A little about myself and why Im here. Im an adult mid twenties with a serious addiction to fantasy stories and art, metaphysics and dimensions. Plus history and politics. My stories rarely involve fairy dust and rainbows. I aim to reflect the deepest and rawest parts of humanity into my work. Then have it reflect back to others.
Check out my album on here with my sketches.
I have a roleplay called Ascension. A tale of 7 bloodlines. 5 elements combine with Dragons & Seraphim. Mix them as you will. Then explore and create in a changing world. I've out years of thought into this roleplay. If you're looking for a high fantasy with a active GM. If you love long term roleplays, ones where characters grow old and die. Here you go. roleplayerguild.com/topics/171791-asc…
"Bastet is the Egyptian goddess of the home, domesticity, women's secrets, cats, fertility, and childbirth. She protected the home from evil spirits and disease, especially diseases associated with women and children..." Aela read the description out loud to herself. Inside the clear polished glass was a black cat statue. It sat as if patiently waiting, which from what she knew of cats was hard to make them do. They may have used a dead cat for reference way back when. A morbid thought. But not one out of place. She walked around the item to see it's every angle. She was intrigued by it and wondered if her parents would let her own a copy of it. To her, it was brimming with spiritual symbolism.
Satisfied Aela now found herself without a purpose. Since it was the new year and all she had a plethora of people to interact with. She wanted to pick someone interesting, different, having a varied future. Or maybe someone like her. As she was imagining her ideal friend she heard the sound of marbles clacking together. She turned her head to not only notice that she had wandered into an entirely different exhibit but to see a straight-up dude walking in sync with the weird clacking sound. She sighed at the sight of him, contemplating ignoring his presence. If not for those damn marbles...
"Come to see what the settlers did without all the genocide and smallpox? Well, look no further than this very Museums watered down history." She said to no one in particular whilst standing straight up as if giving a presentation. Behind her were some old farming and churning tools. As her target audience wasn't alone in the room. But most would ignore her comments. She shot marble boy a mischevious glance and smile.
Allard grumbled irritatedly at the mess he now was, though at least the best seemed to be down for good this time. He tried to rinse off what he could in the water, but he still felt he needed a proper bath and clean clothes, it would go a long way. He made his way to the raft and sat down with his legs crossed in one of the corners. Everything needed seemed to be loaded up and ready, they just needed to cross.
Dremmick let go of his paralysis ritual, taking a deep breath as he recovered. The three skeletal creatures, that seemed to not be chomping at the middle hydra head's neck, which had cut off it's final cries, seemed to instantaneously fall apart. He looked at the hydra for a while before making his way to it, multiple long slender blades of blood seemed to reach out from his body like crimson arms. He casually started descaling the hydra, collecting a large number of the scales into a pile rather quickly. When able, He would use a large rough sack from the supply cart to store the scales. Once that was finished, Dremmick took a place next to his horse on the raft.
Lynn was already at the center of the raft, waving to Nailah to come sit next to her, however, something stopped Nailah before she left. It was Shye, holding on to one arm in a bit of an akward stance as she wasn't sure what to say. She was blushing a bit, but whatever was on her mind seemed to be imporant. "Nailah, wait... before you go....Aeden got a message sent to him during the fight. He is wanted back wherever his base is, with me in tow it would seem," she started with a bit of uncertainty. "I just.... I wanted to thank you and the others, for everything you all have done for me, however small or grand, it... it really means a lot. We seem to be going back to Sunfire in Vrondi, which means that I will get to be reunited with my son once more! I hope that I may ctually be able to be the mother I should have been for him this whole time..." She paused as she thought for a moment and looked back up to Nailah, "Promise me, if I am still around, that you come looking for me at the orphanage there?"
"No more surprises... I hope..." Nailah said, rolling her eyes as she heard Allard confirming that this time, the Hydra was really dead. It had really taken them by surprise but fortunately, no one was wounded. Allard and a few others started to gather materials from the dead Hydra as it gave it's final, dying cry.
"A bath doesn't sound that bad now, does it?" Nailah said, teasing Allard as she giggled, looking the mess he was.
Nailah saw Lynn waving to her, asking her to sit next to her on the raft. The moment she was about to go though, Shye interrupted her. She was blushing a bit, but she definitely had something to tell to her. Nailah was... partially aware of Shye's circumstances. She knew just what Shye herself had told them but she knew enough to know that her situation wasn't exactly happy or pleasant. It was a good surprise when she heard from Shye's own mouth that she was going back to Sunfire to get reunited with her son once more. Shye's words came out as incredibly honest and sincere as she thanked for everything the group did for her. Even though it was undoubtedly a farewell, it was a happy one.
Nailah gave Shye a tight hug, after she finished, looking to her with a kind smile.
"He is your son, Shye. Your love for him isn't something that can be measured or even understood by anyone but you both." Nailah said.
"You two will be a family once again... And with a new member too, right?" Nailah continued.
"Oh, and I promise I will visit you both. After all, I haven't been introduced to your son yet, right? I'm sure he will love all the stories I have to tell him!" Nailah finished as she gave Shye one more hug.
Shye held the hug for a long while, some tears forming. "I just can't help but think that this was supposed to last longer, I really looked forward to traveling with all of you for just a little bit more," she finally released and moved to holding Nailah's hands in her own. "This is for the best anyway... Fotia is a place I should never return to. I should get going. I pray you will all be careful." Shye let go and gave a polite bow before wiping her tears and then turning to leave, often looking back to the group as she did.
Across the River...
Time Stamp: 9:15 PM
Thankfully for this groups remaining members the river was not capsized by the rushing waves due to the Lassa. There were also no stones to pierce and break the raft. This was due to how deceptively deep the river was. However the raft was not stable enough to keep every item safe from water and packed on the raft. A few items were missing when the group arrived to the edge of the river. Before them was a continuation of the beautiful flat lands seen in Gaia however there was the daunting mountain ahead surrounded in forest.
Night had fallen on the group. Algimar leaped from the raft to land eagerly wanting to get off of its unstable footing. Being on solid land felt so much better and he did not envy the Tearians life style. He had his things which were carried on his person. His eyes had a feint glow as it pierced the dark. He searched the land around them, sniffing the air. "It seems clear..." He began walking forward. To gain a good distance from the river. Now would be a good time to begin camping. Though he did not plan to sleep.
Once they made it across and found a suitable place to camp, Allard let out a sigh as he plopped onto the ground next to a tree. What a day this turned out to be, he never expected to be fighting a hydra of that scale so soon, but at least they made it out alright. He looked down to the dragon egg that was in his lap, having held onto it as they crossed the river. He wondered if taking such a thing with him was actually best for the budding creature. especially if heading to Fotia.
Lynn seemed a little bummed out. A number of the group had left for various reasons of importance, and while she understood, it still didn't sit well with her, especially Tali. It seemed the magoi had wanted her to come back for something urgent. Dremmick had proposed it may have had something to do with what was going on at the mountain, but it still didn't make things feel any better. With Shye leaving, it felt a bit bittersweet, but only a little. While there was another person less to talk to, it seemed that things were going to turn out well for her, she remembered her smiling as she waved goodbye.
Dremmick had helped offload the raft of various horses and the carriage for Lynn, everything seemed in order. The truth of the matter was, he was exhausted. He put out a lot of soul energy into what he did, but it seemed to have paid off. Nobody was really hurt, and everyone made it across alright. Allard seemed to have the right idea as he plopped down, slumped against a tree. Dremmick soon carefully sat down as well, taking a breather before getting camp set up. He didn't want to sleep around the rest of the group if he did. He wasn't sure what would happen. the last time he slept himself, he didn't wake up so well. The other time he was waking from unconsciousness. What if he had that dream again? He should find a place away from the others when he goes to rest for the night. It would probably be safer that way, and make for less to explain later.
Finally making across the river and dealing with the Hydra, the group had found a nice place to camp after a busy day filled with unexpected situations. Truth be told, it was indeed quite exhausting and Nailah was happy that she had some time to relax before they had to move on again tomorrow.
It was indeed a shame that Shye and Aeden, coupled with a few others from the group had to leave, for various reasons and Nailah did notice how Lynn was a bit sad due to that, especially when Tali left. Other than Nailah herself, Tali was incredibly close to Lynn and her departure indeed left Lynn in low spirits. Nailah had spent most of the trip across the river and most of the time while the others were putting up camp trying to cheer up Lynn. Even though some had left, there were still a lot of interesting things that could happen and new people for Lynn to meet in the future, but she didn't know if it had worked at all...
When Nailah spotted Allard, near a tree, taking care of his dragon egg almost like a mother, she had an idea that maybe could help Lynn to feel a bit better.
"Lynn, I know you're still feeling a bit down because a few people left, but would you like to try and help Allard to take care of his dragon egg?" Nailah asked, smiling kindly as she looked to Lynn.
"I'm quite good at warming things up and I'm sure that your voice would help to calm down the small dragon. What do you say?" she asked, waiting for Lynn's answer.
Lynn slowly looked up to Nailah and and had to clear her throat before speaking up, "Y-yes, I would like that...," she said replied, giving her a slight smile in return. Quietly, she floated her way over to Allard, who seemed to had started to fall asleep already, the egg in his lap with one arm cradling it, making it look tiny in his arm where it would take both hands for lynn to carry it alone.
Lynn approached Allard and rest a hand on his legs, which caused him to stir and look down to Lynn, even though he was sitting. "Oi, lass. Holdin' up alright? That took quite fine control bringin' tha raft cross tha river."
"Oh! It was the least I could do after everyone fought the hydra. But what about you, how is the egg?" Lynn asked, causing Allard to stare down at it, closing his eyes as if concentrating on what he could feel.
"The dragon inside is a bit restless it seems. All the commotion getting ta it, been squirmin' since we got on the raft. Thought maybe finding somewhere comfortable may help it settle down, looks like I settled down before it did, eh?" she said, chuckling to himself.
Lynn took a step forward and placed a hand on the egg, feeling the same thing. "If you would like, Nailah and I can watch over it while you rest. We thought maybe she could keep it warm while I sing to it. Maybe I can at least calm it down," she said referring to her past failed songs today.
[color=9ACD32]"Well now, that sounds like a good idea, little lullaby may be just what it needs," Allard agreed. He stood up and took the egg to where the two girls were earlier. He did sit somewhere close, however, so that he could listen as well.
Lynn would wait for Nailah to be ready with the egg before she would start her song. It was an old lullaby tale for children about their father going off to set sail to explore some unknown territory…..
Night Passes...
Time Stamp: 6:00 AM
The break of sunlight. The chirping of birds replacing the sound of crickets. The air from over the mountains breathed a chill over those sleeping anywhere near the river. The waters rush never silencing. Algimar was already awake by the group's fire. Holding something he caught in the field while scouting on a stick. He calmly waited for the others to awaken. He would tell the first person he could about the camp of bandits he saw northeast of here. In fact, for those perceptive enough to notice, the trail of fire from afar would be visible from the bandit's own fire. He knew that this flame of theirs was risky. It was possible even that the battle with the Hydra might have alerted their scouts already.
Algimar contemplated the objective and how the group struggled to stay together even under the stress of the obstacles before them. It was becoming clear to him, as he watched the sunrise over the mountains of Gaia and Fotia's border. That he would have to assure the legendary item the King of Vrondi saught would be claimed by the Nero kingdom. No doubt the others who were loyal to their kingdom would be doing the same. In the end. If Nuxta is able to be defeated. The victory would go to either one kingdom or them all. Ensuring a new order of either peace or dominance. The spoils of this war would be the entire world...
Earlier in Nero...
Slithering into the dark..
Alright, this was it. Ni'ra would finally be able to enter Nero. She tried to ask the guards nicely if she could enter many times before, but they were awfully persistant unless she had official business or a pass of some sort. Well, now she had official business, a letter given to her to deliver on the basilisk queen's behalf! How lucky could she be!
Ni'ra was nearly floating on air when she came to the front gates. It had to be the same people as always, as they always looked the same. Some strange clunky shelled descendents. Sometimes the shell would open to reveal eyes and sometimes a face.
"Ello, iz Ni'ra again! Ni'ra requezt permizzion to enter, haz letter from bazilizk queen for King Zleeth!" She excitedly drew a letter and showed it to the guards, official seal and all. "Ni'ra enter pleaze?" Ni'ra would hold out the letter alternating to both until one moved up to take a look at it, handing it to that guard should they take it.
The guards were well armored but it was light compared to some other kingdoms. They were fit to frame and seemed capable in an agile situation. They took the letter from her. It was sealed with a official seal despite where it came from. To be left unopened until recieved by royalty. They gestured her in. The gates opened and she was allowed into Nero's lower district. The earlier dragon attack was still visible. A lot of debris was cleaned up but the people remained busy. Ni'ra thankz you!" she giggled excitedly as they opened the gates, craning her head at different angles to see as much as she could as the gates cracked open. She bowed to the guards as the one handed her the letter back and she nearly skipped inside.
Once inside, she saw the city for all its worth. Even as demolished in sections as it was, to her it was unlike anything she has ever seen. "Ni'ra iz ssssso excited!" she said giddily as she held the letter close to her chest in a little hug like manner. Ni'ra may have been headed towards the castle, but there were so many things on the way there to see as well! Placing the letter back in a pouch she continued. After all, she couldn't possibly give up her only chance here to see what was in the city!
The girl did not know it but where she walked through was by far the darkest district of any kingdom. Wounded soldiers. Fed by the kingdom for giving it their lives, watched as Ni'ra went by. Their bleak presence was only the beginning. There was debris and rubble scattered about still being wheeled away in heeps by some poor soul. It was clear through the wailing and moaning that a battle was fought here. One that affected all of Nero's kingdom. Or so it seemed as she would continue. The feint sound of a slow violin could be heard in the upper districts where she was headed.
Ni'ra had to fught with herself to stay even somewhat on task. The curious basilisk couldn't help but every once and a while get cliser to the rubble people worked on, her tongue flucking oht, pucking up strange sensations, though she wasn't sure what they belinged to. If she noticed she was being watched, she would wave to whoever it was and keep moving, sometimes looking back to the person who was staring at her, and wace again. If they didn't wave, this would come as a surprise to Ni'ra, and would cause her to very slightly recoil, looking at her hand as if there was something wrong with what she did. Maybe her hand was dirty? No? Strange indeed....
Soon along her travels though, she was stopped by a new sound. This was.... quite odd! Yet... soooothing. It would change pitch here and there, and it followed some sort of pattern, like a bird that was holding its notes out, but like a hum instead of a whistle. Ni'ra had to investigate this, and lucky for her it was in the direction she needed to go! She picked up the pace as she hurried to see what was making such interesting sounds.
A man in refined clothes stood before a building that was pummeled with debris. He went away at the sounds of the violin. A slow deep sorrowful sound he felt visibly in his face. His fangs visible through gritted teeth. Crimson piercing pupils narrowly visible beneath his low eye lids. His long black hair and horns were like a pure onyx. Dark with shine. His attire was mostly black as well, but the tears and holes in them were matched by dirty shoes. He remained where he was even as others passed by. Holding their childrens hands to hurry along. What he was doing seemed harmless enough. Even if he didn't work on his shops revival. For now he seemed to be getting something out.
Ni'ra's eyes and ears seemed to lock onto the man. What was he doing? What was that device he had? Did that make the sounds? How? It was soothing yet... from the way the man looked accompanied with the tones, there was a sorrowful tone to it. How could a sound make her feel such a way? Ni'ra slow edged closer and closer, her curious mind buzzing with questions but too transfixed on the display that she couldn't bare to interrupt. Instead, she sat on her haunches,balancing on the balls of her feet, knees together and her arms folded as she stared in wonder.
Every once in a while her tongue would flick out, by both habit and her mind wondering if this was some sort of pheromone that stirred these feelings or if it was just purely the sound. She wasn't picking up anything different than the things she noticed coming into the city. Whenever the man would stop playing Ni'ra would instantly ask him what that was. "What iz thing!? Make soundz! Iz magic? Ni'ra never hear before, never see before! Iz, uh, interessssting!"
"Oh it's just my violin." He said while placing it next to a chair he had sitting a few feet away from him. He placed what no doubt looked like a stick to Ni'ra next to the violin. Sitting down he took a white cloth from within his vest and wiped his forehead. "I believe music is one of the purest forms of magic. Now. If you don't mind I have to keep playing." He took a breathe and picked up his violin and continued playing his slow precise tone that weeped as it rang.
"V-vfi...via, FEH!" she quietly exclaimed in frustration as she tried to sound out and form her mouth right to make the word, after all, her mouth was different than a normal descendant and she had to nearly learn how to make some sounds in her own way. "V-vi-oh-lin! Heh! Violin! Violin, iz nice! Like lots! Thank you!" she said as she got up from her squatting position and began to leave. She couldn't keep herself from turning and looking back at the man every few step, however, still entranced in the sounds the instrument made.
Many citizens outside their shops had brooms sweeping up left over debris piles. Thankfully the upper districts were the best looking district not only visibly financially but having been saved from the wreckage of the Dragon battle it remained entirely intact. There was little in the way of a passerby even if they were a foreign oddity. The sounds varied as children were more strictly regulated to the inside of these regal buildings all lined next to one another. The moans and cries were behind Ni'ra however as she neared the middle of the upper districts and to the castle gates. Where two guards stood in wait.
Ni'ra retrieved the letter from one of her pouches before reaching the guards. Slowly, she made her way to them, but she was still oggling all the buildings, the likes of which she has never seen before. She started to have the though of seeing what they looked like inside, but luckily she reached the guards before that thought came to fruition. She gave a respectful bow before presenting the letter to the guards. "Ni'ra iz name! Zent to give letter! From bazilizk queen to Nero king. Iz here, eh? Waz told give in person," she said happily as she let the guards look over the letter.
Entering the Castle…
The Guards stood perfectly still. Their armor was black along with the cloth beneath it. Within the shadows they would be invisible. All save for their piercing red eyes that observed the sealed letter whilst holding it. One of the guards gestured to those standing up high. They stood among the gargoyles. Watching and waiting. They raised the gates open. This allowed Ni'ra and one guard accompanying her to apprach the castle via a decent stretch of a path. Decorated with flowers both crimson and black all scattered within poisonous dark ivy green and glowing purple veined bushes. The visual beauty was tailored to astound but the smell was even more elegant and regal. The royals loved the beaty of a deadly thing. The castle front doors now opened. Massive as they were, as if a giant had lived within, it moved rather quickly. Allowing Ni'ra into the main reception room, where many guards and a few idle royals could be seen. Ni'ra would be taken to another guard within the large dimly lit room. One could feel the winds of a dark cavern similar to the ones outside of Nero's capital within this place. As many halls leading else where were all connected to this room. A room that seemed made of a black crystal and lit with purple flame torches within the mouths of stone basilisks. Whether these statues were once real or not was a mystery. But the head of a few basilisk were hung on the high walls all over. Basilisk skulls you would not want to run into outside of Nero's walls. "This way." A guard spoke. Bringing her down a specific hallway. Onward they would walk, for what would feel like a maze for at least twenty minutes. Before reaching a large metal door. A knock on the door would echo through the hallways before silence. "We wait." The guard said.
