[B]Xyden[/B]

Xydens bulky form slithered across the rough grey ground, flattening the short grey grass as he went. Of all the places he’d seen on the surface so far, this was one of the most unpleasant. He did not know why the land seemed so dead, but it was clear the Surface Dwellers had not been caring for it as they should, as even the beasts seemed scarce. Of all the sensations he could feel though, the most unpleasant was being [I]dry[/I]. He couldn’t understand how Surface Dwellers could stand it. On the land he always felt too hot and too heavy. Warmth was nice, but unlike lazing about near the volcanic vents on the ocean floor, the heat was dry, and it seemed to leach his energy.

Xyden was fortunate, however, as his destination had come into view several hours ago. The large stone walls of the ‘Twilight College’ were quite impressive, even from distance. In his opinion the structure almost matched the grandeur of the great Naga city in the deeps, from whence he had come. The walls were reassuringly close now, and it seemed a small crowd was gathering at the gate. Xyden did not know why. He had wanted to ask question along the way, to discover more information about this ‘Twilight College’ from some of the villages that were on his path, but every time he had approached the villagers had run from him in terror or locked their doors. He hadn’t realised how cowardly the legged races were until this journey.

Once he reached the crowd at the gate he had determined that this group of people did not seem to be attacking, rather, waiting for something. Some heads turned when he approached, and there were a few looks of terror at his long, vicious trident, a weapon he carried loosely in his left hand, but for the most part the crowd was focused on the gate. A bell tolled, Xyden finding it strange not to feel the sound as he heard it, and the reason for the people attention was revealed. What appeared, in Xydens eyes, to be a Myrmidon of the legged races appeared and began to speak, his voice quite loud.

Xyden took it all in, noticing the many and varied types of Land Strider, some of which were even winged. One of them, a small blue Land Strider, suddenly charged the speaker from her hiding place in the crowd, running headfirst into him and falling flat as a result. Xydens frills quivered for a moment in both amusement and confusion. These Surface Dwellers were strange beings indeed. He paid careful attention to their questions being asked. Some were quite pertinent, though the only one on his mind was where the nearest water was. He was also unsure if the College would just welcome him with open arms or not, this entire world was foreign to him and he wanted to be sure of where he stood.

Once these Surface dwellers had their questions answered, Xyden would make a point of speaking to the one called Khan about his place here. He didn’t feel comfortable simply yelling his request up with the rest of the questions.