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Great start for a sequel! I'll keep reading.
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Author Topic: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)  (Read 6365 times)

Offline Enoki

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-5)
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2016, 08:40:15 pm »
Thanks Chkn! :D

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8)
« Reply #11 on: August 05, 2016, 08:16:35 pm »
Day Six ~ The Sun is in My Eyes

The burning sensation of granules coating my body brings me back to life. I pop my head up out of the sand dune that has formed around me. Coughing out sand, I choke on my cry for assistance; no one seems to be nearby.

I look to the sky to see a blazing trail of smoke leading far off into the distant waves of sand. Sweat trickles down my sides as I think of the possibility of flying. The heat slowly drains my energy while I dig myself out of the dune. You can imagine the alarm that crosses my face when I hear the faint squeals of a small pile of sand speaking to me.

Shuddering off the remaining particles, I begin to work on the small dune. The squeaking gets louder with each scoop full of sand that I remove. Squeaks turn to cries for help as a leaf-like head appears.

"Hey you!" I exclaim with delight, feeling less lonely with my plant companion at my side. The frightened creature slinks out of the dune with its tentacle-esque roots it uses for walking. It certainly has evolved since we crashed. Oh, right, I almost forgot about that pertinent detail. I guess I best go find the others then.

"I suppose the rest of our gang is in that direction," I say to the plant, pointing off in the direction where the trail of smoke meets the sandy horizon. It squeals with delight and starts trailing that way. I smile at its determination and follow.

"I guess I should give ye a name," I call out to the plant, who seems to be humming gleefully as it scurries across the floor. It jumps at the idea and gives a happy squeal. "Hmm, how about Leif?" The little bundle of greenery bounces about at the sound of the proposed name. I laugh and smile as the sun bakes me alive. "Very well, Leif 'tis." I wipe my brow of sweat and move onward.

The scorching heat soon isn't the only thing terrorizing me. My nemesis, the wind, begins throwing sand at me. Pelted with granules of tropical dirt, I pull my goggles over my eyes. I thank Rilien in my head countless times for creating these for me.

We trudge on, facing the wind head on at an attempt to climb over the hilly dunes that stand before us and our friends. The harsh wind gives her best shot at forcing us back down the sandy mountain. My new plant friend tumbles down the hill after one large blast of sand and wind.

With a shriek of concern, I gallop down after him. I scoop him up in a motherly fashion and place him on to my back. From there, I carry us up the steep dune, hoping that flat surfaces await us. To my dismay, when I reach the top there is nothing but hills and peaks.

"Oh boy," I mutter in a dry voice. My throat is parched from the hot wind and scorching sand that has blown its way into my mouth and crevices I didn't know we're on my body. Leif fans me with his leaves, which is most considerate of him to do.

Carefully, we slide down the sandy dune onto another slightly shorter dune peak. Out of the corner of my eye I see a frame run by. "Wait!" I cry out, assuming it's one of my friends. Who else would be out in this horrendous heat? Unfortunately, the person doesn't hear me and disappears into the sand. I try to follow them, but soon lose track of where they went and head back toward the smokey trail.

"Must 'ave been a mirage," I tell myself as I clamber up onto another dune peak. The time seems to pass by in a strange trancelike state. I feel like time has stopped in the desert, yet at the same time I feel like it has been hours since we first started off.

I choke on the lack of moisture in my throat and mouth and collapse on the dune. Deciding to take a small break, I allow myself to sit there for a moment until the sand decides to break away underneath me and causes me to tumble downward to the valley of sand below. I expect to hit the hot sand, but instead I land on feathers.

"Hey!" A shrill voice cuts the air like a knife. I roll off the body of feathers muttering apologies, but the creature comes down on me like a ferocious beast, taloned hand on my throat. "What do y- Enoki?" The familiar head of my dear friend Shadequill looks at me in shock.

"Shade!" I cry with joy to see a familiar face, "and Professor Blacktalon! What are ye two doing out here?" I ask with curiosity.

The Professor laughs, "What do you mean? We had planned to meet you all in this realm, remember?" Blacktalon assists me up out of the sand.

"Oh, right," I say.

"I told you we should have went with them. We would have gotten here a lot faster," Shade teases her beloved mentor and friend.