Nira was fascinated by the flowers, and she would have touched them if it hadn't been for the guard continuing on, making her try to keep up with him instead. Her tongue flicked out constantly, picking up all sorts of new chemicals and pheromones to sort out, she was even able to identify the poison that was in the ivy. WHen they reached the stone basilisks, Ni'ra saw them as just that, stone, and was in awe of the craftsmanship. The breeze as well made her close her eyes and take it in. "Breeze nice, iz Like Ni'ra home-," but that was all she got out before she opened her eyes and saw terror she did not plan to see.
Skulls and heads of other basilisk were mounted on the high walls, causing Ni'ra to wail out in fright. "Wha, no no no, what thiz!? Wh-... why iz there..." Ni'ra's knees nearly gave out on her at the sudden assault of thoughts going through her head. Why would they do this? Wasn't the war hundreds of years ago? Is what they said about descendants true, them being the enemy that slaughters them? But nobody has attacked her so far....but.... and that one man with the violin was nice, but what was this doing here? Why would her queen send her to this place?
Ni'ra nearly tripped but recovered herself as she followed along. she didn't know why she did at this point, if it was obedience through fear or because she felt duty bound to complete her task. She wanted to leave, to run. She didn't want to be another mount on the wall. It made her feel nauseated. "N-Ni'ra iz not feeling well. Sssshe wantz to leave letter and go home," she said, trying to keep her eyes on the ground so she wouldn't see the horror again, her arms wrapped around herself nervously as she stood next to the gaurd. She wasn't shaking was she?
The guard said not a word or even seemed to notice Ni'ra's predicament. He or she simply waited. Watching. Once the door opened the guard gestured her to follow. Walking down a narrow dark hall with a bright light at the end of it. They both would eventually end up at a circular center. There blood stains were on the ground. But three figures were in this sort of circular stage. Surrounding them were the royals of Nero. They watched intently as Ni'ra and the guard walked into the light. "A Basilisk messenger has arrived." The guard handed Ni'ra back the letter. "You may present it before the King." Said the guard, his voice stern and uncaring.
Freyr saw the whole thing unfold. The brief interruption made Freyr snap out of his brief trance, triggered by the sudden realization of his new ability. He stepped back a little the moment everyone turned their attention to the new arrival. For a moment, he thought about slipping out. However, the sensations he felt when he was near the King stopped him. He wanted more. If he could stand beside him forever, he'd jump at the chance.
Ni'ra's eyes were wide as she looked around the room, her tongue seeming not to stop flicking, picking up on botu curious things and signals of danger. She seened startled when asked to read the letter. Her head tilted at it. "N-Ni'ra iz not able to read. Ztill learnink. Zorry, Ni'ra issssss nearvouz. Zaw...zkullz," she said as she fumbled with the letter, breaking the seal. She looked at it and couldn't make heads or tails of it. She shook her head. "Can no read, iz juzt for deliver," she added nearvously.
After she spoke the guard bowed before the King. Who sat down on his high chair formed from ebony. "May I read it sire?" The king gestured a 'get on with it'. So the letter was taken from Ni'ra by the guard. "To the lords of Nero. Descended from dark. I am Nuxta. I have taken control of the Basilisks. My horde grows. But I seek only to balance this world. Join me and t-" "THATS ENOUGH!!" The Kings voice echoed almost through the kingdom. He stood to his feet.. he looked to Ni'ra though no eyes could be seen on his masked face. "Its more important now than ever to strengthen our ranks and our bloodlines." His head turned to all the room. To Anui, to Freyr. His head even pausing at the end of his sentence on Lila and when done looked to Dextra who sat across from her. He pointed to Ni'ra. "Shadow guard... Kill her."
Freyr was unfazed by the situation. Was that dumb creature in the middle was a Basilisk? That was new. Regardless of her origins, she had brought a message threatening the kingdom as a whole. If anything would send a message to this 'Basilisk Queen' it would be the death of her messenger. However, this was also an opportunity...
"My Lord." Freyr spoke up, stepping forward a little while bowing his head in the King's direction. "Allow me to show gratitude for this gift. I'll kill her for you."
The merciful rose’s plea on a snakes behalf . .. .
Lila could almost feel the other royals eyes upon the new blood. The scene going on before her was... strangely familiar. She had felt those judging eyes before, their bloodlust, everything... This time though, she wasn't the only one receiving them. The air was heavy as the ceremony continued. He would soon experience everything Lila did when Anui first gave her sight. For a Nayu, who was born into the dark, receiving that gift could be a gift... or a curse. She knew that very well...
The ceremony's end was announced by the King as he raised his hand, dismissing the new royal with a cold, annoyed tone. King Sleeth's very presence wasn't one easily ignored, despite missing an entire arm. After receiving the gift of sight, the new royal couldn't help but feel fear, facing such a surge of power. Even though he was looking at Anui, it was easy for those looking at him to realize he wasn't really looking at Anui, but to the person behind him... The king himself.
Looking towards Anui, Lila waited for his return. As he opened his mouth to tell something to the new royal though, a guard's voice echoed through the room, breaking the silent that still lingered in the air even after the ceremony had ended. As he announced the presence of a messenger, bringing a letter from the basilisk queen, a surprisingly innocent basiliskin girl walked forward. It wasn't hard to see how nervous and startled the poor girl was. Even a complete stranger that never had entered Nero before would immediately understand that a basilisk or even a basiliskin presence in Nero wasn't something that would be tolerated... Just as the poor messenger girl said, the skulls were enough of a hint. Breaking the seal, she seemed to stumble with her words, saying she wasn't able to read and instead was simply asked to deliver it. Not much was needed for one to realize that the basiliskin messenger was being sent towards her own death by her ruler. Unfortunately, the naive girl didn't seem to know so, judging by her words and actions. She was betrayed by her own kind... As the guard began reading the message she had brought after the basilisk girl awkwardly told them she was still learning how to read and coulnd't read the message yet, Lila could only close her eyes, shaking her head in disappointment. It was a letter from Nuxta saying that the basilisks were now one more of his allies...
King Sleeth didn't even let the guard finish reading the letter before he interrupted him, his voice echoing through the room as he did so. His eyes wandered through the royals as he made a speech about how they needed to get stronger in such times. As he did so, Lila noticed many of the royals flinching as his heavy stare weighted upon them. Surprisingly enough, he didn't seem to be oblivious about who Lila was and had enough interest to even stop for a moment when his eyes met hers. Instead of flinching or averting their gazes like some other royals, Lila simply looked back at the King, until he moved towards Dextra. When he gave his next order, to kill the messenger girl, Lila couldn't help but frown. Not only she didn't particularly like that decision, to kill someone who was just a messenger and clearly was oblivious to even the contents of the message, but was also sent to her own death, but for Lila, she would be more useful for them alive than dead... She wasn't surprised as the new royal offered to kill her himself, as a 'gift' to the king. He seemed to be just another royal like the others. Thirsty for power, blood and recognition. Eager to do anything to please the King... Maybe it was too unrealistic for Lila to expect anything different. Nero was still corrupted to it's core and neither her nor Anui would be able to do anything yet... For now, they had to dance with the music and patiently wait for their chance. That said, despite everything that happened, she was now a royal and her position as such was undeniable. While killing that basiliskin girl would be nothing but needless bloodshed, she could maybe use her position as a noble not only to save her life, but to show the royals that bloodshed wasn't always the only answer..
"Killing the messenger... might be a mistake... My king..." Lila's voice echoed through the room, piercing the silence. She was the only one who was willing to speak against the King's decision. Lila knew that she wasn't just a weapon anymore, nor just Anui's wife... She was a Royal... The sole survivor and leader of the Moriarty family. Her words, for the first time, held some importance and weight. Even though it was difficult for Lila to speak like that, she had no choice if she wanted to be respected and have influence amongst the Nayu Royals. Anui's words echoed through her mind as she prepared herself to continue. His desire, his hopes for her future by his side... Anui was hoping to make her a queen... For that to happen though, she had to learn how to be more than just a silent shadow or a weapon...
"Nuxta's forces grow once again. This may be an opportunity to better understand our enemies and their weaknesses." Lila continued, giving a step forward as she let herself be heard by the king and all present as she very delicately and discreetly lowered her head.
"This basiliskin girl was sent to her death by her queen. She might be innocent and naïve, but she has nowhere to return, My king. If she pledges alliance to you, my king, giving her the right to exact her revenge will benefit us as well." Lila continued.
"She can be trained, help us to fight against Nuxta's allies. The sight of a basiliskin killing basilisks will instill fear in the other basilisks. If not... At least she will be useful in teaching us more about our enemies." Lila finished.
"One of my bloodline's special abilities is to see one's memories and feelings the moment I consume their blood. With your permission, I am able to tell if she is willing to pledge alliance to you or not. Lying will be useless against this ability." Lila said, waiting for the King's reply to her words. Ni'ra listened as the guard read the letter, "Nooks-tah? Feh, what iz a 'Nooks-tah'? What mean by take contro-," she started to ask, but was cut off when the king stopped the guard from reading further. She flinched at the suddeness of it, looking back up to him. He made a brief statement to those around him before pointing back at her.... ordering the guard to kill her. "WHA!? N-no wait! Ni'ra not underztand, what do wrong!? Ni'ra iz zorry, no mean harm!" she pleaded as she slowly backed away in fear from the bloodthirsty descendants. "Why!? N-Ni'ra no want to be on wall!" she said as she panicked, her eyes started to dart all around looking for a way out, and keeping cautious of would be attackers. She didn't however, reach for the blade she had with her. She didn't emit any signs of hostility whatsoever, she just wanted to run. She was too scared at the moment to even notice Lila's conversation.
The guard had already pulled its blade as the king spoke. It was no mystery to the King, the guards or most of the royals what would happen to the Basiliskin from the moment she walked into this Kingdoms walls. She would not leave alive. Interrupting the Guard was Freyr. His words put a smile on the Kings face. He halted the guard with a single gesture. "You may do the honor new blood..." The King and the others now watched with renewed excitement. Only to be taken aback by Lila. Who was the o only one who spoke up in protest. Either out of bravery or foolishness. Either way it put all attention on her red head.
Anui felt a twinge of fear. Nearly biting his lips he shuddered at the thought of Lila being brutalized by the King. He was not in his best of moods. The entire Kingdom was being threatened and even recently was under attack. Needless to say their lord Sleeth was not a happy King. If only there was a ways to avoid his wrath.
The King scoffed. "Do you think me unwise? Our kingdom weak? We needn't the lowly blood of a viper. She could only serve as a testament to the failures of Nuxta and the Basilisk alike." He looked to Anui. "Go on nephew. Say it. I feel your blood. It rushes with fear. I taught you better than to hide in fear." Anui felt his Kings, his uncles eyes on him. Humbly Anui raised his head to speak. "Perhaps my wife has been a bit rash my lord. She only intends to aid us all." The King remained silent in acceptance before lashing out with an angry shout. "Should I remove her tongue then!?" Anui bowed. "Please no. While the blood of this creature is not even fit for drinking she can serve us. Not as a warrior but as a servant. Forever. Just as the other Basilisks. She and I can assure this." He awaited his Kings response whilst looking at the ground.
When Freyr stepped forward, he drew one of his daggers. Now that he could see, he could appreciate the intricate carving on the sturdy wooden handle. The blade was sharpened and cleaned to perfection. A single cut in the right spot and at the right speed could kill. With one swift movement he could cut down the Basillisk female. Spill her blood for his King. But any plans he had to impress his Lord were foiled by Lila and the King's own nephew. Even though he wanted to step forward and allow his feelings to be heard, he kept his mouth shut. Freyr didn't know how Sleeth would react if he confronted Anui. Even if it showed his undying loyalty to his Lord, he could accidently offend him. Making this whole effort pointless.
Freyr looked over to the King. If he ordered it, he wouldn't hesitate to cut Ni'ra down. He'd make it quick.
Lila didn't let herself be phased by the king's words as he threatened to remove her tongue. She knew how dangerous her situation was... At first, the main motive for her interference was because she was shaken by her own emotions. Even being just a stranger, the basiliskin woman was so ingenuous, so innocent and naïve... Killing her just because she brought a message seemed to be just wrong for Lila. But now... she truly saw an opportunity to not only learn more about Nuxta, the basilisks, who were their new enemies, but also to get closer to Sleeth, prove herself to be capable to him and to other royals... If she was successful, many more opportunities would open for her and the day Anui would be able to take the throne to finally be able to make the changes Nero needs, to purge all the corruption from the city would get closer...
"I lived my entire life amongst seraphim who saw me as less than a person. Training and being shaped as a weapon. I was called a beast, a monster, Mirror's hunting dog, hated merely for being a Nayu. I am quite familiar with being used as a weapon. And I know very well that everything and everyone can be used." Lila said. She knew that she was on a dangerous position, facing the king himself.
"I didn't mean to offend, my king, nor I meant to say that Nero is a weak kingdom. I always try to be as effective as possible. Eliminating any possible variables is always an important key to the success." Lila said, bowing her head. "I don't wish to see any more Nayu lives taken by Nuxta and his allies nor see Nero suffer like it did..." Lila said, clearly referring to the time when Nero was attacked by a powerful dragon.
"My sole purpose is to eliminate my, our enemies with a single, swift strike. As effortlessly and efficiently as possible. A clean and precise strike, my king, eliminating any unnecessary effort or risk." Lila continued, looking to Sleeth with a fierce determination in her eyes. Even though the king and Lila had different views regarding what Nero should become in the future, her desire to protect it and her people was the same.
"There is no need for us to dirty our hands with unnecessary bloodshed if we know exactly which key pieces need to be eliminated for our objectives to be attained." Lila finished as she waited for the king's reply.
Even though Lila knew how to hide it incredibly well, she was still very anxious. She knew that Sleeth thought very differently from her and above everything else, her ultimate goal was to make Anui the king... By any means possible. She was going to use Sleeth, just as she was offering herself to be used by him, until he was no more needed. Even though he was the king, her true allegiance lies only with Anui.
Anui, Lila. Together they spoke before the King. Their words were a risk. For Sleeth was known for being a very harsh ruler even among his close kin. Still faces held anticipated breathe as the King heard Lila further. The words that sent waves through the room was the reminder that Lila indeed once worked for the Aion. That Lila herself was a notable enemy to their kind before. The distrust of the Aion flared up old wounds for many. But most remained on the matter at hand. The King let out a sigh once she was done speaking. Her young angelic voice filling the room with vigor. It was clear she was pushing past her fears to speak. It was still silent for a moment. The only sound coming from Ni'ras anxious breathing. Sleeth was visibly unamused. But his rising anger seemed to be stifled. "This young one wants to advise the war council it seems." He said whilst laying back in his seat, seeming to relax more in posture and tone. The other royals smiled and a few chuckled. "Perhaps you and Anui should be the ones in charge of such a task. No?" He snapped his fingers and a servant stepped from the shadows behind him and handed him a crystal glass of blood to pickup. Sleeth lifted the cup to his lips. "I suggest starting by getting whatever information you can from this creature. Then forming a team who can accurately scout the Basilisks main territory. I will supply the final act of killing the Queen." He spoke with a bit of delight. The thought of killing the Queen whilst enjoying the rarest blood put him in a far better mood. The loss of his arm seemed to give him an itch for dragon blood. Not to drink but to bathe in.
Anui held his composure through out. He knew that if they remained confident and respectful they could sway him. For it was only a small matter. "Thank you my lord. We will certainly not fail you." Sleeth chuckled a bit but then before Anui could look at Lila after standing. "I also expect a thorough understanding of the Aions base. It has been a secret for too long." The Kings voice was cold and calculating. Echoing through Anuis ears and even causing one to visibly bleed. Anui bowed briefly once more before turning to Ni'ra. "Apprehend her." Anui then looked to Freyr. "You may help."
Freyr couldn't believe it. The King himself addressed him. Even if he couldn't see Sleeth's eyes, Freyr could tell that he had acknowleged him. It was a good start. Those mere words made Freyr shiver. He felt dizzy and nearly fell over, though he was able to compose himself.
"As you say, My Lord." Freyr bowed in the King's direction, a grin forming on his face. This was it. It was his chance to impress Sleeth.
In brief moments of silence before Sleeth replied, Lila could almost hear her blood flowing through her veins. In all her life as an assassin, it was her first time being nervous like that. Even though her expression didn't change, on the inside she was extremely nervous. Fortunately, Lila's gamble seemed to have paid off. With his riging anger quelled, Sleeth seemed to be satisfied with her words as he relaxed on his seat, approving Lila's plan.
"It will be done, your highness." Lila replied, bowing once again as he heard him appointing both Lila and Anui as the ones responsible for the basiliskin messenger.
As he mentioned his next words, Lila wasn't surprised. She knew very well how many royals felt the second she mentioned she worked for the Aion. Even though mentioning that could probably mean a blow on her reputation with the other royals, the results were still favorable to her. When Sleeth asked for details regarding the Aion base, Lila wasn't surprised.
"The Aion mean nothing to me, your highness. Not anymore. A report will be written and delivered to your hands as soon as possible." she said, with a serious, formal tone.
As he ordered to apprehend the basiliskin girl, he looked to the new royal, allowing him to help with that task, since he was so eager to prove himself. To him, Lila merely gave a stern, serious look before she stepped down to where Anui and the Basiliskin girl were.
"Do not treat her too harshly. I suspect not much will be needed for her to cooperate with us." Lila said, looking to the guard and Freyr.
Giving a step forward, towards the basiliskin girl, Lila looked her in the eyes with a serious expression. "Everything will be explained in time. This is the best I can do for you... At least for now." Lila said in a very low tone, in such a way only the basiliskin girl could hear.
"Don't do anything foolish. Think about the situation you're in very carefuly before chosing who you will pledge alliance to." Lila said with a much more serious tone, before she turned to Anui, gently grabbing his hand. Even though the basiliskin girl would probably understand Lila was just being that strict because she had to maintain the appearances, the words she had just said were still a warning and a reminder that if she said or did anything she shouldn't, not even her or Anui would be able to intervene.
To most, it was just a simple gesture, a wife holding her husband's hand but Anui would quickly realize how agitated and nervous Lila was despite her exterior appearance.
"I am confident in my skills your majesty. I won't betray your expectations." Lila said, with a discreet, formal bow as she silently asked permission to leave. Ni'ra finally found her back to the wall, too shaken to actually do anything. Lila came to speak to her briefly before leaving, her words partially soothing, and interestingly softer than the others who seemed to call for nothing but blood, but the thoughts of being a slave here terrified her. Lila could see the fear in her eyes, even as she tried to speak to Ni'ra she was too terrified to respond, and her eyes would still dart around the room from time to time, her breathing fast and erratic.
