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Topics - Enoki

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21
Game Help / Resizing Particles?
« on: August 17, 2016, 10:24:27 pm »
So, does anyone know how to tamper with the particle files to change their size? I'd like to make the campfire object into more of a bonfire size, but no matter what I do with the particle file it just causes the game to crash. Anyone know what to change to resize the particle? Much thanks in advance.

23
Leaving / Oops, I did it again. (New Hiatus; Old thread)
« on: July 26, 2016, 03:19:25 am »
Decided to edit m'charger-issue g'bye because it just so happens to be the same issue. Charger broke, won't charge laptop, me a sitting duck with all m'art, map files, the whole shabang inside a dead laptop.

I'm planning on getting a whole new computer on Black Friday, but I'd like to get a new charger f'er this one so I can transfer m'data. Anyhoo, I'll be out f'er a bit sadly. Friendshipaloozas will be put on hold 'till then and I hope I will be able to still make it f'er the Halloween Party!

24
Discussion Board / Am I Considered a Friend to Anyone Here?
« on: July 19, 2016, 06:43:43 pm »
No, please don't think this is anything besides the question. I'm just curious if the people I consider friends on here think of me the same way. I know I don't talk much to people outside the forum, so it's completely understandable if the answer is no.

Please note I do not want attention nor am I looking for any satisfaction from billions of posts from people. If ye think that's what this thread is about, then by all means tell me so or ye can ignore the post. I don't mind honesty.

Here are a few questions that I've had in m'mind f'er a while:

What could I do to improve m'relationships?

Do I come off bad in any way? If so what?

Would ye like to hang out more often?

If I think of more I'll edit the thread.

If ye don't want to comment on the thread but want to say something, m'PM is always open. I just want to see where m'relationships on here stand and what I can do to be a better friend. I feel like I could do better- b'come less of a hermit that resides in private maps or in a random bush recruiting. XD

25
Stories / Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« on: June 21, 2016, 11:01:05 pm »

Click image to be transported to the Wattpad version of the book.

Yes dearies! I'm back with a sequel to m'first book. I even made a snazzy new cover f'er it. (That cover may just keep on evolving detail-wise. I'm never satisfied with my style. Lol, just bare with me here.)

I've got about four chapters done- the fourth one is just about completed. I'm entering both books in the series in the Wattys2016. Don't know what that is? Just check this link. 'Tis m'dream to b'come an author someday and get this series published. I really do feel like this is something different from the rest of the fantasy genre, but m'opinion really doesn't matter. >v<

Anywho, 'nuff chatting.

Prologue

Voices, I hear them all around me in this black void. My past, it comes to haunt me each time I close my eyes.

"Milah, how could ye do this? Ye mean to tell me ye've been b'hind this the whole time?"

"Please, you must hear me out. I had no choice."

"Name's Hotaru, and what the heck are you?"

"I, I'm a dryphon. And m'name is Enoki."

"You cannot win. If they don't conquer Yugure by force, they will just buy it out, as they have done with me. You will lose."

"The Mist are a no-good, evil, naariv, veistul, kaarn malur do draaf."


The League of Mist. The end result of combining jealousy and ego with pure hatred. Once only a group of self-absorbed dragons from the brave and honorable Kurai clan, this group now consists of practically every vile soul that lives in Yugure. They're murderers; they killed my mother and countless other innocent creatures just to get what they want. These monstrous creatures are bent on conquering this realm and the next, until their reign is extended all over Yugure. I won't let them take it without a fight.

This band of evil looms in my dreams, always appearing to me as a hideous dragon clad in a wine red armor. It calls to me, hissing its single word that chills me to the core every time I hear it.

"Nexxxxtttss."

~

Thump!

I awake to find myself partially on the floor. My feline body hangs over the left side of my bed, only holding on by my half scaled, lion-like tail that grasps the other end of the bed for dear life. My dragonesque wings lie about the room in odd positions. The feathery limbs that fade into the iconic scales of a dragon wing pull close to my body and retract my clumsy appendages.

My head doesn't reach the floor, my wooden antlers being the mediator between the two. I release my tail's grip on the bed to helplessly slump to the oak floor. I dare not look at the clock, knowing that I am only a few minutes till my morning schedule begins.

As my hypothesis proves itself correct with the bells inside the clock chiming away, I groan with reluctance to start the day. I wash my face clean of grogginess in the washroom using a basin of fresh rainwater to do the task.

Drawing myself a bath with the rest of the stored rainwater, I throw in my herbal blend into the liquid. I soak up the healing powers of the bath and reflect on the day ahead of me.

"T'day won't be easy, will it?" I ask the driftwood duck that scurries across the water's surface. I pick it up and stare at it blankly, feeling no strong emotions whatsoever. My chest deflates as I heave out a long sigh. Mother's death was only about two months ago, but it feels like it's been an eternity since I've heard her voice. We've delayed her funeral for so long just so I and my accompaniment could attend. The trip from the Spires was the least bit exhausting since we traveled by air ship but the mind and heart have had a bruising of a journey to get this far.

"I hope you're not taking your time in there. We need to get going," a deep voice rumbles from outside the door of the washroom. It is my long lost brother, Hotaru, who I happened upon by chance during my long expedition to find the resistance. Although I have lost my mother, Hotaru has filled part of that void that now resides inside my heart.

"I'll be out in a wee moment," I reply, placing my wooden duck aside and beginning to scrub my scaled back. My thoughts drift as I scrub hastily with my moss sponge. I know today will be an interesting day to say the least. After my mum's funeral we have a war to win.


One naughty word used, just a warning. Eno scolds 'em though. ;3

Day One ~ A Sorrowful Beginning

The light rain speckles swiftly onto the many green leaves of the forest, turning into larger droplets that fall to the floor of the realm where stands our solemn party. It's as if the day knows the sorrow we hold and is crying for the loss of my dear sweet mother.

Zana Gryphoclaw lies in her casket, adorned by many arrangements of flowers- courtesy of myself. It is a closed casket, for what is really left to see after being scorched by the heat of a thousand suns? Dragon fire is not a comforting way to go.

We, meaning me and all of my many friends: Professor Achilles Blacktalon, Shadequill, and Erickson the gryphons, Lady Hawk the sabertooth feline, Sendaar the pyroraptin, Vahraniik the dilophoraptin, Lady Asha the Hikarian dragon, Namazzi the kelpie, Hotaru my brother, Adlanniel and Rilien the sky elves, and Tinco the robot, are in our finest accessories for the procession. I say accessories since some of us have no need for actual clothes. Neighbors and friends of my mother gather around the casket one last time to say their farewells and begin to sing a few mourning songs that one may hear at a funeral.

I, being the forest green hybrid with wooden antlers growing atop my head, wait until the rest of the members of the procession leave to give my respects to my late mum. Her casket is of a dark cherrywood- her favorite wood stain. I spent the past few days carving special details of flying gryphons and harmonious dragons frolicking happily in a woodland background. It's what she died fighting for; the freedom of the many creatures of our universe from the dastardly group of villains known as the League of Mist.

You, dear readers, must be wondering why I carved dragons on her casket. I mean, after all, that is what killed her, yes? Well, not all dragons are evil. In fact, the dragons of the Mist are of the minority. My father, is in fact, a dark dragon from the Kurai clan. The Mist isn't just dragons, as I first thought. This League of Mist has recruited many a vile creature for their cause and has no standard when it comes to enlisting troops. This horrid group is why we are all here today, and I plan to stop them before more families are torn apart by their evil deeds.

I place my emerald scaled hand on the casket and stroke it affectionately. Hotaru, my lava dragon brother, comes up behind me and watches the casket with a caring eye. He stands underneath a lightweight umbrella that Adlanniel holds above him. Due to his fiery temperature that he has grown accustom to in Mt. Kazam, a volcano found in the Volcanic Isles, Hotaru has a hard time with the cold, damp weather of the First Realm.

"You coming?" Hotaru asks me gently, knowing this is a sensitive time for me. Although one would see Hotaru as uncaring, indifferent to his surroundings, stubborn, and hot-headed - mind the pun - he really is kind and generous at heart. He had rescued Sendaar and I from a horde of wolfwyres, causing him to lose the use of one foot for quite some time.

I can still see the shiny metal boot wrapped around his hind leg sprinkled with dew. He still wishes to wear it just to be sure his broken foot heals completely, even though the doctor said it is perfectly well now.

"Doctors don't know anything about my body. The only diagnosis I believe is my own," is what he always tells me when I ask when he's going to take the boot off.

My mind clicks back to the present as I think about what he just asked. "Of course," I say quietly- still wishing I could stay here just a bit longer, thinking that if I do she'll magically be revived and we'll go have some tea and biscuits.

I follow Hotaru to the sea of friends that wait for us at the foot of my home. My home in the tree is a wonderful piece of hand-crafted art, if I do say so myself. I had built it all myself, being the crafty one in the family. I scoured the realm day and night for just the perfect tree to make my own and I finally came up upon this large Dragon Oak tree. The name says it all, for these grand species of oak trees are one of the biggest trees in all of Yugure.

I am comforted by the company of my companions, all of which I met in the past few months during my rather grand adventure which took up an entire journal to write. Of course, not all of this jibber-jabber will be for pleasantry. We have a bit of business to discuss.

"Is this thing on?" A muffled voice calls out. The sound of staticky tapping comes from inside a strange metal box.

"Yessir! She's up and running," Rilien speaks to the box, adjusting its antenna. Even at his young age, Rilien is probably smarter than I. He has built many wondrous inventions, including many an airship and this talking box he calls a "long-distance radio." Yet he is still a child, not even a teenager.

