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[COLOR=#006060][indent][sub][B]Location:[/B] [COLOR=#BFD7D7][I]Lemuria[/I] - [I] Atlantis, Thirty Years Ago[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b]Prologue #0.02:[/b] [COLOR=#BFD7D7][I]Birth of an Outcast[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][/color][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][color=#006060][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [COLOR=#BFD7D7][I]None[/I][/COLOR][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4862183][COLOR=#BFD7D7][I]The Great Cataclysm[/I][/COLOR][/url][/right][/SUP][/color]
[INDENT][color=#9FC3C3]A giggle escaped from between the lips of the young Atlantean as she quickly slipped through the crags and flora that lined the ocean's floor. Looking around the murky depths, she paused as her sharp, pointed ears listened through the silence. With a hand extended, the woman reached out through the rippling tide of the Atlantic as she felt through the continually moving water for any others like her. Having neither seen, heard nor felt anything, the young woman was finally satisfied that she had ditched her mandated royal escort. 

Kicking off against a smooth rock, Princess Fen of Atlantis swam upwards towards the surface. Her keen eyes darted each and every direction as she found herself in awe of her surroundings. All around her were the ancient ruins of what had once been the home to one of Atlantis’ seven kingdoms. Despite the passage of thousands of years, the debris still remained, strewn across the ocean floor and forgotten to the tides of time. 

This site had been the former home to the islands of Luma; one of the founding powers of what had once been the greatest empire on Earth. However, unlike what had occurred in Netheria and Xebel after Atlantis had sunk, the Great Cataclysm had nearly destroyed Luma. When Atlan had given the order to submerge the city beneath the rising waves, Luma’s shield had been struck a devastating blow by the falling debris. Upon impact, one of Tritonis’ generators had been overloaded and as a result, the city's shield had fractured and subsequently failed. Those inside the city were thought to have been crushed by the waves, but something else had happened that day and instead; a new evolutionary chain was created. 

Perhaps it had been the raw arcane energy emitted by the damaged generator which had forced the people of Luma to adapt so drastically. Or, perhaps it had been the physical trauma caused by the crushing waters which had so altered their biology. But no matter which cause was responsible, those who had survived had been forcibly evolved into something else and soon after the tribes of Luma left humanity behind. As a result of the forced evolution, they had become known as mer, and the bodies of the Luma people had taken on attributes commonly represented in fish and other marine life. It was these attributes which allowed the survivors to adapt to their new, harsher reality.

History blamed Atlan for the fate that befell Lemuria. When the dust had settled in the aftermath of the Cataclysm, what had remained of Luma receded into itself and separated from the rest of Atlantis. Even now; thousands of years later, relations between the Lemurians and the rest of Atlantis remained tense. In recent lunar cycles, the Lemurians had taken to raiding the Kingdom of the Brine. This had led to an appeal to the emperor; Atlantis’ sole sovereign Imperius Rex, to come and initiate peace talks with the warmongering nation. With the Brine threatened, so too was the Empire’s weapons’ supply and Xebel; Atlantis’ Fist, quickly put pressure on the throne in Netheria to meet with Lemuria. With Xebel pushing for the mediation, soon Emperor Thakorr and escort departed from Poseidonis and made their way towards Lemuria’s capital.

Much to the surprise of Fen, thus far Lemuria had been a most gracious host regardless of the ongoing hostilities. The royal family had only been treated with the utmost respect, and the Fisherking had immediately agreed to sit down with the Emperor to discuss their path forward. But after having dwelled in Tritonis for no fewer than six tides, Fen couldn’t handle sitting beside her father and smiling through yet another diplomatic debate. Her younger sister, Atlanna, was far more tailored to such a thing, having even spoken on behalf of the Brine during the last meeting. Fen, on the other hand, was a rebel spirit. She had no interest in politics, and even less interest still in ever wanting to rule. 

Fen longed for adventure; she wanted to explore the ocean, not only the Atlantic but all of them. She wanted to fall in love and not marry just for duty nor to carry on her father’s lineage. There was so much more beyond the borders of Atlantis that Fen was longing to see, that her father had forbidden her from ever visiting. The Emperor had deemed the entire subject of the surface world off-limits. Every time the princess had dared to broach the subject, she had been swiftly silenced. Her father's lack of willingness to negotiate had left Fen with only one option; to take the matter into her own hands.