Blacktalon waves the remark off with his talons. "Bah, my airship works just as fast as that elven boy's. Besides, we wanted to pick a few supplies up."

"Ye 'ave supplies? And where's y'er airship?" I gasp, relieved that I won't have to walk much longer. The idea of cool air and transportation sounds so lovely in this arid environment.

Shadequill pats the backpack she's wearing with her beak. "Well, we have the supplies, but I'm afraid we're out of fuel. We didn't have enough space to hold the extra fuel, so we gave it to Rilien to keep in the Thunder Transport. We were actually trying to radio him when you landed on me."

"Our ship was attacked by pirates. We almost didn't make it here. Our ship crashed over there," I pointed to where the sand and the smoke met. Both the gryphons gasp at the news.

"Oh no! Is everyone alright?" Shade questions me, worried about our friends. The Professor strokes his feathers, thinking.

"I- I'm not sure. I was separated from the crash site. I was headed over there with Leif now."

"Who is Leif?" Blacktalon asks, looking around to find who I am speaking of. The plant being hops up from my back onto the top of my head. The two scientists jump back in surprise but quickly come over to investigate.

"Oh, he's adorable!" Shade says as she strokes his head.

"It seems as though your powers are growing. We should study this progress later when we have the time," Achilles Blacktalon speaks as he inspects the creature. Leif chirps happily, enjoying all the attention.

"Well, if the ship crashed and is heavily damaged, we may not be able to contact them via radio. We might want to head there on foot. If Enoki is right, they'll be over there at the crash site," Shadequill states, packing the radio equipment up and hoisting it into the Professor's bag.

Achilles agrees with a nod of his head and begins to climb the sand dune that I fell off of. Shadequill follows him immediately and I follow her.

"A while ago, I saw a figure running by through the dunes. I'd say it was a mile or two from here, of course 'tis hard to tell since everything looks the same. Could that 'ave been ye?" I ask Shade as we reach the top.

"No, it wasn't us. We got here only twenty minutes ago. What do you think it was, Eno?"

I shrug as we walk on. "I don't know. Maybe a mirage, but do mirages move like that? I've never seen a mirage b'fore, but it seemed far too real."

"There are many creatures living in the desert, some very dangerous" Blacktalon says, looking up at the sky, "Most stay hidden throughout the day, but let's just hope we reach the crash by nightfall."

"Why? Is that when they come out?" I ask curious.

"No, no, my boy, it isn't the creatures you should be worried about. It's how cold it gets in the dark."


Day Seven ~ It Always Feels Like Somebody's Watching Me

"What was that?" A noise echoes through the small, rocky canyon we're walking in. It's really too small to be considered an actual canyon, but it has the same properties as one, so that's what I'm going to call it.

"It was nothing Eno. I don't hear anything," Shade sighs after me asking them that for the fifth time this hour.

We've been waking all day and night and now the moon was high in the sky and passing over us to rest behind the western horizon. Morning will soon arrive, yet it is still dark which worries me. I can't help but think of all the horrendous creatures that are following us. I know someone is following us, I can hear their whispers.

The cold has done nothing compared to the horrors lurking in the back of my mind. Are there monsters creeping up behind me, waiting to eat me? I shudder at the thought and am brought back to reality by the voice of Blacktalon.

"Don't let your childish fears get the best of you. The desert may be a dangerous place, but I can guarantee you that the citizens of this realm are far less savage than you think." He turns his head to look at me behind him. The Professor blinks slowly and returns to watching where he is going.

Leif let's out a yawn and stretches on my back. He reclines back into a curled up position and falls back asleep. I sigh and look at the long journey ahead of us. "I need to rest soon- I can barely keep m'eyes open."

"I agree," says Shade, letting herself yawn along with the sleeping Leif.

"We're almost there, just a little further," Blacktalon replies, practically unwavering at the sleepiness that surrounds him. I'm simply amazed sometimes at my teacher. Although he cares about people and things, he very rarely shows emotion. Tinco, an automaton, shows more emotion than Blacktalon. But I guess that is a bit misleading because Tinco really is one of a kind.

"Oh my," Shade breathes with shock. She immediately charges past Blacktalon and heads over to what I now see to be the crash site.

The Thunder Transport lies almost vertical up against one of the sides of the mini-canyon. Electrical sparks can be seen jumping through the cracked hull. The balloons are sprawled out on all ends of the crash site. Not a single person can be seen.