"Ah good, so let's get down to the brass tacks," the box says with authority.

"Of course, Bellsulion." Lady Asha says with her regal voice. Being the leader and ambassador of the Hikari clan, Asha has many responsibilities to her land and to the light dragons that live there. "Our scouts have finally lured the wolfwyre, General Vannhyde, out of hiding. He is currently on the run with his last few remaining troops that are still loyal to the Mist. We have managed to retrieve a small portion of surrendering Mist that used to take orders in Vannhyde's regiment.

"From what we've gotten out of them, it seems that their outpost in Oashisu Desert is in fact inside the Barrier."

"The Barrier, eh?" Sendaar strokes his feathered head as he thinks.

"That's practically in the center of the great desert itself," Blacktalon adds on, "the Barrier is a very vast portion of the desert, so whatever their hiding in there is going to be big."

"We can handle big, right? I mean, I know I can kick ass easily, and Enoki took down that ice wyvern a few months ago," Hotaru replies casually, plopping onto his side and crossing his forearms.

"Krah was a prisoner, and therefore wasn't going to argue when I subdued his rider, and don't swear- 'tis not polite." I scold him, not appreciating the foul language that sometimes escapes his mouth.

He looks at me funnily, "All I said was a-"

"And I still consider it a swear." I say, swatting his rump with my feather-tipped tail. Adlanniel laughs, and accidentally tips the umbrella sideways, causing the rain to drip onto Hotaru.

"Ey!" He grumbles, twitching where the water fell.

"Serves ye right," I chuckle. I then notice that we're taking up precious time. "Oh, terribly sorry- continue."

Lady Asha smiles politely and nods. "We were thinking it would be best to send out a small group to check it out. Maybe five or six people?"

"That sounds like a decent number," Bellsulion says confidently. "Any volunteers?"

Hotaru raises his hand immediately, to all of our surprise. When we had first met up with him in his home under Mt. Kazan, he had practically no interest in our quest to stop the Mist, but it appears now he has a new mindset. Maybe it is the death of our mum that is driving him onward, just like it is me.

I raise my hand as well. Following my hand comes Sendaar's, Adlanniel's, and my professor with Shadequill not too far behind. Erickson stamps the ground, noticing he is a bit too late, for six hands are already raised.

"I wish I could go with you, but I'm afraid I'd only slow you down. My fur wasn't made for such a hot climate," Lady Hawk, a beautiful white feline, says in a sad tone. She is right, of course. Her pelt would be far too thick to venture out in the vast, sweltering land of hot sand and dust.

"It is quite alright, Lady Hawk. I'm sure you have important matters elsewhere anyhow," Adlanniel nods to the ambassador of the snow-covered Third Realm.

"Well, I presume we're coming along with you six, considering that you need someone to pilot the Thunder Transport." Rilien smiles and nods to the big, black airship that is parked off in the distance, away from the trees lest it should get caught on the sharp limbs and pop the balloon that keeps it afloat.

Tinco jumps in surprise of his inclusion in this mission. The robot has always amused me with its overly-expressive motions. His almost cartoony appearance - long mismatched arms and legs, big lenses for eyes, and the lone lightbulb that flickers slowly atop his head - makes him almost always, if not always, comical.

"Me too, sir?" He asks in shock. I'm rather shocked myself, but not for the fact that he is included in our mission; I'm shocked that he has lasted this long in the rain and has yet to rust! I must ask Rilien what he uses on Tinco's joints.

"Of course, Tinco! I need you to help with the engine. You're like my second body; you know your way around the airships just about as well as I do. You think you could lend me a hand in that department?" Rilien pats his robot companion on the back in an encouraging way. Tinco smiles, I think - it's rather hard to tell with the robot's facial features - and nods in agreement.

"Well then, I guess that matter is settled," Lady Asha announces. Her white, lavender, and teal feathered wings soaked in water lift from her frame as she tries to shake them dry. The rain has begun to downpour, and my feather mane is as droopy as Asha's wings.

"Perhaps we should go inside now," I say with an amused smile. "I would hate f'er us to catch a cold when we 'ave an adventure waiting f'er us."


Day Two ~ Sails, Generators, and... Pirates?

"Full sail! I want those balloons as big as they get!" Rilien commands us from the steering wheel of the airship. We scurry along the ship like rats working to get our crumbs. My body pulls at the ropes forever hoping that they will do as I wish.

I enjoy the view from where I hover on the ship. Clouds roll by us as we pass over the mountainous bowl that holds my homeland. We have passed over the giant rock formations that surround the forests of the First Realm and are flying in the abyss of what is known as the Nether Region. It's not as scary as it sounds. It's just empty as far as the eye can see and covered with fog half the time.

Our little crater we call home is the only plentiful region we know of in this realm. A few desolate plants and some scrawny birds and rodents can be sometimes found pecking about the Nether Grounds, but it is nothing compared to the life found in our homely forests.

"Enoki, mind getting that last rope?" Sendaar caws noticing my thoughts drifting.

"Oh, yes! Sorry." I reply in a hurry to untie the knot that holds down the balloon from reaching its full potential. As soon as the knot comes undone, the balloon widens and our pace quickens.

"Much better, thank you all!" Rilien exclaims with a hoot. "Can someone go check on Tinco? I need him to set us to full power on the generator."

I volunteer to check below for our robotic friend. The humming of machinery below deck are somehow comforting to me, making me feel rather at home in my surroundings. Gears tick away happily, giving me a pleasant feeling as I watch their symmetrical notches fit together and mingle perfectly.

The underbelly of our ship is a trifle confusing. Many long hallways present themselves to me as I pad along the wooden floor. I jolt my head around to shake my feather mane. My scarf tends to tighten around my neck making my feathers feel clumped underneath the fabric. I adjust this as I trot around the halls looking for the maintenance room where Tinco should be working away at the generator.

"Gyah! Stupid service bots!! That plug goes over there." A metallic voice echoes through the halls as I near the source. I find Tinco in the maintenance room shouting at bots strikingly similar to him, just a head tall. That's really all there is to them- a head with limbs.

Tinco, a rusted brass robot with mismatched limbs, snatches the plug away from one of the service bots and stomps over to plug it in to the wall on my left. The light bulb that sits on top of his head flickers in a dim glow while his steam pumps push the steam through his escape valve that's hidden behind his metallic mouth.

"'Aving difficulties with y'er minions?" I chuckle as I enter the room. Something about that robot just puts a smile on my face. His existence alone fascinates me. We don't have this sort of technology in the First Realm sadly.

Tinco jumps at the sound of my voice. "Oh, Enoki! I didn't hear you come in. Think you can give me a hand?"

"Of course." I follow him over to the generator with watchful eyes, scanning the powerful machine that runs the entire airship.

Tinco sighs, releasing another gust of steam. "I can't seem to get this thing to budge," he motions to the wrench clamped firmly on a bolt, "do you think you can move it for me? It needs to be turned to the left." He four fingered hand illustrates his explanation as I grasp the wrench with my forehands, which are also able to work like any humanoids and are useful for things other than walking.

I crank, and crank, and crank away at the bolt that barely moves with each heave. Arms drained of all strength after many tries, I collapse on top of the wrench. You can imagine my surprise when I fall to the ground as the wrench gives way to my weight. A slight shriek escapes my throat during my dramatic fall to the floor.

"You did it! Excellent job, sir! I would have never have thought to do that." Tinco clasps his hands together and twirls. The generator chugs away loudly and much faster than it did before. Steam release valves puff their billows of hot mist which lets me know our work here is done.

Ba-boom!

"What was that!?" I shout over the sound of the generator. The little service bots tumble around as we hit turbulence. Their little frames shake nervously as they help one another up.

"That sounded like cannon fire." Tinco blinks and look out the hallway to see if anyone was nearby.

"Cannon fire? Why on Yugure would we be shooting off cannons?"

Tinco gives me a worried glance, "Oh no, not us. Pirates."

I nearly laugh, "Pirates? In the First Realm? But we don't 'ave that sort of technology. And why would pirates be coming here anyhow?" My muzzle nudges one of the service bots upwards as another quake passes through the airship.

The automaton grabs a pistol that is hanging on a hook by the door. I flinch as he fumbles with it, nearly letting it drop to the floor. "They must have followed us here and have been waiting for us to return to the Volcanic Isles portal that's nearby. Must assume we're merchants." Tinco loads the revolver with plasma shots and turns the safety off.

Knowing his track record, I'm not sure that it's wise to let him handle a firearm, but I surely can't maneuver a pistol. Granted my hands can grasp items and write, but difficult things such as using a gun I better leave to the elves. He opens a secret compartment on his abdomen and hides the gun inside. This worries me even more; what if the gun misfires?

"Come on Enoki, sir. We've best go check on the captain." I nod in agreement and lunge out the door, prepared for anything... Even pirates.

We run at as fast as a pace that Tinco can muster. The door to the deck is just ahead. I gain the courage to pass Tinco and burst through the door. 'I'm almost there,' my mind cheers me on.

Bang!

Yet another rumbling shake echoes through the wooden halls. I stumble and trip over my own legs and go headfirst through the doorway. My head lands with a thump and my body follows suit. The deck seems fine. There aren't any pirates anywhere. Actually, there isn't anyone anywhere.

"Where is ev-"

Whack!

Something hits me hard on the head and I fall yet again, captured by the darkness that envelops my vision.



Day Three ~ Why Is the Rum Gone?

"Glad to see you could join us," Rilien says sarcastically, but almost cheerful.

