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PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 2:54 pm 

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The train slowed to a halt as people hurried to gather their things to disembark. A young child's eyes locked on an oddity gently bobbing down the hall above people's heads; a bright yellow pom on the end of an antenna. He followed it until it reached the doorway and vanished out onto the platform. He rushed to the window as his mother was gathering their luggage to see a white, fluffy Moogle set down on a metal railing, wearing a bag over his shoulder.

Donta sighed. He was tasked with traveling to his Master's hometown in search of his old friends after years, only to find out their homes had been destroyed, families killed and admitted to an orphanage in the city. His Master would not like the news and Donta feared for the consequences of his anger, as he had witnessed with his other subordinates in his platoon. Donta wished he had better news, like knowing which orphanage they were admitted to, but because of the war, there were near countless in the Capital City.

Sighing heavily again, Donta began hovering once more, turned around to notice a young boy with his face pressed against the window of the train, intently staring at him excitedly. Now that he was close to home, he could use his magic, giving the boy a show he would not forget. He raised his small arm in the air, and snapped his fingers.

"Warp, Kupo!" he shouted, and vanished in a flash of light.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Explosions rumbled all around him as people screamed and ran for their lives. Drake inched out into the street with Leola clutching his shirt from behind. Smoke filled the air and the rumbling became so loud that it drowned out the sound of screams. The sound of machinery and engines could be heard, along with metal tank treads and heavy tires on asphalt and dirt.

Suddenly a gust of wind cleared the smoke and Drake found himself standing before a tsunami of metal; the Imperial Army. The machines slowed to a halt and two large Magitek armored soldiers flanked a single heavily armored truck, which pulled ahead and halted mere meters before him, the side door opening and a tall, intimidating man stepped out. When he stepped around the open door, Drake saw that it was the King himself, Altrus.

"What do we have here?" he scoffed, "A hero? Are you intent to stand up to my entire army alone? Unarmed?" Drake stood his ground although he was sure Leola could feel his tremors through her grasp on his shirt.

"If I have to!" Drake shouted, "Leave us alone!"

"Or what?" The King replied, "Are you going to stop me?"

"I'll try!" Drake muttered. Only the King and Leola heard him. Altrus strode forward, full of arrogance and overconfidence, peering over Drake's shoulder at the cowering girl behind him. He raised a hand to Drake's face, ready to conjure a fire spell to kill the boy, but nothing happened. Realizing that he had indeed taken too long to find a host for the Dragon's Tear, his power had nearly vanished. A look of concern crossed his face for a moment, then was replaced by an evil sneer.

"I like you boy." He said, lowering his had as if showing mercy, "I'll make you a deal. Don't you wish that you had the power to defend yourself and your town from a threat such as my army?"

"O-Of course!" Drake replied, "What are you saying?"

"The deal? Oh right! Of course." Altrus said laughing, "I'll tell you what. I'll leave your town and friends alone, take my army and withdraw. I'll even consider this measly town off limits and protected. All you have to do is come with me."

"What do you want with me?" Drake asked.

"I'm offering you everything you want. I'm going to spare your town, and I'll give you the power to stop this army yourself!" he said, "However, instead you will join it as one of my Generals. I will give you power and you will serve me. In exchange, I spare your town and friends."

Drake hesitated. He heard Leola protesting behind him but he shook free of her grasp and inched forward. A couple of guards wielding polearms grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from following. Drake stepped forward, looking around at the devastation and simply nodded. The King placed an amulet around his neck and as soon as the weight hit his chest, his heart felt like it caught fire.

He remembered the pain, the torture, and agony of the change. He got taller, wings grew from his back, horns from his head, and claws from his fingers and feet. His mouth and nose elongated into a snout and his skin turned into a scaly black hide. He had become a monster and felt every tear in muscle and break in bone. When it was done, his first thought was of Leola, and of how he must disgust her now. He stood up shakily and stumbled toward the King, his clothes in rags around him. He was guided into the back of a truck and his last memory before passing out was the cries of his friend.