"Addy? Rilien? Hot? Where are you!? Tinco?" Shadequill beckons, running around the crash looking for our friends.

I scamper over to the crash site in a hurry and examine it. Shade flies to the top deck and starts searching on board. I scan the perimeter for any signs of exit, but the wind has blown any evidence of footprints away.

"Be careful!" Blacktalon calls out to us both as I land on the deck to helps Shadequill search, "The ship may not be stable." I nod to him, keeping that in mind as I creep along the platform into the lower decks.

The walls and flooring creak as I walk around. Whispering like the whole thing may avalanche on top of me, I call for my friends. No one replies, which both relieves me and terrifies me. Deck after deck, Shade and I explore the belly of the beast but find absolutely nothing.

"Eno!" Shade cries out to me and my heart flutters with anxiety. I rush over as fast as I can go where she stands. She's in the holding deck where we were keeping Captain Scythe. The metal barred door we were keeping him behind is broken and there's no sign of him or Sendaar, who was keeping watch over him in case he tried to escape.

"I- I'm sure he's okay. Maybe Sendaar broke open the door to take Scythe with them?" I place a hand on Shade's shoulder, using my other one to balance myself on the floor. It's sometimes difficult to use your hands when they also are used as feet, especially when you are walking up on an angle.

Shade gives me a worried look with tears in her eyes. I felt the same way; they were our friends, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them. What would I tell Vahra if her husband didn't return home?

"Miss Melantha," the Professor calls to Shade, "would you be a dear and come here."

Something's not right. The Professor never uses a last name basis on either of us. Could it be Scythe, or worse? I mouth my thoughts and concerned to Shade, who has also picked up on this fishy situation. Blacktalon sounded like he is still on the ground, which isn't too far away from us since we're on one of the levels closest to the bottom.

"Coming Professor!" she answers him casually. As we are slowly walking up through the decks, I look for something to defend us with. Unfortunately, we didn't seem to rely on weapons for this trip and didn't pack any.

That's kind of odd, actually. Why didn't we pack weapons for this trip when we knew what we were getting ourselves into? "The place is picked clean of anything valuable," Shade confirms my observation as we head up the steps to the final level before the main deck. "Whoever took our weapons and supplies must be who is with Blacktalon. They must have been waiting for someone else to pass by; they knew we were coming."

I slap the step with anger and keep walking. I knew I felt as if we were being watched. I felt like I've been watched since I first got here. Whoever they are, they better not have hurt my friends.

We exit the last door to the main deck and cautiously look around, awaiting an ambush. "Professor?" I call out, frightened that something may pop out from behind me and hit me in the head. I am blacking out on a very unhealthy level.

"Down here if you would, Mr. Gryphoclaw," Achilles Blacktalon insists. Now I know for certain something is up.

I look at Shade and point below us to the ground. We communicate with charades to plan an attack if things go south. Finally agreeing on our plan, we dive down in ferocious speeds to Blacktalon. We form a triangle of defense, with the Professor looking very confused.

"What's wrong?" I whisper in a rushed tone.

"Miss Melantha, how is your Langkrat?" the Professor asks, looking around nervously.

"Fairly rusty, why?" Shade and I look in the directions he keeps glancing at.

"Because I think we're going to need it," he says as a frame runs by on the canyon wall. More begin to pour in on the ledges and crevices of the canyon and I now see face to face what has been stalking me this whole time.

The arid langkrat, also known as the desert langkrat, is a stealthy felid that lives in canyons and other rock formations which explains why they are here. Tall and somewhat lanky, they stand on two legs rather than all four. From far away, it appears like they have Siamese markings, but up close you can see that it isn't quite markings that make them that color. Natural body armor, is more like it. It also is used as a fancy way to cool down by absorbing the radiation from the sun. Quite clever, yes?

"I believe we have encroached on their territory, and I don't believe they're quite happy about it. Can you ask them what happened to our friends and that we are just looking for them?" The Professor backs up as the tallest of the bunch jumps down from their perch on the canyon wall and approaches us.

The creature babbles in some odd language that I have no way of interpreting. I look to Shade nervously as sweat begins to form on my body. She quickly begins chattering in the same odd language. Soon, the two are in a long discussion that seems to fly by very fast.