As she continued to swim upwards, Fen noticed the water around her begin to lighten in colour as she felt the temperature slowly increase in warmth. Compared to the depths of the ocean, the light closer to the surface was nearly blinding. Fen was forced to blink several times to aid her eyes as they slowly adjusted to the increased brightness. Taking a deep breath, the Atlantean refused to be deterred from the world above and instead increased her speed. 

Breaching the surface of the ocean, the princess propelled herself out of the water as she leapt through the air. Diving back under the crystal clear waters, she continued to steer herself towards a nearby island. Swimming into the shallows, Fen ran her hands through the soft sand that lined the ground beneath her. Bracing herself, the Princess stood proceeding to immediately cough as her lungs expelled the water from within her chest. Straightening her back, Fen began to slowly inhale as she took her first few breaths of air.

It was an odd sensation, almost irritating on her nose and throat. For some reason, Fen had never considered that breathing as the surface dwellers did would be so [i]dry[/i]. The air felt coarse as it passed through nostrils and into her lungs. The sensation itself was rough, not unlike the sand and rocks dotting the shoreline beneath her feet. Had she not already come so far, Fen would likely have dove back beneath the waves to save herself the discomfort. 

Searching for something to distract her mind from the sensation of breathing, Fen spread her arms towards the sky as she felt the heat of the sun shining down on her. Much to the princess' surprise, the light of the sun shining on her skin made it appear blue. The thin, translucent scales which covered her body were refracting the light to produce the almost lustrous colour. 

Suddenly a nearby ‘[i]bang[/i]’ caused Fen to duck. She skittered back into the shallows, her dark eyes peering around as she tried to locate the source of the sound. Noise travelled much differently through the air than it did underwater and Fen’s senses hadn’t yet adapted. Still, it didn’t take long for her to spot a large vessel no more than a league from shore. Peering towards it, the princess couldn’t make out the details at this distance, though the shape was reminiscent of images in the archives. Compared to Atlantean vessels, however, there was only the barest of similarities and Fen struggled to find any common ground between the two designs. 

Jumping forward, the young woman dove into the shallows, skimming underneath the surface as she shot through the water towards the distant vessel.  Circling the metallic ship, Fen ran a hand along the smooth material, intrigued by the welds and the rivets. The construction was so different from that of Atlantis, by and far crude in comparison. 

A large splash suddenly came from the stern of the ship. Small waves rippled across the ocean's surface as they rocked against the hull of the ship. Just as suddenly as Fen had appeared, she disappeared again. Diving deeper into the ocean’s depths, the Atlantean hid from the metal monstrosity that had been lowered into the water by the surface dwellers onboard the ship above.

From the aft of the vessel above, Captain Leonard McKenzie supervised his crew as they worked against the clock to lower the small submarine into the water below. A wise man had once said that time was money, and the crew of The Endurance needed to make up time. Their voyage had undergone several setbacks over the last couple of days. Foul weather had set them behind further than McKenzie cared to admit and he doubted that their employer would be happy if they came back empty-handed. The ship's expedition to Africa had been funded by A.R.G.U.S., a secretive government organization only known by their acronym. 

The American agency operated under the jurisdiction of Homeland Security and had sponsored Captain McKenzie and his crew to locate a new source of vibranium. The metal was incredibly rare with only a small amount being known to mankind.  A.R.G.U.S.’s head researchers had determined that their only sample of the incredibly valuable metal had come from somewhere within the continent of Africa. With the revelation of that discovery, McKenzie and his crew were contracted by A.R.G.U.S. for immediate deployment. After travelling several thousand miles from the Eastern Coast of the United States, [i]The Endurance[/i] soon found themselves floating several hundred miles off the Western Coast of Africa.  

[color=#ffffff]“Captain!”[/color] One of the deck hands called as their voice brought McKenzie’s attention back to the present. [color=#ffffff]“The submersible is ready for deployment at your convenience, Sir!”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Hold ‘er steady, I want to take it out myself. Want to see where A.R.G.U.S. spends ‘er money!”[/color] McKenzie replied with a chuckle as the men around him joined in on the laughter. 

