped in shock as they looked at the smoldering remains of what was once a fishing village.

        "This..." Garf gasped to herself. "This is monstrous."

        The squad fanned out, hoping to find anyone who could've survived this massacre... but alas, there were none. Everyone was dead, their remains blackened and charred. Tygan found one such family, and the sight made him sick to his stomach as it was a mother tucking her kids in to sleep. While the blanket was gone, their bodies were in that pose. For that matter, from what he's observed from other bodies, they were all doing things that don't relate to any disaster befalling them. Meaning that whatever happened here, it took place in an instant... but what could've caused such a thing?

        From the side, he could hear one of the others approaching. "What's the word?" He asked, not looking to see who it was."

        "It's the entire town, sir." Federico said. "Everything is completely destroyed. And everyone is dead."

        "That much is a guarantee" Tygan said to himself, lingering on the mother and children. At least they didn't suffer. He turned and left, wanting to keep Federico from seeing it. "What else is there?"

        The gryphon shook his head, "Nothing. If anyone did manage to survive this, then they are hiding in fear or ran away, or are buried... but with that option, they're probably dead from dehydration and starvation by now."

        "Sir!" They heard Garf call out. "I think we found the epicenter!" That prompted the two to head over to her as fast as possible; Federico grabbed his captains belt, while the Rottweiler wrapped an arm around the gryphons neck, and they took off. As they got closer, they saw what she was talking about: a blast mark as large as a house, with everything around it in a 10 foot radius vaporized. 

        "Good Stars." Federico gasped as he and the captain landed beside the cat. "First time I've seen anything vaporized."

        "Caused by whatever left this blast mark, no doubt." Garf commented as she gestured to the mark. It looked familiar to Tygan, familiar enough to approach it. "First time I've seen a flame blast mark this big, though."

        "It wasn't fire." Tybalt said as he came from the direction of what was the docks.

        "How are you certain?" 

        Tybalt then threw several charred dead fish in front of them. "Cause a fire explosion doesn't kill fish in the water."

        "The gaseous fallout could." Federico put forward.

        "No." Tygan spoke. "Tybalt's right. This wasn't fire, otherwise all the corpses we've seen would've been writhing in agony. Instead, it looked like their deaths were sudden." His paw brushed up against a piece of wood, which shocked him. Not a shock as in he was surprised, but as in a literal bolt of energy zapped his fingers, making him recoil. He waved his hand and saw small bursts of electricity zapping across it. ".... it was her."

        "Beg pardon, sir?" 

        Tyban got up, picking up the electrified piece of wood. "Wood should not be able to conduct electricity, at least not as easily as this piece is." He looked back to where he got it. "Fair to say that other pieces are electrified too. Which leads me to one answer, one I believe you all know too."
    
        "Ocilus." His three underlings repeated.

        "Correct." He tossed the wood away. "I knew she was messed up in the head, but even I have to doubt that she is a mass murderer. She actually showed restraint on that."

        "Yeah, we all know she likes to get off on torture." Garf snarkily said. "But even so, she shouldn't be that powerful. Not even the most powerful Dragon in history can do something like this, at least not by themselves. 

        "Something must've made her snap." Federico guessed. He soon figured out what and snapped his claws. "And I think I know what. During our briefing, Lady Teluri mentioned that the outsiders were sailing to Trochet to head home. Maybe... maybe Ocilus saw them when they stopped here to resupply or as they sailed by and it enraged her to the point of.... well..." he gestured to their surroundings. "This."

        "Are you certain?" Tybalt asked.

        "It's the only explanation I can think of."

        "And it gets worse." Tygan said. "There's no body in the epicenter, not even a outline or a scorchmark of her. That means Ocilus is still alive... and out hunting her prey."

        "The outsiders?"

        Tygan nodded in response. "Correct. Or... possibly rather, after four particular individuals, the ones Teluri told us about: the outsiders Ventus, who she tortured down in the dungeons, and Sokuro, Polosa, & Eia, the two warriors she and Termundus fought, and the one who came to their rescue." He looked to his subordinates. "Federico, Tybalt, make a sweep of the island; check to see if there is anyone out in the outskirts. This island isn't big, so it shouldn't take long. Garf and I will head back to the ship and make preparations to castoff: we're gonna heed to Trochet and hopefully prevent another massacre, and potentially stop a war with the outside before it begins." The three of them nodded, with the dragon and gryphon taking to the skies to carry out his orders immediately after.

        As the feline and canine made their way back to their boat, Garf asked, "Sir, what if we're too late? What if Ocilus already killed them?"

        "Then we recover their bodies and pray that whoever comes looking for them will accept our apologies, though I don't believe it'll come to that. You saw how the fighters handled their own against our two most powerful warriors, and that was two on two. If Ocilus comes after them, it'll be four on one."

        "Four?"

        "Lady Teluri said that Lady Alua left with the outsides to escort them to the fog, remember? On that note, it would be one on... a lot since the orphans under her care, the three ground drakes that broke into the tower and started this whole mess, and Seliox went with them as well, and that's not even including what strange powers the odd creatures and furless anthromorphs may possess."

        "Would they really let kids fight? And what would stop her from doing this again?"

        "I doubt it, but in a situation with no other choice, they may have to. And as for her town-destroying genocide move... I honestly don't know, but I doubt this left her with much energy left. To recharge power like this would take months, years even."

        "Let's hope you're right." Garf said with worry in her voice- she didn't want to become like one of the corpses. 

        

 

        


        As she was the most combat experienced of the group, Polosa was the first to touch down on the island after they docked the boat in a small inlet. Changing back to her Ferid form, she scanned the surroundings with Ven's sniper, which had a very handy thermal scope; all she saw through it were the heat signatures of birds. Once she gave the all clear, the other fliers made their way over, while those without wings had to use the lifeboat. It took two trips to ferry the walkers, but Alua's water ability made it easy. 

        Bran nearly slipped on some moss, but was caught by Ven before he fell. "Alright..." He grunted as Ven plopped him back up. "Where do we start looking?"

        "That is a good question." Polosa muttered as she tapped her fingers on the butt of the rifle. Getting an idea, she looked back and asked this to Seqy, Taltian, Terrum, and Terrux, "Do you stone manipulators know? You got some kind of ground sense, don't you?"

        "It doesn't work like that." Seqy said. "We can sense movement, not static objects."

        "It's true." Terrux, who is more seasoned then her, confirmed. "Otherwise, there would be a lot more diamonds."

        Flapping down from above, Sil reported, "From the sky, the island looks enormous. It could take us days, maybe even weeks, to find the Gate."

        "Time we don't have..." Bran said to himself before glancing over to Ven, who must feel as uneasy as him with that little nugget of info.

        Rather then wallow in the gloom, Sokuro took charge as she stepped forward onto the obvious and clearly not a trap path that led up towards some trees. "Well, we can't just stand around and do nothing. Sooner we get started, sooner we can start eliminat--" She was cut short when she walked rignt into someone. "Oooof." Someone big, foreboding, and probably shouldn't be here. "Whoa... you're big."

        "Pardon me; I didn't see you there." The big man replied with such surprisingly calm poise.

        Sokuro's face instantly turned bright red as her speech functions just stopped working. "Un... no prob... big, scary, big man." 

        "No kidding on the big." Ocilus commented. "I don't think I ever saw a dragon that big." She looked him over; she felt... suspicious about this man- this island is supposed to be uninhabited. 

        "Who even is this guy?" Kader asked from atop Sil's head.

        That was ignored as Sokuro's cute stuttering and stammering distracted him. "Babatabtabtabtabta..." She shook her head in a foolhardy attempt to regain her composure. It failed. "Um, sorry for bumping into you, Mr..."

        "Vendetta. Just call me Detta."

        "Vendetta?" Seliox repeated. They all agreed on that being such an odd name.
    
        "My parents had weird choices in names: I had a sister named Reprisal, believe it or not."

        Oooook, that's not weird at all, most everyone thought. Ocilus, however, got even more suspicious about the new guy. It felt like too much of a coincidence for him to just bump into them, and one an island nobody goes to unless they have a death wish. "Ok, 'Detta', what brings you here?"

        "You tell me: it's not every day an entourage travels to the edge of the known world."

        He's got them there. One person traveling here is odd, but understandable if the person has a death wish, but a whole group? That's suspect. Even so, they have no idea how they'd react to the news they are from an alien planet in another galaxy entirely. "That's........ a long story." Polosa said. "To try and shorten it, we're looking for an artifact that can get us home."

        "Home?"

        "They're... from elsewhere." Seqy nervously giggled, hoping he'd accept it.

        "From outside the fog?"

        And it worked. "..... you could say that." She nervously giggled again. "So, what brings here you--" She shook her head; now she's getting the enamored too. "...you, here, Mr. Detta, Sir."

        "I am a treasure hunter and scholar: I came hear upon hearing rumors that a magnificent horde is hiding on this island somewhere."

        Now that got the triplets attention. Tal asked, "By horde, do you mean...?"

        "I'm talking vast storehouses of gold; i'm talking those old Ancient tales about caves full of gold, jewels, and all sorts of that."

        "Whoa." Terrum whistled. It dawned on them that they may've been off by an island of two when examining the map. "Trach did a mistake abandoning us back at Jeke."

        "Eh, worth it." Terrux commented. "The jerk that followed us needed to be dealt with." 

        "Jeke?" Vendetta repeated. "I also heard that the horde could be there as well." Wait, it was? But they searched where it was supposed to be. Ugh, curse you ancient maps! "It's one of the two; if I fail here, I'll head there next."

        While the others accepted his explanation of him being a fortune seeker, Ocilus didn't- it just made him more suspect in her eyes. "You came out to the ass-end of nowhere looking for gold?"

       "But of course." Vendetta was surprised by the vulgarity on display here. "The best rewards are always in the most dangerous places." Not buying it, Ocilus attempted to pursue the topic, but she didn't get the chance- not at the time, when they felt the ground beneath them rumble. It wasn't powerful enough to be considered a true earthquake, but it was enough to make some lose their footing and fall on their tuckuses. "Let us discuss our expeditions more at my basecamp." He turned and departed. The group was hesitant to follow suit since this is something unexpected, but he could prove useful. If he came here to treasure hunt and/or study, then he must have maps. With that knowledge, they followed.

        To keep things 'innocent', Pira asked, "You have a basecamp?" 

        "But of course. I need some place in order to bring back my findings." 

        Leading them inland for only a few scant minutes, Vendetta led the group towards his basecamp which was in a small clearing. The camp wasn't anything grand; just a couple mud and straw huts: 3 in total, and a firepit.
        
        "This is your basecamp?" Seliox grumbled with disillusionment, having expected something more grand.

        "Yes." The large dragon replied. "It was the first thing I discovered when I landed. I already checked the huts; they are suitable for habitation. I believe this was an archeologist camp, from before the Wall of Fog."

        An archeologist camp... right. A better explanation would've been they were used by the native population. But, whatever, it's not like they were paying attention to holes in his stories anyways. "This would make it more then 75 years old." Kader commented. "I'm amazed it's still standing."

        "Same..." Ocilus said to herself. She brushed a paw against the wall of one of the huts. It was still wet and muddy. Even in Fog, they should not be this wet, or muddy for that matter. Almost as if these were made just recently. She didn't notice it- nobody did- but several small dark wisps skirted along the ground, rushing away from the campgrounds before circling around and doubling back, entering Vendetta's own shadow. At the same time, Seliox and Sil felt something too- a chill. An all too familiar chill.

        "Think we'll run into Ocilus' boogeyman out here?" Seliox wondered aloud, and rather obnoxiously too.

        "Boogeyman?" Vendetta repeated.

        Ocilus glared at the kid with a razor-sharp stare, but he ignored her; she has no power over him anymore. "Something she muttered about on our trip here. Something about a monster that ate her horrid parents."

        No sense in beating around the bush about it then; besides, if they know it's real, then that means they'll be cautious. "You must be referring to Felladae then." 

        First, Ocilus felt a tinge of pride when she heard that her story was confirmed and validated... then a mixture of terror and realization that it's real. The name was unexpected, though: "Felladae?"

        Vendetta slowly nodded. "A nightmarish beast. I read about it before I began my excursion. There isn't much known about it, but it is.... well, let's just say Demon is very apt."

        "Wait, it's real?" Sokuro asked.

        "Presumably. According to what little eyewitness and survivor reports there are, it's either a multi-tentacled beast that eats... well, everything, or a mass of moss that somehow gained sentience and a appetite for living flesh."

        Neither of those options sounded pleasant; Ocilus' story was pretty gruesome and..... fits with either beasty. "Well, shit."

        "Sokuro, language." Polosa hushed.

        Ocilus popped her lips and tapped her claws against the ground. This was gonna be going nowhere fast. These louts are going to take forever to get to action. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm gonna take a nap." And without another word, she went inside one of the huts. With how scary she is, nobody questioned it.

        "Then  guess we better start unloading the ship." Fayin said.

        "Not you." Sokuro demanded. "You are still hurt."

        It was then that Vendetta 'noticed' the odd creature on the island. "Un..... what is she?"

        "Well... this was going to happen sooner or later, so may as well rip off the bandaid and tell him. "Help us unload the boat and we'll explain everything." Ven said. As most of the group made their way back towards the boat, he continued, "Long story short, we aren't from here. A... mistake brought us here..." That made Sokuro stop in her tracks and stay behind while they all left. That comment made her feel less about herself; it felt like a punch to the shoulder that hurt a lot. 

73: Chapter 68: I'll be the bad guy
Chapter 68: I'll be the bad guy

Chapter 68

I'll be the bad guy

 

 

        Grunting as he picked up the last bucket of food they have, a exhausted Pira stretched his wings and took off back towards camp. During the entire time they were offloading, The gang explained all they could and what they could to Vendetta while trying not to make him  confused- a task easier said then done- but he got most of it... which of course he does; he had been watching them for the past few weeks- only reason he is here is because Soulless ordered it. It may've been early and too trusting for them to tell all this to him, but if they were gonna be on this island together for the next few days, they'll need his help. Besides, if he does anything funny, the Dragons/Aerids have him outnumbered.... though doubtful if Ocilus will help if that ever comes to pass.

        "... and that brings us here..." Bran finished as the tired Dragon put his bucket down and collapsed by his equally exhausted brother. "...in hopes of finding of the Gate."

        To keep playing the part of the confused fool, Vendetta pretended like he heard all this for the first time and was processing all this. With paws to his mouth, he 'thought' over everything that he was told. "....... so... you are aliens, from the past, seeking this 'Bermuda Triangle' thing to get home?" The Dragenians nodded. "You honestly expect me to believe all this? I mean, sure, the furless Anthromorphs and whatever the heck the lizard is are odd, but another planet? You must be jo--" Sokuro, Eia, and Polosa quickly turned into their Aerid forms to prove him otherwise. "--oooaaaand i stand corrected." They changed back.

        "But the issue is trying to find the Gate." Fayin said. "And we're on a strict time limit thanks to the Shadow curses put on the boys. All we have to go on are the words of a old dead king."

        Vendetta thought for a moment. He turned around to think and saw a Shadow spit out a rolled up map onto the table inside one of the huts. "... well, lucky for you all, I did come with maps." He entered said hut and later came out with it in hand. "Never leave on a expedition unprepared." He placed it down on the log and unfurled it. It was indeed a map of the island.... and a complete and utter different terrain and layout from the Bermuda of old. This one in particular was a bit old, made from a time before the Wall of Fog came down. "The island is dotted with ancient ruins, so chances are your Gate may be in one of them."

        Polosa clicked her tongue, "It's a long shot, but there's only one way to find out. Provided we don't get eaten by Ocilus' boogeyman."

        "Felladae."

        "Whatever."

        Rather then focus on the possible monster that may be lurking out in the unknown depths of this island, Ven moved the topic of conversation to something a lot more in the here and now. "So, where do we even start looking for the Gate?" He asked as he sat down on a log.

        "No idea." Alua responded. "Trochet's a big place. It could take us... probably the amount of time you have left and then some." Ven rubbed his chest, feeling the slowly increasing weight of his curse. "But you've been here before, back when it was called Bermuda, right? Don't you have any maps?"

        The fox shook his head. "I don't. I never actually visited Bermuda; I was more a Hawaii guy. And no, I don't have any on my phone. Besides, it would be useless: over a million years of tectonic shifts, earthquakes, and Lord knows what else obviously changed this landscape from what it once was. Though we are royally screwed if it's on the part of the island on the other side of the Wall."

        "Eh, you're wrong there." Vendetta interrupted. "None of the island is within the Wall itself, we're just uncomfortably close to it." He looked back to his map. "Hmm. Allow me to continue looking this over; maybe I'll find some leads."

        "You really don't have to do that." Polosa said. "We only just met and we don't want to come off as a burden to you."

        "What burden?" He replied, looking back up. "We're helping each other: You help me with my expeditions into a few of the ruins, and I help you all get home. It's not a burden it's a help. Besides, if your friends do turn into Shadows and this is the only way to quote unquote "Cure them", then, hehe, I'm helping.!" He finished strongly stern. 

        "So, what are the sleeping arrangements going to be?" Eia said aloud. "The huts aren't big enough for everyone."

        "Divide them between boys and girls?" Seqy suggested.

        "That doesn't solve the numbers issue." Seliox said. "These are very tiny houses; we'll be lucky enough to fit five of us in there."

        Getting his wings ready to fly, Terrux asked, "What if we brought the boat over and use it as like a house?"

        Nope. Nope. Bad idea- big mistake. Ven swiftly shot that down, "Not only would that ruin the boat, this isn't a flat surface. It'll roll. In any event, we'll have no boat, leaving us stranded and free meals to that Felacake thing."

        "Felladae!" Vendetta insisted. 

        Terrux pouted in frustration, then had another bright idea: "Oh oh oh, what if me, my brothers, and that Sequoia girl use our powers to create a river that will lead the boat here?"

        "Did he seriously just call me a tree?" Seqy offhandedly asked Rux's brothers. 

        As for Rux's idea... nobody really had much of a counter argument. "Well..." except Seliox, of course. "... it would leave you too exhausted in case Felladae ever attacked us, and it would be too time consuming since Seqiana is not that skilled."

        "I would be insulted if it wasn't true." Seqy said.

        Rux rolled his eyes; he's not going to sleep out in the cold with a blood-thirsty monster out there. "Yeah, un-huh." He looked to his brothers and nodded. "Let's go, bros- we got a creek to carve." They took to the skies, their paws glowing.

        "They're nothing if not persistent." Polosa commented. "I'll give them that much."

        "The stubbornness of ground dragons..." Alua exhaled. "Something I know all to well. But speaking of that Fellasay thing..."

        "Was that a jab at me?" Seqy commented for the final time. - "You're all doing it on purpose, aren't you?" Vendetta glowered. 

        "...why hasn't it attacked us yet? According to Ocilus's story, it attacked her parents almost immediately, yet... not a peep since we landed a couple hours ago. If it's so powerful it can tear us to shreds in seconds.... where is it?"

        "I never said it was immediately." Ocilus said from inside one of the huts. "Just that it did."

        "Waiting, watching, and biding its time." Vendetta said forebodingly. "As powerful as it may be, we outnumber it significantly on a 15 to 1 margin. Even wild animals know not to take on such impossible odds, especially since we seem to have a Demi-God on our team."

        "Only on paper." Sokuro said, believing that he referred to her. "I'm... not even that powerful in the first place, but not that powerful."

        "I wasn't talking about you." He coldly said as he went into his private hut, leaving her bewildered.

        "Heh?" She looked back to the others for a brief second before looking back his way. "...then who?" She asked with no answer in reply.

 

 

        Back out on the sea, the interrogation of a couple of very lucky survivors was going... not great. Only a few minutes away from Jeke and they already want to shut them up. Tygan tapped the top of his head, feeling rather annoyed at how things were progressing... as in, not at all. "Ok, Mr. Trach, lets go over this one more time." He asked the two only survivors they found; a known member of the criminal underworld named Trach, and his "associate" Argax, though the way things looked when the fliers found them, it was more like they arrived in time to stop a execution. "You claim to have seen Ocilus in Jeke in the last few days, correct?"

        Trach gave nothing but an exhale at first; this was the second time he was asked that in the last half hour- he gave them the full story and everything, and the answer was always the same: "Like I s--"

       "Yes or no." Tygan insisted.

        Trach gave him a cold stare before eventually saying, "... Yes."

       "And you also claim she left, in a heightened drunken state, with the very same people who put her in that position in the first place?" That last part sounded like it was made up in their eyes, but it was the truth, even if they don't know it. Trach nodded, leading to, "And you have no idea who destroyed the village cause you and your "associate" were out in the countryside when it happened, is that also correct?"

        This was getting to him; this is why he hates being in the interrogation seat: all the endless prodding and questioning. He was already on edge the last couple of days and this was not doing him any favors. "Yes! Good Stars, how many times do I have to tell you?!"

        Tygan punched the wall behind Trach as he got in close, "When you stop lying to us!" The yell made his subordinates stop what they were doing and look over. "Ocilus is a fugitive on the run for crimes against the people, and now for the absolute slaughter of an entire community!"

        Trach groaned loudly, "Rraaaaaaagggghh..... Look, I told you, we didn't see who destroyed Jeke! All we saw was the aftermath, and your past with Ocilus is blinding you!"

       "And why should I believe a petty criminal who beat this man half to death?" The Rottweiler snarled. 

        Dammit Argax, he thought to himself, wondering what he was cursed with to be put in this situation... more then likely the demon next to him. "I may be petty, but I tell the truth more often then your leaders. Not like none of them know about what was going on in the basement."

        Tybalt came over to hit the upstart up the face, but Tygan stopped him, despite wanting to give him the ol' one-two himself. "Don't. He's egging you on."

        "It's working..." Tybalt grumbled to himself.

        Beaten and bruised all over, Argax got up and yelled, "That's true, he is!" He ended with a pant. "He's been feeding you nothin' but lies!"

        Trach rolled his eyes before, rolling his head down; he needs a life change... "Oh Stars, here we go..."

       "Every single member of that group is a pack of vicious murderers!" He got louder, and more obnoxious. "Even the children are heartless monsters!"

       "Now that is a load of bollocks." Garf scoffed. "Teluri gave them her own seal of approval, and that lady is a saint."

        Argax rolled his head back in laugher... purely psychotic laughter. "BAAHAH! Saint? Her?! Tell me, this the same 'saint' who willingly married a monster?" That's why, the non-dragons thought, she did do that. 

       "Oh, don't tell me you are listening to this idiot!" Trach bellowed. "It's thanks to him this whole mess happened in the first place by hiring those triplet idiots! Hells, I think this can be dated back to the day that this scumbag WILLINGLY sold my boss's nephew into slavery for pocket change!" That prompted from hateful glairs from the soldiers.

        That didn't matter to the deluted madman; he just kept on running his mouth. "Lies! Slander! I am an upstanding citizen!"

       "You're about to be upstanding with a pole up your butt if you don't stop talking!" Federico yelled from the bow. "I can hear him all the way over here!" Well, it was only a 30 foot schooner. 

       "Never!! I know my rights!!" And here comes the rant. "You cannot silence me, for to silence me is to undermine the democratic order! To silence me is to admit you are guilty of vile crimes! To sil--"

       "SHUT UP!!!!" Everyone yelled, with Garf continuing, "I'm gonna muzzle the both of you and throw you in the brig if you don't shut the hell up! Stars, i've seen children bicker less!"

        Steam blew out of the deranged one's ears; she was going get an earful for that. "You cannot tell me to shut up! I am Argax! You cannot put your disgusting rules on me; I cannot be touched! I cannot be--"

       "Muzzle him." Tygan said to finally bring an end to this. Garf and the others wasted now time descending on the lunatic with bindings at hand.

       "YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME! I OWN YOU! YOU CANNOT-- RAAAA!" They dogpiled on him, wrapping his arms and legs so that he wouldn't go anywhere, and putting several in his mouth- just one wouldn't do to gag him, not with how much hot air he was spewing before. And at least this way, he won't bite them off. "MMM MMM MMM!""

       "Ow!" Garf pulled her arm back. "He just kicked me!" 

       "Then tie him up!" Federico grunted.

        Tygan felt like his energy had been drained by this whole enterprise, rubbing his forehead as he exhaled in exhaustion. He looked to Trach, who was watching the soldiers wrap Argax up like a mummy. "I'm starting to see why you attacked him..."

       "And believe me: this is him on a good day." That made Tygan go bug-eyed; if this was a good day, then what's he like on a bad day!?"

       "This is a good day?!" A flabbergasted Tygan asked, with Trach simply nodding in response. "Great.... a couple days more of this garbage..." He lowered his head. "I chose a bad time to quit drinking." And a bad time to continue the questioning too, but he kept on keeping on: "now, about what happened at Jeke..."

        Trach loudly grumbled and grunted; he knew that was coming, yet it still annoyed him all the same. "For the last time, I'm telling you: Ocilus left willingly, and she certainly did not destroy Jeke."

       "Mr. Trach, you didn't see the cause of the destruction- you yourself admitted you were far away from the town when it happened. And we've already seen how much of a dangerous monster she can be: is it really so hard to believe she wouldn't slaughter an entire village?"

       "Yes." That was a surprise response, to be sure. "Look, there is no denying that she is.... well, an unhinged lunatic, but wholesale destruction isn't her MO. We know that she likes to torture and be cunning. Completely destroying an entire town- instantly- just isn't in her nature."

       "Well, people change..." Tygan was firm about his assumption Ocilus was responsible. He is, but they didn't know, at least not yet. Trach, meanwhile, was grumbling, all at the fact that Tygan is right: people do change as time goes on. "But it doesn't matter if you tell the truth or not: she is still wanted for all the crimes committed, so we're gonna bring her in."

       "I thought she got her sentence at the hearing." Federico commented. "Who gave the order?"

        Tygan went on to explain, but was almost immediately distracted. "It was--... Termundus?"

       "I call bullcrap!" An insulted Garf bellowed. "That monster has no more authority over us! He--"

       "No, look!" Points behind them, towards the encroaching demon, on a boat made entirely out of emeralds. Is it a boat, or some humongous tower that was scraping along the ocean floor? either option is impossible, yet that doesn't change the fact that he is here, heading straight for theirs. "It's Termundus!"

       He showed no signs of slowing down, which worried the party into thinking he was going to capsize them. Much to their luck, he simply passed them by, paying them no mind. The wake he created when he passed by so fast was enough to make the ship rock and lurch side to side, almost making Tybalt throw up. As he passed, Trach got a good look at him and saw something the others didn't: a pure hatred; all color was almost gone save for one narrow slit. Not the typical kind he's normally known for, but... something primal.

        The others were focused on something else, "How did he catch up to us?!" Tybalt yelled. "We have a weeks headstart!"

       "And how is that ship made entirely out of emeralds?" Federico asked. "They shouldn't even float!"

        "Well, they are now." Tygan said.

       "Did you see his eyes?" Trach spoke up, prompting the squad to look his way. "They were animalistic. The idiot finally snapped: he's lost his marbles, reverted back to being a primal beast, and is chasing after the otherworlders."

       "That's bad." The recruits said in unison.

       "Without a shadow of a doubt, and it's worse in the long run." Tygan said. "According to Teluri, Silver drakes like that Sokuro girl are considered Demi-Gods where they are from and are revered as such. The battle back in the city alone would've souled relationships with the outside, but if he kills her, he could start a war. And that's just one girl: they don't know Silverwind, but he would still be a Silver to them and therefore they would take insult. The death of two Silvers may rally the outside to invade us."

        "That's a pretty big assumption." Trach said. He could tell them the truth, that the outsiders are actually otherworlders and Termundus could be starting a war with a whole other planet, but it's more fun watching the pigs that rule over them worry themselves over nothing. 

        Tygan nodded, feeling like his imagination ran wild there for a minute. "That may be the case and this was just all in my imagination, but that doesn't change one key fact: he's going after them, and he will kill them." He looked to his subodinates and nodded. They nodded back and went to their posts: Garf jumped up to the captains wheel and turned the ship back around so that they may chase after the psychotically broken while Tybalt and Federico opened up the sails so that they can gain maximum speed from the wind. Tygan looked in the direction Termundus was sailing. He was already a nautical mile away from them. At this rate, they were going to lose sight of him in an hour or two. The captain thought for a moment before turning back to Trach, "You. Criminal. What's your element?"

        Trach felt like he knew what the captain was going to ask, and he was going to be right. He hesitated for a moment since he didn't want to help the corrupt soldiers that were ruling over them... but he didn't want the kids to get hurt at the hands of the snapped dragon either. "Fire. It's Fire. And I already know the question you are going to ask next." He held up his bindings. 

        Tygan nodded. He pulled out a knife and cut the bindings tying the dragon, setting him free. "Then start creating a hot gust; we need more speed now." Trach nodded and flew up to the captains deck behind Garf. Almost immediately, the crew felt a hot breeze wash over them. The gust, along with the natural wind, kicked the boat forward. It wasn't much, but at least they'll be able to keep an eye on Termundus, at least for a while longer.

        "I don't really want to jinx it, but maybe we're worrying over nothing." Federico hesitantly said. "Last time they fought, it was just the kid and that huntress against a seasoned warhero and his unhinged electric battery. But this time they have Termundus outnumber, AND, if the prisoner is right, have Ocilus on their side. Surely they can hold him off or maybe beat him. ... right?"

        While he is right on the numbers department, he was wrong about everything else and Tygan was gonna break it down, "Wrong. While you are correct that they have the numbers, they don't always win a battle. Termundus is a seasoned war hero with decades of combat experience, and the others are a failed Guardian turned nanny, a group of younglings, three idiots, a traitor, and three foreign powers who barely held their own last time. And yes, you are correct that Sokuro and Polosa held their own against both Termundus and Ocilus... but they were within city limits: all four of them probably weren't even fighting at their best. But out here... out in the wilds at the edge of the known world, far away from any form of civilization... there's nothing to hold them back; they're gonna go all out. Termundus has snapped: he has no inhibitions holding him back now. And there is no guarantee Ocilus would even help them; she'll most likely switch sides and return to her master." He looked up to the sails. "We better hope by the time we get there, the outsiders are long gone and the others are heading home in a different direction, otherwise an unstoppable force is going to turn Trochet into a warzone."

---

        Ocilus sneezed, feeling the chilly air starting to take its affect. She once heard an old wives tale that sneezing out of nowhere means that someone is talking about you, but that always came off as too silly and stupid to be true. She was going to need a tissue, though. "Ugh. That sucks." She wiped her paw on the side of the hut, grossing out the other women in there with her. "As I was saying... I don't trust that guy."

        Several hours had passed since then and Sokuro was no closer to figuring out who Vendetta was referring to. In that timeframe, most of their things had been unpacked and examined for water damage from their voyage. The triplets were making surprisingly good time on carving out a canal for the boat to get closer to camp, but they were warned and are now feeling the consequences: this stuff is tiring as heck; they aren't even a third of the way done. They were no closer on who was gonna get the huts, either. It's dangerous since they have a monster on the island to worry about; using these were a recipe for death- for now, both genders of their party had split up into each one to wash their sweaty old clothes. But figuring out what to do or doing their laundry was clearly was Ocilus' focus at the moment.

        "That Vendetta guy?" Seqy responded. "He seems quite polite to me. And charming to boot."

        She turned back inside the hut, "And it doesn't occur to you that he could be hiding something from us? I mean, his name is Vendetta, for crying out loud."

        "Like how you hid your torture chamber for years on end?" Alua snidely remarked.

        "That's different." No it wasn't. "It's just... there's something I can't place, something.... off about him." She looked back out the door, towards the hut Vendetta claimed for his own. He had already put up privacy cloths on the girls hut and he was working on putting some on the men's hut where he got hit in the face by some suds of soap. He spat it out, scraped the remains of his face, then tossed it back in. All the while, Ocilus saw something off with him, some... aura he was getting off that was not dragonian. "I sense something around him that I swear I felt before, but I cannot remember where."

         Putting her wet dress on a coatrack, Sokuro replied, "Or it could just be the fact that you don't trust easily, if at all."

        She turned back to them. "Do none of you seriously find it odd that some 'scholar' just arrived at the island the same time as us?"

        They won't deny that it was good timing, but so what; coincidences can't exist in the real world and they should only exist in fictional stories? Eia popped her lips, ".... I will admit, it is convenient timing. But so what? He's clearly not going to harm us."

        "And the fact he came here without an entourage?" Ocilus pushed.

        That generated from exasperated sighs from them, with Polosa speaking up with: "Have you seen the man? He's built like a tank! He can take care of himself, no problem... and mommy like."

        "Oh brother." "Saw this coming..." "Can we put her outside, please?"

        A fire crackled in the middle of the campsite sometime later, with everyones clothes circling around it to dry them off. As most of hte party were dragons, being out in the cold wasn't much of an issue since their internal heat would keep them warm; Sokuro, Polosa, and Eia took advantage of that face and changed to their Aerid forms. Bran and Ven were stuck wearing blankets around themselves. Even being near the fire, it was not helping.

       On top of drying off the clothes, some were taking the opperotunity to cook up some fresh fish. A bored Taltian watched as his lunch was baking when he had a thought, "You know, I've been thinking...."

        And naturally that resulted in comments from the peanut gallery. "Uh-oh. Hide us." Terrux joked while Terrum snickered.

        "And break out the champagne, the world's come to an end." Kader also added as he rested on top of Sil's head.

        Taltian mockingly laughed back to the his brothers and the rodent. "Ha ha he." They stuck their tongues out at him as he turned his head towards the 'scholar'. "So these ruins: do any of them have names? Cause I'm gonna go out on a high horse and bet that the Gate is gonna be in something named after Ghi'ich'tarl."

        That was an idea none of them had thought of, yet it's so simple it may actually work. "That is a fair assumption..." Vendetta replied. "...but some of the words are written in a script I don't recognize." It really is- the language written upon it was lost to them for thousands of years. "And besides, translation wasn't my best subject at university."

        Tal lowered his head, feeling foolish for bringing it up. "Crap." A nearby Sokuro patted him on the back. 

        When they came out of the huts not that long ago, Vendetta noticed something odd about the furless anthromorphs in their crew that the others do not have... at least that's what everyone assumed when he asked this question: "So... why are only the boy and the fox fellow afflicted with the Shadow curse? I feel like I am missing some crucial details on your adventure."

        Bran pulled his hand out of the blanket and looked at the Shadow mark upon it. "I don't know how I got this placed upon me... probably when i first landed here and saw a trio of guards getting eaten alive. It must've happened then."

        "I asked how, not why." Vendetta corrected.

        "Oh. Well, un..."

        "We think it's because of our scales." Polosa said. "Thanks to our Scales and our Aerid forms, we believe that it gives us some form of immunity to whatever this Curse is... which is the only thing I can think of that makes sense of it as Sokuro got into a fight with one and came out without a curse."

        Detta pretended to be surprised towards Sokuro, "You fought one?" 

        "Technically, yes." she replied. "It was a thief possessed by one and I barely survived; if not for Alua and... what was the other ones name, Cyember? Cymeber?... Alua's old girlfriend that I got out alive."

        "She's not my girlfriend." Alua said off to the side.

        Vendetta didn't say anything more on the subject on how Sokuro slayed the Shadow; it would seem that nobody hear knew about how Soul Magic was the only thing that can truly kill a Shadow. That may be a good thing as it would've made them question the lineage of one of their own. "I see." He did wonder something after a long time of observation, "So I've noticed that the men in your Dragenian homeward bound party are the only ones with the curse. Why don't they have scales of their own? Is it only for women on your world?"

        "No, men can get scales too." Polosa said. "The fact is that Bran and Ven aren't from Dragenia. You see--"

        "We're aliens." Bran bluntly put it.

        Just straight to it, eh? Well, they're hopefully near the end of their journey, so no time to mince words. "... yeah. Aliens." She paused for a moment as she slowly came to realize that: there is no definitive proof that the magic can't work on the colonists. "Though I do wonder if these would work on one of the colonists. We didn't really test that."

        "Yeah we did." Sokuro said. "Bran tried but couldn't."

        "Did he try it with your scale?"

        "Yeah."

        Polosa pursed her lips. "Maybe it needs to be a fresh one; maybe go through the Ascension ceremony like all of us."

        "Great." Ven jeered. "Now all we need is are Kitsune, Human, Adlez, Argalith, and Hesk children willing to go through that."

        "Dan would volunteer in a heartbeat." Bran said to himself. 

        Ignoring all the unusual names and terminologies, "That answered more questions then I had." Vendetta grunted as he sat down beside one of the few logs they were using for seats. He looked over towards Ventus. "So then how did you get cursed, Mr. Ventus? Maybe it could shed some light on how the child did."

        "Oh, mine came from a truly wonderful person:..." Ven started sarcastically before going full serious as he gestured to Ocilus, "Her boss." Ocilus gave him a sneer, but he ignored her. "He had something he just called the crystal, but I bet it has more a fancy name, eh lassie?" The former subordinate just sneered and glared at him before promptly getting up and walking away, wanting to be away from them for now. "Really? You're not gonna regale us with a story over dinner?"

        "Ven..." Polosa sighed, slowly shaking her weary head.

        "He calls it the Shadow Crystal." Seliox said, a rare thing during their voyage here; some even forgot he's even with them. "Says he got it as a souvenir from the War all those years ago. Though he probably lost it after the trial- you don't exactly let criminals keep their tools of harm, right?" Was that a question that required a yes or a no? "Hard to believe it was a few weeks ago. Feels like years."

        "A lot has happened in the past month." Fayin said. "Hell, a lot happened in the first couple of days!"

        Eia counted out all the things that happened to them when they first arrived, using her fingers to count out each one: "Us getting sucked here from Dragenia and separating: me getting into a coma, Ven getting captured and tortured, Polosa roped into grand larceny, Bran getting recruited by a freakishly strong rat, Fayin getting captured as a pet then later escaping- which almost killed her- and dear Soky..." she said with venom. "... fighting against a demon, a beast of darkness, and a deranged guard, all the while a carnival is going on... if you told me all that happened in just a couple days, I'd call you crazy!"

        "I get that time can fly, but geez!" Terrum exclaimed. "

        Remembering what the Gate does, Sokuro reached into the clothes of her Ferid self and pulled out the dagger then used to get here. Normally, it would be tiny in her claws, but in this mixed-up world, it can fit in the palm of her paw. "Speaking of time, I hope we are right about the Gate getting us back to our time." Her expression grew somber. "I wonder if anyone misses us... Do they even know we're alive?"

        "I'd like to think so." Eia said. "Velx and someone else saw us get sucked in, so surely they will have told everyone what happened."

        "Besides..." Kader spoke up. "... if you can travel back through time, then you could probably pinpoint it to the time you left, making any explanation they would have to tell moot, null, void, and invalid."

        Bran grumbled loudly as he fell backwards and flopped down. "I'll just be happy to get home and back into my soft bed. I can't believe I miss my pre-fab bed, but I do and I just wanna sleep for weeks after all the crap I've been through."

        "That's a mood if I ever heard one." Ven laughed. 

        "True that." The ladies from Dragenia said in unison, with Pearl making a barking noise- likely in agreement. 

        As everyone talked amongst themselves, with the conversation still darting around all over the plus- seriously, pick a topic and stay with it-, Vendetta turned his attention to Ocilus, the loner who stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the valley that comprised most of this island; the loner who could expose him as a General and jeopardize this entire spy mission. He got up and went over to go have a chat with her. She sensed him coming, but didn't bother to look.

        As he got nearer, he got his timid personal ready to go and approached with the fabricated air of making nice. "Well, hello there, un... Ocilus, was it? I feel like we got off on the wrong foot and I--"

        "I'm onto you." She bluntly and sharply replied without taking her eye off the horizon.

        The callousness of her response took him aback for a few minutes. The meek façade was slowly fading, "... heh.  Beg pardon? My lady, we've only just met and--"

        She sharply turned her head towards him, another thing that took him aback. "I know you are hiding something from us, and I will find it. The others may believe you are some nice old scientist who came to death island to study, but not me- I'm not falling for it."

        Dammit, she is smarter then she looks, he thought. But she doesn't know anything, nor does she have anything substantial to actually do any incriminating damage. "... even if I were hiding something, do you have any proof?"

        "My gut."

        Now that's just stupid. "Your gut?"

        She tapped her stomach area. "And it's never been wrong." She got close to him; uncomfortably close- kissing range close. "For it's telling me for what you really are, dear Vendetta." She whispered with a hiss. "A filthy traitor to your own kind. A lone scholar on a haunted island: you'd have to be an idiot not to realize it, that you are one of them, that you lead them. You are a General." That was some gut- it was completely accurate.

        Too bad for her, though. The air around her got a little bit cold. Vendetta's expression and demeanor changed from a stately scholar who wanted to learn, to that of a murderer who had been caught by the authorities. "And what of it, lady?"

        "You didn't exactly hide an important clue, Vendetta: your own name. One of our.... clients..."

        "Don't you mean prisoner?" Vendetta corrected.

        "...told me about how he fought in the war, and about how you were a cunning strategist. You even look the same as how he described you: a monster without a soul, pretending to be friendly so you can lure them into a trap."

        Vendetta softly laughed to himself: he had been found out... and yet, he wasn't afraid, cause he has a big trump card. "Tsk. And you trusted him? Hehe... you must believe some real dooky hoax's. Even if you are right and I am up to something..." He walked right by her... with his eyes glowing a sinister dark purple. Ocilus' eyes slowly went wide in shock as she realized that she was right all along.. "... you have no way of proving it, especially to those that don't trust you." He went down the hill back towards the group.

        Ocilus got ready to fight him and to fly off to tell the others what she saw... but as she thought about it, the more he was right: she has no proof other then her own words and, like he said, they don't trust her enough to believe her; they didn't back at the hut a few minutes ago, so why would they change now? And if she outright attacks him now, she'll be seen as the villain- again- for attacking an 'innocent scholar'.... again. for the 4th time; those are long stories. 

        Electricity crackled across her body as her rage grew and her blood boiled: there was a Shadow General right here on this island not 5 feet away from everyone; she could dispatch him in a heartbeat... and yet there was nothing she could do: her words would be taken as a joke and an attack will paint her as a monster. There was nothing she could do... but she can keep an eye on him: spy on him and follow him whatever he goes. Hopefully he'll slip up or she'll find bonafide proof of what he is. But for now...

        "Alright... you want me to be the bad guy in this little song and dance, Vendetta?" Her eyes briefly sparked. She finished sinisterly before heading back down herself. She wasn't going to try anything, not right now, not when there is a chance they'll mob on her. For now, she will wait and bide her time. "Fine. I'll be the bad guy."

74: Chapter 69: Exploring is getting old
Chapter 69: Exploring is getting old

Chapter 69

Exploring is getting old

 

 

        The following day, with everyone awake and well-rested, the gang split up into teams of three in hopes of finding the Gate: each team had with them a Ground Dragon in hopes that their sensing abilities would help find it- they keep saying it won't, but you never know. If nothing else, it will warn them of any approaching dangers like any monsters roaming around, or that Felladae creature. 

        Team A: Ventus, Terrux, Sokuro, and Seliox were going towards the ruins that was pointed out to them, on a nearby hill. From a distance, it looked like a lighthouse, so maybe something lies underneath.

        Team B: Bran, Taltian, Fira, and Alua were heading down, down towards the town that lay below them.

        and Team C: Terrum, Vendetta, Pira, Ocilus, and Eia, were heading for a strange building they saw just off the shore, at least it looked like a building.

        The rest: Seqy, Polosa, Sil, Quio, Fayin, Pearl, and Kader, stayed behind at basecamp to keep an eye on things and to make sure the boat doesn't get destroyed in some surprise sneak attack. Polosa volunteered to stay behind as she woke up feeling nauseous, complaining that her stomach was upsetting her; everyone figured it was food poisoning and left it at that.

        Each team took a different amount of time to complete their searches, so let us focus on the shortest first, that of Team A.

 

 

        Ven was not proud of this, but as the Aerids from Dragenia did not change sizes here, he had very little choice: he had to be carried by the children, with Sokuro and Seliox holding his arms, and Terrux his legs- by himself, mind you. The way they had him was also uncomfortable- he looked like a dang superhero in the position he was in, and he didn't even have the luxury to thrust his arm out.

        "Are we there yet?" He complained.

        "Just about." Seliox panted, struggling to hold up the fox's left arm. "You know... you're very heavy... for an adult."

        "You're telling me." Terrux grunted. "I'm the only one carrying the legs!"

        "Well, I did put on a few pounds of demonic essence lately, so it could be that." He joked back. It could also have been the backpack on his back that also had the rifle, but eh, who knows. 

        And the kid wasn't wrong- when Ven complied, they were about 20 seconds away. They were too wiped to fly all the way to the doorstep, so they dropped down at the nearest flattop that had a good enough path to the building. Terrux let go of the legs first, finally letting his own calves a chance to rest. Once his feet touched the ground, the kids let go of his arms. The fox stretched them around- it was only for a short time, but they needed the blood flow. Seliox and Terrux touched down, as did Sokuro as she changed back to her Ferid self. 

        Now that they were up close to it, Ven could get a good look at the details. "Huh. Looks like a Lighthouse from the human times.. and unless the architect was inspired, this could be over a million years old, if not older."

        "By the sounds of it, ancient architecture didn't last very long." Seliox guessed.

        "Not that wrong, small fry." Ven started up the path, with the others right behind him. "Back then, their ancient buildings were almost gone, and that was over a period as small as 10,000 to 6000 years. But with all this time travel crap, I'm just gonna assume that's what was the cause of this showing up. Unless, like I said, the builder was inspired."

        "Did any buildings go missing in the Bermuda region?" Sokuro asked. "Like, just up and vanished into thin air?"

        "The only way buildings would disappear was from a natural disaster: in the case of the Atlantic, it was either by earthquake, tidal wave, or hurricane, and I see no damage of that sort here." After a short trek of only a few minutes, they reached the structure in question: outwardly, it was covered in a green moss, just like everything else around here, so what it looked like was going to be hard. All they knew outwardly was that it was two stories and rectangular with a roof. "That... is a lot of moss."

        "How do we even get in?" Terrux asked.

        "How about the open door?" Seliox said, pointing towards said door. 

        They had to pass though a hanging film of the green goop to get in, but when they did, they saw that the place was in disrepair: tables and chairs warped by all the moisture and heat, cabinets barely hanging to the walls, and one bad smell, like wet dog mixed with rancid meat.

        "Well...." Terrux popped his lips. "This place is quite homely."

        "Doesn't look like anyone's been here for a long time." Ven said as he looked around. "Whoever lived here probably bolted when all this fog rolled in."

        "That would be a good assumption..." Seliox droned on. "If Trochet is as dangerous as they say, I'd get out of dodge faster then you can say 'get me out of here!'"

        Ven bumped into the table. It had a plate on it with pork bones. Any other food must've decayed away. "Looks like the keeper got  up and left right in the middle of dinner."

        "He." Terrux said. She was at the only counter in the place, holding a book. "Found a journal."

        "Anything good?" Sokuro asked.

        He shook his head as he skimmed through. "Mostly boring stuff like arrivals and departures, a few observations about the weather.... and that's all. Nothing."

        Well that was pointless, Ven thought. The next part is likely going to be pointless too, but they can cover more ground if they split up, and get back to camp faster. "Right... well, we also got the tower to cover, so let's split up then- we may find something somewhere. Kid, you're with me."

        Sokuro and Seliox looked towards each other and asked at the same time, "Which one?"

        "The boy." He said as he went out the mossy "door", with Seliox not that far behind him.

        Sokuro pouted, putting her arms behind her hooded head, but the pout didn't last a second. "Guess that leaves us with the house, Ruxy." She looked over to the other, only to find him gone. "... un, Ruxy?" She lowered her hands. "Terrux?"

 

 


        Stairs... why are there always stairs?! 

        Ven was having a hard time climbing up the stairs inside the lighthouse, muttering that there should be some law that makes stairs illegal. They may only be a short flight but things accumulate, and this last month has accumulated a lot. Down below on ground floor a few minutes ago, he didn't find anything special, just a old coffee pot. 

        Reaching the top of the flight of stairs, Ven collapsed to his knees, wheezing like someone badly out of shape who just went on a run, then rolled onto his back. 

        "Wow." He heard Seliox comment. The young dragon stepped into view, looking down at him. 

        "Don't.... even...." Ven panted. "You're... catching me on a off day."

        "That wasn't even that long a flight. Er, of stairs." A glare was what he got in response. "How out of shape are you; that should be nothing for someone who claims to be millions of years old."

        "We spent almost 2 weeks cramped up on a tiny boat, ok? Tell me how you would do if you were stuck in your room without the ability to fly in that timeframe." Seliox had no response. "Besides, I'm still recovering from the wonderful spa day your delightful father gave me- did you forget how BADLY he sunburnt me?!" He pointed towards the Shadow curse's origin point on his chest.

        "Ok, I get it." Seliox huffed as he took a step back. "You don't have to be a dick about it."

        Catching his breath and gulping it, Ven sat up and took in his bearings. The lighthouses cupola- or light/beacon room, if you'd prefer- looked like other traditional lighthouses he's seen: tempered glass called Fresnel Glass made for reflection at the center of the room, with a fire-less lantern in the middle. The windows were made out of regular glass, though some were shattered. And just like everywhere else they've seen, it's covered in moss.

        "I don't think we're going to find much here." The boy muttered. "If anything."

        "Yeah..." Ven moaned, annoyed and upset that he may've climbed up all this way for nothing. Getting onto his feet, he looked outside to see a wide view of the island, or at least most of it. That is when he noticed that the campsite they were on was on top of a large cliff, with a large indented valley stretching out beneath it. That's when he noticed the terrain looked off for Bermuda, and that's when it dawned on him:

        This was an impact crater.

        Either a small meteorite or a powerful explosion left a nasty scar on the island. It must've been a long enough time ago for everything to appear so natural now. Grabbing his sniper rifle from off his back, he headed out onto the balcony and looked through the scope to get a good look at the crater. It wasn't deep- about 28 feet, or two double-decker busses stacked on top of the other-, but it was wide; by his guesstimate, the width and length were the size of New York's Central Park if it was put in a circle and spun around from its absolute center. 

        He looked over to the campsite; the ones that still remained there all looked like ants in the scope; that's when he noticed that the cliff was actually part of the rim of the impact. Whatever did this was powerful, but he has doubts this was a meteor. He saw the Meteor Crater in Arizona; he knows how deep they can get. This was something else; a weapon or magic did this.... his guts on magic as it would easily explain the lack of depth. Looking into the crater proper, he saw what appeared to be the remains of a small town. Were people actually living in the crater?

        "What are you doing?" He heard Seliox ask.

        "I'm looking around."

        ".... with a gun?"

        "Yes, with a gun since it's the only thing with a scope we brought, unless you brought a pair of binoculars with you." He did not. "Besides, with this view point, I should be able to find something useful. And..." He lowered his rifle. "Nothing. One great big pile of nothing. Only thing of interest I spot was that we're on the rim of a impact crater, but that's not going to help us find the gate." He fell onto his rear and sighed. "I'm gonna call it- this place is a bust." 

        Seliox silently seethed, feeling like all of this was a waste of time. He needed something to kick, but the only thing available was a piece of the lighthouse. "Aaaaagh!" So instead, he hit his paws on the steel railings, bending it.

        Even if these are, at minimum, a few hundreds of years old- steel should not bend easily like that. "What's got you in a tissy?" Ven asked.

        "This... all of this- all of you!" The kid snapped to his elder. "Everything was fi-- mostly fine until you guys showed up! Everything is so screwed up now and I hate it... I want things to go back to the way things are! I want to go home..."

        "We didn't come here on purpose, you know. Things... just happened." Does the kid know of the role he played? That he was the one that wrecked the console and caused the malfunction that brought them to this hellscape? Either way, he's not going to bring it up- the kid is emotional enough as it is. "Sometimes.... life just hits us with hardballs, ya know? Yes, this situation for all of us is crap, but what we can do is at least try to power through and reach the other side; to reach the good at the other end of the bad."

        "But what if it doesn't end? What if it is just more and more and more bad things until the day I die?"

        "... I don't know." He looked down at his chest, towards the blackness that was the curse. "Guess that's the problem with being ageless: some perspectives and situations, we just can't empathize with, like... well, what you said. We have the luxury of waiting. You don't."

        "Ageless."

        Ven pointed towards his own head. "All Kitsunes are immortal, kid. We don't die from age. Everything else can kill us, but getting old and turning to dust: that ain't happening."

        "... well... lucky you." Seliox bitterly responded. "Meanwhile, once I get home, I'm going to be going straight into hell... and no, I 'don't' have the luxury of waiting: I am going to have to confront the mess Father made head on. If that was your attempt to try and cheer me up, you failed miserably." 

        "Well, sorry, but--" 

        A loud piercing shriek filled the air, distracting the two of them from their 'argument'. "What was that?" they both said.

 

 

        Alone and confused, Sokuro slowly, cautiously, and nervously made her way down the hall that lead to a flight of stairs that led to the second floor. "Ruxy...?" She softly called out, trying hard to not show fear... but how can you when someone was just right beside you, then up and vanished? "Terrux?" She nervously called out again. Again... nothing. She felt a pit form in her chest as fear began to take hold. "Where are y--"

       "Boo!"

        Suddenly, a figure jumped up in front of her, all in white. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sokuro screamed in terror, falling onto her back. Her heart beat a mile a minute as she clutched her chest.

