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 Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 3:42 pm
Fanfic contest Hello, everyone. This is the 3rd year Guildaversary fanfic contest and I will be your hostess for this contest. :3Winner!Thanks you for placing your vote in the contest. Now that the contest is over, it's time to announce the winner. Here is the result:
1st place: Suisho Tomoe
2nd place: Recamen
3rd place: Queen Melethia Dagon and Misuki Marishima
Your prize will be delivered shortly. So congrats to those who won and thank you for participating the contest. :3If you have any questions, feel free to PM or IM me. :3
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:36 pm
Pact In this world, few exist who walk the path of the Summoner. It is not that people, as a whole, are lacking in Elder magicians, those who feel the powers of the ancient magic suit them best. It is that, rather, those who prove themselves worthy of greater powers choose the staff over a lesser demon. And why not? A companion from the ether is rarely superior over the ability to save your allies from otherwise certain death. The staff ensures man's place in the world, ensures his usefulness to his kin. A summoned creature, however, completely unable to sustain any damage and really hardly any more useful in combat than a scout, does not.
...However... take note of the blindfold over my eyes. That's right--I'm blind. I've been so from birth. In this dangerous world we live in, there seemed no place for a... cripple such as myself. Yet it was foreseen that I had potential in the ancient arts, and was spared the knife. But that's beside the point. The point I tried to make is that, well... while I can at least 'sense' the world around me through the same magic I wield, it would be incredibly difficult for me to run all around the battlefield. I could as well heal a stump as a wounded tribesman, or a foe as well as a friend! No, when the time came, I would help no one by choosing the healing arts. What I would need... was aid for myself.
But unlike a Druid, becoming a Summoner is not so simple as donning a Guiding Ring and proudly proclaiming, "Behold, world! Your shiny new Druid has arrived!" It involves donning a Guiding Ring and proudly proclaiming, "Behold, world! Your shiny new Summoner has arrived!"
...However, that's only half of it. For you see, when a Shaman first "promotes" to a Summoner, he is such in name only. The second half to becoming a Summoner is to actually summon a creature and bind it to your will.
And to bind it, you must first prove your power before it.
Although the demon is not as powerful as you, do not think this such a simple task--the demon won't waste words or time. It will come straight at you with everything it's got, and if you're not quick on your feet or smart about what you summon, all that will come of your trial is a puddle of blood on the ground and the end of your life. (Friends are usually gathered to put the demon out of its misery should it come to that--and no, they cannot interfere before that point. Otherwise, the demon will not acknowledge the Summoner's power.)
For this reason, your average Summoner will choose something simple to control, like a spectral soldier wielding a sturdy axe. This is a textbook case, where the soldier generally has to charge... but of course, the caster will be more than prepared for this and have an effective counter. But I'm not your average Summoner, and frankly I failed to see how some axe-waving ghost warrior would aid me. I saw through the world of shadows. Therefore, my summon also had to be shadows.
It was with this in mind that my trial began.
You might think that given my above example, I would know exactly what I wanted. This was... not the case. You can give a few specifications as to what you want, but unless you're willing to go into details like "This demon has hotcakes for breakfast on Wednesdays", you're in for some random element.
As for myself, I only knew two things: First, I wanted to be able to detect it on a battlefield, so that I could visualize through its dark form. Second, I... well, I couldn't ride a horse, and coming from the plains of Adliana, a riding animal was a must. So in short, I wanted a shadowy creature that I could ride.
For all I know, I could have gotten a shadowy horse to come charging at me, or perhaps a jet-black wyvern lunge to sink its teeth into my flesh. Maybe even something beyond my imagination, with tentacles or axes or magic most foul.
Instead?
A massive black dog with eyes of flame jumped out of the ether straight at me!
I sensed the mass of darkness surge toward me and stepped out of the way. The dog landed neatly on the ground behind me and slowed. It just circled around me, sizing me up. I kept myself faced toward it--if I turned away for a split second, the battle would be over for me.
I would have to make the first move.
If the creature was at all concerned as my lips began moving for a spell, I didn't sense it. That alone worried me, and I realized if I missed the dog would have a clear shot at my abdomen after I cast. I instead aimed the spell so that Nosferatu landed between myself and the dog... only, you know, much closer to the dog.
This, of course, was hardly on target, and the dog backed up, snarling at me, its eyes burning with rage. Like I'd guessed, it charged at me, lunging for my abdomen, hoping to tear it open... but because it backed up, I had a valuable split-second more time. It hit me full-on, but instead of falling backwards and becoming easy prey I turned to my left as I fell. Wrapping an arm around the dog's front, I turned enough so that although I'd fallen to the ground, for at least an instant I kept the dog's head and front paws pinned under my own weight.
This wasn't going to last long. I knew that. Certainly anyone else knew that. But that was alright--I had my chance, here and now.