"Wh-what?" I wiggle, trying to roll over. "Why is m'head stuck?" I ask in a daze. My eyesight, still blurry, slowly focuses on Rilien, Sendaar, Adlanniel, and Tinco. They are all swinging, as if they are levitating. Then I notice the ropes and nets.

"That's because your antlers are tied to mine, dimbo." My brother rumbles and jerks his head back after my multiple attempts of breaking free.

"Ow!" I mumble irritably. "Why don't ye just blow a hole in our net, dimbo?" I retort with thrashing my head around once.

"Well would you like me to melt your tail that's tied directly in front of my face?"

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," he grumbles deeply. "Why don't you summon a plant to cut us loose?" Hotaru inquires of my plant-controlling abilities.

Being half dragon - technically I'm one-fourth dragon and one-fourth but who's really keeping track - I was granted the ability to control the flora of the realms. I can also grow any plant I wish. "How?" You may ask. Well, I won't go into all the boring scientific details, but my body grows microorganisms that I can communicate with via brainwaves- telepathically I guess you could call it. These microorganisms can form themselves into any plant that comes into mind by rearranging their cell structures to fit the description of the desired plant.

I guess I did still go a bit much into details, but the more you know can help you along the way of this story. Am I right?


"Do ye see a patch of dirt magically lying around? Plants don't just grow on wood, Hot."

"Would you two shut up already?" Adlanniel scolds. "If there was some quiet I could concentrate on getting one of my knives out from my back scabbard."

Hotaru and I quiet ourselves in the new idea of how to escape. "That works too, I guess." My brother says in a hushed tone, watching the she-elf twist her arms underneath her legs, both of which are tied to their counterpart.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a grusky voice entered the room, followed by an odd set of footsteps.

Pop, tink, pop, tink.

I try to turn around to see who is coming, but Hotaru's head is in the way of any maneuverability. I only manage to rock our hanging net, giving me a seasick feeling in my stomach. The footsteps move closer and sound almost as if they have passed us, yet no body has passed by.

'Are they invisible pirates?' The question lingers through my head.

"Down here you overgrown fuzzball," the voice says and a feel a finger poke through the holes in the netting into my back. I turn my brother's and my head down to see a man about half the size of Adlanniel but with a much larger build. The very iconic features of a dwarf.

The top of his head is shaven, yet the raven black hair around it is thick and at a medium length. His mustache and beard are long and braided in some places. Silver streaks run through his locks, almost the same color as the mysterious metallic tattoos that run their course through his body.

"Who are ye?" I ask. His demeanor is frightening and while he looks like he jumped off the pages of one of my good pirate novels he doesn't seem interested in letting us walk the plank.

"Scythe," he says, spitting on the floor. "Captain Silver Scythe. And these are me crew." He motions his hand towards the doorway where a group of filthy miscellaneous creatures lurk. They look like they haven't bathed in months and one is even drooling.

"What do you want with us?" Adlanniel asks. Her gaze is stern and forceful.

"Nothing really. We just want y'ar booty." Captain Scythe growls menacingly. Of course, this all is mostly drowned out by Tinco's muffled laughter. "Shut it ya wee immature frame of scraps!" The pirate captain smacks the net and they all go for a spin.

"But we don't have any loot. This isn't a ship of trade. It's a ship of travel." Sendaar chirps for the first time in a while. The pyroraptin looks at the dwarf with his head tilted.

"Isn't this the Class VI Thunder Transport? One of a kind airship, very high tech, very expensive. That is if we decide to sell it. I don't know boys, wouldn't it be great to fly our colors on a Class VI airship?" Scythe unsheathes his, well scythe, and raises it in the air for morale. Cheers of victory reign through the crowd of robbers as their leader makes his demands.

"So what are you going to do with us Captain Scythe?" Rilien frowns, grasping the net as tight as he can.

"You all," he says looking about the mass of prisoners, "will be delivered to the highest bidder. Well, almost all." Scythe looks down at the child, no more than twelve years old. "Our intel tells us that you could build us another one of these aerial beauties. We'll have a profitable alliance between the two of us. Heck, I may quit pirating and become a businessman. Where I come from and in these days, there's not much of a difference." His laughter reveals multiple silver teeth shined to perfection. The other teeth, however, are not that lucky.

His crew laughs heartily along with him. He then holds up a hand, signaling them to stop. They do so on command and grab our nets. A tall, pale blue, almost alien-looking creature with four sword-possessing arms slices the rope that suspends us in the air. Our nets, still tied at the top, fall to the floor with a thud. Two burly reptiloids, bipedal lizard creatures with thick green scales, pick up our webbed sacks and take us to the outside deck.

"What are you doing? I thought ye said ye were gon' sell us?!" I cry out, afraid that the next thing to happen to us will be being thrown overboard.

Captain Silver Scythe gives out another jolting laugh. "Do you think I'm going to trust you in y'ar own ship? Y'all are going to be guests in me own ship, the Black Battalion." His ship comes into view on our port side. It's not much bigger than ours, but it's heavily armed and well worn by the years of pillaging it's seen.

I choke on the wad of spit that is trying to force itself down. The silvery sails are frayed at the ends and have scorch marks all about. A dwarf skull with a scythe between its jaws is waving as the ship's pennant. The detail that decorates this ship is most disturbing: naked cherubim flutter across the banisters and the framework of the ship, sea serpents wrap their frames around the masts and their spines form bollards to tie down ropes, and let's not forget the the large, intimidating black chains scattered around and coiled up across the deck.

More mangy pirates creep out of the holes they hide in to come and get a good look at their new prisoners. Most need a good, long visit to the dentists and all need to bathe. I shrink back next to my group as they get closer with their long pirate swords. They step back though, when we are forced onward.

"Enjoy y'ar stay at our lovely bed an' breakfast inn, also called the brig." The pirate audience sniggers in the background as we are all shoved in the deck below into a large cell.

It's dark, damp, and musty. The only lighting being the terribly dim bulb in the hanging ceiling lamp and the light from the barred hatch that is closed above us. The floor is littered with garbage and food particles. A rat even scurries by. A rat.

'How cliche,' I think to myself.

"Don't even think about escaping," the pirate that locks us in says, giving the stink eye to Hotaru.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Hotaru snarls as he leaves us, shutting the only door in the room behind him.

The pirates all leave us to our silence, wondering what we could possibly do to escape. I sigh, drifting back to the thoughts of my last imprisonment. The idea gives me the shivers. Last time we were captured, the Mist was behind it. They had wanted my journal that I had been working on. It had just about every specimen known to the gryphon society.

Gryphons, being a species of great knowledge, have books upon books written by their greatest minds, making my journal a mere child's bedtime story. The League of Mist soon found out about their large exclusive library dedicated to the knowledge of the entire species and raped it of all its content. This raid killed hundreds, including my mother.

"So, how are we getting out of here?" Hotaru asks, looking at the five of us for answers. We are all silent, watching each other, hoping that someone has an idea.

"Wait until they have to reset the generator?" Tinco suggests with a hint of insecurity.

I squint, trying to think real hard about what he means. Rilien sees my confusion and aids in his robot companion's explanation.

"This is a Class III Warmonger airship. Class III ships have an old fashioned generator, unlike Class IV and up who's generators no longer work on pure steam power. Our ship works with a plasma core that can generate enough artificial steam to work with the old fashioned mechanics- which I do plan to upgrade in the future. Anyways, the-"

"Just get to the point, boy." Hotaru grumbles, irritated with the lengthy lecture.

"As I was saying," Rilien says annoyed at the interruption and the jab at his age, "the Class III airships have to constantly change out their heat supply that creates the steam. Most ships coordinate these routine switches with janitorial services. Those most normally happen past midnight, well, that is if they're following the standard procedures."

Sendaar looks at the digital clock that is implanted above the doorway in front of us. "It's only seven-thirty now. What do we do in the meantime?"

Adlanniel looks off into the barred skies above us. "We plan, we sort, and we wait."

Welp, that's all I've got f'er now. If ye really liked it and wish to continue reading and receive notifications of new chapters, click the book cover and find m'profile! Just hit the follow button and I'll be happy to send out notifications (which will in-turn be also sent to y'er email's inbox as a r'minder.) and progress reports on the book!

More chapters are in the comments section! I ran out of space in here, so I thought 'twould be best to just put the rest in the comments. I hope ye don't mind searching.  ;D

Also, don't hesitate to leave a comment b'low, pick an option on the poll, and tell me what ye think! I love to hear feedback.

Many a thank ye,
~Eno

26
Game Help / My_Objects no longer work?
« on: June 10, 2016, 09:11:38 pm »
I was just trying to transfer m'old object files n'groups to the new game folders and it seems that they cause the game to crash upon trying to load it. Will custom/old objects no longer work in the game? Will m'old maps no longer work or 'ave the objects that were placed in them? I will be very disappointed if that's the case- since I spent a good while making twelve custom maps f'er m'roleplay group.

27
Discussion Board / Need help naming some fish
« on: June 01, 2016, 05:05:01 pm »
'Cause I'm too lazy to write 'nother post...

I do appreciate any n'all suggies. ^v^

http://enokigryphoclaw.deviantart.com/journal/Fishes-Need-Names-612586085

28
Art Gallery / Enoki's Art Journal Upd: 10/26/17 {Commissions: OPEN}
« on: May 05, 2016, 03:13:42 am »
So long since I've even touched this thread. I'm rather surprised I could actually find it. Anyhoo, m'tablet is no longer working, but that won't stop me from making art! M'latest piece shown here was done completely by mouse, apart from the rough sketch done on paper and uploaded to the computer.

Anywho, here is m'latest arts. Hope ye enjoy.















(Galaxy and water reflection not mine.)






