"The langkrat culture revolves around quick movements and precision, so a speedy language is best for them so they can get things done in a hurry like hunting, scavenging, or running away." Blacktalon explains to me as Shade and the langkrat discuss the situation we're in.

Finally, they finish they're chat and Shadequill fills us in on the details. "They said they took Addy and the rest of them to their village as prisoners for violating their territory and claimed all our supplies as loot."

"Will they release them?" Professor Blacktalon asks, looking over Shade's shoulder at the langkrat she had spoken to.

"She said they will take us to them and will hold us for questioning. Once they deem us not a threat, they will release us. I'm sorry, I would have protested, but I don't know that many words of their language." Shade's wings droop in embarrassment.

"Not to worry my dear. You did the best you could. I am proud of you," the Professor lays a taloned hand on her and comforts her. "Tell her we are ready to depart to their village."

A little more speed talking later, Shade tells us the new development, "She says they will have to cover our faces, so we do not know the way to their home."

I moan a little and the Professor heaves a sigh. "Very well, let's get this over with. We must abide by their rules of we are to get any trust out of them," Blacktalon says and he offers his head for the sack that the female langkrat is holding.

"Ladies first," I say sarcastically and curtsy at Shade. She laughs and smirks at me.

"It's good to see that you don't lose your humor in tough situations," Shade says before the bag is placed over her head.

"Tough? Compared to everything else I've been through, this is a walk in the park!"


Day Eight ~ Down the Rabbit Hole

All I see is darkness, well, that and specks of light through the holes in the weaving, but let's not get technical. Finally, the sackcloth is removed and all I see is a big hole. The lot of us look around at each other trying to see if anyone gathers what we're supposed to do now.

Shade interprets the lady langkrat, "I believe they want us to head inside."

"Inside? Ye mean that giant, gaping hole to which we know not where it leads?" I quietly protest between the three of us. Leif, still sleeping, pays no part in the argument.

"Oh, come now, where's your sense of adventure, boy? Take a plunge into the unknown," Blacktalon tries to persuade me as he follows the langkrats inside the hole.

"Yeah, been there done that and I ended up gone f'er over a month," I reply as Shadequill laughs at me and follows the Professor inside. I heave a sigh and walk into the hole, doubting my life choices. "F'er once, I'd like to not take chances and just enj-gyaaah!" Three steps in and I slip and fall down a steep cliff. I slide on surprisingly soft, moist earth, not slowing for anything.

The winding and muddy tunnel carries me through darkness and into a bright cavern. A short scream emits from my maw as I plunge through the end of the slippery tunnel and into a large body of warm water. Twinkling lights rest on the ceiling of the cavern. The pool reflects these lights from what appears to be many glowing maggots upon closer inspection.

Struggling to keep myself afloat, Leif awakens. His cries of fear fill the cave with countless echoes. I try to console him as he wraps his rooted legs around my neck. It's only the voice of my dear friends that eventually calm the plant creature.

"Over here, lad!" Blacktalon calls out on solid ground. He, Shade, and the other langkrats are all wet and slightly muddy from the travel. I happily swim over to them, relieved I won't be alone traveling this underground world.

"I was afraid I had taken a wrong turn," I laugh, assuming my clumsy mud slide had been a terrible mistake.

Shade and Blacktalon laugh along with me. "As did we. It was only after we took the plunge into the spring that we realized that this was the way the langkrats get to their secluded home," Shade says with a chipper tone. "It's all so wonderful! Look at all the carvings," she scampers over to one of the cavern walls and examines the carvings in detail, "and the glowing worms! I bet you they are a derivation from the Elateridae family. If only we had time to study them," the gryphon stares at the worms with wonder and I nearly laugh thinking of how similar we are. About a month ago, I'd be wanting to do the same, but now I realize there are matters more pressing than zoology at the moment that we must indulge in.

"Come now, or we'll be left behind!" Blacktalon nudges Shade with his head and we move on into the tunnel that the langkrats have started on.

The walk is mostly silent, besides the anxious chatter of the langkrats. They continue to speak amongst themselves as we travel but a few feet behind. My curiosity gets the best of me and I ask Shade to translate. She merely shrugs after listening in for a couple minutes. I guess she too cannot keep up with their chitchat.