Nothing ended up attacking her, and the adrenaline she felt to run now took its coarse, causing her to shake a bit as she slid down against the wall to the floor. She pulled her legs up and buried her face into her arms and knees and began to weep, unable to stop even as Freyr would approach to collect her.
Freyr still had his dagger in his left hand. If not for the orders of the King, the Dolofon assassin would have cut down the Basilisk girl right and there. A nice cut around the neck scales and he could pierce her throat with a single strike. But that never came to be. Instead, he was ordered to escort her out of the room. Freyr walked up to her, looking down on her as she cried.
"On your feet, we're leaving." He said in a cold tone. This whole scene reminded him of something. But he couldn't find what it was.
Ni'ra tensed up at hearing the bloodthirsty man's cold voice. It was the same as the man who begged to be the one to kill her. Ni'ra slowly looked up at the man, seeing the dagger still in his hand made her blood run cold. She felt as if she wanted to stand but couldn't, as if the fear that had came over her from this unexpected turn of events worked against her very will to act. "N-Ni'ra... c-can't move. Too afraid," Her voice barely made out.
Anui held his composure even as Lila took hold of his hand. He was clearly more at ease. Even though his uncle guaranteed to harm him in most of their meetings. Always to make him 'strong'. Since he was indeed his favorite potential heir to the throne.
Ni'ras fit of shivering fear was not a concern to anyone there. It was her life that was on the line. The guard stepped forward with Freyr. Chains made of shadows formed in its hands. Dealing with slaves was a common skill of a Nero guard. He whipped the chain like a whip. It aimed to wrap around both her ankles. Then from her own shadow two chains would erupt from below and attempt to wrap around her wrists. Anui formed these chains. He didn't want Lila to get involved with potentially harming this creature. It needed to trust someone to be more informative. He knew a thing or two more than an average person on how to torture.
Once Ni'ra was chain. The two on her wrists would connect. Immobilizing her.
Lila felt a twinge of guilt when she heard the basiliskin's words, saying she was too afraid to move and heard her crying. She knew very well that the poor girl's life wouldn't be easy for now... Sleeth was undoubtedly a cruel king and his followers, equally so.
When Anui made shadow chains to wrap around the girl's wrists, Lila gently tightened her grasp on Anui's hand, in a silent request for him to not be too harsh with the girl. Lila always disliked needless displays of power, violence or even needless bloodshed. She was taught to be eficient and precise and those things were only needless waste of energy. Not only that, but that girl was merely a messenger. Not only she was incredibly innocent and naive, but she had nothing to do with what was happening with the Basilisk Queen and Nuxta.
Ni'ra jumped when the chains were cast at her, instinctively trying to pull against them but it seemed like it was hopeless. They wouldn't give as she tried separating her hands. She looked around for someone, anyone that could help her or hear her cries, but none there looked to care, some even annoyed at her lamentations, save one. It was the one who spoke to her briefly but a moment ago. Ni'ra's tear filled eyes locked with hers for only a moment once more. Her eyes betrayed to Lila a mind wrought with terror and confusion, though it wasn't but just a moment in which time seemed to stop to Ni'ra, but she was then quickly and unceremoniously hauled away to whatever bleak pit awaited her.
Into the Dungeon… The guard and Freyr would carry her. Lifting her off the ground but still close enough for her tail to drag. Her cries being heard through the halls. She would once again see the Basilisk skulls overhead. She would be moved down the halls for atleast fifteen minutes before arriving to yet another door. But this is door was wooden. Beaten, clawed, with blood stains. On its knock handle in the center was a hand made of iron holding the circular handle. The guard with a single hand knocked on the door. The sound of footsteps could be heard slowly moving up a flight of stairs. The door opened. Revealing a hunched over being. Its face was masked fully. It wore a tattered cloak that ended at the knees. It was small, about Lila's height. But despite its cloak its hump was visible. "Have you brought me another plaything?" Its voice was like a steady croak from a frog. Its hands held the edge of the door. The mist from below flowed out. The smell of blood was strong.
"Don't touch her Grotum. We are moving her to a cell for now. Lead us to one away from others." Anui spoke with a cold tone. Not interested in Grotum's desire to torture new victims. He brought a hand slightly up. Grotum panicked. He knew the royals hated his presence and so he scurried down the stairs. "This way masters!" He went down the stairs and eventually reach the end. It was spiraling staircase made of stone. Carved into the castle. The dungeon was rife with the presence of pain and death. Moaning could be heard from the dark cells poorly lit by the flames hanging on the walls and dangling from the ceiling. Cages with bodies alive or possibly dead hung from the ceilings. "This way." Grotum waved them over down the hall of caged tortured souls. Chained to the walls. Hanging and bleeding out upside down. It was truly a nightmarish place. But to Grotum this was his haven. His heaven. Grotum had them walk a few minutes until the cells were more empty. There he opened one. Lit the torch next to it for some light and gestured them inside. The Guard and Freyr would drop Ni'ra here.
The sights, sounds and smells of the prison perturbed Freyr. But for different reasons. This whole place reminded him of his childhood and the training that got him here in the first place. His surroundings beared a striking resemblence to the place he was taken to every time he failed. Even when he held no visual memory, the smells and sounds alone were enough. Freyr now wanted to be done with this business and return home. By then, he was getting twitchy and the familiar withdrawal headache was starting to become worse.
Lila was still trying to maintain the appearances despite how truly exhausted she was. That encounter, speaking up not only to the king himself but to all the royals was just nerve wracking for her and when she saw the poor basiliskin girl struggling against the shadow chains and her teary eyes, filled with terror Lila slowly closed her eyes, looking away.
Lila's hands weren't clean. With all the lives she took in her life, she had seen all kinds of reactions coming from her targets on their final moments. The smell of fear, desperation, hatred and anger weren't strangers to her. Not even once she was phased by those. This time though, it was different. She wasn't guilty of anything, she wasn't a target, nor she even knew what was happening. There was absolutely no need or reason for her to be on that situation. She was completely and truly innocent.
After a while, they finally arrived on the cells she would stay. The mere sight of it's bloodstained door should already be terrifying enough for the basiliskin girl. Upon opening the door, they were met by a short, hunched over masked being. Both the tone of his voice and his words were just disgusting to Lila as he asked if they had brought him another 'plaything'. Fortunately, Anui quickly spoke for him to not touch the basiliskin girl. Upon hearing his voice, the torturer, Grotum, immediately panicked, leading them to the cell as fast as he could. They walked for a while until the cells were mostly empty before they opened one, before dropping the basiliskin girl there. "Don't mistreat the basiliskin girl. She is but a messenger and she is already terrified enough." Lila said, looking to Grotum.
"I will not tolerate disobedience. Give this girl something to eat and drink. Decent food and let her calm down. She does not need to suffer any more than she already did." Lila said, with a threatening tone as she looked to Grotum. Even though she didn't look directly towards the new royal, it was clear that the warning she gave to Grotum extended to everyone on that prison.
"I will be back to speak with her later." Lila finished, gently and discreetly tightening her grasp around Anui's hand, a silent plead for them to go to their quarters. Anui would know better than anyone how exhausted she was.
Freyr stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange. He followed along as they took the Basilisk to a cell deep within the prison. If this girl was a Basilisk, then she probably had a good amount of poison. He figured, he could combine that poison with something else and perhaps get a similar effect to earlier. At this point, he was craving to sense it again. But, he couldn't do it now. He was going to have to wait until Anui and Lila were gone.
When Lila, the only person to have shown any sort of compassion so far, turned her eyes away from Ni'ra, she felt a feeling of dread sweep over her. More than just her fear now, it was almost as if she had the feeling of certain death, though wasn't sure when it would come.
Ni'ra had closed her eyes before they could wander to the skulls above once more. Being carried between the two, her feet didn't even touch the ground, unable to try to run. Her tail though, did seem to drag, so she curled it in, around her waist and her leg. It was only a slight comfort, embracing herself slightly. When the got to the door however, she was hit by many senses as if she had hit a wall with the stench of blood and death before they even knocked. She tried to struggle, but the she could barely move anyway, if there was anywhere she didn't want to be it was past that door, her foreboding thoughts of death feeling confirmed by the chemical traces of flesh and blood past that door. Her tongue even stopped flicking out as she fought back the natural urge to do so, the signals being given by the blood and decomposition too much for her to bear, as id the smell wasn't enough alone. Her eyes seemed to widen in horror at the sights in these torturous halls, if she was supposed to be calming down, this place wasn't doing it. When they dropped her into the cell, she scrambled to the far corner, the white of her terrified eyes the most visible thing. Much like the court, she once again curled into a ball, with her tail coiling around her as if it provided some sort of protection. At this point, the poor girl was shaking with fear and could barely say a word if she wanted to.
Despite the words spoken by Lila and Anui to Grotum, she still couldn't shake these feelings that this was the end. After all, so far the evidence of the others' actions and her current location seemed to tell a different tale.
Grotum had never taken orders from or even seen Lila before. But he knew all others within this castle were superior to him. As long as they weren't a servant like he was. He nodded several times to Lilas demands. He scurried off when she was done. "I'll go get what she needs right away master!" He went off down the halls turning into the torturous abyss and was gone.
Anui sighed at the sight of Ni'ra up against the wall in fear. Part of him knew she may be better off dead. But there was a part to play for the girl. For now Anui would have to take every piece available to him to play chess against the King. He clinched his fists. That was his goal and with Lila who he looked at with such respect he could do it. She was his strongest piece and to his delight she was turning into more than just a weapon.
He felt Lilas physical nudge and knew she wanted out of this. Best to discuss what to do with the creature in their private room. After a bath and a meal. Anui looked to Freyr who was intently staring at their new captive. "You. Freyr. You helped this much. Make sure Grotum follows Lilas orders." His free hand reached and touched Freyrs shoulder. "I will be needing more of your help later. Someone of your talents can be very useful. You will also find that helping me comes with many rewards." He looked Freyr in the eyes. The eyes of a predator they all shared. Except for the meek Basiliskin who remained in her corner.
"Come Lila." Anui turned to exit. "You are relieved for now." He said to the Guard. Who followed behind to leave as well.
Snake meets Spider. Freyr waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps of Anui, Lila and the guard. He looked around once before going into Ni'ra's cell, approaching her before kneeling in front of her.
"So this is what a Basilisk looks like." He said, thinking aloud. "I don't suppose you could give me some of your venom?" Freyr asked, finally addressing Ni'ra properly.
Ni'ra barely peeked from where her face was buried in her arms, upon seeing him she only seemed to curl up tighter. "Ni'ra doez not like you. Ztrange man wanted to kill Ni'ra...Ni'ra venom iz bad anyway, zhould no give..."(edited)
"Not for me." The tone in his voice was strange. She could hear him shiver from where she was sitting. He sounded desperate, but was trying to keep it all under control. Freyr looked behind him and then back at Ni'ra. "I was only serving my King. Putting up a mask. I w-wouldn't kill without a contract." Freyr shivered again. By now, he was starting to sweat.
"Please. All I need is a few drops."
"Ni'ra no want to help kill. Iz not right... few dropz all it takes. Firzt dizzy, then zleepy, then dead... Ni'ra uze to hunt..."
Grotum soon came running down the hall. Passing the grotesque displays of torture while holding a bucket of water and a plate of meat. He came to the cell seeing Freyr still there. With Anui and Lila gone he assumed Freyr was now in charge. Though he did wonder his intent with the creature. He dropped the bucket of water and the food in the cell across from Ni'ra by the wall. He waddled himself up to Freyr. "Master says no more suffering for this one. Though it is a shame." He sighed. Looking at Ni'ra with a chuckle.
Any progress Freyr made seemed to be dashed away by the presence of Grotum. While she was replying a bit to him, Grotum staring her down and chuckling made her tighten her coil back up. Ni'ra didn't understand how anyone could be so cold as these descendants seemed to be. But this...thing that brought water and some sort of meat she couldn't identify, he reveled in the pain and agony of others. She couldn't fathom such a being, and it made her stomach churn just thinking or what could be happening to others here, especially since she knew it was most certainly worse than she could ever imagine. She wasn't even sure what he was, he didn't look like any descendant she had seen before on her way here. Was this some new creature?
Then there was this other man who stayed to watch her. For what purpose did he want her venom? He seemed almost as unhinged as she was for a split moment there. Her venom would do nothing but kill this man as things are here. She knew ways that it could be made into an antivenom, in fact, she carried some on her, as it was a basic skill to learn. She would have to ask when this hobbled over thing left them.
"What is it that you have brought her?" Freyr asked, not even bothering to look at Grotum. He couldn't bear the sight of the grotesque humanoid. How could anyone, much less a Nayu devolve to something like that. He couldn't be a Nayu, could he?
"And speak quickly. I've unfinished business with this... Basilisk."
Having already said everything that she wanted to say, Lila simply kept quiet as Anui dismissed the guard, asking Freyr, the new royal to make sure Grotum followed her orders. Even though Lila didn't think of the new royal that highly, especially since he seemed to be eager to please Sleeth and would probably tell anything that happened to him, Anui still had words to him, mentioning rewards if he allied himself to them.
With only a discreet nod towards Freyr, Lila went together with Anui as they left to their room.
The moment they were alone, Lila hugged Anui's arm. He would clearly feel her weight as she rest her body against his.
"It was... much worse than I thought it would be..." she said, still hugging Anui. It was almost as she was trying to hide from the world for a moment. Anui's presence, his comforting and caring touch were things she really needed to help her to deal with all the anxiety she had to hide until now.
Facing not only the King, but all the other royals, raising her voice like that to all to hear, letting them know her own thoughts... The fear of not being accepted or worse... If she said anything wrong that caused her to not being able to be besides Anui anymore...
"What if I said something wrong? Not only the king but all the other royals would be against me..." she said, voicing some of her worries and anxieties to Anui.
"Oh just some fresh meat from some poor soul no longer with us. " Grotum chuckled. But he looked up at Freyr and immediately felt uneased. The man was far closer to royalty than Grotum ever would be. So he refrained from annoying the man. He simply placed the keys to the cell down by the entrance as he wobbled out. "I'm sure her kind has tasted the meat of a fallen man or woman or two. There's more where that came from as well." He said before hobbling out down the halls. Grabbing a whip from his waist and lashing at a chained victim already covered in wounds. He kept on moving until out of sight.
"Repulsive..." Freyr said, thinking aloud again. He looked behind him, seeing the metal bucket filled with water along with the chunk of meat. The Nayu could smell it from here. Freyr knew how far Nayu cruelty could go. But this was beyond anything he could imagine. Even for his parents. He felt an odd sensation in his chest. Similar to when... no... he could think about that later.
"I-" Freyr shivered, struggling to keep himself together. "Just give me the poison. I-I know what I'm doing."
Thankfully, Ni'ra was far from hungry, as she couldn't even imagine touching that plate of meat even if she was, especially after hearing what it was from. Ni'ra blinked at Freyr, unsure how to continue. She then looked up as she remembered something. "Ni'ra haz hunting ztick. Haz Ni'ra venom. Take from holding zleeve and let drip?" Ni'ra would lean over, and lashed to her belt was a sheathed shortsword. It was odd that the guards had not removed any of her belongings, however, they probably believed her not to be of any threat, after all, she hasn't even tried using it this whole time.
Freyr took a moment to register what she was saying. The way she spoke made it hard for him to understand, especially in the state he was at the moment. Then, he realized she was talking about her dagger which was securely attached to her belt. Odd that the guard wouldn't take this from her before dragging her down here. Without wasting any more time, Freyr reached for her belt and took the dagger.
He played around with the blade for a moment, getting a feel for it. It was a sturdy well made weapon. Not like anything he had handled before however. Then, he placed the blade up to his nose and took a deep breath. When he exhaled, he couldn't help but giggle. This would do...
"Yes. This will do..."
"Eh? You take? No no, Ni'ra needz ztick to hunt, juzt take venom, yez? Take thiz here too," Ni'ra said as she fumbled with a leather strap that went around her right thigh. There were small loops on the belt that tightly held small vials, each one only having enough volume to fit the tip of one's pinky inside up to the first joint, and capped with a small cork. She reached both hand to the belt, as they were bound, and removed one of the five miniature vials and set it down next to Freyr's feet. "Iz anti-venom...Iz in caze uze too much."
Ni'ra looked at Freyr with her eyes, while still full of fear, seemed to not hold any malice. "Ni'ra would not want mazk, if mazk make her do terrible thingz." She said surprisingly calmly to him, referencing his reply to her about why he was willing to kill her earlier. She made her way back to the corner of the cell and coiled up once more. though it made a minimal difference, it was the farthest point away from the sights, sounds, and scents of the rest of these torturous halls, and the most hidden in the dark in the cell.
"Ni'ra..... doez not underztand. Did nothing wrong...ztill... Iz just thing for otherz to uze..." she started to talk out loud to herself, though partially to convey her thoughts to Freyr, who seemed to be the only person sticking around. "Bazilizkin have no one. Bazilizk no like... Iz dezcendant. Dezcendant no like... Iz Bazilizk. Iz no place for Bazilizkin?"
"I've nothing personal against you if that's what you're saying." Freyr picked up the anti-venom and took some of the venom from the knife using an empty glass vial he was carrying in his bag. He then walked over to Ni'ra, placing the dagger back on her belt.
"I just do what my Lord requires of me. Don't have much of a choice." There was a melancholy about him, but Ni'ra couldn't place it. He had already given up to the powers that be, and it was clear that he was using other things to cope with the fact. Perhaps that is what he needed the venom for.
Ni'ra tilted her head the conversation, understanding this man's thoughts, giving her curiosity something to think about other than her own peril. "Iz juzt follow orderz? Feh, that make right, eh? Iz right or wrong only choze by ztrong? Or iz right and wrong juzt right and wrong?" Se looked over the trembling man, for what he trembled for she wasn't sure. She buried her face back under her arms as she curled into a ball again. Muffled, Freyr could hear her voice still, "You ztrong enough for own choice, after all, Ni'ra iz here, and you, out there."
If only he did have a choice. His symptons subsided for a moment. Her questions made him think. They were things he had been asking himself for years. But he made sure to bury them deep in his subconcious. He turned to face the Basilisk again,
"You don't know what you are asking." He replied, attempting to avoid the question. "I don't have a choice. I was born into this." Freyr paused for a moment, looking at the vial with the venom inside it on the palm of his hand. "And die in it as well."
"Ni'ra knowz what Ni'ra azk," she corrected him, her tone as if a little offended. "Iz always choice. Live, die, keep going, give up, change, ztay zame. Iz all choice if ztrong. Queztion Ni'ra azk iz zimple. You iz only one that can make anzwer, um..., deefy-cult?" Ni'ra was quiet for a bit after that statement looking away and resting the side of her head on her arms facing the wall in the other direction.