And here be the old stuff.









And of course, f'er ol' times sake, here's some traditional art.






Commissions are open! Feel free to send in commissions at enokigryphoclaw.deviantart.com

29
R'member those old chapters of m'book that I posted on here a loong while ago? Well, I've gone and redone the first two original chapters, making them more interesting and all 'round better f'er the reader. (To be honest, I think the original versions of these chapters sucked. >v<") I've d'cided to post m'latest chapter, which I'm quite proud of its length-I've reached 25 pages according to Wattpad on this chapter-and rather liked its content. Do let me know what you think of it, if ye d'cide to read it.

Also, I apologize f'er creating yet 'nother thread on this board. I sadly ran out of space on m'latest thread and 'twouldn't let me add this in. >v<"


Warning, chapter 22 does contain spoilers! If you haven't read the previous chapters, do not proceed. Or, if you won't be following Enoki's adventures closely and most likely won't be reading the book in full, by all means check out m'latest chapter.
Day Twenty-Two

"What do you mean there's no way out!" Sendaar barks at our new found accompaniment to the group, Hotaru, who doesn't seem the slightest bit interested in quarreling with what he calls the "talking chicken".

After we had followed Sendaar back to Hotaru's den we had started a discussion as to how we were to escape this putrid smelling sauna. Hotaru doesn't seem to mind the smell of the gases formed in what he explains to us as part of the volcano, Mt. Kazan, which happens to be where I first entered the Volcanic Isles from. This, however, are the underground caverns that snake in, around, and under the actual volcanic magma chamber. He says we are completely safe unless Kazan decides to erupt. Safe. Right.

"I got her by swimming through one of the side vents. Unless you are invulnerable to lava, I suggest you find another way out." Hotaru shrugs and pops a lava rock in his mouth, crunching down on it with his steel-hard jaw.

"Aren't you coming with us?" The pyroraptin looks incredibly apprehensive, shifting a few steps every minute as if the lava will jump out of its hole and come after him.

The brute just gives another shrug. "I don't see why I would. I'm rather content right here. I've done my share of rebelling against the Mist and I would like to enjoy my down time." Hotaru lies down on his belly, crossing his forearms casually.

Sendaar snorts in disappointment. "Well don't come crying to me when your peaceful little realm turns into a chaotic catastrophe and you're stuck down here going psychotic with the Mist's evil spawn pecking and pestering at you day and night!" The raptin stomps his foot for emphasis.

"Dramatic little bird-brain, isn't he?" Hotaru murmurs to me on the side as he watches Sendaar go into a tizzy.

"Bird-brain?!!" Caws the raptin, grating his talons on the floor like a bull preparing to charge. This meeting is not going how I had planned.

I ruffle my feathers, trying to get a cool draft to enter in my mane. "Alright, alright. Please, we must figure out a way to get out of here without being spotted. The main opening is guarded on different levels, from m'presumption and what ye 'ave told us, Sendaar. Can ye tell me 'gain what ye noticed?" I try to steer the topic back on course. The pyroraptin looks rather pleased with the idea of him sharing his intel.

"Well, I was questioned first before they threw me down here, so I got a decent tour of their base. Apparently, there are at least three levels of tunnels in this underground, rotting pit. Eggs aren't the only rotten smell they have cooking around here. Baby monstrosities are being bred here.

"I never expected to see this, because it's just not natural, but cross breeding wolfwyres with other species is just horrific. They breed like wild dogs and who knows what kind of mutated species shall be formed by this horror. I think they're trying to do cross genetics with them and dragons. Dragons! Can you imagine what would happen if they succeeded to blend the genes of those two? The Mist would have an unstoppable force.

"They are also using the lava here to forge their weapons and armor. Some sort of heating system is set following the lava flow, rerouting the current to their forges. I didn't get to see what sort of metal ore they're using, but I don't think they are using the material we saw on our previous captors because these wolfwyres are wearing armor much more decorated and well crafted."

"Well, what does that mean? Do ye think this is a higher up regiment?" I interrupt with my thoughts.

"It may," he replies. "But it could also mean that these groups aren't working that closely together, so they haven't put their resources together. That may be why they didn't check you for that book of yours. Another reason why we need to get out of here as soon as possible or else they'll eventually find out and all will be lost. They definitely won't trust you to translate it again. The Mist will do anything to keep us away from that book if they get their hands on it."

"What's so special about this book of yours?" Hotaru pipes up after seeming completely uninterested in our talk. He hops down from his perch and wanders a few steps closer to us and lies back down again.

"'Tis m'journal that I've been writing in. It has just 'bout every species cataloged by the gryphon society including new species that I've been studying along the way. The League of Mist wish to use it 'gainst the inhabitants of Yugure as they plow through the realms, conquering them. This cannot get into their hands," I say, waving the book with emphasis. Hotaru's blazing eyes watch the book carefully as I hold it.

"Then why not burn it? Wouldn't that save everyone a whole bunch of trouble?" Hot looks at me contemptuously, playing with a rock.

A sigh. That would be the end of my troubles, for now at least. "B'cause, there is information 'bout the Mist in here as well. Wolfwyres, shadones-they're all in here right along with the rest of the creatures of Yugure. B'sides, a lot of this info can be found right in the gryphon archives."

"And you mean to tell me that the Mist hasn't figured this out yet?"

I shake my head in reply. "I'm 'fraid that the gryphon absence in Yugure's culture the past few hundred years has left a toll on the realms. Not many creatures remember who we are and what we can contribute to the world. The Mist probably doesn't know one iota 'bout the First Realm."

"So, what is your plan after-if-you escape?" Hotaru inquires.

I yawn, stretching out my hind legs and let my hands grasp for air as my arms reach ahead of me. "Head to the Spires and find the one Lady Asha sent me to find. Unfortunately, she gave me no name. I just hope they know I am coming." I say with uncertainty. I haven't thought that far ahead, to be quite honest. With no name, I'll be wandering the Spires aimlessly looking for a phantom.

"Pfft, well that seems like a solid plan," the lava dragon says sarcastically.

I go to reply but he wanders off toward the tunnel exit out of his domain. "Hey, where are ye going?" I call out to him. He waves his hand violently at me to be quiet and he hastens out. I feel as if I should follow him, but before I can go out something comes back in. A bright orange dragon is thrown out of the mouth of the tunnel and lands a few feet away from me. It's Milah.

"You!" I cry out in agony. This is the first time my good judging of character was ever wrong, and now I'm stuck in a pit for my mistake. The traitor jumps up in surprise to see Sendaar and I standing together in this unpredicted scenario.

Hotaru circles up from behind him, like an animal hunting its prey. Milah falls to his knees, "Please, you must hear me out. I had no choice. There were innocent lives at stake. My neighbors, my friends, they were going to use them as carriers-breeding partners to their dastardly genetics program! I couldn't say no to them. I know now that it was the wrong thing to do, but that's why I'm here. Please, you must believe me, sonny. I'm here to break you out."

We all look in shock as Milah explains what has all went down since they hired, so to speak, the palm dragon and what they've been up to. Milah explains in depth the plans to enslave the larger species of the realms into their breeding program, making the captives what Milah says they call carriers. Females will be taken from their homes and bred in a barbaric fashion with the wolfwyres to produce unholy offspring which the Mist will use as their army. I am starting to gain back the faith I had in the palm dragon, but my past experience has made me wary of him. Sendaar seems rather indifferent to the creature; he is just happy to hear this escape plan. Hotaru puffs a cloud of smoke from his mouth, probably eager to get the three of us out of his mane.

"So we'll look like your prisoners, being taken to see the general in command?"

"And we'll all walk right out."

"Do ye think 'twill work?"

"Oh, most certainly, sonny."

"Won't they notice what you three are up to? I mean, once you leave the volcano, they'll know something is up." Hotaru interrupts, making a rather good point.

"Oh, but we won't be leaving the volcano. There's a secret portal hidden somewhere in the caverns above us. I can take us directly to the Spires from there. They won't have a clue!" The pyroraptin chirps cheerfully with a leap of joy to finally be escaping the clutches of the Mist-this time for good. I, too, share this glee. I can finally continue my mission, which would have been already completed if someone more qualified had taken up the task.

'Why did Asha pick me?' I wonder to myself as the rest of the details are drawn out metaphorically.

~

"Are we all set?" Milah asks two hours later. With good timing, and a lot of hiding one's actions, Milah had secured two pairs of cuffs and chains allowing us to blend into our prisoner personifications.

The raptin and I both nod our heads quietly. We're all nervous, except for Hotaru who is nowhere nearby. We had left his home and set our sights on the main cavern, ready to walk past every guard in the fortress-even say hello to one or two with a smile on our faces. Well, that might give us away just a tad.

I pick up Sendaar and follow Milah as he holds onto our leashes. We land casually on the third floor, two levels up from where we had originally been staying. The guards look at us confused, that is until Milah swears at us using words I'm not quite sure of the meaning and yanks at the chains, making us move forward. Both guards look at each other with a shrug at the shoulders and relax, letting us pass by without question.

Sendaar pounces forward slightly behind Milah. He whispers in his ear which way to turn next and I follow suit. One wolfwyre sentry looks at us funny and stops us in our tracks. I dare not let one bead of sweat escape my body, lest I give off a guilty aura making our escape impossible.

"Where are you taking these prisoners? They are not needed for the Carrier Program." He grunts in a monotone voice. The soldier seems perfectly still while he speaks. Sendaar shrivels back behind Milah for protection.