As the dog struggled to rise, I lifted my right leg and vaulted it over the summon's back. With my hands, I held onto fistfuls of shadowy fur... for dear life, I might add, as it bucked about better than most horses. But I held on as long as I could, and just as I felt as though I would be thrown off, I'd finished a frantic Nosferatu.
I was indeed thrown off, flying forward and crashing onto the ground in front of me, but my purpose was served--I heard a loud, pained yelp and felt the demon's quintessence flowing into me.
Almost immediately, the nature of the ritual changed. The dog, once so feral, now sat back on its haunches and stared at me, flaming eyes inquisitive.
...Who are you, that would risk binding me when you have lack sight? It wasn't speaking. Rather, its thoughts were pushed into my head, as though my mind was its own.
I slowly raised myself to a sitting position. Using the mass of shadows as my guide, my face turned back towards the creature.
"I am Cairne, tribesman of the Aishyu," I responded, clearly.
A moment of silence passed between us. The creature wasn't hostile towards me, and I'd known that according to summoning rituals, I'd won the fight--all you needed was one good magical blow to defeat the demon. But of course, this was before the creature and I were officially bonded.
...I sense fear in you, it replied, tilting its head to one side. Are you afraid?
"Shouldn't I be? I did just fight for my life."
...
It looked upwards, staring off into the sky.
Wisdom, courage, power..., it began. To gain such magic, mortals must be wise. To make a challenge of me, mortals need be brave. To defeat me, mortals must show their power.
You cannot truly see the world before you. Do you not fear that which you cannot see? ...Or is it perhaps that same ignorance which has made you brave?
I did not answer. It seemed to me the best course of action was to let it continue. A moment later, I was rewarded as its gaze returned to me and its thoughts once again bored into my mind:
...Regardless, you have proven yourself. Cairne of the Aishyu, I am known as Shade. And I would forge a pact with you to the end of your days.
"To the end of my days," I replied with relief. My fellow tribesmen began applauding around me; it was the end.
The pact was finished.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:37 pm
Promise He paced back and forth in front of the small wooden house, frantic with worry, boots crunching the snow. He had been through this once before, so why was it still so hard the second time around? With each new scream, he pulled more of his dark hair out, hair that would surely turn gray from this agony. How he wanted to be inside that house, how he wanted to be the one screaming if it meant that she wouldn’t have to face anymore of this pain. It was all his fault; he should be there by her side, but he wasn’t allowed; he wanted the power to stop this, but nothing could—It’s all my fault this is happening again!
Suddenly a second scream burst forth, the new voice crying out even louder than the woman. Other voices called out in joy; the pacing man froze, waiting—
“It’s a boy!” a woman cried, flinging the front door open. “You have a son!”
“A son?” he repeated, not daring to smile yet. “Is he--?”
“Don’t worry, he’s healthy,” the woman assured him. “Just listen to those cries!” she laughed.
He smiled, relieved. “Can—can I . . . ?”
“Oh, of course.” She pulled the door open wide, gesturing for him to enter.
He did so, cautious.
Inside and upstairs, resting her back against a pile of pillows on the bed was a woman, her long teal hair soaked with the sweat still shining on her face. She was still breathing slightly hard, but smiling brightly, glowing.
In his opinion, she’d never looked more beautiful.
“Nergal, come and see,” Aenir said softly, noticing him. She looked back down at a tiny bundle she held gently in her arms.
Slowly he drew closer, coming to sit beside her in a chair one of the women who’d been in the room up until a few moments ago. Peeking over her arm, he looked at the tiny face poking out of the bundle—the face of his son, poking out from beneath a tuff of dark teal hair.
“He—he’s—” he tried to say, the words caught in his throat.
“He’s perfect,” she finished for him. “He’s absolutely perfect.”
“Yes,” he agreed.
Staring at his sleeping son, he didn’t see his wife reach her hand up toward him until she’d placed it against his cheek, moving her thumb as if to wipe something away. He lifted his hand to place it over hers and found that he was crying.
For those precious few moments, everything was perfect.
“Nils,” he said suddenly, breaking the silence. “His name is Nils.”
Mother looked at son, pondering. “Nils,” she repeated, as if testing the sound of the name. “Ninian and Nils. I like it,” she decided, smiling. “Nils it is. And speaking of Ninian, where is she?”
“Oh, she’s outside. Should I--?”
“Mommy?” a tiny voice called.
Mother and Father turned their heads, looking to the open bedroom door. A little girl stood there, half in and half out, as if unsure whether it was okay to come in or not. She gripped her cloak tightly with one hand, her little snow boots sticking out beneath her blue dress.
“Is Mommy . . . okay?” she asked. Big red eyes peeked out from behind the bangs of her light teal hair.
Nergal chuckled. “Of course she’s okay, darling. Come here.” He held his arms out.