"I..." She was right. He had spent years serving at the feet of the nobles and got everything he ever wanted. Now, Freyr had made a name for himself and discredited his parents in front of the most powerful people in Nero. Yet he was still here. But why? "You..." He was stumbling over his words. Freyr knew she was right. He wasn't strong enough to make his own choices. Regardless, he decided to evade. "Yet, look at where those choices got you. Inside this cell. For me, I am no longer blind and I can go where I please and do as I wish. Maybe one of us simply didn't make the right choice."
That was a lie. But Freyr was used to it. He could put up a smile on command. And say whatever people wanted to hear if it beneffited him.
"Ni'ra did not lock zelf in thiz cage... Ni'ra came of free will, to zee thingz never zeen, iz dezcendantz that put her here... If free, why you not do az want then? Iz afraid of unknown? Maybe, even though Ni'ra iz in thiz cage, you are lesssss free than her, locked here in thiz place az your own cage, yet there iz no lock on yourz, and chooze to ztay?" she replied, still not looking at him and only curling up more as he stated the obvious about her capture.
Anui and Lila were soon at their private quarters. Their section of the castle was quite extravagant. The extra space was at times a chore to get through. But the main room was small enough to feel like a home. Anui had a servant prepare a bath for Lila. A young Nayu girl with black hair and closed blind eyes. She drew the bath with ease and walked with ease around the room to place towels at the ready for Lila. Meanwhile Anui looked at Lila's body. She was a bit disheveled from her battle earlier with his mother. He felt... Disgust. His mother was over protective despite his age. She tried so hard to control him and his choices. She knew how adamant he was to be with Lila. So she must have decided to try and hurt Lila and make her seem unworthy. Yet Lila fought back. This made him feel so proud of Lila. "I'm proud of you." He said bluntly. Watching her from a seat nearby.
Lila silently thanked the young attendant that prepared the bath for her before she exited the room. Even though she was just an attendant, Lila didn't want her to see her 'weak' side. The side only Anui knew. After she exited, Anui came walking towards her as she began getting ready to take a bath.
"It was hard..." she replied as she approached him, gently resting her forehead on his chest.
"Speaking to the king and... All the other royals... What if they didn't see me as worthy to stay by your side, what if the King thought that?" she began, finally giving voice to all the insecurities and doubts she kept to herself while she was outside her and Anui's private quarters.
"Holding a weapon, taking down a target, hunting... It's so much easier..." she said with an exhausted sigh as she gave Anui a small, delicate kiss before she started undressing herself to take a bath.
"That basiliskin girl..." Lila said as she entered the bathtub, feeling her body relax and a pleasant shiver run through her spine as she submerged her body in the warm water.
"She is naïve and innocent... She was used by her own kind, sent here to die... She didn't even knew the contents of the message..." Lila said.
It was honestly... uncommon for Lila, who always was cold and efficient her entire life to care about someone other than Anui but again... That was the old Lila. She had changed so much in a short period of time, finally starting to live with her own emotions instead of suppressing them, finally knowing what love was and having someone who cared about her... Maybe Lila saw a bit of herself in the basiliskin. She is alone, so incredibly alone and doesn't even seem to realize that yet…
Anui nearly laughed to himself. "I doubt he sees even me as worthy..." He placed a hand over his face. "I mean. It's not like he's comparing you to me. No that man only thinks of himself..." He looked at the young girl. "Wait in the main room." Anui told the servant. She bowed and walked gracefuly out the door despite her lack of sight and young age. Anui continued. "Let's work to make this our gain. I believe you are correct. The Basilisks don't share even our limited sentiments towards a descendant. Despite legends saying that it is a rare occurrence, similar to a seraphim being born among pure bloods of a different line." "Perhaps she will know enough to allow us to infiltrate the Basilisks territory. We likely won't have to hurt the girl if we convince her." He looked at his sharp nails and thought of ways to look less intimidating for a moment. "The one who I gave sight to.. Freyr. I believe he can be useful. I have agents among the royals, soldiers and assassins that are loyal to me. One such agent is on a journey with this new group called the alliance. Formed by every kingdom in the land to be our saviours against this Nuxta."
Anui's words made Lila almost shiver as she remembered the King's stare towards her a while ago. He was an incredibly dangerous person. Not due to his strength or political power, but due to his personality. Anui's words now made that fact even clearer than before.
"She will indeed be... useful." Lila said, calming herself down as the warm water relaxed her muscles and nerves.
"The basilisks... They can be used against Nuxta... If we take their Queen down and make it look like Nuxta betrayed her..." Lila said after she hear Anui's words with a serious tone. Even though she was thinking ahead, it was still a solid plan and if it worked, it would put a sizeable dent in Nuxta's forces. "Still... We need to do something with the basiliskin girl. Even though she is a basilisk, she undoubtedly has feelings too and she seems clueless about the situation she's currently in. I don't think she knows she was betrayed by her own kind... Also, setting her free is... unlikely seeing what happened with the king..." she continued.
"If she chooses to ally herself with us... I could train her myself. I can't give her a home to return to nor freedom, as it is unlikely that the king would set her free even if we do give her enough information about the basilisks, but I could teach her how to earn her own life and possibly, her own freedom... Even if she has to pay for it by spilling blood." Lila said as she cleaned her skin with a fragrant soap.
"Freyr..." Lila repeated as Anui mentioned the new royal.
"I don't trust him... At least not yet. He seems too eager to please the king. It would be smart for us to be careful of what we say or do around him..." she said to Anui, as she started cleaning her hair.
"It is my first time knowing about this.. Alliance... What do you expect of them?" Lila asked, curious to know what were his expectations of said group.
Anui took in Lilas words on Freyr with a earnest nod. He agreed she was right about Freyrs perceived 'loyalty' to the king. How his new found sight was used to fixate on the King. Hands willing to kill even a babe for the King. That loyalty Anui wanted on his side. Since Freyr was still new this was a ripe opportunity. Anui stood from his seat with a single push of both his arms. Almost gliding over the floor as he paced forward and then back. His right hand cupping his chin in thought as Lila replied to him.
Her final question made him pause, only making it to the third pace before doing so. He was facing Lila and watched her red hairs natural bright red turn crimson in the waters. He had half a mind to join her, the reddish hue on her usually pale complexion reminded him of her warmth. He straightened his mind to her question. "Uhm.. The alliance is a show of solidarity nothing more. We aren't coordinating with other kingdoms. All of our secrets remain secrets. We continue to fight amongst ourselves and divide territories. Because of this the alliance is doomed to fail." He sighed. Crossing his arms. "And now we must continue to perpetuate the problem. The king wants knowledge on where the Aion hide. No doubt to slay them... Blood is paid in blood."
Lila silently listened to Anui's words regarding the alliance. Indeed, it was but a show of solidarity and nothing more. Nothing had changed, the nations were still 'enemies' wars and conflicts would continue to happen, secrets would continue to exist.
"Regrettable... But it's the truth..." Lila said as she finished her bath, submerging herself in the water once more to wash the shampoo off her hair.
"The conflict with the Aion isn't something that can be solved easily. Too much blood was spilled on both sides, too many things were done..." Lila continued.
"That said, I don't care about what happens with the Aion. If their secrets must be used as a bargaining chip for our objectives to be completed, so be it. They're not exactly innocent..." Lila said, in a serious tone as she dried herself.
"Until we are ready to make our move, there is nothing we can do to prevent more blood to be spilled in this conflict against the Aion." Lila continued.
"There will be a time when we will hopefully be able to end this meaningless conflict once and for all... To end the corruption that is deeply rooted in this nation... But for now... We have no other choice but to wait..." Lila said, getting out of the bath, covered with only a towel as she gently hugged Anui.
"We'll soon have to go back to the cells to talk with the basiliskin girl... I will have a report done about the Aion base too, together with whatever information I will be able to get from her..." Lila said, her tone of voice made it clear that she would choose to stay besides Anui and just keep hugging her like she was doing now if she could.
Anui respectfully remained turned the other way to face the door as Lila stepped out of the cover of the water. He kept a hand on his chin in deep thought. As she spoke out loud and came closer to him he could sense her thoughts. Her pattern of thinking and what she went through. The Aion, the kingdom of Nero, the lords of every land. They all meant nothing to her. So they meant nothing to him. But the people mattered. The future mattered. For them and their heirs they needed a peaceful world. Or at least one that was far less corrupted by the desires of their rulers. Perhaps a unified world was too much to ask for. But in its current state, even with a single enemy, they can't connect.
"Lila..." He said softly as she held him. "Before you turn in your report for the Aion. Let me see it first. It may be best we keep some things to ourselves." He touched her hand gently. "Lets see this.. girl, as you call her. Then prepare ourselves for an expedition to the Basilisks territory." He looked a bit serious, though Lila couldn't see. His pupils slightly slit as he had a death glare at the door. His mind venturing down the road of blood they will spill moving forward.
Once properly dressed Lila and Anui would leave the room to the servant. Down the halls Anui knew so well. He began to point to Lila what hall was which. The statues on the walls marked what led where. Beast Gargoyles, Seraphim, Basilisk Skulls, The heads of previous kings and royals, and finally the skulls of their greatest enemies. Yes the petrified skulls of those in high standing that fell to a Nero blade. All marked where each thing was. While it would take her time to learn it all she would get a grasp of the statues and their meaning soon enough. Walking the hall of Basilisk skulls they soon arrived to the dungeon room once more. With another knock they were greeted with Grotum again. He quickly led them to the Basiliskin. Anui noticed she did not touch her food. Watching her as a tall dark figure behind the bars that kept her inside. "Open it." The door was swung open by Grotum, Anui would inside in unison with Lila. He observed the cell briefly and looked to the girl. Not saying a word, it would be best, he thought, to let Lila talk to this... girl. "I must go for now. I will return shortly." Anui turned to face the exit. "Be wary of any tricks she has up her sleeve." He kissed Lila on the lips. Showing the Basilisk that they were a couple. Glaring at the girl as he kissed his wife he let her know without words not to touch Lila. OR he would be the one she would have to deal with. If it were up to him Grotum would be the one interrogating her.
Mistakes… Anui walked out of the dungeon. He made his way down the halls until he came to the seraphim statue hall. There he found a door and entered. "Tell me what you can of the new blood." The room he was in was filled with books. The one who sat in the middle of all these book shelves was a hooded woman with a sphere in her hands. She smiled under her hood. "Well." Her voice was a bit surprised, but calm and pleased. "The last time I did this was for the King." She said while the sphere began to glow a feint white with black swirls surrounding its inside. "Oh my.. It seems our new blood won't be around much longer.." She said. Anui looked a bit surprised himself. "The canal cavern estate." Immediately after she spoke Anui vanished. Soon Anui was at Freyr's home. Uninvited as he was he did not ask the details of his situation from the seer. Anui managed to enter inside without any forced entry. His brief walk past the garden only gave the air of quiet danger a beautiful backdrop. Something he didn't want to be a part of. He looked for signs of struggle. Finding a table with a few materials spilled around it. The liquid seemed vile to the senses. He slowly walked further, around the table. There he found Freyr. Anui calmly observed. The liquid was clearly the culprit but he didn't seem to drink it. Despite this peculiar situation Anui remained entirely calm, almost cold as he knelt down and felt Freyr's pulse.
"Like a true blood." He muttered. The poison in the liquid didn't seem like enough to kill a Nayu. Anui lifted Freyr in his arms and headed for the door. "For better or for worse new blood. You're alive." He said as he headed to the nearest medical center. Luckily they were in the royal district. Freyr would find himself in a bed as a patient in a poorly lit room soon enough.
For Freyr, barely any time had passed between him passing out at the foot of his bed and waking up here. He expected to see nothing at first, but slowly he remembered the day's previous events. Freyr felt sore and nauseous, but he couldn't figure out why. He had zero recollection of what happened between arriving at his home and whatever this place was. It was dimly lit, with a small table at the side with all sorts of tools. Freyr moved some hairs out of his face as he sat up a little. The sheets under him were damp in his own sweat and his hair was matted, messy and soaked in his own sweat. What happened to him and more importantly, how did he get here?
Anui was the only figure in the room. Though he was cloaked by a shadow that could not be pierced even with Freyr's new sight. He stepped into the light as she came near Freyr. Placing a steady right hand on the mans right shoulder. Pressing down gently to keep a bit of balance. The bed was small and falling was easy. "It's alright." He said with a slow deliberate calming voice. His eyes were still as cold as ever, but the will to kill was not in them. Nor disgust. He instead looked at Freyr like a master viewed their dog who disappointed them with bad behavior. Any hopes of seeing Freyr as a possible noble of valor was tarnished in Anui's eyes. He instead wished now he asked the Seer for more information before coming into contact with this man. Now for an alibi... "I had came to your lovely estate to see if you were home." He tilted his head as he looked into the mans eyes. The calculated dream of Anui's eyes met Freyr's once more and he would revisit the memory of having gained such a new found ability.
"I need you to tell me if you harmed the basiliskin in anyway or did something to her to acquire whatever was in that concoction you had." His hand against his shoulder gently pressed his sharp nails into Freyr's flesh.
Freyr nearly jumped out of bed when he saw Anui's figure approach. But once he recognized him, he lowered his guard. Anui was able to approach him, get close and practically interrogate him. The line of questioning was odd, and it took Freyr a moment to really register what Anui was talking about. The added 'motivation' reminded Freyr of his training sessions. He had trained for these particular situations. Though, this circumstance was different. He lost nothing by telling the truth...*
"I-I didn't hurt her." Said Freyr, looking away from Anui. He was clearly in pain, but was doing his best to not outwardly show it. "We talked and I asked for it."
It was all coming back now. The Basilisk poison. He has used it to make an elixir to cure his withdrawal symptons. Though, his definition of 'cure' was dubious at best. Seems like his head had gotten to him. Either he probably took too much or added the wrong ingredients. Either way, Anui didn't need to know. And even if he knew, he wasn't going to admit it.
"The King gave me different orders and I obeyed. Why would I harm her and disobey?" Freyr had always portrayed himself as a loyal Dolofon assassin. Even if he didn't particularly care about the politics, he always like to show his superiors that he was but a humble servant of the King and the Kingdom. In reality, he just wanted to climb the ranks. To get to where he was now.
Anui knew his kind. Short of royal blood but close enough to high society to attain wealth with his god given Nayu traits. Honed enough to be of use. To gain prominence amongst the high bloods while they stepped over the lives of the low bloods. Anui respected those who came from nothing. Those were the ones he gave all his faith to. But Freyr was not one of them. Anui felt a bit angered. His cool demeanor would not resonate that however. Instead he seemed to only be studying Freyr, and letting up his show of aggression whilst doing so.
"I see. A kind one that poor thing." He said while laying his hand off and resting it to his side. He stood his full height and looked down at Freyr. Remaining eye level. "You are wise to remain vigilant in not disobeying the king. Even as you do acquire favors from our prisoners..." He faced the door, standing sideways to Freyr now. "Please do get better. Soon. I will send for you in due time." He began to exit the center. As he left he swung the door open and on the other side was a full clinic. One not Taxis and not seen anywhere else but in Nero. Anui approached a nurse, a woman in all black from head to toe and goggle like glasses on her face. "Please so to it that he gets the best of care." He looked to the door. "He may need the impurities in his blood removed..."
The nurse entered the room. She looked at Freyr with her reflective lenses covering her eyes. "Please relax." She stated. Noting Freyr's sweating as a sign of his overall uneasy demeanor. She walked over to him holding a blanket. She laid it over him and placed a small towel on his forehead. "I have been told you're here for a blood purification. May I begin?" She asked. Wanting the patient's consent before continuing.
"Blood purification?" Freyr repeated the nurse's words, looking away for a moment. He sat up again, taking the wet towel on his forehead in one hand.* "Look. I-I appreciate your help, but I think I can work this out on my own. I just... took too much. It won't happen again." Freyr wasn't about to lose the only thing that kept his chronic pain at bay.
"If you say so." The nurse bowed out of the room. By this time however Anui was gone. So she had to return to make sure Freyr could leave appropriately. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his forehead. "Before you leave let me do a quick checkup. Are you in any pain? Have you taken this venom before and are you a constant ingester?"
"Am I...?" Freyr sighed. It wasn't here fault. "Yes. Constantly. Seraphim blood and a few other mixes I make helps. Thought that venom I got would go well with the mix. Guess not." It was the first time Freyr had told anyone what he did behind closed doors. He did omit that he was practically addicted to it. Freyr was a ashamed of the whole situation, but he couldn't help it.
"I see. So you were experimenting." She kept prodding Freyr in certain places on his upper body to check off a list in her head. "Were you suffering from withdrawal symptoms?"
No point in hiding it anymore. And after what happened, maybe this was doing more harm than good. Would all that hard work go to waste because of this? He was lucky Anui found him when he did. Imagine if he hadn't. Either way, this nurse was going to find out anyway...
"Yes." Freyr replied in a low tone. He was ashame of the whole thing. There wasn't any way to hide it now.
"Its a common issue among the upper class." She stepped away for a moment. She seemed to be preparing something on the table. "I have something that is often used to temporarily remedy this issue." She raised an elixir. It was clear but reflected blue in the light. "Are you willing to take it?"
"I'll take it." Freyr had come to a realization. The need to take Seraphim blood had completely dominated his life for years. Sure, it helped with the pain and the night terrors... but it wasn't doing it for him anymore. For now, he could use this while he found a solution. Or something stronger that he could control.
"The cost has already been covered by the prince of Nero. You indeed have friends in high places." She walked over to him with a syringe needle in hand. The liquid inside. "Hold still please." She gently placed a hand on his arm. The needle dissappeared into his shoulder and so did the liquid. It only took a second. She stepped away walking to the table and placing the needle on it. "Take your time to rest."
"Truly?" Thinking back, it seemed Anui had taken an interest in him. He would have to be careful. Most likely, he would want this favor repaid at some point or another.
"Indeed." She gave a smile, though not visible under her mask. She left Freyr alone in the room. But not before Pointing out a black long medical robe by the door.
Freyr waited for her to leave the room before laying back down. He felt exausted all of a sudden. Nothing surprising there. After everything that had happened today, who wouldn't. Though, usually he'd smoke before going to sleep. That unfortunately wouldn't be an option anymore. All he could hope for was that whatever medicine he was given would help with his sleep. Freyr turned on his side and got comfortable, taking a deep breath before closing his eyes.
Lila nodded, understanding what Anui meant with those words. Initially, she was pretending to tell Sleeth absolutely everything she knew about the Aion. Not only it was valuable information, that was desired by the king that she could give for free, without any repercussions but it would be a key for her to earn the King's trust. As Anui said though, there could be some things that they could keep for themselves instead of just handing over to the king. If they did it carefully, they would both please the king with enough information and at the same time, keep some of it for themselves.