Milah straightens up his posture and looks down at the sentry. "I happen to be taking them to General Vannhyde for questioning." The guard looks at us, still untrusting. But eventually he gives up the staring contest and waves us through. We wait until we are out of sight before we let ourselves heave a sigh of relief and relax our tensed up muscles.

We take a right, then a left, another left, more rights. To be honest, I think I've lost track of what turns we have taken; I seriously hope we don't get separated. I stop counting the turns to myself and mindlessly follow Sendaar and Milah, who have struck up a conversation when no guards are there to listen.

"We are almost there. We just have to go up to the next level and pass a few more hallways until we get to the rocky section. Once we're through there, we should be safe." I can hear Sendaar whisper to Milah as we trudge along. I moan violently on the inside, wishing I could physically scream. The palm dragon nods and we take one final turn to the stairs.

My head slides along the wall in agony of walking the monotonously drab rocky hallways. I can see the top of the staircase, which excites me to the core. Of course this still means more walking once we reach the top. Whoopee.

Milah and Sendaar both murmur something out of the corner of their mouths that I cannot catch, but I realize that it was most likely another curse word as I reach the top to stairs to see a whole squad of wolfwyres waiting for us. Their faces look atrocious and fierce with a snarl to go with. Each of them is pointing a sharp looking scythe at us, all but one, I mean.

The odd one out steps forward and looks at us with a wicked grin. "Now, there, where do you think you're going with those prisoners, Milah? I was informed by one of my watchmen that you were taking them to me for questioning. Now, I don't recall us making an appointment for such an action, do you?"


Milah stands silent, along with Sendaar and I. There is really nothing to say. We are trapped, again. I just wish for once our luck would change. The general pulls out a contraption from his bag slung to his side.

"You're not getting out of here, you know that, don't you? And now, thanks to you, I have to blow this section of the fort. We can't afford to risk you all getting out now can we? Farewell to you three." With that he presses the button on the strange device. The entire ground shakes with a ferocity I have never been aware of. General Vannhyde laughs maniacally as he dramatically swoops away from view, leaving us with his lackeys guarding the exit.

"You seriously aren't just going to stay here, are you?" Sendaar says, trying to tempt the guards to leave their post. "I mean, you'd rather sit here and get crushed by a multitude of rocks than escape death's grasp and live to tell the tale? It's not like we'd tattle on you."

The wolfwyres simply growl at the bribe. Rocks start to tumble off towards us from the ceiling and the stairs behind us begin to quake. The guards begin to force us back, closed to the crumbling staircase. With no way to defend ourselves, we're trapped.

"Get out of the way!" A familiar shadowy voice calls out from behind. I turn just in time to see Hotaru nimbly hop on what was left of the breaking stairs and charge toward us with fire in his eyes.

'Oh wait, there's fire in his mouth too. Oh shiitake mushrooms!' I duck in the nick of time, as just a millisecond before would have been too late as the burning magma dragon leaps to our rescue-almost singeing my petrified wooden antlers.

His muzzle is covered in hot magma as he spews it towards our enemies. The ones hit with this melting blast yelp in suffering slowly being consumed on the floor. A swoop of his fiery scorpion tail stings the closest standing warrior. Magma pulses through the tail and into the tip where it injects the molten lava into the enemy. I'm completely astounded at the efficiency of Hotaru's battle skills and I must remember to ask him if he would ever consider teaching me.

The cries of the fallen must have been heard as reinforcements arrive to aid in their stand off. Hotaru is overwhelmed with enemies and becomes distracted for only a moment. An unfortunate falling of a stalactite injures our friend on his hind leg, handicapping him for the time being. He roars in anger as the rock crushes his foot and ripples over, falling down the tunnel where the stairs had once been. The echoing sound spirals downward, causing an avalanche of rocks to tumble into the hole, blocking the way we came from.

Hotaru tries his best to ward off the enemies, but it's too much with an ankle beginning to swell. Milah looks at us, "You must get out of here, sonny. Take your injured friend and get out of here. This place will collapse any minute." The palm dragon charges fearlessly into the swarm of wolfwyre guards, pushing them away from Hotaru and the exit.

"Come, quickly!" Sendaar urges us into motion. I attempt to aid Hotaru in walking behind Sendaar, but he refuses.

"I'm too hot for you to touch without burning yourself," he replies calmly and moves on the three good feet he has left.

Sendaar quickens the pace, and I worry for Hotaru, who limps rather badly. The raptin screeches to a halt and stares at a wall. "This is it, but it looks like the quaking has caused the rocks to shift. I'm not sure if you two will be able to fit." Sendaar looks us over for measurements.

"Allow me," Hotaru says grumbling deeply. The sound gets louder as his chest expands. His mouth opens to release a blast unlike anything I have seen before. The light is blinding, and I cover my eyes for protection. When the light fades I look to see a neatly formed circle, still cooking off from the high temperature it took to melt away the rock.

"Well done," I compliment him as he pursues the tunnel's other side. Sendaar follows swiftly as I take up the rear. The floor is burning to the touch, but it makes us hasten our pace.

"Over here!" Sendaar shoves me to the left and over a large step. Hotaru follows behind me as Sendaar hops through a vast glowing crack in the wall. We look at each other and both follow our pyroraptin friend.

The air. The grass. A cool breeze hits me like a fresh cup of spring water. It's too astonishing for words. Floating islands hover past us slowly like grazing clouds to reveal lofty plateaus in all shapes and sizes. Like islands surrounded by an ocean of clouds, these plateaus reach farther than I can possibly see. The elevation here is breathtaking, literally; it will take some getting used to, but I can manage.

A sense of calm rushes through my veins, "We made it." My voice is drowned out by another thought. "But Milah..." It pains me to say his name. "Do ye think he..." I choke on my words softly.

"He was a brave man. You should be proud of him." Sendaar pats me comfortingly on my shoulder. Hotaru nods in agreement and lowers his head in respect for our lost friend.

The sky shimmers brightly, but the sun is setting on the horizon. "We should make camp," I say after a few minutes have passed. "We 'ave a war to fight."

Day Twenty-Four

"Splendid! Marvelous! Simply amazing!" I exclaim as I awake to a bustling cityscape view. "The creativity, the glamour, the technology!"

"Would you shut up already?" Hotaru growls and throws a decorative pillow at me. I laugh and duck, letting it skip off the top of my antlers and land besides the wall of endless windows.

"Oh, 'ave a sense of wonder, Hotaru. 'Tis not every day that he get to explore a brand new culture with an amazing level of technology! I mean, on the Clawdashev scale, they're off the charts!" I explain my excitement, watching the groggy Hotaru roll his eyes and turn over in his bed.

I shrug and go to grab my scarf that hangs on a decorative gear positioned creatively on the neutrally painted wall. For the short time wearing it, I've grown accustomed to it. Placing it over my head, I creep out the door with my satchel in hand, ready to explore the city.

The one thing I didn't bring with me was souvenir money; I hadn't even thought of the idea until now. All the shops are centered in the middle of town. I am on the far west side of the plateau, which means I get to take the Coaster Express. The ride to our living quarters was thoroughly enjoyable and I'm excited to take it for another spin.

It really is just a long roller coaster that makes stops at all the stations. The spherical cars pull to a stop, the glass top lifting up to allow passengers in and out. A few elves are startled as they get out, seeing me walk toward the transportation, but they recognize me and smile as I pass by. I wave to them and continue into the nearest vacant pod. I take up the entire car, but I don't anyone really minds.

"Please select destination," the choppy automatic voice calls to me over the speaker. I reply by pressing the button with a square symbol, meaning the shopping center. It answers my input with a click and, "Thank you. Have a nice day!"

The glass dome slowly shuts above me and locks itself in. A jolt rushes through the cars as the wheels begin to send us off. Tall, city buildings blur past me as my car chugs along the track. Exhilaration courses through me and pulls my stomach up to my throat each time we dive down a steep hill in the track. I'm rather wobbly getting out of the car.

"Thank you for choosing Coaster Express," the train bids me farewell and pulls out of the station.

"How exciting!" I exclaim with a smile and start out as fast as I can and still consider it walking. The first two shops can be seen on either side of the road. A few more of those steam engine bikes pedal by and I can't help myself but stare. Like a kid in a toy store, I don't know what I want to look at first.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," a familiar voice calls out, and I turn to recognize Adlanniel coming up on one of those fancy bikes. "Sightseeing before we have to start the day?" She smiles, dismounting her bike.

"Oh yes, I couldn't help m'self. The only problem is I don't know where I want to look first!" The stores all gleam with each a unique sign to draw in customers: some with running cogs, others with flashy lights, and others are beautifully handcrafted wooden signs. My eyes wander distractedly over all the buildings.

Adlanniel grabs my scarf and gives it a tug, making me stop in my tracks. "I know exactly the place to go. Follow me," she leads my on, still holding on to my scarf. I have to follow closely behind or risk choking.

I go to ask where we are going since we are leaving the shopping district, but she interrupts me saying that wherever it is I'll be amazed. I trust her word for what it is and follow her down a confusing combination of twists and turns. She allows me my freedom once we arrive at a large mansion-esque building littered with scrap metal and broken down primitive robots.

"What is this place?" I ask, fingering a robot lying in a pile of scrap metal.

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER! Tzzzzzzz," the automaton rises to life, nearly making me create an untidy situation that is only expected from wild, uncivilized animals. I do manage to topple over a pile of spare tires, however.

Adlanniel laughs, "You know that genius inventor who created the Coaster Express?" I nod, catching on to what she is going to say next. "Well, this is his place. C'mon, he'll want to meet you."