"Look," I breathe quietly. The light at the end of the tunnel is bright and promising. Hoots of joy come from the langkrats as they run and jump to meet their kin on the other side. As we emerge, I can't help feeling those overwhelming emotions that I had when I first laid eyes on the great city of the sky elves, wonder and amazement.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but cliff side. Waterfalls trickle out of the cracks in some places which fill aqueducts, taking the water to who-knows-where. Elegant carvings of ancient langkrats reach out of the walls and look down upon us. Where there aren't carvings or waterfalls there are the natural beauties of rock formations jutting out to create a glorious but dangerous view.

"Welcome to our home," an elder langkrat approaches us, garbed in red cloth and turquoise beads. His head is covered by an elegant crown of woven grass and earth tones feathers.

The leader of the scout team that had found us approaches the elder and kneels respectfully. "My daughter," he smiles and takers her one paw-like hand and lifts her from her lower position. From then on their conversation is in the form of the langkrats and hand motions.

"Sign language, how resourceful!" I say in a whispered tone to my friend and professor. They both nod in agreement and then look at the langkrats conversing.

The elder turns from his daughter and looks at us to speak, "I'm sorry for all the secrecy, but we must be careful of who knows our location. The Mist have made themselves a home in this realm and we must be cautious. I am Zuvan and this is my daughter, Shanira."

Shanira takes a bow and smiles. "It... is a pleasure... to meet you," she stutters out in the common Yugurian language.

"I must apologize, we are not fluent in your language. Very few of us can speak it, and even fewer can speak it fluently," Zuvan apologizes and performs a small bow. "Now come, we have a few questions we must ask you and the rest of your company."

We travel on a road that has been etched into the canyon walls. The canyons are very deep and go down a long ways as well as above us. The sun barely reaches us from where we are positioned. The echoes of the waterfalls fill my ears and rattle my body with its thunderous pounding.

"Ye mentioned the Mist, do ye know what they're up to?" I ask very curious to hear what they know. Perhaps they can give us much needed information on our mission.

"I'm afraid... we stay... away... from Mist. Don't know much," Shanira mutters unconfidently to us.

Her father elaborates, "she's right. We try our very best not to get involved with anything the Mist does. I'd advise you to do the same." That is when I decide not to further venture in the topic. They may not appreciate the fact that we are about to meddle with the League of Mist like a kid with a magnifying glass messing with an anthill.

We arrive shortly at a large dome. The dome is immense, taking up about as much space as a shop in the square at the Yugurian Guard headquarters. It is like a beautiful patchwork quilt covering a tent frame. The mismatching style follows through to the inside of the dome. Scavenged parts make up the housed town making it look like a stylish garage sale.

The entire city is made up into sections. Each place is separated by fabric and more scavenged junk from who-knows-where. It's a rather crafty way of using what you can find and make the best of it. You'd expect a town like this to be boisterous, but many of the wandering langkrats are conversing by using their sign language. I spy many stores set up by wandering merchants and it quickly reminds me of my merchant friend, Suna. Oh, how I've missed trading with the caravans.

"It's beautiful here," Shadequill admires the colorful patchwork sky. Turquoise blues, magentas, oranges, and countless shades of red fill the area with a surreal feeling of being inside a stained glass window.

Blacktalon laughs and pulls us along. "Come now, children. We didn't come here to gawk like tourists. There's no time for that now," he chides us and we both moan with disappointment. Professor Achilles Blacktalon, always there to bring you back to reality.

"Come," Shanira says and pulls back a curtain door to one of the sectioned off areas of the dome town. We all pour inside the room and are delighted at the very moment we spot our friends.

"Hey!" Rilien says with excitement as he jumps from his chair and runs to hug us. We all laugh and return the hugs given to us. "We were worried you might not find us," he adds with a sense of relief seeing us.

"What took you so long, nerd?" Hotaru smirks and swats me in the backside. I growl playfully and give him a joking smack to his shoulder. Addy and Shade hug it out like two sisters and Tinco awkwardly shakes hands with the Professor.

"Well, if you don't mind, now that you've all been reunited would you please sit down for our questions?" Zuvan asks politely, showing us to our seats.