---------------------------------------------------

Drake woke with a start and swung his arm, a bright red flash erupted from his hand and fire spread across the ceiling for a moment before going out, leaving only smouldering bits of wallpaper. It was the same dream he had every night. The last memory he had when he was last Human.

Ever since he left his hometown, he was forced to submit to the King and do anything he was commanded to, or at least he thought that at first. He was told to kill people, burn houses, decimate farm lands and generally impose a sense of Doom on the battlefield, showing off his demonic image and displaying the capabilities of his power to the subjects of the Kingdom. It was like that at first, but as time went on, he felt something slowly change in him and he found the impulse to obey grow lesser and lesser as the days went by. On a whim, he decided to keep up appearances and obey regardless, hoping for a moment when he could take advantage of his position, yet the time never came as of yet.

Sighing heavily, he opened the window to let the smoke out and put out the smouldering wallpaper, letting his long, scaled tail drag on the floor. He made his way to the kitchen of the small annexed area of the Guard house that stood on the edge of the castle grounds. He was given his own wing for his service, but the real reason was the King didn't want him around any other Humans or they would feel intimidated and moral would lower.

"Donta! Coffee!" Drake growled, "Oh right. He's gone." At his words, there was a flash of light and as if on cue, the moogle appeared in the kitchen. If he still had eyebrows, they would have raised at the coincidence of the matter, but the scales and bone of his face hardly portrayed his surprise.

"Oh, Good morning, Kupo!" Donta exclaimed, seeing him sitting at the table, "How was your sleep? Would you like some Kupo, I mean Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Drake growled, "You have returned. What of your travels?" Drake watched as the Moogle fluttered about the kitchen, grinding fresh coffee and boiling water.

"I did find your hometown, Master. However, your friends were not there, Kupo." he said stopping for a moment with a cup in his paw. he turned to solemnly look at Drake, "I learned that their homes were destroyed in the attack, their families lost, and they were sent to an orphanage here in the City." His news was met with a blank stare. Drake's red eyes widened slightly and he sat in silence for a moment. When Donta decided to continue making coffee, Drake suddenly slammed his fist into the table, causing it to splinter under his fist. The King's promise was now starting to look superficial but then again, he was hiding something from the King as well. Still, his friends were in the City at least, but there were so many Orphanages it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Donta began cleaning up the broken ceramic from the cup he had dropped when Drake had struck the table as Drake looked out the window at the high wall surrounding the Palace grounds. Would his friends even want to see him again? Even if they did get over his appearance, he had done so many despicable things, killed so many people, that maybe they wouldn't want to associate with him anymore. He was sure that living in the City they would have heard of all the bad things he had done. Would they fear him now? Think of him as Evil? Should he just give up on trying to find them?

The thought of Leola drifted to his mind. Her smile she always wore when they were around each other, the memory of her perfume, the sound of her voice. He wanted to see her again. But should he? Like this?

A cup of coffee was laid before him by the hovering Moogle and a napkin. Hooking a claw into the handle, he raised it to his mouth and downed the whole cup of boiling liquid in one gulp, laying it back on the table.

"Thank you, friend." he muttered. Donta just hovered and stared at his master quizzically, "May I ask you of another favor?"

"I am yours to command, Master" He simply responded. Drake tapped the table and Donta obediently landed on it, standing next to the broken, splintered hole.

"This is not a command. I'm asking as a friend." he growled. The squinted eyes of the Moogle nearly seemed to open entirely but you could clearly see surprise on it's face.

"A F-Friend, Kupo?" he stammered.

"Yes." Drake replied, "It's a big favor. Perhaps impossible."

"What is it, Kupo?"

"Can you find my friends?" he asked, "Find them, and let them know that I'm alright at least." The Moogle's head tilted to the side for a moment, a paw going to his chin.

"Okay." he finally said, "I will try, Kupo."

"Thank you, Donta." Drake replied, nearly smiling. Donta nodded, snapped his fingers and vanished again in a flash of light.