"INTRUDER! INTRUDER! Tzzzz. Tzzzz." The robot persists to shout. I try to quiet the thing, but it talks back to me. "Watch it, buddy! I am programmed with martial arts coding inspired from the great renowned qilin warriors of the Moonlight Tribe." The scrap metal frame stands up to reveal two mismatching legs that practically look like sticks. It waves its arms around madly, showing off its "skill".

I try not to laugh, offering my apologies. However, this does not deter the bucket of bolts from following us up the driveway and onto the porch of the inventor's workshop. Adlanniel bids the robot a wave and a hello, with the robot returning her good will with a polite curtsy.

"Hello, Adlanniel. We weren't expecting you. And who's your friend?" The robot speaks in a more natural voice.

"Ah, m'name is Enoki." I nod with a smile, offering my hand in greeting.

He gives me his hand and gives it a good shake. "A pleasure to meet you, Enoki. The name is Tinco. Sorry about earlier, it's just that it's hard wired into there; can't let the master of inventions' ideas get into the wrong hands-not that your the wrong hands, I uh-mean." The robot stutters, amusingly. I'm quite relieved that I'm not the only one bad with words.

"Tinco! Who's at the door?" A voice calls from behind the thick metal door we stand in front of. An odd looking telescope lowers itself from above the door. I can see an eyeball-immensely magnified from the lenses inside the scope-peering at us with interest. "Ah, Adlanniel, what a surprise. Well, don't just stand there, come on in!" The telescope retracts out of view and the door clicks ajar.

Adlanniel smiles and holds the door open for us. Tinco follows us in awkwardly with large and high steps, letting his legs lift higher than his waist and arms swing wildly. I have a hard time keeping the amusement of this metal man off my face as he strides past us with purpose in his steps.

"Tinco, what are you doing? You're walking like you haven't oiled your hips in weeks." A very short and boyish figure appears from behind the counter.

"Sorry, sir!" Tinco replies meekly, adjusting his posture. It takes me a moment to realize this, but that boyish elf that approaches me really is a boy.

"Y'er a kid," I declare with surprise.

"Well, you're a giant, green jackalope, but who am I to judge?" The boy replies smugly, offering a greasy hand in greeting. "I'm Rilien. You must be Enoki. Bellsulion mentioned you before you arrived."

I am surprised how fast word travels around here, but I guess it would have to be when you are fighting in a war. I accept his handshake, reluctant on the inside seeing that my hand is now covered in oil and mechanical grease.

"Well, I guess you'd like to see what I've been working on for you, eh? This way please," he wanders back behind the counter and pushes a swinging door open for us to head to the back room where all the inventions are-I hope.

Let's just say I'm not disappointed. Gadgets and gizmos buzz all around me. Miniatures of airships hum quietly around the room. I watch with interest as they land on the model landscaping set to the side of the room. A black airship with golden lightning bolt painted on its side slowly floats by my face. It has three balloons instead of just the one that standard airship.

"That's my latest project, the Thunder Transport. Isn't she a beaut? I started her a month or so ago; she'll be finished by the end of this month." Rilien crossed his arms with pride.

"Well, 'tis very nice, but it already looks finished to me."

"Oh, no, I mean the actual ship. It's almost finished. Perhaps we can look at it later." The boy grins smugly as he shows off his genius.

Adlanniel laughs and walks past a table that is set in the middle of the walkway. "Rilien wastes no time when it comes to finishing projects, which reminds me," she says walking over to a low shelf. The elf returns with an intricately carved cherry wood box; gold inlay sprawls over the box in a vine pattern. She opens the box to show crushed velvet and a brand new pair of shiny goggles. My goggles.

I gasp in awe of their craftsmanship. They are much larger than the pair that I was looking at and they seem to be engraved with my name. My eyes start to tear up with excitement. Adlanniel motions for me to try them on and with trembling hands, I reach for them and carefully scoop them up in my claws.

Strapping them on underneath my ears, I pull them over my forehead. My feathers get underneath the strap, so I go around the band and pull them out from under them. Once I put them over my eyes, everything goes a lime green. I  smile with pure enjoyment as I turn my head around to look at everything.

"Do you like them?" Rilien asks, smiling like a cat.

"Oh yes! Very much so, thank you! Thank you!" I emphasize my gratitude multiple times to Rilien, shaking his hand.

"I'm very glad. I do love making those goggles; one of my favorite inventions." Rilien explains while I walk around playing with the toggles of the binocular features.

Tinco is staring curiously at one of the flying airships. He grabs the ship out of the sky and looks closer at it. His metal hand taps one of the running motors, analyzing how it works. He must have tapped it too hard, because the motor cracks off and dangles below, suspended by the wires. The bot jumps with shock and frantically hides the airship in the model town, walking away casually.

I shake my head with sympathy, partially listening to Adlanniel and Rilien's conversation.

"Well, we best get going. We need to meet up with the rest of the team to get those three all up to date on the strategy for defeating these ruffians. You coming with, Rilien?" She asks, lifting my satchel and politely placing my goggles' case inside.

"Oh yes, I'll be on my way in a few. I'm just finishing up on a diagram," he says with a wave goodbye.

We bid Rilien and Tinco farewell and start heading out to the front room. I take one last glance around the woodwork, mechanical models, and broken down clocks before letting Adlanniel usher me out the door.

It doesn't take as long as it felt like it did to get there to return to the Coaster Express. We squeeze into a single cart and enter in our designated station. The ride is quiet, since there isn't much to say. I look out the window using my goggles, zooming in and out of the cityscape. Adlanniel laughs at my childish playing, and I chuckle along with her.

We arrive at a station I've yet to explore and it turns out that it is our stop. Many scholarly looking folks stand around the station's overhang conversing with one another. Their matching uniforms imply to me that they are, in fact, apart of some school, but Adlanniel informs me that this is the brain of the rebellion. This is the Yugurian Guard's center of intelligence, YGI.

The building looks very neat and polished. The rounded sides are a creamy metal, buffed to perfection. It looks almost like a tall flower or a hatched egg, having the walls flair out in a flamboyant style. We are greeted by two polite officers who open the door for us.

The marble flooring reminds me of something rather fancy and more advanced than most cultures dare to try around these parts. I comment my observation to Adlanniel and she agrees with me saying that they have a quarry somewhere down on the surface of the realm that harvests this fine rock. Apparently their artists and architects value marble higher than gold when working on a project.

The shininess reveals my smiling reflection as I look down while we head down the hall. We end up at the end of a narrow corridor with nothing to see but a large metal bolted door. With a grunt, Adlanniel heaves the door open, revealing a long winding staircase downwards. I can only imagine what is down here which gives me the shivers.

She enters without caution. 'Well, if she can do it, so can I.' I tell myself as I walk warily down the steps, closing the door behind me. It gives off an awfully loud clunk noise, creating an echo all the way down the stairs. I start feeling like I'm in the middle of a horror novel, where the hero is walking down that dark and creepy staircase, knowing that at any minute something might jump out at them and-

"Boo!"

I have never screamed so high in my life. My feathers explode around my neck and the tip of my tail, making me look like some highly groomed poodle, as I jump and land on the platform I had just stepped down from. My assailant bursts into a dark laughter that I can only recognize as Hotaru's.

"I see y'er foot is doing better." I say in an angered tone. I look to Adlanniel for support and perhaps a scolding, but she is hiding behind Hotaru quietly laughing her rump off. "Oh, very mature." I sniff and lift my head up, walking with a pompous sway.

"Oh brother," Hotaru mumbles, watching me walk through the door I presume he came from.

My feelings for the place change in an instant. It no longer looks dark and mysterious, but bright and colorful. Multiple doohickeys and thingamabobs  flutter across the very tall room carrying papers and files. It almost looks like our experiment room in Blacktalon's lab, yet much more advanced. There are cubicles on the walls with elves at work doing who knows what.

I spot one elf jumping from their cubicle and releasing a sting on their back that opens up a pair of wings and releases pedals near their feet, which they begin to work at furiously. A puttering sound comes from their back and I spot a small engine beginning to spark to life. They notice me watching and smile at me with a polite wave. I wave back but can't seem to find my facial muscles. They soar down a large tunnel in the center of the wall on the left side of the room.

"Welcome to the heart of the Yugurian Guard Intelligence!" Bellsulion appears from the commanding desk centered in the room. His uniform has changed from armor to a practical green fabric
-almost the same color as my fur-and leather ensemble. His broad shoulders carry a rugged, tanned animal hide that flowed behind him. Stripes are painted on his right shoulder, which I assume portrays his rank.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Bellsulion ushers us to a long meeting table in front of a large board with a map pinned of the Spires to it.

Everyone takes a seat except Hotaru and I, since we cannot fit in the chairs; Sendaar fits rather well in the elves' chairs besides his tail. Bellsulion takes a seat at the head of the table and begins to explain his plans: "We know the Mist has been hiring outside forces to aid in his attacks. From our knowledge, some trolls from Mirum Silvis have signed a contract with the League of Mist and have been teaching their battle strategies to the wolfwyre hoards.

"They plan to take the First Realm in a matter of days as a bloody warning to the dragons of Second Realm. We've just received word from the Hikari and Kurai that dispatches have been sent to the gryphons for their safety." I heave a sigh of relief to hear this news. Just then, the doors open once more to reveal Rilien and his robot companion. He nods with respect to Bellsulion and the rest of the company before taking a seat next to Adlanniel. Tinco remains standing behind his maker.

Our leader acknowledges their arrival with a small salute before continuing his allocution, "Now, we need to prepare ourselves for battle. We will be the reinforcements for the dragons during the battle. Our forces are going to be a shock to the Mist as we draw in from the Ancient Catacombs. Our arms will be the second wave the Mist was not prepared for, and that is how we will defeat them.