[color=#ffffff]“Aye, Cap’n!”[/color] Came the deckhand’s acknowledgment as McKenzie began to outfit himself for a trip beneath the ocean’s surface. Climbing down from the ship’s stern, Leonard jumped from the aft-mounted ladder and onto the submersible before climbing inside of it. Making himself comfortable, the Captain couldn’t help but let out an impressed whistle. The technology inside of the submersible was state of the art, appearing to be far more advanced than anything present on his ship. Reaching towards the controls, the seasoned explored began to initiate the vehicle’s ignition sequence. In response, the engines spun to life as the submersible began to hum and vibrate while Leonard ran through the last of his pre-departure checks.

[color=#6fa8dc]“All clear to release.”[/color] He radioed back to the ship, making eye contact with the spotter standing atop [i]The Endurance’s[/i] stern. Making a thumbs up visible through the forward facing viewport, Leonard raised it towards the deckhand as he awaited a response. A quick nod in reply let the Captain know the order had been received as the radio crackled to life again.

[color=#ffffff]“Copy that, Cap’n,”[/color] The response came from the ship,[color=#ffffff] “Releasing the tether in three, two…” [/color]Leonard gripped the controls tightly as the vehicle suddenly lurched forward.

[color=#ffffff]“One.”[/color] The voice stated, McKenzie could practically hear the smile through the radio as a grin spread across his own face. The radio crackled to life once more as the crew member spoke again.[color=#ffffff] “Good luck, Cap’n.”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Appreciate that Scotty,”[/color] McKenzie replied as he guided the small vessel deeper into the ocean, away from [i]The Endurance[/i] and hopefully towards a new source of vibranium. Behind him, a humanoid shape floated silently in the darkness of the depths before it began to follow. 

The Atlantean Princess had been watching the work of the crew, her keen eyes able to see through the depths and observe the human climb into the strange machine. Fen couldn’t help but find herself surprised at how similar the humans appeared to her own people. She had expected them to look [i]different[/i] and they certainly didn’t appear to be the monsters her father had made them out to be.

At least this one didn’t. 

Keeping her distance as she swam slightly behind the surface dweller machine, Fen stayed out of sight as she watched it meander through the water. The machine seemed to move without purpose, seemingly aimless and yet obviously the human inside was searching for something. The small vessel was nearing the ruins of Luma, and if it continued on the course it was presently maintaining, the human would soon detect Lemuria. No Atlantean had made contact with the surface in nearly fifty years and the last time was only to briefly repel invaders during a war between the surface world. 

Fen continued to watch as the vehicle came to an unexpected stop, holding in one spot before it lowered itself closer to the ocean floor. Ducking out of sight, curiosity got the better of her as she decided to move closer. The Atlantean couldn’t help but watch in complete fascination as the mechanical arms mounted on either side of the machine came to life and began to sift through the sand and stone on the ocean floor.

From inside of the submersible, Captain McKenzie looked at the console in awe before physically looking out of the viewport at the ruins beneath him. Whatever the debris littering the ocean’s floor was made of had set the sensors off, lighting them up like a Christmas tree. The readings weren’t identical to vibranium, but there were enough similarities for McKenzie to justify collecting a sample as he took the vehicle in closer. 

Without warning the submersible was knocked through the water as McKenzie found himself thrown against the edge of his chair. The world outside of the viewport was spinning as the human fought to regain control of the vehicle. Klaxons rang in his ears and flashing red lights began to illuminate the interior as the Captain’s eyes widened while he watched a small crack slowly begin to spread across the viewport. A trickle of water began to force its way through as Leonard scrambled to equip himself with the emergency diving equipment. While he knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive outside of the submersible at this pressure, he just needed to be able to operate the vehicle long enough to get to an elevation where he could. 

[color=#6fa8dc]“Mayday, mayday!”[/color] McKenzie yelled into the radio but he was only met with static. Tossing it aside, he pulled the breathing apparatus into his mouth and held on tight.

The submersible unexpectedly shuddered again as another hit rocked the small vessel. The metal groaned loudly as a row of teeth clamped down on the upper edge of the viewport. Taking ahold of the controls, a white-knuckled McKenzie fired the engines at the maximum output but the vehicle barely budged. Whatever creature had taken ahold of the submersible wasn’t about to let it go without a fight. A rush of movement flew past the glass and for a second, Leonard could have sworn he saw a woman. From above the vehicle came a deafening roar McKenzie could only hope was in agony as the waters above the viewport were tainted red.
 
