Whilst the group of humans strolled towards the stables, where their mounts were said to have been prepared and in waiting, Hakuren took a moment to properly assess the situation they were all in.
A fire-breathing dragon had come down from the heavens and wreaked havoc upon the innocent inhabitants of Sol, destroying their beloved home-place and creating chaos with each flap of its wings. Many brave warriors had fallen in an attempt to slay the heartless beast, alas the scourge continued. The smells of both blood and ash mixed and floated in the air, creating the despondent essence in the atmosphere. Despite being far, moans and groans of fading souls could be heard echoing faintly in the distance. The outworldly party could not see it, but it was clear. This was a time of war, not a fun adventure.
Although some still failed to realize this fact, it was certainly refreshing to witness their shenanigans. Ace’s upbeat and cheerful mannerism was like a warm sunny ray in a cold winter’s day and likely relieved some of the pressure off the shoulders of the kingdom’s current ruler.
With the king allegedly missing, his heir, prince Tobias, had taken on his father’s duties. He were merely a child, stubborn, a tough one at that. The lad’s expression had been tired and grim in their first encounter, most likely due to seeing scenes of carnage, which should not typically be placed before the eyes of children his age. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Worn out and in no condition to be presentable as a royal should, His Majesty had quickly pulled out a map, revealing the location of the demonic lizard’s lair, which was to be their newest destination. To answer the Dragoons’ request to take their leave and join their comrades in the battle field, he denied them, stating that they should accompany Queen Delirium’s reinforcements on their journey. It was an order, albeit a meek one, which the couple could not object.
In the mean time, during their visit to his Highness’ headquarters, Hakuren could not shake off the strange feeling he had. The very first mention of the country’s name, Sol, rang a bell within his mind, however, he could not interpret its call. For a reason unknown to him, it brought up an association with a certain red-haired gun-loving lawyer, which could not be considered entirely odd, if you were to take into consideration how much Gino adored fantacy. It was very likely that the loud-mouthed individual had once randomly mentioned something concerning medieval folklore, yet he felt like there was more to that. The inability to recall that moment in his personal record pestered the green-blue-eyed man quite a bit and did not leave him be right until the point when they were asked to change clothing to something more suitable for their upcoming travel.
Outfitted in a
fashion befitting the era, Hakuren no longer wore his signature midnight green coat and black fedora. Having left his possessions at the castle, with the exception of his hard-cover notebook, the student’s new attire consisted of a piece of upper clothing quite similar to a robe, but also to a cloak, for it had baggy sleeves that extended only a bit after the elbow, yet not to the wrist; a turtleneck, the purpose of which was to keep the body warm, due to the fact that, while bodily functions could be carried out normally in lower temperatures because of his power, it was best to have a layer of protection just in case outside effects caused a disruption to the temperature balance; long fingerless gloves; pants and knee-length boots. There were no embroideries or the like, the entire costume being rather plain, for everything was black, apart from the turtleneck, which was white. Yet this evidently simply appearance contrasted well with the weapon he had been given. It was a long staff, light like a bamboo stick, yet as beautiful as a diamond shining under the full moon. The scepter’s pole was pure black, whilst on its upper end was a huge moon with several crystals and jewels shining faintly in a blue colour. Fascinating with its design, this weapon was meant for the casting of spells, yet could also be used without the need of magic, since the moon’s edges were quite sharp, making it similar to a scythe. Carrying the object with ease with only one hand, the young ice magician followed closely behind the red-haired girl due as they marched forward.
Riley said
"And you were both awesome as well, Jack Frost and Inadi." She beamed at both boys. "We owned that sucker! Too bad it injured Vinvin though."
Being labeled as “Jack Frost” could only boost Hakuren’s ego. He had seen the movie and planned on doing far greater feats than that albino prankster. Still, being called that was certainly better than something such as “Queen Elsa”, due to obvious gender-related reasons.
“You were quite the pro yourself, Riley.” he complimented her with a smile.
”We certainly aced the first test.”Once reaching the stable doors, the humans encountered a familiar face, the black bunny girl known as Serenade. With her level-headed demeanor, she greeted and smiled at them, which obviously made Harper feel a bit more at ease. The lad had rarely had a break from the constant nervousness, which haunted his existence, and seeing one of the more responsible guides surely calmed him down.
However, there was something missing. The sound of joyous laughter. The sight of a wide grin. The bone-crushing grip of a hug. Indeed, Dissonance was nowhere in sight, despite being in Nowhere itself. Her adorable expression was something the psychologist missed and he wondered what had happened to the exuberant white hare. Could it be that the dragon are rabbit for dinner last night? If so, it would be very disappointing, seeing as the girl was so cute and friendly. But before anyone could ask a thing, the stable doors opened and the mounts were lead outside.
Chocobos.
The human party suddenly found themselves amidst the Final Fantasy universe. With the introduction of chocobos, the game freaks would most definitely immediately come into light. The only one to fall into that category was Inadi, as he began jumping up and down in excitement the moment he laid eyes on the giant walking birds and even attempted to communicate with them. The critters did not mind this person’s antics and even encouraged him by making the same sounds. Who was imitating who was a bit hard to determine.
Rather than spend their time observing in astonishment, the two girls of a flame made haste and each got on the back of a mount, however, Ace was willing to experiment with the reins, which inevitably resulted in a couple of hard kisses with the ground for the lass and Michael Jackson moves for the avian.
And back to “Game of Thrones”.
As he approached one of the chocobos himself, Hakuren noticed how the lovely Victoria bent down, in order to pet a huge white tiger, which seemed to return her affection just as lovingly. Yet the feline was not satisfied with only its owner’s attention and sought the eyes of the humans, some of which it tried to lick, namely Jasper and Lesley, but moved on to begging Inadi to pet it. On the other hand, a giant wolf, which was presumably Avian’s companion, sat at the side and observed in silence, much like its owner.
Harper said
"Um, do any of you know how to ride a horse?"
Harper had always been the timid one out of the bunch and this was no exception. Unlike Inadi, who could simply not get enough of the big birds, the student had positioned himself between Hakuren and Jasper, carefully observing both the giant chickens and the two predators on set.
“Relax, Harper. It’s easier than controlling the miniship.” Ice assured him with a friendly expression and stepped closer to one of the calmer chocobos, which had not engaged in the silly chorus of the lightning mage. Climbing on top of one was truly the same as a horse and so was controlling them. Fortunately, the youngster had traveled on horseback a couple of times during vacations.
Ace said
"Hehe, we should race these things! That would be so fun! Too bad we can't get rides like those."
Riley said
Riley grinned at Ace then at both tiger and wolf. "Yup! But I'm not complaining, these giant chickens are adorable and they look great in armor." He gave the Chocobo a pet on its head then grinned at Ace, Lesley, and Haku. "As for a race, let's do this! I mean, if we're going against a dragon we need to be fast."
“Run all you like, but I’m gonna-” Hakuren grinned but didn’t have the time to finish.
Riley said
"I bet I can make it to the end of the field before you guys!"
“Yah, I’ll pass.” he sighed with a smile.
Their journey was going to be a long one and the last thing they wanted was to have tired mounts when an attack occurred. Knowing better than forcing the creature to run meaninglessly, the green-blue-eyed man adjusted the staff, which was now strapped to his back, and made the chocobo walk next to Harper. As far as he had heard, there was some interesting information about to be told.