"The dragons and elves will force the League of Mist back to the Second Realm, where the rest of the dragon forces are ready to attack. Our gryphon friends have a few tricks up their sleeves that we plan to use to our advantage. Now, the good gryphon Professor and I have-"

Ka-klash![/i]

The lights pop from the ceiling and fade slowly out to nothing but darkness. Down here in the underground headquarters, screams of horror can be heard on the surface. A blood curdling roar rattles all sides of our hideout and my innards as I recognize the owner of the roar-Krah. The Mist have found us.

30
Stories / Chronicles of Yugure: PIUD ~Added Redesigned Chapter 2
« on: March 21, 2016, 11:24:45 pm »
R'member those old chapters of m'book that I posted on here a loong while ago? Well, I've gone and redone the first two original chapters, making them more interesting and all 'round better f'er the reader. (To be honest, I think the original versions of these chapters sucked. >v<") I may post the revamped chapter two as well, if ye readers would like that. Anyways, here's the introductory chapter, Day One, in the newly revamped Adventures in Yugure, which is now titled Chronicles of Yugure: Plummeting Into Uncharted Depths.


Day One

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap...

"Enoki, Enoki!" The rhythmic tapping continues to advance from the front room to my bedroom. I groggily awake, grabbing for my wooden clock sitting on my handcrafted night stand. It's carved gears tick at five-forty in the morning.

'Who in the world is at m'door at this time of day?' I try to roll over, pretending that I'm not there.

Rap tap tap, rap tap tap... Boom boom!

"Enooooki!" The voice lingers by my doorway, still knocking. I can feel the fibers of my wooden home vibrating at the pounding it is receiving from my visitor.

Sighing, I realize that this person will not leave until I make an appearance, or wake up the entire neighborhood trying. I pull off my roughly sewn buck skin blanket and wander out of my bedroom. In front of me and my bedroom doorway is my kitchen. I ward off any desires to ignore the caller and raid my cabinets and continue to the next room. The decently sized recreation room, in its usual state of shambles, is the last room I must endure until I reach the front door. I try my best not to step on one of the mine fields of antiquities I have scattered across the floor.

Part of my business as of late is restoring old artifacts for our local museum. I also enjoy working for private owners, including my own self, polishing and fixing any worn down artifacts of ancient beauty. One of my bad habits is to work on the floor, rather than using the workshop table that my mother got me as a present. This leaves me with a dangerously high risk of damaging my projects.

I reach the dark brown oval door. The details are in an off black metal. I switch the latch lock off and turn the lock that sits above the door knob. The cold metal handle makes my whole arm shiver as I turn the knob and open the door.

"There you are! What took you so long?" A falcon head pokes through the door eagerly. What follows is a maroon tiger striped feline body with the forelegs of a bird.

Yes, dear readers, my guest is a gryphon. But what would you expect in Yugure? Humans? Not likely.

"Erick, do ye know what time 'tis?" I ask the over zealous bird brain with an unamused tone. Although he is one of my good friends, he can be overbearing at times. On the IQ scale, he doesn't have much to show for; luckily his good looks save him from being a complete debacle in the society we call home. Now, I don't care for the fancy feathers and stuff-just the character. Even if said character involves waking me up extremely early in the morning.

He nods quickly and trots in place with excitement. "Oh, I know it's early and all, but the Professor wants to see you right away! He said something about a new assignment for you, and it's a big one." I can almost hear him squeal with  enthusiasm.

The Professor, meaning Achilles Blacktalon, was the pride of our realm. He solely invented a machine that could mimic the natural portals strung throughout Yugure. The portals to our world dissipated during the hard times of the Twilight Wars, which were long and grueling battles between the opposing dragon clans if Hikari and Kurai. We still don't know for sure why our portals disappeared, but thanks to Professor Blacktalon, we don't have to worry about that happening again.

Professor Blacktalon didn't normally teach a class, but he made an exception for me and one other student who just graduated from his teachings recently. I've been mostly learning botany, the study of plants. It's been a breeze for the most part, but Blacktalon says that the rest of my classes won't be as easy for me since I had a head start in my botany studies.

I snap back to reality, "An assignment, at this hour? Seriously? Does it 'ave something to do with studying the nocturnal?" I try to laugh but yawn instead.

Erickson shakes his head. "I don't know, he didn't tell me. He just said to come and fetch you. We'll find out once we get to his lab."

I moan and throw my head up in distress. "His lab? But that's all the way on the other side of the First Realm!" I may be exaggerating when I say the other side, but it is still a two or so hour flight to his laboratory.

"Yes, lazy bones, his lab. You seriously should get your nose out of the books and go outside more often. Drop the polishing statues and reading history books act and come with me to the lake sometime. All the gryphon ladies hang out there. You might actually snag a date." Erick teases, elbowing me in the arm.

"Not all the gryphon ladies. And b'sides, I prefer m'books." I mumble in reply and go to grab my satchel off my coffee table. "C'mon, let's get this over with. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can come back to m'bed and actually get a decent hours sleep."

"Oh, I doubt you'll be home before noon." Erick walks outside and sits on one of the supporting beams of my house, which just so happens to be suspended in the trees.

"Perfect," I wave my hands in the universal sign of whoop-dee-doo. "Let's just get goin', okay?"

Erickson smiles and bounces out onto the long porch made for takeoffs and landings. He runs down the porch and leaps of the edge. Snapping his wings open, he glides ten feet away and hovers there waiting for me to follow.

'So much f'er a hot breakfast.' I get a running start after closing the door behind me. My wings unfurl and feel the air beneath them. How good it feels to be up in the sky, chasing the tails of the wispy clouds. Nothing could be more perfect.

"Hey mutt face! Whatchya doin' up so early? Actually getting up like the rest of us normal folk?" A blue jay feathered gryphon cuts in front of us, sneering at me.

There is practically only one thing that can set me off. Only one, and that is calling me a mutt. Being that I'm only half gryphon, I'm not particularly the most popular creature around. My mother met my father not too long after Blacktalon successfully set up the portals to the other realms. He was, or is, I'm not quite certain of his well-being, a Kurai dragon who was actually part kirin himself; and sadly that's all I know about my elusive father.

"My back's getting kinda sore. Do ya mind if I hang my backpack on your coat rack you got going on there, Ignoramoose?"

I'm not that odd looking. To be honest, I think I look rather dashing. My "coat rack" is actually a fine set of antlers, which have a peculiar quality of being made out of petrified wood. They've grown every year since my birth, and I expect them to be glorious once I reach full maturity. My half webbed wings aren't half bad either, if I may add.

'Knowing Skylar, he'll start making fun of m'colors next.' That is all I need right now. I'm up at the near crack of dawn, and I haven't even had my coffee yet. I'm certainly not up to hear how green my fur is, or how a bush barfed on my dragon scales. Sometimes I really wish I had been gifted with the power to breathe dragon fire, but I guess I was cheated out of that one.

"First of all, 'tis pronounced ig-nore-ay-mus. Secondly, I don't even think you know what that means, let alone how to spell it." I growl my harsh words with a bit of pleasure. If my mum were here, she'd surely whack me a good one and tell me to hold my tongue; luckily, she's not.

"Enoki isn't an ignoramus, he's studying wi-"

"With Blacktalon, I know. Why don't you go preen yourself, Pretty Boy. That's really all you're good at." Skylar laughs so hard he does an accidental flip through the air.

"Enough!" A midnight purple she-gryphon rises in-between the three of us and looks us over. "You two are late. And you," she turns and gives a fierce gaze at Skylar, "turn tail feathers and beat it."

You need not to have Shadequill say it twice; Skylar pulls it into high speed and heads in the direction of the lake. We both share our thanks to Shade with a polite bow. She returns it and hovers toward us.

"Come on, Blacktalon is waiting." She speaks softly to us now. Her sleek plum feathers never go out of place. A smile forms on her beak as she turns around to lead us to the Professor's laboratory.

I'm relieved when we finally reach the large structure that hangs in the tallest tree in the First Realm. The sooty feathered gryphon waits for us at the entrance of his marvelous lab, which no one can deny is breathtaking at the least. Hanging below on the limbs of the grand oak tree are glowing crystal shards, that harvest the power of our sun to store its light for later use. For obvious reasons, they are called Sun Shards, and are well known throughout the realms of being the symbol of the great dragon clan, Hikari-the light dragons.

I struggle landing on this particular spot, due to there not being much a space to land. It involves a lot of flapping to slow down and descend nice and easy. Shadequill does it with ease, since she's been coming here for quite some time now. I, only being a student for twenty four years, still need to get some practice.

"Still performing a rough landing I see, eh Mr. Gryphoclaw? We'll need to work on that. Can't be having you stumbling out of the tree, we don't have any insurance." Professor comes to give me a hand. His shiny black leopard fur shimmers beneath the light that peeps through the leaves of the tree branches. Living up to his name, Blacktalon really is black all over. He looks like he fell through someone's chimney. The only thing that isn't black on him is his yellow-green eyes.

Shadequill silently laughs at my gracefulness and I shoot her a smug look sarcastically. We all follow Blacktalon down the branch until we reach the trunk itself. Steps lead upwards toward the lab entrance. I tread carefully, as to not have the Professor lecture me yet again on clumsiness.

Shade politely opens the door for us and we all walk in quietly. I give her a nod to thank her and proceed in. A short hallway greets us as we wander inward. Of course, this takes us to the most magnificent room of them all, the experiments room. Here is where we get to play around with chemicals and gases and have an excuse for it, that is when Blacktalon isn't around to notice.