"Oh, of course. Let's all have a seat," Blacktalon agrees and sits in one of the unoccupied chairs the best way he can in his quadrupedal body. Everyone follows the Professor's lead and sits.

The young miss Shanira sits down in front of us and speaks, "this... will... not take long." A langkrat steps forward and hands Shanira cards with items listed. "Now, shall we... begin?"
« Last Edit: August 05, 2016, 08:18:30 pm by RoseTheFox »

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Offline Enoki

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8)
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2016, 05:56:10 pm »
Hey all! I 'ave a huge favor to ask. I entered both my novels into a fantasy novel competition on Wattpad and I need some of m'readers to vote f'er me! I now realize that some of these other competitors 'ave a bunch of Wattpad followers to tag, and sadly I'm fresh out of anyone to tag (at least anyone I think that would actually look at it and vote). So, please, if ye've been reading, give ol' Eno some love and vote f'er either one of her books, 'twould mean a lot to me. (Ye'll need an account on Wattpad to vote though. ;3;) Just be sure to post y'er vote in the format that the judges 'ave provided or else 'twon't count. I'd be f'erever in y'er debt and m'gratitude would be everlasting.

Vote Here!

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Offline Enoki

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2016, 07:04:33 pm »
Dang, I 'aven't updated this in f'erever! Here's one of the more recent chapters of Oashisu's Scorn! Don't f'erget to give me a follow on Wattpad @Dreaming_Fantasies and give a like to the chapter!

Day Fourteen ~ I Faint at the Sight of Blood

We have been traveling down the many paths provided to us by the Emperor Vuil Draak. Barely have rested for three hours, we're exhausted- or at least I am.

"Can you please keep up?" Hotaru hisses once again as I lag behind him for the fifth time today. "We have barely a day left to find an kill this creature, and we haven't even taken into considerable the time it will take to travel back out of the caves," he reminds me, again, for the fifth time.

I moan, troubled at the idea of killing the poor thing. I've never considered hunting a fun sport, just something out of necessity when your out in the wilderness. Also, I happen to be a bit squeamish at the sight of blood, or any bodily fluid for that matter. Fighting for my life is all fine and dandy until someone is spilling guts on the battlefield. That's usually when I spill my lunch, which is already pre-digested for everyone's convenience.

"I'd like to know how we're going to get this horn off its head!" I scowl at him, seeing that he is so eager to complete this mission. He doesn't look back at me to reply, but just continues down the monotonous path of dirt and rock. I can smell the scent of a most horrid odor; almost one of rotting flesh. "Oh, what is that ghastly smell?" Dry heaving, I kneel over like a dying horse onto the side of the tunnel.

"We're close," Hotaru grumbles, not even phased by the awful stench.

"Can ye not smell that, or is m'brother part machine?" I ask, giving him an irritated shove. It drives me nuts when he gets into these indifferent episodes. He wants to look like he's "all that" and hides any emotions he may have in an impenetrable fortress deep within his soul; it's rather unnerving to be around him when he's like this. I can't ever keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. If I did, I'd most likely go insane.

"I can, it's just that I don't announce it. Now shut up, it probably already senses us here and having you gabbing isn't helping our situation." With that, he flaps his wings twice and takes off to glide the rest of the way. I follow his lead, not wanting to be left behind.

The tunnel begins to echo with the sound of howling wind. Once fresh air, now stale and forever gaining in putrid fetor, begins to rise in temperature. The cool color palette of the tunnels turn from gray to bleeding red. Ceilings begin to rise and the end of the path grows ever more bright. My heart pace quickens as thoughts flush into my mind and my senses awaken. Details I don't normally perceive drown me in their wake.

"Wait," I whisper to Hotaru, stopping mid-flight. My head gets dizzy as I can somehow feel something around the corner. I can see the beast. I motion for Hotaru to land. "'Tis around the corner, and, and 'tis sleeping."

"And how do you know this?" Hotaru asks, questioning my intuition.

"I- I don't know. I just, know."

"Alright then, let's go and kill the thing," he says.

I stop him quickly. "Woah, woah, woah! Why do we 'ave to kill it?" He looks at me as if I'm stupid as I blurt out my question.

"If we don't, we don't get the horn, and if we don't get the horn we die. Get it?" His sarcasm strikes once again and he slowly creeps up to the turn, where the sleeping beast hides behind.