The little girl toddled over to her father, reaching up and allowing herself to be pulled up into his lap. She shifted to look at her mother. “Are you, Mommy?”
Aenir reached a hand out to take her daughter’s. “Yes, Ninian, I am. Look here—this is your baby brother, Nils.” She adjusted the bundle in her arms.
Ninian leaned forward, taking a closer look at the tiny child. “Baby . . . brother?”
“That’s right,” Nergal said. “Nils is your baby brother, so you have to take care of him, alright?”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll take care of him!” she declared, to the laughter of her parents. She continued to stare at her brother, his face scrunched up as he slept. “He’s so little,” she murmured, awed.
Mother smiled down at daughter. “You were this little once, too, you know. That’s why you have to take care of him until he gets bigger. You’re a big girl, Ninian, so will you help us look after him until he gets bigger?”
“Of course, Mommy!” she said. “I promise I’ll protect him!”
-------------------------
A little boy and girl ran after their father as quickly as their short legs could carry them, both clothed in nondescript brown cloaks. Their father led the way through the woods and into an old, half destroyed stone building. Once inside, he lifted then over a low stone wall and looked around, a slightly frantic look in his eyes.
“. . . You hide and wait here,” he said. “There’s food and water in this pack.” He set them the satchel he’d carried on the ground next to the children. “If you ration yourselves, it should last about ten days.” That should be long enough, he thought, I hope.
“What about you, Daddy?” the little girl asked, clinging to her father’s tunic. “Are you going away?”
He knelt, placing his hands on his beloved daughter’s shoulders, her brother gripping the end of her dress. “Daddy has to go to Aenir. . . . I’m going to get Mommy,” he clarified.
“Mommy?” she repeated. “Where is she?”
“Some bad men took her away,” her father explained. “They can’t have gone very far though.” he looked up again, as if hoping to see the men. “I have to go after them and save Mommy,” he continued, returning his gaze to his daughter. “You wait ten days . . .” He paused, thinking. “If Daddy’s not back by then, take your brother and go to the other side. You’re a clever girl. You know the way, right?”
“. . . Daddy . . .”
“Daddy,” the little boy said suddenly, pleading. “Don’t go . . .”
The man looked at his children, as if memorizing their faces. “. . . You’re good children. Both of you. I’ll come for you,” he promised, standing. “I’ll be back . . .”
He stared at them for another moment, and then ran off. The two children started to follow, but stopped, the little girl holding her little brother’s hand.
“Is Daddy . . . coming back?” the little boy asked.
“Of course he is. He said he would,” she replied. She led him back to where the pack sat on the ground. With some effort, she hoisted it up, putting the strap over her head so she could carry it easier.
“Don’t worry, Nils,” she said, gripping his hand tighter in hers when he started to cry. “We’ll be okay til Daddy comes back. I’ll take care of you, okay?”
He sniffed, rubbing his eyes. “Okay, Nini.”
And together they walked deeper inside the ruins and started counting the days until they either saw their parents again or crossed over into the unknown.
-------------------------
They slammed into the hard stone floor, the girl closing the Gate behind them. Immediately they knew something was wrong. Opening his eyes, Nils had one glimpse of someone’s long teal hair before something dark covered his face.
“Get up,” someone’s harsh voice ordered. “And put those on.”
Pulling the object away, Nils saw that it was a solid, undyed tunic, but how was he supposed to wear something crafted for humans, unless he was human? He looked down at his hands holding the tunic—human hands; he was human, and his powers were all but gone. Glancing around in shock, he saw his sister realizing the same things. She stared back at him with the same expression of horror on her face, a dress similar to his tunic clenched in her hands.
“Well, get dressed!” the same harsh voice said.
Standing over them was a man, shrouded in dark robes and an even darker cloak. He wore a long strip of fabric wrapped around his head that covered one eye. Standing behind him was a woman dressed much as he was, only without a cloak and the head wrapping. Her hair fell in dark waves, and eerie golden eyes stared out of a pale face. She was expressionless; he glared down at the half-dragon siblings.
Slowly, awkwardly, the siblings put on the clothes given to them. Ninian stared in wonder at her human hands, at Nils’s bright eyes. Nils stared at his sister, noting her long hair, her red eyes, and seeing with relief that the burns she’d received only this morning from the fire dragons who always picked on them, received only because she’d protected her brother, were gone, perhaps not carried over into her human body, perhaps healed by either the magic of the Gate or the man and woman standing before them. Turning their eyes to look at the room around them, they saw tall walls made of stone, the Dragon’s Gate they had just come through behind them, and what appeared to be stairs leading out of this chamber. None of this was wrought by human hands; everything was too big.
“Where . . . where are we?” Ninian asked, looking to the man for an answer. Hearing her voice seemed to surprise her; she touched her throat gingerly.
“In Elibe, of course,” the man scoffed. “Where else?”
“Elibe?” Ninian’s heart soared; they were home.