       "hahahahaha!" The 'ghost' laughed, lifting up the white sheet to reveal a soon-to-be dead drake. "did I get ya?" Terrux laughed.

        Get her? GET HER?! "Yes!!!" Sokuro shrieked as her fear was replaced with anger. 

       "hahahahahaha. Go me. hahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

        Getting to her feet, Sokuro panted at first out of her fear but slowly stopped as his laugh wore on. "You done yet?"

       "Nope. I got more. hahahahahahahahahahaha." Now her anger was slowly getting replaced with frustration, crossing her arms and lidding her eyes. Terrux took a deep breath, "Ok, I'm done." He tossed the white cloth away.

        She watched it hit the floor, feeling fully frustrated. "... Did you find anything while you were setting up this 'prank'?"

       "Not a thing." He giggled. "Just personal effects the keeper left behind." He pointed towards an open door: the bathroom door, and inside were personal cleanup effects like a razor and a  personal mirror. "Looked like this guy left in a hurry if he forgot his doilies."

       "Yeah, we picked up on that." She went in there and picked up the razor. It was small, fit in the palm of her hand, and was meant for shaving off facial hair. "Don't understand why, though- it's just some fog."

       "Did nobody tell you the story?" 

        She thought about it but honestly could not remember. "I...... don't know; so much has happened in the last few weeks, I may've forgotten." 

        "Quick history lesson then: When the Fog first came down, nobody reacted to it cause, well, Fog's natural: it's just clouds on the ground." She feels it- the air has been moist the entire time they've been here. She grabbed the mirror and razor and walked out of the bathroom, "But when it started to linger, that made people nervous. Once people started disappearing and eventually dying, that's when everyone panicked and fled for the hills. Least that's what I've been told."

       "And nobody knows where it came from?"

        He shook his head. "Not a clue. Unless you count theories, which I don't- they are just guesses."

       "Well, sometimes, one of those guesses turns out to be true." She tapped him on the nose with the handle of the razor. "So let's hear 'em."

       "Well, some of the theories are that they are a magic spell cast by someone on the inside to try and consolidate power for whatever reason, while another says that the Ancestors are mad at us." If the fog was natural, she would say that the peoples were reaching, but with it lingering for decades and people actually dying in it, there may be some credibility to all that. In the end, everything has a explanation and it's eventually found out sooner or later. "What about you? There any mysteries on your world that only have guesses?"

        Lots. Just.... a lot. But there was one from back home that still has a... personal connection to her. "Yep. Plenty. But the big one on everyone's mind at the moment is the Phagos."

       "The Phagos?"

       "A 'lovely' piece of work that gave me this." She lowered her hood, lifted up her raven hair, and pointed towards the bite mark. Rux's face lightly twisted in disgust when he saw how gnarly it looked. They've been here how long again, he thought. He also thought, why doesn't it look like it healed? "And yeah, it still hurts." She pulled her hood  back up. "The thing is is that, according to the stories, they just *pop* popped into the world, just out of the blue, just like that."

        "It just popped up out of nowhere?" He asked. She nodded in response. "That's impossible- things just don't come from out of nowhere. Everything has a beginning."

        She shrugged towards him, "I don't know what to tell ya," and passed him by. "But that's what it's looking like, cause we don't have any conc..." She slowly came to a halt as her mind wandered... "...crete..... explanation..."

        "Hmm? Why'd you stop?"

        Her mind wandered back to that 'dream' she had, back at Alua's orphanage when she had her worst episode yet... about how she say someone say they were making an order of Phagos. She can barely remember the details right now, but... it makes no sense, but if this is true... how could she have seen the past? It was doubtful anyone would believe her anyways. "Huh? Oh, un... nothing. Nothing." Rux doubted she was telling the truth, but didn't bother pursuing. Sputtering, Sokuro clapped her hands behind her back, "I'm getting bored- should we head back?"
     
        "Not without the old man. I think Seliox would be upset if he had to carry him back by himself."

        "Yeah. He does seem like the kind to complain a lot."

        The door behind them suddenly burst open. Within seconds of them hearing the noise and wondeirng what the heck was that, Ven and Seliox ran into the hallway- Ven pointed his gun at them, but lowered it when he saw it was just them. "What happened in here!?"

        "What's with the armed response!?!" Sokuro and Terrux yelled in unison.

        "We heard a scream." Seliox replied.

        "That was me!" Sokuro shouted back. She lightly punched Terrux on the shoulder. "Dumb Dumb here thought it would be a marvelous idea to scare me!"

        "And mission accomplished, if I do say so myself." He smugly smiled.

        "Ugh.." Seliox groaned, lowering his head to a hard facepalm that hurt. "Really?"

        "What?" Terrux laughed. "It was a golden opportunity. I couldn't resist." 

         Does he not know how bad things could've gone? What if they actually were in trouble; this would be like the Boy Who Cried Wolf. While he feels as annoyed as Seliox, Ven moved the plot along, "...Did you at least find anything?"

        "Just some old toiletries." Sokuro said as she held up the razor.

        Ven rolled his hand down his eyes, pulling down his eyelids before letting them go. "Ugh.... coming here was a waste of time. Let's head back- we won't find anything else."

        "But we haven't checked the second floor." Terrux pointed out.

        He didn't want to go up there, "Right. Fine. Let's go get it over with. Doubtful we're gonna find anything."
    
        And he was right: another bathroom, two bedrooms, and a closet, and nothing. Only thing they found that was even remotely interesting was a sailor's compass, a broken one too as it was pointing south instead of north, so it's worthless. Other then that, nothing except for the razor and mirror Sokuro found. Well, useless for them, but Vendetta may find these interesting.

        Hopefully the other two groups had better luck. 

 


        Team B was having no such luck. 
        
        Bran, Taltian, Fira, and Alua were the ones tasked with looking though a town that rested below the cliff they were on, inside the crater Ven figured out, and they had no luck here. Most of the buildings were stripped down to the foundation, with the scant few buildings that remined offering little. They only had one building left to check out: a large three story estate they assume was the home of whoever was the leader here.

        "Well, this place is a real fixer upper." Taltian commented as the group climbed the stairwell that lead them to the third floor. He ran a claw along a dusty wall and picked up a lot of gunk. "Needs a lot of dusting."

        "And repairs and that shiny furniture stuff and an exorcist." Fira joked. Behind them, a broom fell onto the floor. "Make two exorcists."

        Reaching the third floor landing, Bran suddenly felt a headache come on. He grunted in pain as he held his head with one hand, and leaned on the wall with his other. "You ok?" A very concerned Alua asked.

        "No..." Bran grunted in pain back. "No, this hurts a lot..." It slowly stopped seconds later, allowing him to catch his breath. "That sucked..." 

        "I'm gonna take a bet that was the curse." Fira said.

        "I think you may be right." Bran grunted. "Which means we should hurry." 

        Reaching the third floor, they found only one door, flanked by two large mason jars that housed dead trees; it wasn't even subtle in screaming this was the master bedroom. They had no reason to worry about locks as the doors were open. The group flung them open and went inside- unlike the other rooms they visited, this one was... .mostly untouched. Some armoires, desks, and the master's bed were still here, but most everything else is gone.

        "Ok, we're making some headway." Bran said as he clapped his hands together. On cue, the four of them split up to take a look around. Bran went straight for the bed, feeling a tad bit weak from his headache earlier. "Doesn't look like they were able to clear out the master suite before they left." 

        "Well, this style of furniture is heavy." Alua said as she ran her wing along the frame of one of the oak armoire. "Besides, you see that bed? It would take a lot of dragons to carry back, and even then it would be cumbersome."

        "Guess Vendetta's gonna have to settle for just the location." He said back.

        Leaning against one of the few remaining desks, Fira commented, "I never understood why anyone would sleep in anything so... obnoxious looking."

        "Something to do with power, i guess." Bran said. He laid back on it and almost sank in it- this thing was soooooooooft. "Or a status symbol or so-- whoa, this thing is soft." He sat himself up. "Nearly sank all the way to another world in this thing."

        Moving on to a couple of desks, Taltian and Fira began pulling out everything they could. Fira pulled out of his desk, "Let's see here: Underwear, belts, bribe money, riding crop..."

        with Tal continuing, "...pictures of family, illicit diaries, shredded bills."

        That was all more information then the more mature folks in the room wanted to know. "Are... they making all that up?" Bran was hesitant to ask.

        "You wanna take that risk asking them?" Alua droned, knowing from experience that the answer was always going to be the same. "... let's go look elsewhere."

        No argument from Bran. He checked under the the bed, under the pillows, and between the mattress's for clues, but ended up with nothing except more 'bribe money'. Alua, meanwhile, went to the largest armoire in the room and forced it open. Just coat hangers were within.

        "Hmm.... a shine in the rocks." They heard Taltian say. The three of them looked his way and saw that he was looking at one of the journals he and Fira had been pulling out.

        "A what?" Fira asked as flapped over.

        "A shine in the rocks." Tal repeated. First off, they were surprised that Tal could read- he struck them as the simpleton of the triplets- but a shine in the rocks? What in the world could that mean? The answer came with a flip of the page, "Looks like he funded a mining operation into a mountain after claiming he saw gold shining in the sun, but nothing came of it."

        "Hmm..." Bran went. "The Gate back on Dragenia was made out of gold, or was at least gold painted. Maybe the same holds true for this Gate too- does the journal say where it was?"

        "Not really. It is inside a mountain- i can tell you that much, but..." Tal held it up- that rest of the page was covered in dry blood. "Looks like the people who lived here got wise of whatever their leader was doing."
        
        "Crap..." Bran grunted as he lowered his head, then flung  it backwards as he groaned loudly. "Auuuugh..."

        "It's not a lot, but at least it's something." Fira said. "We just have to find the right-sized mountain."

        "Just one problem with that, Fira: every mountain here is the right size! Or did you not notice?"

        "Oh."

        "But we can narrow it down." Alua said. "Assuming that the person who lived here was a fat lazy slob who feared losing his illegally gotten gains, that means he would've barely left the comforts of his estate, meaning that the glint he saw would have to be from close by. That at least narrows it down to this general area: to the peaks that surround this valley."

        "It is better then nothing. But now the new problem is finding the right one."

        "We better hope that Vendetta guy can get some leads on that front." Taltian commented.

        "You use ground and Seqy was able to sense you all back in the city." Fira pointed out. "You sure you can't sense where the gate is?"

        "As we mentioned before, it doesn't work like that. We can sense movement, not still items. If we did..."

        "...You'd be rich from all the gemstones you'd find, yeah yeah. Just worth a question."

        "Let's just grab what we can for Detta's archeology and head back." Bran said, feeling like all this was a waste of time. "Let's hope someone else turns up something." They then gathered up all the small trinkets they could... under the bed, however, something stirred... something slithered.

        A pair of eyes opened up within the darkness of the bed's underside: one silted and red, and the other grey, scared, and faded as it was blinded. It gazed at the four of them... the human child was about to become one of them, so it mostly ignored... the dragons could work, but only the adult showed promise, but not anything substantial. It wants power, and it senses only one being on this island that houses what it wants. 

        But where was it? Where was that sublime power?

75: Chapter 70: Prelude to Disaster
Chapter 70: Prelude to Disaster

Chapter 70

Prelude to Disaster

 

 


       Teams A and B's joint excursions to the lighthouse and the ruined village yielded no results on where the Gate home could specifically be, just some vague hints as to what happened on the island before the Fog, like discovering a crater in the middle of the island and hints of glints of gold in the rock, and that the mayor / magistrate / whoever was in charge was into shady things. Nothing worth talking about since all this happened a dozen or so years shy of a century, but the big picture isn't pretty either as no comments on the Gate in what little things they have found hasn't filled them with hope. 

        All they can do is hope that Team C- Terrum, Vendetta, Pira, Ocilus, and Eia- can produce something.

        Their destination was something spotted offshore before they tucked in for the night, something that Bran says looked like a old warehouse. Whatever it was, it's on a small islet, with half of both building and rock eroded away. 

        When they got there, it was indeed a warehouse with barely a roof left and almost everything inside soaked in water from the ocean, only it was made from a metal none of them recognized- flimsy sheet metal alone, yet strong when welded together. It's not what they were looking for, though: not when clues to the locations of a mysterious world hopper are to be found.

        That doesn't mean clues about other things won't appear.

        "Are these chains?" Pira asked as he looked at the shackles and chains hanging of the wall furthest from the ocean water.

        "Looks like it." Vendetta commented. He knows what they were used for during that time, but like before he continued to play the fool. "You think they used them to hold animals before shipping them off to be slaughtered?"

        "I dunno... Terrum jeered, feeling something was off and wrong here. He grabbed one of the shackles and looked it over- it was far too big for livestock or illegal smuggling. "Something feels not right about them."

        "It's probably nothing." Vendetta insisted before he walked off. It wasn't for nothing, but he wasn't going to tell them that, at least not right now; if they found out that this warehouse was used for illegal trafficking, they'd probably leave out of disgust, not that he would blame them.

        In another part of the warehouse, Ocilus and Eia searched by themselves in what they presumed was the foreman's office.... well, Eia did- Ocilus barely participated, just lazily halfassed through this. But it did get boring fast, so something needed to be done to pass the time.

        She had to open her big mouth.
        
        "So..." She lingered, wondering what subject to broach to pass the time. "...did my distraction on the boat work?"

        Eia shrugged it off, picking up a clipboard to look at the papers on it. "Mostly."

        Not the answer the elder electric drakette was expecting. "Mostly?"

        Eia shrugged again. "We didn't have much to talk about." She tossed the clipboard down onto the desk. "He probably isn't even interested in me."

        Ocilus had some arguments to make with that: according to the Dragenians, the colonists came to their world about a month ago, their time. So... there is a LOT to talk about. And no interest? Seriously? "Did you even try?"

        "Yes!" Eia shouted back. "But it didn't do anything."

        Nothing, eh? Well, there was only one piece of advice left to give: "Then be blunt."

        Twas not the romance advice Eia wanted, even if it is the last trick in her bag. "Blunt?"

        "Just tell him how you feel and see how he reacts."

        It was an.... idea, but that was the problem: she didn't know how he would react: in her mind, the worst case scenario was that he runs away and cuts all ties with her; he was at that strange awkward age between thinking girls are icky and girls are attractive, after all. "I don't know..."

        "Do you even like him?"

        "Yes."

        Then came the question they were both gonna regret broaching. "... do you love him?"

        That was... that was a heavy question to ask. Eia scoffed it off at first: of course she loves him... or at least, she thinks she does... things were so hectic the entire month they've been here, she never had time to think if this was genuine or a fleeting child's fantasy that would be lucky enough to survive beyond school. "............. I... I think so."

        "You think?"

        "I don't know... Things have just been so confusing lately." She turned back to her. "And what do you care? You're a sadist."

        "... I thought we agreed to put that to rest."

        "Why do you even care? On that note, why am I taking romantic advice from a toxic beast like you?"

         That one... that last one actually hurt. "You know what. I'm heading back early. Have fun destroying your mind as your wrestle back and forth on this." With a huff, she was out the door, and flew out of the warehouse when she reached the open section.

        Alone for now, Eia sighed, rubbing her eyes as she leaned on the desk. "Why did I say that...?" She sighed to herself.

 

 


        Things back at basecamp had been quiet the entire time everyone had been gone. Seqy, Sil, Quio, and Kader were busy cooking up a hearty stew for everyone when they came back with some supplies Vendetta had brought, and good thing too: if they had to spend another night eating calamari, they would've flipped, but for the first time since they set out, it would be hilarious to hear them sing the praises about broccoli.

        While they were doing that,  Polosa was at the cliff, throwing up her breakfast- 'food poisoning' is really getting to her hard- and Fayin sat by the fire, as she always does... and it bored her to tears: that's all she's done the entire time they've been here, just sit and let others do all the work. It wasn't even her that found they had to go to Trochet in the first place. So, she's been studying everything they had found so far: all the clues, all the riddles.. Something, anything, should give them a better lead then just 'more exploring.'
        
        But it was a pointless endeavor as everything they had discovered was already in play. They were now on the final leg of their journey home- they just need to find the Gate.

        "Ugh..." Polosa groaned as she sat down on a pull-out chair they pulled off from the ship. "I swear, that horchata we had back in Jeke is doing a number on me..."

        "It didn't effect any of us." Kader commented.

        Polosa leaned back in the chair, wiping sweat from her forehead. "There must've been something in it that doesn't agree with me, ugh.... What's even in that stuff?" The rodent shrugged, not knowing himself.

        "Don't know what to tell ya, then." Fayin said as she looked up from her sleuthing. "But should food poisoning even last this long?"

        "Yep." Quio said. "I once saw someone eat a bad chicken leg- he was out for a week." That prompted another question they wanted to ask but didn't fearing the answer: how bad was that chicken leg?

        The flapping of wings caught her attention, along with the attention of the others. It was Team C, back earlier then all the others. They had nothing with them, so that probably eliminated any clues to the Gate from there. They also had no artifacts with them, so Vendetta got no nifty toys from there.

        Fayin noticed they were shy one party member, and the grumpy expression of Eia did nothing to answer that out of the gate. "Where's Ocilus?"
       
        "Psycho flew the coop." Pira said as he went to the spot far down the slope they designated the bathroom.

        That answered nothing. "Huh?"

        Vendetta sighed. "It seems that Eia and Ocilus had an argument over something and Ocilus left." While Fayin won't cry over the psycho leaving, it is bad timing while they are on a island of death with a supposed horror hiding somewhere. "Did she come back here?"

        "No." Sil said. "Last time we saw her was when you all left."

        "I see..." That confirms she didn't come back to rifle through his stuff to try and find proof of his true origins, but it is still concerning. "Wonder where she could be, then."

        More flapping wings turned their heads as Team A made their return. Like before, the kids were carrying Ventus by his limbs, but due to the extra weight they had, they let him go once they were confident he'd survive the short 4-foot fall. Still hurt like the dickens.

        "how'd it go?" Polosa asked, not feeling like tossing her breakfast for once.

        "Big fat load of nothing." Ven groaned as he sat up. "It was a waste of time." He pulled the compass out of his breast pocket and tossed it to the 'archeologist'. "Brought you back a old compass, though." He said as Vendetta barely caught it as it kept slipping out of his claws for a moment. "Kid there also found a razor." He pointed to Sokuro, who held it up.

        Eventually, Team B made their return too with more of the same: nothing to show for it, especially with artifacts for Vendetta's collection. They did tell them about the clue they had found, about the glint of gold, but.... "Well, today was a big waste of time..." Bran huffed as he sat down in a empty seat. "Not even noon and I feel like I've wasted a year."

        "I dunno..." Sokuro said. "That 'glint of gold light' thing does sound like a good clue."

        "It's only a good clue if we knew where to look." Seliox said. "Which we don't. And even then, Gold is a metal that requires light to shine, and last I checked, we got no sun."

        Tapping a stick he found against his jaw, Sil had a thought and came to the conclusion: "You know, I think we're going about this all wrong."

        "What makes you think that?" Alua asked.

        "Well, let's look at all the clues we obtained: we know that there was a battle here at some point during Ghi'ich'tarl's reign, so maybe we should look at ruins that would work for old battlefield sites, while also adding into consideration that Anthromorphs and Gaharots would also be involved, so it would have to be a place with some good open ground. And that the Gate is huge, gold, and indestructible."

        "That eliminates any ruins up high." Vendetta said. "But not the mountains themselves." 

        "Like the one we were just at...?" Seliox seethed bitterly, feeling like the lighthouse had become redundant. He wasn't going to dwell on that for now but instead rain on peoples parades, "But another thing to consider is that it probably isn't in a ruin. It is possible that they buried it to prevent another incursion."

        "Then it didn't do a good job if we were able to come through." Eia commented bitterly, feeling fed up from so many different things today.

        Seliox took a few steps away from her, not feeling safe around her. "While true, it doesn't negate that possibility; it could just mean there was a huge open area in the back that allowed passage through. Even if it wasn't buried when you arrived, you have been on this world for almost a month, so a landslide could've occurred in that time."

        "You are just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Sokuro commented, resting her head on her hands. 

        "And what little we did learn doesn't help much either." Alua said. "Just a vague passage about a glint of gold." Ven loudly cleared his throat, getting her attention and reminding her of what he found. "And that we're on the outskirts of a crater too, I didn't forget about that." He was just making sure. 

        "Based on the information you all brought back..." Vendetta started "...I believe that the ruler of the island was engaged in illegal activities, such as trafficking. And, he was also greedy, creating a whole mining operation off a 'glint in rock'. It's doubtful he was involved in that crater Ventus mentioned as the town seemed to be built into it, meaning that settlers came here after it happened, but the fact he started one is a good clue in of itself: we just need to find a mining shaft."

        "There's still the issue of where." Seliox again rained. "There's a lot of mountains around here and we can barely see the sun as it is. It won't be shining on things anytime soon. And that's all assuming all the equipment has been left out in the open to just find. And to bring things back around to my earlier point, there's nothing that doesn't say the shaft wasn't potentially buried in a landslide."

        "Will you stop being a Negative Nancy already?" Bran demanded.

        "I don't know what that means, but at least I'm being the realist here." 

        That's when Fira had an epiphany; a rare occurrence that nearly destroys his brain every time. "Zixvor."

        "Oh, right!" Kader exclaimed, having remembered.

        "Zixvor?" Vendetta repeated with a tilted head.

        "Back when we were searching for clues on the Gate, the two of us and Pira were sent to the museum in the tower cause some of the unreadable relics there are actually languages from their time." They gestured to the Dragenians. "While we found a couple of tablets written in what they call english, we also found a painting." Having realized what they were talking about, Ven brought it over to them. Placing it on Fira's paw, Kader leapt down onto it and scrolled on through the photo app. Vendetta pretended to be amazed by the strange device. While Kader scrolled, Fira continued: "The Battle of Zixvor. According to the artist, he was commissioned by an ancient king to paint his victory at a conflict; a conflict, and you'll like this, where strange warriors from a door of light battled our ancestors eons ago." The rodent eventually found what he was looking for and put it on full screen: the painting that clearly showed the Gate, in the background of an intense battle. "And here, we see: the Gate, huge, golden, and according to the artist, untouched, and even completely in line with what Bran drew."

        Ven lightly grinned and rubbed the top of Fira's head like a pet, "You clever weasel; you remembered all that?"

        "That I did." Fira said proudly. "I'm not dumb all the time."

        "But it's embedded in a cliff." Seliox pointed out. "That doesn't disprove my assumption that they buried it." 
    
        "No... it doesn't" Ven said. He looked to Vendetta. "Does that map of yours list a place named Zixvor?"

        Zixvor... he'll be honest; that was not a name he was familiar with. If he did hear of it, he completely forgot all about it. "No, it doesn't, and I can't say the name rings many bells either. Maybe the name changed to something else: Ghi'ich'tarls reign was thousands of years ago, after all, and names have a habit of changing over time." True enough. Nothing lasts forever and names are no different. "Maybe if I do some more research, I'll find it."

        "So what do we do until then, just wait?" Eia asked as Pira returned to the group after taking care of business.

        "That's all we can do." Quio said as he plopped down. "For now, at least."

        "What did I miss?" Pira asked his brother.

        "A lot of blustering and barely any changes. All honestly, this brief side-quest thing for Vendetta feels like filler."

        "Ooof, filler sucks."

        "Yep."

 

        Some time later, everyone had stopped to take a breather and grab some lunch. On top of the stew, there was some preserved jerky- as long as it wasn't calamari or salted pork, they were good. As everyone ate and chilled, Fayin continued to ponder, and ponder, and ponder some more. She needed to do something more to contribute to their survival. She saw that Ven's phone was just laying on his seat. She grabbed it and, for the first time in a long while, walked- or rather limped, off to see what she could find.

        "Where are you going?" Ven asked.

        "A walk. I've spent so much time turning into a lounge lizard, i needed to stretch my legs." She held up the phone. "Plus I'm hoping to see if I can find something we didn't before."

        "Just before careful with that. It's a limited edition: they don't make those anymore." She wasn't sure what limited edition meant, but she's assuming it means rare.

        Heading towards the edge of the cliff their camp was on, Fayin looked down at the phone, then out to the wide open island beyond, then back down. There were a number of hills and small mountains surrounding them, but very few have locations in-between that could work as open battlefields for ground warfare. Assuming the crater was from the battle, they are in the right location. Her eyes moved from spot to spot, hoping to find at least something, anything, that could give them some sort of clue. 

        That is when she noticed something key in the background of the art: a small spire with light... almost like a lighthouse, and there was only one lighthouse around. She turned to her left and looked at the one they had just explored. She then looked back down at the painting and, with the knowledge of where the lighthouse was in the background, got a pretty keen idea on where the Gate is. 

        "There's no way..." She said to herself.

        Pearl suddenly appeared, making a loud sound like she was hungry. Startled, the phone slipped out of Fayin's claws. She tried to catch it- even came close a couple times, but failed to catch it. She whimpered whilst biting her lips, watching as an important tool in their journey  was dropping away; she was hoping the colonists tech was very durable.

        While it fell, the light from the phone flashed off of something inside the rock. Fayin wouldn't have noticed if the gleam didn't get her in the eye. Her eyes flashed for a few, but some rapid blinking fixed that... but then it dawned on her that something inside the rock must've caught the light, cause rocks don't do that. Curious, she got down flat on her belly and used her claws to carve out some of the loose stone. Some were tougher to claw out then others, but eventually she found something remarkable. 

        Gold. Polished gold, with a gemstone embedded within. Following it along, she found more polished gold with gemstones, along with a curvature. 

        Darting up onto her legs, Fayin was slowly processing and freaking out about what she had found:

        The way home.

        "..............Hey guys." She called out, getting their attention. "I think I found Zixvor."

        "You have?"

        "Yeah... I think so." She looked down the cliff to the flatlands below. "And we're right on top of it."

 

 


        The sounds of creaking wood rubbing up against rock and stone was all the crew of the ship heard when they finally reached Trochet, and it was a terrible sound that they do not want to hear again. Not that far away from them was the emerald ship Termundus used to get here, now abandoned and falling to pieces in the twilight sun.

        It wasn't the only thing falling to pieces as Trach, now completely spent, fell to his side, panting and wheezing hard. Tygan came up to him and gave him a bottle full of water, which the exhausted fire drake downed in seconds. "You did good, boy."

        Trach tossed the drained bottle away, still panting but at least he was parched. "Don't ask me....to do that.... again... oh Stars, everything hurts."

        "Just relax. You earned it." The Rottweiler responded. The thumping from down below ruined any chances of that. Ever since they left Jeke, Argax had been relentless, endlessly shouting and banging and who knows what else. "Though he may say otherwise."

        "We hit the shore, captain." Tybalt said. "Fire boy didn't stop fast enough."

        "How bad is it?" Tygan asked as he jumped down off the roof of the cabin. 
    
        The answer soon came when Garf and Federico came up from the hold. "Repairable, if we find good lumber." Federico answered. "Though I doubt there are trees on this Star-forsaken rock."

        "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Tygan said. "For now, we have to find those kids before Termundus does."

        "But the demon has a huge headstart on us." Garf said. "And Trochet is big- where would we even start looking?"

        Downing another water bottle, Trach joined with the lot of them. He glanced up over their heads and mentioned, "That smoke would probably be a good place to start." The squad looked where he was and saw a small plume of smoke rising up into the air; it must be a campfire. 

        "That'll work." Tybalt commented. He grabbed his commander by the arms and took off towards the sky, with Federico doing the same to with Garf. Grabbing a third water bottle, Trach followed up after them- there was no way he was going to stay on the boat and listen to Argax's rants all day. Besides he couldn't help but feel worried for the kids; between Termundus and the rumored monster that lives here, they need help. 

        In no time, the group of five reached the source of the campfire: a camp setup within the confines of what appears to be abandoned huts. Whoever was here, they must've just missed them... as did the unconscious demon laid out on the ground like a throwskin rug. 

        "...... is he dead?" Federico asked as they all looked at him.

        Feeling braver then the rest of them, Tybalt approached the former general and put his ears next to his snout. A steady stream of inhales and exhales came to. "No... he's alive." He looked at Termundus' forehead, spotting a bloody bruise right between the eyes. "Something got him good to knock him out."

        "SomeTHING or someONE?" Tygan incentivized. 

        "Thing. Marks are consistent with a rock. A pretty good-sized rock too."       

        "So now what?" Garf asked. "We have the fugitive and the kids aren't in any danger."

        "From him." Tygan responded. "There's still the rumored beast of the island."

        "That's just a old wives tale." Trach dismissed it. 

        "Well, regardless, we have him. Let's cuff him and--"

        Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet. It was a violent shake, too, knocking everyone off their feet as they rode it out... and waking someone up from his forced nap. 

        "Dyaaaah!" Termundus shouted as he sprang upright. The others got ready to attack him if he did something funny, but their worries were unfounded... this time, at least. Once that was over with, he calmed down, collected himself... and wondered where in the world he was. That is when he noticed his squad looking at him, with the non-dragons having weapons at the ready, along with the huts behind them. "........ did..... i miss something?"

        "Termundus, you are under arrest."

        "... why? I can't get demoted any further. And also... where are we?"

        The squad and Trach looked between one another, each their own mixture of confused, bewildered, and befuddled; was he playing with them, or was he being genuine? He's lied so many times over the years, it's impossible to tell when he is telling the truth. "You..... don't know?" Garf asked.

        "Does it look like I know?" He snapped back with venom in his voice.

        "No need to get snippy." Tygan responded. "But she is right in asking that. You don't remember anything?"

        Termundus shook his head. "The last thing I remember is going to the Isle of Origins with my replacements to find out when Alua and her charges have vanished. After that... it's all a blur. Does it explain why we're.... wherever we are?"

        It was starting to sound like he truly doesn't know where he was. "Allow us to catch you up then." Trach said. "Long story short, those outsiders you fought found a way home here, on Trochet, and the others came with them to help them find it. We stopped in Jeke to finish up that treasure hunt that started when those nitwits broke into the vault- it was all old clothes, so it was worthless." Not to the right buyer, they all thought. "I stayed behind to deal with an old associate of mine while the others went on. Oh, and we found Ocilus and, as far as i know, they brought her along."

        That... made no sense, especially that last part. "Ocilus tried to kill them." Termundus rightfully called out. "Why would they even talk to her, let alone bring her along?"

        "Pity, maybe? She was slam-faced drunk when she came back into the picture."

        Tygan stepped forward, lightly tapping Trach to the side- he took the hint and backed off. "Ocilus is also why we are here- the Council issued a warrant for her arrest after she vanished after the trial, but now she has us scared. ... somehow, she destroyed the entire town of Jeke."

        That actually made him freeze for a moment. He's known Ocilus for a long time, and destroying an entire town? She is impressively cruel, but she's not genocidal.,, plus, while the sentiment is lost on him, it was her home town. "She did what?"

        "It's true." Trach chimed in. "My 'associate' and I were out of the town when it happened. We heard this loud explosion, and when I went to investigate, the entire place had been turned into a smoldering pile of electrified wood."

        Termundus still found that hard to believe... but this does speak volumes about her power. "... that's impossible. Ocilus is a lot of things, but an entirely murderer of towns? That's impossible."

        "The wood was electrified." Garf sneered. "How do you explain that?" He can't. 

        "Regardless, we know she's here." Tygan said. "The outsiders are in danger from that electric freak and we need to prevent a international incident from erupting into war."

        Termundus lightly scoffed, softly enough to where they didn't hear him. They still believe that they are from outside the Fog. It's astonishingly amazing how stupid everyone-- ... his mind then caught up to what they said earlier... and about where they are. "... wait, did you say we're on Trochet?"

        "Yeah."

        For the first time since his childhood, much to the surprise of everyone present, Termundus was scared. His head darted around and around, seeing that they were on the Fog-covered isle. "No no no no no no no no."

        Seeing the once mighty and invincible general reduced to this was all sorts of cathartic. "Holy shit, is he actually scared?" Federico laughed.

        "Of course I'm scared!" He yelled, bounding to his feet. "Do you not know what is here?!"

        "The answer to all our prayers?" Tybalt joked.

        "No, you nitwit!" He grew more and more frightened with each passing second. "During the war, there was a monster- a terrible demon that scared even their allies, so much so that the mighty Shadow leader Soulless had to banish him to the furthest corners of our isolated world! Felladae.... Felladae the Cruel, Felladae the Evil, Felladae the Torturer. That devil is the pure embodiment of pain- if there is a way to cause misery... that thing knows it."

        Nobody was joking now. In fact, they were mortified. If he's true, then Ocilus is the least of their worries. There was some gnawing in the back of their minds that he was just making all this up and he was that good of an actor, but he threw Ocilus under the bus, so there's no reason for him to save her hide. "............. you're........ pulling our leg, right?" Federico gulped.

        "No. No I'm not."

        The ground suddenly shook again, forcing everyone off their legs. Seconds later, just off the edge of a cliff, a storm was brewing: a twister made entirely out of electricity, with lightning bolts going out in every direction with such intensity and ferocity. It was so loud, it was making their ears hurt.

        "What in the world!?" Trach shouted over the storm.

        In all his years, Termundus will admit that he never experienced power like this before. The only one close, if not surpassing it, was that creature Silverwind. But this... this was just violence. Multiple lightning bolts came there way, but they were blasted away by a small surge of darkness from their right. 

        "I'm not sure why you are here..." Vendetta shouted, though seemingly unaffected by the storm. "... but we have a crisis on our hands." 

        "What kind of a crisis?!" Tygan shouted back.

        "... one that already has blood on its hands... and if we hurry, we can prevent more deaths."

76: Chapter 71: Felladae
Chapter 71: Felladae

Chapter 71

Felladae

 

 


        As the noon sun  barely peaked its way through the dense mists of the Fog, a certain colonist looked at the mangled remains of his phone; after falling from so high up, he's surprised it's not more pieces. Still hurts to see it destroyed like this. "Man..." Ven moaned as he squatted down, picking up the pieces of his device. "...this phone's lasted me for 3000 years."

        Fayin felt guilty about it all. She may've found where the Gate hid, but that phone... it's been a really useful tool to them this past month. "Sorry, Van..." She whimpered. 

        Ven let loose a deep exhale as he looked it over. 3000 years, only to be taken out by a fall from a raptor with butterfingers... er, butterclaws. He looked through the remains and found the memory card. Miraculously, it was still intact, so all of his information should still be stored on it; he lost the body, but not the brain. "Well, the card looks intact, so I should just plug it into a new phone when we get back and be fine."

        "Huh?" All the non-tech savvy children went.

        "He can transfer everything on that phone into another." Bran explained. 

        "AH."

        All of them had gathered at the edge of the town, down at the foot of the giant mountainous cliff they were staying on. All this time, the way back home was right underneath their cots. "So we've been on top of Zixvor- on top of the Gate- this whole time?" a flabbergasted Eia babbled. 

        "That's what it looked like." Fayin said. 

        "And you're sure it's in there?"

        "That's what it looked like. Everything lined up just right and it fits all the clues we found. I'm not 100% certain, but we don't have the luxury of time. It's either in there or it's not."

        "I'm going with is." Polosa said as she and Terrum flew down from above. "And we found what looked to be an mine shaft into the mountain- it's just around the way back thataway." She pointed behind herself. "It's the only one we found, so it's the only entrance we got."

        "So this is it then." Sokuro said, with hope riding on her words. "We're finally going home."

        "Let's hope so..." Bran somberly said. He looked to his hands; they were almost completely black... they don't have long until the curse completely overtakes them. They can't see it under his clothes, but Ven is probably worse off. "...otherwise me and Ven are gonna be having you are for lunch soon."

        "That's a cheery thought..." Pira muttered to himself as the group made their way towards the shaft.

        "So..." Sil droned. "...did Ghi'ich'tarl have the painter paint while a battle was going on, or did he paint the landscape then add a battle for dramatic tension?"

        "No idea." Kader said as he rode atop his head.

        "But it would make no sense to have an artist in the middle of a combat zone."

        "Nobody said politicians were smart." Seqy said. "Especially kings and emperors." She looked to Ven and tapped him with her tail. "You've been alive for a long time- have you ever seen a painter at a warzone?"

        "Sorry kiddo, but Art History is not my specialty. Back home, everyone had the ability to take instant pictures by the time I was your age, so painters weren't exactly needed to draw some big historical moment as it happened. That said, I won't deny that they probably did that back during less technological ages; just take artists to a battle and tell them 'paint this'. But based on the image we have--" he stopped himself and looked at his memory card. ".... had, I'm gonna go with commissioned afterwards. If Ghi'ich'tarl did fight beings from Dragenia, then the Gaharots look nothing like their opponents in the picture."

        "That's a long way to say 'no'."

        "Just nipping any further questions in the bud."

        "Speaking of which..." Sokuro said as she looked through her parents book once more. During the boat ride here, she's read through it several times in an effort to find any reference to Nexia or Ghi'ich'tarl. "... I've looked through this several times, and mom & dad made no mention of Nexia or Ghi'Ich'Tarl or some battle in a forgotten land."

        "Probably covered up." Ven nonchalantly said.

        "But why would they do that?"

        "Probably so whoever ruled the planet at the time could keep power. Or your side lost big time and wanted to forget it ever happened. Or it could be some other reason I can't think of." 

        "That's just foolish." Seliox spat. "Covering up something as major as another world- another race- is stupid. It just makes things worse later on down the road when one side has all the knowledge of their past interactions and the rest are clueless. What benefit is there to be gained by keeping something like this a secret?"

        "Yet, it happens." The fox pointed to Bran. "His people spent centuries covering up the existence of aliens, saying it's all bogus and that the people are stupid for believing that, but after so much sci-fi crap had been released, the common folk were like 'show us the aliens! bring on the Vulcans, bring on the Asari, we'll storm a highly secure government facility to find the truth'. That last one didn't happen, thankfully, and thank goodness First Contact went smoothly."

        "What a difference several thousand years makes..." Bran droned.

        Several minutes later, they had arrived at the entrance to the mineshaft and it was not stable. Just a cursory glance from nitwits could see that this should not be standing at all and that a sneeze could bring it down.     

        "Oooooookkk........" Eia nervously uttered. "This screams........ don't enter."

        "I'm going back to camp." Quio said as he headed off to the side, only to be dragged back by the collar of his shirt by Polosa.

        "This place is a death trap..." Vendetta spoke, and he's not jus saying it- this legit looked very dangerous, even for him. "... there is no way I'm going in there. It could collapse on us at any moment."

        "Yeah..." Sokuro sighed. If only they had some ground dragons to he-- wait a tick. "Hold the letter." She zipped over to Seqy. "They could repair it."

        "Heh?" Seqy went, unsure what was going on.

        "We have four Ground Users on our team. They could easily fix the entrance and whatever muckups we find inside."

        There were no arguments from anyone as it was a legit good idea. "That's actually a pretty good idea." Alua said. 

        "But I'm not that skilled." Seqy whined. She stepped away from Sokuro, pressing her front claws together like fingers tapping. "I can barely do anything."

        "It's ok, kid. Neither can we." Terrum said with a dumb smile as he and his brothers pointed to each other. "But between the four of us, we could probably make one whole competent manipulator."

        "That's the spirit!" Sokuro cheered.

        "The spirit that's gonna get you all killed." Vendetta countered. "Four youngsters who barely know how to throw a pebble, holding up a whole mineshaft with no backup from either of you? You may be that confident, but I'm not- if you wanna go into the cave of death, that's your choice." He backed up and started walking away. "But that's something I am not gonna attempt."

        "You don't wanna see the Gate?" She called out. "Imagine all of the financing you could get on excavating it!"

        "Nope." He called back. "Enticing me isn't gonna work."

        She merely shrugged it off; he doesn't wanna join them, fine. "Alright. Your loss."

        "He has a point." Kader said. "We are relying on four inexperienced preteens to keep us safe, and those don't sound like good odds to me."

        "It's all we have." Polosa said as she took the lead of the group. "It's going to have to do." She readied up her crossbow. 

        "Girl looks like she's about to hunt a molerat." Pira whispered to his brother, which made him snicker.

        "Let's do this." Polosa said. Hers was the first step as she headed in, followed by all the rest. From a distance, Vendetta watched- his show of cowardice didn't attract any questions, which was good... but now they are in a darkness even he wouldn't dare enter. He hoped Felladae was on a far side of the island, away from all of this and that this would be over soon.

        He was wrong.

 


        Having found seclusion in a close yet distant cove, the fallen-from-grace dragoness sat by herself, looking out towards the sea from her sitting spot, feeling... something. Something off, something wrong, something she never expected to feel:

        Regret.

        ".... why did that kid irk me so? And... why did I react like that?" She longly sighed, lightly hitting herself on the forehead, "Ocilus, old girl... you're going soft. All this time among the weaklings, I'm starting to adopt their ideas." Her ears twitched, sensing someone behind her. She lurched up and readied an electric attack. "Who's there?"  No answer.  "I know someone, or something, is there. Come on out." Still no answer. "Hmm.........." She dispelled the electricity she summoned. "I could've sworn there was someone there... or my mind's finally playing tricks on me." 

        She laid down upon her back, wings stretched out to avoid getting squished. With one foreleg over her eyes, her mind wandered... and for some reason drifted back to last night, when everyone was asleep save for her.... and a certain silver drake and electric girl.

 

        Though it was foggy as heck, the silver light of the moon was still able to somehow slip through, partially illuminating the landscape far below. Ocilus laid prone beside a lit lantern pole- whatever monsters lurked here, she wants to see them coming. 

        She sensed someone coming up behind her and quickly spun around with an electrical dagger between her claws. "Whoa." Sil reacted, raising his forepaws. "Don't shoot."

        "Oh.... you..." She dissipated the dagger and went back down. "What are you doing here?" She bitterly asked.

        "I couldn't sleep and I saw you were awake."

        "Well, you saw me. Now scram."

        Sil dejectedly sighed, feeling that coming over here was a terrible idea. He slowly shook his head and sat down defiantly or as defiantly as his timid fear would let him. Ocilus merely rolled her eyes and laid her head down on her paws. "I'm... surprised we're getting moonlight." He tried to make conversation with. "We could barely see the sun, and now we have strips of moonlight? Heh... what up with that?"

        ".... un-huh."

        "I tried..." He got up to leave.

        "Why are you even talking to me?"

        That question made him stop. "... I dunno. You seemed lonely."

        She scoffed at him for even insinuating that. "What would you know?"

        ".... A lot more then you think." She moved her eyes toward his direction, but nothing else. "Your boss ruined my life last year when he started that fear campaign against me and my kind... Why...? Why did he do it? You were his second- you should know why he launched a campaign of hate against me."

        That....... honestly was something that always puzzled her. She knows some things, but even she is wondering why he would target a child. "... I don't know the full details, just what little bits and pieces he told me and that I overheard: back during the Shadow War, he lost someone important to him at the claws of a Silver."

        His eyes briefly went wide when that news hit him: nobody told him a Silver fought for them... but it's not exactly common knowledge, or even in the history books. "A Silver fought for the Shadows?"

        "As far as I know. There were and still are some who believe that the Shadows are the next step in our evolution or that they are the rightful rulers of the planet and we're parasites... I don't really care- all I know is that they aided those monsters in their quest for our extinction."

       Why would anyone want to work with them...? They're demons- why help the beings trying to kill you? It makes no sense. Those questions were gonna plague Sil's mind for a time, but for now... "So what happened with the Silver?"

        "I don't know. I assume he killed it, but it clearly did something to him, something that fueled an anger towards you and all the Silvers." That still doesn't excuse his actions, Sil quietly thought. "I was on assignment in a neighboring city when this supposed event happened on your home island, something I've only gotten vague answers to. What exactly did happen?"

        He shook his head, not really knowing himself. "I... don't know. One moment, I was.... I was.... why don't I remember?" He held his head in one of his paws. "But then the next thing I know, I was in the middle of some explosion and Termundus started rallying everyone against me for no reason...... I don't even know what I did, and everyone in town hates me for it... even the other orphans won't tell me what I did, nor will Alua........" That made her slowly move her head towards him. Of all the people in the world, they should've told him what happened, so why not say anything? "At times, I just want to... just want to run away from everything... At times I just want to just… be on my own… Too much happening all at once, it’s so… so…"

        "Intense?"

        "Yeah... I just..." He was on the verge of tears. "...I hate this place so much.... I just want to leave... and never look back..."

        "..... Believe it or not... I know how you feel..." Now it was his turn to listen. "My life was pure agony and nobody helped me. The first chance I had to get away from those devils that were my parents, I took it and I never regretted it... but all those years proved to me one thing: I was alone in the world and could only count on myself; I knew all the street gangs I ran with and all the men & women I bedded would betray me once given the chance, so I did it first. Then I met Termundus- I genuinely felt like I found someone to care about me, but no... just another user..." He really played her along, Sil thought. There is no low that excuse of a general won't steep to. "It's some cruel irony: I can't stand people, yet I can't bare to be alone... same with you, but you are different: you want to leave your home to protect those you care about, yet you'd miss them so much and regret hurting them like that with your sudden departure." He somberly looked away in shame: she speaks the truth “Maybe it's some cruel trick of the universe that I end up on my own after all… I dread it… to not know where do I belong to…”

        "You two could come with us." They heard someone say. They looked to Ocilus' left and saw Eia sit down next to them, swinging her Ferid legs over the side.

        "Where did you come from?" Ocilus asked.

        "I got up to go to the restroom and saw you two sitting here in the dark."

        "How much did you hear?" Sil asked.

        "Enough...." She sadly replied. "It's horrible, what you two went through... but you don't have to stay here and suffer: you could come back to Dragenia with us."

        "Back to your world?" Ocilus asked with doubt in her voice.

        "Yeah. It would be a fresh start since nobody knows  you: you could ditch your sadistic streak and start as someone new. And you, Sil, you'd love it there: Silver's are considered Demi-Gods- you would fit right in."

        It does sound like it would be the better option for the two of them: to just leave this hell behind and start over someplace new... but there was hesitation from one of them, and flat refusal from another. "As... tempting as that offer is..." Sil started. "... Ocilus is right: I would feel horrible leaving my friends behind. The way Sokuro describes it, it's a paradise compared to this hellhole."

        "Oh come oooooon." Eia whined. "You would love it there- you'd be a whole lot better then the idiot we have, that's for sure."

        Ocilus sensed some hatred in that statement but didn't bring it up. Sil was oblivious to that, however, and shook his head. "No... believe me, I'm tempted, but..." he got up, "...I can't just leave them." and went back towards camp, leaving the lady and the girl alone.

        "He's missing out." Eia sighed, not trying to hide the sorrow in her voice. "What about you?" She asked the adult. 

        Ocilus looked away from her for a moment. She gazed down at her claws, remembering everything she had done. Her whole life was nothing but misery, pain, and suffering... if not done to her, then caused by her. She did things that would give people nightmares and found a sick perverse glee in them... in truth, some of it sickened even  her. And no matter where she goes in this world, her past will catch up to her... but not there, not on this Dragenia world. Like the kid said before, it would be a fresh start:  nobody there even knows of Naya's existence. except for Termundus' siblings, but they don't know about her and everything she did for him, not unless they can read minds... and technically, she won't be alone, not with Quio also heading to that world too. And Eia could show them around, possibly help find them a place to stay.

        "I'll.... consider it." Is all she could say.

        "Oh yay!" She gave Ocilus a surprise hug, which was a surprise to them both- Ocilus reared back like a cat that had cheese thrown on its head, but Eia stayed where she was for a comment before letting go. "Heh. Sorry about that." She got up. "But I am glad you are coming."

        "... considering."

        "Still counts." She said before heading off back to camp.

        The hug was out of nowhere and completely out of place... yet it was the first time she had physical contact that didn't have anything behind it, any sort of weight or condition. It honestly felt warm.... and to her, wrong. "Why are you being nice to me?" She quickly said, bringing Eia to a halt.

        "I told you back on the boat, did I? I want to help you- you've been through a lot and you deserve some kind of break. Plus, I kinda like you." 

        Those two words were never sent her way at all in her life; this is a completely foreign concept to her. "Like me?"

        "Yeah. Like the sister I never had." With a wave goodbye, Eia started her way back towards camp, leaving Ocilus alone to stew in her thoughts.

        That was.... that was honestly the nicest thing anyone's ever said to her ever. It felt.... warm. She place a paw over her chest, feeling the warmth inside her, something she never thought she would ever experience. ... she was unaware of the surges of electricity that still surged through her claws.

       

        Moving her paw off her eyes, she sighed again as she looked up to the dreary sky. "What's wrong with me...? How did I go from a high captain of the army, to this? And when did I get so... emotional?" She closed her eyes, wanting all these questions to be answered by the time she opens them, which won't happen. "Dammit.... that Eia kid got me good...."

        She then felt an intensely strong chill rip through her, like a blizzard passed through a small wound. She felt cold both inside and outside- what was that; what caused it? It was not good, whatever it was. 

        She gasped as she came to the only conclusion that made sense. She swiftly turned around saying, "The kid." before taking off into the air, making best possible speed back towards camp.

        

        
        Darkness, the dripping of water, easily tripable rocks, shoddy looking wood, the thin light from torches and fireballs and a single flashlight, and a cramped feeling. Yep, it was an abandoned and potentially haunted mineshaft, right down to all the clichés. 

        "We always go to the most wonderful places." Bran tiredly joked. "Next year, it's my turn to take you someplace special."

        "I feel so loved..." Sokuro tiredly joked in return. 

        "Heh heh, funny..." Eia grumbled right behind them. "Now can we focus on finding a way through that doesn't involve a cave-in?"

        "We're working on it." Terrum responded from the front. "But.... it's the darndest thing."

        "What is?" Fira asked.

        "The tunnel looks like it could collapse at any moment, but... there's nothing to collapse on us." his brothers and Seqy nodded in agreement.

        The fire twins looked at each other with the same confused 'heh?' on their faces. "And that means...?"

        "There is no risk of cave-ins because there is nothing to cave-in on us at all: the rock beyond the walls is just not there... it's as if they're gone."

        "Bermuda in action." Ven said spookily, waving his hands and wiggling his fingers, much to the puzzlement of pretty much everyone, even Bran and he knows about Halloween.

        "Weird bit aside..." Alua chimed, making the fox lower his head in shame, "... Fira has a point: what does that even mean?"

        "It's hard to describe." Taltian said. "But it's like big bro says: there's nothing beyond these walls. Just a empty void."

        "Just a great big void." Terrux and Seqy added in.

        That still makes no sense: how can there be nothing beyond? Not even over-mining would produce something that would be remotely akin to what they are saying. "Now how can there be nothing beyond?" Seliox complained, not satisfied with teh answer. "There is always something beyond- to say there is nothing is--" He stopped talking when he, and the rest, heard something fall up ahead. Ven shined his flashlight in that direction, but nothing could be seen in the lights reach. Sel slowly backed up, but stopped when he heard something scurrying behind him. "Anyone else hear that?" He asked in worry as he whipped around to see nothing there.

        The group huddled together- safety in numbers and all. "Anyone else feel a bit creeped out?" Sil whined in fear.

        "We are all creeped out right now, Sil..." Sokuro whined in response, feeling what felt like a great weight weigh down on her. 

        Nothing came from the fall and the scurrying, but that was not enough to prevent the group from spreading out. They stayed scrunched up as they slowly kept on their path. 
    
        Ven kept his gun raised, not wanting to be caught off guard by anything, especially his biggest fear: "If we have to fight a giant zombie to get back home, I'm turning around and heading back to the city and bumming it on these guys' couch, I swear."

        A what?, everyone all thought. "...what the heck is a zombie?" The young boys asked in unison.

        With each footstep, their sounds rang through the tunnels, carrying with 'em the the danger of awakening whatever called these tunnels home. The audible cues of footfalls of smooth stone was enough to put hairs on en-- wait, smooth stone? In a mineshaft? Terrux realized that and looked down at his feet, seeing that the rough craggy floor of the mineshaft had been replaced by a smooth road. "Um..." He started up. ".... when did we get onto a road?"

        The group stopped and looked back at him for a moment before they looked down at their feet as well. "Is it just me, or is this tunnel in pristine condition despite being abandoned for most of a century?" Quio poorly joked. After no one laughed, he clear his throat and bent down. He put a hand to it and rubbed it. "... we're on cobblestone."

        "Cobblestone?" Fira repeated in puzzlement.

        "It's what the roads back home are made of... but why is this in a mineshaft?"

        Wondering if this was a new thing, Ven turned up the brightness on his flashlight and aimed it down the path they came: cobblestone. He then aimed it ahead and, yep, more cobblestone... but the weird thing is that, "The walls and ceiling turn into it further down."

        "Creepyyyyy..." Sokuro hissed to herself. 

        "Now this makes no sense." Seliox complained once more. "Why build cobblestone roads and walls in a mineshaft?" But unlike all of his other complaints, they were all wondering that. It can't be for structural integrity- this wastes more stone then it mines. 

        As bizarre as this was, the group continued onward... but then it started getting weirder as the cobblestone grew more refined and classy, like it went from a well-worn road to something fancy you'd see at a palace. And on some walls they passed, there were carvings of creatures... creatures that looked like them. Being killed and eaten. This lowered their spirits but also gave them some smidge of confirmation that something here was messing with them.