"The information about the Aion we give to the king might be the key for us to earn his trust. We can't give him a lacking report, although if we do things correctly, omitting some information without him realizing might be doable." Lila said, nodding towards Anui.
After they were dressed, Anui left the room and led Lila through the tortuous and almost maze like halls and corridors, all of them adorned with many different skulls from many races and creatures, ranging from beasts to heads of previous kings, royals and even seraphim. According to his explanation, each one of those skulls adorning the halls had a meaning, each one had a story behind them that was important for Nero. Lila carefully heard them, but despite her being even interested about it, it was just too much for her to memorize that fast.
Arriving on the cells, they were greeted by Grotum, who opened the door the second Anui opened his mouth. The basiliskin girl was curled up on the corner of the room in a truly pitiable state. Lila did notice how she didn't even touch the meat that was left for her, not that she blamed her for it... After everything she saw and went through, it was understandable that she couldn't eat that meat... "Thanks for your work, Grotum." Lila said as she looked at the basiliskin girl before Anui left her, saying he had to do something but would be back.
"Don't worry, I will be careful." Lila said, kissing him back.
After Anui was gone, Lila gave a few steps towards the basiliskin, staying far enough so she wouldn't see her as a threat and would remain calm.
"Calm down, I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to talk, Ni'ra." Lila began, talking with a calming voice as she said the name the basiliskin girl herself used before.
"Listen carefully to what I will say. I can't do much to help you if you don't cooperate." she began.
"Let's first start with why you're here, ok? You were sent here by your queen, to deliver a message which you didn't know the contents." Lila said, repeating what she herself had said before the king.
"I know you did nothing wrong, but the very fact that the basilisk queen sent you here means that she sent you to your own death. She knew that, especially making you deliver such message, which was nothing short of a declaration of war. She allied herself with someone called Nuxta. His goal is solely to kill and destroy everything." Lila said as she waited for the basiliskin girl's reaction to her words. It was very important for her to understand her own situation.
"You were abandoned by your own queen and your own kin. I can't give you a home to return to nor I can give you freedom... But I can teach you how to earn it." Lila said, looking to Ni'ra with serious eyes as she waited for her reaction before continuing to explain what exactly was happening.
When Lila and Anui had arrived, they would find Ni'ra in the same corner as before , curled up just the same except this time she had her ears covered in an attempt to lessen the sounds of the screams that Grotum most likely caused further in the dungeon. Despite her gentle approach Ni'ra still wasn't sure about this person talking to her now. She had helped her, it seemed, and she didn't seem as aggresive as the other she was with. Her mate perhaps? Nir'a thought about what the Nayu woman told her. "Kin... abandon Ni'ra? But why? Maybe Queen, why kin? Bazilizk no zee Bazilizkin az equal, iz becauze iz dezcendant, but never do az thiz. Ni'ra told dezcendantz evil, bloodthirzty, now Ni'ra zeez thiz too. Iz zcared, why do thingz like thiz?" she asked looking out of the bars, the sounds of their pain ringing off the walls. "Meat iz dezcendent flesh, Nik'ra no want, iz wrong-feeling... Ni'ra doez not want to hurt... doez not want to hurt otherz. Doez Queen that make bad choice mean all kin bad? Ni'ra no think zo, like zome dezcendant no zeem bad."
"Ni'ra iz.... at lozz. Doez not know where can go. Zo you zay kin no want, yet, zey no want Ni'ra either... What do Ni'ra do?"Ni'ra's speech was a bit erratic, bouncing from subject to subject of the responce as her mind raced, trying to stay calm but unable to do so, especially in this environment.
Lila heard in silence as the basiliskin girl spoke. She was afraid and confused. For someone who was so obviously clueless about most of the world outside her home, being treated like this was probably quite a shock for her.
"Calm down and listen to my words. I want you to focus on what I am saying to you." Lila said, in a calming, but serious tone as she looked straight to Ni'ra's eyes, giving her some time for her to breathe and calm down before she continued.
"Basilisks say descendants are evil and bloodthirsty, descendants say the same thing about basilisks. But you're not a basilisk. You're a basiliskin, Ni'ra. You're closer to the descended than the basilisks are." Lila continued.
"If a descended came to your queen, giving her a message that said that she could either surrender or die... What would the basilisks do with that descended...? Do you understand the situation you've been thrown in by your queen now?" Lila said, slowly.
"The basilisk queen commands the basilisks. If she orders, they have no choice but to obey, but you.... you are not a basilisk, Ni'ra." Lila began explaining, with the same patience someone would have to explain something for a child. "Your queen allied herself with someone evil. Someone who believes that the descended must be purged and the world, completely destroyed so it can be remade as he imagines it." Lila continued.
"The only ones that need to be eliminated are Nuxta and the basilisk queen. For that, we need your help, Ni'ra. Do you want Nuxta to succeed? If he does, there will be nothing left. He will destroy everything..." Lila said in a very serious tone as she looked to Ni'ra, giving her a moment for her to absorb the words she just said.
"In the eyes of the king, you are an enemy, just like your queen and Nuxta. You won't be able to be free... At least not yet. But if you help us to eliminate the basilisk queen, who betrayed you, sent you to die and allied herself with Nuxta, you will be able to earn your freedom. What can you tell me about the basilisk queen, where she is, where she lives... I need to know everything about her." Lila continued.
"I can take you out of here if you choose to ally yourself with us, Ni'ra. I am not like the king or the other one who wanted to kill you. You can trust me." Lila finished, as she gave Ni'ra a while to absorb everything she had just said. It was a lot of information, but for Ni'ra's own good, she had to understand it all and make the correct choice...
Ni'ra tried to take slower breathes to calm herself as best as she could as she listened. "Ni'ra.... doez not want kin hurt... but... haz no anger for dezcendantz. You zay queen and thiz, uh, Nooks-tah actually enemy of both kin and dezcendant?" she asked, after all, Lila did say destroy everything so that would mean that the queen not only betrayed her, but will later betray her kin?
Ni'ra shook her head and tried to steady her own thoughts. The accusation was quite bold, but... if it were true, the queen would be leading all of them into ruin as well, she had no thought for them at all. When Lila started asking questions about the queen she had to shake her head once more waving her hands. "W-wait, issss much too much, N-Ni'ra can not, eh, please...iz hard. Why queen betray, doez not care about kin anymore?"
Ni'ra was silent as the sounnd of that thought in words seemed to strike home with everrything that has happened. With a wavery voice she tried to answer best she could from what she knew. "Queen can control kin az to her will if need, and hear queen stay deep in cavez, yet where, Ni'ra never known. Ni'ra hunter, iz not allowed close, juzt provide food to otherz and get to keep zome az reward. Bazilizkin kept moztly zeparate from Bazilizk full bloodz."
"Ni'ra want to truzt you, but.... Ni'ra afraid of what mean if true... Ni'ra can help but..." Ni'ra was silent as she thought how to word her next phrase honestly but without angering Lila, "zo far, Ni'ra iz not zure about other dezcendantz. Small one is creepy, evil creature. Zen zer iz ztrange one from earlier, who ztayed wit Ni'ra. He azk for Ni'ra venom, Ni'ra warn him but waz, eh, perzizting? Ni'ra gave, zome from hunting ztick, he take and run away. Zen iz your mate. He zeenz... angry? No, iz not angry... Ni'ra can not place, iz just odd." Ni'ra stopped and looked Lila over for a moment, "You iz only one zat zpeak gentle..."
Lila raised an eyebrow, listening in silence as Ni'ra told her that Freyr did insist for her to get some of her venom. That information was... troubling. What was he planning to do with it? There were a few possibilities, but he could cause a lot of problems as well... But other than that, it was undeniable that Ni'ra was still very confused. Everything that Lila had said... It was a lot for her to absorb in just a moment. Fortunately, she was willing to hear her.
"I... don't know why your queen betrayed the descended and your kin. Nuxta's goals are clear yet... There are some who gladly cooperate with him..." Lila said, in a somber tone.
"Nuxta is an enemy of all life as we know. He wants to kill all descended and destroy everything, so he can create a world that is 'perfect' by his own standards... Trampling over everything and everyone in the process..." she continued.
"My mate seees you as a dangerous individual, but he isn't as eager to kill you as the King or Freyr, the other one who threatened to kill you before... You can trust us, Ni'ra." Lila said.
"Everything I told you so far is true. Unfortunately... You don't have much of a choice. The king would gladly torture you to get any information he can before killing you. I am offering you a better alternative. It's up to you if you will trust me and come to my side or not... My hands are tied unless you make the correct choice." Lila finished, as she gently extended her hand towards Ni'ra, looking to her and waiting for her reply.
Ni'ra looked into Lila's eyes, and unlike most of the people she had seen here, she didn't see any malice in them. There was no sense of danger when she reached out her hand to her. Even so, Ni'ra was nervous when she timidly reached out her hand, it was shaking slightly as she spoke up, "Ni'ra...truzt," she said as she lightly clasped hands with the nayu woman.
Lila smiled, relieved that the basiliskin girl chose to trust her. If she didn't Lila wouldn't be able to do anything to help her.
"The situation you're in right now is a bit... complicated. You will have to pledge alliance to the king. Even if you don't trust him, I need you to do so. Otherwise you will continue to be treated as a prisoner." Lila began explaining to Ni'ra as she shook her hand in a symbol of trust.
"Despite that, the one you'll ally yourself with will be me and Anui, not the king. I will train you, teach you how to wield your blade for more than just hunting. You will need it if you want to stop Nuxta and the Basilisk Queen. I won't lie to you, Ni'ra... You will have to earn your own freedom with blood. Just like once I did myself." she continued, looking to her with a serious expression.
"Before I can take you out of these cells, I need you to promise me that you won't betray me or Anui. You said you trust me, Ni'ra. Can I trust you too?" Lila asked.
"What can you tell me about the Queen and the basilisks and their fighting forces? Anything will help. Once we're done, I'm going to take you to eat something decent and for you to take a bath. Allies do not deserve to be treated the way you're currently being treated." Lila finished, making a promise to Ni'ra with a kind smile.
Ni'ra shifted uncomfortably, "Eh, Ni'ra never zee, but queen home iz large tower of bonez. Many ancient onez zere, including ze queen, very powerful. Queen iz queen from trial of combat, zo iz ztrongest. Az for other bazilizk, zere are few typez. Zome can have armz, legz, even wingz! Zeze can be ztrong, but onez wizout are called 'pure bloodz'. Non pure can have zkillz and magic normal bazilizk no have. More zan petrify or venom."
"Zen zere iz bazilizkin, like Ni'ra. We do zingz for bazilizk zat zey no can do, zince we have ze handz. We work wiz ze dezcendantz zat rarely hang around. Make medicinez for petrify and venom, zome hunting. When Ni'ra hunt, Ni'ra ztayz low, iz quiet, zen ztrike. Zometimes can no kill in one strike, zat iz what venom for, we wait for ze game to die." Ni'ra hoped she had answered something sufficiantly, but she was worried that maybe she may not have known enough to help as Lila wanted.
Lila carefully listened to Ni'ra's words as she began telling her about the queen. Apparently she didn't know much but the little she knew was still good. The basilisk queen lived in a tower of bones, together with many ancient ones, which were noticeably stronger than normal basilisks. Not only that but the queen herself was very strong.
"I see... This will make things a bit more complicated..." Lila said as she continued listening to Ni'ra.
Ni'ra also told her a few particularities about the Basilisks and their respective types. Some could use venom, could petrify and some could even use magic. Ni'ra herself was just a hunter, one of the reasons for her to not know much about the queen. Still, the techniques and skills she described could be easily used for assassination with some training. The information was honestly... Superficial, but it was still something. Unfortunately for her, she would have to prove her usefulness, not only to Lila but to the king himself by other means ...
"We can talk more later. I'll take you to eat something decent and take a bath. After that we can start your training." Lila said with a smile, but it ending with a serious tone.
"Your skills as a hunter will serve well for assassination. I will teach you to hunt more than just animals. It might not be something you will like to do, but it will be necessary for you to earn your own life." She explained to the basiliskin girl.(edited) "Grotum, this basiliskin girl will be, from now on, under my care. She will learn from me and work with me. Her cell won't be needed anymore. I will be in charge of disciplining and training her. Let everyone who might come here looking for her know this. I will need the keys for her shackles too." Lila said, as she called for Grotum, but Ni'ra would also notice that her words were more than just for Grotum... She was clearly stating that Ni'ra would have to hear and obey her and Anui's orders.
"Meanwhile, you can tell me more about these ancient ones who live with the queen. What they're capable of, their skills, abilities and how new queens are selected. We must be sure that the future basilisk queen won't ally herself with Nuxta..." Lila said waiting for Grotum to hand her the keys so she could free Ni'ra. Ni'ra quietly listened to Lila talk about her plans for her. She was unsure if she could become what Lila wanted her to be, but right now, they would be leaving this cell it seemed, and maybe then she could voice her concerns. The word 'assassination' flew over her head, as most longer words do, and she wasn't yet too keen on Lila's mate yet, but she had not talked to him as much as she spoke with Lila.
"Go to river? Eh, or maybe pond?" Ni'ra asked wondering about the bath. She knew a good couple bodies of water close by, "What Ni'ra need hunt? Ni'ra can hunt firzt, bathe after, zo clean after hunt." She didn't think about an actual bath or prepared meal. For Ni'ra, food came from hunting, and bathing was done out in the water.
Grotum quickly obeyed Lila. He took the key from his chain and handed it to Lila. She now had a key for the chains in this dungeon. "Perhaps this will help my lord." Grotum approached Ni'ra and placed a chain shackle around her neck. He then attempted to hand it to Lila.
"I will take care of it. Thank you, Grotum. Remember what I said about Ni'ra. She will be under my responsibility." Lila said, taking the shackle from his hands as he approached the basiliskin girl and the key.
As she approached Ni'ra, Lila immediately freed her, taking off her shackles before she leaned forward to speak to Ni'ra.
"I'm sorry. It is just for now, just for show. I will take it off the moment we get away from here." Lila said in a low tone as she put the chain shackle around her neck. It was clear for Ni'ra that Lila didn't enjoy that either, but she indeed had to keep the appearances.
Lila gently led Ni'ra out of the cells, holding the neck chain but still leading her by the hand, as she walked through the tortuous hallways, going back the exact way she came.
Once they were a bit far away, she went closer to Ni'ra, taking the neck chains away.
"Do you have any preference regarding food?" Lila asked as she lead her to the kitchen.
"I will be writing down any information regarding basilisks you have as you eat. After that you will take a bath and we will start your training." Lila said, as she continued leading her down the hallways.
The kitchen was near the living quarters and was accessible from all wings of the castle. Lila's first time leading the walk in these halls would be full of strange feelings. Her eyes saw nothing out of the ordinary. But she could sense a presence always watching. She could hear the walls vibrating like water rippling on its surface. But most importantly she could begin to smell the ingredients in the kitchen. This time there will be no door to open. It was open to all to enter and leave. In fact many of the servants came and went from there. Behind a closed door was where the chefs did the cooking for all royals. Tirelessly they baked and cooked whatever was wanted. Thankfully not many in Nero's royalty are gluttons for more than blood. But when they did eat they only wanted the most delectable of meals. The head chef could be heard occasionally shouting from behind the door. There were many already prepared meals on a long square of tables and seats. Whenver a royal was hungry they could walk in here and feast. Or request something be brought over wherever they resided. The room was quite fanciful. Paintings of deadly beautiful flowers hanging high on the walls next to candle lit flames. It was busy yet peaceful.
Ni'ra actually took a step back from Grotum when he approached her with the collar, not wanting him to get close to her. Luckily Lila took charge instead, and even though Ni'ra obviously was wary about having a collar around her neck, she let Lila put it on, listening to her explanation as she did so. SHe never seemed to let go of Ni'ra's hand as they walked away either. It was honestly quite comforting after how the day has gone so far.
Lila quickly made good on her promise and removed the shackle from her neck. Ni'ra wasn't sure how far they were from the dungeon, as she didn't look up from the ground,not wanting to see the heads again. She did notice that the stench of blood, rot, and death were gone, and replaced with something else entirely. It was a warm and pleasant smell. Lila then asked her what food preferences she had. "Ni'ra like meat...but... not like meat creepy man give. Ze harder ze hunt ze more reward it feel. Iz zing called 'phoenix chiken'. Zome wild in grazzy placez. Iz zmall, but iz very fazt, but sssssso good! Iz only zing Ni'ra can not help but eat in one bite!" she said, slowly getting excited thinking about it.
When they got to the kitchen, however, Ni'ra was a tad bit confused. Her tongue would rapidly flick in and out from between her lips often as she tried to identify what this place was. The chemicals and pheromones were all over the place, and her sense of smell was rapidly trying to identify things that she had never smelled before. Something seemed somewhat familiar, she remembered some odd descendants used to put fire to their meat instead of just eating it. Ni'ra never tried it before because she thought they may be burning it. But, it was not just meat, there were a number of other strange things their being inserted or withdrawn from large fire boxes. Plants, gooey blobs she didn't know was dough, pans of ascended only knew what, only to come out looking completely different!(edited)
There were even large pots of some liquid material that others were putting in bowls, it seemed to have chunks of other things in there as well. All the different smells and the tables lined with food nearly made Ni'ra's head spin. "Feh!? What iz place? Iz food? Ni'ra never zee before!" Ni'ra's eyes were wide with wonder, her old curious instinct starting to flare back up as she started taking steps into the kitchen. She wanted to see what the chefs were doing and get a closer look at the food, often looking back to Lila and back to what she was curious about. She obviously really badly wanted to learn about everything in here, but wasn't sure if she would get in trouble if she poked around too much. Ni'ra still held on to Lila's hand though, and would not take a step farther than her reach, in fact, the end of Ni'ra's tail even started to coil around Lila's arm as well, just to be double sure she didn't lose track of her.
Lila wasn't that surprised when she heard Ni'ra's preferences for food. Since she was a basiliskin and lived most of her life with basilisks, it was to be expected she would eat mainly raw meat. That said, she didn't blame the basiliskin girl for not eating the meat Grotum gave her...
"Phoenix chicken... It sounds exotic." Lila replied. She had never heard about such animal, but Lila was never interested in cooking nor she was a 'hunter' in the traditional sense of the word, so it was only to be expected.
"I never heard about it before, but your enthusiasm made me curious. If we find any on the kitchen I will ask for it to be prepared for us." Lila replied, letting out a discreet smile, satisfied that the basiliskin girl was feeling better.