“Don’t look so happy,” the man snapped. “It seems that your strength is gone, your quintessence barely that of a baby! Useless!”
Brother and sister looked at each other, terrified. “Quin—what?” Nils asked.
“Quintessence,” the man repeated. “Your life force. Of which you have very little at the moment. This land has changed much in the thousand years since your kind last walked this earth. I expect your bodies could not handle the change, and that is why you are so weak. That must be why you changed into this form.” He looked down at their human bodies, a disgusted look on his face. “It’s not worth it to take quintessence from such weak beings as you two. However . . .” He paused, a maniacal grin spreading over his face. “You can open this gate. You will do so again for me and call more dragons. They will be stronger, and I will take their quintessence. Yes!” He burst into excited laughter. He left the room, still laughing as he walked down the stairs, the woman following silently behind him, like a shadow.
Nils looked at Ninian, seeing the panic he felt in her eyes. “Ninian . . . what are we going to do?”
“I—I don’t know, Nils,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry . . . I should not have listened to him. I should never have opened the Gate. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, sister,” he said. He tried to stand, but his legs would not yet support him. Instead, he used his hands to pull himself toward her. “We both wanted to see home again, even for just one last time.” He glanced at the stairs, going silent for a moment. Looking back at his sister, he asked softly, “Can you open the Gate now?”
She shook her head. “I’m not strong enough, not now.” She, too, glanced at the stairs, wondering if the man would come back. “As soon as I am, we’ll leave. I promise, I’ll protect you Nils,” she said firmly, grasping his hand in hers.
The laughter resounded throughout the room again; the man had returned.
“How sweet,” he said mockingly. “But you won’t be leaving anytime soon. For one, this is an island; you cannot get off it, and even if you do, the currents will carry you straight back here. For another . . .” He reached into the folds of his robes, pulling out two bright green stones. They shone with some strange power.
Ninian felt the blood drain from her face.
“I have these,” the man said, triumphant. “Your Dragonstones. Your power has been sealed into them. Without these, you cannot change into your dragon forms unless I wish it so! Ha ha ha ha ha!!” Placing the stones back in his pocket, he left once more, laughing all the way.
Ninian buried her face in her hands. What have I done? she thought, fighting back the tears.
Nils wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll be okay, Nini,” he said, using his old nickname for her.
She placed her arms around him, drawing him closer. They were the only family each other had now, and she would not lose him, not even after they had returned home only to find themselves weakened, powerless, and prisoners. “Don’t worry, Nils, I promise I’ll protect you, no matter what happens.”
He nodded once. Although their human bodies were strange to them and to each other now, they were still siblings, and Ninian would still keep the promise she had made a thousand years before.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:38 pm
The Unexpected It was a hot summer’s day in Eyris City, and Amelia could sure feel it. On top of the sun being so much brighter this year than years past, the lance-wielding young woman just had to wear her General’s armor which was thick and had little to no insulation. It felt like an elfire’s heat inside, nearly! “What was I supposed to do though? If I showed up to join the Watch without my armor on, they’d think it was because I can’t handle it or something!” she thought with a slight frown on her face. Keeping the scowl on her face only because of the unusually scorching summer Eyris heat, Amelia strode down the streets at a slow and steady pace. She came to a halt in front of a wooden street sign that was a couple of feet taller than she was. Lifting her hand over her eyes like a sun visor, Amelia looked up to see what the sign read. “Let’s see, I’m on the corner of Rose and Third Street, just like that messenger said, so where is the Watch House?” Amelia wondered, putting her fingers under her chin. Anywhere and everywhere, the small General was looking for some big, tall building made of white bricks surrounded by some kind of great wall fit for a castle. She expected to see the great Learanian banner hanging off some kind of tapestries, showing the national pride that the Watch probably had in their nation. It was probably a place that was guarded by charismatic sentries in shiny silver armor, she guessed, complete with silver lances in hand. But everywhere she looked, much to her disappointment, Amelia found no buildings of that description. “I knew it…” she thought, sighing. “I took a wrong turn, didn’t I?” The sound of a horse’s hooves against the cobblestones caught Amelia’s attention, as they were getting closer and closer. She turned around, curious to see who it was, and noticed that it wasn’t just an ordinary merchant on horseback. The one who’d stopped, peering at the same street sign as Amelia was had dark colored armor on (he must have been very hot in that!), a violet cape which had ends that rested on his steed’s back, and what looked to be a poleax in his right hand. He had to be a knight of some sort to look like that, Amelia thought as she gave him a casual gaze. She was surprised that the knightly figure’s brown eyes returned her