        The shaft turned to the right, so they went right. Ahead of them was a greyish light mixed with a hint of gold. The passed through the end of the mineshaft and came upon a grand sight: a gargantuan room far larger then it had any right to be, as big as the rocks that surrounded it to form that cliff, with the walls all smoothed all the way to the top and shaped like a bullet or an egg. Water from the outside dripped in through the cracks, coalescing at the very bottom of the room forming a mini salt-water lake. Leading into the room were hexagonal platforms, with bridges connected to each. At the far end of the room, embedded within the far wall, was their prize:

        The Gate.

        And it was as grand as the one back on Dragenia: a solid gold door with encrusted gemstones all along the rim, measuring in at 300 feet tall, 77 in length, and 213 in width.... this one, however, was fashioned with a golden crown with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds and a pair of wings on each side: one bat like and one bird like.... like dinosaurs, Bran figured out: like a Pteranodon and a Archaeopteryx.    

        "Whooooooa..." The local children went, with the adults staring on in silent astonishment. 

        "There it is..." Polosa exhaled. "Our ticket home: the Golden Gate."

        "It's beautiful." Seqy gasped. "Your sketches don't do it justice." She said out of the side of her mouth to Bran... which reminded him that he did draw down the Gate back home.

        "FInally...." Sokuro happily gasped with tears forming in her eyes. "We can finally go home... after all this time..."

        "Does the one on your world look the same?" Kader asked Bran, who was back looking through his sketches. 

        "This one is different." The boy replied. "The general door is the same but.... for some reason, this one has a crown and wings fashioned in... weirder still, they're dinosaur wings."

        "Probably just for decoration, kid." Ven said as he stepped forward.

        Pursing his lips to the side of his mouth, Quio commented, "You know, full honesty, I thought it would be bigger."

        "It's plenty big." Alua responded. Quio raised a finger to respond with something dirty but refrained from it- it was too easy.

        "Well Oxenfree..." Eia playfully snickered as she tapped the young lad on the shoulder. "...one of your theories is partially right, with there being enough room for ne'er-do-wells like us to show up."

        And yet, he remained unenthused. "Yay....." He droned, not putting in any effort. 

        With his vision being the best out of all of them, Sil saw something above the Gate, something carved into the wall. "Hey... there's writing above it."

        "There is?" Several of them responded. As the one of the second best eyesight, Polosa squinted her eyes and could barely make it out. "It's in... I can't read that. Ven?"

        The fox pulled up his sniper rifle to get the best view of whatever was written. "I think.... it's some form of... Duliquo speech?" Duliquo? That's a race none of them heard of before- even Bran doesn't know what they are, and he's from the same galaxy. "Another race from the Milky Way- they look like parrots and are very ancient but rarely, if ever, leave their home system; I took one of their language courses when I was in school."

        An isolationist people, most of them had concluded. As far as Ven knows, none of them volunteered to leave the Milky Way when the Exodus was well underway. They could be the only race left in the galaxy during their time. "What's it say?" Alua asked, getting them back on their train of thought.

        "If I'm reading it right, it says........ The CenterPoint." With a cocked eyebrow, he lowered his gun. "The CenterPoint of what?"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikl-QYQ252Q&ab_channel=SecessionStudios Lucifer's Waltz

 

        Ven and Polosa suddenly aimed their weapons towards the front when, "Who dare be so bold as to enter the domain of the damned.....?" A old, tired, wizened, yet slimy and sinister voice suddenly echoed throughout the chamber, sending chills up everyone's spines. 

        ".... please tell me that was your stomach." Fira pleaded.

        "Stomachs don't talk." Pira replied with a straight face. "What?"

        "Ah... little wittle morsouls, come to the slaughter admist the grave." The group closed in on each other, feeling unease and threatened. "Shall us cast them aside, to make room for the new sacrifice?"

        This voice... it sounds so dark and evil... there's only one thing this could be: "... I think we found Ocilus' monster..." Seliox affirmed with nobody arguing as they all realized the same thing: this chamber was his domain. 

        "And he's mocking Shakespeare with that drival." Ven scoffed.

        "Tick tock, tick tock, the clocks of your mortality run short. Tick tock, tick tock."

        "I wanna get out of here..." Sil whimpered in fear for his life.

        "You're getting no argument from me kid." Terrux said, No sooner had he turned around that he was face to face with a nasty customer, one that made him scream and fall backwards. "Brahabbaa." When he hit the ground, he crawled backwards away from the shuffling mass of darkness. 

        "Tick tock tick tock, my children are hungry." More of the things slowly appeared, some crawling up from the sides of the platforms, and others just rising up from the floor. It wasn't long before they numbered in the dozens, surrounding the group as they shuffled about. "Tick tock, tick tock, they've not had fresh spirits in some time."

        "You wanted to know what a Zombie is, kid?" Ven said to whoever asked what zombies were. "You're lookin' at 'em."

        "What... are they?" Kader pondered as he hid in Alua's saddlebags: if there was anyplace safter in this current moment, it was in there- also helped they she had orbs of water hovering around her ready for a fight. "They look like Shadows, but.... they look...." He noticed that all of these Shadows were bipedal- walking on two legs... just like the outsiders. She slowly turned his head towards them, "..like... you."

        "As if we needed more creeps....." Eia whimpered, electricity sparking between her wings. "How do we kill these things, Ven?"

        "I would say headshots... but some of them are actually missing their heads, so... cut them to pieces? Set them on fire?"

        "Against masses of shadow?!" Alua snapped. "That's not helpful. The only things that can harm Shadows is Soul Magic!"

        "All my knowledge is coming from movies, ok?!" Ven snapped back. "Zombies don't exist in real life!"

        "Tell that to them!" She gestured to them. 

        The voice soon returned, now louder then before... almost like it was right on top of them. "Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Some young little samples come to the feast. Tick tick tock tock."

        "Enough with the clock thing already!" Bran yelled, getting fed up with the endless 'tick tock's'.

        "Tsk tsk tsk tsk, such bodacity, to come into someone's home and demand they stop."

        "You're one to talk, monster." Seliox shouted, his eyes briefly glowing red.

        "Oh... I am the monster, aren't I? Ah, but poor young Seliox, so are you." Sel froze up when it felt like someone was right behind him. "You just don't know it yet." Felladae whispered in his ear.

        " AGH!!!" Seliox shouted, spinning around to see nobody there except for the increasingly growing horde of Shombies. ".... how do you know my name?" 

        "Oh, I know a great, great, great many things, oh corrupted youth." It spoke with growing confidence. At this point, it sounded like the voice was coming from the shombies themselves. "As I do your friends: the hopeless worm, the dimwitted twos, the helpless teacher, and.... the failure."

        Sokuro grumbled to herself as she felt her anger start to rise: they are so close, SO CLOSE, to finally going home, now this poor attempt at a playwright is in their way, trying to scare them. She's had it with all this filler crap: "You talk big, Felladae, but right now that's all you are: talk! Why don't you reveal yourself to us?"

        "Sokuro, are you crazy!?" Polosa shouted.

        "Not at all." The kid replied, not backing down from her boast. "We beat a Shadow before, we can do it again."

        "You had help!" Alua yelled in her face. "From me and Cyember and a random phoenix down in the crowd who was brave enough to share their power! You have none of that here!"

        Stunned by the yell, Sokuro was briefly taken aback... and then confused by what she said, something about phoenixes? "...What are you talking about?"

        "Oh..." Sokuro froze up when she felt something cold and dark slithering up her back. "...poor..." She felt hands, long clawed hands as they peered over her shoulders like a horror villain.... "...diluted..." grabbed hold tight, "Sokuro." The hands suddenly pulled back backwards.

        "DRAH!" Sokuro yelled, All the others could do was watch as she was dragged up into the air by shadowy hands. Despite her best efforts, and switching back and forth between Ferid and Aerid forms, she was trapped and unable to get free from the grasp of whatever these were.

        "A self-centered youth, thinking they are special... yet take away the source of that and remains: a fool of a child abandoned by those once trusted. All who follow you shall enter their erased graves, dug by your curse of poison bile."

        Suddenly, as if on cue, the poison on the back of her neck flared up, making her scream in pain. "AAH!!!"

        Wings spread, the fliers took took he sky to rescue her from what has her held, but they never did take to the skies. Instead, they were stuck to the ground by a icky black tar-like substance, made from the melted shombies. "Why is the floor all sticky?!" Terrux bellowed in fear. He and all the others struggled to get out but they couldn't.

        "AA--" Kader screamed, but was cut off as black hands tore him out of Alua's saddle bags and Pearl out of Fayin's clutches. More hands appeared, holding some in place while raising others into the air. 

        With all of them unable to do anything, Felladae continued with his Shakespearian sophistry. "All, trapped within their hollow ego'd hubris:

        "The misguided thieves." A light shone down on Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian from above, from fresh cracks formed in the ceiling. 

        "The loveless reject." Another light shone down on Seqy.

        "The redemptive slaver." Then to Polosa.

        "The romantic failure." Then Alua.

        "The insignificant morsels" Both Kader and Pearl.

        "The crippled apostate." Down upon a confused Fayin.

        "The immortal epitaph." Ven.

        "The homeless mutt." Quio.

        "The forsaken brothers." Fira and Pira. 

        "The emotionless genius." Bran.

        "The broken tool." Seliox.

        "The forsaken soul." Sil.

        "And the self-centered delusion." Multiple lights appeared, focusing on Sokuro, who was panting from pain by the bite mark flaring up and her unable to do anything about it.

        The dark tar-like substance crept along the bodies of all it has ensnared, slowly, irrily, and grossly covering all in its viscous slime. "Come... enter our song..." Everyone struggled to get loose from their binds but to no avail: they were at the mercy of this monstrosity and whatever horrors he had planned.

        Darkness was all what awaited them.

        "Have all you desire... for it is what you want."

        All that I want....

        When vision came to Sil's eyes, what he saw was himself... happy. What he saw was himself out among the town, not in fear, but in joy as he had friends with him, laughing and having a merry time. From what he said, this was.... paradise: where nobody hates him for existing, where he is just free to be him, to be and exist in happiness.

        As his happy other walked away into the distance with his fantasy friends, the real Sil reached out to him, wanting to be in that place. It called to him with its alluring sirens song. "That is........" But Sil was smarter then that and with a wave of his paw, "... nothing but a boldfaced lie!" erased it from his mind.

        Admittedly, that's now what Felladae expected: All who venture here accept his offer. "... you reject my offer?" The surprised demon asked.

        "Without a doubt!"

        "You may speak for you, but what of them?" His companions appeared all around him, floating helplessly as their bodies that glowed bright was slowly being engulfed in shadow, "Not all will be as defiant as you. Some..." with Sokuro, Seliox, Pira, Taltian, Bran, and Ventus dangerously close to being consumed.

        "Let them go!" Sil demanded, yelling up into the sky.

        Suddenly, everything went dark then shifted back to the dark grey and faint gold of the Gate chamber as he was lifted up out of the tar that engulfed him by his neck. Sil gasped for air as he struggled to remove the whip from around his throat. 

        "Now... why... should I do that?" Sil looked down to them: they were all almost slowly enveloped, with teeth: razor sharp horrific teeth forming out of the muck. "They have what they wish."

        The young drake continued in his struggle to get free, growing in desperation as teeth began to form from the vine that had him. HIs eyes went wide when one of them slowly emerged in front of his eyes, as sharp and as curved as a reapers scythe. It was disturbingly close to his iris when his eyes suddenly began to glow. "I.... said..." The glow slowly began to emerge from the rest of his body. 

        "Let.... Us.... GO!"

        Energy in a electrified blue aura suddenly pulsed out of him; he heard a shriek from the tentacle as it disintigrated away, making him fall to the floor. He landed on his feet, creating a shockwave upon impact that made the tar shriek like before. He saw it shiver and scream, almost like it was in pain. The tar slowly retracted down the bodies of their captures. Looking at his left paw, Sil saw it surging with energy, and as the demon seemed to react poorly to that...

        With a loud yell, Sil stomped his paws onto the ground, unleashing another shockwave that made the beast scream in pain once more, retracting more of the tar from the others. Another slam and more of the tar screamed and receded.

        "AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" He heard Felladae yell in agony. "Stop that!"

        "NO!" He slammed down once more- more of the tar receded away, freeing everyone's upper halves.

        "You would deny them freedom from this doomed world?!" 

        Sil heard desperation in the monsters voice- this was working experetly and they both knew it. "What freedom?!" ANother slam and the tar was down to their thighs. "What you offer!" Another slam, now down to the knees. 

        "Is Terror!" 

        With one final slam, the tar and the shombies retreated away, down into the darkness below them. Everyone fell to their sides, fronts, or backs. The hands that held Sokuro up dissipate, but he quickly took to the air to catch her in time.

        He sent her down gently as everyone was starting to come to. "ugh..." Alua moaned like she was about to puke. "What happened to me?"

        "Ugh......" Bran groaned. "... I feel like I played with the Devil, and he was winning..."

        Sokuro slowly came to as well: her cocoon combined with her pain made coming out of it more of a process then it was for the others. Her vision was a blur, mistaking the one holding her to be her father, but a few blinks returned her sight and showed her, "...Sil?"

        The glow and the power Sil had used slowly faded away as the young drake panted from overuse. "... you're... welcome..." His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell over.

        "Sil!" Sokuro bolted up. She touched him but hissed when his scales scalded her. "He's freezing. Yet hot? Is that possible?"

        The room suddenly and violently shook as Felladae let loose an unearthly roar, followed by the roars of all who were in his thrall: the damned were coming. "What I offer is not peace, but salvation! Who is the whelp, who can deny my offer?! Soulless!!"

        "Let's worry about getting ourselves out of here alive first!" Terrum shouted. Polosa ran over to try and pick Sil up, but the same thing happened to her, and even to Alua. With their combined might, Rum and his brothers did the same thing they used on the gryphon and created a table to hover him out on.

        The group quickly headed for the exit as the room shook for more violently, but once they reached the final platform... everything stopped shaking. They did notice that but did not want to stop to see what had happened. They did, however, stop when a giant claw erupted up from below and slammed into the side of the wall. "The venom spouted and the acid drunk, all herald the doom of the lark." Three more claws appeared, slamming into the wall as well. "Twixt the ancient mounds of old and the epitaph clouds of the new..." The room behind them grew dark until it was pitch black... until a pair of yellow eyes appeared, followed by more, and more, and more, until thousands covered the horizon. "All that awaits for you now at the end is my oblivion of pain." And thus appeared Felladae: a demon whose original form was that of a phoenix. "Join us all in our symphony of woerows, where our voices shall be gloom." And on cue

        This was not a bad situation they were in: this was a nightmare. ".... Run for the exit and get away from his bad philosophical gibberish?" Pira asked his brother.

        "Run for the exit and get away from his bad philosophical gibberish."

        And with that, everyone bolted, running or flying as fast as they could. Felladae slowly shook its head in disappointment. "Ah... my goodwill offer refused. A shameful pity: now their chorus' shall know only the release." It spread its 'wings', signaling his corrupted to pursue. "Go my beloveds. Let them know the pain we so readily give." As the swarm passed it by, it turned its head in another direction: the target it most required had arrived. "While I shall go and attend to the new one."

77: Chapter 72: Tragedy
Chapter 72: Tragedy

Chapter 72

Tragedy

 

 

        Riding on the air currents, Ocilus made good time on her way back to camp. If her gut feeling is right, and they always are, then they are all in danger. With a few flaps, she made good speed along the current... but a chance glance downward and she spotted someone standing at the foot of the mound they made camp on:

        Vendetta.

        But why was he down at the base? With a turn, she steered down towards him as the feeling in her gut gnawed at her some more, screaming to her that something is wrong.

        Vendetta didn't even look when he heard someone heading towards him. There was only one person on this island it could be. "What are you doing?" Ocilus demanded to know.

        Vendetta quietly smirked to himself; since everyone was away, he decided to have some fun with her to wile her up- he has noticed that whenever she is angry, she is more powerful then before. If and when Felladae makes their appearance, he'll have a secret weapon. "... great. You're back." He feigned annoyance. 

        "Answer the question." She demanded forcefully.

        "Aw, did the wittle princess get upset at my wittle show last night?" She angrily scowled at him. "Hehe... it's pathetic that you would dupe to such lengths- they will just assume you made that up to try and frame me."

        He's focused on that? Ocilus scoffed to herself, feeling fed up. "What's also pathetic is tricking everyone into some game."

        "How is it pathetic? It's fun." He snickered, which infuriated her even more. "Besides, why do you care? They ruined your life, so why work to try and expose me to them?"

        "Because...." She paused in her response. Even after that realization mere moments ago, she still hadn't accepted it and is uncertain and lost about everything. "I don't know..."

        "Oh, I think you do. You just don't want to admit it." He approached her. "That they were right all along: that you are some heartless monster and everything you and your former boss have done has just cause nothing but pain. Now, now you seek some kind of redemption, thinking it will help you absolve you of your sins. But why would you do that if you have nothing?" Ocilus stayed silent and let his words sink in as he pratteled on: Was that it? Was that was this was all about, for some sort of redemption? Or, as Vendetta figured, was for something more. "Oooh. Oooooooooh. You're grown attached; attached that that little electric girl, didn't you?" That made her look away once more. "You see yourself in her. Hmmmhe... I didn't know a being like you could form attachments."

        "Will you shut up already?" She snapped at him. "Your voice is annoying."

        He sat on his haunches and crossed his front legs; being an asshole can be a lot of fun- no wonder Termundus made it his lifestyle. "Sure. THAT's why you want me to stop talking." She rolled her eyes at him. She prepared to take off when he said, "You know she won't be around forever, right? In the next couple of hours, they'll either be dead by Felladae's hands, or find the way back to their world... which will leave you with a choice: leave and seek some sorry excuse for a redemption, or stay and face the consequences for your heartless actions?"

        She froze once again: it's like Eia's question from last night- stay here or head to this Dragenia place.... or in his words, suffer the fallout or attempt to redeem elsewhere? "I think... you need to shut your mouth before I tear it out."

        "Hmhmhmhm..."

        She then realized what he said: they'll either be dead or back home. Does that mean, "they found it?"

        "Look who caught on." He got back on all fours and pointed towards the entrance to the mine. "In there- we were all sleeping on top of it, but in there is the portal that will get your new friends back to their home. It... is also Felladae's lair." He shivered.

        Ocilus caught that: that he was scared. This Felladae must be one horrible monster if it frightened a Shadow General. "There is one thing I'm curious about: why the game? If you knew where this Gate thing was and all that jazz, why play the fool with all this song and dance when you can just overpower us all and have it be done at that or just told them where it was?"

        "Because my master wants them gone. Not dead gone, but returned home."

        The leader of the Shadows wants to send these people home? Why would a being of pure evil do something so helpful? It made no sense in her mind. "Why?"

        "Cause their presence here interferes with his plans and puts it into jeopardy. If their stories are true and Silver's are revered as Demi-Gods in their world and time, then her death would risk a war, and we saw how powerful they are: you could barely hold out against two of them and they had handicaps: one was working with a hungry stomach and the other was a inexperienced child while you had the great war hero on your side, and you barely held the upper hand. If that third one had been there for the full fight and not the last minute save... hate to say it, but they would've won." As much as she wants to rip out his throat for saying that... he's right. Just two of them, with handicaps, held their own against her and Termundus. "So you can imagine how terrifying a whole army of them would be like. Besides... you want them gone just as much as we do... though probably with different definitions." 

        "You are not wrong on that." She mostly wants most of them dead. Others.... less so. "But that just answers something else completely: your boss is afraid of the outsiders."

        "Afraid?" He repeated. During the entire time they had been observing the offworlders, Soulless never gave off a 'scared' vibe. He sees them as a threat, obviously, but he wasn't afraid. Not of them, anyways. "Possibly. He's spent years working on a plan while in hibernation and he does not want it ruined by them... by her."

        "Heh... you just spilled a major secret... but nobody will believe me. I could sprout this all in the streets and they'd take me for a loon, and they won't believe me due to our shared history. You evil little bastard." He nodded in confirmation. "So then why the act? Why pretend to be some dopey yet... admittedly, handsome hunk of a researcher?"

        "First: Thank you for the compliment. But to answer your question: do you expect they would believe me if I said who I was? Would any of you had trusted me if I said I was General in the Shadow Army and had come to take everyone home?"

        "I never trusted you. But I get your point, and you sure convinced them."

        "I dabbled in theater long ago."

        "Well, you certainly convi--" 

        "FOUND YOU!!!" She heard an all too familiar voice yell.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_25s5SfaVa4&ab_channel=HorrorMusicWorld  The Evil Ghost by Christophe Le Guen

 

        Suddenly, a large emerald slammed into Vendetta's front-left left, cracking the humerus bone and sending the dragon right into the side of a dilapidated wall. Before Ocilus could react, she was suddenly pinned down to the ground by a really angry tyrant. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!!" Termundus spat in her face.

        His grip was indragonly strong- it was a miracle she was still breathing. She struggled to move his paws off her throat, but he had the pressure down tight. "I... Ruined things?!" She got out. 

        He put on the squeeze tighter. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"

        Ocilus opened her mouth to speak but didn't: she saw his eyes, all white from pure rage. There was  no sane person in there anymore, just an engine operating on instinct to kill. Rather then fight in vain, Ocilus closed her eyes and concentrated. Her body sparked with electricity before surging out in a very brief but powerful pulse, forcing him off of her. He fell to the ground, squirming from the intense surge of electricity.

        He couldn't move, and Ocilus knew it. She stood above him with a chunk of the emerald he struck Vendetta with. "I idolized you... and you paid me back by taking the fall for your misdeeds." She electrified the gem. "This is payback, you sick son of a bitch." Termundus roared at her like a feral beast; she shut him up by striking him in the head with the emerald. 

        ... that's what should have happened, but Termundus is one tenacious bastard. Breaking through and dispelling the electric jolts, he dodged her attack and bit her on the neck, making her shout in pain and drop the emerald. He pinned her to the ground once more, but the electric spark won't work again, not with his teeth sinking deep into her throat.

        The ground suddenly and violently shook, catching the three of them by surprise and momentarily bringing Termundus back from his insanity. The emerald came in from out of nowhere and slammed right into his temple, forcing him off of Ocilus as he staggered away. He held his head in pain, catching a glimpse of his horrific assailant before it sent him away with a powerful blow, all the way back towards base camp. 

        Panting heavily and holding her bleeding neck, Ocilus climbed to her feet, looking where he was sent. "What..... just happened....?" She grunted, barely able to speak with the wound she had just gotten. And who threw that emerald? Was it Vendetta? "... thanks for the save, Ve--" She stopped short when she saw him still on the ground, holding his broken leg in pain.

        If it wasn't him... then who...

        As she slowly turned to see who had saved her, black tar-like tentacles slithered towards her: up her legs and around her neck. "Fear not...." Frozen in fear for the second time in her life, she had finally come face to face with the demon that killed her already demonic parents. "You are safe now..." The tar slowly spread across her body as its face got uncomfortable close.

        "We shall do great things together."


        

        A terrible scream came from one of the Shadows as it violently jerked up from the ground. It joined its brethren as they charged towards their quarry like ravenous hounds or like a flood of death.

        "They just keep coming!!!" Ven yelled as he shot his sniper rifle without aiming; with a mass of death this big, it was impossible to miss. Once he exhausted the heat limit, he stopped firing and ran to catch up with the others who were some ways ahead of him. Once he caught up, which coincided with his gun cooling down, he spun back around and fired again. The shots didn't kill these abominations, and it barely slowed them down. "Nothings working against them!"

        "We're in their domain!" Alua shouted, summoning up walls of water to keep the corrupted at bay, but it barely lasts for even a second before they break through. "They thrive in the dark!"

        "Then let's give them..." Sokuro announced as she ran to the front, her wings spread wide glowing and sparkling. "... a little light!" Light orbs appeared above her wings and shot out towards the incoming horde. The orbs of light hit, causing the horde to shriek in anguish. "That worked?!" She exclaimed in surprise, and it did...... for a few seconds, but they swiftly adapted and went around the orbs.

        "Keep summoning more!" Ven ordered. "They hate those more then these plasma rounds!" She nodded and summoned more, firing salvo after salvo as they went. With the group running faster, she flapped her wings and flew, summoning more and more and more. It bought them a lot of time to run away as fast as their legs can muster, but it was only temporary. They needed to get outside in the sunlight, where they can't follow. 

        Sokuro caught up to them only to have something grab her tail and pull her to the ground. She hit hard and briefly looked back to see a abnormally long hand coming from the oncoming mass. She yelled in terror as she tried to kick it off, but to no avail. She screamed as she was slowly dragged backwards towards the wall of death, digging her claws into the ground.  

        A wall suddenly formed from four different directions, slamming into each other and keeping the Shadows at bay, at least for now. The sudden slam cut the hand away from the rest of the horde, freeing Sokuro from their grasp. She quickly got to her feet and ran towards the others, only stopping to catch her breath and slow her heart when she got to Seqy, Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian. "Thanks for that." She panted, tapping Seqy on the shoulder.

        "It's not going to hold for long, though..." Terrum grunted- he and the others could already feel the Shadows tearing through the stone like a ravenous and very hungry predator to a fresh kill. The first hole that appeared, Ven shot into it and did so with all the other holes that appeared. 

        Eventually, a large enough hole was carved open to where Shadows can start slipping through individually, only to be met with torrent's of fire from Fira, Pira, Seliox, and Sokuro. Eventually, the rocks came crumbling down, which made the triplets + Seqy fell over from exhaustion. The fire bearers moved their attacks to the ground, setting the floor ablaze before they headed back to the others... but again, Shadows are tenacious bastards and they just crawled through the fire, lighting themselves up in the process and making themselves appear more terrifying then before.

        Polosa stepped forward and unleashed a powerful gust of wind. Small strips of stone were torn from the roof, ceiling, and walls as her hurricane-force gust kept the Shadows at bay, at least for a moment, but they'll eventually find a way past this.

        "This isn't working..." Alua panted. "We're not making any process. They keep on coming and we get more tired."

        "You trained to fight them." Ven panted as he rubbed his trigger finger- he never fired his gun that fast before in his life. "Don't you know how to kill them?"

        "It's impossible to kill them without Soul Magic, and that's exclusive to Phoenix's who we don't have in our party. The best thing we can do is slow them down."

        "Tell me they can get hurt!" Seliox pleaded.

        "Well, yes. Not terribly as you can see, but they can get hurt."

        That's when Eia got an idea. She looked back to Alua, raising up her paw as it crackled with electricity. "Then what say you we give them a nasty shock, but I think they need a wash first." She ran ahead towards Polosa.

        Alua immediately knew what she was leading with and summoned forth a torrent from below. She sent it into Polosa's current, making it spin around like a washing machine as the liquid spread among the horde. With a yell, Eia followed it up with her most powerful electric current. The Shadows shrieked in pain as they were fried 'alive'. Eia kept this up as long as she could, which wasn't going to be long.

        At the back, or front, of the group, all the non-dragonic can do was watch; Fayin, Pearl, and Kader with nervous expressions, Bran with sweaty palms, and Quio frustrated that he could do nothing. They were tasked with pushing Sil's little table, but they had no protection. "That won't last long." Kader commented. "They're going to run out of power eventually."

        "Is there nothing we can do to help?" Fayin pondered aloud.

        Quio wanted to do something, but felt powerless to do anything. He wondered what they can do, looking around for some thing to give them an chance. That's when he noticed Bran's gun on the back of his pants. "Bran, you have a weapon like the fox?"

        "Huh?" The kid looked back. He then remember what he had. "OH!" He reached back and pulled out his stun pistol. "I always forget I have this thing."

        "What is it?" Kader asked.

        "A stun gun. It fires charged energy that's supposed to stun someone... but last time I used it, I somehow harmed an untouchable killing machine back on Dragenia."

        Quio looked towards the others risking their lives, then back down to the gun. "If it can hurt!" He grabbed it out of Bran's hands and rushed towards the drakes. Flanking around them, he reached the front; it can't be that hard, just point and shoot. He did just that: he pointed and he shot. The shot knocked him on his butt- he was not expecting the recoil- and it struck against the horde.

        For some reason, it bypassed right into the mass itself and then did.... something to make the entire horde shriek louder then before, in actual pain, and violently shake. To prevent their end, the horde broke apart into individuals and.... ran away?

        Yes, in a stunning upset, the Shadows were retreating back the way they came.

        That was...not in their behavior, but they won't look a gift horse in the mouth. 

        Sitting up, Quio saw the horde retreating and looked down at the gun in his hand. Bran ran up and took it right back. "First off, don't take things out of my hands!" He then looked at the pistol proper. "And what the heck is this thing!; first it harmed the Phagos, then it caused this!" He looked to Ven. "This is a stun gun?!"

        "Clearly not an ordinary one." Ven said as he lowered his rifle. "Either someone souped that up, or elements from Dragenia and Naya are really vulnerable to that thing."

        "Talk about it later." Polosa panted. "Powered up or not, it didn't kill those things- they retreated and they will be back, now let's go." The boys nodded and everyone started running again, though Sokuro lagged behind, looking back as she flew.

        "But what about the Gate?" She asked. "We're so close to home." 

        "Between Felladae and that blob of death, we stand no chance." Polosa replied. "We need help to deal with those things." Not with Bran's stun gun- that seems to be very effective against it.. but without knowing how it works or how many shots it can fire before recharging, it would be like going into a lions den with only 1 arrow. "We at least know where it is- it's going to have to do for now."

        Sokuro looked back down the dark tunnel, hearing the screech's of the damned. She's right... much as the kid would hate to admit it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxsZJMJNycg&ab_channel=Adelin  Moloch - Darksiders Genesis

 

        "I guess." She said before flying to catch up to the others.

        Coxed by the endless running sounds he'd been hearing and the horrible screams, Sil fluttered open his eyes and raised his head up. He saw he was on a moving slab of rock and blinked several times. "What did I miss...?"

        "Something  you should be glad you slept through." Kader responded.

        "That bad, huh...?" The groggy dragon responded. The mouse only gave a nod in response. 
        
        After several long but thankfully uneventful minutes, the group rounded the final corner and saw light at the end of this nightmare. "Oh thank heavens, we made it." Alua sighed in relief. 

        "Let's get the hell out of this dump." Quio chortled as he took the lead, ready to get the hell out of this dark place. Everyone lagged behind for a few seconds so Sil could get off the slab. The ground uses chucked it back down the tunnel they came in case the Shadows made their move again without making any noise, then ran to catch up to their hasty friend.

        The mutt praised whatever gods their were when he ran out of the mineshaft and into the fresh foggy air of the island. "Oh, Thank You Stars!" He cheered, not pausing for a second- he was not going to take any chances in getting as far away from that place as possible. And he didn't have to go far either as he saw Ocilus standing still not that far away... rather eerily still too, almost like a statue. 

        "Ocilus!" He cheered as he made his way to her. "I've never been so happy to see that sadistic mug of yours in my life! WEEEeeeeee-----...." His voice, much like time itself, seemed to slow to a crawl as he spotted the harmed Vendetta just a few feet away, a puddle of blood beneath Ocilus' frame... 

        And Ocilus herself with a evil grin.

        Once they were out the mountain of death, the group all breathed a collective sigh of relief, but they did not linger for too long; they wanted to get as far away as possible, get back to the boat, and get help to deal with the devil inside: probably the entire Phoenix population. 

        "But what about Ocilus?" Eia pleaded. "We can't just leave her here on this island!"

        Ventus looked back to her to respond, "Right now, we need to focus on--" That's when he, and the others, spotted her, and with Quio no less. "Oh, never mind, she came back."

        "Ocilus!" Eia exclaimed. The group made a beeline towards her. "Ocilus, we need to get out of here. We... need..." Her voice slowed when she saw that the two of them were standing still. Something felt off here. Sensing danger, Ven and Alua jumped in front of the group. ".... Ocilus?"

        That's when they noticed: the blood trickling down from Quio, fresh from the wound caused by a spear-like object as his body rose up like a victim in a supernatural horror movie. Behind him, they saw the culprit: Ocilus. Her eyes glowed a menacing purple while a bulge began to form on her forehead. A dark aura seemed to come off of her like stink. With a flick of her tail, she flung it to them.. They dispersed to avoid getting hit and saw, with their own eyes, that he had been stabbed right through the heart and out through the back.

        "QUIO!" Polosa shouted in grief. The kids were stunned; this was the first time most of them had seen a dead body... especially of someone they had grown close to. "Nononononono!" Even if they could save him, none of them have any healing magics. 

        Ocilus brought her tail up to her mouth and licked off some of the blood, disgusting all of them. "... annoying clown deserved it..." 

        All were stunned by this sudden development... but as they were frozen in terror, the grief and rage in Polosa grew. She yelled out in anger, "... you....... MONSTER!!!" She rocketed towards the turncoat, "I KNEW WE COULDN'T TRUST YOU!!!" And delivered a hard punch that could atomize jawbone. 

        Polosa gasped in fear when she saw that her punch did nothing. Ocilus grinned sinisterly, grabbing onto the fist that struck her in the fact. "That wasn't a punch..." She raised up her other paw which screamed with electricity. "THIS IS!!!" She delivered a devastating blow to Polosa's back, causing the huntress to spit up blood. She bounced off the ground, which was followed up by Ocilus delivering a strong tail whip, sending Polosa spinning away.

        "Polosa!" Sokuro and Ven yelled.

        Before anyone had time to react, Ocilus was already on top of them: she grabbed Terrum and Terrux by the bottom of their heads and slammed them right into the ground hard enough to leave them embedded. Taltian fought back by forming a rock club and swinging, but she dodged, grabbed the weapon-side, yanked it out of his paws fast enough to hurt, then smashed him in the side with it. 

        Seliox shot a blaze of fire out of his mouth, which she ducked under. She grabbed him by the feet and pulled him down. She then flung him away into the side of the mountain hard enough to leave an imprint. 

        Sensing an attack from behind, Ocilus smirked as she disappeared in the blink of an eye, then reappeared behind the attackers: Fira and Pira. She grabbed her heads and smacked them together, giving them splitting headaches that were only going to get worse as she blasted them with her electricity right into Seliox. 

        "Ocilus!" A orb of water surrounded the fallen drakette. She lazily tilted her head over to the cause: Alua, who stood between her and the other kids that hadn't gotten a beatdown yet. "I thought we could trust you now. I thought you were starting to turn over a new leaf, and now here you are attacking children!? Have you no shame?"

        Ocilus merely scoffed at that. "A leaf?" She chuckled. "A leaf, like life, is fragile... like you."

        Did she spout bad philosophy? "What?" Alua softly said. Ocilus's eyes glowed the menacing purple once more before flapping her wings with enough wind to break the bubble and splash it onto the caster. Alua's eyes went wide when she realized what was next. "Kids, move!" Ocilus sent forth an electrical current that struck Alua. Coupled with the water, she was electrocuted far more harshly then anyone else, enough to make her scream in pain for a few solid seconds; she didn't want her prey to die too easily. Steam hissed off of Alua's pained body, only for the fallen dragoness to appear behind her and deliver a hard kick to the caretakers back.

        While she was distracted, a shot from Ven's sniper rifle rang out. The shot came close to striking her, but her electricity deflected it. With a sudden surge towards him, she dug her claws into his shoulders and hips, making him scream in pain. It didn't end there; she spun forward headoverheels and flung him towards Vendetta, who was just now getting back onto his feet. The fox hit the dragon, sending them both back down.

        "She used wind?" Bran shouted. "That's impossible- I thought Dragons here could only use one element."

        "She clearly breaks that mold!" Sokuro shouted as she took to the air, blasting down several orbs of light towards her. Ocilus dodged every one; she even grabbed one and threw it back towards their sending, hitting her right in the face. A sudden surge up, Ocilus kicked her where the orb hit, slamming Sokuro back down. 

        "How is... she this strong...?" Terrux grunted as he and his brothers got back on their feet.... only for the psycho to appear right in front of his face. 

        "Practice."

        She delivered a devastating blow to his chest, and another to Terrum, and another to Taltian, before moving back to Rux and uppercutting him, grabbing him by the throat, and spinning around to throw him to Tal. The two brothers hit, and as for Terrum, she jabbed him in the side of the body, making him shout in pain before a punch to the back sent him back down. 

        Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, Fayin, Sil, Kader, and Pearl fled towards the mines, feeling much safer inside with the shadows... but they never made it inside as the psycho crashed down right in front of them. "Going somewhere...?" Ocilus asked menacingly before unleashed a gale of wind and electricity that sent the four rolling backwards. She grabbed Sil by the tale and hoisted him up. "You....." She hissed. "... i don't see the fuss..." She then said, confusing him enough to get a head tilt. She then swung and slammed him into one of the walls. 

        Stone walls suddenly appeared and surrounded Ocilus, which was a surprise to her. What's more surprising is that only one girl was doing it: Seqy. She was working with all her might and power, but Seqy built a prison around their foe. She knew it wasn't going to hold for long, but she had to give the others enough time to get up... if they could. "Ocilus..." She grunted as she felt the strain getting to her. "I don't know what caused this... but what after it is, we can--"

        "Shut up." was all she got as a response.

        "She's played us... for a fiddle..." Polosa grunted as she got up. "We were wrong to take pity on her..." The others didn't say it, but she knew they felt the same as they eventually got up. Trapped to the ground because of his broken leg, all Vendetta could do was watch as the others got ready to fight even though they are in no shape. 

        "And yet..." They heard Ocilus start. Seqy's eyes went wide as she felt something happening inside the prison cell she made: Ocilus was powering up... but there's now way her electrify can break stone... can it? "... this fiddle didn't need your pity."

        With a thunderous yell, Ocilus unleashed a powerful and explosive pulse of wind, electricity, and darkness: it was like someone had set off a bomb, that's how powerful it was. Everyone was sent off their feet, with whips of electricity and darkness casting around them and hurting them immensely. Everything hurt when they got back on terra firma. 

        With pain everything on his body, Ven flipped around onto his front and used his sniper rifle as a crutch to pull himself off the ground with. He glared to Ocilus with one eye open, remembering that feeling of pain... the same type of pain used on him during his stay in Termundus's dungeon of horrors. 

       Sokuro gasped when she saw a tendril of darkness stop mere centimeters from her face. She grunted up to her side and saw multiple tendrils coming out of and flailing around Ocilus' body. "Oh... my gods..."

        Ocilus looked to her with the bulge now throbbing, with now every part of her eyes turned purple but only the iris' shining. "Your abandoned gods will never save you." She said... but it wasn't only her voice that came out of that mouth, but also a man's voice... a voice they fled just a few short minutes ago.

        ".... Felladae?"

        The bulge split open to reveal a dark eye as large as their palm. "At last, the hopeless failure realizes it..." Felladae spoke, only his voice exiting her mouth.

        "Wh... what did you do to Ocilus?!" Eia demanded to know. "And why did you kill Quio?!"

        "Because I could." That was his answer, pure and simple. "When I first slaughtered her parents all those years ago, I let the child live because I knew that hatred and vengeance would drive her. It was a gamble... but it paid off in dividends. I can feel it coursing through her: this raw, untamed, animalistic fury. It's... it's intoxicating. I've never felt such unbridled rage before. Ocilus... my new body is the most powerful being on this planet, more great then even Soulless..." He glared to the crowd... specifically to Silverwind. "... and you." But as Sokuro was right beside him, they all assumed he meant her. 

        "Yeah?" Sil boasted, feeling like fighting back is the one thing that can save her now. "Well, we're gonna kick you out of her body." His eyes briefly glowed golden, which Felladae saw.

        In a flash, the possessed body of Ocilus was right on top of him with sparking paws. "I'd love to see you try." With a thrust to his shoulders, Sil was briefly electrocuted then shot backwards, rolling into a ball before hitting a small tree. In the same motion, Ocilus' tail wrapped around Polosa's neck and was swung around right into Alua and Taltian, taking them down.

        Before, when they believed Ocilus had gone back to her old ways, everyone had no qualms in taking her down for good. But now... we the knowledge she is being possessed by a eclectic Shadow, they are hesitant to do her any harm. Felladae, however, had zero hesitation as it was massacring them all. 

        With claws in an anguished Terrux's hips, it swung him around like a club right into Pira. Fira and Seliox flew up from behind and breathed fire, but a clap of Ocilladae's wings sent the flames right back to them. The dark tendrils dug into the ground and spread out, causing more mayhem as they grabbed Seqy and Terrum by their legs and dragged them under. They were pulled up beside the possessed drake like vegetables out of the ground, then the tendrils swung around, hitting Sokuro and Ven with them. 

        One of the tendrils sharpened and shaped itself into a spearhead and punctured Fayin's thigh. She screamed in pain- it was on the same leg that had her missing claw. Hissing through the pain, she bit and clawed the tendril, pulling it out of her leg. 

        "I got this, I got this, I got this..." With his wings glowing wide and after a proper psychup, Sil took to the air and got ready to land his first punch... only for it to fall short when Ocilladae's tail wrapped around his body, "I don't got this!" and was flung right into a mostly destroyed wall. "Why... does everything hurt...?" He groaned. He struggled to his feet, but stopped when he tasted something coppery in his mouth. He ran his paw over his tongue and... yep, blood. "That's not good..." He still struggled back up to his feet and got ready to go back into battle. It was then that he noticed Eia right next to him, frozen in fear and dread as she just... watched in horror. 

        Nobody took notice of this as they were busy getting the stuffing kicked out of them, but... Ocilladae has not once gone after Eia, and Eia not after her. For the child, the answer was simple: she did not want to harm someone she had just grow attached to; to someone she already views as like a sister, but for the possessed electric surge, the answer was  more complicated: some part of Ocilus is fighting back in some way, but it was a lost battle as Felladae had complete reign over her body... but... maybe she was still in some control and made sure Felladae never noticed her.

        Sil took notice of this and tried to snap her back to reality. "Hey, Eia! We could sure use your help out there!"

        "But... Ocilus, she..."

        "Is gone!" That made her look to him with even more fear in her eyes. "I know that's not something you want to hear, but it's true! You are the only one to counter her lightning, like Polosa can with the wind!"

        Her wings glowing, Polosa let loose a powerful gust of wind from inbetween, and Ocilladae countered that with their own similarly powerful gust of wind. The two forces of nature collided, creating a tornado in the middle of the battlefield that picked up every loose thing in the general vicinity. Ocilladae snickered and added in electricity, turning this into a deadly storm. Fearing the worse, Polosa stopped her end of the attack... which then allowed Ocilladae's to tear right through and get her dead center in the chest. 

          "... well, she could."

        As they blasted right through a wall created by Terrum and smashed him between two sizeable pieces of rock from said wall carried by their tendrils, Ocilladae noticed the emotionless genius hiding behind a dead tree. With a snarl, they lunged themselves right towards Bran, who screamed in fear as he ducked behind it.

        "Bran!" 

        With a paw glowing with lightning and darkness, "Say your farewells, sycophant!", Ocilladae thrust forward a terrible punch. Bran closed his eyes, waiting for the end... but it didn't come. He cautiously opened one eye and gasped when he saw Eia, standing between him and the blow meant for him... with said blow mere centimeters away from  her snout.

        The paw shuddered and shook as the entire body struggled to move. The glow in Ocilus's eyes faded away, "... E.... Eia...." She shuddered.

        "Ocilus!" Eia gasped. "You are still in there. You can fight this monster!"

        She was, but not for long as her passenger was getting control back again, despite her best efforts. "... help... me..." she managed to gasp out. 

        One eye started to glow purple again as he was slowly getting control back. "You... belong... to my chorus!" Felladae grunted. "You... cannot resist!"

        "Get out of me!" Ocilus managed to yell out.

        A black arm tore its way out of her upper torso and grabbed her head. "This is no longer... your body!"

        Sparks began to circle around them. Eia and Bran ran for cover behind a nearby fence, fearing what was going to happen.

        The sparks grew in intensity and numerically as the internal struggle between the fallen soul and the disgraced commander waged back and forth. More black hands erupted out of Ocilus' frame to grab her head. "Get out, get out, get out, get out, get out..." Was all she could muster to say. Both the corrupted and uncorrupted eyes went wide and the pupils dilated to nothingness.

        "GET OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUTTT!!!!!!"

        A ear-piercing scream erupted out of her mouth, amplified by the sounds of the damned. Her power tore out of her like a tempest, creating a unholy storm of wind, lightning, and darkness that spiraled around her. All three elements blazed through everything like paper and rose up high into the sky; everything the lightning touched exploded, everything the wind touched was sliced like it was cut by a very razor sharp knife, and the darkness was digging its way  back into her.

        One of the lightning strikes nearly struck Kader, but he was picked up in time by Fira. All anyone could do was watch as Ocilus screamed bloody murder as her own body ripped itself apart as the souls fought within. Another struck Quio's lifeless corpse, blasting off one of his legs.

        "What's going on?!" Seliox shouted, having never seen anything like this... none of them have.

        "Best guess?!" Alua shouted in repsonse. "When Felladae almost hit Eia, Ocilus managed to get enough control back to stop it! But now she is fighting and losing her fight to get control of her body back!"

        "Is that even possible!? I thought Shadow Possessions were permanent!" 

        "They are! But i never saw a struggle of the souls as intense as-- LOOK OUT!" She jumped forward and grabbed Seliox, both of them narrowly avoiding a strike of lightning and shadow. 

        The screaming got louder and the elements got more intense, with the winds reaching that of a category 3 hurricane and the lightning becoming as big as a dragon's body.

        You are a waste of space!

        "Did anyone else hear that?!" Taltian shouted.

        Why won't you just get lost already!?

        I never should've had you...

        You are worthless!

        "Are those... her parents voices...?" Seliox realized.

        You are better off as a lab rat, now eat this and don't die- we have more to test.

        "They sound deplorable." Alua snarled.

        The wind slapping against her, Sokuro struggled to keep herself upwards but was failing immensely. Shadow Possessions are permanent... but they can be reversed and the Shadow destroyed. She looked at her paw, the same one she hit the Shadow back in the city with. Alua said something about Phoenixes back in the Gate room, but... "It worked on the thief... maybe it'll work on her!" She quickly spread her wings and let the wind take her.

        "SOKURO!" Polosa shouted.

        Why are you even here? Go Away.

        "Ocilus!" Eia shouted, hoping Ocilus will hear her through all the screaming and the intense wind. "I know you are still in there! You can fight him! You can beat him!"

        That'll be 30 gold coins for one night.

        Flapping her wings only to keep herself steady and avoid the random elemental strikes, Sokuro allowed the winds to carry her. Up, up, up she rose, eventually reaching getting higher then then the storm itself. Down the eye of the storm, she could see Ocilus' pained form. With a single flap, she headed up, then tucked her wings in to dive down the eye of the hurricane. The winds got bad as she got closer, but she was falling like a cannonball now; nothing was gonna stop her.

        Not even a moving image of Ocilus unleashing her power, destroying Jeke and all its inhabitants. 

        "Here's hoping this works!" Sokuro shouted as she dove through the image's lightning bolt and delivered a nice solid hit to Ocilus' face. 

        And just like that, the winds stopped and the lightning and shadows vanished. She lightning smiled, thinking she did it.

        Both of Ocilus' eyes went completely black as the purple iris' returned. The shadow hands grabbed Sokuro's outstretched paw and slammed her backfirst onto the ground, knocking the air out of her lungs.

        With a frightening snap of a look towards the scared duo, Ocilladae lunged over to Eia and Bran; they blasted Bran aside and pinned Eia down to the ground. All she could do was look up in fear. "Seems your so-called Demi-God is a failure after all..." Felladae sinisterly said as one of the shadow hands caressed Eia's face. The rest reared back, along with their head, to deliver the final blow. 

        


        *Shrlink*

        But just like that, everything stopped. All of the screaming, all of the blood, all of the chaos. Stopped. 

        A traumatized Eia, blood splattered on her face and clothes, looked on in pure shock, shuddering as she starred up the pointed end of a steel blade that had come down from Ocilus' twitching neck.

        The owner of the sword, a feline anthromorph, had landed on Ocilus' back and plunged her blade straight down from the shadow eyeball on Ocilus' forehead and right through her brain. The force was strong enough to go down through the mouth and out through the neck as it was rearing back for its attack.

        "That was a close one." Garf panted, twisting the blade like a key to make sure she was good and dead. "No way she's surviving this." She commented, pulling her sword back out, ignoring all the disgusting noises such an action created. Ocilus' front half fell to the side; Eia watched as the black and purple faded from her eyes... followed by the light faded of her life.

        "O..... Ocilus...?" Eia whispered to herself.

        Everyone was in shock, and most in incredible pain, as they tried to make sense out of this; out of the losses. As he was the only one to have no strong ties to the dead, Vendetta, who had struggled up to his feet, was the one to ask, "Where.... did you come from?"

        "She's with us." A voice said from above. The traumatized barely looked up to see several figures flying down; a Rottweiler anthromoprh being carried down by his arms by a dragon and gryphon, and accompanying them were.... Trach?! Termundus!?! The dragon and gryphon set the anthromorph down and dusted off his arms. "Captain Tygan is the name. The Gryphon is Federico and the Dragon Tybalt, and you of course already met Garf." The feline waved as she swung her sword to spray off the blood. The group was still processing what had happened to even take stock of what he was saying. Seeing as they were hurt, Tygan commented Tybalt to heal their wounds with his limited healing capabilities. "I see you are all in shock. Understandable, as you were almost killed by a wanted fugitive."

        As they were still licking their wounds and grieving the fallen, Vendetta took over as their current liaison, at least until they come to their senses. "Fugitive?"

        "Yes. She is... was wanted to evading arrest, and the destruction of property and life. Originally, the council wanted to bring her in for questioning on Termundus' illegal and immoral operations, but as she had already fled the city, we were tasked to find her. We went to Jeke as it was her hometown, but when we arrived there... the entire city was destroyed."

        Jeke destroyed? But... they were just there only a few days ago- how is that even possible? It didn't help that Sokuro was the only one to see the image of Jeke being destroyed in the electric tornado. "It was what?"

        "Destroyed. By Ocilus, with everyone in the town dead."

        "Th... that's impossible." Alua was able to speak up. "Ocilus was many things,  but she... she wouldn't do that."

        "Wouldn't she?" Federico replied. "She's already shown to be a sadistic monster when she was under Termundus' employ. Once she was unshackled, it was the only course left open for her."
    
        "You're wrong." Alua insisted.

        "Here comes the 'I told you so'." Trach smugly beamed. 

        "We were in Jeke a few days ago and it was intact, and Ocilus was drunk off her rocker. She was no threat to anyone. She joined us because she had no other options in life"

        "And there it is." Trach smugly said before walking off... his smugness went away when he saw the other corpse from the battle.

        "What we just saw says otherwise." Garf commented, tapping her foot against Ocilus' lifeless head.

        "Clearly you are all still in shock to remember things properly." The pig-headed dog said. "Take this time to heal, then we shall head for back to the mainland in the morning." He and Federico walked off to get an update from Garf.

        "Why... doesn't he believe us...?" Fira grunted.

        "Preconceived notions..." Trach somberly said as he looked down at Quio's body. "Which... seem to be true." He knelt down and closed Quio's eyes. "Oh, Quio... you were annoying, but even you didn't deserve to go out like this..."

        "Wh... what do you mean, it seems to be true?"

        Trach sighed, not wanting to tell them this. "... a few hours after you all left, something happened and... Jeke was destroyed: every building and every one, decimated. Argax and I were out in the countryside, so we weren't there when it happened." He looked back to the trio by Ocilus' body. "They arrived not long after, saying the same thing they just told you, and dragged me and Argax along to find you guys and protect you. I told them it wasn't true, but they didn't believe me..... but now I'm starting to think they are right."

        "You think... they're right?" Fayin grunted in pain just as Tybalt got to her, his paws glowing softly and warm to the touch.

        "The storm Ocilus just created... it was intense. Almost as if... it could wipe out an entire town. I didn't tell them this, but I felt a powerful charge in the air around the same time Jeke was destroyed... and I felt that same charge only a few moments ago." That didn't sit well for them... if anything, it's made this whole situation worse.

        "And what of father...?" Seliox asked, gesturing to the former general as he slowly made his way over to Ocilus' remains.

        "Would you believe that he complete snapped and went on a single-minded rampage here to slaughter all of you?"

        Did he even need to ask? "Yep." "Yeah." "I see that." "Absolutely." 

        

        Termundus let out a long breath as he looked down at his former protégé; once in the prime of her life, now cut down by these trying times. "Ocilus..." He tsked. "... how you have fallen. There are many ways I expected you to have been taken out; being skewered by a disgusting cat was never one of them." He didn't care if Garf heard him or not. "You were a hell of a soldier, and the only one I trusted. That may've been a foolish mistake, on my part." Before he left, he noticed the purple dragoness frozen in place, staring blankly into space with each breath a shallow shudder. "That won't end well..."

        And he was right. 

        A loud ringing rang in Eia's ears as the trauma that had just unfolded before her replayed over and over and over in her mind. The ringing grew louder to drown out the voices, and grew louder still to drown out the heavy beating of her hurt heart. Her vision blurred the more she looked at Ocilus' fresh corpse as blood slowly trickled out of the wounds inflicted by the cat, making it all the way towards her. Looking down at her reflection in the blood, Eia's heart raced as her breathing grew more shallow and the ringing into a piercing whine, growing to a crescendo until finally, 

        "You.... killed... her..." She managed to shudder out.

        As this was the first the kid had spoken since they had arrived, the trio of knights looked to her, albeit with confused looks as they didn't hear what she had said. "Un, you ok, kid?" 