As she made her way to the kitchen with Ni'ra, Lila couldn't help but to feel quite the strange sensations. Even if there was apparently nothing out of the ordinary, she could feel the walls vibrating almost like if there were ripples on its surface and a faint, but strange presence, giving her the feeling she was being watched. Even though she was able to hide it from Ni'ra, such sensations did put her at guard, until she finally began feeling the smells from all the ingredients in the kitchen. There was still much about the castle that Lila didn't know, but she would be sure to ask about those specific sensations to Anui later... When they arrived on the kitchen, Ni'ra was quick to express her confusion and amazement with the scents of all the different foods and spices that were omnipresent in the kitchen. It was honestly a bit overwhelming even for Lila, but for Ni'ra, who probably had senses as sharp as, or even more than, Lila, it probably was much more impactful.
"The scents you're feeling are many different spices and condiments, all used to give the food a different taste. The same meat can be prepared in a thousand different ways, all of them tasting incredibly different from one another. Have you ever had cooked food?" Lila asked as she headed further inside, still holding Ni'ra's hands.
Lila did take some time trying to find someone who wasn't frantically working on a dish or busy with something, but after a few moments, she was finally noticed by one of the cooks as she made a signal for him to approach her.
"Do you have any Phoenix Chickens to prepare? Two dishes should be fine. If you don't, just one serving of regular meat should suffice." Lila said as she waited for his reply.
Aela's usual morning routine was to awake to the sound of exotic birds crying within the tranquil beats of drums and flutes. Relaxing sounds that would make most people beg for more rest woke Aela out of her sleep in a calm mental state. Whether it was a bad dream or a nightmare she soon was over it. Her pink pajamas with white rabbits were in full display as she pulled the sheets from over her. Nearly springing out of her bed and into a morning stretch. Her rooms carpet was a bit fuzzy and a few grey tints away from being white. Her mirror and dresser were very similar to a Hollywood wardrobe. Her makeup supplies, hair supplies, skin care and right next to the dresser was her closet. Everything she needed to be prepared for the day. Her room had only a single painting of a field of flowers being over looked by mountains. The window was where she really enjoyed the view. The city from the high rise apartment was beautiful in the early morning. "School starts at 9 but here I am up at 7 and it's still so loud outside... I love the cities spirit!" He opened the window and rested her elbow on the edge.
Hubs of human activity, Aela thought, was where the most spiritual energy resonated. Much like an ant hill where they were born, lived, and died. The city was brimming with life. It didn't bother her at all that most of it was artificial. Electricity, gas, it all was powered by human spirit not the other way around. She moved by the call from one of her family members below. She cut the nature sounds off from her clock and stepped out of her room to join her family.
"Morning." She said mid yawn. Her hair was still disheveled and her furry bunny slippers were dragging her to the table with a variety of fresh fruit sitting in a bowl. She grabbed a peach and walked it over to the sink to rinse it off. Sitting at the dining room table across the shiny white tiles of the kitchen floor was her dad, mom and brother. Her father was reading a news article while sipping coffee and sitting on a stool, occasionally he bit into a piece of toast and a orange slice was tossed in as well. He wore thick rimmed glasses and a button down collared shirt. The usual attire of a high end salary man with a cushioned position. He was clean and trimmed, a contrast to his wife. Aela's mom wore long dreads with pink ends all tied into a bun and wrapped in a golden and black cloth with all sorts of patterns on it. Her dress was like a long tunic and around her neck was a natural looking necklace having a obscure pattern for peace in its center. Her moms thick eye brows and lack of makeup just added to her sense of earthy spirituality.
"You're up at a good time." Her dad said not taking his eyes off of the paper. Her mom sipped her tea whilst observing a magazine on health and wellness for people with health and wellness. While her brother ate a full breakfast while simultaneously watching the news on the fat tv. Aela's mother looked up. "Perhaps you're up for some morning yoga?" Aela look at her and shook her head. "Not today I think I'll just meditate a bit. Gotta keep my chakras aligned for my first day back to school." She bit into her peach and had to hold some of the juices from spilling out of her mouth. Her mom chuckled a bit at her daughters natural charm. "That's right dear, I've taught you well." She said proudly sipping her tea.
"Going to get all cleaned up now, thanks for the breakfast!" She swiftly kissed her mom and her dad, gave her brother a rough pat on the head and walked down the hall to her room again where she had her own bathroom to get ready in. A young city girl's dream. Once she was ready and finished meditating she would catch a taxi to school. Bus routes were her last resort to get anywhere.
Arriving at school was a bit underwhelming. Instead of some journey to find yourself through the maze of classes each student was given direct locations to go to. She swam in the river of people so to speak, a lone pink fish, and made her way to her homeroom class. There she was informed during her teachers orientation speech that they would be going to a museum. Also she stood for the pledge of allegiance for the first time in a while. She would eventually not recite the pledge, not place a hand over her chest, or stand. But for now she pleased everyone's desire for some continental unity.
The bus ride she spent by a window. It was thankfully very short. She hated being boxed in so close to people. She entered the museum with the others and listened to their teacher who to her delight let their students explore. The objective was to introduce students to history, for those who it may interest. Aela didn't at all find it interesting. I mean, to her the statues looked cool. But most of the creatures looked obviously fake compared to a real animal. Then there were the old rock looking spears. All basic stuff in her opinion. Where were the deity statues? The ceremony knife for sacrificing to their gods. Something resonating with spiritual energy. She wanted to find it if any were to be found here.
"Better find something worth while to look at. You'll likely be taking a test on it." She gently said to her classmates who were kind of lost. Being told what to do was their usual mode this early in the day. She grinned and snickered while walking away. Giving her classmates a bit of a scare this early in the year put her in a good mood. "In fact I see lots of tests in our future." She said while walking away. She was headed to an area with any civilized ancient artifacts in the museum.
Personality: Aela enjoys relaxing and being as lazy as possible. She is very similar to a cat. She will love on someone one minute then hate them the next. But her true friends learn to enjoy a back and forth with her. This makes her idea of love very personal yet difficult to realize. She has few to no friends because of this but the ones she is able to make are true. When it comes to hard work she's always thinking of a way out. She does have a bit of over confidence though it could be considered her high self worth. As a spiritualist she has a blind spot when it comes to real world problems. But she does have great reverence for everyone's spiritual journey and her own. To the point that she speaks more seriously when referencing it.
Short Biography: She is a third generation kid of an Egyptian family. Though their origins expand beyond just Egypt. She has traveled as well from a young age. While she does not remember everything from her childhood she does know a lot of spiritual symbols, items and such. Her family owns several psychic, cleansing, yoga, and other wellness businesses. She herself is a psychic. Reading palms, speaking to spirits and telling futures are just a few of the skills she learned from her family. She was raised to be a part of the family's business.
She has just one sibling. A younger brother named Ziton. Since she is the older child she often has to protect her brother from bullies who make fun of the fact that he is mute. Though she does not know why he is mute or why she seems to have a talent for being a psychic. This leads her to believe that she is blessed and her brother is cursed. So she spends most of her time taking care of him, even taking up martial arts with him to teach them both how to defend themselves better.
Quirk: She is fairly deep in her spiritualism at times. Seeking answers through its medium rather than practical solutions to everyday and life problems.
I'm interested. Only seen the anime never read the entire manga. So I hope I don't copy a characters ability or anyone elses for that matter. Anyways I'll have something up soon.
"We will try our best. Though we lost many to apprehend the one with lightning!" The scout said. Knowing time was of the essence the scout went to relay the message to the Queen. Breaking the sound barrier with her speed. Once reaching the Queen and delivering the message the woman solemnly looked to the swirling skies, the rattling of the earth, and the parting of the seas. She sighed deeply. She turned to the scout with a proud smile. "I have another message for you to send Sophia. I want her to finally come down from her high mountain and join our council. For when the next King and Queen of Gaia is chosen I will want my final act to bestow us with her wisdom... Let her know the Queen of Gaia will defend her." With that said the scout left to soon return to Sophia.
Entering from the clouds above were hordes of wyverns all flying below the swirling clouds high above. The Gaian soldiers all mounted on their own dragons or flying with their own wings saw these dragons and took a defensive stance midair. Their Queen above them on her shining diamond scaled dragon. Her own scales and the armor made from a similar dragon reflected the ominous light from the storm clouds flashing. Rain mixed with the snow of the mountain and the debris of battle washed over the dragons and the Gaians alike. Even Sophia and the structure she held Nuxta in was coated in snow and icy rain. But above all the others was a massive wyvern, a size similar to the two titan dragons who battled earlier and even made Sophia seem like a dwarf. It's huge wings opened the storm clouds and carried them with it underneath. Lightning rain and tornadoes whirled in a chaotic cascade. All to harm the Gaian army that worked in unison to withstand the onslaught. Shelling in stone casings they were able to effortlessly levitate around them like free hand giant shields. When the wyverns descended and began breathing flames to incinerate the soldiers they retaliated with shield coverage and spearing. Their own dragons matching some of the breath attacks and clawing their foes. But unfortunately the wyverns were far more savage.
A soldier being gripped by the jaws of a few smaller wyverns and torn in half. A larger wyvern gripping a soldier and their much smaller dragon and crushing them both in its talons. Blood flowing into the winds. The Queen of Gaia pursued the massive Wyvern with a group of elite dragoons. All with their own ruby, sapphire and emerald jeweled dragons going at high speeds. They remained above it to avoid the storm its wings brought. Nothing was above them but storm and nothing below them was storm. This was truly a sky war none could see from below. Allo Niscent brought her spear to her side before plunging it into the back scales of the wyvern. Though she was able to cut a few inches into the scales it was not enough to draw blood. She gritted her teeth at her ineffectiveness. "Stop the wings! Eliminate the storm!" She shouted. The three others with her turned to the wings. Two on each wing. Together with their dragons they hacked into the wings, again barely able to remove some scales. But now was visibly an open, yet narrow point in which to try and harm the wings. "Leave this to me." The Queen raised her spear before her and a ripple in reality opened as she speared into it. The same ripple appeared over the opening. Blood came gushing out from the wound, her spear's blade coming through the ripple.
The blood was sign of success. She repeated this with twisting potions to dig a sizable hole and eventually rip a hole through the wing, not enough to stop it but a fresh wound like this was enough to get the beast's attention. The giant Wyvern roared. In response the smaller wyverns came to it's aid. The Queen's special elite Dragoons came to defend her. Spearing the wyverns and tossing them away to fall to their dooms. The Queen sighed. "It's not stopping..." The Dragon she rode looked up at her and grunted gently. She placed a free hand on its head and pet her. It was as if nothing was of concern for a moment, as she smiled and softly spoke. "I know.. I have no choice but to.. For my son."
She hugged her dragon and soon the sound barrier broke and she was off. Flying faster than the massive wyvern and reaching it's snout. She twirled leaving behind a spiral of cloud trails before doing so. "You ferals refused to accept our offerings. Only selfishly taking what you can from your small spaces. We offered you peace and to become one with us! Now I've no choice but to stop you! You'll doom the entire world Nuxta is evil!" She shouted with all she had. The Wyvern's giant eyes gazed upon her but nothing more. "Fine..." She began to plummet down, way down, below the clouds above the mountain and into the mountain's side. "Sorry Sophia. I hope this doesn't harm the seal." Emerging from the raw materials of the mountain was a giant form of the Queen. It moved like her and all. It began to levitate above the mountain now and was equal in size to the giant wyvern. Boulders fell from pieces of the moving statue but despite their size the statue did not lose mass at all. Instead over time it refined itself more and more. Tornado dust clouds massive in scale whirled around its body, taking boulders with it.
The chaos continued. Had it not been for Gaia's Royal soldiers being the mightiest of descendants the swarm of Wyverns would of have been over whelming. None could imagine the horror of seeing countless men and women be slaughtered by dragons just the same as they were slaughtering them. Blood began to permeate the clouds they fought in. Giving them a menacing pink hue. The massive Dragon, which could only be assumed as the leader due to its size and mastery of storms. The cloudy mountain tops were given excessive amounts of mist and lightning. It was a true storm of war. It was only the fists of solid earth colliding against the wyvern's belly could give the growing storms pause.
The clash could be heard through out Gaia. In the midst of the clash was the Queen. Emerged from the massive statue of her form and ran down its arm length. She had no choice but to slay a few dragons entering her range. Their numbers were only dwarfed by their tenacity. She had no time to sing a song and command them to her will. If it were even possible. Their leader was her target and only after the demise of this dragon could the others be possibly be scattered and later tamed. Or so she thought. If not they would be further fodder for the Fotians to mercilessly hunt down. Dragons were worth more than that to her and Gaians. So. She fought against them with all she had. Out of respect.
Allo elegantly launched herself with a blast of stone and air to whirl herself into a light spin. While midair she was pursued by further wyverns. She was pleased to see her Dragon Diamante devour these smaller wyverns with ease and give her a ride on its back. "Thank you Dia. Now try to fly easy. I need concentration." She hugged her beast and began to control the giant flying statue of her. Now removed from it she had no fear of going berserk with it. It began to crack from the pressure. The pressure of the statues body wrapping its arms around the Wyverns neck and trying to bring it down. A few strikes to its jaw for good measure. They were heading to the mountain side and crashed with a massive earthquaking crash.
The earth began to open up beneath the mountain. Leaping from it was a massive dragon. The waters bubbled up with a massive multi headed hydra. It seemed like the end of the world as the gods of chaos began to appear. The wild dragons that still ruled the unclaimed territories with fear. The rubble of the crash, a crater in the side of the mountain now bigger than before made with the massive wyvern covered with rubble. The mist of the storm clouds and dust enveloped its entire form. But its tail and clawed hind legs were sticking out. Without movement one could assume it was dead.
"Now... It's time we took care of the others.." The Queen looked through the horde of storms and saw the massive shadows of the Hydra twist and turning in the thunder and lightning and below a colossal viper crawling up the mountain's side. "If all else fails..." She pulled a necklace beneath her armor. It held a glowing green stone. "I'll have to rely on the Dragon Temple's power..." She spiraled through the winds to return to the mass of her soldiers still combating the wyverns. Immediately her scouts returned to her despite the spiraling clouds all around them, high winds and lighting flashing only a handful of meters away. In their hearts they knew their Queen was the one who was doing the most to aid them. All the soldiers knew, even the citizens who sat safely at home. Watching from afar at the rumbling war far and above.
The Wyrm King
Before the Queen could speak the sky roared even louder than the storms. It opened to reveal a beautiful array of massive wyrms flying with various elemental auras. One above them all was golden. White horns and long flowing hairs. All around it the chaos vanished. Clouds once black now turned white and the sky which was practically red turned blue as it passed. It immediately flew down to where Nuxta and Sophia was. It whirled around their position for a moment before looking down at Sophia, a small Dragon compared to its size. "You betray your own kind with this act... Though you may not know why." The other wyrms around it began to fly around, undoing the chaos of the storms. The wyverns that remained began to flee. The Hydra was visible and the basilisk was too. They all were before Sophia. "Nuxta is a natural enemy to our kind. However. He has offered us a return to our rightful seats as Gods of this world. In return we will help him erase the descendants who defy our will." His voice was calm.. deep but loud. Like gentle thunder.
Sophia knew that the Gaians lost many warriors fighting against the previous opponent, she knew that more would fall before all that could end. No matter how hard she tried, no matter what she did, it was simply unavoidable. The moment she heard those lines from the scout, sadness overcame her expression. Looking to the scout with a worried expression, she gently nodded as the scout departed. Just as the scout had her duty to perform though, Sophia had hers. She knew she had to contain Nuxta, otherwise that battle would be over in a second. When the scout came back, bringing a message from the queen, Sophia smiled, knowing that Queen Allo wasn't like the previous rulers which made Sophia close herself from the rest of the world. Maybe... Just maybe, the Descended were finally walking the correct path, in the short future, Sophia wondered if she would be able to open the Great Library to the world once again.
It did take a long time, but Sophia was finally finished with the seals. The sheer pressure coming from the obscene amount of curses and seals coming from the crater was almost oppressive. From the most basic barrier to the most powerful, ancient and forgotten curses and seals Sophia knew, intertwined one with another, she hoped it would be able to hold Nuxta. Even though she knew that Nuxta was a strong opponent, she didn't knew exactly the extension of his powers and even though she was confident in her magic and her own power, she feared for the worse. Still, she shouldn't let the Queen and her warriors to fight alone. She would still keep an eye on the seals the casted and would be ready to rush if they started to break, but it was time to show Queen Allo and the other Gaian warriors that the faith they put into Sophia wasn't for nothing.
The scene unfolding before Sophia was worrying. Hordes and hordes of wyverns and wild dragons flew below the clouds as the gaian soldiers, despite the overwhelming opponent they were facing, stood strong, mounted on their dragons together with their queen, doing everything they could despite being focused by a massive wyvern, wielding lightning and tornadoes as it's weapons. Even though the warrior's bravery was commendable, the wyverns were far more savage in their attacks. Together with her elite warriors, the Queen herself went after the titanic Wyvern, attacking him with a powerful attack from her spear, which resembled the technique Sophia herself used. Fortunately, her strike was accurate, ripping a big hole into the big wyvern's wings, enough to get it's attention. After her words were ignored by the wyvern, Queen allo finally showed her true power. The mountain trembled and Sophia felt the chains and seals she used to trap Nuxta rattle dangerously as a giant emerged from it, matching in size with the titanic wyvern.
"I'm sorry... I couldn't do anything to prevent all this..." Sophia said to herself with an overwhelming sadness as she watched the scene unfolding before her. Both descended and dragons slaughtering themselves, their blood raining on the battlefield below, almost as if the clouds themselves were bleeding. Despite her sadness, Sophia had already steeled her heart and resolve. She knew that sacrifices would need to be made in order to avoid the worst outcome. If needed, Sophia was ready to become a monster and a demon in order to protect the children that were fighting for her.
When a gigantic hydra emerged from beneath the mountain, Sophia began flying towards the queen and her warrior in order to aid them. The seals were still holding strong despite all the chaos too.
Much to Sophia's dismay, even worse enemies were to approach the battlefield. From the sky they appeared, many elemental wyverns, from many colors roared, coming down to the battlefield. The most majestic one, with golden scales, white horns and flowing hairs flew down towards where Sophia was, before she could further approach the queen.
"Please, be well..." Sophia silently wished as she got ready to deal with them. As she was surrounded by the elemental wyverns, with the Hydra and the basilisk before her, the golden wyvern began talking and branding her a traitor. Despite their difference in size, Sophia was still a tremendously powerful dragon and wasn't intimidated by the enemies standing before her.
"You sided with evil in order to feed your own arrogance and greed! You fools, don't you see what is happening?" Sophia roared back, the pressure from her aura growing as she talked.
"You go against the natural flow of the world, threatening to upset the very balance of magic and end everything just so you can fulfill your greed and arrogant dreams of being gods! We were here long before the Descended. We should teach them, help them to develop themselves and guide them! Instead, you're trying to simply treat them as slaves, cattle or kill them!" she continued.
"Nuxta is an evil that must be dealt with, don't you see? What do you expect to achieve by siding with Nuxta? What he offers you is nothing but an illusion, a lie! Didn't you learn that with the past? You all should know what the Descended are capable of, you should know very well! They deserve as much respect as you as dragons do!" she continued, her voice echoing through the skies as she roared.