glance. “Are ya lookin’ for somethin’… or somewhere, miss?” the knight on the horse asked Amelia. Now that she got a good look at his face, she discovered he was quite young, possibly in his mid twenties. “Y… yeah, I’m actually looking for the Watch House…” Amelia replied with a grin. There was nothing better to do than to return the good manners that somebody else already gave her. “Ya don’t say!” The knight exclaimed, the surprise evident in his voice. “I’m headed that way myself! Why dun’ ya follow me? I know the place like the back of my hand. I should, bein’ an officer of the Watch an’ all…” “He’s… an officer of the Watch?” Amelia thought. It was a relief that he would know where they were going, but that also meant that the young general had to give him a good impression. Smiling up at him and trying to hide her nervousness, Amelia spoke to the knight as best she could. “You’re… an officer, huh? What’s your name, sir? I’m Amelia.” As he led the way slowly on his horse so that the small one in armor could keep up and noticed the girl follow him, the knight stopped briefly when she introduced herself to him, also asking his name. “Amelia is yer name… huh... it’s a real pleasure to meet ya! My name’s Leon. Some of my subordinates call me “Lieutenant Vatara” ‘cuz of that whole “last name formality business” even when I tell ‘em not to say tha’.” He made a slight scowl at the mention of the last bit, but it quickly vanished when Leon patted his horse on his mane. “An’ let’s not forget my noble steed! His name’s Anri.” “Leon…” Amelia first looked at the rider, and then at the armored steed. “… and Anri, it’s great to meet you both.” She said as they continued to walk forward. Already, some of Amelia’s nervousness had eased up, seeing how this officer of the Watch wasn’t stiff or rigid like her former commanders in Grado. It was a pleasant surprise to see that at least one of the people on charge was… well, nice. “Now tha’ I think about it, I swear yer name’s familiar, Amelia. Wait…” Leon shut his eyes, as if trying to recall a part of his memory by toning out the rest of the world. Like a spark, the idea didn’t take long to light off in his mind. He had one of those “Eureka” looks that kind of startled his new acquaintance. “I remember! Lord Rhys said the one he was buyin’ the ring for was named Amelia. Are ya the same…” “Yeah, I’m the same one! Rhys told me about everything you went through to get this…” Amelia said, holding up her hand that had the engagement ring shining beautifully in the sun so that Leon could get a closer look at it. She would have showed off the ring, as it was one of her nicest and favorite pieces of jewelry that she ever had made for her, but there was just one thing in Leon’s speech that was off. One word… “Hey, did you just call Rhys a Lord?” “Huh? Yeah, I called ‘im a Lord. A nomad trooper tha’ helped us fight off them bandits called ‘im “Milord Rhys.” Strange thing is he didn’t look like nobility…” Leon explained, all the while getting a puzzled stare from the young woman he spoke to. Now, it was his time to raise an eyebrow. What did he say to get that kind of a stare? “Wait, I get it… he’s tryin’ to hide his nobility, right?” Leon guessed. “Rhys isn’t a noble at all.” Amelia said, holding her pointer finger in the air. “The only reason that Sue called him “Milord” is because he’s the leader of the Host Club. Other than that though, he’s your everyday bishop.” “Ah, I see…” Leon nodded, taking mental note of these facts. “Well, noble or not, I still owe ‘im my life, Amelia. I won’t soon forget how he healed me back from Death’s door.” Leon paused for just a moment, deciding that he had to change the subject. There was one question that he’d been forgetting to ask all this time… “So, Amelia… what are ya followin’ me to the Watch House for, anyway?” “I want to join you guys.” Amelia answered quite straightforward, despite the subject change being rather sudden. “I want to help protect the city too, you know?” She then looked towards her engagement ring. “I especially… want to fight for the ones I love. That’s what you do, isn’t it?” “It’s all we do, Amelia!” Leon exclaimed cheerfully. He would have put a hand on her shoulder, but he didn’t want to appear too forward to somebody that he just met, so instead he just kept a smile. “Yer gonna find out quick that we’re not yer average knights… but I kinda like it that way for… personal reasons. In any case, I think yer gonna make a fine constable, ya know?” “You… think so?” Amelia asked, looking up at Lieutenant Vatara with a surprised look in her eyes. “I wouldn’t be sayin’ that kinda thing if I wasn’t serious now.” Leon shook his finger in the air as he answered, and then he noticed Anri come to a halt. “Ah… no more time for conversation, Amelia. We’re here.” “Ah, this is it?” the small general asked, now taking a good look at what was right in front of her. Most unexpectedly, the Watch House was not some grand building that looked like it could be a castle in its own right. The gates that opened were very tall, made of wood that could have been decades old. The building itself was made of ancient stone, and built like a fortress that withstood the test of war and time. The ones who stood guard at the doors were, like Amelia, simple soldiers with iron lances. This place, while unremarkable, felt warm and welcoming. It felt like a place Amelia would be proud to call a second home. She reflected how so many things today were unexpected… but she couldn’t wait to see what direction they would lead in.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:39 pm