        No. She was not ok. She was far from ok- she's the exact opposite of ok.

        She was furious.

        With a hurt growl, she quickly got to her feet, pushing Garf into her comrades in the process. "You killed her!" That garnered the attention from the others.

        The cat shoved off of her comrades and got too close to Eia. "We just saved your life and this is how you show gratitude?!"

        "We could've saved her!" Eia pushed again, pissing off the feline even more.

        Rather then letting Garf respond, Federico spoke in her stead while raising a paw to insure she stayed quiet. "There was no saving a monster like her!"

        "She was possessed!"

        Possessed? They didn't notice anything like that from her. "Oh, good defense if we were back in class!" Garf spat, not believing that story... at least for a second until the others started getting involved.

        "It's true: she was possessed by a Shadow." Alua confirmed.

        If it came from any of the other kids, they would not have believed them. But Alua, someone with respect in the community... they believe her... just not for the betterment of this spat. "Oh. Well, all the more reason to kill her! A Shadow-Possessed Ocilus would've been a nightmare to deal with!"

        "We could've saved her...!" Eia repeated, trying her hardest to keep herself from breaking down any further.

        "It looked like YOU were the one in need of saving!" The cat hissed back, this time forcing her comrades to pull her away from the kid before things got any worse.

        This was a bad situation being made worse by this little feud... they didn't need this right now. It's going to be bad enough to try and move on from the sorrow that just happened; they don't need more added to it. "Eia..." Bran somberly said, putting a hand on her back. 

        Bran hoped to try and comfort her, but it had the opposite effect. Snarling with bared teeth, she slapped his hand away. "Don't even try that with me! None of you even tried to save her! All you did was fight fight fight!"

        "You know that is not true! And I didn't even do anything."

        "Let's all calm down before things escalate... please?" Polosa pleaded. "There's been enough bad today."

        Like Eia, Sokuro didn't move from her spot after the battle had ended. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what just happened... how it all led to this... and why, "It....... worked on the thief...." She asked herself softly. She looked down at her paws, which were shaking uncontrollably. Because of her foolish curiosity... two people are dead. "Why...... didn't it work...?"

        Her ears twitching at hearing her voice, Eia snarled, going from soft to loud in seconds; whatever self control she had was long gone. There is blood in the water, and it's all thanks to her. "... you!" She shouted. In an instant, she grabbed Sokuro by the throat and held her down. Everyone exclaimed in protest, but Sokuro didn't fight it. "Why didn't you help her!?"

        "Let go of her!" Fayin demanded, rushing over to pull Eia off of the Silver.

        "Why didn't you save her!?" Eia demanded to know. "They said you did it for some random thief, so why not her?!"

        Sokuro had no answers... she wants to know why it didn't work as well. "I... I don't.."

        "Get off of her!" Polosa ordered. "This wasn't Sokuro's fault!"

        Hearing those words... broke something inside Eia; broke something to make her true feelings come out in full force. Letting go of Sokuro, she turned and, "EVERYTHING IS HER FAULT!!!" yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone was taken aback by the loud outburst and left in stunned silence. "It's her fault we're even in this madhouse to begin with! If it wasn't for her, none of us would be in this mess and everything would've been fine, but noooooooooo, we had to go investigate some la-di-da door nobody cares about because she just had to satisfy that curiosity itch! Now look at us: Ven was tortured, Polosa nearly killed, Fayin crippled for life, the Kalamander a shell of what it should be, Bran traumatized, me possibly getting brain damage, and us royally messing up this already messed up world with the boys on the verge of becoming heartless monsters! And yet, here she is, with nary a thing wrong with her physically or mentally cause she's just so damn special! Just because she's the damned Silver, we have to bend over backwards to do whatever she wants! Cause what she says goes!"

        "That is quite enough, young lady!" Alua firmly retorted.

        "Why are you even defending her?! She is a damned migraine! She has done nothing but cause trouble! Go ahead, prove me wrong!" Many wanted to speak to prove her wrong, but... "Everyone, tell me how I am wrong! Tell me that the last month has been a peachy ride! Tell me that the Great Silver Sokuro did no wrong and can do no wrong!" But the thing is... she was right, and they knew it. "Tell me... that none of this was her fault." All of this heartache, all the troubles of the past month... it was all Sokuro's fault. "That's what I thought..."

        Sokuro remained in silence as she let Eia rant... and the more it went on, the more it hurt because... because it's true.

        Eia looked at her with a sinister scowl. "Everything would be so much better if you weren't chosen as the Silver at all, or that you never got your scale to begin with!... now because of you, Quio is dead, Ocilus is dead, and an entire village along with it!"

        Bran shook his head, wanting this to stop. "Eia, stop this!"

        "Everyone would've been a lot happier if you didn't get that damned scale! ... Or that you didn't exist at all, you waste of space! You unwanted peabrain failure! You, You...... Bitch!!!"

        "EIA!!!" Polosa shouted.

        Frozen in place for a brief moment, all Sokuro could see in Eia's eyes was pure hatred and grief. Even if Eia was just projecting all her anger and frustrations... it all rang true. Without a word, Sokuro flew as far away as she could as fast as she could, tears falling every step of the way.

        With Sokuro gone, things were slowly calming do-- "Go and apologize to her right now!" Fayin demanded. 

        "No." Eia stubbornly puffed, not wanting to get her the light of day. 

        "Go apologize right now!" Fayin repeated.

        "I am not going to apologize to that stuck-up little prude just because you tell me to!! You just want me to apologize cause you're a handmaid to Velx!"

        "She is also our way home! She has the key!"

        "So what!!" Eia shouted, her hate blinding her to the fact that without Sokuro's key, they can't get home. "I refuse to go crawling to that namby-bampy princess!"

        As the argument continued and more and more people got involved, they were left clueless as to what was happening behind them. Well, all but one of them as Kader heard a strange sound that made his ears twitch. Her looked back and saw something that made his skin crawl. "Un, guys..."

        "Why do you hate her so much?" Polosa asked, feeling like there was more to this outburst then just venting.

        Eia scoffed, wondering why anyone is even judging this. "Did you not hear me?! She is responsible for our predicament- everything that has happened in the past month is all on her!"

        "That still didn't give you the right to jump down her throat like that." Ven said.         

        "Guys..." Kader repeated with urgency in his voice. 

        Watching the odd people argue, Garf leaned within earshot of Terrum and asked, "... did we miss something?" Only for him to step away from her.

        "Don't you start, you stupid cat!" Eia shouted to her. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

        "No you won't." Tygan said as he stepped forward. "I may not know everything of what is going on here--"

        "Yes you do!" Trach interrupted. "I told you everything in the damn boat ride over!"

        "Hey, where did Sil go?" Fira commented, but nobody heard. He is right; Sil's up and vanished.

        The dog gave Trach a sideways glare before clearing his throat and resuming, "Calm yourself, Mr. Trach, or else you'll say something you'll regret, like the young miss here."

        "WE DIDN'T WANT YOU HERE!!!" Eia screamed loudly once more, grief taking over as they were the ones at fault for killing Ocilus at all; Sokuro lit the match, but these 'soldiers' supplied the fuse and blew it all up. "JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE!!!"

        "Ok!" Garf said with raised hands. "I think it's time the kid had a nap." She made the mistake of touching her. Eia snarled and bit at her like a feral dog, forcing her to snap her hand back. "What the hell?!"

        "I... am in a really bad spot right now..." Eia snarled. "And the last thing i need is a *Bleep* LIKE YOU TELLING ME TO TAKE A NAP!!!"

        "Language!" Alua sternly said. 

        "Now is not the time, headmistress..." Fira whispered loudly through his teeth.

        She slowly shook her head; now was the time. "No amount of hurt or pain… makes you have the right to hurt others… none”
    
        "Everyone just shut up!" Eia screamed again. "Sokuro.... is a terrible person, so why are you all still defending her?! If it wasn't for her, Quio and Ocilus wouldn't be dead!"

        "Guys!" kader shouted once more, FINALLY getting their attention.

        "WHAT!?!?!?!" ... in the loudest way possible, but at least they are looking... and seeing something bad happen.

        "Quio and Ocilus are moving."

78: Chapter 73: Wrath of Shadows 1 - Rebirth of the Damned
Chapter 73: Wrath of Shadows 1 - Rebirth of the Damned

Chapter 73

Wrath of Shadows Part 1:
Rebirth of the Damned

 

 

 

        Pain... that's all life is. Just... pain.

        A lesson Sokuro believed she learned the hard way and nobody would be able to fault her in that line of thinking. Having found a secluding cove deep inland, Sokuro, back in her Ferid state, let everything loose and broke down, curled up beside a log on muddy ground as she cried her heart out, not caring if her clothes got dirty. Eia was right, after all: if it wasn't for her curiosity, Quio and Ocilus would still be alive. Their deaths, and the deaths at Jeke, were all on her. How could someone live with all that guilt and pain on their shoulders.... especially if they were a kid?

        As she cried, she wrapped her hands around her necklace- around her mothers burnt locket, her race number from the Koloron, and... and her scale. She closed her hands tightly around it like she wanted to break it... and it was working as a faint crack formed on the side of it. She probably would've done it too, if not for...

        ".... Sokuro?"

        The very timely arrival of one concerned Silverwind. She looked back, tears falling down her face like a waterfall, and saw him standing at the edge of the small cove with concern. He must've followed her here after she left after Eia's justified rant, she figured. 

        "Leave me alone!" She yelled, picking up a rock and throwing it at him. He caught it with a paw. "Just go away...." She cried as she curled up once more.

        This wasn't good, he thought. He's never seen anyone broken like this before- not even he looked this broken. She must've took what Eia said to heart. He knows she was right, but he had to try and help this wounded child somehow... he just had to be careful. "...what Eia said was out of line, but she didn't me--"
        
        "Of course she did! Cause she's right.... this is all my fault... it's no wonder she hates me..." She wrapped her arms around her head.

        ".... Sokuro, it's no--"

        "YES IT IS!!!" She got up and screamed, tears sent flying as she snapped around. "If it wasn't for me, none of us would be here in this Hell!!!! Nobody would be hurt!! We'd all be back home if it wasn't for me!!! And many!..." Her demeanor changed as she staggered backwards. "...and so many people wouldn't be dead..." She fell to her knees, the tears  now falling like raindrops to the ground below. "Ocilus... Quio... the whole village of Jeke... they are all dead because of me..." She shuddered as she suppressed more sobbing. She wrapped her arms around her head again and fell forwards. "It's all my fault... I'm responsible for all of this..."

        Sil was in a really bad spot- he had no ways of how to react or respond to help her. 

        ".... sure... a lot of.... terrible stuff has happened and.. a lot of people got killed.......... what's done is done and.... we can't change that...  but.... you improved my life a lot just by coming here.... before you came, my life was hell, but now... I'm actually happy and grew closer to those I consider family... and you helped free unlawfully imprisoned souls, oust a tyrant from power- albeit unintentionally, and destroyed a Shadow, preventing that one from causing Stars knows how many deaths in the future. And.... and  you never gave up on Ocilus, even when the others wanted to leave her back at Jeke... and it hurts I wasn't able to do more to help; that none of us could...... if there is something waiting for us when we die, then I imagine she's cackling up a storm as she tries to be the enforcer while Quio is sitting back in a hammock, drinking a mojito out of a coconut."

        "......... just stop it.... I don't want to hear it...." At least she stopped sobbing. Tears fell, but at least there was  no heaving crying to accompany it. "I just want to wake up from this nightmare... to rise from my bed and realize this was all just a bad dream...."

        Sil let out a long sigh, feeling like he had failed. "... I tried." He turned, but instead of leaving, he just sat down on the other side of the log. "... Sokuro... do you want to hear a story?"

        "Not really....." She hiccupped. 

        "It's the story about a--" his ears flicked as he heard a distant sound. He couldn't make out what it was. "Did you hear that?"

        That's a bad story if he's going straight towards the ending. "........ why go straight to th--" she looked up and saw multple pieces of debris coming their way like meteorites. "LOOK OUT!!!" She shouted. She jumped towards Sil, changing back to her Aerid self just as the house-sized pieces of rock came falling down on them. 

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siaYZ7hCt7Q The Beast - inFamous 2 Soundtrack

 

11 minutes earlier...

 

        In the aftermath of Eia's brutal but justified rant at Sokuro, which prompted the heartbroken girl to run away from them- with Silverwind sneaking away to follow immediately after- tempers had erupted among the group, resulting in a lot of shouting, screaming, and general nastiness. 

        ... it was the perfect distraction for the threat. Shadows can only be killed by Phoenixes as they and any hybrid children they have possess the power of Soul Magic, which is the Shadows only weakness. 

        Their only unaware hybrid just flew after the devastated girl.

        Ocilus' knuckles cracked as they started to move, a sign of the new consciousness that was now taking over the operations of this body. The stiff knuckles struggled to move as rigor mortis sets in quick for dead drakes. 

        It was this sound that Kader heard, which made him look back to see what should be a dead corpse starting to move. He tried to warn them, but nobody was listening. "Un, guys..."

        "Why do you hate her so much?" Polosa asked, feeling like there was more to this outburst then just venting.

        Eia scoffed, wondering why anyone is even judging this. "Did you not hear me?! She is responsible for our predicament- everything that has happened in the past month is all on her!"

        "That still didn't give you the right to jump down her throat like that." Ven said.

        Figures nobody was listening; boiled blood does make someone single-minded, after all. "Guys..." Kader repeated with urgency in his voice, but nope- still nothing. He had to try and find a way to get their attention, or stop this revival from happening. With a snap of his claws, he skittered off to find something useful.

        Watching the odd people argue, Garf leaned within earshot of Terrum and asked, "... did we miss something?" Only for him to step away from her.

        "Don't you start, you stupid cat!" Eia shouted to her. "I have a bone to pick with you!"
        Kader skittered off to nearby dead trees and went searching.

        "No you won't." Tygan said as he stepped forward. "I may not know everything of what is going on here--"

        "Yes you do!" Trach interrupted. "I told you everything in the damn boat ride over!"
        "No. No. No." Kader swiftly looked at and tossed around branches and rocks that didn't suit his needs.

        "Hey, where did Sil go?" Fira commented, but nobody heard. He is right; Sil's up and vanished.
        Ocilus' hind legs began to reanimate; the legs and toes cracked as feeling was returned to them... accompanied by the normal red in their veins replaced by darkness. 

        The dog gave Trach a sideways glare before clearing his throat and resuming, "Calm yourself, Mr. Trach, or else you'll say something you'll regret, like the young miss here."

        "WE DIDN'T WANT YOU HERE!!!" Eia screamed loudly once more, grief taking over as they were the ones at fault for killing Ocilus at all; Sokuro lit the match, but these 'soldiers' supplied the fuse and blew it all up. "JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE!!!"
        Finding a really big stick, Kader scampered over to the slowly rising corpse as its neck was twitching. 

        "Ok!" Garf said with raised hands. "I think it's time the kid had a nap." She made the mistake of touching her. Eia snarled and bit at her like a feral dog, forcing her to snap her hand back. "What the hell?!"
        "Here's hoping this works." He spit into his pads, rubbed them together, grabbed the stick, and swung with all his might right towards the head. 

        "I... am in a really bad spot right now..." Eia snarled. "And the last thing i need is a *Bleep* LIKE YOU TELLING ME TO TAKE A NAP!!!"
        The branch broke instantly. Kader pulled it down and went cross-eyed as he looked at where it broke; so that was pointless.

        "Language!" Alua sternly said.

        "Now is not the time, headmistress..." Fira whispered loudly through his teeth.
        Kader looked at the head of the corpse as it slowly began to rise. The eyes snapped open and looked down at him, frightening him. This was not Ocilus' eye color- these were all black with purple iris'. He then realized that that is not Ocilus in charge in there. 

        She slowly shook her head; now was the time. "No amount of hurt or pain… makes you have the right to hurt others… none”
        He heard the same noise again, this time coming from a distance. He looked towards the entrance of the mine and saw that Quio was starting to rise up as well. This was the last thing they needed. 

        "Everyone just shut up!" Eia screamed again. "Sokuro.... is a terrible person, so why are you all still defending her?! If it wasn't for her, Quio and Ocilus wouldn't be dead!"
        Wasting no more time, the mouse quickly hopped up on top of Seliox's head, cupped his hands together, and screamed at the top of his lungs:

        "Guys!" Kader shouted once more, FINALLY getting their attention.

        "WHAT!?!?!?!" ... in the loudest way possible, but at least they are looking... and seeing something bad happen.

        "Quio and Ocilus are moving."

        Dread was quick to grip them; they hate that they are dead, but.... they are DEAD, and dead bodies don't just move! They quickly looked at the bodies of their fallen comrades and saw that, indeed, they were moving once more, but the way they were moving... it was like they were being puppeted or being forced to from the inside. 
        
        "No no no no no, what is this? What iiiiisss this!?" Bran whimpered, trying hard to keep his fear in check.

        "Zombies... that's what this is..." Ven somberly replied as he readied his sniper rifle once more. He and the other seasoned warriors- even Termundus, circled around the kids, keeping them in the center as they weren't certain what was going to happen.

        “You thought you were protecting this children…” Ocilus spoke... but it wasn't her voice- that voice was gone forever. Instead, what came out of her was that of the demons, one they cannot get rid of.

        Eia slowly shook her head in abject fear... She wanted Ocilus back, but.... this... this was monstrous- this was evil. "No...." She breathlessly gasped in horror.

        “But you were only doing what you know best… murderer…” And now, the voice came from Quio, which made this twice as frightening and twice as disturbing; how can it be controlling two corpses at once? How can it even be controlling corpses at all?!

        "There's no way...." Polosa gasped.

        "He's dead..." Pira hesitantly asked, wanting to make sure. "...isn't he?"

        "A hole like that in his chest, he should be." Termundus snarled.

        Quio's corpse was now on all four limbs, head slung over like a dogs, as was Ocilus'. "Of course you would think that...." It snapped its head up with a sickening crack. "Child Murderer…” That froze blood amongst most of them, with the adults leering towards Termundus with intent to kill... but unfortunately, with Ocilus's dead body being controlled by a monster and the silvers gone, he is their most powerful fighter against... whatever the hell this is.

        "How are you still alive!?" Tygan demanded to know.

        Both the heads of the dog and the drakette hung backwards, laughing maniacally to the sky. "Hahahahahahahahaha...." Ocilus' head snapped back into place. "You didn't think that would've killed me, did you?"

        It was heartless and cruel to think that Quio and Ocilus deserved to die... but if it took this monster with them, then it... no, it wouldn't have been worth it, but at least they would've been free of this nightmare. "Well... yeah, we were hoping it would." Taltian croaked. 

        Felladae slowly shook both their heads with such condescension. "Tsk tsk, and without the soothing Soul power of the Phoenix? How incredibly droll of you to think that mere steel could ever harm me or my kin."

        The Phoenix? What Phoenix? Nobody told them they needed a Phoenix. "But Sokuro was able to destroy the Shadow that possessed the thief back during the celebration, right?" Seqy was slow to ask, "And she punched Possessed Ocilus, so then..."

        "Because someone in the crowd lent her their strength...." Alua slapped herself in the head. "Dammit..... the glyph- we forgot about the glyph that appeared at the end: that was a Phoenix ability... argh, how could I have forgotten that?!"

        Felladae gave out a slow, deep, menacing little chuckle that made hair stand on end. "And so falls the thoughts of the elderly." A black shadow came from both bodies and flowed towards one another. The two met and rose up in a blobbish state. "And sadly, the only Phoenic font at you disposal has flown the coop to attend to the broken heart of the girl the heartless cur there invoked." It glared over to Eia, which made her shiver: he was staring into her soul.

        "Do you ever shut up?" Termundus barked. 

        "Are you even not a evil tyrant?" Felladae giggled, prompting the tyrant lizard to scowl and sneer. "Oh, how painful- death by glare. Hehehe... Your status as a war hero won't help you here, faux legend."
        
        "Does he always use fancy words like this?" Federico asked Pira under his breath. 

        The kid responded in kind, "Pretty much since we've met 10 minutes ago... He was spouting fake philosophical mumbo-jumbo too."

        "You fleshbags do talk too much." 'Ocilus' said from right behind the two, scaring the life out of them. A powerful pulse of energy burst out of her body, flinging everyone away from it. Satisfied with the results, Felladae inspected the new form he had forcibly taken. "I must say, this body is truly fascinating: so much power. I made the right choice in letter her go that day."

        Garf was the first to get to her feet. "So what?" She shouted, grabbing her sword out of the mud and brandishing it. "I skewered you a few minutes ago, i can skewer you again."

        They do not lack for courage, Fel will give them that. It's stupid courage, especially as the feline seemed to have forgotten what he said just seconds ago. "Hmhmhm... then go on. Skewer me with that stick you call a sword." He stood Ocilus' body on its hind legs and spread the forearms wide, giving the soldier an open target. Not one to miss this chance to slay a Shadow, Garf readied her sword and charged at him, giving out a battle cry. With a sickening *shlink*, the sword was thrust right into where Ocilus's heart should be. "Hmhmhmhmhmhm... now do you get it?" He said without pain, which confounded the feline. She tried to pull the sword out, but was unable to. She tried again, only to be smacked away by the tail; the whip-like motion it moved and hit her with should've just grazed her and knocked her on butt, not send her hurtling back towards Vendetta and Tybalt with enough force to break her arm.

        It was now that they were finally starting to get it and he drove that point home. "I cannot be killed as you don't have the right means to touch me. The consciousness from before put up a fight to try and keep me from hurting you, and if not for the lass's punch, she would've succeeded in exorcising me all on her own... but now, to paraphrase, this body lost its driver and I took over the steering wheel... making it perfect- no more interference, no more fighting back." Quio's body pointed towards the cat, who was now holding her broken arm as she was attended to by Federico's healing magic. "Tabby over there made sure the original host was gone with her fatal blow, and now all shall suffer the price for her haste once I bring the deluge that will cover the world and add all to my chorus. Not even Soulless will be able to stand to me." He stopped for a moment and looked down at the paws of the woman he had possessed. "But as powerful as this body is, its movement is rather limiting." It was then that "Quio" looked at his. "His.. only the other paw..." A lightbulb went off in his mind. "Yes, I already have a stunning idea..."

        A crossbow bolt whished by 'Ocilus's' head, making 'her' look over to who shot it. "You get out of him right now!" Polosa demanded fiercely. 

        "I have no reason to..." They looked at both their hands/paws. "...not with the art I shall make with these two frames."

        What the heck does that even mean? "What?"

        "That'll be hard to do when they're ash." Eia snarled. "We may not be able to touch you, but we can touch their bodies."

        "That is true. But... would you be willing to do that?" Its Shadow self got in her face, uncomfortably so. "Would you be willing to destroy the only thing that remains of them? Their consciousness' are gone, so there is nothing inside to hurt. So go on. Turn them to dust, like you said." Steam rose up out of Eia's mouth: she would've done it... but she couldn't. "hmhmhm... sentimentality... always a hindrance." She lowered herself, feeling hopeless and helpless in this situation.  "And remember, young one: you said it yourself that I cannot be touched... and even if you somehow manage to destroy these two fresh corpses, I can always possess another one, and there are plenty more hosts to choose here."

        Plenty of hosts.... that sent chills down their spines; he can and would possess any of them and there would be nothing they can do about it.

        "We can at least keep you stuck here." Ventus grunted as he pulled back on the safety, causing his rifle to hum- a feature none of the Dragenians knew about.

        That just made the Villain laugh; their boasts and threats grow more humorous by the second. "And who is to stop my liberation? All of you? You could barely hold this body still when there was internal resistance. What hope do you have now?"

        "A war hero." Alua proudly boasted, prompting Termundus to step forward with his chest puffed out, his stature high, and his ego bursting. "As loathe as I am to say it, Termundus is our best weapon against you; he was the one to ultimately take down Soulless and end the Shadow War."

        That was the funniest thing Felladae had heard in its entire existence. Both bodies fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably. "Him? Hahahahahahahahaha. Oh, that is rich, putting your fates at the hands of a fake. HAha.... it's amazing what hiding the truth will gain you, won't it... faker? You would all be better with the one that actually bring down the fearsome Soulless... too bad they are not here, neither the true hero or his heir."

        What in the world is this psycho even prattling on about? He's just trying to rile them up and get under thier skin. Termundus, however, knew what the monster was talking about and instead got ready to ripe it to shreds. "I'm going to end you nice and slow; I'll savor your erasure like a fine cooked meal."

        That was a bit much. "Not going to touch that..." Felladae muttered, clearing 'Quio's' throat while getting 'Ocilus' ready to pounce. "But I repeat... how will all of you hope to contain me? After all... you won't be able to stop me from doing this!" 'Ocilus' pounced towards the group, but Termundus countered with a large emerald that he appeared to summon out of  nowhere- in truth, a piece of his boat- and smacked the dead dragoness hard with it. The drakette fell hard; they all heard bones crack. 

        No screams of pain echoed from the beast, only a slowly rising body that grinned sadistically. 'She' looked at her broken forelegs and snickered. "Was that supposed to hurt?" Felladae asked, moving the forelegs around like nothing was wrong with them, even though they could hear the bones rattle inside. "Be honest."

        "That is all sorts of wrong..." Trach gagged.

        "Agreed..." Termundus snarled. 

        "You are one to talk about wrong..." Felladae commented. "... you committed most of them!" It made 'Quio' charge at the former war hero, jumping onto his back and biting his neck like a rabid zombie. Termundus roared in pain before using the summoned emerald from before to get the former mutt off his back by breaking its snout. 'Quio' rose back up and, despite the broke snout, smiled a creepy smile with the brokenness making it even more disturbing.

        "I'm going to have nightmares..." Bran commented.

        Felladae itself was suddenly right behind him. "Good..." It grabbed Bran by the shoulders. "Cause you are living in one!" then punctured the left with its tentacles, making him scream in pain as it pierced clean through. He fell to the ground, holding his other hand over the exit wound.

        Seeing him in pain prompted Eia to charge at Felladae with all the speed and force at her disposal and slam him into the ground, dragging him along. She suddenly stopped as her tail was grabbed by 'Ocilus' and swung overhead, slamming her hard on her back which made her spit up blood and forced her back to Ferid form. The dead dragons claws disgustingly molded into a drill-like... thing and thrust down in a killing blow. 

        A sniper shot and a crossbow bolt both struck 'Ocilus' in the head, knocking her off of Eia, which allowed her to change back to her Aerid self and fly away. Polosa loaded up another bolt but wasn't quick enough as Quio came right at her, pinning her to the ground and reared back to punch, but was paused by something. He looked down at her belly. "Peculiar..." Felladae softly commented to himself.

        The distraction was long enough for Ven to get a headshot in, which did get 'Quio' off of Polosa, but it did not kill.

        Both 'Quio' and 'Ocilus' rose back up with holes in their heads.  "The minds of the mortals never learn..." Felladae said as 'Ocilus' pulled the crossbow bolt out of her head and snapped it in her claws. 

        "Now!" Termudnus ordered, using his powers over the earth to construct a cage around 'Quio' while the triplets and Seqy pooled theirs to summoned one around 'Ocilus'. Holes were left open in the top, which were quickly filled up as Fira and Pira flooded both cages with a seemingly endless stream of fire. This was followed by Tybalt as he launched razor sharp arrows into the openings as well, piercing the skin of their opponents. The ground manipulators then closed up the cages like a vice press. 

        "That had to have done it!" Tygan boasted. 

        The cages suddenly exploded from the inside as dark tendrils erupted out of both bodies.... both untouched and pristine bodies that looked as though they were untouched by the flames. "Think again!" The dark tendrils went off in all directions, piercing skin in everyone present.

        "That does it." Felladae heard a very familiar voice say. 'Ocilus' looked over as a flaming sword, or is it a sword made out of fire, pierced her stomach. She looked up where it came from and saw Vendetta standing there with wings spread. With a glow from his eyes, the sword returned to his side hovering around him.

        "So you're getting involved too..." Felladae somberly sneered. "Very well then..." It made 'Quio's' nails grow until they were claws. "... then tell Soulless he failed!" 'Quio' charged, swinging the claws around and getting a few good hits in, but Vendetta counted as best he could while getting a few good slices, jabs, and stabs in, but it wouldn't last forever: Shadows don't feel pain in the traditional sense, so every attack they can score a hit with was doomed to fail as without a Phoenix, they can't kill this demon. All they can do is give it a bad time, so that's what he decided to do as he grasped the 'sword' with his good paw and swung it himself, slicing through 'Quios' abdomen, slicing the body in twain. 

        "Poor form." Felladae said in pretend shock as the top part slipped and fell off the bottom part. "But you know that won't work." Vendetta snarled, raising the flaming sword above his head, only to get blasted away by a blast of darkness from the wound on the body. From out of nowhere, 'Ocilus' grabbed Vendetta up by the throat, then gave him another blast of dark electricity that sent him crashing down. Alua cushioned his fall with her water and, once he was safely on the ground, blasted the water towards the fallen dragoness. 'Ocilus' conjured up an electric shield to block it, but the electricity backfire and instead shocked her. "I should've seen that coming." Felladae commented to itself. 

        Pooling their powers once more, Seqy and the triplets broke lots of rock out of the ground and shot them towards 'Ocilus' like rockets. She grinned, summoning powerful gusts of wind to catch and send them flying to other parts of the island... including a spot where two broken kids were having a heart to heart before getting rained on.

        Having turned the emerald into a sword, Termundus roared as he came down from above, stabbing 'Ocilus' in the chest with the same move that slammed her into the ground, creating a crater upon impact. 

        "I told you I was going to make you suffer!" Termundus snarled as he twisted the blade tearing up the insides.

        Feeling no pain and not flinching at all, 'Ocilus' held a paw to her chin, tapping a claw against it as it thought, "And you know, I could be suffering... If I could feel it." Dark tendrils erupted out of her body and wrapped around a surprised Termundus. "For a war hero, you are awful at fighting." A blast from her mouth then sent him crashing along the ground. "Though now I believe it's time for an upgrade." Rising up, 'Ocilus' flew over to 'Quio's' two halves and picked them up. "And thanks for the free blade." Both bodies laughed. 

        With a flap of the wings, the two corpses rose up into the air. all the others could do was watch as it flew higher and higher, fearing that it was going to leave and reek havoc elsewhere... but it didn't.

        Thundering storm clouds quickly rolled in, soon followed by lightning strikes that struck the ground, igniting a few fires. Reaching a certain height, Felladae emerged from both bodies and, using the dragonesses power, brought the bulk of the storm to them. Lightning surged down from the summoned storm, which 'Ocilus' then channeled. Felladae actually felt something with all electricity coursing through: power. The two halves of 'Quio' floated out of 'Ocilus' paws and hovered around. Dark tendrils soon flowed out of all three bodies and, combined with 'Ocilus's' power, wrapped them in a protective cocoon. 

 


"And from this shell, shall a new form emerge. And the Epitaph writ."

79: Chapter 78: Wrath of Shadows 2 - Abomination of Nature
Chapter 78: Wrath of Shadows 2 - Abomination of Nature

Chapter 74

Wrath of Shadows Part 2:
Abomination of Nature

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da82z8tbEMo The Final Sacrifice by Khev Music Production

 

        Looking up from below, the beaten and battered heroes watched on as Felladae had engulfed Ocilus' and Quio's bodies in some dark cocoon as lightning erupted from the storm clouds that surrounded it, with several bolts striking the cocoon itself. The cocoon itself began to spin as the wind had picked up speed, making it difficult to keep looking at the thing high up in the sky.

        "It's always something with you lot, isn't it...?" Trach groaned. "If it's not robbing the most secure vault in the city, it's fighting a bloody demon possessing a super lightning witch. It's like you're all cursed with bad luck."

        "You'll get no argument from us." Fayin said, holding onto Pearl to keep her from flying away. 

        "I have a bad feeling about this..." Eia whimpered, feeling the pit in her heart grow each moment she looked at what was happening.

        "Your feeling is on point." Polosa said, having a good strong hunch about what was going on inside that thing.

        Around them all, the storm was getting worse as the wind picked up and lightning came down everywhere... but despite having metal among them, nobody was getting struck, almost like it was missing on purpose. It's a good thing Eia was in her Aerid form, otherwise her new hat would be halfway to what was once Florida. 

        "Now what do we do?" Garf asked.

        "We stop that thing." Tygan replied, but before he could go any further, he was interrupted by Termundus;

        "Now we take this fight to the air." Termundus announced as he spread his wings and summoned more emeralds to his side. Nobody argued with the statement.

        "... what he said." The mutt finished. "But this is their fight, not ours, not unless we can sprout wings in a few seconds." They could not; would be useful if they could, though. "Our job down here will have to be protecting the non-combatants from that thing, should it come for us."

        "Understood, sir."

        "Alright then!" An enthusiastic Fira loudly boasted as he hit his front paws together. "Time to go cook a Shadow!"

        Before they could take off, Alua got in front of them, fearing for their lives. "Absolutely not! This is far too dangerous! You children need to go hide and wait this out!"

        "But Alua..." Seqy started to whine, but a powerful freak lightning bolt struck the ground beside them, frightening them. 

        "No butts." Alua firmly affirmed. "You are all lucky to be alive right now after everything that's happened, and I am not about to let you all get killed by whatever that thing is." She gestured up towards the cocoon of doom. "Right now, your best chance is to get on the boat and sail as far away from here as you can."

        "So you can do what, die fighting that thing?!" Seliox yelled over the wind as it briefly picked up. "You saw it yourself; Felladae does not care about who it attacks; to that thing, we're all equal opportunity victims in its dance of pain. We're a part of this too, so don't keep us back. What would be the point in it anyways, so we could die later?!" Alua looked away, feeling unease at what those under her care were saying... because it was true. "At least with us up there, we could have a chance of actually doing some serious damage... you need all the firepower you can get."

        As right as he was, he was also wrong. "This isn't a debate, Seliox!!" Alua yelled, one of the very rare times she had to raise her voice to the orphans under her care. "This is a life or death situation, and right now I want you to live!"

        "But--"

        Before he could yell further, Tygan put a hand to his shoulder and slowly shook his head. "We need to leave, kid. Right now, we need to get to the mainland and warn everyone about this menace. I don't like abandoning friends and comrades to die anymore then you do, but... you're just a kid. What can you do?" That remark just made Seliox angry. There were a lot of things he could do.

        "Fine." Seqy said for them. "We'll leave." She hissed with hesitation in her voice. She didn't want to leave any more then the twins did, but what choice did they have? "Just promise us one thing, Alua: give that son of a bitch a black eye for us."

        Normally, Alua would scold her over the use of such language... but given the situation, that wasn't on her list of priorities. "I will. Now get to the boats." She and Termundus took off to the skies, ready to end this.

        "Do we have to stay too?" Taltian asked.

        "Depends." Polosa asked back as she spread her wings. "Do you want to leave?"

        The triplets looked to each other and all had the same thought. "Let's kick that things butt." Terrum grinned as he and his brothers took to the sky. 

        "Them's my boys." She smiled. She then looked to Trach, who just stared up. "And you?"

        He looked to her, then back up. "As much as I disliked Quio, he didn't deserve this kind of fate, and the thought of his corpse being used by that monster disgusts me." His eyes glowed a bright red. "And if I'm gonna to die anyways, I'm at least going to give that thing a black eye myself!"

        "Damn right we are..." Eia somberly hissed. 

        "You're not fighting." Polosa was quick to say, but Eia had a quick retort of her own.

        "Don't push your luck with me." The preteen coldly snapped. "I am in a horrible mood that that monster made even worse and I am going to take it out on that thing. Besides, would you have stopped precious little Sokuro from fighting too?" For that, the huntress had no answer. "Right... didn't think so." Without another word from either side, she took off.

         "That kid is going down a dark path." Trach commented.

        ".... agreed. And I have no idea how to get her out of it." Polosa somberly responded before they flew up after her. 

        Tygan looked to his soldiers, who looked back to him. "Tybalt, Federico, stay and help- it's an air game now and they'll need your help." The dragon and gryphon nodded back to him before taking off. He turned to Garf, Ventus, Fira, Pira, Bran, Seqy, Seliox, Kader, Fayin, and Pearl. "In the meantime, we head to the ships!" While hesitant to do so, Seqy, Seliox, Fira, and Pira nodded and followed them as they ran back to where the ships were docked.

        "Wait." Fayin said, making them stop. She was looking back towards the one Dragon who isn't up there ready to fight... all Vendetta was doing was sitting there, holding his broken leg as he looked up. She approached him from behind. "Vendetta?"

        "What is it?"

        "Aren't you going to fight?"

        "That would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? But against that thing..."

        She looked down for a moment. "Is it because he's a Shadow like you?" Vendetta's eyes went wide and he was quick to turn to her, but she stopped him before he could say anything. "Trust me, it took me awhile to figure it out and I am going to have pleeeehehehehenty of questions to ask once this is all over, but it doesn't change the question. I mean, look at what it did to your arm. Er... front leg."

        "This was Termundus' doing. Though that does remind me." With only her here, his own Shadow powers activated which went to work on rapidly repairing his broken foreleg.

        Fayin struggled to not groan at Termundus' mention... Again with him... whether she dies to the beast or actually gets home, she'll be glad to never hear about him again. "And my question?" She said, keeping her aggravation with that lout of a dragon hidden.

        "It's impossible for us to win. Fighting Felladae would be suicide, especially once it comes out of that. If we had a Phoenix or a hybrid, we could stand a chance... but unfortunately, like it said, our only one went after your so-called demi-god."

        "But you're a Shadow as well, right?" Not really-  more like someone with Shadow powers, but he wasn't gonna correct her... would be moot if they all die in the next few seconds anyways. "Don't you have some skill or ability to use to take care of rogues like him?"

        "..... just one. But I have to be up close and personal to do it."

        "How close?"

        He looked up towards the cocoon, which had now reached incredible speeds going as fast as a toy top. The others had surrounded it; Termundus tried to destroy the thing with his emeralds, but they either bounced off or, in one instance, shredded to dust.

        "Too close."

        With yet another emerald being deflected, Termundus snarled like a wild animal, growing increasingly angry. He summoned the rocks back to him as Alua, Trach, Federico, Tybalt, Taltian, Terrum, Terrux, Polosa, and Eia joined with him. Now they had to wait for the monster to do... something. "Alright, hellspawn, it's time for you to return to whatever pit you crawled out of!" Federico proclaimed with military bravado. 

        "Such bravado..." Felladae spoke, its voice echoing around them thanks to the wind. "... from the knave."

        The gryphon was insulted by that... insult. At least he should've been. "Knave? Knave!? How da--" He quickly turned to his partner. "What's a knave?"

        Before he could answer, their final ally finally appeared... with armor made out of dark fire covering his body. Termundus recognized it from the War: yet another skill of the Shadows... one typically used by the traitors. "Get out of there now, Felladae... you have nowhere to go."

        ".... Vendetta... i thought i recognized your stench among the plebians. To stoop so low..."

        The others were initially confused  by Vendetta's arrival in fire, but that line put thoughts in their heads, none of them good. "You... know him?" Alua hesitantly asked.

        "Wasn't his foreleg broken a second ago?" Terrum asked in passing. 

        He ignored them and summoned a blade of dark fire in his paw and pointed it towards the spinning machine. "Come out of that shell and face us, unless you are too much of a coward."

        The cocoon stopped spinning on a dime; they could feel the beast inside staring at them. "Very well..." A line of light split down the cocoon and both 'halves' fell to the side before fading into nothingness. Before them was something that made their stomachs turn, their blood freeze, and made Alua and Polosa gag in disgust.

        Felladae had... merged Quio's and Ocilus' bodies into a nightmarish abomination, with Quio wearing Ocilus' skin as some sort of armor: her forelegs and rear legs were meshed over Quio's arms and legs, her scales melted into his skin like blacksmithing gone wrong, her wings forced into his back like a square peg going into a round circle, and their tails merged together like some sort of rope, all of it stitched together by the sinue... as it was for every other part. The worst part: her skull had become broken and her head engulfing his like some sort of twisted helmet; her teeth are still there, with the gaping maw open enough for his face to be seen.

        Ocilus' bones hovered about, floating around the merged abomination. They froze, and then dug themselves into the body in various ways: most of the bones merged with the things back, creating another set of wings far larger then what Ocilus originally had. Several went to the left hand and combined with it to form a circular shield of some kind...

        While the remaining bones went to the right hand and, after a suitable piece had inserted itself into the arm, combined like a jigsaw puzzle to form a blade that extended out several feet, with Ocilus' tailblade being the topper.

        It was a grotesque sight to behold that churned the stomachs of even the most seasoned among them. "Oh my....... oh my gods...." Eia gagged.

        Even the usually stone-faced Termundus, who had seen many nightmares during the War of Shadows, was taken aback by what he was seeing. "That is seriously messed up...... What the hell.... did you do to them...?" He panted, barely able to contain his disgust and his rage. 

        The third... fifth eye forced itself open on Ocilus's..... the "helmets'" brow; it, Ocilus' eyes, and Quio's eyes all glowed a menacing purple... as did the edge of the boneblade, shield, and wings, as well did the stitches. "Why, I took the two and made something new..." Super Felladae raised the arm with the blade and looked it over. "I made an exquisite masterpiece..."

        "More like something that should belong in a horror novel." Tybalt commented.

        S.Felladae lightly tsked at them. "Tsk tsk tsk... Nobody appreciates fine art."

        "And nobody will, cause you are not leaving this island, you low-rent hack." Vendetta snarled.

        Everything went silent for a moment. S.Felladae glared at him with evil intent, "...... oh, is that what you think? Well..." The armblade began to shimmer a dark purple. "Let's see if you can back up that boast!!" With a sudden charge, it stabbed at Vendetta with blazing speed, leaving the dragon with little time to react, but he did in time as he slid to the side and slide his darkfire sword down the blade. S.Felladae kicked him in the just-healed broken arm, making Vendetta roar in pain long enough to allow S.Felladae to put a palm to his chest and blast him away with a surge of pure electricity laced with his dark powers. 

        Sensing an attack from behind, it spun around and swung the armblade, slicing through a myriad of boulders and emeralds launched its way by all the ground users. It was a distraction and it knew it: looking up, S.Felladae saw Alua pulling all the water she could manage out of the stormclouds, which was a considerable amount. Forming three large car-sized spheres of water, she turned one of them into multiple razor-sharp spears and let them loose. 

        Snarling, S.Felladae flapped its wings and flew off as many more rocks and the water spears gave chase. With a strong flap, it summoned bolts of lightning out of the tips to take out some of the pursuing weaponry, then flew on, then fired, then flew on, repeating the process over and over several times until the spears had run out and the rocks diminished in size and quantity. With a smirk, S.Felladae let loose another torrent of electricity towards the triplets and Termundus. Terrux was able to summon a wall in time to protect them, but the force of the blast sent them downwards anyways.

        All but Termundus as his emerald shield absorbed the brunt of what came to him. He smashed another emerald into it, launching it towards his foe. With a clap of his hands, the emerald shattered into smaller pieces that made a beeline straight towards the demon. S.Felladae brought up the shield and, using its darkness, expanded it from the size of a dinner plate to the size of a truck bed. The shield then spun around, deflecting the emerald pieces like they were nothing.

        In that distraction, Termundus went in close to strike a devastating blow... but the demon dodged the attack, grabbed Termundus' paws, pulled him towards it, then grabbed the back of his neck. "You're a failure of a warrior." The monster mocked as a powerful blast to the neck sent the general to the ground and to future neck problems. 
        
        In the confusion, Alua had flown into the clouds to gather more water. 

        "Oh no you don't." S.Felladae snarled. Electricity surged within the shield as it spun around more rapidly. Rearing back, the beast threw the electrified discus up into the clouds and, BOOM, scored a direct hit on Alua with a loud, thunderous boom that echoed, making her scream in pain; her silhouette was briefly seen during the clap.

 

        Meanwhile, the other group had finally arrived at the boats; the sea was choppy due to the wild storm that was brewing all around them, so getting on was a pain for those stuck on two legs.  The boat they boarded was the ship the soldiers used to get here: their thinking was that since it was made mostly out of wood, the electricity wouldn't have anything to be attracted towards, unlike Termundus' emerald vessel and the ancient yacht..
        
        Landing and grasping at the captains wheel, Fira barked out, "Batten down the mainsails! Break out the tonsils! Hide the rum!"

        "What in the world do you think you are doing?" Tygan demanded to know.

        "What? I always wanted to do that!"

        "Time and place!" Pira shouted from his side. He started down but stopped to ask, "And tonsils? Really? That's not even a ship part- that's what's inside your mouth." Fira briefly mocked his twin brother but didn't follow him down, still holding onto the captains wheel. 

        In the confusion of the run over, a question came to Garf's mind: do these kids even know how to sail a ship? "Do you kids even know how to prep a ship?"

        "Now you ask that question!?!" Seqy and Fayin exclaimed in response and Pearl barked. 

        "Eh, sloop like this shouldn't be that hard to make seaworthy." Ven said as he tugged on one of the ropes. "Though it would be easier to just take the yacht- we know how to prep that."

        Bran slowly shook his head. "Too risky with it being made out of metal." 

        "It's not made out of it; it just has some." Seliox heard a rumbling coming from a nearby compartment; it sounded like someone or something was inside it. "But yeah, too risk with Mr. Electric up there; we're highrisk just by being on the water."

        Without thinking, Seliox unlatched the compartment and opened it up. He was both shocked and perplexed to see Argax tied up with a gag in his mouth. The old lunatic was mad as all hell, and seeing the kid only made him madder. He struggled harder to get free of his bonds, but Seliox quickly closed it back up. "Not dealing with that." He exhaled as he went back to the others.

        "It's not that hard." Garf said to the kids. "Just listen to our instructions and--"

        A loud and thunderous boom echoed, carrying with it Alua's screams of pain. The orphans froze in fear when they heard their caretaker crying out in pain. "Alua..." They gasped as they looked to one another. 

 


        Alua's smoldering body fell from the clouds, with the large spheres of water behind her- she was doing what she could to keep them whole. S.Felladae scoffed at the notion and, once the shield was back, readied another attack. "YOU MONSTER!!!" Eia shouted out, charging at the demon like a... well, like another demon out of Hell, with an electrified tackle that would scorched the earth if on the ground. "I'm gonna kill you for what you did to Ocilus!!"

        "It's like you people don't ever listen." It reached out and grabbed her by the horns. "I. Can. Not. Be. Killed." It pulled her head down just as thrusted its knee up, getting her right in the trachea. She struggled to breath, which worked for it as a swift punch to the face and a kick to the side- both at the same time- sent her spinning away.

        A plume of flame erupted from Trach's mouth as he flew around the demonic entity. Polosa came in with her wind and the two together formed a fire tornado that enveloped the monster. S.Felladae brought out the shield, which grew in size by having the bones spread out and darkness filled in the gaps, and spun it to create a funnel of flames that was sent back to the sender. Trach didn't realize what was going on until he got hit. Polosa saw what was coming and formed a wind shield to protect herself, but her left foreleg got singed. Before she could do anything to clear off the embers, S.Felladae came in from behind, grabbed her by the back of the head, spun around like a top, then flung her down at breakneck speed. It would've been a death blow at that speed, but she used her wind to slow herself down enough to where it didn't do much damage.

        With it distracted, Tybalt came down from below, and Federico from above, and both slashed with their claws: Tybalt up the back, and Federico down the front. Most any living creature would yell in pain from such a blow... too bad their foe is not living, or a creature. Instead, the amalgamation gave a wicked smile and grabbed the two of them with the bone wings. It slammed them together like a book being slammed shut, then dropped down to the ground below.

        Vendetta came flying in with his claws lit. He clawed and scratched at the demon, stripping away small strips of flesh and muscle with each strike. The monster countered with its armblade, swinging towards his head. Vendetta dodged out of the way, summoned up the darkfire sword, then blocked the next attack. He countered with his own strike, but the shield blocked that. A darkfire sword appeared in his right rearleg and he cut up, leaving a trailing wound that ran up from the hip to the middle of the chest.

        "That's cheating!" S.Felladae pouted. "I thought the mighty commander of the Shadows would be more honorable then that." It swung as he did- the blades clashed and stayed, with the two butting heads. 

        "You speak of honor, yet do atrocities like this." Vendetta grunted through his teeth. "You never had honor, not even before this."

        "Brave words from a traitor!" S.Felladae pushed Vendetta back with a pulse from within that snuffed out the swords, leaving the dragon wide open for a lunging strike.

        Grunting in pain from her fall, Polosa got up to her feet, though it was a hassle to do. Before she could get back into the fight, she heard wheezing coming from Eia. "Eia!" She rushed on over to her and saw she was having trouble breathing, holding her paws to her throat in a vain attempt to try and fix it from the outside. "Switch back!" 

        In her defense, the kid hadn't thought of that since she was in a lot of pain and couldn't breath. She changed back and took in a deep breath of fresh air, coughing as her lungs filled up. "Agh... oh gods..." She hacked. "That thing... doesn't fight fair..."

        "It's a heartless monster, of course it doesn't fight fair!"

        "Are my ears burning?" S.Felladae joked as it floated down, holding a hurt but alive Vendetta by the tail. "I do believe someone is talking about me." It pulled the dragon up then hit him in the gut; insult to injury, it didn't bother trying to catch him.

        "What will it take to shut you up already...?" Eia hissed.

        "Me dying or you dying." It raised the arm with the blade up and extended the blade, grossly deforming the arm while doing so. "Probably you dying." 

        A sudden cavalcade of rocks and boulders came pouring in from all directions, trapping the demon in a cage as thick as a trucks full length. "Let's see him break out of this." Terrum grunted as he and his brothers trapped the monster, and it worked...

        For a second; a slice from the armblade cleanly cut the ball of stone into multiple chunks of pebbles. Through the freshly cut rocks, Termundus came roaring in, swinging a sword made out of his emeralds. The two blades clashed, making sparks fly between the bone and jewel.

        There was a heftiness to the strike, one S.Felladae picked up on. "Ho ho... such aggression from you, 'General'." It mocked. "Tell me, is it because i'm wearing your favorite pet as a skin suit? Or jealously and the knowledge that you didn't kill her yourself, and instead it was some lowly kitty that did her in?" Termundus snarled like a feral animal. "I had a feeling it was that one." S.Felladae let its arm go lanky, catching Termundus off guard and bringing him closer. A kneekick to the gut, a punch to the neck, and another kick to where the sun don't shine took the wind out of the blowhards sails. "You truly are pathetic. No wonder you couldn't handle a child." S.Felladae commented before slicing up Termundus' back with the armblade, followed by a blast from the mouth that sent the former tyrant to the ground. "How you became a war hero is beyond me."

        A torrent of water gushed down from above; Alua,  having recovered a small bit, had 'popped' one of the spheres of water and let it all just gush down on the diabolical devil before using her powers to reform the water sphere around it.

        Taking a deep breath, Eia transformed back into her Aerid self and slammed the ground, unleashing a torrent of electricity that surged through the sphere and fried the son of a bitch; while muffled by the water, they swear they hear S.Felladae scream in pain. Despite her own pain in her throat, Eia kept this up as long as she could- she wanted the murderer to fry. But eventually, the lack of oxygen got to her and she was forced to stop; she collapsed from lack of air and overexertion into Polosa's grasp. Trach then came in and blasted the sphere with the biggest fireball he could muster, causing it to explode in a gust of steam. 

        With a reprieve, if only for a moment, Tybalt rushed to Eia and placed a shimmering paw on her neck. With his skills, he managed to hear the damage done in her Aerid throat, allowing her dragonic double to breath once more. She coughed, "Oh gods, I thought I was gonna die..."

        "You thought? I think we ARE!" Terrux complained. "I wanna go home now."

        "Not yet..." Eia snarled. "Not until that bastard is dead!"

        A dark sinister chuckle came out of the steam... they're not even surprised at this point- this sucker seemed impossible to kill. "You... bitch... hehehehe..." As the steam cleared, they saw that they actually did some damage: burn marks were peppered all over and the leather on the organic wings were half evaporated away. It raised its head, with the left half melted away: "I actually felt that."

        That disgusting new look creeped out the younger members of the war party. "Ooook, that's way worse to look at." Federico gagged.

        S.Felladae snarled towards her and readied the armblade once more, but then got stabbed in the back by Termundus' emerald blade. It hurt Eia a little as it reminded her of how Ocilus died just a few moments ago. "Did you forget..." The monster spat back to him. "... I'm a heartless wench." 

        "Oh I didn't forget." He shoved the blade further in... but more didn't come out from the other side. Instead, the blade broke apart into shards and sliced through the body, cutting everything before bursting out from various points, with some of the larger ones coming out of the shoulders. "Try moving now when you have no muscle, sinue, or bone to manipulate." Slicing it up from the inside to prevent movement; an evil plan, one they hoped worked.

        Sparks ignited on the tips of the emerald shards. "Wrong." Dark electricity burst out in every which direction, with Termundus taking the brunt of it as he was sent rolling backwards into the crater. "You just gave me something else to work with." The abomination snickered, raising up the shield as if the internal slice & dice didn't do anything.

        "Can you idiots stop making things worse already?!" Polosa bellowed.

        S.Felladae was suddenly right on top of her, as if it moved in the blink of an eye. "Why don't you two take a permanent nap?" The entire body glowed as it powered up. Eia shoved Polosa to the side and took the full blow of its full-on attack, making her scream in pain as electricity far more potent then hers surged through every molecule in her body. "You'd take their place in the afterlife?" The creature snickered.