The room is tall and rounded with many platforms reaching out from the walls. On those platforms are many different tables with projects scattered everywhere. It is usually just Shade, the Professor, and I, but we like to take on more projects than one could normally handle.

Professor Blacktalon clears his throat and sits himself down on his chair that lays behind his desk. "Alright now, time to get down to business. Enoki, as you already know, you have just turned one-hundred-twenty-four. Which means you are now able to travel the realms on your own.

"Our studies of the outside realms have declined into a drastic state ever since we lost contact with them due to our portals crashing into oblivion. We have no clue what's out there anymore, or if the creatures we once knew to be inhabitants of realms are no more. That being said, I've been talking with the Elder Council, and they agree with me wholeheartedly. We've decided that you are the best candidate to explore and catalog the outside realms. You leave tomorrow, so you best get home and pack as soon as you can."

"Woah, Enoki, that's so rad. You get to go meet other species! I'm so jealous." Erick caws with energetic jumps.

I'm speechless beyond compare. I never though I'd get a mission that involves leaving the First Realm right as soon as I reached legal age. My mind keeps telling myself to say something, but all that happens is my jaw moving up and down in a jittery fashion.

"Looks like you actually caught him speechless, Professor. That's something we won't see everyday." Shadequill chuckles punching me playfully on the shoulder.

I still stand silent as they all joke around. "Anyone up for some coffee? I've got a fresh pot on the kitchen heater."

The idea of hot Java awakens my voice, "I'd love a cup. It seems like I'll be needing it."


Day Two

We are standing in the Portal Station, where travelers may go to different realms. My bag sits by the portal I will be traveling through. I'll be traveling lightly, so the only thing coming with me is my satchel, which is stuffed to the rim with stuff.

"Make sure you stay warm, wear your scarf that Shade made you, earmuffs, and mittens that I packed you. I also packed some crumpets in your bag in case you get hungry. Don't talk to any strange creatures, and be sure to use your pepper powder if you feel threatened," my mother nags, preening my feathers.

"Mum," I protest, but she keeps going on. "Mum, okay, I get it, I get it. Please, I'm an adult now. I can handle m'self." I try not to look at her with the tears in her eyes. She has always been very attached to me, for reasons that I don't know; motherly instincts, I presume.

Shade comes up and hugs me. "You be careful out there in the big world. Be sure to draw pictures. I want to see what you got to see once you get back." I smile and nod at her, feeling sad that I'll be missing out on all the fun experiments she and Blacktalon will be doing without me.

"Hey, try not to have too much fun without me." Erickson grins and grabs my head in his arm and noogies me. I push myself away with a laugh, attempting to give him a noogie.

I turn to Professor Blacktalon, who pats me on the back reassuringly. No words are spoken between us, but I know he wishes me luck on my journey.

Taking my bag, I sling it over my shoulder. I bid them all one final farewell, waving as I enter the portal. The magical breeze that brushes by your face as your body goes through the rip in space tingles like tiny water droplets streaming past you.

"C-c-coooold!" I whimper, prancing in an undignified way through the snow covered pathway. Elk blankets would have been a smart move in packing, but alas, I did not do so. The wind blows against my feathers, smearing them every which way, my hot blooded arms shiver at the ice that is thrown at my scales, my fur is already being weighed down with all the snow melting in it.

'Five minutes in and I already look like a disheveled bum.' Snow crunches beneath my feet, making an oddly attractive sound. I have no clue where I'm going-everything looks the same! Far too much white and not enough green. I give up guessing and go to pull out the map Shade had given me from the archives in the back of the laboratory. My satchel jingles and ruffles with noise as I reach for the folded up paper.

"Aha! Oh," I exclaim, pulling it up, only to have it blow out of my hand and into the snowbank a few feet away. Grumbling, I run after the the paper, slipping as I go. My mouth lets out a quick cry as I slide too fast and land headfirst into the snowbank. I blink, looking at the other side of the snow bank. Apparently I have managed to shove my head all the way through the snowbank, leaving my rump exposed to anything that may wish to prey upon me from behind. The lost map flutters in the breeze above my head. A sharp wind blowing in the opposite direction of the original breeze flings the map over my face.

Churrs can be heard somewhere above me in the trees. Quiet wing beats land on a branch with snow. I know this because the snow lands on my head, pushing the map off my face.

"Lost, are you?" A voice calls out. I look around at the forest surrounding me, but see nothing. I take another glance around the trees and spot two bright orange eyes gazing down on me.

'Must be a snowy owl,' I note as I watch the eyes of the bird blink. My body shakes itself out of the snow and I reach for the map, pulling it close to me as if it may try and make a run for it.

"As a matter of fact, I am, noble owl." I reply politely with a bow. I'm hoping that this owl knows his way around the Third Realm with all its snow, ice, and monotonous pattern of snow laden trees. "I've been sent by m'professor to study and catalog the species of the known realms. I hear that there is a saber pack nearby, yes?"

The owl glides down to meet me. "Ah, you must mean the Tsume Pack. Oh yes, they're a few miles away. I could take you there if you'd like. Unfortunately, the High Male and High Female are currently out on a hunt at the time being, but I'd be happy to escort you to the territory's edge."

He peers at me closer, and circles around me with an examining eye. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you? I've never seen someone quite so green-green like the aurora in the night sky." He motions to my emerald scales.

I blush, being embarrassed by the attention. "Well, I'm actually not any one species, so I guess I'm just a new species of sorts. M'mum is a gryphon and m'father is a dragon from Kurai." Awkwardly, I mumble, not knowing what to say. I've never actually taken the time to think about my species genealogy; it hasn't ever crossed my mind.

"Mm, Kurai. Ye best not mention the Kurai to the Tsumes, they are a bit wary of 'em since the Twilight War. I wouldn't worry about it though, they've always been a superstitious bunch. Ah, well, anyways, do you happen to have a name for it, your species?"

'Gee, I wonder why they're like that? What did the Kurai do to get a bad reputation?' My brain wonders curiously. I tap my chin, thinking. "I think, I'll go with something simple, easy to r'member. I think I'll go with... Dracopites herba as the scientific term, or dryphon f'er informal usage."

The owl speaks kindly, "A very studious name for a studious lad like yourself. Now, if you wish to head over to the Tsume Pack with me, do you mind if we stop by my hollow so I can pick up a few things? By the way, the name's Shimo." He tilts his head and turns it to his side that's closest to me.

"I'm Enoki, and that sounds fine." I agree wholeheartedly and follow him to a tall pine. The snowy owl flutters up the branches and reaches a large hole and enters in. His tail feathers can still be seen sticking out of his hollow. He finally returns, holding a scroll in his left talons.

"Alright, follow me." He speaks, stepping farther out on the branch. Shimo spreads his feathered wings up and soars up and over the trees. It's hard to keep a good eye on him on the grey sky, but I spot him, and follow him on the ground, heading towards the cleared path.

I admire his skill to fly in such terrible weather. The wind howls every which way and nearly lifts me off the ground. I can barely walk, yet alone fly in this blizzard.

"So, how long do the blizzards usually last 'round here?" I call out to Shimo curiously.

"Eh, what? What blizzard? This is the normal weather around these parts." He laughed and lowered his altitude to help me hear him better.

We arrive at a fork in the road; an icy mountain range can be seen at the left, far off into the distance-at least a four to five hour trek up to the top of the peak. We take the right instead, leading down a long and uneven pathway jumbled with snow covered pine trees, all of which throw their pebble sized snowflakes at me.

Our walk is quiet, only a few words pass between us. We have mostly given up on conversation due to the wind picking up even more so than before. Its noise is boisterous and ever so relentless against our travels. Shimo alights down on a branch once the weather begins to calm.

"This is where I must bid you farewell. I have business with the High Male and Female regarding their border protection. I'm the security guard, you could say." He winks at me and lands a few feet away.

"I don't know how I can ever r'pay ye f'er y'er kindness. 'Twas most helpful." I bow my head courteously.

"Oh, think nothing of it, lad. It was my pleasure to meet your acquaintance." The owl waves his wing indifferently.

"But I must give ye something f'er y'er services. Oh! I know," I say with a flick of the wrist.

Now, you all must know by now that our world is much different from the mortal world. Full of wonder and unexplainable science, magic as some of the more unconventional may view it. But I can guarantee you that every hocus pocus, spell, and charm that actually do not involve deception has a logical explanation of science behind it-I have proof of it too! I tested my theory on my own self. What I am trying to explain is, we use "magic".

With my flick powder falls from out of my scales. Like mushroom spores, they float slowly with a golden iridescent characteristic about it. Once it lands on the cold earth, I work very hard to keep a neurological connection between my brain and the "pollen" as I have come to call it.

Immediately, three bulbs sprout from the ground, rocketing toward the sun. The white and baby blue accented flower bulbs bloom quickly. I see no reaction from Shimo as they soon mature and wilt with an exceeding rate. I tap the now dried bulbs and with the other hand collect the seeds that the flowers drop, and put them in an empty small pouch I had on my person.

"Here, some ice begonias. I hear they are a popular perennial in these parts." I try to smile an honest smile without looking too much like a freak.

It's my special abilities that kept me indoors most of the time. I could never control it when I was younger. I'd always leave a trail of overgrowth wherever I walked. Not really the best way to impress your friends who already think you belong in the Museum of Nature's Weirdest.

"Thank you Enoki. I can see why you're named after a mushroom; you have a special gift. You take care now."

"And you as well," I call back to him as I wander further up the trail. The den can be seen slowly climbing into view while they hang firmly to the side of a jagged edged hillside. I just hope I'm welcome here.

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