Entry 4 It was a rainy day in Eyris. Renault was going back to his home after he had a nice meal at a restaurant. Not wanting to get soaked by the rain, he was running back home. Then suddenly Renault fell to the ground and fell on a puddle with a splash. The bishop stood up and turned around. “Now,” He said, “What did I trip over?” Renault’s eyes widened at what he saw he tripped over. It was a pair of legs. He walked over to the legs to see that there was a woman laying in the alley. She looked like she was in bad shape. Her dress was torn up. There were multiple bruises and cuts on her body. Her red hair was a mess. The bishop checked to see if the woman was still alive. There was a slight pulse and she was still breathing. That was good. The woman could get some help. Renault grabbed the woman and picked her up bridal style. She wasn’t that heavy. The bishop carried the woman back to his home, the cathedral. It wasn’t a long trip back to the cathedral. He set the woman down on a bed. He then took of the remains of the woman’s dress. It was a good thing the woman had bra and panties on. The bishop wouldn’t have been able to help this woman as well if she was naked. Plus if someone were to walk in on him, well lets just say that wouldn’t be a good ending. Though having a woman in her bra and panties wasn’t better. Renault grabbed a mend staff after he saw how much the woman was hurt. The staff started to glow and the magic flowed onto the woman, healing her wounds. The bishop healed the woman as best he could. There was though, some scars still remained. Putting the staff away, Renault grabbed a robe and dressed the woman so she could stay warm. He also covered her with a blanket. A few hours later, in the middle of the night, the woman woke up. Her eyes did it’s best to adjust to the dark. She knew right away she wasn’t outside the alley. She sat up and looked around. She was in a building. “Where am I?” She asked herself. “And how did I get here?” Just then the woman heard some footsteps. The woman jumped and got into a defensive stance. She was scared of whatever was coming. Then the light of a lit candle came into the room. The light revealed that it was Renault who came in. The woman growled as her way of a warning. “Who are you!?” She asked as she sniffed the air. “You smell like a something that shouldn’t exist!” “Now,” Renault said, “Is that anyway to treat the man who carried you here from the alley in the rain.” The woman was stunned. The bishop had saved her, but that still didn’t make her ease up. “You may have saved me,” She said, “But that still doesn’t explain what I am smelling. You smell a bit like a human, but also something that is dead.” Renault looked at the woman with a surprised look on her face. She had a good nose, but that was beside the point. She had a good clue about what he was. He really didn’t want to tell the woman, but who knows what she might do with the idea of what she smelled. Though the bishop was wondering how the woman had such a sense of smell. “I’ll tell you my secret,” Renault said, “If you tell me yours.” “Why should I tell you?” She asked. “Because I saved you from getting really sick. I also healed you.” In all this wondering what was going on, the red head didn’t know she was healed. The woman made a low growl. She knew he was right. Her eyes went up and down to see what this guy was wearing. She saw robes. The only thing she knew of that wore robes were the clergy. She knew to respect them. It was what she was taught as a child. “Alright.” She said, “I’ll tell you. I am a half dragon.” “A half dragon?” Renault asked. “Yes and I know I’m not from this world.” “Well as far as I know there aren’t any half dragons around.” “That would explain your slight shock at what I said.” “How did you end up here.” “Something tragic happened in my world and I fled. I went to go into a cabin I had found and somehow ended up here. Completely unaware of where I was.” “Hmmm…I see.” “I tried to go around and ask for money and help but a lot of times that ended up with myself getting hurt. In the beginning I was too depressed to fight back. Then I just accepted my fate to the pain.” “That’s despicable.” “…I’m glad you helped me.” “I do what I can to help a person in need.” “Now how about you tell me what’s with you.” “I,” Renault paused he wasn’t sure what was the best way to word this to someone. “I’m someone who shouldn’t be alive. You are right on that. I did something that most people wouldn’t consider it to be human.” “Which is?” “I stole people’s quintessence.” “People’s what?” “It’s like their life force.” The woman’s body got tense. “I’m not going to take yours. My body warped into something called a morph. A morph is an constructed person using someone else‘s quintessence. I was doing that in hopes of bringing an old friend back to life, but I was tricked. The man who I worked did ended up being killed for a different reason. I was sure I was going to end up dead along with him, but I stayed alive. I eventually ended up here. I’m not even sure how I got here.” “You’re a monster, and yet the gods have let you be worthy to be one of their guides.” “I am repaying my sins.” “And you aren’t from this world either?” The woman was surprised. He knew the place quite well and yet he wasn’t from here. “I had been around here for long enough to know where we are.” “Then where am I?” “You are in a city known as Eyris.” The woman frowned. “Well, that just proves I’m not where I should be.” The woman growled. “There is someone or something here. I don’t like that. They may have heard what we just told each other. That’s not exactly something you want people to