        Bearing through it with gritted teeth, Eia dug her claws into the abominations chest. "I use electricity too!" She countered its electrical currents with her own: neon purple and the darkest black clashed back and forth as everyone scattered to find cover. 

        "And what will this mesley display do to me?" It laughed. "You aren't anywhere near as potent as Ocilus was, and you will never be on the same level as her."

        That infuriated the young lass to her soul, but she kept going anyways. "I don't... need to be.... on the same level... as her!" She wheezed as she struggled to take in breaths. Out of nowhere, a razor-sharp arrow punctured S.Felladae's arm. It briefly glanced down at it, then off to where it came from. More feathers came flooding in, all shot out by Federico's wings. "I just need a focal point!" She channeled all of her energy towards the metal-tipped feathers, which sent her electricity straight into its body: the attack with Alua earlier torched the outside... now she's going to cook the inside.

        And it was working: they could smell the body cooking like it was on a grill. 

        "Eia!" Polosa called out to her. "If you expend all your energy, you'll die!"

        She wasn't kidding... Eia felt her body weaken the longer she kept this up, but she had to do it for Ocilus' and Quios' sake: she would rather die then to see this thing use their bodies like this any longer. "It'll be worth it to take this bastard with me!" Her eyes and her wings glowed as she increased the voltage. Unconsciously, she tapped into her latent wind abilities, creating a storm that surrounded them both. 

        "You would kill yourself if it meant taking me out?!" S.Felladae shouted; Eia noted the worry it had in its voice... this was actually working: it was scared. 

        "Even if I have to suffer for eternity in the Abyss, I will gladly endure my suffering if it meant I could wipe you from existence!"

        A whirring sound could be heard on the wind. While the locals didn't know what it meant, Polosa did as she heard it from other electric-proficient Aerids back home during her time as a mercenary: she's nearing her limits and if she keeps going, she'll explode. "Eia!" She called out again. She didn't get another word in as Eia took off to the skies, knowing full well what was going to happen. "Eia!!!"

        "Stay out of this, Polosa!" The whirring sound grew louder as her whole body started to glow. "I'm ending this right now!"

        S.Felladae snarled- the armblade was too long to strike down on someone right on its chest... but something else could.

        The whirring and the glow reached a fever pitch. "NOW DI--" The glow and the sound suddenly stopped as blood spat out of her mouth. She looked down and saw the bone wings had stabbed her right in the gut.

        "You first." S.Felladae coldly said, steam coming off of it like a frozen meal freshly microwaved. It shoved Eia away, allowing her to limplessly fall towards the ground.

        "EIA!!!" Polosa shricked in terror; the triplets looked on in shock while Alua was mortified. With pained flaps from her wings, Polosa briefly took off just long enough to catch the falling warrior. She hit the ground running, skidding along for a brief moment. Ignoring the pain, she set Eia down: the stabs were narrow, but deep. "No... no no no no nonononono." She changed back to her Ferid form and ripped part of her leggings to create a makeshift compress. She pressed it on the wound to try and stop the bleeding, all the while Eia was in shock and struggling to breath once again. "No no no, Eia, you are not dying here! You hear me!"

        S.Felladae felt differently about it and readied the armblade to deliver the killing blow. "Give my regards to Ocilus and Quio." It said before thrusting down to end three lives for the price of one.

        It was suddenly tackled from the side by a flaming ball of chaotic energy which sent it a ways away before being followed up by two powerful blasts that caused an explosion in its face. S.Felladae growled at the interruption, but that was short was it was shot in the head by a loud sniper shot. In that distraction, several large stalagmites punctured the body from below.

        "Hands off!" Fira, Pira, Seliox, and Seqy shouted as they got between the monster and the wounded.

        Alua, who was the least hurt among them and the one who told them to leave, was angry that they disobeyed her. "What are you doing here?! I thought I told you to leave!"

        "Yeah, well..." Ven said as he and Fayin- with Kader atop her head and Pearl right beside her- walked up behind Polosa and Eia, shouldering his rifle. "... It didn't leave a good taste in our mouths, leaving you all to die. Besides, Eia's shown that this thing can be beaten."

        "But it can still possess another body!"

        "Yes, he can possess someone else... but it would be one far less powerful then this." Tygan said as he and Garf drew out their swords, and Bran his stun gun. "And like the fox said and the child has shown, we can destroy this abomination of nature."

        With a pulse from its body, S.Felladae disintegrated the rocks that had punctured it, grunting and growling in anger. There were more holes in its body then swiss cheese by this point. "Isn't this cute: the ants came back to die with the termites, now isn't that precious!" A sudden shot to the left leg evaporated a large portion of the thigh away, which was a surprise to be sure, but it showed that despite it possessing the bodies of their fallen comrades, that is nothing but a creature of darkness.

        "This thing caused a lot of damage to your pets." Bran boasted. "I don't know if it's because you guys really hate light or if someone souped this up, but it's sure as hell going to do a number on you."

        The demon prepared to destroy the brat, but had another idea come to his mind, one that the brat kindly reminded him of. "My pets...? Hmhmhmhmhm... then how can that toy gun of yours do harm to me..." A rumbling came from within the mountain. "... when you are too busy trying to stave them off?!" The glow in its eyes changed from a sinister purple to a sinister red, as did the glow that emerged from within the mountain. From the mineshaft, they could hear the screams and shrieks of the damned coming for them.

        "How can you ever hope to harm me at all when you are suffering in the dregs of perdition!?!"

        "SHUT UP ALREADY!!!"

        Out of nowhere, teeth and spittle were knocked out of its mouth thanks to a really savage punch by one really, really, really angry Silver Aerid. 

80: Chapter 75: Wrath of Shadows 3- Rage of the Innocent
Chapter 75: Wrath of Shadows 3- Rage of the Innocent


Chapter 75

Wrath of Shadows Part 3:
Rage of the Innocent




       

        There is one position you never want to wake up in, and it's facedown into a pile of wet dirt. That's the position Sokuro found herself in when she finally woke up. Her body ached from the pain... the last thing she remembers was debris coming her and Sil's way. She tried to get up, but couldn't as she felt a weight on her back. She looked and, yep, debris: just a bunch of oversized rocks.

        How did that even happen? The monster was dead, so how was this even possible? Did Termundus have a hissy fit or something? Or did Eia unlock some new ground powers and decided to take things too far?

        Given how the last few minutes happened... probably Eia still being mad. 

        Rather then try to get the debris off of her, Sokuro just stayed put. If Eia is still mad at her, it would be best to just keep her distance... until they come looking for her because she has the key to the Gate. 

        A sudden scream of agony changed that plans; the wind carried with it a anguished shout that sounded like it came from Alua. That's when she finally took notice of the storm clouds up above and the cracking thunder. Something happened back with the others: the Shadows deep within the mountains must've attacked in revenge for their master.

       Now she had to take action. She tried to get up once more, but the debris was just too heavy. She panted after the third attempt, now worried she was going to remain stuck here.

        She went flat on her belly on the fourth attempt, with her paw shifting around until it touched someone else. Sokuro looked and saw Sil... bleeding from the head and unresponsive. "Sil...?" She softly asked as she nudged  his paw. "Sil?" She did it again. Nothing. 

        Worry took over as she feared the worse. She needed to get this crap off of her now. Reaching back, she put her paws against the stone and grunted as she tried to force it off that way. Her paws began to glow brown as the rubble shifted. She felt it and continued, pushing herself up as the debris finally began to move. With one last huff, she slammed her paws into the debris once more; it was blasted off and fell over to multiple sides, with the largest one taking down a tree and snapping vines.

        Sokuro panted and rolled onto her back. She raised up her paws and looked at them, seeing them surrounded in a brown glow... that was one way to learn how to manipulate the ground... not her first choice in learning how to. 

        Her mind then went back to Sil, bringing her back to reality. "Sil..." She grunted as she crawled over to him. "Sil, come on, wake up..." She lightly shook him, but he didn't move. With a nervous gulp, she put her ears to his back to see if she could hear his heart beat.

        ...................................................................................................... bapum

        It was faint, but it was there... he was still alive for now, but these injuries... she picked out the rocks from the bloody wounds he had accumulated. He needed help now. 

        She grunted in pain as she stood on her legs. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gV_2ZCE3qA Madness of the Fury Queen - God of War Ascension 


        A bright light in the distance gave her the direction she needed to go to get back to the others... but the light wasn't something pretty as she saw Eia going into overload, something she had heard about but never seen... as well as he being stabbed by the boney wings of nightmare fuel.

         That's when it dawned on her...

        ... Felladae was alive; it was responsible for sending the debrish here... and it had somehow reanimated Ocilus' corpse... 

        The worry she had felt just now was swiftly replaced by something even worse: anger. Anger towards this hellish world, anger towards herself, and anger towards...

        "FELLADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEE!!!!!"

        In a streak of light, she shot off into the air- the pain she had been feeling was gone and replace with the urge to destroy this terror. As she flew over, she heard a loud rumbling from below, followed by a purple light coming from within the Gate mountain. Something bad was happening and she had to do something about it now. As she got closer, she saw the abomination ready to kill both Eia and Polosa.

       "How can you ever hope to harm me at all when you are suffering in the dregs of perdition!?!"

       "SHUT UP ALREADY!!!"

        Screeching in from out of nowhere, a really really really angry Sokuro delivered probably her most powerful punch ever, knocking teeth and spittle out of its mouth and sending it right into the mountain, where large cracks formed upon impact. The punch actually hurt her paw, but she didn't care: she was fed  up with that monster.

        "And there's more where that came from!!" She screamed towards the beast. She then turned to the others, who were surprised by her sudden return, and asked, "and why is that thing not dead and wearing the bodies of our dead friends?!"

        "Only a Phoenix or their hybrid freaks can kill one of those things." A less unfazed Termundus said. "Something to do with soul magic or other such crap like that, and our only source chased after you. As for the bodies, well, it's nothing if not resourceful."

        Sokuro's anger was shifting back towards the former general at how cavalier he was being about all this and racist towards Phoenixes and-- wait, a Phoenix hybrid chased after her? Does he mean Sil? If he is, then that would explain a lot. And nobody is reacting to that so they either already knew, or are in too much pain to even think about it.

        "Speaking of whom..." Alua asked with worry, "Where is Silverwind?"

        From the impact point, S.Felladae slowly emerged from the center, groaning as it held its head. "I actually felt that..." It said groggily.

        And now the anger had shifted back towards the rightful recipient. "Hurt but safe." Was all she said before rocketing towards the beast one again, delivering yet another blow, this time to the chest, then later to the chin that sent carving up the side of the mountain. 

        "She's pissed." Seqy succinctly correctly pointed out.

        The screams of the damned came from within the mountain and they were getting louder. Accompanying the screams was a rumbling most commonly associated with stampedes: they were coming and they were hungry. "And they want us." Seliox also succinctly pointed out.

        "Alright..." Ven grunted as he brought up his rifle and pulled back on the bolt action, slamming in a new cartridge that would give it a power up for a brief time. "...we have to keep those things away from the wounded so that Tybalt can heal them. Bran is our MVP as those things REALLY hate his surprisingly super effective Stun Gun, so keeping him safe is priority number one."

        "Great..." Bran exhaled. "...the second time in the month i'm the center of attention, and it's again a matter of life and death." He looked at his stun gun. "Remind me when we get home to scan this thing cause between the Shadows and the Phagos, i'm being rather suspect about this thing."
    
        The first of the Shadows emerged from within, roaring and taking the appearance of a savage feral ape-like beast. Another followed, this one appearing like a lizard. "If we survive this." Ven pointed out as they pointed their guns, Garf and Tygan took up battle positions with their swords and Fayin her claws, and the children readied their elements. 



        Light and fire infused into her fists, Sokuro screamed as she landed another blow, smashing S.Felladae down through the roof of one of the huts, collapsing it. She came down like a meteor, creating a kaboom upon impact that drilled the abomination down into the earth. She flew out of the hole, not before wrapping her tail around its neck, dragging it out. Once above the hut, she spun around and let go, sending it through the other huts and over the cliffedge.

        Spiraling over the edge, a single thought was all that was on S.Felladae's mind: how did this girl grow in power so much?! She could barely do anything less then a half hour ago, so how is she suddenly doing to it in a minute, that the others could barely do?! This embarrassment had to be brought to an end!

        With glowing eyes, the abomination of a fused body righted itself and readied the armblade. A hefty swing was swung, but Sokuro had dodged the attack. She grabbed the horns and pulled down... on paper, it was supposed to disorient it and possibly crack its back when it was slammed down, not rip off Ocilus like something from a gorey horror movie. 

        It made Felladae scream in pain, which was not what she was going for but she won't turn it down. Still, the sight of the ripped head was gross and she let go. With a snarl and a shout of "You bitch!", it swung back towards her. With a flap, she dodged backwards, but it still got a strike in, slicing across her chest and leaving behind a noticeable scar that already started to bleep- it wasn't deep, it was just a scratch, but it still shocked her. 

        Dark tendrils came out from Quio's head and grabbed Ocilus's, bringing it back and stitching the two back together. "You're going to regret that..." It snarled as steam hissed out of its mouth. 

        The shield reformed into something reminiscent of claws; it charged and swung upwards, leaving another set of scars across her dragonic chest, and these were a lot deeper then the armblade strike. She screamed in pain and it went in to strike again, but it couldn't move its arms. A whip of darkfire had wrapped around its wrist, and suddenly pulled it back, flying right over Vendetta as he slammed it right into the side of the mountain. 

        "Vendetta?!" Sokuro exclaimed. She then noticed his armaments... something she saw the possessed thief use back at the festival. "Wait... why do you--"

        "Talk later!" Vendetta shouted, summoning and throwing a dark-fireball that S.Felladae easily dodged. In that opening, it was hit in the face by another powerful punch by Sokuro.

        "Enough with the face!" S.Felladae shouted, but Sokuro wasn't having any of that, delivering another hit while Vendetta came from the side with a bash by a darkfire shield.  



        Shadows hissed and screamed as they made their attack on the grounded group. Tybalt was exhausted but worked overtime to heal up the fighters as fast as he was dragonically capable. At the more critically wounded Eia's demand, he managed to heal Alua fully first so she could create a barrier with her water to prevent a full sweep from the swarm; it slowed them down enough to handle.

         Gunshots rang out from Ven's sniper rifle; the cartridge he put it now made it operate like a machine gun which was a good idea; although they have a wide spread, there's no shortage of targets, and each shot guaranteed a hit. 

        When Shadows came too close, that's when the melee fighters came in- Tygan's and Garf's blades were glowing from a special coating along the blades, which gave them a shine when they swung. While it wasn't lethal, it did deter the demons back. 

        Shadows that managed to slip past the front line were encountered by Fayin who, much to everyone's surprise, was a decent fighter herself: despite her debilitating foot injury, her swings with her claws were blindingly fast- one could make the argument she has had military training too... or her dealing her corrupt owners and their men on a daily basis when she was still a slave; it was that one. Her time in their 'pits' made her a speedy Whirlwind of a fighter, but her injury was preventing her from giving it her all, making her less of a Tornado. What she was displaying was still impressive.

        With her paws covered in sharp stones, Seqy punched the every living... er, life out of the members of the swarm that got too close, while the plumes of fire that came from the mouths of Fira, Pira, and Seliox made up most of the ranged firepower, burning some to cinders for a brief moment 

        And of course, the real MVP of the ground war right now was Bran: his stun gun was the only other thing outside of a Phoenix's magic that seemed to actually kill the demons; between this and how it hurt Phagos, he and Ven are starting to suspect it's been tinkered with.. regardless, he's the only one they have that can slay these beasts. With so many targets, he barely needed to aim as there were just so many of them, but he tried to prioritize those that posed a threat.

        He missed one as the lizard that burst out of the mine entrance earlier shrieked as it pounced on her. She screamed as she fell over, turning the stones into a barrier to keep the monster from biting her head off.

        "Bran!" Ven shouted, gesturing to him the danger Seqy was in.

        The kid aimed at the monster, but only fizzles came out of the barrel. He shook it then looked at the power. It was out of juice. "Shit! Needs to recharge!"

        "Recharge!?!" They yelled. 

        The locals may not know what it means. "It runs on electricity and plasma, alright?! It needs to replenish before it can fire again."

        Pira went slackjawed. "Are you kidding..." He was pounced out of nowhere by the gorilla from earlier, "...mEEEE!" He was pinned to the ground, then later screamed, or rather howled, in fear as it bit his tail and began dragging him back into the horde. He dug his claws into the ground, but it was a lesson in futility. 

        "Bro!" Fira  yelled. He rushed to go help him, but a legion of 'bats' swarmed his face, preventing him from getting to his side.

        The lizard clawed at Seqy's barrier; she whimpered in fear as it tore its way through with such ferocity- it felt like it was going to break her forelegs with how furiously it was digging. Its snout broke through wide enough to get in her face and roar. She screamed in fear back at it... and then it got blasted off of her by a powerful flame by Seliox. As the demon clawed at its own head to put out the fire, he came charging in and tackled it back into the swarm. "You alright?" Seliox asked the besmirched kid.

        "Un... y-yeah~." She took the paw he offered and got back up to her feet. "Thanks for the s--" 
    
        ~~

        Pira screamed in fear as he was dragged back and no matter what he did, the ape would not let him go. A blade swung down from nowhere and cut off the arm that was dragging the child away.

        "By the stars, that was too close!" Tygan said, helping the lad to his feet. "You ok, kid?"

        "I was almost Shadow food!"

        "Yeah, well be lucky you didn't turn into one of th--"

        ~~
    
        The lizard tackled Seliox back in kind, digging its claws into his foreleg as it slammed him to the ground like a wrestler. It roared in his face as it prepared to bite it off.

        ~~

        The ape came charging back in, grabbing Tygan and pulling it into a bear hug- it was going to crush his spine into pieces and his bones into dust.

        ~~

        A familiar thum came from the stun gun, which was music to Bran's ears. "Yes!" He cheered. He fired at the ape, killing the Shadow monster and dropping the woozy Tygan to the ground, and then fired on the lizard, which killed it too, and then the bats that were swarming Fira's face.
       
        "Agh! Ptyooie!" Fira stuck out his tongue. "I think i goth rabith!"



        Sparks flashed between the clashing of blades; Vendetta kept up on the offensive, pushing S.Felladae back with each strike, and every time it thought it could get away from his superior, the brat would come up with light magic and ruin its escape, leading right back to the swordplay. Fed up, it unleashed a pulse that drove them both back for a few brief moments to catch its breath. "I'm being defeated... by a traitor and a inexperienced pup?!" it panted. It's possessing one of the most powerful bodies in the world, so why is it having so much trouble? And with children, no less?!

        Sokuro and Vendetta turned back around to get more attacks in. S.Felladae brought up its armblade and positioned its arm back to get it some extra oomph for a thrust... and it left it wide open for an attack from the left. "Of course you had to show u--" A good smack to the chest by a familiar emerald blade sent the demon rolling through the air. 

        Sokuro and Vendetta came to a halt as the emerald blade was swung, swiping blood off of it. "Either help or stay out of me way.... Shadow Lover." Termundus threatened the two of them before flying down after his prey. 

        "And it begins..." Vendetta droned forebodingly before he and the kid followed after him. 




        Below, Tybalt had been successful in healing most of the other flyers; while they joined the others in keeping the Shadows at bay, the dragon was hard at work trying to heal Eia, who was struggling to breath: each breath was pain, and her gut felt even worse. The magic was helping, but the pain was a lot for her. 

        "Remind me when we die to haunt mom!" Taltian commented, bringing up walls of spikes to skewer some of the Shadows from below; this won't kill 'em, but it will slow them down.

        "Do you really think she could've anticipated this madness?!" Terrum asked his brother as he swung a rod made of rocks with his tail.

        "No... but she's the one who made us come and we're gonna lord it over her the next time she tries to send us into something dangerous!"




        Growling in anger, S.Felladae's bone shield splint apart. Dark tendrils stabbed through each bone piece and brought them into line to form three large whips, with the bones serving as serrated edges. With a yell, it swung, which each whip going after a different target. Vendetta and Termundus deflected the whips coming towards them with their blades while Sokuro simply ducked under hers, making a beeline towards the demon.

        "Why won't you just die?!" It yelled, sending a cavalcade of dark lightning towards her. 

        With a flap of her wings, Sokuro summoned balls of light that went out and intercepting the lightning before any got close to her. "Why don't you!?" She shouted, slamming into the side of its body like a freight train. The whip assigned to her returned and wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. That didn't stop her from summoning up more light orbs and sending them straight to it.

        "THis attack again?!" It groaned as it deflected. "Think of something original; this one is getting old!"

        "Like this?!" It heard shouting from above. Looking up, S.Felladae saw that they had wrapped the emerald blade in its whips and were pulling on it hard, stretching it as far as it could go. "Stretchy in... stretchy out!" Vendetta said as the two of them let go, sending the whips and their unwelcome tagalong back to the owner.

        S.Felladae swung the armblade, blocking the emerald one just in the nick of time.

        This was a distraction, as Vendetta came in from behind and sliced across the abdomen with his sword of darkfire. Caught off guard by the sneak attack, the Shadow looked back to him, just for Termundus to come falling in, grabbing his blade from the whips, and slashed downward.

        If someone was cut like that, they would fall apart into four meaty chunks. Felladae's darkness kept the body together; it snarled as it swung backwards towards Vendetta, who had let go of his darkfire blade to dodge. Termundus came in with another slice, prompting the monster to swing in that general direction. Summoning another blade to his palms, Vendetta attacked as well, carving through and making the monster swing in that direction. 

        This kept going on and on and on until, cut after cut, slash after slash, slice after slice... if this were a normal body, there would be chunks barely the size of a toddler's cut-up hot dog, but S.Felladae is keeping it together... somwhow. "You wanted something original!?!" Sokuro yelled from below- in all that time, she had been below, powering up a new move. "Here's something original!!!" She unleashed a powerful geyser of fire, striking the monster from below with its hot hotness, engulfing and enveloping the demon in a ball of flames.  

        


        Growing more and more exhausted each second this went on, Alua fell to her knees, struggling to keep the aquatic barrier up, but with so many Shadows knipping at the edge, she was running out of steam fast. "I... can't..."

        "Stay with us!" Ven insisted. "We need you to keep us alive!"

        "I... can.... i... can.... i......... cannot..." 

        Her body gave out as she collapsed... and with that, the barrier fell upon all of them like a sudden splash of rain, drenching all of them. "... nobody use any electricity, eh?" Bran insisted. He screamed in terror after the Shadows screamed as every single one lunged in to end them all. 




        "Did that do it?!" Termundus demanded as he, Vendetta, and Sokuro met up near the ball of flames.

       It wasn't even close to done. "THAT IS IT!!!" The whips shot out from the ball and wrapped around their necks. With a yell, it swung, dragging the trio through the dirt before letting them go; the swing also broke the ball, dissipating the fire... but not most of it. "This game is over!" The whips pulled back into its hands, coalescing into a sphere of dark energy. "Now we end this!" It pulled back its hands and, with a mighty yell, fired the coalesced energy into the ground. Once it hit, it released a shockware of darkness that spread across the island. 

        When the shockwave reached the besieged warriors, the Shadows all froze in their place like statues, which weirded the young crowd out, not that they were complaining. The Shadows then melted into the ground and seemingly vanished from sight.

        "Where'd they go?" Fayin asked, keeping her gaze to the soil.

        A distant rumbling sound could be heard below. "..... i have a bad feeling about this."
 

81: Chapter 76: Wrath of Shadows 4 - Last Stand
Chapter 76: Wrath of Shadows 4 - Last Stand


Chapter 76

Wrath of Shadows 4
Last Stand





        
        The locker on the soldier's boat rocked back and forth violently. "GET ME OUT OF THIS!!!" Argax yelled from within. "THis is not how you treat me! I will see you all han--" The doors finally burst open from him slamming into it over and over. "--ged!" He fell forward and landed hard. 

        "Rrrrrrrr." He snarled. He was tied up by the soldiers and Trach; he could've burnt them away, but doing so in such an enclosed space would not have been smart, even for him; he could've burned his 'precious' hide, much less burned to death. Out here, though... with a snarl, he ignited his body, burning the rope and freeing himself from their binds. 

        Standing on his legs, he shook off the dust and ash; he noticed that some of the rope was still burning, but didn't care. He kicked it aside into a load of rags. "This piece of trash can burn for all I care." He spat. While he was smart enough to know not to burn the bindings in the locker, he wasn't smart enough to know he was going to need a boat to get home. "Now where are those filthy heathens?" He snarled as he made his way to the off ramp, but rather then walk down it, he just kicked it into the water with a smile. "Hehe..." He then took to the skies.

        It took him no time to find the camp, but that only kept attention for a few brief moments as he soon heard the sounds of combat out in the distance. He peered up to see those who dared imprison him fighting against some Frankensteinian monster, specifically arriving to see Eia's electric kamikaze attempt fail with her being stabbed in the gut by the boney wings. "Well, this just got amusing." He snickered to himself before landing at the cliffs edge. That's when the ground group came to the rescue, which made things even better. "I may not have to kill those ingrates after all; that thing itself can do it for me."

        As he got comfy to enjoy the show, he felt the ground rumble beneath him. Puzzled, he looked down and saw a brief flash of purple light come out through the cracks. "That was weird." He ignored it, intent on watching that thing destroy his enemies.

        Unbeknownst to him, however, something else had a different plan. Up from the cracks rose one of the unfortunate few under the thralldom of Felladae, one far larger then the others saw. Despite its size, it was silent as it slowly made its approach towards him.

        Argax heard something coming up behind him. With his forelegs hidden from view of whatever was behind him, he lit his paws. And then, just as Sokuro entered the fight when she hit Felladae in the face, Argax whipped around and was met with darkness.




A few minutes later...



 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vpoy309g5ro&ab_channel=ProjectDestati  Rage Awakened (Project Destati Version) - Kingdom Hearts

        
        "You wanted something original!?!" Sokuro yelled from below- in all that time, she had been below, powering up a new move. "Here's something original!!!" She unleashed a powerful geyser of fire, striking the monster from below with its hot hotness, engulfing and enveloping the demon in a ball of flames.
        
        "Did that do it?!" Termundus demanded as he, Vendetta, and Sokuro met up near the ball of flames.
        
        It wasn't even close to done. "THAT IS IT!!!" The whips shot out from the ball and wrapped around their necks. With a yell, it swung, dragging the trio through the dirt before letting them go; the swing also broke the ball, dissipating the fire... but not most of it. "This game is over!" The whips pulled back into its hands, coalescing into a sphere of dark energy. "Now we end this!" It pulled back its hands and, with a mighty yell, fired the coalesced energy into the ground. Once it hit, it released a shockware of darkness that spread across the island.

        When the shockwave reached the besieged warriors, the Shadows all froze in their place like statues, which weirded the young crowd out, not that they were complaining. The Shadows then melted into the ground and seemingly vanished from sight. 

        "Where'd they go?" Fayin asked, keeping her gaze to the soil. 

        A distant rumbling sound could be heard below. "..... i have a bad feeling about this."

        The ground suddenly and violently rumbled as cracks the size of highways spread all over, tearing the ground apart. The rumbling was so intense it even affected the air currents, making it difficult to fly.

        "Whaoaotoatahtoahtabga!" Several of them fell over into the mud as all others looked around as the rumbling grew even more intense. "What is going on?!!!" Kader yelled.

        What indeed. As more tears began to rip open, Trach was the first to get a good sense of what was going to happen. "To the skies! Quick! Grab the non-fliers and get to the air, now!" They wasted no time in heeding his words as they took to the skies. The triplets and Seqy were quick to create another stone platform that held the non-fliers and lifted it up into the sky with them. Tybalt had to carry Eia personally as her wound was still bleeding.

        They took to the air just in time as something large tore open through the ground beneath them; with a very loud ripping sound, a ginormous metallic part rose up, the metal buckling and groaning after eons or dormancy. The machine rose up right in their path, forcing everyone to scatter; the stone slab was hit, causing it to crumble away and its riders fall. Several of them sprung into action to save them: Trach was quick to catch Fayin and Pearl, and Seqy caught Bran. Federico caught Tygan; Garf screamed as she fell a ways, but was swiftly saved by Seliox, while Polosa caught Ven and Kader.

        "Nice save!" Fayin yelled out to her savior. 

        Around the island, more machine parts the size of buildings rose up, ripping apart the landscape. These all looked like machine parts, with the one that nearly killed the non-flyers looking like some sort of giant rectangular buzzsaw attached to some sort of arm- at full power, this thing could carve though Mount Everest in a day.

        The other parts that rose up were treads the size of space ships, buckets the size of a tiny lake, furnaces and their smokestacks that produce fire and heat more intense then a volcano, and hundreds of smaller things like sheet metal plates, wires, light fixtures, tin, coal, and who knows what else... all now orbiting around the monster that had summoned them after eons of sleep.

        Dark tendrils, made by S.Felladae's thralls, came from each and every piece of the machine, no matter how small it was, and flowed right into the abominations back. The eyes glowed once more as it felt new power surging through it: the power of its thralls and of the machine. Another tendril came from really far away, wrapping around S.Felladae's body, which it accepted happily.

        "Of course there was a earthmover under the island..." Bran dejectedly moaned as he lowered his head. "I wanna meet whatever god gave us all this bad luck and punch him."

        "What in the deepest pit of hell is that thing!?!" A surprisingly freaked out Termundus demanded to know. 

        Ven gulped out of fear. "Something... bad. Real Bad: that's the Omnivoray Bagger 10341 Planet-Digger- that was the biggest earthmover in the galaxy for a thousand years! That thing was a beast! Thank the gods this is only a fraction of it, otherwise we'd really be screwed... but even what's here could clear an island in minutes."

        "Translation?" A worried Kader asked.

        "This is going to hurt."

        "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

        Termundus scoffed as he summoned another emerald to his side and forged that into a new blade. "It's still a machine..." He grabbed the sword and swung it in front of him. "...machines can be destroyed."

        "Not this one..." Ven continued on, much to everyone's dismay. "These things could operate in conditions impossible for organics to survive in, let alone get near."

        The fallen general gutterally scoffed and turned to face him. "Your kind never know when to stop talking, d--"

        While briefly distracted by the justified feud between the dragon and the fox, some of them were able to pry their attention away and return to more pressing matters.... such as the giant excavator buzzsaw being swung right their way. "LOOK OUT!" Several of them screamed. Their attention returning, Termundus and Polosa flew away from each other, missing the arm in seconds.

        Without stopping, it carved through the mountain of the Gate like it was nothing; with the buzzsaw revved up, it was even quicker like butter. The peak wrecked and the huts atop it destroyer, rock and stone fell everywhere and the water held back by that peak poured in, with the force from the impact propelling most of the debris towards other peaks surrounding the crater. And with the peak gone, the Gate was exposed, being basked in the faded sunlight for the first time in ages.

        ... but there was only one takeaway from what happened. "That thing... just wrecked the mountain with the Gate... with one hit." Fira gulped. "We are going to die."

        The tendril that had wrapped around S.Felladae went away, revealing red scales that had been overlaid on where the two bodies of Quio and Ocilus were 'merged' like stitches, creating a new extra layer of security to prevent the two corpses from being ripped apart. That twas not the end, as the tendril had also left behind a third pair of wings- with the connector just above the hips- an extra tail giving it two... and a crown, fashioned from the skull and scales of yet another unlucky sod.

        With a wave of its arm, S.Felladae brought forward several emitter-looking devices that looked like oversized spotlights. Globs of darkness enveloped them all for a brief second, turning them into something more dangerous. "I tried to paly fair..." S.Felladae snarled. "... but youf forced my hands!" With brightly glowing eyes, it thrust the arm with the armblade forward, unleashing a barrage of blackened lasers upon them all. 

        "SCATTER!" Vendetta yelled, and everyone did, flying off in seperate directions.

        Sokuro angrily glaired towards the sadistic demon, who glared back at her with equal intensity. It sent the biggest emitter after her, firing at her constantly. She dodged and zig-zagged to avoid the blasts. Pulling in her wings, she dove towards a piece of the earthmovers metal. She dove through a hole big enough for her, but not big enough for the emitter, causing it to hit and get a piece of metal lodged in the glass. 

        She narrowly avoiding another piece of metal, then saw a piece of architecture coming her way. She changed back into her Ferid form and ran along the structure, passing through what looked like the sleeping quarters and the kitchen, until she reached the end, where she jumped off and changed back into the Aerid.

        Looking to the distance to get a quick survey of the battlefield, she was that others were being chased by those spotlight things, while Termundus and Vendetta were trying to get close to S.Felladae but had difficulting with the ever-changing madness... but she noticed that their foe was also having trouble as some of its shots were being unintentionally blocked or intercepted by other pieces of the earthmover, especially when it tried to rush towards the two of them- it's like each Shadow was operating independently without input from their master.

        "(Felladae didn't think this through. It may've created a large obstacle course for us, but it also holds true in reverse.)"  She didn't spend too long on her ruminations as the larger spotlight busted through the sheet of metal and came towards her, forcing her to run away once more as it gave chase. 


        Nobody else was having better luck either, especially those who were carrying extra weight. 

        "Left! Left!" Bran yelled to Seqy, just as a emitter appeared in front of them. "The other left!" It fired at the two of them, but she dodged in the nick of time. 

        "Don't you have that special gun!?"

        He does. "Not sure how effective it will- WHOA!" Seqy jerked upward to avoid another blast. He grasped the gun tight in his hand, having seen many a movie and show where loose grips usually end in disaster. Seqy pulled him in close and dove right through. "But I can't do anything with it with my arm locked in your grip!"

        "And I can't use my element while carrying you either!" She replied. "You're heavy!"

        "Says the giant liz--" A falling piece of glass caught his attention. "--look out!" Seqy saw it and pulled back, spinning around to smash it with her tail so that the shards will fall away. 

        Seqy wasn't the only one having issues with the extra load: Polosa was working her to keep her and the fox in her clutches from getting hurt. In Ven's case, at least, she's strong enough to hold him by his legs, allowing him to shoot back. Doing it upside down is a pain with everything all flipped, but he's managing. 

        "As if there wasn't any more reasons to fear these Shadow things!" Ven shouted up to Kader and Polosa; he fired a shot that hit and irritated a piece of piping. The Shadow possessing it charged, but another shot cut that connection. 

        "I think we all got that picture!" Kader shouted down from atop Polosa's head. 

        "No, I mean that these lasers- Whoa!- shouldn't be this powerful or this frequent! They're supposed to be used for mining out whatever precious materials are found, not this!" 

        When a large muffler the size of a school bus came their way, Polosa fired a fireball from her mouth and blasted it away. "Agh, i can't fight like this! I need to set you down somewhere!"

        That they did- his arms felt like they were going to be ripped out at any moment. But nowhere was safe to go; everywhere is either a hole in the ground or-- his eyes then fell upon the lighthouse. The top was wrecked thanks to all of the debris, but the mountain it was on was still intact. "The Lighthouse! Take us there!" With a nod, she turned that way.

        "To the Lighthouse!" Kader shouted out as loud as he could, with Polosa's wind carrying it to all the others. Getting the same idea, those that were carrying followed here over, as did a couple others. When an emitter zeroed in on them to squish 'em, a large rocky fist courtesy of both Terrum's rocks and Sokuro's fist shattered it apart. She looked up defiantly at S.Felladae, who grimaced back and raised its shield. THe shield broke apart and began to spin like a sawblade. It reared back like a baseball pitcher, then swung forward, flinging it like a frisbee. 

        Reaching the lighthouse peak, Polosa dropped off Ven, who took no time to tend to his sore arms and instead pulled out his sniper rifle. He ran to the edge and fired, providing covering fire for the others by taking out more emitters. Trach gently set down Fayin and Pearl, and Seqy was quick to drop off Bran; he took the time to tend to his arms. As Federico dropped off Tygan, Fayin was quick to yell out, "Why can't this thing fricken die already?!"

        "This whole day has been unprecedented..." Tygan said as Tybalt very gently touched down, his magic still working to heal the critically injured Eia. "... that monster is no ordinary Shadow."

        "We picked up on that." Bran said as Seliox let Garf loose, who landed on her feet like the cat she is. "But how do we kill it? That's the big question." He looked at his stun gun. "This thing has a limited range- it won't reach it from here, and flying here is awkward."

        "How so?" Garf asked.

        "For starters, we're a lot bigger back home." Polosa said as she walked up. "Whenever we transform back home, we grow in size to where they can ride on our backs; comparatively, they should be the size of rats."

        "For real?" The mouse asked as he peered down into her eyes. 

        "I'm exaggerating." Polosa blew a gust of air out of her mouth, knocking him off her head. "Just couldn't think of an apt comparison on this world."

        A supersonic clap could be heard, and one large boom felt as Termundus crashed into the keepers house after having been smacked HARD by a whip-like tentacle the length of a zeppelin and as wide as a buick.

        For the first time in a long time, Termundus actually groaned in pain. "That hurt..." He grunted, half buried in the wall he slammed through, right into the kitchen.

        "And this is not good if it's able to slap around Termundus like a ragdoll." Tygan said as he and the others ran inside to see who it was that got slapped. Despite his moral code telling him not to do it, Tybalt went about to heal the fallen tyrant, but he was shooed away. 

        Before Termundus could say anything, S.Felladae beat him to the punch; its voice sounded like a mix of distorted radio audio echoed through a very small metallic chamber, or like a old robot. "Aw, where art thou all goins?" It gloated. "And here i thought yo vanted to fight!" In the distance, one of the emitters chased after Vendetta. Detta, however, spun right around and flung his blade right into it, blowing it up and summoning another one. "Was it all sho and bluster?!"

        "And what happened to using proper language skills?!" Trach quipped. 

        "It's being stretched to its limits!" Termundus grunted as he was helped to his feet by a very hesitant Bran and Seliox. "I saw this in the War... Whenever a Shadow possesses someone, there is only so much it can put the host through before both the body and the parasite start to deteriorate, and since it possessed two corpses at once, with us doing so much damage and it stretching itself with its thralls to manipulate the pieces of that-- what did you call it, an earth mover?" Ven nodded in confirmation. "With it all stretched so far, it must be at its limits."

        "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Seqy asked.

        The general gave a sideways glance, not wanting to take his attention off the eldritch horror that was floating above the island. "... depends on how this battle goes."

        Kaders ears twitched, having picked up the sound of something horrible. He looked to the cliff edge and went pale. "Un, speaking of Felladae's fans..." 

        Clawing its way up was a large hulking bipedal mass of Shadows, all clumped into an abomination. 20 feet tall and with claws that could sheer through metal, the Monstrous Shadowanoid climbed up. With a guttural growl, a single red eye appeared on its forehead, a eye that soon morphed and shaped into Argax's dumb mug. It then roared loudly to the sky, its torso opening up to reveal rows upon rows of spiky teeth.

        "Oh great..." Seliox dronned. "...more disturbing monsters that will haunt my dreams."

        "They made a mistake putting Argax's face on that." Trach angrily huffed as he cracked his knuckles. "I won't have to hold back kicking his ass all the way to kingdom come."

        Stepping between the monster and the kids, the canine shouted back towards his subordinate. "Tybalt, get the girl inside the house and heal her up as fast as you can." The dragon nodded and carried Eia inside, followed by Pearl and Kader as they would be of no use in the upcoming showdown. "Termundus, think you..." A flap of the wings and he was gone, returning to the aerial combat. "... can leave?"

        "Did he just leave us to die?" Polosa asked.

        "Yeah." Tygan begrudgingly nodded. There was no way to sugarcoat that. "Yeah, the bastard left us to die."

        The Argax Shadow Beast roared once again and charged, onto to run right square into a stone wall. "Not tonight!" Seqy proclaimed. With a clap and a stomp, the wall grew spikes and encircled the beast. If it was effective, they'll never know as it destroyed the wall with just one blow. "Oh, come on!"

        "This is going to be rough." Fayin whimpered as she brandished her claws, itching to let her built-up anger on this thing. Seeing her do that, the Argax Shadow rose up onto its hind legs and, like her, brandished its claws... except its were much longer, sharper, and thirsting for their blood.

        Checking the charge on his stun gun, Bran brought it up to bear. "Well, at least it's just one Shadow..." He nervously chuckled. "...a really big, really nasty looking Shadow... with teeth... and spines."

        "Bran?" Seqy asked.

        "Yeah?"

        "Please stop talking."

        "Yeah, good idea."

        "Same as before:..." Tygan started as he brought up his blades. "Bran's shadow-killing gun is our one hope of killing that thing, so he gets top protection. We also have to keep that thing busy and away from Eia and Tybalt."

        "Right!" Ventus, Polosa, Bran, Fayin, Seliox, Seqy, and Garf all shouted in response. 

        "Go get 'em!" Kader cheered from the sidelines, jumping up and down as he cheered them on. Pearl made some kind of noise that may've sounded like she was cheering too, but it sounded like some weird yelp. Tybalt didn't give any words of encouragement: the dragon was too busy trying to keep Eia from succumbing to her wounds with his magic, but it was a uphill struggle.




        Narrowly dodging a laser blast from one of the emitters, Federico quickly spun around like a top and sent several razor-sharp feathers towards it. The feathers broke the glass, with one of them getting lodge in an important mechanism that caused it to explode when it tried to fire again. Another tried to sneak up behind him, only for it to get blasted apart by a pair of fireballs from the twins.

        "Nice shot." The gryphon commented.

        "We know." Fira said.

        "We try." Pira gloated.

        They were then both suddenly hit by the flatside of a metal plating. Federico chased after it to rescue them; the pair were screaming like little children. When he saw that the metal was going faster, the gryphon did what he should've done before and cut the tendril propelling it. The front half and the metal dropped, as did the twins before their wings started flapping on their own.

        "Are you two alright?" He asked.

        The pair looked like they had their souls ripped out. "I hate roller coasters, man..." Pira groaned.

        "Same..." Fira groaned in return.

        "I'll take that as a yes."



        A large furnace was punctured by an aquatic spear wielded by Alua. who was quick to swing it overhead and send it flying right towards S.Felladae, who of course promptly cut it in half before it got close to harming it. She moved her head to dodge a beam attack from an emitter, then thrust her spear back right into the core of it. Before it exploded in her face, Vendetta grabbed it by the handle and chucked it away, allowing it to explode without harming them.

       "You're already hurt; you should not be adding more to it." Vendetta inferred. "On that note, how are you even walking around- you were steaming."

       Another emitter came towards them, this one firing nearly point blank. The pair dodged it. "I've..." She stabbed it and kicked it away, just as more showed up. "Been..." She dodged another blast and cut it in two. "Through..." She landed on top of a third one, punctured it from the top, and swung it around like a hammer, "Worse!..." hitting a fourth and turning both into broken pieces. "... during training; the other recruits had... a very nasty hazing process."

        More emitters appeared, along with sheets of metal, glass, and sheets of metal and glass with Shadow's sticking out of them, cause why not. The two seasoned warriors went back to back, with Alua switching her spear into a pair of scimitar-like aquablades. Everything went towards them and the pair started slicing and dicing. "So you were... working with these things... the whole time?" 

        "Not with Felladae..." Vendetta grunted as he kept on slicing, dodging, and deflecting attacks from the Shadows. "Not even our leader would want to work with him."

        "But your boss... created the Shadows..."

        "He didn't pick Fel--" Wide-eyed in shock by what was coming their way, he kicked Alua in the back, pushing her away as one of the giant smokestacks came barreling through inbetween like a train. It pulled back around and let loose a smoky-black beam from its top. It followed after Vendetta as he moved to dodge it, cause why not go after the traitor. A geyser of water from the side shoved the smokestack away for awhile.

        "Any idea what that thing is?" Alua asked him. 

        "No idea." Vendetta responded. "But it's trying to kill us, so it doesn't matter."

        "Fair point." Alua threw her blades at the smokestack, with chains connecting the two. One hit the smokestack proper when another embedded into a pretty big piece of strange metal called a exhaust port. The smokestack was held in place for a brief moment before its momentum dragged the port with it, although a lot slower. With that, Vendetta made his sword as large as it could go and sliced down the shaft, cutting the smokestack into two. He split his blade into two, slammed them into both  halves, and swung overhead, letting go at the right time to send them back to sender.

        If the demon was distracted, it would've hit. But it wasn't, but the smokestacks were too big for S.Felladae itself to deflect... but not for the buzzsaw; like a giant monster, it swooped in and turned the smokestack into dust.

        Vendetta blinked for a moment before regaining his composure. "Right... forgot about that thing." He said, hiding the fact like he wasn't a little bit scared at the prospect of being turned into a stain by that thing. 

        "Kinda hard to forget." Alua said as she readied another spear. "It's the tall as the Tower back home."

        "Not a great confidence booster." Vendetta responded, summoning another blade. "Let's get rid of that thing." The pair charged towards S.Felladae, who merely grinned and, with a swing of his arm, swung the enormous buzzsaw. 
 


       A swarm of Shadows spiraled around the earthen triplets, who were in way over their heads. Being so far from the ground, they have no ammo to manipulate, meaning all they could do was relay on their combat skills and each other... but what combat skills? They have squat. They knew this, so they took off running- figuratively. 

        "Run run run run!" Taltian chanted as he and his brothers flew as fast as they could through this maze of death, avoiding traps set by the monstrous Shadows and suffering a few missed calls.

        "WHOA!" Terrum yelled, rolling to the right to avoid a falling room... just a complete room the size of a single-story house. "I don't think they like us!"
        
        "If we die, i'm so haunting mom!" Terrux promised. He bounded off the head of a Shadow and slapped the underside of the glass it was on with his tail, shatting it and making it fall. "What sucks is that we don't have any ground to manipulate!"

        Terrum nodded; they are more then useless up here without any of their element to manipulate. "Dive to the g--" That's when the three of then sensed it- a piece of the earth, rapidly approaching. A rush of air passed them by as Vendetta and Alua came rushing past- "Move it, you three!" Vendetta called out to them. Rum looked back and saw what was coming their way: a giant boulder, or something that resembled it. He grabbed his brothers and flew up, narrowly avoiding the giant piece of rock and dirt.

        "What in the!" Tal exclaimed.

        They sensed more coming. Up, higher then went, avoiding more boulders as they came their way; Shadows kept trying to get at them along the way, but quick wits were able to keep the three of them safe. Eventually, they reached a height where the boulders stopped trying to get them. With that as a reprieve, they relaxed a bit and looked down. The culprit was something they did not expect and shocked them. 

        With the direction reversed, the buzzsaw was speedily digging into the earth, tearing it apart as the parts it scooped up were being launched as projectiles. Shadows, pieces of the machine, their comrades, the countryside itself- they were all targets for this impromptu gatling cannon. The triplets watched as their comrades were struggling to survive the Shadows, the machine parts, and now the rock rockets. The ones that missed peppered the ground, leaving behind tiny craters upon impact, maring this already demolished land.

        "Ingenious, but horrible." Terrum commented. 

        "We gotta do something about it- it's tearing apart our own element." Taltian demanded. The brothers then looked at each other and nodded, getting the same idea.


        
        S.Felladae laughed maniacally as its new projectile weapon laid waste to the battlefield- it didn't matter what the machine destroyed, it was just having the time of its life. It had its armblade out and moved it like it was firing a gun- even had 'recoil- and each movement it did, the buzzsaw copied.

        "HAHAHAHAAHA! Yes! Destroy it all! Let us return everything to the dark blackness it belongs! HAHAHAHA--" 

        But then the buzzsaw stopped firing. It looked at its armblade and arm- it was fine. It moved its attention to the buzzsaw and saw that it was being jammed; the gears stuck in place by a trio of meddlesome pests.

        "AH, s'oory." Terrux said with a fake northern accent. "These cogs are pretty clogged, as you can ssee." He pointed to the gears in the machine, which had been clogged by the triplets putting stones in the system and turning them to mud. "Yeah.." He snorted as he wiped a claw over his nose. "You're gonna need a technician for this stuff, yeah."

        S.Felladae snarled and closed his armblade hand into a fist. "You three are annoying!" It fired concentrated Shadow darkness from the tip of the armblade. The trio took to the air, avoiding the blasts; a few even hit the side of the buzzsaw. 

        With a smirk, Terrum and Taltian combined the mud they had left over, narrowed and sharpened them into spears, and launched them towards the demon. S.Felladae brought up its shield and spun it, deflecting half and turning the other half back into plain ol' mud. From behind, Terrux stabbed the beast in the back, then turned the mud back into a liquidy state, then hardened it to make it difficult to move. 
    
        "YOu honestly thik tat will work?" The monster ask. "Did you forget that Termundus' fancy green blade did nothing to me?" A pulse came out from within, destroying the mud. He reached out and grabbed Terrux by the neck. 

        "HEY!" Taltian called out, shifting gears to make a beeline for the monster. "Hands off our brother!"

        With an annoyed huffing grunt, S.Felladae lifted up the giant buzzsaw from the ground; despite being the size of a skyscraper, it rose up pretty quick- the unfortunate benefits of being possessed by Shadows. With a yell, it swung it towards the little nuisance.

        "Tal, look out!" Terrum yelled as he dove in, grabbing him and narrowly diving in time to avoid the giant buzzsaw, and it was cloooose- like they could feel it pass over their scales by an inch close. "That was too cl--" Rum started but quickly stopped to form a shield from his and Tal's mud to block a dark shot from an approaching emitter. While it succeeded in stopping damage and pain, it did not stop the force and launched the two brothers far away, while the power from the blast made the ancient device break to pieces. 

        "NO!" Terrux yelled, only to gag when the demon squeezed tighter around his neck. 

        "The power of youth..." S.Felladae rambled. "... wased on a brat lik yo." It squeezed tighter, making the young lad gasp for air.

        Vendetta came in from the side, tackling the monster with a stab in the side through where both kidneys should be and slapping his hand with his tail, making him let go of Terrux and finally allowing him to breath. He kicked off of the demon and gathered energy into the tips of his wings and forelegs claws before letting loose a beam of concentrated darkfire. Even with the shield extended, the darkfire still struck S.Felladae and left some nasty damage.

        "Are you ok?" Alua asked Terrux when she came to him.

        The boy rubbed the part of his throat where he was squeezed and responded, "Nothing years of therapy probably won't fix."

        Vendetta held up a rock from his paws. "Here. It's all i could manage to bring up here."

        "Granite? It's small, but i'm not in a picky mood right now." His powers morphed the rock into a single glove over his right foreleg, encasing it in stone. 

        Parts of the body singed from the darkfire, S.Felladae turned to them with a snarl. "Why can't I kil you all?!"

        "Maybe because you suck at being a villain." Terrux gloated to goad it on. "Why not go back to that acting school where  you learned all those fancy words and phrases before. Speaking of which, why did you stop; did being outside your cave make you dumber?"

        With a angry frown to its head, the monster extended the armblade by a couple feet, enveloped it in a dark wispy aura, and added spikes to it. "You made it mad." Vendetta said.



        Bullets from Ven's sniper rifle hit the beast that was once Argax, but they weren't doing much except irritating it, but it seemed to work and so he kept moving around, making sure the thing wouldn't get a bead on him. A combined onslaught of Polosa's wind and Seliox's fire enveloped the beast into a whirlwind of flame that was soon followed up by a spear of fire conjured up by Trach that fell in from the sky and skewered it from end to end.

       With a roar, Shadow Argax dispersed the fire and wind and sent the fliers back a ways by the soundwaves. It then jumped up and stomped its feet into the ground, knocking over the grounders. With a hiss, the rib-teeth opened up as it made its way towards its first victim: Trach. 

        The rounds from Bran's stun gun struck the side, puncturing a hole in its arm. It looked down at the freshly made hole, then over towards the shooter. "Oooooh, that's not good." Bran whimpered. Previous Shadows pretty much dissipated instantly the moment they were hit... looks like the beefcake here is going to need a lot of hits. Judging by the whole in the arm, a lot. Is it cause it ate or merged Argax, he wondered internally. A question that won't be answered if the beast grabs him for supper.

        "INCOM--" From out of nowhere, Terrum and Taltian fell into the heat of battle, literally, and unknowingly crashed right into the monster, which made it fall right over. The pair fell to the ground when they hit while the Shadow was sent skidding away. ".... ing... ow..."

        Their arrival was unexpected, but their ground powers would be a great boon. "What are you two doing here?" Bran questioned.

        Groaning in pain, Taltian sat up on his haunches, rubbing the back of his aching head. "Feeling like a ball that was thrown..." With a look up, he saw the creature he and his brother nad slammed into and freaked out when he saw that the eyeball was shaped like Argax's face. "AAAAAHHH!! The hell happened to Argax!?!"

        "What do you think?" Seliox sneered.

        Terrum got off the ground following his brother and saw the monster. He didn't freak out like his brother but he did have something to say, "Well, it's not like he could've gotten any uglier."



        Bullets of water encased in dark fire struck, making the Shadow snarl in anger once again. It turned to blast back to them, only to be uppercut right to the chin by Terrux, who then spun around to do it again, this time right to the shoulder. A powerful clap from S.Felladae's many wings pushed the young boy that; it was followed by the monster swinging his armblade arm in a sweeping motion, generating a powerful dark gust that pushed the three of them back a long ways. 

        As it prepared to throw its shield, now back in its saw-like configuration, it was struck in multiple sides by orbs of light. "Great, it's the only truck pony!" 