"Warp, Kupo-o-o-o-o-o!" His voice echoed...

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 27, 2016 7:30 pm 
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(I did warn you. I was going to post up her conversation with Zosimus as well but this post is already wayy to long so I'll wait till the next one to introduce him :3)

Leola woke up with a start, shooting up from her feathered bed with a small gasp that seemed to stick in her throat. She stared out to her room, the soft light of dawn peeking through her drawn drapes, creating golden streams across the polished hardwood of her floor. She took a breath, letting the tranquility of the room calm the erratic thumping in her chest. Reaching up to wipe off the sweat that had accumulated during her slumber, Leola moved the thick covers from her legs letting the chill morning air prickle her flushed skin. Her feet slid to the floor as she stood up and walked to gently tug the drapes open on her balcony doors. The light almost blinding her as it filled the room, helping to scare away the lingering darkness from her mind. She looked out over the city, wrapping her arms in a soft squeeze around her form.

Even though she had long since settled into her new life at the capital; the view still took her breath away. The city seemed to sparkle in the morning light. Soft pinks and yellows danced in the sky, reflected off of the skyscrapers that towered over downtown. Even the castle that loomed to the west looked beautiful. The windows of the spiraling towers glittering like jewels with the light of the rising sun as if to hide the darkness she knew existed inside. Leola only partly noticed; her mind’s eye drifting back to her nightmare. It had been a while since she dreamed of that day. The lingering fears still haunted her after the years, though Leola could only clearly remember two things from that day. One the smell; the metallic stench of burning flesh that still made her nausea at the thought. Two, the crushing horror and sorrow of watching helplessly as her friend, just a boy at the time, was transformed into that… thing. The thought of it sent a shiver down her back. She refused to call that creature Drake, even though the rational part of her mind knew it was. She saw nothing that even came close to resembling her friend in that monster. Seemly drawn, her eyes glanced at the castle in the distance. It felt like a lifetime ago now, since she had last seen him. Really seen him. She had seen pictures, heard the gossip and stories that surrounded the King’s “pet” as they called him. A vile name that made her chest burn with white rage. To call him that… she couldn’t stand it.

Three light knocks on her door interrupted her thoughts. Leola turned, draping a silk robe around her bare shoulders and tying the ribbon around her waist before calling out.

“Come in.” The door opened soon after with a soft click, reviling one of the many maids that worked in the household. A petit round-faced girl with short blond hair, Lily, she believed was her name.

“Good morning Miss. Breakfast is prepared, and there seems to be a letter for you.” The maid curtsied, politely standing towards the side of her opened door. Leola still felt strange being called “Miss”. She didn’t really like having maids either to think of it, but her adoptive parents refused to let her do her own chores. “A lady doesn’t need to concern herself with such things,” they said. Leola's lips twitched at the memory.

“Thank you. Tell mother and father that I will be down shortly.” Leola said, putting on a small graceful smile for the maid as she curtsied again and left. Leola smile fell as she turned to get dressed for the day. Nothing to fancy, she thought, pulling out a simple lilac dress and putting it on. She glanced at her vanity as she quickly braided her hair to the side and securing it with a ribbon before slipping into black ballet flats. She made her way through the halls quickly, turning into the parlor were her parents preferred to have breakfast rather than in the large dining room. She sat down, after a quick bow and greeting towards her parents, in a plush loveseat situated beside the small round dining table that was filled with boiled eggs, bacon, toast, and potatoes.

“Claudia dear, you seem a bit pale today. Is everything alright?” Her mother said as soon as she sat, glancing over the rim of her tea with a concerned expression. Her father lowered the newspaper he was reading at this, turning to glance Leola’s way as well. Her adoptive parents were truly two loving people. Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel Delacroix were around their mid-thirties when they had taken Leola in. Her mother, Lynna, was barren but the two of them still longed to have a child. Despite being adopted by the couple, they treated Leola like a born daughter. After losing her own family, Leola was always grateful for their love and care. It almost made her forget the pain.