know.” The woman jumped off the bed, landed on the floor and ran towards the person. Renault followed the woman not knowing what she would do. When the bishop got to the woman she had one of her hands around the guy’s neck. “How much of that did you hear?” She asked the person she found. The person was still a mere boy compared to the other 2 people in the area. “Enough to know Father Renault’s secret. He’s a mon…” The woman covered the boy’s mouth with her other hand. “I’m not about to let you scream this to everyone else.” The woman said coldly, “You know something you shouldn’t. This man saved me from the fate I was so accepting of. I’m going to repay that, by making sure that his secret stays safe.” The grip on the man’s neck got tighter. She was going to make the man died, but she knew she was in a place of worship. She wasn’t going to let blood be spilled. “Let the Goddess Lylis take care of you soul” The grip got even tighter. The boy wasn’t able to breath for a while now, but the woman was making sure he was dead. The boy stopped struggling not long after that. The woman let go of the man and he fell down to the floor. The woman then picked up him up. and started to find her way out of the cathedral. Renault was in shock at what she did. She had killed the boy. Part of him wanted to stop her, but then he realized he would have been exposed as a monster. That wouldn’t have been good for him. “Hey,” The woman said, “Do you know of a good place to burn the body?” “There is a dump a little bit outside of the city. Here take this.” Renault hand the woman a fire tome. The woman looks at it with confusion. “Why are you giving me a book?” She asked. “It’s not a book. It’s a tome.” The woman opened up the tome and looked at it. “I’m not sure if I can read this.” “I can tell you what is says.” Renault then told the woman what the chant was to cast the fire spell. He also told here where to go to find the dump. “So this will let me cast fire magic. Hmmm…maybe there is a way for me to still be able to fight. I will have to look into this.” The woman then started to walk off. “Wait!” Renault yelled out. “I would like to know you name, for if we were to meet again.” The woman stopped walking and turned around. “Father Renault, my name is Melethia Dagon.” Melethia then turned back around. “I do hope we shall meet again.” She then walked off to go take care of what she was about to do.
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Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2010 9:40 pm
Entry 5  It was a great day in Begnion, and Grest, who was 11, had just arrived two weeks ago. At first, he hadn’t a clue on what exactly was going on, since we was a newcomer to the town, let alone the whole continent of Tellius. He was sailed to the continent by a group of people who had found him so young with another group of mercenaries. He was too young for them, so Gale, a man of great muscle, but not much handsomeness, took him in to train him at such a young age.
So here he was; a wooden sword in one hand and a book to read in the other. The book was all about the ancient language the herons spoke. He was so interested in these creatures. He had crimson hair in the front of his head and emerald hair in the back, flowing down his neck. His eyes had a fire-like image when you looked at them that matched his personality quite well. He wore a black shirt with a red cape over him; covering him life a warm blanket would cover a cold person in the middle of winter. He also wore brown, baggy pants and boots that matched with him quite well.
Unfortunately, Grest had no time for reading today. Gale had all ready started to train with him. Grest wasn’t the one who used swords much. Every time he would swing his sword, it would cause it to make him lose his balance and fall, face first, to the ground, being very vulnerable if Gale was out to get him. Luckly, Gale wasn’t much of a bad guy. Of course, he had a heart, but it was too tough to get to, so no one would even bother with it. This time, though, when Grest fell to the ground, Gale took the back of his collar and threw him back up, growling, “Do it again!”
Grest knew he had to train harder, but he was better a mage than a myrmidon. Why did he have to train this way? It was because of his special sword. It was a sword that was elemental, which could let him swing it and make magic do the rest. Unfortunately, Gale strictly forbade him to use that sword during practice. It was for Grest’s safety, for if Grest made one wrong move with it, it could kill them both on the spot. It was a good thing, though, that Grest was allowed to at least keep it in his cabin.
As seconds turned to minutes and minutes seemed to turn into hours, Grest was growing tired. He disliked this training because Gale kept going and going on the training. Grest could never get the posture of the sword right, which forced him to train more. He swung it at Gale and Gale countered it with another blow of the sword. Even though both of the swords were wooden, it was just enough force to push Grest back and make him fall again. With that, Gale marched to him and picked him up by the collar, not letting him go this time.
“Boy, do you want to become a great swordmaster one day? DO YOU!?” he yelled angrily to Grest’s face. Grest was very sensitive, for he didn’t like anyone, even if it was his trainer, to yell at him. He held back a sob and choked out, “Yes…” Gale stared at him directly in the eyes and his brows softened, but only for a moment. “Good. Then let’s see you actually DO something.” And by the collar, he threw him backwards. The training continued.