        "The what?" Sokuro replied, wondering what the heck that was about, when she tackled it from behind, sending it right into a pane of glass, making it shatter and embedding shards into its skin. "Sounds like you being in that body is making you dumber."

        Without any movement, it turned around to her and then plucked a shard of glass from its cheek. "Rich... from a dumb reject!" It lunged straight towards her, swinging its armblade and missing as she dodged to the side. It swung again and again, but she was too fast for it to land any clean hits.

        "Says the demon..." Sokuro started as she dodged another swing. On that one, she spun around and grabbed a metal pipe. "... whose own allies hate!" With a swing, she smacked it on the side- she's pretty sure she heard bone break when she hit in the waist area.

        It formed yet another darkball at the tip of the armblade and fired it; pulling a trick from her textbook, it divided into many little missiles that locked in on  her. With a dramatic gasp at the monsters new trick, she quickly countered with her lightorbs, intercepting the dark ones; one got dangerously close to hitting her in the face but was quickly intercepted by you.

        "And once again, the one trick pony."

         "So what? It's effective. And what's it to you- I've only been a Silver for a couple months and fighting for my life for the half of it!"

        "And yet you can't kill a reborn body not 30 minutes old!" It blasted powerful darkness from its torso; she countered with a beam of light from her mouth, but it was fark bigger and stronger then hers- it hit hard and sent her right into one of the treads... but the beam kept her stationary, allowing Shadows to get her from behind, wrapping around her with howls of damnation. She cried out as she was pulled back, hitting her head on a muffler the size of an actual car.

        *ZZZZRPT*

        Sokuro's eyes briefly but brightly glowed, as if something inside... she felt something...



        S.Felladae approached the besieged and wrapped-up Silver and put its armblade under her chin. "I"m going to offek you this one chnce: join my thrawls..." At which point, several Shadows rose up beside him; he reached back and petted one that looked like a demonic ladybug. "... or join your deseased compapanents in the afterworld..." He pulled back the armblade, lightly cutting her chin. 

        "Choose wisely."

        Her choice: spitting in its face.

        It wiped the spit away and lightly sighed; it knew that would be her answer. "Very vell... then you shall all parish." With a flap backwards, it raised up its arm in a commanding fashion, bringing forth the rest of the emitters and the Shadows that possessed them, which numbered in the dozens. 




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzohNwQ4rgs  God's Hand - Death Battle soundtrack




        The machines and their masters en masse bull-rushed her, slamming into her from all directions. Feeling smug with itself, S.Felladae smirked a small smile, satisfied to have finally gotten rid of one annoying nuisance. Now, he though as he turned towards Polosa while raising his armblade up, he can deal wi--

        With a rumble followed by flash of light, the Shadows emitters were blown away with the slowest being cut into two by a sword of light that had appeared in Sokuro's left paw, while a small shield similar to S.Felladaes appeared on her right- a bright mirror to its dark and warped original. Lines of purple appeared alone her body, traveling across towards her head which formed into a crown, accompanied a flowing seethrough yellow halfskirt, and a matching scarf and veil.

        "This is new." S.Felladae commented.

        Sokuro raised up the shield to eyelevel. Spikes like a sawblade appeared and the shield began to spin. "You're not the only one surprised..." she angrily said before, with a powerful yell, spun around and threw it towards the monster like a discus.  

        "Like this is going to change things!" S.Felladae yelled as it swung its armblade, blocking the shield of light but not stopping it. The shield spun and made sounds like a sawblade, carving into the monsters blade but dragonbone is tough, especially Nexian dragonbone; couple in its powers as a Shadow and Ocilus' electricity and there's no way the light shield can--

        The sawshield then began to crack, which was a shock and a worry. Thinking fast, it swung upwards to briefly give the light shield a temporary lull before before hit by S.Felladae's own shield. The one made of light dissipated, but in that time, Sokuro had closed the gap and attacked, clashing their blades.

        With a growl, S.Felladae pushed her back and swung. She deflected the attack and swung in return. It deflected and the two continued this back and forth of slices, swings, and jabs for a good long while.



        An explosion at the head of Shadow Argax stunned the beast for a moment, allowing Polosa and Federico to come spinning in with a corkscrew attack that knocked it flat on its back. She swiftly spun around and unleashed a torrent of green-colored blades from her wings, cutting the demons body with wind that can cut, while the gryphon threw razor-sharp feathers down into to the limbs to pin it down. 

        Argax's head retreated from the center eye and appeared on another part of the body pointing up towards them. It opened its mouth and fired a beam of darkness out of it, forcing them to stop their attack and move to the side. 

        As it rose up from the ground, Trach came in with a blazing tackle that hit it square in the back, followed up by a series of flaming claw strikes that did more then enough to piss it off. In a move that creeped everyone out, the Shadow's body shifted in a gross squishing soundscape, with everything switching places as the back became the front. Trach exclaimed loudly as he was swiftly grabbed and held tightly. He struggled to get out, but even his own flames couldn't do it, and the other drakes couldn't risk their element attacks with him held.

        Argax's face slithered out of and elongated the eyeball, stretching it like a snake. It got close to Trach's face, hissing sinisterly... he made be one of them now, but that doesn't mean his memories or personality is gone... A long tongue grossly slid across Trach's face, making him cough from the slobber that got in his nose and mouth. 

        "I... am going... to enjoy thissssssss...." Argax hissed.

        "Hey!" A rock hit it in the face, stunning it for a brief moment. "Over here, you big ugly Shadow bear dragon creep!" Bran threw another, and it snapped its head his way, so fast that it would've hurt if organic. "I made it mad."

        Shadow Argax made the mistake of not finishing its prey- it dropped Trach and turned its attention towards the kid, but that was all part of the plan. Four stone walls rose it on all sides, spikes jutted out, and all four squished the Shadow in-between, squashing it until it was as flat as a pancake. 

        With a roar, it unleashed a shockwave that destroyed the stone. Before it could move, Garf and Tygan were quick on the attack, with Garf falling down from a jump to slash down, and Tygan jumping to slash up. When their blades were right next to each other, the two put their palms on the beast, spoke a single word, and released a shockwave powerful enough to send the creature over the edge. 

        "The heck?!" Bran yelled from the direction of the house. "Did you two just use the Force or something?"

        "The what?" Garf responded. 

        "Special gauntlets." Tygan said as he brought his up. "Several members of the military can get these types of gauntlets. They only use a single spell, however- in our case, a powerful shockwave that pushes our opponents back. And..." He took a white gemstone off of it... or at least it was white; most of its color had dimmed. "... very limited usage." He put it back in. "But that should buy us a few--" WIth a roar, Shadow Argax leaped back up; its jump was so high and precise, it was vaulting over all of them. "... minutes..."

        Slamming down with enough force to leave a couple of cracked impact points, Shadow Argax charged towards the house, figuring that the wounded kid and weaklings were easy pickings.

        "HEY!" Ven yelled, shooting at the beast, but it ignored him.

        "No no no no no!" Seqy yelled, bringing up mounds and walls to slow the beast down, but it smashed through them like a juggernaut. Bran fired his pistol, but the monster was wise enough to tear off a slab of the wall it bulldozed through and use it as a shield to block the shots. As it was made of the ground they walk on, Seqy tore it apart and had it crunch down on it, but that didn't even slow it down. "Are you kidding me?!"

        Shadow Argax got within killing distance of the two youths when, "Oh no you don't!" Fayin yelled, coming in from out of nowhere and tackling the monster from the side. She dug her one footclaw into the body and unleashed a flurry of slashes that would've killed a normal person, but to this muscle-bound abomination, it was an annoyance. She jumped upwards and slashed down, cutting Argax's face / the monsters eyeball into three pieces before it was blasted backwards by Bran's stun gun. That did some damage; it wasn't dead like all the other Shadows, but it was groaning in pain. 

        That's when Kader, who had been watching from the relative safety of the house, noticed something happening with the raptors claws. "Fayin, your claws!"

        She looked back to him. "My claws?" She brought them up and saw that they were glowing with a yellow tint. "What's with the lightshow?" She looked down at her footclaw and saw that it was glowing too. Curious, she pulled out the one that she had torn off and saw that it wasn't... inadvertently telling her that it's too late to get it surgically reattached. 

        It wasn't just her with this glow, but the other Dragons and Aerids were glowing too, same with Tygan's and Garf's swords and, "Same with my gun." Ven commented as he looked his sniper rifle over.

        Rising up from the ground, and with its eyeface fully healed, Shadow Argax roared loudly, raising up both hands to form them into one giant fist. "Fight now. Question later." Polosa was quick to order- they had better things to do then stand around talking.
 


        When light clashed against bone for the final time, S.Felladae yelled out a shockwave, sending the girl back a ways from it. Thrusting its armblade up, it summoned up a ball of darkness at the tip, then fired it towards her. Sokuro summoned up her shield once more, this time with a rope of light attached to her forearm. She swung forwards, striking the ball and making it explode prematurely. She pulled it back, spun around, then swung again to hit the demon square center. She used the shield like a yo-yo, pulling it back and attacking once more, again and again and again from multiple angles. 

        Eventually, with a growling snarl, S.Felladae grabbed the rope of light with his right hand and pulled her over. It punched her hard in the chest, which did... nothing, surprisingly; a golden aura had blocked the punch. 

        "This isn't fair." S.Felladae remarked.

        She grabbed its arm. "You are the last one who should be talking about what's fair!" She returned his attack in kind by punching it square in the chest- same move, same power, and same spot, except this time it did damage as her blow caved in S.Felladae's chest cavity. 

        As a Shadow, Felladae would not feel the effects such a crippling and mortal blow would bring. The reprisal, however, did infuriate it; enraged, the beast roared loudly, bringing down the giant industrial buzzsaw from up high. The saw began to spin at max power- if it were normal size, it could carve through a tree quick. The demon then thrust its armblade forward, sending the buzzsaw towards his foe.

        Enlarging her sword, Sokuro swung and blocked the saw but it didn't deflect or parry- no, like what she did with her shield and its armblade, the buzzsaw was now carving into her sword of light. While light doesn't break, the act will tire her out eventually and the Shadow had near limitless energy. 



        
        Boom boom boom went Shadow Argax's fists, striking the ground with such ferocity every time it swung and missed. Its foes were too quick to touch.

        Having found a good perch from from atop the homesteads roof, Ven had good aim on the behemoth as he let loose shot after shot after shot. Powered up by whatever weird glowing power they had received, the sniper rifle was able to do some pretty good damage, shooting off one of the ripcage spikes. It only bought a few seconds as it grew back immediately, but every second counts in this fight.  

        A stone-covered punch from Terrum hit Shadow Argax in the head, staggering it back right into another stone punch from Taltian, which sent it staggering right into Seqy, and the whole process repeated at least 5 more times before the beast fell onto its back. It didn't stay down for long as it was already back on its feet, and right into a combined fire-wind blast right into its 'mouth'. Fire and wind spread through it and out through openings like fingers and pores.

        "Thank that did it?" Seliox asked Polosa.

        "Nothing short of a miracle is gonna beat this thing, kid."

        Trach wrapped his tail around its Argax-faceshaped eyeball and flamed up, engulfing himself in flame, right down to the tail. The monster let loose an inhuman screech; it was so awful, someone with a recorder could say he recorded the sounds of Hell and nobody would argue. Everyone present covered their ears, even Tybalt the healer.  

        The pain from the scream made Trach let go and fall to the ground, covering his eyes. When the screeching ended, Shadow Argax already had him pinned with its foot. "You die first." It said as it raised its foot up to stomp down on him. It was then that a good chunk of the group were able to get over their disorientation and saw that Trach was about to get squashed. 
        
        From up above, a powerful bolt of lightning struck the menacing beast, electrocuting it with such intensity that, when it was done, it was sizzling like a steak on a barbeque. All the monster could do at the moment was sway back and forth stunned. There was only one being who could make that, and collective look back to the house confirmed it.

        "Eia!" Bran yelled out with a smile on his face.

        "Never thought i'd be happy to see a kid." Trach laughed.

        Heavily panting, with her terrible wound visible for all to see, Eia stood in the center of the ruined wall. It wasn't long until Shadow Argax was able to regain itself and growl menacingly towards the lot of them. "I... hate... Shadows... so f'ing much!" Electric sparks coursed along her body, drawing its attention. "I just want..." The wound she had received, which had not been fully healed, began to glow as well. "To go home." It made her wings glow a neon blue. "And forget about..." as well as her eyes and teeth. "THIS ASTRAL AWFUL PLACE!"



        
        The force from the giant buzzsaw was starting to get to Sokuro, who was struggling to keep her  blade of light lit against the ferocious onslaught. S.Felladae smiled evilly, feeling good that one of his most annoying foes was about to become a memory. It extended out its shield arm and the Shadows configured it into that of another armblade, but this one can stretch out further then the other one. Sokuro saw what it was doing but could do nothing; all she had was put into keeping the giant weapon from turning her into paste. 

        "This is the end for you..." It said as it pointed the new armblade towards her. "... if you meet Ocilus in Hell, tell her that her body worked out nicely." The new armblade suddenly started to extend, each connected Shadow strand and bone pulled to its limit, all in a mad dash to finally put an end to her.

        But it was not to be today; appearing out of nowhere from below, Vendetta deflected the extended armblade with his own sword of darkfire, catching the demon off guard. Blasts of fire and water and a very sizeable boulder struck the right side of the buzzsaw, propelling it away from her and giving her arms a very much-needed breather. From the left came Termundus, whose emerald blade cut through a portion of the saw and causing it to fall off to the side. 

        "Can I, for once, not get a damned interruption!?!" S.Felladae yelled like a kid having a temper tantrum.

        "You'll get one when you meet Ocilus in Hell yourself!" Termundus bellowed as he dove towards the demon wearing his protégée as a skin suit. S.Felladae roared as it directed the buzzsaw towards him, only for a flurry of dark fireballs to knock it off course. Vendetta fell from above and thrust the blade into the center. Darkfire markings like scorched ground spread all along the giant machine of death, spiking at a temperature hotter then the surface of the sun, before it broke apart into hundreds upon thousands of pieces.

        Termundus thrust the sword towards the neck of the amalgamation, only for S.Felladae to, FINALLY, take flight- diving away from the attack, it quickly spun around and gave the fallen tyrant a nasty kick to his own neck. The tail wrapped around his midsection and the demon spun around, hitting the 'traitor' with the general. "You're going to wish i remained stationary." The beast hissed before launching itself towards the pair, narrowly blocking the attack.

        A whip of water wrapped itself around S.Felladae's neck, pulling it away and into the control room of the machine. It slammed against the console, pushing off of it just as a enlarged fireball blazed through the opening and hit it, destroying the surrounding structure. The demon emerged from the smoke, thrusting towards the twins with intent to kill, only for Alua to turn her spear into a water whip once more and pull him away, right into a ready double-blow by Terrux's stone-covered fist and Sokuro's shield of light. The two elements struck the demon, sending it crashing down into another smokestack, cracking it into pieces upon impact.

        Grasping the two biggest pieces, S.Felladae spun around, building up speed before sending them hurtling towards its foes. By the time the pieces got anywhere close, they had already disbanded into multiple directions. From a distance, Fira and Pira fired more fireballs to keep the demon in place or on the run. A hiss from behind put an end to that as they were attacked by a spider-shaped Shadow. It pinned them to a walkway, where they screamed in fear. Terrux punched the 'spider' off of them, sending it falling below. "Did you two just scream like little girls?" He asked.

        "No." The twins responded in unison.  

        They were gonna scream again as more Shadows rose up from the myriad of pieces. "Of course..." The groundpounder exhaled.

        At the same time, Alua brought down her spear onto S.Felladae, who grabbed it and spun around, sending her away; at least for a few seconds. Vendetta stabbed his sword through the demons back but, like before, it wasn't going to work. The beast swiftly spun back around, its armblades outstretched when it did, and managed to get a good cut on his chest with the first one, but Vendetta summoned another darkfire blade to block the second. 

        Termundus came down from above and slashed down with enough force for his emerald blade to cut through and sever a large portion of the original armblade; even if it could extend, it lost its danger. Enraged, S.Felladae blasted both the veterans back with a shockwave from the body, which inadvertently took several of Argax's scales with it, exposing the seams.




        On the ground, Shadow Argax was getting its butt handed to it on a silver platter. With so many combatants moving so fast, it couldn't keep up. The addition of the electric-spewing Eia and the dragonic Tybalt to the fight really made things unbearable. 

        Their swords coated in electric energy thanks to Eia, Garf, Tygan, and Federico charged at the  beast from three different angles and stabbed it. Electricity then surged out of the swords and into the Shadow, making it howl in pain. While it did, Tybalt and Polosa came down, their tails covered in clubs made from earth and fire, and smashed them right into its torso, breaking off several of the 'ribs'. Polosa followed her attack up with a spin; on a normal foe, this would've knocked out a lot of teeth and possibly broke some bones. 

        "You have it on the ropes!" Kader cheered. 

        They did, which was infuriating Shadow Argax to no avail- it needed to end this now or else be erased. Digging deep to find something that would give it an edge, it eventually figured an idea out and let it loose: with a roar to the sky, dark tendrils bust from its body and went straight for corrupatable hosts... the three unwilling recipients being Ven, Bran, and Seliox. It didn't hurt them... but it sped up the inevitable. 

        Screaming like they were being ripped apart limb from limb, Ven and Bran fell over, writhing in pain.

        The sudden burst of pain from them sent Eia into protect mode. "BRAN!!!" She yelled. She tried to rush over to him, but her wound kept her from doing so. She fell to her knees, grunting and shaking in pain, holding a paw to her wound which was now bleeding again. 

        They weren't alone in their painful episodes as Seliox soon fell over, having what looked like a seizure from the outside. 

        Seeing the three of them in agony, Tybalt was quick to fly over to render aid, but his healing prowess was going to be of no help here. "Seliox too!?!" Seqy bellowed. "What did that thing do to them!?"

        "One..." They heard Shadow Argax sinisterly say, with a smile creeping across Argax's face.

        "One?" Taltian repeated.

        It took a few seconds for Polosa to realized what it was talking about. "Oh no..." She gasped. She looked back and saw the darkness they had kept hidden was now spreading faster then before. "Their curses... that thing accelerated it!"

        "Curse?!" Garf shouted. "You mean to tell me they have the Shadow Curse and you didn't tell us?!"

        "I didn't-- look out!"

        In a flash, Shadow Argax's bullrush had it right on top of Garf, who had little to no time to react. Others that saw the rush, however, did, as Seqy, Terrum, and Taltian were very quick to throw up a triple-layered wall to stop its advance. They then turned it into a series of small cannons that fired spikes that pierced it. Landing on top of the wall, Trach let loose a powerful belch of flame- if nothing else, these should keep the beast at check for a moment.

        "Is there anyway to help them!?" Eia pleaded.

        Tygan shook his head. "Not without a Phoenix or one of their hybrids. No, i'm afraid it's too late: they are becoming Shadows." 




        'Skidding' to a halt, Sokuro threw her blade at the monster, hitting it right in the gut. Using the same rope trick, she pulled it back and, extending her shield with another rope of light, swung both weapons. S.Felladae moved as fast as it could to counter one of the weapons, but the other would always hit. She continued swinging, bringing both weapons in from multiple directions. Enraged, the demon opened its mouth and fired a beam of electricity out of it.

       With a flap and a swing, Sokuro spun onto her side, catching and deflecting the beam with the shield and returning it to sender. Bounding off a lightbulb, she let the rope go limp and spun around on her side as fast as a top, sawing into the beasts second armblade like the giant buzzsaw from before. The final blow from the shield was a heavy one, getting S.Fellafae right on the head, causing it to experience something it hadn't felt in a long time: dizziness. The sword rope wrapped around the waist and she spun around once again, this time letting go and flinging him upwards to the sky.  

        Rushing in for another strike, S.Felladae snapped open its eyes and let loose a powerful yell that knocked her back: "EKOOOOOUUUUGH!!!!" Whilst the yell wasn't a cry for the Shadows, it did make every Shadow that was holding up the pieces of the wracked excavator go to it, bringing the pieces with 'em. The Shadows surged into its frankensteinian body while the pieces gathered behind it. 

        "I had have enough of tyou, you spoied rat!" The beast hissed. The Shadows later emerged from S.Felladae's back, turning into a copy three times its size... which also had a cape, for some reason. The various pieces it had gathered, tendrils grabbed to use them as weaponry. To make matters worse, the Shadows also reformed the giant buzzsaw. As Alua, Vendetta, Termundus, Fira and Pira, and Terrux formed up behind Sokuro, S.Felladae continued, "All of you tuined this perfectly good body!"

        "Why is it speaking like that?" Terrux asked, noticing how broken and oddly their foe was speaking.

        With a loud grunt, the second armblade grew serrated spikes. "It's high gime i tended this killy little game..." He brought the improved armblade up to eye level, covering his left side with it. "... and bring an end ro core redikulous existinces..." Lightning from the storm above struck the armblade, causing it to glow a neon blue as electricity raged all across it.
 

82: Chapter 77: Wrath of Shadows 5 - Golden Fire
Chapter 77: Wrath of Shadows 5 - Golden Fire

Chapter 77

Wrath of Shadows Part 5:
Golden Fire

 

 


        The distant sounds of battle reverberated through the air; far off in the distance, where loud booms and the slinging of magic was reshaping the very landscape, one poor unfortunate boy lay unconscious. Buried beneath a pile of rubble, Silverwind was barely alive, with not even the roar of conflict awakening him from his comatose state.

       
        Outside was in tumultuous hell... 

        Inside was calm... peaceful... a darkness seen only in death...

        "Siiilverwind..."

        Within this void, the spirit of Silverwind floated aimlessly, his body poised like he was floating on his back.

        "Siiiiiiiiilverwind..."

        He stirred in his sleep, both internally and externally. "Who..."

       "I am someone who has a very invested interest in you..."

        That voice... it felt so warm, so gentle, motherly... like it felt like he could be in the presence of whoever this was and be safe. "Who are you...?"

        "Someone who cares for you very much." Whoever this was, it wrapped him up in a loving embrace, visualized by beads of light wrapping around him. "Very.. very much.."

        "Why... who are you? Where am I? What's going on?" The void rumbled, shifting him like a small wave or wake passed underneath. 

        "Your friends are in danger. They are putting up a very valiant fight, but it is starting to take its toll; on them and on the island. You must help them."

        "Help? How? I can barely do anything... so how can i possibly handle a monster like that?"

 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqGi9QS68aU&ab_channel=F%C3%A1bioLobo
The Dragon Returns - Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2

 

        "You, my dear, are special: you have powers and abilities gifted only to those born in the same parental circumstances... and some unique only to you."

        Unique... "What kind of powers?"

        A soft golden flame appeared, barely a wisp. In his mind, events from THAT event flashed... of when he lost control and unleashed what he kept inside; of when he was branded a monster by everyone. The flame slowly grew as memories from that day played over and over and over, flashing a poorly edited action scene with way too much cuts.

        "Ones that will change the flow of destiny."

        Sil's eyes snapped open as he was engulfed by the flame; it burst out in all directions, turning the dark void into a blazing inferno.

 


        With a loud yell, S.Felladae struck its electrified second armblade against Termundus' emerald blade. With a hefty grunt, the demon made the neon-blue electricity surge through it and over Termundus' blade, electrocuting the fallen general before a power surge blasted him back. From behind the falling general came rocks enveloped in flame, but a swift sweep of the armblade took care of them, followed up by a trio of dark tendrils that pursued Fira, Pira, and Terrux. 

        Sokuro stabbed the monster through the front with her blade of light, and Vendetta from the back with his darkfire blade. Without a word, the demon grabbed Sokuro by the back of her neck- grabbing her right where the Phagos bit her- and then spun around to blast Vendetta with dark electricity. 

        It heard Alua coming in to attack, so it did the only thing it could to prevent that. "Tut tut, caretaker." It coldly said. Holding Sokuro close, it spun around to face her, holding the electrified armblade to Sokuro's throat. "... I now your whole stick is getting otherz wet, but..." It pushed the armblade dangerously close to Sokuro's neck. "... vou may want to reconzider; last i twas aware, water and elecficity don't mix well."

        "Don't worry about me!" Sokuro yelled out. "I handled a Phagos- I can handle this!"

        "So you think..." S.Felladae snickered. "And yek, you forget I am processing Ocilus' corpse... meaning this..." It slightly raised up the armblade, pushing it close into her face until it nearly imcompassed her entire vision. "... is her power; power that wiped an entire village off te map."

        Alua raised her watery spear to attack... but couldn't. She couldn't put Sokuro's life at risk. "You will not get away with this!" she snarled.

        "Oh, but I pink i will." It pointed the armblade to the orphans caretaker to gloat some more. "You have no more tricks to pull- no more towerups from these children... and foon, I shall have thee more darknesses under my thralldom."

        Three more?, she thought. What did it mean by 3.... She quickly realized and turned in the direction of the lighthouse and saw the towering hulk battling the group there, along with three on the ground writhing in pain. "no..."

        "Tou all made a nistake coming to my iland...All you are all good for..." It whispered into Sokuro's ear. "... is to become death."

        Suddenly... they heard a rumbling. The few birds that somehow survived the madness that was tearing apart their home took the air to escape what was coming. "What is this?" It snarled.

        From out of nowhere, a beam shot up from the ground and into the sky; a pillar of golden flame piercing and cutting through the storm. The appearance of the golden fire did something the others never expected to see or hear: Shadows cowering and chittering in fear... whatever this was, they were afraid of it.

        Most were.

        "What in the Devil is this?!" S.Felladae shouted, demanding to know who or what was responsible for this. 

        At the lighthouse, the Shadow wanted to flee in fear but Argax wanted to keep fighting and slaughter  his enemies, leading to a bizarre duality where both sides were literally tearing each other apart in two different directions. "That is... not right." Tybalt commented. And yet, despite this, Ven, Bran, and Seliox were still on the ground, screaming in pain as the darkness creeped over every inch of their bodies.

        Snarling in anger and frustration, S.Felladae pointed the armblade towards the pillar and fired the charged-up electricity towards it. It hit something yet nothing- it hit an invisible barrier. The monster tried to shoot again but the armblade suddenly disintegrated; dissolving into ash. That was a shock to the monsters core, but more importantly, without that threat to her life, Sokuro headbutted backwards into his face, breaking the snout and allowing her to get free. She quickly flew to Alua's side.

        "Dammit all!" S.Felladae shouted, his voice now a little nasally thanks to the broken nose. It looked towards the pillar and whatever fear it was supposed to feel wasn't there. Right now, it was getting enraged by the gall of whoever or whatever was casting this. "Destroy that thing!" It ordered.

        If they could, the Shadows would run away in fear for what passes for their lives... but they were under Felladae's complete and total thralldom, so they had no choice but to obey. Every Shadow under its control converged on the the pillar, with many dragging behind the parts of the earthmover machine.

        Without much of a choice, they charged at the pillar, with fear spreading from deep within their cores yet they couldn’t do much; it was either the pillar or Felladae’s wrath.

        They should have chosen the wrath.

        The moment the first wave reached, nay, not even managing to reach neither a couple of miles around the pillar the shadows simply vanished into dust, almost as if they tried to reach the sun’s surface. Before the second wave could do anything about it, it was late for them as well, as they also shared the same gruesome fate.

       With a loud and thunderous roar that made the very island shake, the Shadows froze. Thousands of serpentine flames with dragonic heads emerged out of the pillar. With another roar from within the pillar, the flames surged out into all directions. One by one, each Shadow fell to the power behind these golden flames. The power was so great, even the machine parts were eradicated.  

       "No...." S.Felladae whispered, watching as what it had built up over hundreds of years was being erased right before its eyes. It looked down to its hands and saw small embers emerging from the palms. "NO!"

       The fliers watched as the dragonic flames persued every Shadow that ever existed on this island. "What is all this...?" Pira gasped as he, his brother, and Terrux watched.

        A small little wisp from the flames wrapped around Vendetta's paw. It stung, but didn't hurt him... it's destroying the Shadows, but not him. "How very peculiar..." He heard Termundus say behind him.

        The golden flames stretched far and wide across the island, seeking out and destroying every Shadow they could find, even deep within the mountains, under the rivers and streams, and under the trees... Nothing would be spared.

        A quartet of the flames surged towards the lighthouse, which scared those on the ground. "I got a bad feeling about this!" Trach yelled out. The flames surged right towards the screaming trio and the struggling lunatic. Eia screamed in fear as she watched the flames spread over Bran. She rushed to his side to put them out, or tried to when the pain from her wound flared up.

        The screaming stopped... and the trio sat up, no worse for ware. The flames went away... as did the darkness that was covering them. "What..." Bran started as he looked himself over. Ven looked down his shirt to see that there was no more oozing darkness spreading. "... what just happened?" A good question, with them all wondering why Seliox was in pain when he didn't have the curse to begin with.
    
        "AAAAGH!" They heard someone yell. A ways away from them, it was Argax's turn to be writhing in pain, but this time from having most of his scales gone... only for them to slowly return one by one.

        "What's going on?" Ven asked, looking to Polosa. She merely gestured to the pillar far off in the distance.

 

        
       The only one seemingly resistant to the flames, though not by much as parts of the body singed over and continued to spread, S.Felladae stood its ground; this whatever it was was going to pay for destroying its thralls.

       "Is this display supposed to scare me!?!" It shouted. "I have a good feeling i know what you are..." The wind picked up- it stayed put but Alua and Sokuro were pushed some distance away. "... and I know you are just some scared kid in a big and scary world!" The burns and singes spread quicker as the wind grew more intense. "SO BRING IT ON, ALMIGHTY SILVERWIND! SHOW ME THAT POWER THAT SOULL--"

       Several dragonic flames returned back to the pillar, then converged onto the monster. It instinctively brought up the arm with the shield to cover, but forgot that was gone and realized that too late.

       Like a freight train, the flames hit, and surprisingly S.Felladae stood its ground, resisting everything by its own sheer will; to a mortal caught in them, they would describe it as being in a wind tunnel inside a volcano at the center of the planet... and yet, when the flame went through Sokuro and Alua, they felt nothing: no heat, no wind, no nothing.

       "You... will... not... win, you... insolent... cur!" S.Felladae grunted as it resisted. "I... rule... this... island...and I... refuse... you!"

       Its resistance was for naught for eventually, the flames broke through, separating spirit from bodies. With a collective gasp, Alua and Sokuro dove down after the returned and miraculously whole bodies of Ocilus and Quio, with Alua catching Ocilus and Sokuro Quio... sadly, there were no souls to drive them: whatever window they had to revive them was gone.

       Felladae, now back to being a formless Shadow, saw what had happened and roared in rage: it lost everything it built so long to achieve... and now only one thing occupied its mind: killing the one responsible for bringing it all down, even if it kills it.

       "RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"

       With a blast, Felladae launched itself towards the pillar, ignoring all the Shadows that ceased to be just by being close to it- come Hell or high water, it will slay whoever was responsible for this!

       Strangely enough... the heat didn't affect it, nor did the dragon serpent flames attack it. Whoever was responsible allowed it to approach. A normal person would find this suspicious, but Felladae is far, far from normal.

       Alua watched from below as, for some reason, the monster was allowed passage into the pillar. She knew... she knew what was causing this- she witnessed this power before. Nothing on this scale and the dragon-headed fires are new, but all of this.... it was familiar to what happened last year, when...

       "SILVERWIND!!!" She called out.

        Sokuro's eyes went wide when the elder yelled that. "SIL!?!" She repeated, stunned that that poor little kid was the one causing all this.

 

 

        When Felladae entered the pillar, it half expected to be disintegrated upon entry, but no... it was allowed passage straight to the center. The inside looked just like the outside: rising Golden Flame.

        With inhuman snarls, it looked around, demanding to know where the brat was! "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU BRAT!?! COME OUT OF THE LIGHT AND INTO MY SHADOWS, SO THAT I MAY SNUFF OUT THAT EXCUSE YOU CALL LIFE!!!" 

        Looking around, it finally found him: floating in the center with his entire body glowing a darker shade... a bad time to stand out when the crowd. "THERE YOU ARE!" It lunged towards him.

        With barely any movement, Sil raised up a single paw and pushed him away with a powerful gust of wind. Felladae resisted for a second, but was ultimately pushed back into a smaller pillar that singed its back. With a wave of the same paw, several dragonic flames came through and blocked its path. 

        Felladae reached out to push its way through, but the blockers were white-hot, making it scream in pain. "You pretend to be so innocent and pure, but we all know what you are: a monster, feared and hated by everyone! You will never belong! You will always be a freak!"

        The blockade shifted and turned towards the Shadow, hissing in anger. They lunged towards and wrapped around the demon, burning into it. Stuck, Sil floated over, stopping in front of the struggling monster. Felladae stropped its useless struggling and snarled, baring what should be its teeth. 

        "You will never be accepted... they will always fear you..."

        Slowly raising his head, Sil snapped opened his eyes- his intense glowing eyes. Felladae looked into them and... screamed in terror. Raising a single claw towards the demon, Sil unleashed something powerful.

 

 

        Outside, the pillar fluctuated and contracted in on itself. Sokuro looked to Alua, who had this look of fear and dread clearly visible on her face. Based on everything she read and what she is seeing... Sokuro got the feeling this all happened before. 

        Contracting to it's smallest point- a small orb that contained 'them'- the Orb of Golden Flames then exploded outward, spreading in all directions. The intense power and wind it kicked up made everyone cover themselves as the fire of the soul spread, covering the entire island and engulfing all in its cleansing flames.

        Spent, drained, and exhausted, a glowless Sil fell, now also engulfed by the flames.  

 

 

83: Chapter 78: The Way Back
Chapter 78: The Way Back

Chapter 78

The Way Back






        The island of Trochet, aka Bermuda, was a warzone- the site of a hellish battle between lost souls trying to get home and the friends they made that helped them, against a powerful demon that even its creator feared. Now... the island was a wasteland, with the scars of the battle littered everywhere: craters in the ground, many trees razed to dust, and even entire mountains smashed to smithereens. On the positive side, sunlight was shining down on the island for the first time since the Wall of Fog appeared, which the foggy mist itself mostly gone. Mostly- some mist was still present, but never higher then an ankle. 

        Hard to believe that was only 15 minutes ago. To those that survived it, it felt like a lifetime ago.



        "You cannot do this to me!" Argax shouted at the army grunts as they dragged his sorry butt back onto the boat, tied up once again, but this itme with ropes made out of the ground- he wouldn't be able to burn through this like the last time. "DO YOU KNOW WH-"
       
        "SHUT UP!!!" Tybalt, Federico, and Garf all yelled in his face, with Tybalt throwing the dragons sorry butt onto the deck. 

        Snarling loudly, Argax managed to sit himself up. "You will regret this when we get back! You hear me! There will be consequences!"

        "Yes there will." Tygan said as he approached the tied-up pain. "For you. Hiring minors to steal for you, verbal threats to multiple people, and assault to multiple parties both before and after you were possessed by a Shadow." Argax opened his mouth to yell again, but the captain cut him off. "And let's not forget that it was your actions that snowballed into this mess that resulted in the deaths of Quio and Ocilus, and the destruction of the village of Jeke."

        "You can't possibly blame that last one on me! That was Ocilus' fault! She was-"

        Tygan shut him up once again by pulling out two gags- one to go inside his muzzle, and another over it; if this didn't shut him up, nothing would. "She was there because you started the chain of events that led to her fighting the outsiders, Termundus throwing her under the bus when his torture dungeon was discovered, and her getting dishonorably discharged. No matter how you spin it, this all traces back to you."

        Argax managed to spit out the muzzle in his mouth before the captain could put the other one on. "Oh  yeah? Most of those things would not have happened if the outsiders hadn't been here to begin with. Those idiots would still have been locked up in the vault, sure, but there would've been no battle that led to Termundus' exposure as a freak and him putting the blame to his loyal underling if the outsides never appeared. And if not for them, none of us would've even have come to this hellscape of an island to begin with and Jeke would still be a thing, and you can't blame me for them coming here; they said it themselves that their coming here was all accidental."

        The worst part about his rant is that he was right. While Argax was responsible for the crime that led them down this path... it would not have snowballed into this if not for the outsiders. But even so, this does  not mean Argax is without sin in this whole affair.

        "Even if you do sway the council with that logic..." Tygan started as he put the gags back in despite Argax's protests. "... you are still guilty of orchestrating the break-in of the Council vault. And that is still going to send you away for a good long while." He picked up the criminal and tossed him back into the brig where he belonged.

        With him back under lock and key, the four of them went up topside onto the deck. Before they could get started on readying the ship for departure, Federico hestiently said, "What sucks is that he is right." He said aloud, prompting the others to look his way. "As guilty as he is for the vault crime, it would not have gotten this bad if those Dragenians weren't here to begin with."

        Standing still for a moment, Tygan took a deep breath and eventually said, "You're right."

        That response came as a surprise to Tybalt and Garf. "But sir-" they both started to protest.

        Tygan stopped them by holding up a hand. "Which is why we're not going to say anything. They feel bad enough messing up so many lives to begin with just by being here; we went through enough today... we don't need to add more guilt to their conscious. And who's to say none of them didn't figure it out themselves? They are all smart cookies, even the kids, so i wouldn't put it pass them if they figured out what Argax was bellowing."

        "So what do we do now?" Garf asked.

        "Now? Now... we let them say their goodbyes. To both the living and the dead."

        



        At the edge of the now desolate island were two freshly dug graves: one for Quio and another for Ocilus. 

        As there were barely anything left on the island after the chaos that had just transpired, finding materials to make grave markers was a hassle until someone "convinced" Termundus to make a couple out of his emeralds, and so he did- much to his chagrin- and the triangular-shaped markers were placed on top of both graves.

        Nobody talked during the whole process... it was difficult enough to believe they were really gone. Even Vendetta looked sad and somber, which confused the Nayans as he's supposed to be a traitor to their kind by siding with the Shadows, so what gives?

        After the second marker was cemented in place, Seliox broke the silence by saying; "In some weird way... i'm going to miss Ocilus." Eia subtlety glared at him from the side, but nobody noticed it. "She was a horrible sadist when she was on the job, but..."

        "But she was slowly starting to turn things around." Alua said. She looked over to Eia, who had returned her attention to the grave. "She found someone she could've called a friend." She put a paw on the young girls shoulder. "She was making an attempt to be better for a girl she barely knew. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she was considering adoption." Eia reached a hand back and grabbed the caretakers paw in solidarity. Alua turned her attention to Termundus. "Got anything to say about her, General? Or do you have something else to say about your once-loyal second who you took in and corrupted."

        Those that knew the man, which was pretty much everyone present, waited with baited breath to see how he would act and what he would say; the tension in this single moment was more intense then the leadup to the fight with Felladae. 
        
        Instead, however... he just walked away. With silence in the air, the fallen general just turned and left. "That... was honestly a better outcome then i was anticipating." Kader said out loud, with many of them agreeing with him.

        With the psycho now gone, Trach approached the graves with a bottle of wine in his paw. "Where'd you find that?" Terrux asked.

        "In the ruins of that lighthouse." Trach responded as he stopped over Quio's grave. He pulled the cork off with his teeth and spat it right into the ocean. With a heavy sigh laced with regret, he started with, "Aaaah... Quio... I honestly don't know what to say to ya, man. You were an annoying hindrance to our operations, but you were our annoying hindrance. If you can hear and see us, then you know we beat that bastard to kingdom come. I know it won't bring ya back, but maybe it'll give the two of you some sort of peace in the next world." He poured a good amount of the wine onto Quio's grave marker, and then some onto Ocilus'. "A little something for the road for the both of you." Once both markers were covered, he started back to the crowd gulping down the last of it. His eyes went wide and coughed loudly. "Aougk! Blagh!" He looked at the bottle, then back to the graves, "Or you may haunt my ass- this is not a good vintage."

        Seliox took the bottle away from him, which was then promptly taken by Alua, "Considering it spent the last 70+ years in a haze-covered hellhole, I would be surprised if it did still tasted good." He set it down beside him sighed loudly as he looked at the graves. "Does anyone know any prayers we can give them?"

        "I may have one." Ven said as he stepped forward. With a exhale, he started with: "Loe unto the called one, two souls are bound for rest. Loe unto the sealed one, two souls bound for rest. From the dawn of the day to the dusk of the night, we live. From the light to the dark, we live. As we live, may those departed be granted rest."

        "I never heard that prayer before." Bran commented seconds after Ven finished.

        "Yedfosoion prayer, kid, from long before humans were even a thing. It's supposed to protect the souls of the dead from dark threats." He stepped back towards the group. "Right now, if there is a life after death, then all we can do is hope that Quio finds a place to call home, and that Ocilus finally found some sort of peace after the horrible life she's led." He continued walking, passing them all by. "That's about all we can do.."

        Polosa walked up to Quio's gravemarker and placed her hand upon it. "Quio... you were the first person I met in this world. Like Trach said, you were annoying, but our annoying." She ran her hand down it and deeply sighed. "I'm just sorry you didn't get to see Dragenia. You would've liked it..." It was then she got an idea, but kept it silent for now: she didn't want to destroy the mood with false hope.

        After she left, the others started to depart one by one as they payed their respects to their fallen comrades, until it was only Eia and Sokuro left. They both stood in silence as the salt air made their hair and clothing flow behind them. 

        Taking a deep breath to center herself, Eia turned to leave, all the while saying to Sokuro, "Just so you know... I blame all of this on you," and left afterwards.

        With a sniffle and falling tears, all Sokuro could utter was "I'm sorry..." She quivered so softly, it was barely audible.

        "Hey, you ok?" She heard a voice behind her. She looked back about halfway and saw Sil walking up beside her; everyone looked like crap after the battle, with so many wounds, bruises, and torn clothing, but Sil: he doesn't have a scratch on him, and he was buried in rubble, up until... 

        "No... I'm not ok..." Sokuro choked up. "I caused all of this... If i wasn't so damned focused on figuring out that Gate, we would never have come here and... and..." She was on the verge of breaking down into tears and becoming a sobbing mess.. until she got a real great big hug from Sil.

        "It's not your fault..." He softly said. "You could never have predicted what would've happened; who could have? And it's unfair of Eia to blame you for all this." With silent hiccups, she buried her face into his shoulder while she wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to let go. Sil didn't want to let go either.

        ... he did have one lingering question, though. "Question..." He moved his head to look at the island. "How did the island get like this?"

        That question distracted Sokuro from her somber feelings as her mind changed from 'i'm such a screwup' to 'how could he not know what happened to the island? He's the one that did all this.' "Um... Sil, you don't remember?"

        "Remember what?" He asked, genuinely puzzled as he looked at the wasteland of an island. "The last thing i remember was us getting crushed under all that rubble. Next thing I knew, i woke up to see that the island is a wasteland. What happened?"

        What happened? What happened was he became a veritable demi-god. How could he not remember being the one to end the battle and save all their lives, AND cure Bran and Ven of their Shadowification? Unless... unless using that power causes damage to his brain from sheer intensity... Alua did say that Sil didn't remember the last time he did this either, when he became a social pariah back in town. Is memory loss a consequence? Or maybe he's unconsciously suppressing it. It could be any reason, simple or complicated. "Un... Felladae got too cocky and it blew up in his face." That's not too far from the truth: it did try to attack Sil while he was in such a powerful state of being.

        Sil got the feeling she was hiding something from him, but didn't pursue it; he doesn't want the last memory of Sokuro and her friends to be an argument. "... alright."



        Despite the fact that the island was now wiped clean of anything and everything, the boats that were docked off its shores: completely fine. Termundus' emerald destroyer was gone since he used them, but other two: the soldier's boat and the yacht they borrowed from Kar'kile, completely intact.... relatively.

        He was going to have some comments on the cosmetic damage.

        The Dragenian's didn't have anything with them when they were sucked through the Gate; just Ven's gun and pack, Polosa's pack, and Sokuro's book, but they are going back with more then just what they came with. "Are those Quio's belongings?" Terrum asked as he, his brothers, and Trach watched Polosa, Ven, and Fayin come up from the cabin with Quio's luggage.

        "Yep..." Polosa grunted as she set them down.

        Trach watched the others set their load down before asking, "You're taking them with you?"

        "Yep."

        "Why?"

        Rather then answer herself, Polosa let Fayin take over that explanation as she's more intune with the religion then the huntress; she would fumble the explanation. "On Dragenia, we believe that when we die, our souls go through a River of Life to be cleansed and purified so that it can be reborn; you would probably recognize the term better as Reincarnation. However... when in the River, the soul can choose to be reborn, or allow itself to move on... at that instance,  it can enter the Great Light and into paradise; those who committed crimes have to suffer in the Black Abyss for a time before they can enter the Light or be Reincarnated- or... those truly wicked and evil are sent to Uela- or as Bran and Ven interpret it as, Hell. It all depends on how they behaved in life."

        With Fayin's explanation done, Polosa took the conversation back over, "I'm hoping... that Quio's spirit is lingering amongst his items. According to Bran and Ven, both their cultures believe that a spirit can linger if they have unfinished business or they don't want to leave behind their family and friends, or more selfishly their belongings..." She patted the side of Quio's suitcase. "I'm hoping that last one is true."

        Trach tapped a claw on his chin as he thought over what they said. "So what you're thinking is that if his spirit is lingering because he doesn't want to leave behind his things, he'll follow you and be reincarnated on Dragenia?"

        "That's what I'm hoping for." She sighed as she leaned on the cabin wall. "Or at the very least... allow him to rest in paradise." She looked to Ven who slowly shook his head. "Can't say the same for Ocilus, though... She didn't have anything with her."

        "She had that Eia girl, didn't she?" Taltian pointed out. "Those two seemed to hit it off very quickly."

        "I don't think it would be enough to make her wanna stay, Tal. Not after everything she's been through." Polosa looked up to the sky. "If she decided to move on to whatever afterlife you guys have, I wouldn't blame her. Eia won't like that if true."




        Speaking of Eia, she and the other kids were hanging out near the soldier's boat, during which she was dusting off the sunhat from the "treasure" trove. "I knew leaving my hat behind was a good idea." She commented as she put it on her head. "I would've lost it during the fight."

        "Yeah, it would be halfway back to Nexia by now." Seqy joked. "But admit it. You guys will miss us."

        "You guys, yes." Bran said. "This hell world, no; there isn't enough money in the galaxy to get me to come back to this horrible place."

        Kader looked down into Bran's eyes, leaning forever while holding onto his hair. "I would say you were being overly dramatic if we didn't just barely survive a duel to the death against a mega Shadow." He jumped off Bran's head and onto Seliox's, grabbing onto one of his horns and sliding down onto the scalp. 

        Eia sweetly sighed as she leaned back on the boat. "I just cannot wait to get back home and take a nice warm proper bath." She looked to Bran. "Do you think they'll believe us back home when we tell them about what happened this past month?"

        "Between the injuries, torn clothes, and photo evidence on Ven's memory card, I think they'll believe us."

        "It's going to be weird not having  you guys here." Pira commented as he leaned on his brother regardless of protest. "It may've only been a month, but it feels like  you guys have been here for years. It's eerie." The group then turned to the reader. "Almost as if the author was being lazy."

        Bran coughed as he stammered, "Un dah bah, anyway..."

        From behind, Fayin approached them as she carried Pearl in her arms. "It's time." She briefly said. Eia and Bran nodded and followed her, with the others following not that far behind. Their destination: the Golden Gate... the same instrument space-time travel that brought them here. Now all they can do is hope they get back.

        Seeing it, Fira had to comment, "Well... at least we won't have to go back into the mine to get to the Gate. There's no mine." He was referring to the fact that the mound it was under was gone, a combination of the fight with Felladae and Sil's erasure blast.

        From behind, they heard Tybalt say. His sudden appearance made the kids jump a bit, thinking it was another Shadow for a second. "Amazing how just one strike from that giant buzzsaw was able to just.... erase an entire mountain like that."
        "And mar the land." They heard Vendetta comment. The group had been passing by a small wall of darkfire where he had been leaning on, looking out at the desolate wasteland that was once green and with life, even if it was mostly just moss and birds. "I don't think Trochet will ever recover from this desolation."
        Walking past the darkfire wall, Termundus growled with a huff as he whipped his tail around recklessly, almost hitting Vendetta in the cheek but missing. "What does it matter to you, 'traitor?' It's just some nightmare rock in the fog, home to horrors like what we barely survived against... and those who dared ally with them."

        With a snarl, Vendetta sent the wall away. "And it's people like you that I went to them."
        Wasting absolutely no time, Tygan got between the two of them, putting an end to a fight before it even began- they already went through one battle already, they don't need another. "Break it up, you two. I'm ending this before it gets started."
        "... peh..." That was all Termundus said before storming off, not wanting to be near the 'traitor' anymore then he has to. 

        "Why did you join the Shadows, anyway?" Bran asked from behind the canine anthromorph.

        "You already met one of many reasons." Vendetta coldly said as he walked past the soldier and the kid, making the two of them look to each other in anxious concern; a fight between those two could be more brutal then the one that just ended.

        Thanks to the battle, the mountain that housed the Gate was now exposed to the world, finally allowing it to drink up the sunlight it had been robbed off for eons. At the base, Sokuro. Sil, and Alua were looking up at it, with Alua and Sil taken aback by how enormous it truly is up close, as were the other Nayans when they got close to it as well.
        This wasn't the first time they saw how enormous the structure was, so the Dragenians weren't as taken aback as they were. Still astonishing that this was huge, though. "How's the Gate looking?" Fayin asked.
        "Unblemished..." Alua breathlessly gasped.
        "Un-whatnow?" Fira and Pira both asked, not know what that word meant.
        She gestured to it. "Look at it. It was in the middle of a violent storm of a battle, not to mention buried inside a mountain, and yet.. it looks completely brand new, like it was built yesterday.... no marks, no nothing." She was right: as they looked, they saw no battle marks, no grime, no dirt, no dust... it was so shiny, it looked like it was freshly made just now. "Whoever or whatever made these Gates built them to last... i doubt there's anything that can even destroy these."

        "I can think of a few. They all involve the destruction of the planet." Bran commented back. "But still... whoever made these must've used something completely unknown to us to make them stay so pristine after so long."

        "Don't forget about the time travel, kid." Ven said.

        "Right, yeah, right- they obviously also know how to whisk people through time and space."

        Ignoring them, Sil scooted closer to Sokuro and asked, "Soooooo... do you know how to activate this thing?"

        "Yep..." She didn't have a belt or rope to strap it around her waist so, until now, it had been in Polosa's knapsack for safekeeping. "Polosa. I need it." She nodded, set down hers and Quio's things, then pulled out the dagger and tossed it over to her. She caught it effortlessly, like she had done this all before.
        The orphans and Alua knew what the Key was since they had planned all of this, but for the soldiers and Trach, it was something they didn't expect or could have expected. "Wait..." Garf started. "...the key to some strange and mysterious time-traveling door is a knife?"

        "That sounds very farfetched and dangerous, if you ask me." Tygan added on, with Tybalt and Federico nodding in agreement.

        "You could call it that." Vendetta said. "Or it could be something like hiding in plain sight; nobody would believe that a dagger is a key to some mystical door that whooshes people away. You don't right now."

        "Fair enough."

        Closing her eyes, Sokuro took a deep breath. Giving her parents book and the sheith to Sil to hold onto for the moment, she approached the side of the Gate she remembered the keypad was on. As she approached it, things began to look familiar; she could see the grooves where the keypad would be stood in, along with the shelf that would  hold items from a planets origin to make travel faster... along with the keyhole. There was just... one small catch.

        "Um, problem." She called back to the others. "The keyhole is in a different shape." She looked at her dagger and to the keyhole. "If i'm looking at this right, it's... a fish?"

        Two different sets of groans came from the group behind her. From the local Nayans, it was grief that they risked their lives to get these guys home only to find the key was wrong... but for the Dragenians, it was sorrow, that the way back home was right there- right flippin' there- and they can't use it. "Nooooo...." Eia fell to her knees, devastated. 

        "All that work for nothing?" Seliox breathlessly exhaled with a slack jaw. "Well that sucks!"

        "Agreed..." Termundus grumbled angrily, his anger seething once more but subsiding when he realized that, if they can't leave... he can get his revenge.

        "A fish? Really?" Fayin exclaimed. Giving Pearl to Bran to hold for a moment, she stomped on over to the Gate with a huff. "Who designed this stupid thing to where fish is a *bleep*ing key!?!" and delivered a nice solid kick with her good foot; not hard enough to hurt herself, just something out of frustration.

        "Now we have to go and find the Key?" Trach scoffed. "A key that likely got destroyed? Or eaten?"

        Sokuro slowly shook her head. "I don--" 


 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7H6K_-WQM Temple Secrets - Assassin's Creed 3


 

        Suddenly, a strange unearthly sound came from the keyhole like a teleporter of light activating. All the groans grew silent as the keyhole briefly glowed from behind and changed shape... the same shape as Sokuro's dagger. "... did... that just happen?"

        "Did that thing seriously just change shape?" Fayin asked.

        "We just saw it happen." Alua said. "That's really a moot question."

        A soft white light came from within the keyhole itself. Curious, Sokuro held up her dagger and saw that the blade was also glowing with a soft white sheen. It didn't do that back on Dragenia. She and Sil looked to each other, then returned her attention back to the task at hand. "Here's hoping this works..." She said to herself.

        With one smooth motion, she inserted the dagger into the keyhole and turned it. She heard a click like a door unlocking, another thing
that didn't happen back on Dragenia.