“I’m fine mother. I had a… strange dream.” Leola said after hesitating. She never shared with her parents what happened that day. Not all of it at least. The only person she had ever discussed what had happened was with Zosimus and she wasn’t too keen in reliving the memory through words. Leola reached for a plate, grabbing a few pieces of bacon and some potatoes before grabbing the pitcher and filling up her mug with coffee.

“I’m not surprised,” Gabriel spoke up, flipping back up his newspaper to continue reading where he left off. “The King’s Beast made the front cover again.” He mentioned almost as an afterthought. Leola felt her chest tighten as she stirred cream into her coffee.

“I don’t see how anyone at the castle can stand being there with him lurking around. I doubt there is a soul alive that he doesn’t frighten.” Lynna added with apprehension lining her voice. Leola had to bite her bottom lip to keep from speaking out. It wasn’t uncommon for her to hear things about Drake. The ladies of court always like to gossip about him. Some claiming to seen him around the castle, other claiming that they heard him munching on bones when walking through the halls. Leola used to retaliate against those who spoke about Drake in such was, but she was always reprimanded for it. She learned to keep her mouth shut when it came to rumors about Drake. Her ears too for some of the stories she had heard. Once she used to cling to every article that featured him, but over time it had become too painful to read about the awful things her friend did in the King’s name. Luckily the topic was changed when the butler came with a small silver tray carrying an envelope on top.

“Lady Claudia, a letter came this morning for you.” He said in a monotonous voice, lowering the tray to her reach. She smiled, grateful for the distraction as she grabbed the letter with a small “thank you”. It didn’t take her long to grab one of the clean jam knives and open the envelope to read the letter. She let out a small happy gasp as she instantly recognized the hand. Her eyes skimmed quickly over the letter before she lowered it to her lap and turned towards her parents.

“Is it alright if I go downtown today?” She asked so quickly her words rushed together. Her father gave her a curious glance over the paper before his eyes returned to it. Lynna smiled, though, nodding her head.

“Of course. You got word from that soldier, again didn’t you? Zosimus wasn’t it?” Leola nodded happily, carefully folding up the letter and placing it back into the envelope.

“Yes, he wants to talk with me over tea this afternoon,” Leola said, hurrying to finish her breakfast and coffee.

It had been serval weeks since she first happened to meet Zosimus again. She was out shopping when she noticed a familiar face among to crowd. He had seemed to notice her too, as he made a b-line towards her direction. Leola almost burst into tears at the sight of a familiar face. Zosimus was happy as well to see her again. They retired to a small café in the area as they talked for hours about all that had happened to them over the years. Leola telling him about her new family and life, and Zosimus explaining how he joined the capital’s city guard and giving her some news from their hometown. Ever since Zosimus would often send her letters. Usually, they would be like this one; invitations to meet for lunch or tea. Other times it would be shared news from his family or about his work. Each one was precious to Leola. It wasn’t that she had no friends in the capital, quite the opposite really. However, Zosimus and her shared horrors and losses that kept them close. Sometimes their conversations would drift to Drake. Zosimus was much like herself, never seeing their friend. He did often hear news about him though from the castle guards. It was a welcomed topic to both of them to hear about his well-being, even if most of the news started negatively.

Leola quickly finished her meal and called for the car to be pulled around. It wasn’t much longer that she was waving goodbye to her parents and skipping off to the designated meeting spot.

_________________
“Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”
~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2016 4:48 pm 

Perusing the site to jump back in...

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The throne room was eerily quiet. King Altus sat on his golden throne, leg propped up on the arm of the chair as he leaned back comfortably with a ornate goblet in his hand. His eyes were fixed on a nearby map pinned to a rolling bulletin board. His eyes danced around at the vast lands that he now controlled, but the area around it piqued his interest.

He wanted more.