"But there's another way!" I yell in a whispered hush.

He stops in his tracks, whips around and rolls his eyes. "Please, do explain."

A smile escapes my muzzle, knowing that I have him right where I want him. "We can give him a small anesthetic to keep him asleep while we simply cut off his horn. Cindel won't know the difference!"

"I beg to differ. What if the beast shows its face? Cindel isn't Skooks; she will notice," he retorts, plopping on the ground like a lazy lion awaiting the lionesses to return from their hunt.

"We could block the entrance."

"They dig through the ground using their face. Do you really think blocking the entrance will do anything?"

"Can we at least try it?" I frown, getting irritated. I am trying my best to get myself out of this terrible situation and he is managing to keep putting me right back in it.

"Sure. It will be a much more believable victory if you get eaten anyway," he laughs.

I gasp in horror, "Y'er a terrible brother."

"And you're a terrible soldier. What do you think the Mist is going to have us doing? Interior decorating?"

I follow him slowly as he rises from where he lays and heads down the tunnel. "Well, tunnel 6B could certainly use it."

"Don't be such a pansy," my brother snorts.

I hiss, "Pansies are a beautiful flower and should not be used as a degrading insult!"

Hotaru snickers, "You are absolutely right. What an insult to the pansies!" I growl and give him a playful shove as we round the turn. He sways me hard and shushes me, reminding me of the enormous dragon worm that resides just feet away from us. "Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation?" My brother pushes me forward, urging me to do whatever he expects me to do with the beast.

I nervously gulp my spittle that I feel dripping from my tongue as I pant, fearing for my life. This humongous pale red monstrosity lingers in the pathway, completely blocking the way forward with its body. Its head, much larger than the other vuil draak we had encountered, has a short snout instead of a flat face that I had expected to see on the dragon. Unlike the plain side of species, the Emperor Vuil Draak has decorative horns growing on its cheek bones as well as its jaw. The nasal horn, the prize to be won on this beast, is thick and scarred after much wear. Its small eyes are shut right, but I worry they might open at any minute.

I inch closer, trying to look at the rest of its body but with little success. The dragon fits snugly inside the tunnel with just a few inches of wiggle room. Hotaru throws a pebble at me to grab my attention. I nearly yelp as it hits me and clacks when it hits the floor. Turning around swiftly, I glare at him wondering what his deal is. My brother makes an angry gesture at the creature and a whole bunch of quick hand movements as he sits on his hind legs. After trying to guess his charades for a few moments, he simply points at me, then the creature, and pounds his fist into his palm.

"Alright already! Patience!" I mouth, almost forgetting to not yell at the top of my lungs.

My shaking body creeps closer, concentrating very hard on making a natural anesthetic using my plant summoning abilities. Each plant plays its part as it blossoms or withers, depending on what part of the plant I need to create the concoction. The beast snores heavily, opening and closing its mouth. With the plant substance in hand, I go to time the dosing.

"One, two, three," I whisper counting the seconds of its breathing pattern. All I have to do is toss this in and...

The vuil draak's eyes shoot open as I toss the herbal blend onto the creature's tongue. It rumbles a deep growl and inhales deeply through its nose. Pupils dilated, the dragon let's out a deafening roar, spitting all the plant matter on me.

"Now that's just nasty," I mutter to myself, looking at the slime that now coats me.

"Enoki, run!" Hotaru bellows and charges toward me. Dazed and disgusted, I run without much thought to my brother. Hotaru whizzes me by and continues to charge toward the Emperor Vuil Draak. One large gust of wind is forced through my brother's lungs as he shoots molten lava from his magma cavity inside his burly frame. Like a sizzling cauldron, the magma cavity acts like a second stomach, allowing Hotaru to eat rocks and melt them down to a painful, skin-melting brew.

The dragon screams and hits its head on the ceiling. Hotaru passes me by as rocks begin to tumble down from the sky. He urges me to hurry, but my body seems to be freezing up; I may have ingested some of that anesthetic, which is gross to think about since it was first inside that worm's mouth. My eyesight blurs and my hands start to stick to the floor with each new step. I can't tell if it's the saliva that is causing the stickiness or the side effects of the anesthesia.