        The white light grew brighter as it coalesced around the dagger. The encrusted jewels in the hilt shone, emanating a blue light that went down the white with the appearance of circuitry. A deep rumble came from the door itself. Sokuro and the rest of them stood back; this was familiar to the Dragenians, unknown to the Nayans... yet still mesmerising. 

       The white light spread outwards, snaking its way up the simple golden frame. Spreading like mystical runic vines, the light curled around the many, many jewels of ruby, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, ingots, and auralites embedded within, making them glow their appropriate colors. The same was true on the other side of the frame as white light snaked up like vines and illuminated the gems as well.

        For the first time in millions of years, the Earthen Door came to life as the rainbow of the gems spread over the doorframe and joined with the vines, merging into rainbow strands that surged into the claw shaped jewel at the very tiptop. The jewel back on Dragenia wasn't shaped into anything, but this one was, prompting Fayin to look down at her own claw; it was the same shape. 

        A single sliver of light illuminated down from the top jem, cutting though the voidless center of the Gate. Once it had reached the bottom, the sliver began to widen, spreading to the edges of the frame. Once contact was made, a brief shine came from the contact points and the portal was stable.

        The Golden Gate was now open.


 

        "Whooooooooa...." Almost all of the Nayans were in awe at the spectacle they had witnessed... except for Termundus, cause of course, but to him, what he saw felt... familiar somehow. 

        But even Vendetta, who had seen it all and experienced it all, was amazed at what he saw. "Now that was a light show."

        And on cue, the keyboard extended out of its socket. "Nobody touch it." Polosa ordered. She turned her glare to Ven, who was already trying to not draw attention to himself, though that didn't stop the other Dragenians from turning to glare at him as well. "Especially those with big fat butts."

        "What do you mean?" Tybalt asked.

        Fayin was so quick to throw him under the bus, it was scary. "He bumped his butt into the console of the Gate back home and made it malfunction, sending us here." Now that caused glares from the Nayans to go his way to, which he felt.

        "In my defense!..." Ven started. "... half of that blame belongs to Pearl- I was chasing her and she ran under that thing."

        Eia turned her glare to Sokuro. "And don't forget the louse who opened the damn thing in the first place..." She coldly hissed; Sokuro felt that stab her hard. 

        "Aaaaaaanyways." Polosa said as she stepped forward. "It's not malfunctioning now. We just need to learn how to work it."

        "Maybe the previous location is saved in its databanks." Bran suggested. "If we step through, we may find ourselves back on Dragenia, probably the same moment we left."

        "That's wishful thinking there, bud." Ven said. "But we don't have other options."

        The Dragenians stared at the open portal and collectively realized that once they step through, they won't be coming back... so it's best to say their goodbyes now while they have the chance. 




        Polosa turned to Trach, who looked to her in return. "Trach... I don't know what to say without sounding so sappy or cliche, so I guess all that i can say is thanks for helping us. You didn't have to, but I'm grateful you did. And to Quio- if not for him, I can only imagine where we'd be right now."

        "Likewise." He simply replied back with a nod. "I'm gonna miss that annoying pup."

        "Same." She then turned her attention to the triplets. "And you three need to learn to not take jobs from shady people."

        "Oh, trust me..." Terrum started as he pulled his idiot brothers close much to their chagrin. "... lesson learned. Right, guys?" He squeezed his front legs around their throats, making them gag for air.

        "Message received." Terrux gagged.

        Taltian attempted to give a thumbs... er, claw up. "Whatever you say." 

        Before he let them go, she gave them a surprise and quick hug goodbye. "And take care of yourselves out their." She said before letting go, leaving them a bit stunned for a moment. Rather then take a hug himself, Trach settled for a wave, which she gave in turn.




        Ventus popped his lips as he looked at Termundus, who looked down at him still with that stubborn and arrogant air about him. "You... i'm not going to miss."

        "Likewise, fox." Termundus said back with venomous hissing.

        "Do not worry." Tygan said as he stepped between Ven and Termundus. "We will keep a very close eye on him to ensure he doesn't run off and ruin other peoples lives." Termundus gave a silent snarl nobody could hear. The hound sensed he was doing that and looked back to him, only for the fallen general to look away all innocently. 

        Tybalt started, "A very..."

        Federico followed, "...Close..."

        And Garf finished, "...Eye."

        Termundus looked at the living ladder of imbeciles and nonchalantly tapped out one of Tybalt's legs with his tail, making the living pyramid tumble down. "I live alongside simpletons..." He complained.




        From behind, a timid Seliox approached Fayin, who was settling up some of Quio's things to her saddlebags. "Um..." That turned her attention towards him. "... I just want to apologize again for what happened back in Nexia... with my dad capturing you and giving you to me as a pet... and you being forced to mutilate yourself to escape from us."

        "How much longer are you going to apologize for that...?" She sighed. "It's been weeks now."

        "I know... but i still feel bad about it, and... I'm worried I'll end up like him."

        While he didn't know it himself, he had given her hope that his future won't be bleak. With a faint smile, she said, "The fact you feel horrible for what happened shows that you will never become him as you still have sympathy and compassion in your heart... but do be careful; you may be his adopted son, but that doesn't mean you can't pick up his mannerisms and ideals."

        "That's what worries me..." He said with a shiver.

        Fayin looked at him with genuine concern, feeling like she made him feel worse. Thinking for a brief moment, she then pulled out her detached footclaw and weighed it in her hands for a moment. "... here." She offered it to him. "Keep this."

        "Your claw?" He asked, feeling both nauseous and uneased that she even offered it. "But why? I thought you were going to get that fixed back on your world."

        "Yeah, but the wound is mostly healed up." She held up her foot without the claw. "It's been over a month now, so I think I'm past the point of reattachment. Besides, I want you to keep this as a reminder." She put it into his paws. "So that you can remember us, and to remember my advice: that if you keep that light in your heart bright, you'll never end up like Termundus. You'll end up as someone better."

        Poking up from behind, Pearl gave a soft coo, climbing over Fayin's head and patting the boy on the snout. It tickled his nose, making him reel back like he was going to sneeze. "What was that for?"

        "It's a Kalamander thing." Fayin giggled as she plucked the baby-sized lizard from her snout. "I don't remember if I told you this, but they are smart creatures and emotional; I've been told that a pap to the nose like you got is a sign of friendship and good fortune."

        That warmed his heart. He petted the little thing on the head, making it purr. "Now if only you didn't sleep most of the time."

        "She was hurt as bad as me. I never saw it in person, but I read that Kalamander's enter a sort of healing coma when they are hurt just as bad as Pearl was, waking up only to eat and do their business."

        "Sounds like an excuse to be lazy." He joked. The comment made Pearl puff out her cheeks in anger. "What? I was just joking." The exchange made Fayin giggle a bit.

        



       
        "Dooooon't goooooo!" 

        Fira and Pira had dogpiled onto Bran, not wanting to let the poor boy go as they gave fake cries and sobs and crocodile tears. Bran struggled to get free of their collective vice grip, but they got him locked down good. "Geeeeeet oooooooff...!!!" He grunted in vain, trying to get loose. Seqy could've helped him, but this was a lot more fun and embarrassing. 

        Approaching the embarrassing display, Alua simply told them, "Alright, children, time to settle down and give him some much needed air."

        "But we're gonna miss hiiiiim..." Fira sobbed.

        Pira pulled the near-comatose human up and put him between him and his brother. "He's our bestest friend!" He said with a 'tearful' smile. 

        "Even i knew that was fake." Seqy commented. 

        "I know you are going to miss him..." Alua softly spoke. Sensing a speech, the twins let Bran go, letting him stagger towards the caregiver with dizzy eyes and barely able to walk. "... but we knew this was coming. That's the thing about life: it's always changing, always moving, always flowing, and letting go of friends is a part of that."

        The boys and girl frowned, knowing what she said was true. "Wow... that was actually pretty inciteful." Bran commented. The kiddos behind him started to cry again, sending his expression into a deadpan. "You guys are terrible at faking it."

        The duo swiftly righted themselves up into a shipshape posture. "Were we that obvious?"

        "Yep." Both he and Alua said in unison.




        Away from the emotions and the goodbyes from the others, Sokuro and Sil gazed at the Gate in silence... while the door itself was pure white, it felt peaceful... when it's, you know, not acting like a hurricane trying to pull you in and whisk you off to who knows where like The Wizard of Oz. 

        "So..." Sil finally broke the silence. "This is goodbye."

        "Yeah." Sokuro replied, barely able to hold back to tears. She had spent so much time with him and them, saying goodbye was... was hard, especially since she'll be leaving him behind to this world that hates him. She couldn't do that... it wouldn't be right. She at least had to try, "Sil... come back with us."

         Sil looked to her like she had said something bizarre and surreal. "What?"

        She turned to him to give her plea, "This place is horrible- it is a awful place O wouldn't send my worse enemies. Dragenia is much better- so much better. You wouldn't have to live in fear anymore, nobody will try to hunt you down, and no accursed Shadows... you wouldn't have to bury your friends."

        He was... warmed by her question, but as much as he wants to leave- and believe me, he sooooooo wants to leave this horrible place, he... can't. "The..................................... offer is..... tempting but... but I can't leave. I can't just abandon those guys... nor can i abandon my world while it's in peril." That was the answer Sokuro was expecting... didn't make it hurt any less. “I have been… thinking for a while now… After what happened here, I… I want to make sure no one else suffers like this. I'm going to do everything I can to help people, be it with a medicine stall or a Council seat. I'll even become a mercenary if i have to."

        "You? A mercenary? You hate fighting."

        He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, that one's probably not for me..." He softly chuckled, which made her chuckle too. "And I have you to thank for this, for putting me on this path."

        "Sil...." She leaned in close to give him a hug...

        "Are you two going to kiss?" Kader said from out of nowhere, hanging off the front of Sil's head with his tail wrapped around one of his horns.

        With a shout, the two staggered back from the rodent's sudden appearance. "How does he keep doing that?" Sokuro panted.

        "I'm small." Kader said. 

        "That you are!" Sil exclaimed, holding his chest from the excitement.

        Kader pulled himself back  up and sat on the dragons forehead. "It's going to be weird not having you guys around. It's only been a month, but so much had happened, it was like you were a part of our lives the whole time. The silence is going to take some getting used to."

        Sokuro's lips twisted as her heart sank as it now finally started to set in: ... this was going to be the last time she was going to see Sil and Kader- to see any of the Nayans. It just didn't feel like it was going to be real until now, and now that it is real... it means leaving behind the new friends she made here forever. 

        As tears welled in her eyes, she ran into Sil and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you, Silverwind..." She softly said, silently crying as tears streamed down her face.

        Starting to water up himself, Sil wrapped his front legs around her. "I'm going to miss you too, Sokuro."


        
        It was around that same time that everyone else was getting that feeling as well; the feeling of finality... the feeling of never seeing them again. Bran struggled to hold back his tears while the twins and Seqy were crying for real this time. Alua felt emotional too, but kept her composure, for the most part. The triplets and Seliox were also crying as well, but Trach, Ventus, and Polosa kept their cool. Fayin, however, did not as she cried too, but no tears fell from her. As they barely knew the outsiders, the soldiers didn't feel much in the ways of goodbyes today. Vendetta, however, was relieved to see them leave as it meant his masters plan would go off without outside interference.

        And Termundus was Termundus: did not give a shit.
        
        

        With emotions high, the Dragenians said their final goodbyes and, with heavy footsteps, headed for the Golden Gate. Polosa, Bran, and Ven grabbed Quio's belongings along the way. Sokuro and Sil broke their head and looked into each others eyes for a moment, knowing that this was the last time they'll see each other... and yet, for him, it didn't feel final. Brushing her hand against his cheek, Sokuro tearfully smiled and slowly brushed it off as she joined the others on the walk towards the portal.

        Much to their surprise, Eia was already there sitting in silence, having waited for them to finish saying their farewells. The grownups looked at each other, wondering why she waited all this time. "You're not going to say goodbye to anyone, Eia?" Polosa asked.

        With a cold and bitter voice, she responded, "Why bother...? I have no one to say goodbye to..." Sokuro's heart sank even more then before; she was going to be blamed for Ocilus' death for the rest of her life by Eia, wasn't she? Sensing hostility from Eia, Sokuro moved away from her and towards Fayin and Polosa.

        Eia got up to her feet as the six of them stood in a line: Bran, Ven, Eia, Fayin & Pearl, Polosa, and Sokuro, their shadows being cast long by the light... nobody noticed the faint hint of moment in Eia's shadow, like a slithering snake retreating behind cover. They turned to look at their Nayan friends. They waved goodbye to them, which the Nayans responded in kind. Termundus didn't but you already knew that.

        After several moments of this, the Dragenians turned to face the portal; it was a far, far cry better then the vortex of doom that brought them here in the first place. In Eia's shadow, the sunhat took on a sinister twisted nature as soft yellow beads appeared in the darkness she was casting

         This was it... just a few more steps and they are home, back with their loved ones.

        "We ready to go?" Polosa asked without taking her eyes off the portal.

        "Yeah." Everyone responded.

        "Then let's go home."

        And so, after so so long from home, the Dragenians stepped into the Gate and vanished before the Nayan's eyes, leaving behind ripples in the flowing portal. Seconds after they left, the light soon died down and began to fade. The portal then dissipated away and the Gate fell into silence, sending the surrounding landscape into silence.

        Finally, at long last, after more then a month on this terrible world, the Missing Seven were finally returning home.

84: Chapter 79: Cavern of Halls
Chapter 79: Cavern of Halls

Chapter 79
Cavern of Halls

 

 

        Things had quieted down now that the Dragenians were gone. It was going to take a long time to get used to the fact they won't be here anymore, but the Nayans would eventually get used to it as things slowly go back to normal. Well, normal for them. For now, they kept themselves busy, getting the soldier's boat and Kar'kiles yacht ready to set sail. Despite all the madness and chaos, the yacht was perfectly fine outside of cosmetic damage, but some paint can easily fix that up.

        Due to military reasons, the soldiers were taking Termundus with them- as helpful as he was during the battle, he did go AWOL with intent to kill little kids, so that's going to cost him a lot. The others had boarded the yacht... it was a lot more difficult with the lack of opposable thumbs... thankfully, some connecting rope made it so that the soldiers boat would drag the yacht behind them.

        But eventually, everyone was ready to set sail and get back to their lives. 

        "Another month at sea..." Seqy whined. "This is not going to be pleasent..."

        "More squid and kelp and squid and help..." Fira whined as he lowered his head. "If I ever see Calamari again, i may just flip."

        Alua playfully smiled and said in a joking manner, "You won't like what's for dinner then." Then made him lower his head even more.

        on the soldier's boat, Garf saluted Tygan and reported, "Sir, everything checks out: we are ready to set sail and return home to Nexia." She tapped her foot on the floorboards. "I also took the liberty of gagging our annoying prisoner, though I imagine he'll eat those bindings."

        "I wouldn't put it past him." The dog replied. He headed to the edge of the boat and waved to the crew aboard the yacht, who waved back to him. "Are you all ready to go as well?!"

        "Just about!" Alua shouted back. Wing flaps from above made her look up to see Vendetta flying overhead. "Need a lift back, Vendetta?"

        He shook his head and declined. "No. I have my own way back. Besides, a certain someone of yours might try to kill me in my sleep."

        Termundus muttered loudly for all to hear. "Or right now..." He raised his front left paw, making it glow as he readied to raise the rest of his emeralds up from the depths.

        "Cool it." Tygan ordered, which the former general complied with.

        "See what i mean?" Venetta said to the kids and their caretaker as he gestured to the unhinged warrior. "This is my ride." With a wave of his hand, he summoned a portal of darkness- a swirling vortex of black clouds and smoke- in front of him. Seliox and Sil felt uneasy being near it... almost like they can hear screaming inside, but it's so faint they could be mistaking it for something else. Before he went through, however, he thought about it and, "And thinking about it, you all probably don't want to be stuck on this boat for another month." That is true- the month getting here was a tired lesson in patience that many almost lost. With a wave of his paw once more, he summoned a portal large enough for both ships to sail through, and to show them there was no ill will, it showed them their home on the other side: the Isle of Origins... or at least the ocean facing side from a good distance away. "There. That should bring you out at least a mile from your island. Any closer and the locals may get antsy." 

        "Hold on." Sil called up from below. "Why did you help us at all if you work for the Shadows?"

        Right... Ocilus figured it out, but died before she could tell them anything. "... my master has his reasons." He simply replied. It wasn't the answer any of them wanted, but it's all they were gonna get. "Funny thing... Ocilus actually figured that out while you were all looking for the Gate; she even threatened to be the bad guy in proving who I was because of how well I put on the charm in convincing all of you I was just some suicidal scholar. ... there's some dark irony for ya..."
        Yeah... very dark. So dark, it made them uncomfortable. "Well..." Sil cleared his throat. "...you may've helped us for reasons that benefit your master, but... regardless, thanks."
        All Vendetta gave in response to that was a nod. "Until we meet again..." He forebodingly said before flying through his own portal, which closed behind him.
        "Good riddance to bad rubbish." Termundus angrily scoffed before heading into the cabin of the boat to get something to eat- he felt like he hadn't eaten in a long while.
        "And there's that Termundus charm at work..." Tybalt, Federico, Garf, Fira, Pira, Trach, Seqy, and Alua said in near perfect unison.

        As the ships began to move towards the portal, Sil was at the end of the yacht, leaning on the metal railing as he looked out at the desolate island they were now leaving behind, his attention focused solely on the Gate. As they sailed further away, the fog began to roll in, slowly dragging Trochet back into obscurity, myth, and legend.

        "Missing them already?" Seliox asked as he joined him.

        "Yeah. Hard to believe it's only been a few minutes. Feels like a whole lifetime."

        "Yeah. We went through a lot with them over the past month." 

        While he knows this was an impossibility, Sil had to ask, "Do you think we'll see them again?"

        Seliox was hesitant to answer cause he already knows they answer and Sil knows it too: No. "If they are unlucky enough to get sucked up by their end of the gate, hehe..." Bad time to try and crack a joke. "Heh..." He cleared his throat. "But never say never. Nobody expected them to actually come here in the first place, but here they were, and we even beat a Shadow; one that even the king Shadow was afraid of. I'd call that one heck of a confidence booster."

        To them, maybe... but he doesn't remember what happened. As the boats got closer to the portal and the Gate further obscured by the fog, he wondered aloud, "... Hope they made it back to their world okay."
        "I'm sure they're fine. Probably back home right now sipping tea while reminiscing about the adventure they just went on, like what we're about to do." As Seliox looked above, the boats had passed through the portal and emerged on the other side, cutting a 3-week long boatride into an hour. He saw the look of concerned on Sil's face.. or maybe it was regret. "I have a question and i'm being one hundred percent serious about it: did you love her?"

        "... yeah. She was like the sister I never had, and now I had to say goodbye to her... to my sister from another world." After he said that, the portal closed... now the visage of the fog-obscured gate had now been replaced by open sea... that's some twisted timing on the universes part. "But... i'm not going to let it hurt me." Seliox tilted his head, wondering what he meant by that. "Sokuro gave me something nobody else did or could: hope... confidence, assurance, happiness. She was... she was everything I needed, and while she's gone now, I won't ever forget her and everything she had done for me. I'll take what she gave me and make something out of myself; i'll help everyone that I can and keep them happy and safe."

        That is a lofty and near-impossible goal. It made Seliox smile and pat his former foster brother on the back. "That's the spirit." He said with gusto. "What do you say when we get back, we get the others and play tag in the trees for old times sake?" Before Sil could answer, he had already started running that way.

        Sil lightly chuckled to himself. He turned his attention back out to the sea, imagining that the Gate was still out there on the glitching horizon. "Goodbye.... and thanks for everything, Sokuro." He pushed himself off the glitching railing, he headed up the glitching boat to get to the others with a smile on his glitching face. Their coming was an accident, but Silverwind was going to make the most out of everything the Dragenians gave him.

        Especially from Sok---

 

 


        
        


        A light at the end of a tunnel

        The whispers of faint voices and even fainter sounds of battle.

        The soft whipping of the air.

        All of these were what the Dragenians experienced as they were pulled through the cosmic pathway that connected the Gate on Earth back to the Gate on Dragenia. In a few moments, they will finally be home and finally, finally, be reunited with their loved ones, and as the light grew closer and bigger, they knew it was only a matter of time.

        They forgot one thing, however, something that was reminded to them when they entered the light.

 

        "This is a loooot bigger then a cavern."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ezt5ihBagY  Cavern of Remembrance - Kingdom Hearts 2/3 

 


        Sokuro's words rang true as they looked out in stunned awe at what was before them.

        The Gate had transplanted the group into a room: a impossibly gargantuan whitish-grey spherical room so huge in its enormity, it went on forever- there was no visible end in sight in any direction. Rotating around them in every conceivable direction were Gates- Millions upon Billions upon Trillions of Gates, overlapping and passing over one after the other like an ant farm. Nearly every Gate they saw was as dark as soot, with only a few still retaining their golden shine.

        Everyone was in silence; the Gate they had just come through was in the absolute center of all of this, floating on a small island of stone in the middle of the madness as all the other Gates floating around, stuck to the walls. This place... it was melting their minds, all at how any of this worked!

        "Oh my Astrals..." Eia breathlessly gasped. "This place is...."

        "Impossible..." Ven stammered. "Th-th-th-this kind of place should not be possible!"

        "And yet, here it is..." Polosa commented, barely able to stay on her feet; her legs were on the verge of turning into jelly at the prospect of how puny she was compared to all this. A countless amount of Gates... leading to so many worlds.... finding Dragenia among all these was impossible. 

        "No, you dohohohohooo..." Ven could hardly speak; this place was too big. "There must  be... Trillions if not Zillions of Gates floating all around us, and and and and and and and we're in some.... PLANET sized room that houses all of these and I I I I I I I I..." Ven's legs did give out as he fell to his butt. "I've been alive for millions of years... and I have never seen anything like this..." 

        None of them have... the only ones they knew know of this place are long dead. "I'd... say this fits the title of Cavern of Halls..." Bran exhaled, holdind  his hands to his head in astonishment. "This is one... massive Dyson Sphere..."

        "Dyson what?" Sokuro asked.

        "I'll explain later. But right now, we--" He took a step forward, forgetting how small of the island he was on, until he fe-- until a platform suddenly materialized under his feet, made out of a metal that was completely foreign to him and Ven. The material was nothing they had seen before; a kind of translucent alloy that looked titanium, but wasn't titanium- it was completely smooth, with no markings or grooves. The fact it appeared out of nowhere in a small display of sparkles and light didn't help things either.  "....... need to summon platforms out of nowhere. That's... something that needed to happen."

        Sokuro followed him out there and looked down. Despite having a dragonic form capable of flight and having gone far above the clouds numerous times... looking down over the platform gave him a strong feeling of vertigo. The big key difference is that when she flies, she can still see the ground no matter how far up she is. Here... there is no bottom. There is no top. Feeling dizzy, she stepped back and held her head. "That is..... a long way down to nothingness..."

        "Bran." Eia said as she walked onto the platform. "What was it you were saying before we were rudely interrupted by the thing and this platform?" Oh, now that one was on purpose.

        "Right. We need to find some sort of command center..." A task veeeeeeeeeeery much easier said then done because they have a planet-sized room to explore! 

        "Um... HOW!?!" Sokuro shouted, throwing her arms out to ALL they have to look through. 

        "Command Center!" They heard Von shout. They looked  back to him to see his hands cupped to his mouth. "Given how hude this place is, maybe audio cues work."

        "You honestly think so?" Polosa asked.

        "You're asking that in a planet-sized room of giant doors that can travel through time and space and with platforms that can appear out of thin air, and you're doubting that voice commands won't work?"

        "... good point." She cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted, "Command center!" Nothing. She shouted again, as did Ven and the kids.  THey kept shouting and continued to shout for a good long while... all except the dinosaur in the group.

        "This isn't going to work..." Fayin commented.

        "Do you have any better ideas?" Eia asked.

        "Well, no, but shouting out into the void won't--"

        -Tyual Kuunko Yirg'shlra-

        They all stopped talking and look all around them. Whatever that voice was... it came out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "What was that?" Polosa called out, but nothing came of it.

        As puzzling as that was... it gave Sokuro an idea, one that Fayin can help her solve. She shouted once more, "Command center!" But nothing came of it. Tapping her fingers on her book, she looked back to Fayin. "Un, Fayin, mind shouting?"

        Puzzled by that request, she looked to the kid for a moment before shouting out into the void, "Command center!" At first nothing, but seconds later, a bright flash of light appeared a small ways away, this one summoning a much larger platform with a tower underneath it, and single pedestal on top. 

        Wth perplexed looks plastered on their faces, they all looked to Fayin, who was just as confused as they were. "How did you do that when we couldn't?" Polosa asked.

        She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just as confused as you are."

        Sokuro tapped her fingers on her parents book as she thought about it. There was something odd about all of this, but also something similar too. She looked back towards the Gate they came out of, looking it over for some kind of hint, but her gaze slowly lingered back towards Fayin. "I... think... that whoever built this made it so that it would only respond to their species, or the species that were alive at their time, which is why it ignored us but listened to Fayin."

        "What do you mean?" Polosa asked.

        "When the colonists met the Gaharots for the first time, they called them Dinosaurs, which were ancient mindless brutes that ruled their home planet millions of years ago before going extinct."

        "Hold on." Bran started. "Are you saying the Dinosaurs built this place?"

        "That or some other ancient powerful race that ruled at the time." She looked up at all the zillions of other Gates floating around them. "And if the numbers are to be believed, what they ruled was enormous."

        "If that is true..." Ven muttered aloud. "... it would explain why there are raptors on Dragenia in the first place... but that would mean that what we know about these birds is wrong, that they were able to go off world, either under their own power or as pets." He looked to Bran. "Maybe they did evolve to the point of space travel. They ruled Earth for millions upon millions of years before the asteroid hit, and Bran's human race were able to evolve from apes with sticks to this in just thousands of years, so it is possible. But having the power to create a system that can travel through time and space? That seems impossible."

        "Something tells me that we won't get an answer to that question..." Sokuro said to herself. She looked to the pedestal that was summoned. "We could go back and see what the truth is."

        "No." The others said in unison. She sheepishly laughed as she rubbed the back of her head; she was only joking.

        Not everyone caught on that she was. "We're just getting out of one mess because of your curiosity..." Eia harshly said. "... don't drag all of us into another. If you wanna die in the past, do it on your own time." She then started heading towards the pedestal, more platforms appearing under her as she walked away. 

        Sokuro sadly sighed and frowned as the others started walking along the translucent rainbow platforms. "She'll hate me forever..." She somberly exhaled.

        "She's just in pain." Polosa said. "While it was brief, she grew close to Ocilus. She'll eventually forgive you."

        "Or blame me till the end of time..." 

        "Never say never, kid." Ven said as he patted her shoulder. "The heart can be a fickle thing, but it does eventually heal..... eventually."

        Eia could hear them talking behind her, but she did not care one bit; all she wants to do right now is get back home and get as far away from the purple-clad menace as she can, the sooner the better.

        By Bran's count, they had crossed at least 10 of those strange platforms to get to the one with the pedestal, with each one having a circumference of at least 10 feet; to give a visual aide, if Sokuro was standing on Ven's shoulders while holding her book over her head. As they got close to the pedistal, they saw it was just a simple white podium with slits.

        "Whoever designed this place liked to keep things simple." Fayin said. A crumble under Bran's foot made him look down. He raised an eyebrow in complete confusion as he bent down to pick up what he stepped on. 

        Fayin noticed that the young lad had stopped to pick something up and doubled back. "Did you lose something?"

        "No..." He said as he rose up; in his hands was a small booklet of some kind, printed on a plastic-like sheet; reminded him of a pamphlet, except this one has pages. "I found this." He flipped it over. The outside of it was pretty plain, but when he opened it up, there were a lot of words and symbols and drawings, most of which he didn't recognize. "I think it's an instruction booklet?"

        "An instruction booklet?" Polosa asked.

        "Yeah..." Both he and Fayin slowly  headed back towards them. He turned it upright and showed it to everyone, "Can anyone read this?" 

        A collection of no's from everyone came forth... except from one. "I can." Fayin said.

        "You can?" Everyone asked.

        "How?" Polosa asked.

        "I don't know..." She took the book from Bran after he passed it to her. "... but I think we have established this place likes me."

        "Yeah, we got that idea." Ven droned. "Now read on, kid."

        She nodded and, while muttering to herself, found what she thinks was the start of it. "Here, it reads, 'greetings from beyond time. If you have found this, then you have been displaced by time and are looking for a way back. I know how to--'" She paused as her eyes went wide. She quickly rubbed them, thinking she was seeing things, but nope, it is as it is written. "'... i know how to get all of you back to Dragenia..," Now it was everyone's turns for their eyes to go wide, "...to a time just minutes after you were sucked in by the hurricane.'"

        Everyone was in silence for a moment, wondering the same thing: "T-there is no way it just said that..." Ven struggled to laugh, but couldn't. "...did it?"

        She nodded. "It did... and it gets weirder." She continued on, "'By now, Fayin will probably have summoned the podium by accident and you all would've just spent... minutes... talking about why only she can use this place and you can't.'" She was right: it got weirder. Everyone looked around, wondering if whoever wrote this was watching them cause of time travel shenanigans, but they saw nobody. They were the only ones here. "'You guys are wasting your time looking for me... I see you all from beyond... time...'"

        "Ok, that is just creepy." Eia shuddered. "How does this guy know our names and even what we are doing?"

        "Have i ever mentioned how much i hate time travel?" Ven groaned, rubbing his head at how impossible this all is.

        "I'm getting weirded out too." Fayin said, feeling no worse for ware outwardly, but inwardly she was totally freaking out. "Um... ahem, 'I think i ruffled enough feathers, so I'll just skip to what you want to know: how to get back home. Luckily for you, it's easy: First, you will need Sokuro's knife; it is the key to this.'" While she is freaking out immensely, Sokuro still complied and held it up. "'Stab it into the podium and watch what happens.'"

        Fayin and Sokuro looked at each other, both perplexed by just what the F is going on. Who wrote this thing and how does it know everything they're doing? And how does one even exist 'beyond time'? That doesn't even make any sense. Without any better ideas, Sokuro walked up to the podium and, like the letter said, stabbed it. It was as soft as butter; that's how it felt when the dagger went all the way in up to the hilt. The podium briefly glowed white, and then produced a bubble from within itself, spreading out to encompass all of them. A turquoise ring appeared around them. A series of lines came out of the dagger's handle, numbering 13 in total and spread out like a clock.

        She did not touch anything else because she didn't wanna break things. "Un... Fayin, what does that thing say?"

        "Let's see... seems the writer ditched being a jokester and decided to get technical. I'll skip all the preamble but apparently, this podium..." She tapped her paw against it, "... allows passage through the... Aethirlai?" She pulled it closer to her eyes- that is what is written. "Must be the creators word for space-time or his word and.... wow, there are a LOT of rules here that limit how the time travel works; according to him, the Creators had a strict set of rules: Nobody was allowed to travel back long periods of time or else they would risk altering the present. And traveling far into the future was outlawed too as anyone can use future knowledge to shape events to their liking."

        "Clearly a rule not set in stone with any law enforcement since we were flung a million years into the future." Bran commented. "Otherwise, this place would be swarming. Which still begs the question of: WHO THE HECK BUILT THIS PLACE!?!" He panted after yelling that loudly.

        "You done?" Polosa listlessly asked.

        "Yeah, i'm fine..."

        Fayin rolled her eyes and continued on. "'By now, Sokuro should've activated the Tloyu- the ancients word for The Clock- and saw the lines appear. This is how you will be able to travel through time to get back home. Each line represents a different point of time travel: the middle means its stopped. Each line following that represents minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Turning to the left will send you backwards through time, and turning right is forwards.'"

        "All this and the translation is simple 'clock'?" A befuddled Eia asked aloud.

        "Just because they were smart enough to invent a form of time travel does not mean they were great at naming things." Ven commented back to her. 

        Sokuro stood up to the podium and down at the lines the dagger was producing; each line represented a different aspect of time, yet it's not very accurate; have probablity she will overshoot it. "Un, aren't their other ways for us to do this?"

        Fayin muttered as she read further ahead. "bababababa... yes, there are plenty, but they are written in an unknown language or require means we do not have. This isn't the easiest option, but our only option."

        "Great..." Sokuro sarcastically droned. She clasped the handle of the dagger. "So i just turn it left, right?"

        "Hold on." Fayin held out her paw. "The writer goes on to say that we are to stay inside this bubble during that entire time." They looked in multiple directions at the bubble they are in. "Being inside the bubble will keep us untouched by the time manipulation. Outside, however, and we'll be lost." She lifted up her head with a cocked brow. "Lost, what does this guy mean, lost?"

        Ven leaned forward, using Sokuro's head as a base for her elbows, much to her protest. "If we're outside of the bubble and you guys... i dunno, jump, then we'll be left behind. Likely forever, too."

        "Get off...!" Sokuro swatted him away like a fly. With an annoyed hiss, she returned her attention towards the task at hand. "Let's... try it slow." She grabbed the crossguard of the dagger and turned it towards the first line- the minute line. The movement was quick and fluid, not janky like she and the others were expecting; this will allow for some very fine control. The bubble briefly shone- activating to protect themselves from the time manipulation outside. 

        At first, it looked like nothing was happening- with how much of a mess the movement of the Gates were, it was hard to tell if they were going backwards or not. Twisting her lips, Eia turned to Bran and asked, "So how long is this suppo--" The bubble glowed as they saw themselves backing away from the bubble, walking backwards towards the gate and watching their conversations go in reverse. "... never mind."

        "I thought we wouldn't be affected."

        "We are, but that doesn't mean our 'past' selves are." Ven said. "We may be safe, but our echoes are not." As he finished, their past selves walked backwards through the Gate, which then turned off.  "Well, we know it works.

        "Now comes the harder question..." Polosa ominously said, looking out at the countless upon countless number of doors surrounding them, "...which one is Dragenia's Gate?"

        That was an impossible question to answer because they do not have the time to look through every single door in this place... there's just no way they'd go through them all before dying of old age or some other cockamamie adventure they'd get dragged into. "Wait..." Sokuro muttered. "... i have an idea." She turned the 'handle' to the Month line for a brief second before turning it back the Days line.

        "What are you doing?" Eia harshly asked.

        "I thinking that we should be able to see us as we are pulled to Naya; you saw our past selves are still affected while we're in here. So hopefully..." The Gate suddenly sparked to life and the door within activated. "Here we go." Continuing on with the Minutes, they watched as a vortex of light came out of the Gate and up towards the wild yonder. 

        "Well i'll be a monkey's uncle." Bran chuckled. 

        As time continued to rewind, they heard screaming: their screaming. Leaning as close to the bubble's edge as they could, they watched  their past selves were dragged out, encompassed by large orbs of light being flung backwards and up through the vortex. 

        That just made finding their home Gate easy, but now they have another issue. "Well, crap." Fayin blurted out. "Just realized we have no way to follow them- er, us." The platform beneath them beeped like a robot, and then began to move on its own. The occupants of the bubble barely felt any movement as the platform gave chase, so to speak. "Un... that works, i guess."

        In no time at all, the platform beat their past selves up towards the other end of the vortex: another open Gate... 

        Their Gate.

        Dragenia's Gate.

        They are so close to home... they can already smell the salt air, feel the warm breeze, and hear the voices of their friends and family. But first, they have to get back to the right time. Knowing it before anyone asked, Sokuro turned the dagger as far left as she could go: all the way to the Year line. That sped up the process... but,

        "Well, we got about close to a million years to rewind through..." Ven bellowed. He looked to Fayin and asked, "Does the author explain what the point of those shelves in the doorframe and the keyboard were about?"

        Fayin looked for that explanation among the booklet as Eia walked to the edge of the bubble to look at the vortex. "Aha, here. The keyboard is yet another way to travel: you just have to input coordinates. THAT would've been the easier option if we could... well, read what it said." True, true. "And the shelf...." She flipped the page. "The shelf... is for mail delivery."

        Sokuro slouched over in disappointment. "Seriously?"

        Eia broke out into laughter. "Oh, that's hilarious!" She fell to the floor and hit her fists on it, unable to keep her laughter in check. "Your original theory was just shattered like that! Hahahahaha..."

        "What theory?" Fayin asked.

        The young lass lowered her head in embarrassment and shame. "... that the item placed there served as some beacon back to its planet of origin?"

        "That is verbally inaccurate."

        "You can say--" Wait, that voice didn't belong to anyone they know. She raised her head up and saw that she was face to face with some flying metal contraption. She  yelped as she jumped backwards into Ven. This thing- this pumpkin-shaped drone with a fin coming out from behind, a large reddish-blue lens at the front, and a single metal arm- appeared out of nowhere. "What in Velx's name?!"

        The drone thing hovered around, looking at all of them. The lens clicked like it was a camera. It hovered around each and every one of them, getting unfortably too close to their faces... it took special interest in Fayin as it hovered around her a lot; instead of just her face, it instead hovered around her entire body. 

        "Falo Intishihihigama Toko Shed?" It spook in a deeply electronic voice.

        "Un, what?" Fayin asked.

        The drone returned to the front of  her face. "Toko Shed? Isiko Toor Forkana Fren."

        "I, un... i don't understand you."

        The drone hovered their for a moment. The hand, like liquid, formed into some sort of device that it pressed up to her head. A brief sssing later, it moved on to her neck. Same thing happened, and then it vanished. "Um..." Fayin was at a loss for words. "Was that, un..." She turned to look at the colonists. "Was that one of yours?"

        "It's not one of ours." Bran said. "I don't think we even brought Drones other then the Scout."

        "It looked like no drone i've ever seen either." Ven added in. "Maybe our mysterious writer knows?"

        Fayin quickly picked up the booklet and skimmed through looking for any mention of this 'drone' thing. After some reading, she may've found it. "... by now, you should've encountered Cindy; that's not its real name- i called it that because it looks like a pumpkin and that made me think of Cinderella. Like me, you probably didn't understand the thing either, even after that odd probing thing it did. Near as I can tell, Cindy is harmless. It is the caretaker of the Cavern here; it had been dormant for such a long time until recent activity woke it up- you can probably guess what that activity was."  Them. Obviously them. "Also, you may wanna check on your past selves."

        The group collectively raised an eyebrow. As the one closest to the bubble's edge at the moment, Polosa looked outside and saw their past selves, hovering in place like limbo. "That can't be right." Everyone looked out to see their selves hovering in place, and Cindy tending to them.

        "By now, you must've seen your past selves hovering in the air, being tended to by Cindy..." Fayin read on. "... that is because of Chronological Radiation; that's my term for it- i'm sure the ancients have a better name. While Time is the main power source for the Gates, the Ancients had very strict rules regarding Time Travel, and they had a lot- i mean a LOT- of rules, to the point it was punishable by death. That said, they knew idiots like you guys would do it, accidental or purposeful, and made created a means for you to survive Time Travel, which brings me to explaining Chronological Radiation."

        "Great... my head gets to hurt while learning..." Ven complained. "I had enough of that during quantum mechanics at boarding school..."

        "May I?" Fayin asked back to him, annoyed he interrupted. He waved his hand and she continued on, "To try to put it as simple as I can... we are not meant to travel through Time- when we do, it disrupts the natural order of things, such as messing up a worlds predestened history." Sokuro rubbed the back of her arm, worrying that she may've done something bad to Sil's world. "As such, there exists a phenomenon i call Chronological Radiation, or CR for short; eventually, Time will heal itself and eliminate any and all changes made to put things back to the way they were, rendering what was done... well, obsolete. Living beings can get infected by this Chronological Radiation and slowly get erased from history, so they Ancients divided a treatment to keep Time Travelers from getting erased: the treatments Cindy are providing to your past selves right now: you are essentially frozen while time around you moves normally. Traveling backwards as you are doing now is the same thing: that bubble you are in is showering you with the treatment." Well, lucky them. 

        "That said, i should preface that this Chronological Radiation business is not exact, to the point i feel the universe just loves to play tricks on me, like i've seen other Time Travelers who didn't get the treatment exist just fine a era that is not theirs and remain fine, and with that world continuing on like everything is hunky dory. Time Travel and Time itself is confusing and mysterious; it does whatever it wants to."

        "You can say that again." Sokuro commented. 

        Looking back out at their past selves, Polosa spoke out, "Strange... I don't remember being stuck for almost a million years like this."

        "My guess, it works under coma rules." Bran suggested, making others peer at him oddly. "You know how you get in a bad accident and you fall unconscious and you wake up, usually somewhere else, wondering what happened because for you it was like the blink of an eye but minutes, hours, or even days outside?"

        "Yep." They all said, having experienced unconsciousness in some way, shape, or form.

        Some time had passed after that and everyone was bored; waiting for eons to reverse is surprisingly boring and tiring. 

        "What's taking so loooong?" a prone Eia complained.

        "We're traveling backwards in time hundreds of thousands of years." Bran responded. "Obviously, it's going to take awhile."

        "Worst part is that there's no way to speed things along." Polosa groaned, her front slumped over Quio's belongings. 

        Fayin, who had been reading the booklet the entire time, turned to her fellows and said, "Well, while you all sat around and did nothng, I kept on reading through this."

        Ven, also slouched over Quio's things, lifted his head and asked, "And what, pray tell, did you find out?" 

        "I'll repeat it." She said. She returned to where she was and read it aloud, "By now, I'm sure you are all curious just where the heck you are. Well, after a arduously long amount of time researching it all, I can tell you." Now that was something that interested them. "You are in the Crucible, a planet-sized artificial construct that exists outside the Bounds of Time. This place, as well as the Gates and the Drones, are powered by Time itself, and therefore unaffected by rewinds and fast-forwards. This place was built by someone simply named Gene- and yes, that was his real name- who had gained the power to manipulate Time. By the end of his life, he pretty much was a immortal god, especially since he built all of this, and did I also mention the immortality? As for WHERE he built it, i've never been able to figure that out- i don't even know if it's in the physical universe as we know it."

        "Sounds like we have this Gene guy to thank for all this." Ven said. "That's such a basic name for an Ancient with time powers akin to a god."

        "And Crucible isn't?" Polosa snickered.

        "At least that one is more fitting."

        While the two of them went back and forth like an old married couple, Eia looked back outside at their past selves and spotted that they were moving again. "We're moving backwards now."

        "Already?" Sokuro asked. She looked to the podium. "But it's only been a few minutes- there's no way a million years passed that fast."

        "Maybe his calculations were wrong?" Bran suggested, scratching his head. "I mean, it's always possible. And he did say that Time does whatever the heck it wants, so maybe it's throwing us a bone?"

        The lights that represented their past selves flew on by, heading backwards towards the Dragenia Gate. "Whatever the reason, we're almost home." Ven said. After some time, their past selves entered the Gate and it reversed it's opening, going back to innurt. Sokuro moved the dagger to pause so they can strategize. "So, how is this going to work? We just wait for our past selves to come out, then reactivate to get  back in?"

        "Pretty much." Polosa said. "We know we'll be 'hanging around' for a long while." She finished with a chuckle. Nobody laughed, so she silenced back up. "So, Sokuro, pull out that knife of yours and lets get going." The lass nodded back to her and pulled out the dagger from the pedestal. On cue, the bubble went away. 

        Grabbing Quio's things, the group headed for their Gate; like before, platforms appeared out of thing air for them to step on. As they walked along, Fayin mentioned aloud, "You know, when we left, Velx was freaking out a lot. How do you think he'll react to seeing us looking like this?"

        "I'm more worried about my parents." Bran said with a shiver. "Mom probably won't let me out of her sight when she sees me; she'll probably turn into one of those clingy mom's that always babys their kid no matter how old they get or get really protective. If you never see me again when we get back, it's cause mom locked me in the house."

        "Noted." The other kids said.

        At last, they arrived at the base of it: their way home. "Now we just have to wait for it to open up." Sokuro said. "While we're waiting, what else does that booklet thing say?" 

        Fayin opened it up to the last page. "Un... and now you stand at the base of your Gate home. Your journey home has been an arduous one, but I know you all came out different on the other side; maybe a bit more mature for all the young'ins." They weren't going to comment on that: they just want to get back home. "Well, regardless, I hope my instructions and hand-holdy lore dump helped you out. A big fan of  yours, G--" She stopped as she froze.

        "Fayin?" Polosa asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

        She slowly turned to them with wide eyes. "... a big fan of yours... Ghi'ich'tarl."

        The ancient king of Naya whose coffin held the clue to the Gate's location on Trochet... that was a name they did not expect to hear at all. "WHAT!?!" They all collectively yelled in pure shock.

        "... P.S..." Oh great, there's more?! "Tell Dan and Eriod thanks for the help, and that I'll be coming by for one of those soda's he likes; he got me addicted to them too. I have a message for them hidden in here, but they'll need to find it- don't wanna give away too many spoilers. Oh, and tell Pearl thanks for all the information." She flipped the last page, and the cover, shut. 

        They were in stunned silence for a moment as they tried to process this. "Hold up!" Sokuro shouted as she rushed over. "You mean to tell me that this is Ghi'ich'tarl that wrote this!?! With help from Dan and Eriod and-- did he say Pearl?!" She, and the others, looked to the Kalamander, who tilted her head in bewilderment- why were they all looking at her?

        Fayin got a little defensive when she got close. "You heard the same name as I read it- it's him!"

         "How is that even possible?" Bran stammered. "This doesn't make any sense!!! For Dan and Eriod to put a part of this, that means he would need to have met them, whcih makes no sense as he's from far int he future, which means that--"

        "Which means he's used the Gate." Ven finished for him. "And very extensively if he knows all of this knowledge. For all we know, he's that Gene guy he mentioned that built this place."

        Bran groaned loudly as he held his poor aching head. "I fricken hate time travel, man... it makes my head hurt..." Eia patted him on the back.

        Sokuro moved to comfort him to, but the sound of a door unlocking changed that. She looked up and saw the light from the top of the door stretch on down to the bottom. "Speaking of pain, we're about to come flying out of there on a hurricane, so we should move before we hit ourselves." They all nodded- well, all but Eia- and moved to the side to avoid getting slammed. They hid behind the frame, but stuck their heads out to see what happens.

        Nothing happened at first. "Un, aren't we supposed to come flying out of there?" Eia asked.

        Polosa slowly shook her head. "Don't forget that there was a brief moment between then, when VElx yelled at us and foxy boy here hit his turbo butt on the control panel."

        "Ok, getting annoyed with the fatass quips. My butts not even that big. You should know, y--"

        Thaaaankfully, the hurricane-like vortex came ripping through before he had a chance to finish his sentence. Based on the screams, Eia and Bran were the first to come sailing through. Seconds later came both Ven and Polosa. A moment later, Fayin and Pearl. A brief interlude passed, making some wonder if the gate was broken, before Sokuro herself followed. Once all their past selves were through, the Gate shut.

        With the vortex heading away, the group came out from behind the frame and watched as the lights that represented their past selves were taken away at a snails pace. "And there we go..." Bran said. "...being dragged away to a whole other world that we will mess up big time... rather slowly, i might add- i remember it being an instant." 

        "You said it yourself a while ago, kid..." Fayin said as she tapped him on the shoulder whilst walking past. "... time travel operates on coma rules: instant for you, lifetime outside. And we gotta travel a looooooooooooooooooooong way."

        "Yeah, fair point..." He muttered before following her and the others. "They-.... we need to get that Chronological Radiation treatment, after all."

        "Which i am calling bull on!" Eia proclaimed. "That CR stuff makes zero sense."

        "Believe what you wanna believe, kiddo..." Ven commented. "Though if we needed special baths to enter or exit toxic worlds, makes sense the same would hold true for Time Travel. Probably could've been worded differently, though- Chronological Radiation just sounds like something commenters on the internet would use."

        Reaching the control panel and the keyhole, Sokuro wasted no time putting the dagger in and turning the Gate back on. As it went through the lightshow, they looked back at Ven, who rolled his eyes and took a few large steps back, but not before grabbing Pearl to pull her back as well as she was part of the blame too. The sequence ended and the Gate opened back up.

        Beyond their doorway... was Home... after so, so, so long, they were finally here. They were finally home: back to their homes, their families, their lives, everything. They finally had it back.

85: Chapter 80: Home
Chapter 80: Home

Chapter 80

Home

3/14/5791 E.S.D. 

 

 

 

        Down within the dark and foreboding catacombs of the Ty Sokuro Basen, the whims of time and fate played a fickle trick, one that enraged a certain god of the land.

 

         "ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!" Velx slammed down in the town, making the ground shake and scaring everyone in the process. The shaking made Fayin slide off and roll to the group, much to her chagrin. She got no say in being dragged along so quickly. It also made Ventus bounce, smashing his back into the keyboard, turning the green light red.

       "L-Lord Velx!!" Polosa and Eia exclaimed in shock. Sokuro stepped forward and spoke,  "I'm sorry for disobeying the rules, Lord Velx, but i just needed to--

       "Step away from that right now!!!" He proclaimed loudly. They were all taken aback by his sudden anger. They have never seen him this furious before. Even when he fought the Phagos, he kept a calm head. This... this is scary.

       Ventus rubbed his back and felt something shock it, making him jump up. He looked back and saw that the keyboard was sparking. "Un... should it be doing that?" He spoke up, catching everyone's attention once again. The light on the number pad turned red as well. Red spread along the vines as well, painting the door in a foreboding color. ".... oooooooooh, i did something bad..." In fear, he pulled out the dagger, hoping it would do something. He was not supposed to do that as the door gave a loud horn as the crystal at the top turned blood red, as did the glowing entryway.

       Velx's eyes went wide. It's just like last time. "Get away from it!! Now!!!!"

       But it was too late. The entry quickly became like a vortex, turning into a ominous spiral that generated a hurricane-force pull. They were caught off guard by it. Before they knew what was going on, the winds picked up and dragged in Sokuro, Bran and Eia, as they were the closest to the vortex. Sokuro grabbed hold of the doorframe with one hand and held onto the lizard with another.

       Polosa slammed one of her knives into the ground to keep herself from being dragged in, but there was no way a knife was going to last long against the pull of the winds. Her knife slipped out of the ground and she slammed into Ventus, launching them both into it as well. Velx dug his claws in to keep himself from being dragged in as well.

       Sokuro hung on for dear life, but her fingers were slipping away, as was her grip on Pearl. Fayin came screaming in and grabbed hold of her foot, digging her claws into the shoes to keep hold. It was painful, but she wasn't in much of a position to argue, but it was a losing battle as her fingers were hurting like crazy. The lizard slipped out of her hands and hit Fayin in the face, forcing the clueless Gaharot to let go and be sucked into the vortex as well.

       Her hand free, she held onto the doorframe with both, struggling not to let go as the pull got stronger and stronger. Using all her strength, she pulled herself upwards towards the frame, grunting with each movement as the pull was getting stronger still. The back of her neck flared up again from the poison- the strongest one yet. She yelled in pain as it distracted her long enough to let go. She realized teh folly of her mistake too late as she was sucked in as well, yelling in both pain and fear as she disappeared from sight.

       Velx held on as long as he could, which could be forever, given his godly stature. He just had to run out the clock- with the dagger out, it would only stay open for a few more seconds. He was right on the money as the vines faded away, as did the glows in the jewels and the pads. The vortex grew smaller and smaller before it finally poofed out of existence. Once the wind stopped, he pulled his claws out of the ground and jumped over the buildings to the gate.

        "No... no no no no no no no..."

       Calcota, one of his fellow gods, appeared in a flash of light and saw him staring in shock at the Golden Gate. "Velx, what just happened?!" He demanded. "We sensed the Silver and several others vanish completely!"

       "........ she inherited her parents curiosity... and it got the better of her..." He turned to look at him, still shocked. "She mindlessly activated the Gate... and she and several others, my handmaid included and two of the colonists, were sucked in. I don't know where they ended up..." He looked down at the broken keyboard. It didn't go in when the gate deactivated. "... i don't think they even knew how to use this..."

       "........" Calcota silently landed and approached the gate. He's normally the fight first, ask questions later kind of person, so this is beyond his expertise. "So.... what do we do...?"

       The two of them looked towards the Gate. ".... pray they return safely from... wherever they end up..."

 

 

        Velx silently and mindlessly looked at the Gate... he had no way to fix this... no right explanation to give as to how the Silver vanished and several others went missing. This would cause apprehension and suspension from the colonists to be sure... and towards them as there will be a demand for answers, and if he's not careful, a call for blood.

        "Velx..." He heard Calcota say behind him. "Looking at it won't bring them back."

        "I know..." He choked. "I just have no idea how I'm going to explain this..." With a hung head, he turned to leave, knowing that no matter what he says, nobody will like it and distrust will rise between the colonists and the locals.

        As he passed by the outer layer of buildings, he heard something behind him: the sounds of the Gate. Before he even turned around, the lights had all been lit, the crystal shone bright, and the sliver was descending. When he actually turned, the sliver had reached the bottom and the doorway opened.

        And out from the doorway came them: the ones that it had just sucked in... all with torn clothes and the scars of battle, not to mention a lot of luggage. They all looked so exhausted. His eyes briefly widened when he saw that Fayinw as missing one of her foot claws.