A pair of feet were suddenly planted on the bubble-shaped glass as the Captain felt compelled to lean forward, holding onto the edge of his seat as he looked upwards. His eyes widened as they fell upon a woman armed with a very elegant spear,  battling what could only be described as the biblical Leviathan. Rubbing his eyes, McKenzie could only assume he was hallucinating from hitting his head too hard and yet no matter how hard he rubbed them, the woman was still there. Still standing atop his submersible and single-handedly fighting off a creature with more teeth than the shark from that Spielberg film.  

Watching as the creature was driven back, McKenzie slipped back into his seat as he resumed control of the submersible. Pulling hard on the controls, he pivoted the vehicle into a hard hundred and eighty-degree turn as he prepared to surface. Turning his head back towards the struggle, McKenzie searched for one last look of the woman finding himself disappointed that she was gone. Or perhaps more accurately, he realized it was likely that she had never existed in the first place. Dismissing the woman from his thoughts, he turned forward and moved his hand to push the acceleration. Before he could touch the controls, however, McKenzie was suddenly pulled against the back of his seat. The vehicle had unexpectedly lurched forward, moving rapidly upwards as it ascended from the depths far faster than it should have been capable of. 

As the submersible breached the surface, despite his confusion McKenzie felt only relief as the sun shone down on the nearly water filled cabin. Releasing himself from the pilot’s chair, the Captain climbed out of the dorsal mounted airlock as he looked around. There, treading water before him, was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, the woman who had single-handedly driven back some sort of ancient monstrosity in order to save his life. 

Her face was the last thing the human saw before he fell unconscious. As she watched the human slump over, Fen couldn’t help but find amusement in his penchant for needing rescuing as she retrieved the Captain’s body and carried him ashore. Ensuring he would be comfortable, Fen dove back into the water as she opted to take a closer look at the damaged submersible. 

The sun had long set before Leonard was startled awake, the cold of the night sending a shiver down his spine as he sat up in the unfamiliar surroundings. Looking towards the water, Captain McKenzie saw the submersible sitting partially on the shore of the small island as he looked at it in confusion. He had no memory of coming ashore, less still of being able to pilot the submersible to shore. Sitting up, the man placed a hand over his eyes as he pinched his temples and rubbed. The last memory he had was of the woman.

[color=#93c47d]“Βλέπω ότι τελικά είσαι ξύπνιος.”[/color][sup][b]1[/b][/sup] The female voice caught McKenzie off guard as he shot up, reaching for his firearm only to find an empty holster at his side. From beneath the shadow of a nearby tree, the slim figure emerged. Her dark hair blended in with the shadows as it spilled down either side of her head, perfectly accented the small, angular features of her face.

[color=#6fa8dc]“Y-y-you!”[/color] Leonard managed to stammer as he pointed towards the woman, her features taking him off guard. For some reason he found himself surprised that she had two legs despite remembering seeing them, even when underwater. 

[color=#6fa8dc]“You’re the one who... No wait, you’re the woman from... Just who are you?”[/color] He managed to spit out as he looked towards the woman for some sort of sign of comprehension. He had no idea what she had said, he could only hope she could understand English.

[color=#93c47d]“Νομίζω ότι ξέρω κάτι που θα μπορούσε να βοηθήσει.”[/color][sup][b]2[/b][/sup] The woman replied as she took a step towards McKenzie. He staggered back as she took another step forward, extending a hand before taking a hold of one of his as she gently pulled him forward. Despite the gentleness of the gesture, the Captain was taken aback by strength as he allowed himself to be pulled forward. Suddenly she pressed a hand to the side of his face, the fingers softly moving down the side of his cheek as she ran her hand against his beard. 

[color=#93c47d]“Τα αρσενικά του είδους μου δεν μεγαλώνουν τα μαλλιά στα πρόσωπά τους.”[/color][sup][b]3[/b][/sup] A giggle escaped her lips as Leonard found himself drawn into the woman’s dark eyes. Suddenly she pressed her hand against his face before closing her eyes until suddenly she opened them again, a smile spreading across her face. 

[color=#93c47d]“I am Fen.”[/color] She stated as Leonard’s eyes widened in surprise. 

[color=#6fa8dc]“How did you do that?”[/color] Leonard asked as Fen smiled at the human male.
[color=#93c47d]“In Atlantis, when someone introduces themselves, it is only polite to do so in response.”[/color]

[color=#6fa8dc]“Atlantis!”[/color] Leonard blurted out before catching himself as Fen looked at him in clear amusement. [color=#6fa8dc]“My apologies Ma’am, I’m Captain Leonard McKenzie.”[/color] 

[color=#93c47d]“Nice to meet you, Captain.”[/color] Fen replied as Leonard extended a hand forward. 