"Look out!" Hotaru's muffled voice yells out, but it is too late. A rock smashes right in front of me, causing me to tumble through the air and land on my side. My satchel catches my fall, causing a great deal of pain. A sharp item slices through the bag into my side, which I assume to be the broken jar of glowing mushrooms I had saved.

The worm dragon slinks toward me with utmost ferocity. I can't help but laugh, watching the creature angrily flop towards me like a mad sea lion. It roars once again, threatening me with its awful breath. The vuil draak is not but a foot away from me now. It's all over with- I'm dead, and I faint for what I feel to be the third time this month. This fainting business is really getting out of hand and I should probably get it looked at. That's if I survive, of course.

~

"Get up," Hotaru nudges me with a foreclaw. I groan as the pain dances throughout my body. My vision slowly clears up to see the face of my brother seem almost concerned. He's actually showing emotion? How odd.

"What happened?" I mumble, rubbing my face with my green, scaly dragon hands.

"You did it."

"Did what?"

"Killed it."

"What!!?" I get up in shock. I turn around to look at the beast and I'm given the surprise of my life. The vuil draak is suspended by multiple roots that impale the creature at all ends. Like a legion of spears, the roots bombard the dragon worm from the ceiling and hold it up a few inches from the ground.

"I didn't do this!" I cry in dismay, looking at the poor beast.

"Uh, you're the only one with the hippie plant powers," Hotaru replied, going over to the head of the creature. With his wing, he begins to chop at the nasal horn.

"But I didn't do this. I never released m'pollen!" I argue, cringing at the sound of the horn cracking under pressure.

Hotaru sighs, "Then what? The plants just decided to save you?"

"Maybe. I just, I could never kill something like this. This is brute violence," I whimper, feeling sick to my stomach thinking about the horrific details of my supposed murder.

"It's better this way," he says sympathetically as we stare at the beaten up carcass of the bloody creature.

"F'er us at least. I'm not so sure about the creature, however," I mumble quietly, staring at the oozing reddish purple liquid that slowly drips from its mouth. "I just wish we could've done this another way."

"I know. But come on, we need to get this back to Cindel," he reminds me as he yanks it from the corpse.

"Ugh," I moan, "right." I aid him in carrying the horn and we both do a sloppy take off. Flying back to the entrance doesn't take nearly as long as it did to get down there by walking. The sun is nearly setting by the time we arrive at the large hole that leads to the open air.

"And only minutes to spare," Cindel amuses herself in a sarcastic tone. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if I was told she had sat there the entire time waiting for us to return, or not return. "I was starting to think you two may have been eaten, but no! You two actually brought back the nasal horn of an Emperor Vuil Draak. You didn't get it off an already dead body, did you?"

"No ma'am. As a matter of fact, the body still lays in the depths of the caverns- fresh and still bleeding," Hotaru replies, puffing out his chest.

"Good, very good," Cindel says, admiring her long claws.

"Does this mean they're in the group now, Officer Cindel?" Skooks appears out from behind a boulder, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Shut it, you moron," Cindel snaps at the large reptiloid. "Yes, you are welcomed into the brotherhood of the Mist, for now. Whether you stay or not will be decided by our Commander." Cindel frowns, looking at our disappointment. "Don't get discouraged. Come! We shall celebrate your success!" The white reptiloid embraced both of us under her arm and leads us away from the tomb of the Emperor Vuil Draak. "Tonight is the night that you become one of us."
« Last Edit: December 09, 2016, 07:08:18 pm by RoseTheFox »

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Offline barghosts

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2017, 03:47:54 am »
/claps hands excitedly

this is beautiful thank you for giving me something to read on these rainy days

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Offline Enoki

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2017, 04:29:18 am »
/claps hands excitedly

this is beautiful thank you for giving me something to read on these rainy days

*wiggles arms in excitement* Aa, why y'er most welcome! Glad ye enjoy it. ^u^

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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2017, 08:12:50 am »
These are some beautiful pieces of writing, can't wait to see more from you!
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Re: Chronicles of Yugure: Oashisu's Scorn (Prologue+1-8; 14)
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2017, 09:00:26 am »
These are some beautiful pieces of writing, can't wait to see more from you!

*joyful Eno noises* Yay! I'm so glad you like m'work! It definitely takes a long time to write all this and it makes me so happy to know you're enjoying it. :D

Thank ye so much!!

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