But not for long. After a few more minutes of training, a group of men in brown armor came through the area, all carrying a rather large, well-covered cage. Inside was a boy with dark blue hair and eyes, wearing a raggy, long, brown shirt. He also had… blue cat-like ears and a tail? Grest stopped and took a look at the cage, meeting the eyes of the animal-like human. The human saw Grest as well, but only for a moment, when Gale yelled, “Halt! What are you doing that you have to come through my private property?” One of the armed men looked back at him and replied, “Us? Oh, pay us no mind. We’re delivering a slave to a nearby home and there was no easier way to pass through, so we had to go through here. Our dearest apologies.” Gale blinked and silently said to himself, “Slave…?” He then shook his head and waved his hand. “That’s fine. Move along. And don’t do such thing again!”
With that, the men passed through and Gale stopped in his tracks, watching the men carry the cage down the hill. Grest was confused and he walked to Gale. “Why did we stop training?” he asked. Gale never stopped training with him, even if there was a battle going on adjacent to them. Gale shook his head. “Did you hear that?” he whispered lowly so that the armed men couldn’t hear them, even though they were out of sight now. “Why are we whispering?” Grest asked in the same tone, not really seeing the point.
Gale palmed his face, then after a moment, replied, “Those men are taking that poor boy into custody, to work for someone. That’s slavery and not right for Inaf, let alone Ostin.” Gale believed that the only fairness in life is justice and he took slavery the most serious when it came to it. He hated slavery so much, it irritated him, just by the sound of the word. He even hissed when he said the word. “Grest, do me a favor. Stay here and make sure that no more cages arrive on my property. If they do, come find me.” And before Grest could state his own opinion, Gale was gone. Grest stared at the way he went and shook his head. “Darn… I wanted to go too!” he said to himself. He then looked up and smiled. “Maybe I can…” And with that, Grest went on his first mission in his life, all alone.
It seemed to not be long before Grest reached the house with the cage. The knights have all ready disappeared and there was no one outside the house, but when Grest put an ear to the door, he heard two men yelling, one was sure to be Gale. Grest walked to the cage and looked at the boy again. The animal-like human’s eyes grew big and he started to say something in another language: “No! I don’t want to be your slave! Please understand I did nothing wrong! I’m so scared!” Grest gasped. He understood him, for he could speak some of the language as well. He shook his head and said, “I will not hurt you. I am here to set you free! Tell me. What is your name?”
The boy gasped and smiled, tears running down his face. “How can humans ….I mean beorc… speak the ancient language!? You are truly amazing! My name is Themis. I’m a cat laguz, which I’m sure it’s obvious. Why are you here to save me? Aren’t you going to enslave me?” Grest laughed at Themis’ error. It didn’t matter if the laguz, the half-human, half-animal, tribe called Grest a human or not. It was supposed to be insulting as a beorc calling a laguz a sub-human, but Grest didn’t care. He WAS human after all.
With jokes aside, Grest replied, “Themis, I’m not an enslaver. Besides, no laguz should be doing such things! They should be free to do whatever they please! Now hold on…” With that, Themis nodded and watched Grest take out a small knife. He fiddled with the lock of the door and smiled to him. “I know how to unlock locks,” he rambled as he worked diligently at the lock. “I’m not sure on how I got the ability though… I think I was born with it…” After another moment, Grest was finally able to break the lock and set Themis free! But on that moment, their luck seemed to have run out.
The man who had bought Themis as a slave was outside, jaw dropped at what Grest was doing. “T…Thief!!!” he shouted. “What are you doing to my sub-human!?” Grest gasped and turned around. “RUN THEMIS!!!” he cried, but Themis stayed. He curled into a ball and muttered in Grest’s language, “I will not run…” “But WHY!?” Grest cried out. “He’ll hurt you! You deserve to be-“ The transformation left Grest silent. He watched as Themis’ hands and feet turned into paws and his body turned into a body of fur. Themis had transformed into his true, laguz form.
“FOWL BEAST!!!!” the man screamed and used a nearby pitchfork to try to attack the beast, but he missed because of Themis’ reflexes. Suddenly, from behind, Themis jumped and clawed the man as hard as he could. The man screeched and started to run around screaming, blood squirting everywhere. Themis kept clawing him until the man fell unconscious to the ground, bleeding slowly to death. Grest looked at the blood and screamed himself, backing away from it. He was afraid of the sight of blood. One look at it and it made him shiver of fright.
Themis reverted back to his human form and looked at Grest. “Beorc…. Are you all right…?” he asked, tilting his head in wonder what Grest was so scared about. Grest looked back at Themis and nodded slowly. “M…My name’s…. name’s Grest…..” he chattered as he moved away from the blood. Themis looked back at Grest and then nodded. “Afraid of blood? Hmm… We can perhaps take another route, to avoid the blood. Back to your cabin.” Grest then looked at Themis, confused. Back to his cabin? “To my cabin?” he asked. “I want you to be free, not under the control of us filthy humans!” Themis laughed and shook his head. “This is my will. I want to be your friend. You saved me and I will never forget! Thank you.”
Grest blinked. And then smiled to him. He then quickly said something about Gale and then Themis looked at him. “You write romantic dramas? This I have to see!” 
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