        "Hoooooome..." Bran collapsed to his knees and kissed the ground. It was gross, but he didn't care: it was home soil. "I never thought i'd be so happy to see Dragenian dirt again..." Lifting his head, he looked to his right and his eyes lit up. "Oh hey, my phone." He reached over and picked it up from the dirt. He wiped the dirt off the screen, and then held it close as he rolled onto his back, bumping into Eia after she had fallen onto her front from exhaustion. "I missed you, phone." Eia gave him some congratulations but her whole face was buried in the dirt.

        "We're actually back..." Polosa breathlessly smiled. She looked to Ven with a smile and he smiled back to her. "WE'RE HOME!!!" They dropped Quio's belongings and hugged each other, laughing wildly as Ven lifted her up and spun them both around. "WE'RE HOME, WE'RE HOME, WE'RE HOME!"

        "We did it!" Fayin cheered, holding out Pearl to look at her. "We made it back home!" Pearl happily cheered as she did a sort of dance. Sokuro hugged Fayin from the side and they both laughed. 

        Velx and Calcota looked towards each other. It was good that they were home alive from wherever the heck they were, but... what in the world happened to them? How long was it for them? "Um, hello?" Velx spoke up. 

        "Veeeeeeeeeeeeeheheheheheeelx...!" Eia stumbled on over and plopped her head into his feathers. He towered over her and the others- they were back to their proper sizes too- no more human-sized drakes! "You may be mad at us, but I don't caaaaare- it's just so good to see your mug again..."

        He wasn't sure on how to take that, making him scratch his head in confusion. "Um... thanks?" He looked to his brother in divinity, who shrugged, not knowing on how to react to this either. "What, un... what happened to you all?"

        "A month..." She groaned. "A month and changed in that hellscape... and I'm bloody exhausted!"

        "You were gone for a month!?!" Calcota exclaimed. "But.. it's only been three minutes."

        Yeah, of course it was... they had a feeling it was going to be a short window between their past selves leaving and their present selves returning, but they didn't expect it to be that short.

        "Three minutes...." Bran moaned. He fell back down. "Have i mentioned how much i hate time travel?"

        "A lot!" The others yelled out.

        When they returned, Velx could sense it: they had changed a lot from this incursion to wherever they went... and came back with 2 more then they left with. Whatever happened out there has changed them, but for the better or the worse? He has so many questions he wants to ask, but he'll refrain for now; they all look so terrible, and if they've been gone for a month, they'll want to see their friends and families again. "Well... I have many, many questions I want to ask, but you are look like you've been put through the wringer, so go home, rest, and we'll talk later... and I'll take Fayin to a doctor- that wound on your foot looks grievous."

        "Considering it almost killed me..." The Gaharot handmaid exhaled. "... you have no idea. Although, would it be alright if i had the colonists doctors look at me? With their advanced technology, i feel like they would be the better fix for me then any healer in the village or elsewhere. Besides, we went through a lot together: it would be in bad taste if we didn't finish this together."

        Velx took a moment back to think about it, while looking to Calcota to see if he had anything to say on the matter. "I... suppose that would be a good idea: their technology is leaps and bounds ahead, so they'll obviously have something for that greivous wound you received.... how did you receive it?"

        "That is a long story..." She breathlessly chuckled. "But I'll tell you later, after i have this looked at and... sleep for a week."

        "And not have any more fricken squid!" Eia shouted. "If I see any calamari again, I'll flip..."

        "Oh, i suspect this is to be a wild story." Calcota snickered.

        "Don't you have to be at Rengal?" Velx asked his brother.

        "Oh right, I forgot." And with a flash, he was gone.

        "You're not still angry with us, are you?" Polosa asked. "Because you were really angry when you saw us messing with this thing."

        "Well, of course i was." He replied with a hint of frustration. "You were messing with powers beyond your comprehension or control; you could've ended up on a dying realm or hunted by horrible things." He then turned his attention to Sokuro. "I know you have a deep curiosity and want to follow in your parents' footsteps, young one, but there are some things that just cannot be messed with... or answered." Sokuro, feeling awkward and frustrated for being singled out, clutched her parents book tight. "I'll leave you all be for now; if you were indeed gone for a month, you must miss your loved ones dearly and wish to reunite with them." He has no idea. "Though like everyone else who will undoubtedly comment on your battered looks, I am interested to know what transpired on the other side."

        Sokuro lifted up her head and readied herself to chase after him and confront him about Termundus and his allegations... ultimately, she stayed her ground. They had just returned home after so long away; after spending over a month over there, coming back to start another mess just felt like a horrible idea... besides, the last time she moved ahead without thinking of things, she and the others got whisked away to Naya. Besides, in her hesitation, Velx had vanished in a flash, meaning she lost her chance to ask even if she didn't.  

        "... I'm gonna go find Taled." She said coldly. With a glow from her scale, she transformed into her Aerid self... her large and enormous Aeird self, now back to her full proper size. With a flap of her wings, she took off.

        "Yeah, we spent enough time away from everyone as it is." Fayin said. "I'll just be happy to get back to my bed." She took a step forward and immediately doubled over in pain, holding her clawless foot as she went to her knees. "Owowowowowow..." The others rushed to her side as she keeled over. "Now? Where was this during the fight?"

        "Masked by adrenaline." Ven was quick to say. "We were fighting for our very lives."

        "I'll be more then happy to put that horrible moment behind us." Eia said. With glows from their scales, she and Polosa took on their Aerid forms- it felt a lot more right transforming here then back on Naya as they now once again tower over them.

        "And there's the 30 foot behemoths i missed." Bran commented from below. "I just did not feel right having you not change size on Naya. Wonder what that was all about."

        "Gate glitch, screwy world, who knows at this point..." Eia said. She picked him up and put him on her back. "Does it really matter now that we're home?"

        "I guess not..." He looked back to the Gate as Eia grabbed Fayin & Pearl and held them in her paws. "Still odd." Polosa put Ven on her back, grabbed Quio's things with her paws, then followed Eia out.


 

        Home...

        They were finally back home.

        When Sokuro flew up from the mouth of the canyon that housed the path and up high, high into the air, surpassing the mountaintop, she paused to take it all in. This was home... they were finally back home. She had forgotten how blue the sky was, or how sparkly the sea was, or the brisk morning air, or how green the tops of the trees were... or how huge the mesa holding Miskin was. After the chaos that was Naya, she thought she'd never see it again...

        "Home..." She sniffled, wiping a tear from her eyes. "We made it..."

        "We did..." Polosa said as she and the others caught up to her. Everything had a air of bright freshness to this, like they were seeing all this through the eyes of a newborn experiencing everything for the first time. "I thought I would never gaze at that horizon again... I'd grown bored with it after the thousandth time, but now I never wanna take my eyes off it again."

        "Compared to Naya, this is paradise." Bran said. 

        "Agreed." Ven said. "I'll take a rogue deer over a rogue Shadow anytime." Without another word, Sokuro took off, eager to meet the one she's missed the whole time they were gone. "And there she goes to find her brother."

        "Can you blame her?" Fayin asked. "Taled was pretty much her sole driving force to get home; of course he's her top priority." Her foot flared up again. "Ow..... as is me getting to a healer." Without another word from Eia and Polosa, the lot of them headed for Novalle.
        

 

        The sparkles hadn't even dissipated by the time ferid Sokuro touched down on the sand. Holding her parents book, she ran as fast as her tired little legs could carry her. From what she remembers, she left him at a safe section of the beach that the colonists were turning into a nursery and maternity ward for the Hesk of their group. They were easy to find: just had to find the large metallic pylons. 

        She was panting heavily when she came to a halt, tears welling up as a smile seeped in. There he was, playing on the beach with a couple other kids and their parents from the colony: her little brother, Taled... someone she had hoped to see again; her sole drive to get home. In a daze, she dropped her book in the sand and ran. 

        By chance, Taled saw her running his way and, not knowing the hellish journey she had undertaken to get back to him, held up some seashells he and the others had found. "Hey, Sokuro, look at what i fo--" He was suddenly cut off when she grabbed him up and held him tight in the biggest sisterly hug she had ever given.

        "Taled...." She softly cried.
 
        Embarrassed by the public display of affection, Taled shouted into her shoulders as his arms and legs flailing about. "Agh... LEmme go..."

        She tightened her grip, not wanting to let him go ever again. "I missed you so much..." 

        After much flailing and shoving, Taled was finally able to get out of her iron grip, falling facefirst into the sand. "Agh. Bacg..." He spat it up and scraped what was left off of his tongue with his finger. "Blaaah... what's gotten into you?" He asked as he turned around. That's when he noticed how beat up she look: the skirt on her dress was torn like it was cut up by a knife the size of a plate, and part of her hood was torn too. 

        "Nothing..." She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm just so happy to see you again... and i'm never gonna leave you again..."

        Raising an eyebrow, Taled looked to the other kids and their parents and they merely shrugged in response. "Ok, weirdo... but that doesn't explain what happened here." He gestured to her skirt. "What happened- you were only gone a few minutes."

        In her emotional state, she had forgotten it was a month for her in that hellscape, but only minutes for him. "It... is a very long story."

      


        She wasn't the only one who was going to be saying that; Polosa dropped off Ven and Fayin near the medical center in Novalle and took off for her home to drop of Quio's belongings while Eia dropped Bran off and transformed back into her Ferid self- after getting knocked into a coma, then stabbed in the gut by a psychopathic monster, she and Fayin with her missing claw were the ones in most need of a medical checkup. There's not much modern medicine can do about failed possessions by monsters, but maybe they'll have something to suppress that painful memory.

        Already after landing, they were getting some attention due to how disheveled they looked. "And immediately, we draw attention." Ven exhaled. "Our lucky day." Bran rolled his eyes and the girls reacted with a groan as he led the way towards the med center.

        It only took a few minutes to reach it, but they already got attention from a group of lads from the security force who designated themselves as the hunters for the colony as they usually go out and hunt animals for meat. Ven was among their number too, so they were curious where he was: he and Polosa had been missing for a day before the "trip" to Naya. "Oh hey, we finally found him." One of them, a Adlez youth with more holsters on his suit then you can count, said to the others. "Hey Ven, where have you beee---" That's when he, and the others, noticed how banged up they were. "---eeeaaaaaat the heck happened here?"

        Before any of them could answer, loud and multiple thuds could be heard. A brief look and it was Bran's mother, Vivian, who had dropped a lot of books for the schoolhouse they were establishing that she, her husband and Bran's father Leopold, leader of the colony Georgia, her Kitsune husband Belfast, and head of security & second in command Arlye were carrying. "Bran!" She shouted before running over to him. The poor kid could already feel the smothering coming on, but after a month away, he missed it, so he'll let it slide this once. "Bran! Bran, oh my goodness, what in the world happened to you? You were only gone 20 minutes!"

        20 minutes... geez, if only it was 20 minutes. "You should see the other guy." He tried to joke but failed miserably.  

        "This is not a joking matter!" She exclaimed. "Oh God, so many wounds and bruises... how are your clothes this torn apart? And what is this-" She looked to Eia, or rather towards the splatter upon her clothes. "Is this blood?! And a stab wound?!! What happened!?!" She then looked to Fayin and saw noticed her missing extremity. "And where's her claw!?"

        "Vivian. Vivian. Breath, dear." Leopold said from behind, gently putting his hands on his wife's hyperventilating shoulders and pulling her away. "Screaming like that won't get answers and the boy has clearly been through a lot... though I have no idea how since you just left."

        "I'm curious as to what happened too." Georgia said as she approached from behind with Arlye and Belfast.  

        "Should I even ask why you look so beat up?" The Adlez asked. "They're stealing all the pertinent questions."

        "IF everyone can just slow down already!" Ven begged. "It's a long story but we'll answer the best we can. You probably won't believe us, but luckily for us..." He pulled out the baggie holding the remains of his phone, including the intact SD card. "... we have a looooot of pictures to back it up."
 




      Returning to his temple, Velx let out a long exhale as he rubbed his eyes; the day isn't even at the 10th hour and he's already exhausted. The lot of them accidentally using the Gate, that's one thing... but to go forward to his time and learn everything? This won't sit well with the others, including Voule...

       "So..." He heard someone speak up. He looked and saw another of the Astrals down at the bottom of the steps of his temple. This Astral was decked out in fine clothing: fancy silk robes, a pompous and stupid puffy hat with way too many colorful feathers, and soft sandals made from the Dragenian equivalent of Corinthian leather. The only part of his magenta-scaled body that were visible were his tail and neck, and even then it was wrapped up in a ribbon. "...mind telling us what happened?"

       Of all the ones they sent to investigate, they sent the windbag? Velx slouched forward, feeling more exhausted than before. "What do you mean, Echag?"

       "We all sensed it." Echag said as he started up the steps. Velx was not surprised about that at all; he expected they would've sensed the activation of the Gate and sent someone to investigate... but again, did it have to be the obnoxious pompous arrogant manipulator? He's basically Termundus minus the violence... and plus a terrible fashion sense. "The activation of the Gate, and then the sudden disappearance of seven souls and the return of eleven." Eleven? Velx sensed only eight upon their return... so where is he sensing three more? "Mind telling us what happened?"

       Velx could delay, skirt around the bush, and shoot the breeze all he can, but eventually Echag will wear him down: it's never a wise idea to try and play coy around him- this Astral WILL wear you down, even when you are not putting up a resistance. With a heavy sigh, Velx explained, "One of the local children got too curious for her own good and an accident caused her, two of her friends, two hunters, my handmaid, and a Kalamander to be sent through time. To where, I don't know yet- right now, they are returning to their friends and families; to them, they've been gone a month."

       "So they've found the Golden Gate." Echag muttered. "Clearly, we must eliminate them."

       Before Echag could move, Velx got in his way with an angry snarl on his face. "Absolutely not!" The windbag rolled his eyes and continued on, only for Velx to get in his way again. "Touch them and I will end you: I don't care if you are my brother, you will not touch them."

       "Aw, isn't that sweet...?" Echag obnoxiously spoke like a baby as he ran his tail under his own chin. "The pup has a backbone..." He leaned in close to Velx's face and hissed, "And why shouldn't I kill them? They know the truth. They can ruin everything."

        "You don't know that. We don't know where or when they could've ended up. And even if they do know, I trust them to keep this a secret; i'll get on my knees and beg if I have to. Besides, you don't know who they look like; you never even met my handmaiden- all you know is that it's a Gaharot, so what are you going to do, massacre both towns just to get to them? It's not your style and would raise way too many questions." Exhag stayed silent for all of it, fuming underneath his calm exterior. "If you don't believe me, then ask Calcota- he was there with me."

       "Oh, I will..." Echag hissed as he dragged his tailblade across Velx's cheek. "And i will convince Voule to give you your punishment at the end of this, just you watch." He tapped his tailblade against the cheek with a faux smile before heading down the stairs, head held high.

       Relief filled Velx, relief that the situation ended as amcable as it did. "Before you leave..." he said aloud, prompting Echag to stop and turn his way. "You said you sensed eleven souls returning? But that's impossible- I sensed eight."

       Echag slowly shook his head, tsking away with the baby voice once again. "Poor Velxy, you never could sense the souls of the dead, and our travelers have picked up a few hitchhikers." And with that enigmatic sentence, he vanished. What he said made Velx even more confused: he could sense the souls of the dead just like the rest of them, so if he's telling the truth, why couldn't he sense these ones? And if the windbag is being truthful... who followed them home?




        After a long time away, Polosa has finally reached home. Her home wasn't in the village, though it was near it: her home was a small single-story cabin located on the eastern edge of the woods, before it gave way to a tiny plain that ended at the river that circled around the mesa Misken was build atop on.

        She missed that view so much after being gone for so long.... funny how it takes some time away and a near death experience to make you appreciate the finer things in life.

        She set down Quio's luggage and that transformed back into her Ferid self, landing in the middle of the pile and wiping off her brow. "Whew..." She panted. "I never thought I'd miss this shack." Her happy tone turned sad as she looked down at Quio's things. "I just wish you lived to see it, Quio. You would've liked this world."

        She moved out of the pile and went towards her door to open it back up and see what had happened after she had been gone for a mon--... for a day; this time travel stuff was going to be difficult. Before she could open the door, she stopped: not from hesitation or guilt, but from--

        She rushed towards the nearest potted plant she had and threw up, emptying the contents of her stomach. "Ugh..." She lifted her head and rested it on the rim. "What the hell...." She groaned. "That fight must've had a bigger number on me then I thought if I'm losing my lunch..." It wasn't the battle's fault.



        Over in the stack of buildings- 3 high, 7 in in a square- they had designated the hospital of the colony- even painting a large H on the side- the group was finally, finally, getting their wounds, bruises, cuts, scrapes, scratches, and in Eia's case, head trauma looked at. Visibly, though, Fayin clearly had the worst of it. Everyone had gathered in one of the big rooms, with 8 beds for 8 patients, with four of them being filled by the rattled heroes.

        "Yikes... this wound is ghastly..." The head doctor of the colony- a member of the Hesk species- hissed as he looked at Fayins wound, which had opened back up thanks to the fight with Felladae and its minions. ON another bed beside them, Pearl was getting tended to by the Kitsune veterinarian. "And you did this to yourself?" She nodded out of guilt and shame, still upset that she couldn't think of any other reason out of the contraption that held her captive. "How did you even survive?"

        From what little she remembers of that day thanks to all the self-induced pain was... something doing something to her foot when she started to regain consciousness, along with a vague phrase she doesn't remember. In summary as far as she knows: "I have no idea, but I have Bran to thank to ultimately saving me- I think performing hack-kneed surgery traumatized him."

        "Was it he who did these amateurish sutures?" 

        "Amateurish or not, he did save me from dying." That and a mouse and someone else she just cannot remember.... considering what Vendetta said, with Soulless eager to get them all home so they don't interfere with his own machinations... could it have been a Shadow that saved her? She'll never know for certain due to her full memory of that day having more holes than Swiss cheese but she'll believe to the end of her days that it was.

        "I'm not saying he did a bad job- for someone with no medical experience, he did well enough." The Hesk hovered over to a medical table that had a lot of tools upon it, most of it injectors. "And to answer your question, I should be able to heal this up proper: a combination of sutures and nanites will be able to get this healed up lickity split."

        That's a term she hadn't heard before. "Nanites?"

        "Microscopic robots."

        Robots... she heard that term before from the colonists but hadn't seen one yet: they're supposed to be metal machines created to perform tasks most organics wouldn't want to do... while others are used for warfare. "You're going to put tiny... those things into me?"

        The floating cephalopod waved one of its tentacles like how a bipedal would wave their hands to brush off a question. "No no no, just on your wound: these robots are meant to close wounds and repair damaged nerve systems, muscle fiber, bones, and tissue."

        "I dunno..." Fayin said hesitantly, looking at her wounded foot, not wanting to see the full extent of the damage she had done to herself. At least it wasn't bleeding...

        "Look, there is no way conventional medicine can ever heal a hole; there's just too much mass gone to replace... or in your case, a claw to regrow. Standard sutures will only keep it closed, while these," He held up the injector holding the nanites. "... will close it and heal it completely."

        She hopes so- it would be nice to walk around without worry of being hurt again... however, ".... would they even work on me? I'm a unknown species to you guys; what if they don't work?"
        
        "They will." The doctor replied, confidence in his statement. "I mean, they should- they work on the Argaliths and they're lizards like yourself."

        "But they're lizards. If your human friends are right, then me and my kind are birds. Those are two totally different things."

        "Yes, that is true. But you're not the only avian species we've met. There were others in the Milky Way; one unfortunately went extinct about 700 years ago..." The doctor held up the injector to eye level. "I won't lie; this will be uncomfortable: they are repairing broken skin and damaged nerves and tissue while creating new connections, so unpleasantness should be expected."

        "Great..." hopefully it won't be really painful... hopefully. She reached out and grabbed it- it was a lot lighter than she was expecting. "... how long will it take?"

        "All depends on how much damage is down there. If everything you told me was true and the extensive look, then probably 5 days, a week max." 

        A week out of commission, eh? She looked down at the injector in her claws and sighed: if this was the only way to get better, she was gonna have to take it. Besides, after the hell that was Naya, a week sounds like a nice relaxing vacation. With a deep breath, readied to jab her foot with the injector but stopped as she wisely asked, "Un, how to I use this?"

        "You gotta inject it near the target site." She tilted her head in confuzzlement, but did realize what he meant. With a deep breath, she braced herself as she stabbed herself in the foot with the injector... and that was all she had to do: the nanites in the device entered her automatically and, like the doc described, went to work on repairing the damaged area, which was pretty extensive. "Huh... that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would."

        "Just wait for it to start repairing the damage." The Hesk said as it took back the injector, leaving Fayin to wonder in worry just how bad that was going to feel.

        On the other side of the room, as they are getting checked up, the others were just wrapping up their long and storied explanation of what they went through... that took 3 hours. The story stopped just before the final battle as it was still too fresh in their minds... just mere hours ago.

        That's how long it took for the group to tell in detail the wild and dangerous adventure they just experienced. If it were only just words, nobody would believe them at their word: a world mired in corrupted, beset from within by a villainous general that led a tireless persecution of their Silvers, and without by horrific & almost untouchable possessor demons... it sounds a little too fantastical. If anything, it sounds like the plot to a dark fantasy novel. The tattered clothes and the bruises could be explained away as, for the kids, too much roughhousing, and for Polosa and Ven, being trapped underground for a day. But the images tell another story: as memory SD cards were made to be universal, recovering the pictures was as easy as plugging it into the colony's mainframe and letting Solstice and Arlene sort through it all. 

        They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, Ven has 94000 words.

        "... I have to admit..." Arlye said as he looked up at the holographic images that projected from the terminal, his attention currently on an image of the city of Nexia. "...if not for these pictures, I would never have believed your story for a second. I mean, how could we? It sounds so farfetched."

        Resting on the medical bed, Ven exhaled, "I wouldn't blame ya for being skeptical, but it all did happen."

        "And you were all trapped there for over a month?" The reptile asked, not taking his gaze off the curious images.

        "Yep..." Ven rubbed his chest, where that stupid crystal caused him pain untold. "...and the first two days were the worst..."

        With a wave of his hand, Arlye changed the image to one of Termundus, in his embarrassing rookie attire from his demotion. Even then, he could tell: this was a brutish monster. "If your story about this Termundus fellow is true, then I believe it."

         Elsewhere in the room, Vivian was still looking her son over like a mother monkey despite Leopold's best attempts to get her to stop, checking to make sure that he was fully healed; well, as healed as can be without a trip to the doctor. She pretty much destroyed the rooms first aid kit tending to him, leaving barely any for the others and none for the actual staff. "Mooooom... cut it out..." He whined out of embarrassment as she wiped sweat and blood off his forehead.

        "Not a chance- you were nearly killed by that horrific place."

        "I'm alive now, aren't I?"

        "Barely." Eia snickered, hiding a grin under the hands she had over her mouth. 

        "Not helping, Eia..." Bran hissed under his breath. 

        It took all of Leopold's pleading and then some just to get his wife away from their son. "Honey, honey, honey... relax. He survived the dangers of that place and he's back here safe and sound."

        She moved his hands away. "You are very nonchalant about our only child almost dying on some nightmare world!" She proclaimed. "I want to keep our baby boy safe."

        Removing the dozens of gauze from his body, Bran stood up from his seat, "Mom, I survived monsters over there the likes of which you doooooon't want explained. I don't want to come home and be taken out by othermothering." 

        "Braaaaaan..." She whined, feeling like she's letting him down...

        ...and he could sense that. While she's being surprisingly extra clingy right now, he knows that she cares for him greatly and does not want him to be hurt, but life happens and hurt comes anyways. Still... he now felt guilty for pushing her away from taking care of his wounds, so, "Mom, right now, some new clothes, a nice hot shower, all I want is a hot meal that is not made from squid."

        Eia slouched forward like a starving puppy whining, "Oh gods yessssss.... we've had so much of that stuff, I'm gonna be tasting it for days... everything is going to taste like calamari..."

        Leopold scratched his head, "Bran, I thought you hated squid."

        He did... and having it for the entire boat ride was horrendous... but they had no other options, were low on cash, and on a time limit, so he was in no position to complain at the time. "Desperate times, dad. Desperate times." 

        Back with the more mature adults in the room, Georgia was looking at the images too, with her husband Belfast commenting, "I never realized you were so proficient in photography." 

        "I dabbled in it for a few decades just to try something new. Guess the skills stuck."

        "And plentiful." Georgia commented as she scrolled through them. "There are hundreds in here." Actually dozens, but Ven wasn't going to argue with her. Georgia kept scrolling until she got to the last picture... that of Ocilus, a worried look on her face as she had dropped the phone at that point in time. The head of the colony tried to keep going but it wouldn't let her- this was the end of the line. "I'm guessing this is where that Ocilus woman you mentioned dropped the phone; there's no more pictures after this."

        "No there isn't..." Ven sank his head into his pillow, fidgeting with his fingers. He moved a hand to his chest, where the crystal had corrupted him... and almost led to his turn into one of those demons. "...and be glad: what happened after that was... that was horrible, to say the least."

        "The very least!" Fayin shouted from the other side of the room.

        "It was hell." Bran shuddered, not wanting to remember how close he was to turning into a monster.

        "What happened?"Arlye innocently asked.

        They were going to have to tell the final leg of their journey eventually... but with the events they just experienced still raw in their minds and hearts, they wanted to cut it brief and short... at least for now. "To put it briefly..." Eia started, "an eldritch monster of a Shadow called Felladae killed Quio, possessed Ocilus but was..." She paused, not wanting to continue... not wanting to repeat what she saw happen right in front of her eyes.

        Bran, sensing her pain, took over for her. "She was... mercifully killed before she had to suffer what came next... but that didn't kill the demon: it possessed both of their bodies and frankensteined them together to form some superbeast and nearly did all of us in if not for some deus ex machina."

        Arlye and Belfast looked at each other; they had expected more, and Georgia agreed. "That's a neat little summary, kid, but--" She saw the looks on their faces: the pain of that battle was still fresh in their minds... as are the deaths of their friends. "Oh.... right... all of that was just hours ago for you guys." Now she felt terrible for trying to force them to talk. "... well, there's no need to force yourself's to tell us if you don't want to.

        "Thanks." Eia replied, looking to the floor.

        "Although, how did you get back?" Belfast asked. "You clearly used time travel, so..."

        The four of them didn't want to explain it to anyone for a couple of reasons: one is that they have no bloody idea how to even try to describe what they saw in the Cavern of Halls and what they learned; they weren't writers, and they wouldn't be able to read the booklet. The second is that... well, the way Velx reacted to them even being near the Gate was scary; they had never seen him like that before, almost as if he was afraid of it himself, so... maybe it was best if they kept the finer details to themselves, at least for now, at least until they get Velx's reactions and feedback to this. If Polosa and Sokuro were here, they'd agree too.

        "Yeah, it was time travel." Bran said. "But..................................... it was so complicated; I don't know if we could do it justice." Not to mention the aforementioned Velx freakout.

        Arlye crossed his arms, "If you don't wanna tell us, that's fine- just don't beat around the bush around it." With a flick of his hand, he made the pictures move backwards on their own. "Besides, I wouldn't blame you all if you want to take a long rest- I would too if i survived a month in that place." The scrolling landed on a random image. "It's frankly amazing how you all made it back in one piece."

        Ven looked over at the images and saw what it had landed on: a photo he had taken before they set sail from Nexia, with Fayin & Bran in the center and Ven & Quio right behind them; Alua, Fira, Aerid Eia, Pira, and Seqy to the left, and Seliox, Aerid Polosa, Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian to the right; in the front was Ferid Sokuro having an arm around Sil's neck, Kader standing on his head, and a big smile on their faces as the mouse had up the peace sign.

        "Yeah... well... we had some good people to help us through it all."

86: Chapter 81: Borderline Fantastical
Chapter 81: Borderline Fantastical

Chapter 81

Borderline Fantastical

3/14/5791 E.S.D. 







        3 hours was all it took for the others to explain their adventure to the heads of Novalle, something they found hard to believe, but the pictures provided by Ven helped solidify that, despite the belief that time travel is impossible, it clearly happened and the six of them were forced on a life-or-death journey that nearly ended in death for all. It took Sokuro less time to tell the story to Taled, but she had one drawback:

        she didn't have the photos to back up her claim, so most of that time was her trying to convince him that it was real and that it did happen, but her damage at the end of it all was the skirt of her dress and her hood being torn, something that can easily happen by scrapping yourself against rocks, which he knows happened since she left to go deal with something with Bran. 

        "That's um.... that's quite a tale sis, but un... there's no way it happened."

        "But I'm telling you, it's true." Sokuro said as she landed on the dock near the orphanage.

        He slid off into her paw that she had moved back to catch him, then jumped off it when she set it down on the dock. "There's no way it could have; it's impossible to travel through time; the Astrals don't have time powers."

        "You're not listening..." She sighed as she changed back to her Ferid form.

        "I am, and it's a good story- you should turn that into a book."

        Sokuro sighed as she pinched her eyes... though he's not wrong; she could make a book out of this. While enticing, she shook her head with a blubbering mouth to bring her back into focus. She ran to catch up with him, not wanting to be away from him again, even if only for a few seconds. She caught up to him just as he started up the path to the... to the orphanage. To home.

        She stood outside for what felt like ages, taking in the fact she was back home after so long once again. Happy tears formed in her eyes again and some fell before she wiped her eyes. It doesn't matter if he believed her or not... she was just so happy to be home. Her legs moved before she could think it; she was already in the door before she knew it... her heart skipped a beat when she saw everyone in the main living room eating their breakfast: her fellow Ferids Eriod, Leoi, Set, and Aka, and their fellow Gaharot orphans Buron, Vela, and Vaset.

        Finishing up cooking their breakfast, their Gaharot caregiver Hela and her oldest son Vela put the dirty cookware in the sink while her newborn son Tela slept in his bassinet. She wiped the water off her paws and turned, seeing her in the doorway, just standing still, like she's in some sort of trance; probably upset that breakfast is done and she didn't get anything to eat. "Oh, hey there Sokuro. Sorry, I forgot about you and Taled- i can--" she was interrupted by a sudden hug by the little girl. 

        Not bothering to hold the tears back, Sokuro croaked out, "I missed you all so much..." 

        Vela looked to the orphans his mother was caring for and they all just shrugged or looked on in bewilderment. "Um..." He popped his lips. "We... appreciate the...whatever this is, but you weren't gone that long. Did you miss us that much? We're not exactly a memorable bunch." That prompted Buron and Aka to glare at him.

        With a sniffle, Sokuro let go of Hela and wiped her eyes. "And there's that dry wit of yours... you have no idea how much I missed that."

        "Un..... ok?" The young Gaharot stammered, scratching the back of his head.

        "I think what he means is where all this emotion is coming from." Hela said. That was she now then noticed that Sokuro's clothes were torn up in the skirt area, and that she herself was pretty banged up. "On that note, what happened to you? It looks like you were in a nasty scrape."

        Sokuro softly and dryly coughed; they were all in for one heck of a story. "That's putting it mildly." She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. She cleared her throat before starting. "Well, you see--"

        From the ice box where they keep their refreshments, Taled had pulled out a pitcher of freshly squeezed fruit juice and poured himself a cup. "She's claiming she traveled through time and battled monsters." 

        While frustrated that her little brother just nonchalantly explained it all in a single sentence... she's more impressed he did it in a single sentence while it took her an hour and the flight home. "... pretty much that." She then went on to explain in more detail about everything she had gone through being dragged forward into Naya's time, the battles with Termundus and the Shadows, and the friends she made there... she made sure to keep Termundus' claim about the Original 12 Astrals being his siblings from a lab a secret for now since she still doesn't believe him about it... but it doesn't hurt to have confirmation about it. As she talked, she heard the other orphans snicker, finding her unbelievable story unbelievable. 

        During that whole explanation, the others had finished their food and relocated to the living room, with Hela herself sitting in a beanbag as she fed her infant. "Well, that's... quite a tall tale."

        "But it happened!" Sokuro persisted. "Look at my dress! Look at me! Would I willingly hurt myself or tear my dress if I was lying?"

        "It's obvious you just fell down some rocks and this was all some fever dream." Buron said. tossing some extra nuts into her mouth. "That can happen, you know."

       "But it wasn't a fever dream. It did happen, but time travel--"

       "Is impossible." Leoi insisted. "Nobody can travel through time- it's just impossible."

       "We did. And we barely made it out alive."

       "Oh come on." Vaset groaned, getting annoyed by all of this. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that you were whisked away to some future land, fought living shadows, and everything is just awful? You know how crazy that sounds?"

        "I believe her." Set said.

        Finally, someone on her side. "Thank you, Set."

        "You honestly believe she traveled through time?" Her sister Aka asked.

        "Well, I believe that she believes it, and with how passionate she is with this, how can you not believe her?"

        Ok, so Set's not entirely on her side, but Sokuro will take what she can get. She groaned in anger, turning around and tapping her hand against her forehead like Winnie the Pooh; how can she make them bel-- she snapped her fingers as she remembered: wait, that's right: Ven's pictures. They'll have to be recovered and viewable by now. She also remembered the book of her and Taled's parents; she did write down her thoughts about the events within, and she's not a fast writer, so they'll have to believe her. "I remember, I wrote everything I went through down." She put down her parent's book on the table. "And Ven has pictures."

        That was something she should've led with, so that the others wouldn't be jumping down her throat on whether or not this is all really real. "Ok, now see, those may help us believe you." Buron said.

        With a confident huff, Sokuro bounded for the door, leaving behind her book that Hela picked up. "I'll be right back." She shouted back to them. She transformed back into her Aerid form the moment she was out the door, leaving a plume of sparkles that spread through the main area like smoke. The orphans coughed, waving their hands away from it.

        "Well..." Eriod popped her lips, "She's certainly enthused by all this."

        "You can say that again." Zalet said. The young Gaharot leaned back in his seat and tapped his clawed fingers together. "What if she's telling the truth though? Reading is one thing, but pictures? That's a whole other story, cause there's no way she and those other people she mentioned could've fabricated all this in that short a time."

        Having read it before when Sokuro and Taled's parents were still alive, Hela skipped through the pages to the last one she remembered. She then read beyond that and flipped forward to see how far she had written. As it turns out, very far: at least 5 pages worth, both front and back. "Hmm.... i don't think she made all this up, not with all that is written here. Last I checked, she is a very slow writer. There is no way she could've wrote all this in that short a time."

        "Think we were a little too harsh on her?" Taled asked, feeling bad for not believing his sister now.

        "Yes." She replied. "Yes, you all were. If she truly did go on this adventure, then she must feel hurt coming back and not having anyone believe her." Now they all felt bad. Closing the book, Hela got up from her beanbag and set the tome down on the table. "Maybe those pictures will convince you all she was being truthful and that we were all wrong and rude."

        "That's rather passive aggressive of you, mom." Vela said.

        "It's been a long morning." She sighed.

        Without missing a beat, Sokuro came running back, having remembered something crucial. "Actually!..." she yelled as she ran inside. "I just remembered something! When we came back from Naya, we brought Quio's belongings back with us."

        Now that's something that can be really convincing into proving that her story was real. It's easy to fabricate texts, and it takes work to falsify pictures but it is doable, but things? That's something hard to counterfeit. And with her being gone mere minutes before she returned, there would be no conceivable way for her and these others to fake make everything, and bonus points towards the convincing game if they look nothing like from Dragenia or the Colonists things. 

        "Now, if only you led with that." Buron jested. "Where are they?"

        "Polosa took them to her place. Let's go."

        Before Sokuro could run out the door again, Hela stopped her when she asked, "Hold up. Do you even know where Huntress Polosa lives?"

        She did not; Sokuro's lived in Misken all her life but not once has she ever wondered where Polosa actually lived- their time in Naya was the only time they ever interacted outside of recent political stuff, come to think of it. "........... um..... n-no, no I don't."

        "I do." the caretaker said as she got up from the beanbag. "I'll go rent us a skyboat."

        The kid clapped her hands, "You go do that- I'm gonna pop over to the colony and see if I can get them pictures." And with THAT out of the way, she took off yet again.

        "Somehow, I'm becoming more and more convinced." Taled said, with everyone else nodding in unison.


        In the time it took for all that to happen, and for Sokuro to zip on over to the colony to get a copy of the pictures, she arrived at around the same time the others would getting their wounds patched up: Fayin had just injected her foot with nanites to permanently seal her self-inflicted escape wound, and the others were discussing their adventures with the leadership in the medical room.

        Of course, when Sokuro landed at the colony, she didn't remember where to go. It had been a long while since she had been to the medical center for the place- the last time she was there was just after her battle with the Phagos- so she's pretty rusty on where it was. Thankfully, a guard was familiar with where it was and showed her the way. She remembered it being smaller... maybe that's why she couldn't find it without help; they changed up how it looked. 

        "Um, excuse me." She timidly asked the human receptionist, who was busy surfing the internet while on her job. "Do you know where I can find Bran, Ven, Polosa, Fayin, Eia, and Pearl?"

        "Who?" The receptionist asked in response, barely hiding her rude attitude. "If you mean those weirdos who claimed they went forward of whatever's, they're in examination room 2b."

        "Un... thanks?" Sokuro had no idea where that was, but she wasn't going to argue with Ms. Rude here. She went through the doors that led into the facility, not that the receptionist cared. She was able to find better help from one of the nurses, who told her to just head down the hall, which she did. As she walked through, she gawked at all the technical marvels all around her: every time she comes to the colony, she always finds something new to be impressed by. Maybe these guys could cure the Froypes after all.

        Eventually, she heard voices. Their voices.

        "If you don't wanna tell us, that's fine- just don't beat around the bush around it." With a flick of his hand, he made the pictures move backwards on their own. "Besides, I wouldn't blame you all if you want to take a long rest- I would too if i survived a month in that place." The scrolling landed on a random image. "It's frankly amazing how you all made it back in one piece."

       Ven looked over at the images and saw what it had landed on: a photo he had taken before they set sail from Nexia, with Fayin & Bran in the center and Ven & Quio right behind them; Alua, Fira, Aerid Eia, Pira, and Seqy to the left, and Seliox, Aerid Polosa, Terrum, Terrux, and Taltian to the right; in the front was Ferid Sokuro having an arm around Sil's neck, Kader standing on his head, and a big smile on their faces as the mouse had up the peace sign.

       "Yeah... well... we had some good people to help us through it all."

        Sokuro peeked inside the room she heard all the voices coming from and found them. "There you guys are." She said as she entered. She saw the others when she came in, along with Bran's parents and Novalle's leaders, but no Polosa for some reason.

        "Greaaatuh...." Eia sharply hissed. "...you're here."

        Ignoring the hostile welcome from Eia, Sokuro came in and saw that everyone was being checked up on. "How's everyone doing?" 

        "I got robots in my foot." Fayin said as she held up her hurt foot.

        "Oh." Sokuro stammered. "That's... nice."

        "They're going to heal her wound." The Hesk doctor that gave the nanobots to her added.

        "We're fine, kid." Ven said. "Some of us got banged up, but we're more or less alright."

        "Spreak for yourself." Eia said with hostility towards him.

        "Kid, i didn't--"

        "Will you stop calling me that?!" She snapped towards him. Her hostile outburst put the kitsune aback, and with it even being a surprise to the others. The hostility to Sokuro, they......... sort of understood; she blames her for the death of Ocilus, but to Ven? He barely even said anything to her. "And who are you to say 'we're fine'? We are not fine! You two almost turned into those Shadow demons, Fayin almost killed herself just to get out of her prison cell, and little princess sunshine there barely had anything done to her; her worst injury belongs to her dress! Whereas I got a concussion and fell into a 2 day coma, got stabbed in the gut, and saw that lunatic cat drive a sword through Ocilus' mouth cause this nutcase just had to be curious!" She slid off her bed in a huff. "We're fine, my ass!" She then stormed out, with Arlye and Belfast making damn sure not to be anywhere close to her; this girl was on a warpath.

        Georgia, however, had the guts to daring to talk to her after that rant. "You didn't tell us about the coma or the concussion." That made Eia stop in her tracks. "If those happened to you, you need to stay here." The kid looked back at her with thinly veiled anger. "We need to take scans of your brain to make sure it's unhurt."

        Eia looked back to her and glared daggers at her. She's a Shaman... she can zap them all with electricity and be done with it- nobody will know it was her; she could be rid of that pest once and for all... but she didn't do it; something inside her was preventing her from doing so. Maybe she does need to get checked out. "... Fine." She gritted through her teeth. Instead of returning to the last bed, she went to one on the far side of the room, as far away from Sokuro as she could get. To add on more layers, she grabbed the blanket and turned away from them, pulling it over her.

        "Someone's moody!" Belfast commented loudly.

        "Please don't add more to it..." Sokuro sighed. "She's been like this the entire time and... let's just not make things worse."

        There was no easy way to segway things out of this tense awkwardness into something else, so Fayin just went and did it anyways; it would get them out of this intense tension, at least. "So how'd your reunion go?"

        From one thing to another... Sokuro exhaled and said, "It went well... but he didn't believe me. None of them did. They thought I was making it all up."

        "Yeah, we had that happen to us too." Bran said. "I mean, I see why they would be skeptical: it was a month for us over there, but just a few minutes here. I would be skeptical too if I was on their shoes. At least we had the pictures to prove it did happen."

        It was a good thing he said it, which meant she could lead into the next question without question. "Which leads into what brought me here in the first place." She said as she spun around to the fox. "I need the pictures you took while we were there in Naya. If the others saw those, they would surely believe me, right?"

        Ven knew she was going to ask for pictures the moment he saw her walk in; he's seen it happen before. Granted, time travel was not involved in those events, but it's the same principal. "I knew you were gonna ask for them- i just knew it. He grinned. "Alright, just give me a few- I'll print them out."

        That went easier than expected, she thought. Hopefully the next one will go easier than expected too. "Thanks. I also have a second question for Polosa, but... she's not here?"

        "She's dropping off Quio's things." Bran said. "...though she is taking a lot longer than I would've expected. Hope she's ok."

        "I'm fine..." Polosa groaned as she stepped through the door, looking pale and nauseous. 

        "There's the huntress!" Ven cheerfully exclaimed, only for that to go away when he saw how dismal she looked. "Un, you ok, you look pale."

        "Yeah, just some sickness...: She groaned as she went to an empty seat. "I just have an upset stomach from the battle... been kicking my butt since we came back. It's that... or it's all that squid coming back to haunt me. Either way, I tossed up my lunch, my breakfast, and my dinner." Hearing her groaning in pain is what brought Eia out of her hateful funk, having her raise her head to look over at the besieged huntress.

        Sokuro sheepishly tapped her fingers together. "Guess now is a bad time to ask if I can take the orphans over to your place to see Quio's things so they would believe me, huh?" She sheepishly chuckled. Polosa raised up her head and, in unknowing conjuncture with Eia, glared at her. "Yeah... bad time to ask."

        "Very bad time..." Polosa groaned. "A lot of rugrats at my door is the last thing that I need."

        "No, what you all need is a shower." Belfast commented. "I didn't want to say anything before since you all went through an ordeal, but I can't keep it contained any longer: you all stink." Ven raised his armpit, took a sniff, and immediately passed out. ".... yeah, ya'll need a shower pronto... and we'll put your clothes through several rinse cycles... and maybe hire an exorcist cause, i'll be honest, you all stink like you're from a underworld pit."

        Seeing Ven knocked out by his own stench left the others in no position to argue. "I... guess it has been a while since we bathed." Sokuro sheepishly chuckled; Fayin blushed out of embarrassment as she hid her face in her hands while Polosa and Bran awkwardly whistled.

        Moments later, after being escorted to the bathing facilities the doctors and nurses use, and throwing their clothes in the hamper to be washed, and bleached and cleansed and set on fire, the group had retired to the showers and each given their own stall, and boy howdy, after spending so much time fighting death at every turn in all the grime and filth, this felt heavenly. 

        Bran and Sokuro were singing away in their showers while the rest simply enjoyed theirs. "By the stars, I never thought a shower would feel so amazing..." Polosa cooed as she ran her soapy hands through her greasy hair. 

        "This was soooooooorely neeeded." Fayin loudly said, with Pearl under her catching the water in her mouth as it fell from the faucet; due to her injury, her foot had to be covered in a plastic bag to avoid causing more harm to it- she'll have to wash it later with a sponge or something. 

        Eia breathed out a happy sigh of contentment as she let the water and soap cleanse her; it was like all she needed was a shower of some kind to wash away the misery. "It feels like all the stress and pain from the last month just washed away." She said as she leaned on the wall opposite of the faucet. "Could this get any better?"

        "Food!" Bran yelled out.

        The gang looked out and saw plates of food set out for them on the bench. They were all quick to turn off their showers, dry off- and in record time too- and put on the supplied stock-white medical robes before descending on the supplied grub like hungry vultures. It was basic stuff: fruits and vegetables fresh out of the freezer, juice boxes, and some granola bars- all things new to the local Dragenians as they never saw broccoli, oranges, spinach, apples, and grapes before, but at least it wasn't squid. Their return home food may be basic, but they'll more than gladly take it.

        With his mouth full, Bran said, "I never thought freeze-dried vegetables would taste so good."

        Sokuro devoured through her apple like a ravenous beast. "I'll take this over a month of calamari any day!" She also said with a full mouth.

        Polosa tried her hand at what the colonists thought of granola bars and was pleasantly surprised. "You folks have good tastes!"

        "Wait till you try our meat." Ven commented to her. "Trust me: once you have pork, you'll never go back." That comment made Fayin and Eia, their cheeks bulging from all the food inside, looked at each other and pondered what the heck pork was. Pearl paid no mind as she gorged on the apples.

        In the corner of the room, as they wanted to make sure their son was okay and well-fed, Leopold, Vivian, and Georgia watched as they devoured everything they had set out for them. "The way they eat, you'd think they never had this in their lives." Leopold commented. "And Bran hates broccoli."

        "Guess this means they're telling the truth after all." Vivian said, wishing it was not so. "Time Travel hurts my head..."

        Georgia rubbed a finger against her chin, thinking about it all and the implications. "Time travel... huh...."

        From behind, Belfast grabbed her and wiggled a finger at her. "Doooon't even think about it." He ordered. "You saw Time Travel movies- you know that never ends well."

        Georgia looked away all playfully and coy, pretending like she didn't know what he was talking about. She was never great at poker, though; she did not have a lying face. "Oh, fine. But I wasn't going to do anything to begin with; odds are it's only set at a two-way conduit, and i do not want to end up where they did- it did not sound pleasant." That's a mild way to put it. "Besides, that land is sacred to the Dragenians- we'd be risking a lot just even asking."

        "Yes, you would." A soft voice came from behind. From the shadows came the oldest living member of the colony, and the second oldest of the planet: one of the Oldest Kitsune, dressed up in rather simple and modest clothing for one as old and important as her; dark grey jean everything.

        "Oh, Lady Kitsunagi." Belfast bowed to her, a voluntary thing he and the rest of their kind do out of respect to their elders, and she is indeed one of them. "What are you doing here?"

        "The local gossip mill is telling me that these cubs went galivanting through time and I am just curious if that is at all true." She strode on in, carrying herself high as she is the only one among the current gathering of Milky Way denizens who knows what happened. And I can tell just from lookin' at 'em, it's true."

        "You can tell just by looking at us?" Sokuro asked.

        The very eldest nodded. "I did. I am 3 Billion Years old..." And as expected, pretty much nearly everything spat out their lunch in surprise... except for Ven; he already knew that. "...I've seen a lot, and I mean a lot, over the years... including those who would be foolhardy enough to ever attempt to use Time as a means to an end... and one that was able to succeed."

        "You know." While her cryptic talking when over some people's heads, it didn't go over others. "You know who made it." Sokuro softly said in realization.

        Kitsuragi nodded. "I know. But I will not say."

        That was just amazing... not only was Kitsuragi that old, but she was alive when the Cavern of Halls was made? Then that whole faclity must be at least 3 Billion Years old too... how can something that old still be in such pristene condition? "Then you must know who this Ghi'ich'tarl guy is." Bran said. 

        Kitsuragi raised up an eyebrow. "Gil who?"

        "Ghi'ich'tarl." Polosa said. "He... helped us get back home. Kind of." One of the few articles of clothing they didn't take were Fayin's saddlebags- they required a specialized cleaning method- and she pulled out the pamphlet they found in the Cavern. "He somehow knew everything we were going to do and say, right down to the words."

        "In a pamphlet?" Georgia said as she walked in. "I don't recognize that language."

        "Only I can read it." Fayin said. Before, they all agreed to keep some aspects about their return home a secret; other than the, at-the-moment unconfirmed, origins of the original 12 Astrals, there was also the full extent of the Cavern of Halls and the implications such a place brings... or if someone would be stupid enough to actually use it. "Due to... reasons that I cannot divulge."

        "Figures..." Georgia muttered. "But... seeing as how even I had thoughts of using your new method of time travel, I understand why."

        "As for your question..." Kitsuragi interrupted. "No, I never heard of someone named Ghi'ich'tarl."

        A feeling of disappointment weighed down on the younger and more curious members of the group; so much for one of the oldest living figures in the universe to know who Ghi'ich'tarl was.... now the mystery behind the pamphlet and how he knew everything continues. "... though i get the feeling that Gene knew him..."

        Gene... they heard that name before, back in the Cavern of Halls, in Ghi'ich'tarl's message to them in the pamphlet. "Who is this Gene?" Eia asked.

        "I'm afraid I cannot divulge much... he did swear me to secrecy under penalty of death."

        "After billions of years?" An unbelieving Ven muttered.

        "You don't know Gene like I do. Trust me... he has a way. What I can tell you about him is that he was powerful in nearly every aspect of life; some even called him the god of time."

        With what they saw inside the place, he must've been to have created something so grand and convoluted. "Cause he created the Cavern?" Sokuro assumed.

        Rather than correct her and blowing her mind, Kitsuragi went on with that; he did create the Cavern- no denying that- but how he did it was a sight to behold and one she can't do justice to describe. "Yes. That's one aspect of him. And i hope you understand that Time Travel is not a toy to play with; even if you step on a bug when it wasn't supposed to die, it could have drastic repercussions." 

        "Yes yes, we know of the Butterfly Effect." Ven said. He and Bran know of it, but the ladies don't. "But we were sent to the future, not the past, so can the Butterfly Effect even echo into the past?"

        That was honestly a good question, one she doesn't have an answer for, to be honest. Doesn't stop her from being a little mischievous. "Well, you never know." She said with a half-smile.

        "Cryptic much?" Eia droned, sipping out of the mango-flavored juicebox she took.
        
        Bran crossed his arms and complained, "I swear, every time someone knows something or become wise, they always turn into riddlers and speak only in metaphors." It seemed to be a universal thing as nobody made questions or complaints.

        Watching the very eldest as she left the room, Sokuro leaned on the bench, tapping her fingers upon it. "Well, we learned a couple things, like how old the Cavern is. It still leaves us with a lot of questions..."

        "No." Eia said as she spoke for everyone in the room. "It leaves YOU with a lot of questions, not us; you are not going to drag us into another death world." Harsh, everyone agreed... but accurate: they won't want to go through all this again, despite all the lingering threads dangling in the air. If Sokuro wants to indulge in her curiosity, she needs to do it on her own time and without endangering all of them again. "And besides, it's a question we'll probably never get the answer to, nor will Kitsuragi tell us." Another thing she is right about.

        Eventually, the gang finally got to experience something they hadn't been able to for over a month: peace and quiet. After their smorgasbord, they relaxed for the first time in what felt like forever. This whole day had just been non-stop: the battle with Felladae and his cronies, the fall of Quio and Ocilus, saying goodbye to their new friends and traveling through time- even when they got home, they didn't have time to relax because they had to explain everything that went on and get medically checked up on.

        But now, they finally had it: some peace, quiet, and relaxation... finally. They just lazily lounged about with soft muzak playing from Bran's phone, letting everything they went through soak in and enjoying this quiet time before things inevitably kick back up again.

        Laying on his back with his hands behind his head, Ven stared up at the ceiling as he kicked his feet to the music. "I just had an idea." He suddenly said.

        "Red alert: Ven has an idea." Polosa joked.

        "Har har..." He sat himself up and turned on his butt towards the others. "I was thinking that we should write a book about this." A book? really? The group got anxious and nervous about that prospect; they usually take a lot of time and energy to complete even one, least that's how it is on Dragenia- the locals will not believe how fast books can be written, published, and distributed with the colonists futuristic tech. "What's with the faces? It makes perfect sense. Besides, our memories won't be pristine forever so it would be nice to have it in some sort of written form while it is still fresh in our minds."

        Fayin fidgeted with her claws, feeling uncertain about this. "Yeah, true, but... books take a lot of time to make."

        "Not if we all pitch in our own versions of what happened. Like we all write about what happened to us, like "The Trials of Ventus" or "The Perils of Polosa" or--"

        "We get it." Eia grumbled. "But doesn't writing a book about this seem a bit desperate or opportunistic? We're going to make money off of our friends back on Naya."

        "Who said anything about money?" Ven corrected her. "At best, people will thing: 'oh wow, sounds like these poor people went through quite the ordeal', and at worse, they'll think it's stylized fiction like what Sokuro is going through. And besides, have you not heard of memoirs?" 

        "... never mind."

        "Look, it's just an idea I'm putting out there: that doesn't mean we actually have to do it."

        "As long as you are making that distinctively clear." Polosa said. He did for them... but he was going to write that book even if they won't help.