He was well aware of this resistance movement that were determined to oppose him, yet he didn't take them to be much of a threat as of yet. Still, they were an annoyance and he wanted to be rid of them as soon as possible. The problem was, he didn't know where they were.

"Fetch my pet." he simply said. An attendant standing nearby snapped to his feet and ran off towards the garrison.

Moments later, Drake pushed the heavy metal doors open with ease and strode into the throne room, donned in his black metal armor, his spiked helmet covering his demonic looking head. His leathery wings behind him also clad in metal, seeming to shine in the morning sunlight which streamed in from tall glass windows above. He walked forward, a heavy, menacing long sword clinking against his armor on his back, between his wings. Other attendants seemed to recoil at the sight of him, some cowered behind support pillars in the grand hall. He even noticed some Maids ducking into side rooms to get out of sight. The fact that people were afraid of him really hurt Drake but he didn't show it. Talons gripped the rug as he came before the King and a knee hit the floor with a salute across his chest.

"You summoned me, my liege?" Drake rasped. The woman filing the King's goblet visibly shivered at the sound of Drake's voice. The King glanced up at her slightly concerned, then waved her away. She was all to happy to leave.

"I want you to search for the Rebel camp along our borders. Use your magic to travel and check in with the various squads along the outer patrol. I do believe most of the patrols carry warp stones."

"Do we have any further information regarding their whereabouts?" Drake asked, again, several servants quickly stopped staring and directed their gaze to the floor. Drake felt embarrassed beyond belief.

"Scouts say they've heard of rumors of activity along the north mountain ranges, yet nothing definitive." Altrus said, glancing at the map, "Should you find them, get rid of them. Use whatever men you need."

"It shall be done." Drake growled, then pivoted on his heel to leave. He neared the massive doors once more and paused as he reached for the handle, the terrified woman cowering beside it caught his attention. His helmet slowly turned and red piercing eyes scanned her over. She reminded him of Leola. The same hair color and style, roughly the same body type and height. She whimpered and covered her face with a silver serving tray, backing against the wall. Drake huffed in annoyance and pulled on the door, a small billow of smoke shot out of his mouth.

Outside, his clawed hand went to his helmet and he lifted it slightly to drag a claw across his lips. Ash and soot came away from it and he raised a brow. This was new. Could he also breathe fire like a dragon now too? Shaking his head slightly, his helmet fell back into place and he sighed. He would have to do the grunt work for the King now and pay for the whims of a madman. To be sent out on a near impossible task of finding something only rumored to be true. Concentrating, he gathered mana in his hand as a dark mist began to swirl around it. Focusing on a sensation to the north, he picked a distant warp stone belonging to an Imperial squad and released his spell.

"Warp." he growled, and vanished in a puff of black smoke.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Donta appeared with a snap above the large fountain in the middle of the park near the shopping district. Actually, he appeared face to face with the large statue of the King that adorned the center of the fountain, his nose a mere inch from the blank visage of Altrus.

"Eeeeeeep!" Donta squealed, reeling backwards and face planting into the large stone broadsword the King held. Spiraling downward, he landed with a splash in the water, making a few nearby dogs bark at him while he panicked for a moment, then resigned to bob gently in the water on his back, trying to think of his next move. Moving his tiny arms, he slowly paddled over to the edge then struggled to climb out of the water to stand on the edge, where he sighed heavily as he dripped on the ground. Shaking his body vigorously, water flew in all directions and left his fur puffed out so he looked like a light cotton ball. Hearing several Humans laugh he shook again and started his task of finding his Master's friends.

Sorry, finding his friend's friends.

Fluttering around with a smile on his face, he scanned the crowd for anyone he recognized from the picture he clutched in his tiny paw. It was a little soggy, but his bag did keep most of his things dry. Especially his secret stash of Kupo Nuts. If there's one thing he learned early in live is to never leave home without an emergency snack. You never know when you might need it.

Floating up to a large directory, he began searching for a list of all the Orphanages in the city, starting with the ones closest to him. He just hoped he didn't have to search long.

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