[color=#6fa8dc]“Leonard is fine,”[/color] McKenzie responded as Fen looked down towards his hand.

[color=#6fa8dc]“You’re uh, supposed to shake it.”[/color] He explained as the woman reached out, taking a hold of his hand and moving it side to side. All McKenzie could do was laugh as he let out a deep chuckle.

[color=#6fa8dc]“No, like this,”[/color] He said, reaching forward and guiding Fen’s hand into its own before giving it a firm handshake. 

[color=#93c47d]“How odd.”[/color] Fen replied watching as Leonard performed the gesture with her hand. Over the course of the night, the two quickly became enamoured with one another as Leonard began to ask Fen question after question about who she was and where she came from. In response, Fen regaled Leonard with tales of Atlantis, its history and its people all while learning about the surface world he came from. In the week that followed, Fen would continue to escape her royal guard, seeking out [i]The Endurance[/i] and aiding the Captain and his crew. With the submersible out of commission, Fen was their best hope in locating any vibranium that might be lurking beneath the ocean.

What they found instead was the next best thing, orichalcum.

Harvesting the rare metal from the remains of Luma, the ship and her crew eventually caught the attention of a Lemurian patrol. Observing the humans in their salvage efforts, the Lemurians were enraged that their history was being pillaged as though it were nothing more than some cheap trinkets. However, it was seeing the Princess of Atlantis working alongside the humans that was the true insult. Returning to Tritonis, the Lemurians confronted the visiting Emperor about his daughter’s allegiances and his true reason for being in Lemuria. Surprised and enraged, the Emperor proclaimed his daughter would not willingly work alongside the humans and must have been made their slave. In order to salvage the peace talks, the Emperor dispatched his royal guard to bring back Princess Fen and kill all those who aided in her capture. 

It was after dark when the Atlantean guard boarded [i]The Endurance[/i]. They moved silently across the deck like vengeful wraiths as crewman after crewman was caught unaware, their lives ended with a single blade across the throat. Entering the Captain’s quarters, the Guard was shocked to find the Princess laying beside the sleeping Captain, their garments discarded on the steel floor beside the bed. Suddenly the Princess’ eyes fluttered open as she screamed in shock, before grabbing the nearest object and hurling it towards the intruders.

[color=#93c47d]“Θα σκοτώσω όλους σας για αυτό!”[/color][SUP][b]4[/b][/SUP] The Princess screamed as she leapt out of the bed, Leonard was now awake and he too was scrambling for a weapon. Pushing back against the guard, Fen was quickly overwhelmed as she was dragged back into the water, losing sight of Leonard in the struggle. Screaming as she reached back towards [i]The Endurance[/i], tears streamed down her eyes as she watched it burst into flames. 

Her actions were not without consequence, however, as the peace talks with Lemuria fell through due in part to the insult the Princess paid having aided the humans in destroying what was left of Luma. With the peace with Lemuria fallen through, Xebel began to withdraw its own forces from Netheria and In order to settle the strained relations with Xebel, Thakorr was forced to pledge Princess to marry the Xebellian heir to the throne, Prince Tyndareos. 

But Fen’s time with Leonard had left one other lasting impact no one had anticipated, she had become pregnant with the human’s child. Disgraced by his daughter’s blatant disregard for their ways, Thakorr had to abdicate the throne to Tyndareos and the Xebellian’s marriage to Fen was immediately called off. Instead, Atlanna was pledged to the new Imperius Rex, replacing her sister and going on to claim the throne as Empress. 
  
On the day of her sister’s coronation, Princess Fen was not in attendance. Instead, the eldest daughter of the former Imperius Rex was hidden away in the sacred temple of Venturia. In her arms a small baby whose pink skin set him apart from birth.

The same day Princess Atlanna became an Empress, a prince was born.

A Prince of Outcasts.[/color][/INDENT][/INDENT]
[hr][color=#9FC3C3][INDENT][SUP][b]1[/b] - “I see you’re finally awake.” 
[b]2[/b] - “I think I know something that could help.”
[b]3[/b] - “The males of my species do not grow hair on their face.”
4 - “I will kill every one of you for this!”[/SUP][/INDENT][/color][/HIDER]