"Let me ask you one simple thing... For you, what is a god? What is a king? What is their purpose, the reason for their existence? Most importantly... who do they serve?" Sophia asked, her voice assuming a gentle tone as she asked those questions. With a piercing stare towards the golden wyvern, she waited for it's answer.
The wyrm before Sophia waved with the winds which began to settle more and more as the minutes went by. It listened to her well, thier booming dragonic voices hard to miss even amidst thunder. "What is a God? A King? WE THE DRAGONS ARE THE EPITOMY OF GOD HOOD OF WORSHIP!" It roared with a ferocious anger. The sun's rays shining through the clouds and upon the two dragons who spoke. "We serve none! We are the balance! Before descended... NO... BEFORE THE ACCURSED SERAPHIM WE HELD THE BALANCE WITH OUR POWER!" He snarled. "We fed from the earth, sky and sea! We bred in it, gave birth and were born in the balance of this world. We were feared because of our gifts to commune with the world's chaotic flows. Yet now.. as the descended's creations grow what's left of the world scales too far towards our total demise!" It looked to the completed seal on Nuxta. "This seraphim has chosen to look past the servitude we made his people undergo long ago. So we are willing to look past his bloodline and see the ultimate goal we both share. To eliminate the descended and return this entire world back to its original state. Together we will breed a new kind who will live within our rule and forge an everlasting peace between seraphim and dragon kind." As the wyrm spoke its final sentence the sun's rays seemed to cover it like an aura. Soon its body was enveloped in this light. "We are all willing to sacrifice our hatred for the sins of the past to begin a new age. Any harm done to this scrap of a remaining world can be reversed with our combined might. With your help Sophia we will see our dream come true sooner." Its body began to shrink while under the intense light. Soon the Wyrm's body was much smaller and the light it shined with was like the sun.
The light faded. But its brilliance was not lost. The form was almost like an arrangement of jewels turned into a living statue. It stood with skin of a similar hue to the sky. It looked to Sophia now. "For the first time I have taken a descendant's form. I know you have too. You share a connection with their kind. I assume it's due to your fondness for knowledge. What they can teach you will pale in comparison to what we can learn... Together." He watched for Sophia's reaction. Floating in the air as if weightless.
Devour
As Sophia spoke with the Wyrm the giant Basilisk made its way to the magical seal Sophia developed around Nuxta. "I can feel your power echoing even from within here. But you've already told me. You hold the keys to truth... those who defy you are merely using a lie." The Basilisk's voice was smooth and feminine. It's mouth opened wide and emerging from its jaws was the form of a giant woman. The Basilsik Queen returned to her lover. Caressing the seals with her hands. She leaned into it and kissed it. The spot where her lips laid forming the ice into a brittle stone over time. "So much work was put into keeping you in. But now you have me and no one can stop us." Dragons of all kinds flew around the mountain now. Screeching and roaring in a frenzy.
"Empty words from an empty husk... A King is nothing without it's subjects, it lives to serve them. Just as a god exists thanks and for those who believe in it." Sophia said, shaking it's head in disappointment after hearing the gold wyvern's words.
"To return the world to it's original state... Then what? Will you also try to keep the world from spinning, stop time from flowing? Nuxta is using you, using your endless greed and pride." Sophia repeated the gold wyvern's words, hissing towards him.
Even though she was holding her own temper as the gold wyvern spoke, the second he said he was willing to sacrifice his hatred before turning into his descendant form, she couldn't hold herself anymore.
"IT WAS YOUR HATRED THAT STARTED ALL THIS BACK IN THE GREAT WAR!!" Sophia roared menacingly. Her roar shaking the very air around her as it echoed through the battlefield.
"Many of the descended have our blood running inside their veins! Don't you know the reason why they are called 'descended'? They are a new race, still learning how to walk on this earth, still discovering it's secrets! You should be guiding and teaching them! We dragons have lived for much longed than they have, we walked through this earth long before they did! It is our job to guide them and teach them how to live in harmony with the land, it's magic and themselves! If they turned this way, we have no one to blame but ourselves!" She said, the anger in her voice still clear. As the gold wyvern assumed his descended form, Sophia looked at him as he spoke to her. It was an unspoken rule of the dragonkin that one should retribute the gesture of turning into it's descended form if another dragon did so, as they were in their most vulnerable state like that.
"You want me to take my descended form, despite being surrounded by enemies... Don't you respect even the ancient, unspoken customs of the dragons?" Sophia asked, disgust clear in her voice.
"The descended are still a young race. They still have time to right their wrongs. It is not too late for us to teach them, as we should have done in the past..." Sophia said, looking at him.
"It is not too late to stand by the descended's side not as a tyrannical ruler or a god, but as a teacher, a guide, a father. They have much to learn and we are the only ones able to teach them. Don't turn your back on them. They are still children, walking through this world without knowing it's truth..." Sophia said. "No matter how many times you try, even if you succeed in going against the flow of time itself, story is bound to repeat iself, lest you change your ways. Just like I did mine." she finished, looking at the golden wyvern.
Before the Sophia could say anything more though, she noticed a disturbance on the seals she had put around Nuxta. Immediately looking to the place where she had sealed him, she saw the Basilisk queen nearby the ice pillar.
Descended words weren't able to accurately describe the roar Sophia gave when she looked at the Basilisk queen and the ice pillar where Nuxta was. It was an almost feral roar, made of pure hatred and anger as she used her breath to send a beam of heat towards the basilisk queen. Unlike others she had used before, this one was much more concentrated. Despite being thinner than the others, the sound it made when she fired was almost as if the sky itself was crying upon being cut by it.
She couldn't let the basilisk queen undo the seals... Nuxta should stay inside the pillar. Anyone who tried to free him would meet Sophia's wrath.
Just as Sophia was to strike with her sky piercing aura the smaller form of the Golden Wyrm darted before her. With a shining golden flame it effectively reduced the beam to shattered sparkling ice particles. The body of the Wyrm shined brightly with the flames slowly vanishing around it's body. It removed it's arms from the X formation it was in to block the beam. The remaining ice on its arms shattered in the flames and scattered into the sky. "You have no right to speak. You who have hidden away from these descendants living alone. While your dragonic brothers and sisters were slaughtered, enslaved and used by these descendants. A war with them is inevitable. You are simply prolonging their delusions of righteousness." The seal Nuxta was encased in was rapidly turning into stone. The Basilisk Queen did not even seem to notice Sophia above. Infatuated she was by the thought of reuniting with her godly lover.
"OUT OF MY WAY!" Sophia roared as the golden wyrm blocked her attack and standing in front of her.
"What could YOU understand about educating and teaching? You see yourself as a god, I see only a child fighting with other children!" Sophia roared again, looking at the seal that was keeping Nuxta trapped, slowly being destroyed thanks to the Basilisk Queen.
"My desire to not participate in that foolish and childish war of yours against the descended has nothing to do with my duty to teach and guide them! Look at the monks who live nearby my temple! Look at the Gaians and how they respect me even though I secluded myself from the rest of the world! You say they can't learn? Open your eyes and see how wrong you are." Sophia finished, with energy gathering into her jaws once more, as she prepared another shot, just as deadly as the one the golden wyrm had blocked.
"Last warning, if you stand in front of me once more, I won't hesitate to kill you." Sophia shouted as she used her small frame and superior agility compared to other dragons to fly around the Golden Wyrm, sending another shot towards the Basilisk Queen while immediately getting ready to maintain the seal with her own magic power.
Sophia was swift. But she was distracted. While she aimed to the mountain's edge where Nuxta's seal laid being undone she did not notice the hydra whom emerged from the waters earlier was now closer to Nuxta as well. One of its many heads unleashed a stream of water that left a rainbow trail beneath the bright sun which seemed to grow brighter. Encircling Sophia's drenched form as it recovered were several water nymphs. They all were laughing in a joyous way. One however spoke to Sophia with a warm motherly tone. She was a bit larger than the others and had sea weeds for hair. "You're already beaten." She said calmly whilst floating in the air. Another spoke with a young woman's voice. " They rule the natural order y'know." It danced off. Another spoke with a younger voice that of a young girl and was smaller than the others. "Nuxta was summoned by the descendant's countless atrocities." Then the other came back around, it was clear now. They were encircling Sophia and singing while doing so. Attempting to distract her. "Nuxta's toxic presence is the end result of the descendant's pollution. Once he had ended them all will return to a perfect balance." Then they all spoke at once. "And the rest of the world will be restored. That is our message from the great Queen Hydra." Before vanishing into water vapors.
There were a lot of things happening at that moment. Not only Sophia had to worry about the golden wyrm, but the basilisk queen was also slowly undoing her seals in order to free Nuxta. Not only that, but Nuxta's forces were still fighting against the Gaians and Sophia didn't knew for how long they would be able to hold.
No matter how wise and calm Sophia was, when the Hydra suddenly appeared, once again making an obstacle between her and the basilisk queen, she became one step closer of enraging. Why Nuxta had so many allies? What he did, what had he said to poison so many creatures' thoughts and make them go against the natural order of things...? As the many water nymphs continued to talk and laugh, Sophia finally had enough. With an enraged roar, she fully unleashed her aura. The sheer amount of primal mana contained in it, coupled with her could be considered more of an attack itself than simply her unleashing her aura.
Just as the nymphs had said previously, Nuxta was a poison, a toxin, contaminating and corrupting everything it touched until nothing remained. The Nymphs, the Hydra, the golden wyrms and the others... They were already corrupted by Nuxta. Sophia no longer cared about their lives. If she had to spill blood in order to stop Nuxta, so be it.
If the Hydra queen, the golden wyrm and the nymphs would stand between her and the basilisk queen, then they were also enemies. Unfortunately, time was something she didn't have. Every second that passed, the seals she used to trap nuxta were being dissolved by the basilisk queen.
Sophia's lone struggle was seen from afar by the Gaian soldiers who were regrouping. Their forces were much smaller now while the dragon horde, though not attacking, were swelling. Even the ocean bubbled from the life within. It was lookin even worse than before. Then to make matters worse the ice was now entirely stone and the stone began to crack. The seals breaking as the physical stone was even more brittle than the ice. The aura of darkness seeped from out of its cracks. A power almost hidden within Nuxta, once felt upon his casting of minor spells now erupting like a breaking dam. The black aura oozed from the cracks as they grew more and more numerous. Then two black wings emerged from the stone sending debris flying as they burst out. The rest of the stone then cracked in thousands of ways and crumbled down. Revealing Nuxta in his full armor standing atop the rubble. His eyes beneath his helmet were glowing a menacing hue of orchid and red. His pure black armor glistened in the sunlight. The Dragons all around roared in excitement. Nuxta however stood in place. He then turned to see Sophia in all her anguish. "The Grimorium Verum." He said calmly. But loud enough to be heard above the cries of the Dragons. The Basilisk Queen approached Nuxta by way of crawling. Despite her descendant form she still moved like a serpent and hugged her masters feet. Looking up to him longingly. He truly seemed to have the feral Dragons under his command. "It is a part of the greater whole. The balance. But now I will bring about a new balance! Do what you must. Bring me the Grimorium Verum!" The Dragons in their swelling hordes cried out before swarming the skies to encounter the artifact. Nuxta now looked to the Golden Wyrm now turned descendant. "I trust you will make it happen. Wyrm King." The King now bowed to Nuxta and turned to Sophia to watch her movements. "It is time then..." Said the Wyrm King.
Sophia watched hopelessly as all her efforts to seal Nuxta were shattered by the Basilisk Queen and Nuxta's allies. All the seals she used, started breaking, one by one as the ice turned into stone and began cracking. She could just watch as Nuxta once again, was free.
With a revolting aura, Nuxta emerged from the remains of what was once a frozen prison. His black aura was almost nauseating for Sophia, overwhelming in both darkness and power. But the worse part was yet to come... The second Nuxta opened his mouth, Sophia's eyes opened wide as she began growling towards the dragons and Nuxta.
She was surrounded by all sides by Nuxta's allies as he proffered three words that made even Sophia's blood run cold through her veins. He wanted the Grimorium Verum... Sophia couldn't even imagine of what he would be able to do if he got succeeded in capturing and separating the Grimorium Verum from her soul, killing her. He was already overwhelmingly powerful but if he had that as well... Then he would be unstoppable. "RUN! GET AS FAR AWAY FROM ME AS YOU CAN!" Sophia roared towards the Gaian Queen and her allies. She knew that she couldn't let Nuxta take her, but she couldn't simply run away, leaving thousands of Gaians to die in her place...
Without waiting for a reply from the Gaians or an action from the Wyrm King and the others on Nuxta's side, Sophia fired another beam from her mouth as she roared. Instead of the same concentrated breath from before, it was much more chaotic and less controlled. It was a display of pure anger, rage and raw power. It was a clear sign of a dragon going berserk, proving that even the wise Sophia could lose her temper.
Moving her maw, the beam moved from one side to another, hitting anything who wasn't fast enough to get out of it's way as she flew up in a blinding speed, trying to deal as much damage and take down as many of Nuxta's allies as she could.
After a moment, she looked down from above the clouds, firing another beam from her maw. Several rifts began to appear in a sphere, pointing outwards as her breath attack disappeared into a rift just above it before it reappeared again from all the other rifts at once. It was an indiscriminate attack, aimed at everything and everyone around her. The Wyrm King, Nuxta, the Basilisk Queen, the Wild dragons... Everything.
Sections of the dragon horde were hit by ice and fell from the skies. But the entirety remained. Some were imbued with fire and shrugged the ice, others were able to be empowered by the ice magic. Since their spells were being stifled. Nuxta and the Basilisk Queen were being protected by the Wyrm King's golden flames. The Queen was embracing Nuxta who remained fully clad in his armor. He held onto her and they began to take flight. Soaring upwards with the Wyrm King and his flames surrounding them. The horde of dragons split and surrounded the Grimorium Verum. Nuxta soon arrived to the sphere. The Queen stood on a few flying dragons as Nuxta approached it. He placed both hands on it and a surge of pure essence erupted like a wave of magical force. Nuxta's armor, once the armor of the King of Vrondi, made from the hide of the Dragon God. It was considered unbreakable. "The resting well of power..." He continued to hold it as on the other side of the Verum a rift began to form. It opened within seconds and emerging from it was a giant dragon head made of pure essence. It glowed multiple hues all at once, like dazzling scales. "Devour the Grimorium Verum." Nuxta commanded it. The jaws of the beast covered the Grimorium Verum as Nuxta backed away.
The maw of the beast before Nuxta radiated with power. Its pull surrounded Sophia. She would feel the impending doom of a rabbit as it was about to be devoured. Something an entity such as hersself would find completely new. The jaws that devoured the Grimorium now surrounded her. Her power dissolved. She was pulled into the jaws of the portal, the beast, then power Nuxta wielded so boldly. Sophia would find hersself within the center of it all. Bright multicolored arrays of primal energy expanding to infinity. Was this Sophia's new hell...?
Anui was breathing heavily. It was soon Lila's time to meet her trainer, one that was hellbent on making his precious wife a proper Nero royal. It drove him insane to think of the pain she may go through. His arms which were wrapped around her back tightened her small body against his. Their hardened well trained bodies pressed against each other all he could feel besides her strength was her tender chest against his and the warmth of her inviting him inside. He peered into the open window. It led to the balcony where the white drapes flowed in an ominous breeze. By the illumination of the castle the royals lived in he could tell it was daylight. Only the royals were able to have the light of the opening high above their underground home shine upon them first everyday. It was indeed getting closer to midday. Illuminating his golden eyes. His pupils maddeningly staring out the window as he held Lila who sat on his lap. Her legs around his lower back. He did not stop thrusting however. as if in a trance of anger and frustration mixed with passion. He held her tighter as he continued with each rhythmic grind. His teeth bared in a growling grin.
Lila's heavy rythmed breath synced with Anui's as she arched her small body on top of him while he continued thrusting. Despite the pleasure however, Lila could see that her loved one had his head full with thoughts, which was clear to her due to his distant stare.
Leaning forward, Lila gently touched her forehead on Anui's for a second, surprising him with a kiss shortly after. Anui could feel the sweetness of her kiss and the tenderness of her lips before she gently caressed his face in a silent gesture for him to not worry about her and just treasure every moment they had together.
She knew that she would have to face a lot of things in the near future, especially in order to be accepted by the King as Anui's wife. Still, not only she was confident on her fighting capabilities but she was ready to do anything in order to stay besides Anui. The one thing that was making her a bit worried though was the etiquette training. She was never taught how to be a... 'lady'. She was taught how to be a weapon and only that.
Immediately interrupting her thoughts, a wave of pleasure ran through her body as Anui continued thrusting and she moved her hips, making her small body arch as she let out an unexpectedly cute and delicate moan.
Lila snapped his mind from his terrible trance. He was a bit concerned on hurting her, but as she pressed her tender lips against his he knew she was fine. More than that. She had already been made his yet her body was still molding to his form. As she excitedly gasped and moaned against his sensitive ears he could only think of her now. Of them. Now it was not as if this young royal had not experienced connecting with someone. A few of the royals had found it necessary to train him in the ways of pleasure. This was claimed to be in order to make him a well rounded leader.
It did however make him dull to such acts. Seeing it as merely a task to be completed. But with Lila... his face grew red.. his body softened its stiff composure. Instead of simply completing a task. He now was absorbed into the moment. No longer afraid he took his back to the bed. Letting his wife press her weight against him, though she was light the weight felt warming. More warming than he had ever felt before. He too began to softly gasp at the sensations. Bending his knees and grasping her backside to control the entry. A slow steady pace that grew in momentum as only one thing was on their minds now. Reaching the heights of this warm loving pleasure rarely found in this world of death and chaos.
Lila couldn't help but to gently touch Anui's face, knowing she was able to relieve him of whatever unpleasant thoughts he was having. She could feel how deeply he cared for her, his embrace, his skin and the waves of pleasure running through her body only grew as both Lila herself and Anui became completely absorbed in the moment. No more preoccupation, no more unnecessary thoughts, her world was only Anui and Anui's world was only her. It was all that mattered in that moment. She could feel in his touch how deeply he loved and cared about her, in the way he held her, how he controlled the pace to make sure she experienced as much pleasure as him.
Lila gasped once more as Anui's firm hands touched her body, controlling the pace as it began getting faster and faster. She could feel her entire body warm as waves of pleasure ran through her, making her moan softly, her body going up and down against Anui's as she reached next the climax of pleasure.
In that moment of pleasure and ecstasy, once more, Lila knew that she had finally found true happiness. As long as Anui, her husband, was by her side, their love would be able to surpass anything in their way. No matter what she had to do, she would never lose the happiness that she was able to find in Anui's arms.
There was a knock on the door. Anui did not pause though and continued as if there was nothing. With the elite ears of pure blooded Nayu he knew full and well. But his body could not respond. As if on a aphrodisiac he held Lila tighter. Wanting to ignore the outside world. His duties as a prince of Nero and the torment they wished to bring upon his wife. Only by continually knocking did he finally slow to a halt. "Tch..." He couldn't help but feel cheated. The lack of climax irritated him. He hated feeling irritated. It reminded him of the Kings usual mood and the reason why many good souls have died by his orders.
Resolving to push away the negative emotion he motioned for Lila to get dressed. "I'm sorry. But it seems it is time..." He could almost feel the servant awaiting patiently at the door for them.
Anui had placed on a black silk robe with silver designs similar to a rose garden. He opened the door but only after Lila was dressed. The door was opened less than halfway. Just enough for the servant to see Anui. A futile attempt to protect Lila, one that was more instinctual than planned. He knew deep inside he could do very little now. So with a cold gaze he looked at the servant.
This servant was seasoned, his groomed white hairs and polished black and white outfit was the envy of even the high class citizens who wished to join the ranks of the royals. He bowed slowly and gently before speaking. Keeping his head down while doing so. "I apologize dear Prince Anui. But your mother has requested your wife's presence in the training halls. She is to come alone..."
Anui couldn't help but clench his fists. The servant shuddered, then Anui calmed. He closed his eyes and opened them. Their growing bloodlust dimming. How he now hated his mother's actions. But it was inevitable, all among the royals must be tested. Especially one in line to be another blade for the kingdom.
"Lila. Are you ready?" Anui asked. Turning his head to see how she was.
Albeit Lila did try to not show, she was just as annoyed with the interruption as Anui was after she heard the knock on the door.
"Indeed..." Lila replied when Anui apologized and told her to get dressed. While incredibly subtle, for Anui, who was already used in being with Lila and knew her subtle expressions and changes in her voice, he knew that she wasn't satisfied with the interruption as well.
Immediately dressing herself, as she didn't want to make the servant wait for too long, she knew very well why that servant had come and she also knew that Anui's mother wasn't exactly her ally...
As Anui opened the door, Lila was patiently waiting behind him, already dressed. The moment the servant mentioned Anui's mother, Lila could help but let out a discreet sigh, trying to calm herself down. She knew that it was Anui's mother, but the fact that Anui's mother hated her as much as Lila hated her was clear as ice for Anui himself.
"Always." She replied to Anui, nodding affirmatively as he asked if she was ready.
Before going outside though, Lila seemed to hesitate for a moment, turning to Anui.
"She... Your mother... I..." she began, interrupting herself shortly after.
"It is nothing..." Lila said.
"I love you." she finished, with a smile towards Anui before she headed outside.
While she didn't want to tell Anui that, the words she had said before to Anui were more than just her confessing his love to him. If it was needed, Lila would put down anyone who stood between her and her loved one. She was no longer a tool or a weapon. Anui showed her an entire new world, literally and figuratively opened her eyes to something she didn't even know it existed in her previous 'life' as she fruitlessly searched for a purpose for her existence. She now knew what she had to do and who exactly she was. The only one she would obey from now one was herself.
"And I you." Anui said with a warm smile rarely seen on his face. Yet as she walked away down the hallways lit with orchid flames he felt an uneasiness that was unspoken. He turned to his room, closing the door. He had to get dressed and accompany her in any way her knew how. He had to first take a bath. Which made him wonder how Lila was fairing with a bit of musk on herself from their intercourse. He knew instinctively that his mother would not tolerate it and felt his heart racing. Without a bath he threw on clean clothes and headed out the balcony window. The light from high above illuminated the dark kingdom enough for a glimmer of the castle's windows to reflect his shadow swooping down from above. He opened another balcony from the lower floors and entered a room. As he creaked open the balcony window which was draped with a black covering he looked into a room covered with blades and paintings of flowers. He was then met with a dagger from a woman with only her black bra and panties on. Her hair was curled and white and horns were black yet her eyes were crimson and her skin like gray ash. Her black lipstick and fangs hovered over Anui's throat along with her blade. "You dare!?" She hissed but paused after getting a few seconds to look at him. "Oooh! It's YOU young prince. What are you doing here?" She stepped back and held the blade carelessly in her right hand. She walked towards her closet to choose a dress.
“I’m just passing through.” He said calmly. Not even touching his throat in caution. He walked forward towards the door. But two hands with black claw like nails touched his shoulders. She popped up again, lifting herself up on his broad back. Her face getting close to his with a grin on her face. “Staaay a little while.” She said with a seductive slow suggestion. “No. Naoi I’m married.” Anui said with a cold demeanor. She pouted falling back as the door opened by Anui’s swift hands. “Well you ARE allowed to have more than one wi-” The door closed before she could finish speaking. Leaving her a bit flustered.
Lila would be led on quite a long walk. At least twenty minutes went by as the hallways turned left to right, down and down. Like a deescalating maze. The air was cold and constantly breezy despite the stone interior. The castle was breathing and its lungs were long. As they kept walking only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. Not a word was spoken. Not until they reached their destination.
The smell of blood permeated the ghastly breeze exuding from the hall they turned into. One that dimly lit and with an actual end. A giant decorated wooden door. Gargoyle esque beasts guarding the entrance in an eternal stone slumber. The guide raised his white gloved hand and knocked twice on the door. He rested his arm behind his back with a posture as straight as wood. There was the sound of hinges being unlocked then the door creaked open. The guide then turned to Lila. Presenting the doorway as if to welcome her inside.
After the young Nero princess entered the chamber the door would close. It was entirely dark inside. However several presences were inside surrounding her from several feet away. “It’s about time you’ve come.” The voice of Anui’s mother rang out from all directions. A whip could be heard. “I heard you have what it takes to become a blade for the King. A warrior of our Kingdom.” The last part was followed by snickering. “I’ll be your first test to see if you’re worthy. A Nayu that cannot see whether be in day or night cannot be considered worthy of our King!” A whip lash came from in front of Lila, aiming for her delicate face.
Much like the servant who was leading her, Lila was silent as she followed him through the the hallways. For quite some time, she was led through something that could only be described as a maze, going down and down between turns and twists.
After a long time, she arrived on a hall with an actual ending. Despite being dimly lit, Lila was clearly able to feel the faint breeze, carrying the unmistakable scent of blood in the air. Stopping right in front of a huge, decorated wooden door, guarded by strange gargoyle-like beasts, the guide made a motion for her to enter after knocking twice on the door.
As she entered, she was greeted by complete darkness, something that, despite her being able to see now, was very familiar to her due to the amount of years she spent being blind. Despite the darkness though, she was able to feel several presences inside the room, surrounding her, followed by Anui's mother voice coming from all sides. Cracking a whip, Anui's mother mocked her, saying that she would be the first one to test if she was really worthy. Just as she finished speaking, Lila heard the sound of the whip moving through the air.
Unfortunately for Anui's mother, Lila was completely unfazed by her provocations and she had decided that not even her would stand between her and Anui. Dodging the whip lash, Lila would try to know where the whip was coming from and use her agility to close in and deliver attacks of her own. Even though that was said to be only a 'test' or a 'training', Lila wasn't going to let Anui's mother believe she could do anything against Lila. Even though Lila loved Anui, she wouldn't hesitate in showing his mother her own fangs.
Being able to avoid a whip in the dark. That was to be expected of a Nero soldier, even more so for royal soldiers. The first of many checks were off the list. Though Anui's mother was quick to assume otherwise from Lila. Partial to her dislike for the one who took her boy for good. She paid the price for her underestimation. Her fangs bared in the dark as the claws on Lila's hands scored a shallow slash across her left shoulder. Drawing a trail of blod that was warmed with adrenaline. A contrast to the cold still air within this room. She was not a trainer of soldiers, but she is the sister of the King and he must be surrounded by only the most capable of Nayu. So she continued the training, the checks must be made before she could move on. With she stepped into the darkness and vanished. Soon after she dissappeared without a trace a gas began to fill the room. "Lila will be poisoned, it would paralyze her and make it hard for her to breathe. It could kill a man. I need to intervene. I'm not aware if she is immune. Please Dextra." Said Anui, standing before an alternate entrance to the training chamber. Elite soldiers guarded the room with Anui's mother before them. She covered the wound from Lila with her hair. Dextra scoffed at his request. "You look so weak now. And how DARE you call me by my name. I am your mother! If the girl is incapable of surviving an assassin's poison then she will be useless to the family. Our heirs will retain FULL Nayu abilities and more. Let the examination continue as planned." She spoke to the guards who bowed to the royal. Anui's mother did have more power than her son though he was favored to be next in line to the throne.
Lila could feel her claws striking Dextra in the dark as she went for her. Lila knew that it wasn't just a 'test'. Dextra wanted to get rid of Lila... She didn't accept her as his son's wife and thus, she wanted to 'solve' that problem. The faint smell of blood in the air made Lila's senses sharper as she prepared to attack again. Anui's mother, in the other hand, had other plans. With her presence suddenly disappearing, Lila felt a strange smell as a gas began filling the room. It was poisonous gas. Even though Lila didn't knew exactly what type of poison was in that gas, she assumed it would be a lethal one... It was simply the perfect chance for Dextra to get rid of her.
Unfortunately for Dextra, Lila was resistant to poison due to her pure Nayu blood. That would give Lila an advantage. Not only Dextra didn't know she was resistant against poison, but Lila also knew how proud and arrogant Dextra was... She knew that she wouldn't lose the chance of humiliating Lila in case she fell for the poison... As the poisonous gas began filling the room, Lila grasped her throat, feigning being affected by the poison as she fell on the ground, apparently motionless.
While many warriors would find that tactic dishonorable and disgraceful, Lila was an assassin. For her, there is no such thing as 'Honor' when she was hunting. And right now, Dextra was about to realize that Lila wasn't the prey she thought she was, but the huntress herself... Patiently, Lila waited. Her trap was already set, now she just needed Dextra to walk in.
Dextra laid a hand on the black glass viewing Lila from above. She chuckled triumphantly. "She isn't immune to a simple paralysing potion. She's of no fit for our genetic line." She looked to Anui who was being held back by two Nero soldiers. Their arms enterlocked to keep Anui to the wall. She unlocked the entrance by turning the wheel to the chamber. The gas inside began to settle. Yet a cloud stubbornly remained around Lila. Yet Dextra walked inside without a misstep in her confident stride. She placed a right hand on her hip as she observed Lila from a few feet away. "You're a pathetic weak blooded little girl... I'm almost sorry you had to be the one my son fell for." She walked closer to stand beside Lila. She used the tip of her foot to try and kick her over to reveal her face.
Lila was able to hear the door being unlocked and Dextra's steps on the cold floor, the same where Lila was laying down as she approached her. Lila didn't need to look at Dextra to see her image in her mind. Judging by her steps, the sound of her feet on the ground, the time between them, she was confident that she had beaten her. The second she went near Lila's body, it was already over for Dextra. The very second she dropped her guard, the small opening she gave when she believed she had won... If that was an assassination, Dextra would be dead the second she began walking towards her. Even though Lila couldn't really kill her, she would teach Dextra a lesson she would never forget...
Lila smiled to herself in her mind as she heard Dextra gloating next to her. Truth be told, Lila could already have pounced on her but she was taking her time, listening to her words, amused. The very moment she heard her lifting one of her feet in order to turn her body, Lila acted. Before even realizing what was happening, the woman would see Lila's hand suddenly appearing in front of her face as she grasped it firmly, her legs wrapping around Dextra's own legs, throwing her on the ground as her claws dug deep into the woman's face before Lila went for her neck, sinking her fangs and drinking her blood. Despite Lila's petite size, Dextra was about to experience a terrifying feeling. Just like a snake coiling around it's prey, ready to give it the final bite, she would feel herself completely powerless as Lila's fangs sank into the side of her neck. The message Lila wanted to tell her was clear, frighteningly clear. She could have killed Dextra right now, but she didn't.
The entire thing only took a second, Lila had only drank enough blood to activate her blood trait before she jumping away from Dextra, still in a combat posture, a few steps away from Dextra, cleaning the blood from her mouth.
Looking at Anui's mother, Lila said nothing, she simply looked at the woman with a predatory stare, analyzing her reaction. If she was the old Lila, her prey would be already dead and Lila wouldn't even make a reaction, but now, she was actually finding the entire situation amusing. Lila was having fun. She was looking forward to see Dextra's reaction. Lila couldn't help but think to herself that she had indeed changed quite a bit in a few aspects since she met Anui. At the same time she had changed though, Lila was still the same person in other aspects...
The loud cries of Dextra coming from within the chamber echoed out to be heard from outside of it. Anui and the two soldiers were immediately alarmed and unified made a move for the inside. However before Anui could move to do so one soldier steadfast held him back. Without a word the other soldier entered the chamber. There he saw in the void of black Dextra standing holding her face and blood dripping from her neck. She clearly cared more about her own face than her cannibalized artery. Though lucky for her Lila did not wish to kill her. The same couldn't be said for Dextra. She heard the soldier entering and immediately upon getting to her feet and realizing what Lila had done shouted. "Arrest her!"
"As a Mythue AND a Moriarty you have no right to have Lila arrested..." Anui spoke through the dark. His voice echoing through Dextra's ears. She cursed under her breathe and with help from one of the guards she made her way out of the dark chamber.
Anui covered his mouth and nose. He could smell the poison. It was indeed a botched attempt at a test. Yet he could sense a rising anger within Lila. The way his mother stumbled out he had to assume Lila was the victor. The guard behind Anui crossed its arms, growing impatient. The prince of Nero approached Lila and bowed. Going to a single knee. The guard's arms dropped at this sight. "I, Anui of the Mythue clan humbly apologize on the behalf of my mother. I hope as leader of the Moriarty clan you can forgive her." The guard now saw that Lila indeed was a royal of equal standing to the King's blood. It was quite the sight. Though Anui believed it meant little to Lila what the royals thought, it was useful in getting the guards off of her back. They can't touch royals unless another of higher standing orders them to do so.
Just then the chamber door opened. The dim light shined like a sword piercing the dark. The servant from earlier stood in the center of the passageway. "May I have your attention please. There is a royal acceptance ceremony taking place. Anui is needed as well as all royals." With that said he awaited until they were ready and would walk with them to the ceremony court room.
Feeling someone entering the room, Lila immediately assumed a combat stance, but the second she felt the scent of the person who had just entered, Lila relaxed. She knew that scent very well.
When Anui knelt down, apologizing for everything that happened in an extremely formal manner though, Lila approached him, gently giving him a kiss on the forehead before she grabbed his hand, silently asking him to stand up.
"Don't apologize..." Lila said, with a kind tone before gently hugging him.
"I'm not just the leader of the Moriarty clan... I am also Lila. The same Lila that fell in love with you. Your wife." she finished, still hugging Anui before planting a short, but gentle kiss on his lips.
Just as she finished though, she heard the chamber door opening, as a servant stood in the center, asking for their presence for a royal ceremony. The moment the servant asked not only Anui's presence, but indirectly, Lila as well, she gave a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever was about to come. She knew that she sent a clear and firm message not only to Dextra herself, but to all others the moment she attacked a Royal. She wouldn't let anyone stand between her and Anui and she was more than prepared to hold her ground and fight if that was the case.
As she looked to Anui after hearing the servant's words, he would be able to see her worried expression. It only lasted a brief moment, as she gave a deep breath, her previous expression turning into a serious one.
"We should probably go..." Lila asked, extending her hand towards Anui. While such gesture would be small and insignificant for most, Anui knew that it meant much more for Lila. She was asking if she could count on him to support her, to be her strength in times she might falter.
The gentle expression Lila gave him was quite outside of what was the norm in this castle. He was unaware of how to respond exactly. He felt his hand touch hers as she went in for an embrace. He could smell the fresh sweat and adrenaline from her. His mother was the cause of her own undoing. He failed to protect Lila, however Lila has shown her own strength in this situation. Making him and his mother look incapable in comparison. He didn't have anything to say to her words of love beyond a. "Thank you." Before recieving her tender lips on his own. He stood to his feet after, more so to stand next to his wife, than to remove the knee. He looked at the opening gates. The light gave visual prominence to the figure standing within it. The prince looked to see the servant from earlier, the one who brought Lila here was there. Anui felt Lila's hand grasp his. Another gesture not often made in these cold halls. It was as if the King wanted to be surrounded by merciless cold assassins. Exactly like himself. Anui being spawned directly under such desires was afflicted with the cold. Yet his heart was able to return her grasp with a firm yet gentle grip. Together they would walk. "A ceremony is nothing more than giving sight to the blind. It is seen as a gift to the lesser bloods of Nero." He spoke as if he believed the people of Nero were lesser. Reciting words he's heard long before meeting Lila. The doors to the hall were opened. But not the main doors. Lila would remember such a place. It was where she stood trial before the dragon attack. Now they sat in the very seats the other royals were when judging Lila.
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A little about myself and why Im here. Im an adult mid twenties with a serious addiction to fantasy stories and art, metaphysics and dimensions. Plus history and politics. My stories rarely involve fairy dust and rainbows. I aim to reflect the deepest and rawest parts of humanity into my work. Then have it reflect back to others.
Check out my album on here with my sketches.
I have a roleplay called Ascension.
A tale of 7 bloodlines. 5 elements combine with Dragons & Seraphim. Mix them as you will. Then explore and create in a changing world. I've out years of thought into this roleplay. If you're looking for a high fantasy with a active GM. If you love long term roleplays, ones where characters grow old and die. Here you go. https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/171791-ascension-3-a-return-to-chaos/ooc#
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<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Join my Discord. 18+ <a href="https://discord.gg/Ac9WA3t" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">discord.gg/Ac9WA3t</a><br><br><div class="bb-center"><iframe src="//youtube.com/embed/TuJqUvBj4rE?theme=dark" frameborder="0" width="496" height="279" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br><br>A little about myself and why Im here. Im an adult mid twenties with a serious addiction to fantasy stories and art, metaphysics and dimensions. Plus history and politics. My stories rarely involve fairy dust and rainbows. I aim to reflect the deepest and rawest parts of humanity into my work. Then have it reflect back to others.<br><br>Check out my album on here with my sketches.<br><br>I have a roleplay called Ascension. <br>A tale of 7 bloodlines. 5 elements combine with Dragons & Seraphim. Mix them as you will. Then explore and create in a changing world. I've out years of thought into this roleplay. If you're looking for a high fantasy with a active GM. If you love long term roleplays, ones where characters grow old and die. Here you go. <a href="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/171791-ascension-3-a-return-to-chaos/ooc#" title="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/171791-ascension-3-a-return-to-chaos/ooc#">roleplayerguild.com/topics/171791-asc…</a><br><br>Commissions page<br><a href="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/177255-rais-art-commissions/ooc" title="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/177255-rais-art-commissions/ooc">roleplayerguild.com/topics/177255-rai…</a><br></div>
