Fantasy [Private] El Stories

[MementoDei]

Lara let out a short sigh and stretched her arms up before answering to the girl:
"I did a clean up job not far from here. It was the only thing that wasn't taken."
Heavengiver

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"I see. If I remember correctly, there is a mine not far from here. I wonder if the airship is still there..."

Rain smiles then, remembering the time where her other self and her party invaded Wally's airship and cornered him. The hoards of nasods they had to face. The fight they had against Wally No.9 with and without his armor. They were fond memories to the young girl, and the siren feels Rain get progressively better as she continues to eat.

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

"Airships? There was nothing of the sort where I was. You must be tired, ehm... I forgot to ask you your name. What is it?"

Heavengiver

 

[iFlipTables]

"Tickle you... Well it's because it's fun, I guess. Breaks the ice, you know?"

LegenDarius

 

[Breakthrough]

Arya didn't really need to follow after the lizardman child. Her rational mind knew that. It also knew that her actions, though sudden made her seem scared of the others which...she sort of was. She also knew that the sudden stillness and the daydream meant that she was on the verge of remembering something she probably didn't want to. She had to get out of there. She needed a break from the heat and the blood. And the child, though random and rather cute, had provided her with the perfect reason to escape.

Yes, escape.

Once again, she was running from something that could have potentially been good for her. Her hands shook violently and her legs gave out, causing the woman to trip and land on her hands and knees, scraping on the sharp rocks of the cave floor. Tears welled up in her eyes and she clenched her teeth.She had been raised and taught not to cry unnecessary tears. Death was absolute, but it was only temporary. Those were the words that her master had taught her the night before-

Cold hands touched her shoulders, as a scaly face appeared in her vision. The child had come back for her. Clenching her teeth harder and taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. "I'm...I'm okay." She reassured the child, standing up. Unconvinced, the child took her hand and began to guide her slowly, carefully and Arya allowed herself to be.

Eventually, they came into a small cavern with rows of eggs, some wiggling, and some remaining still. It was hot here as well, but it wasn't unpleasant. Arya took a moment to enjoy the scenery. "Are these...dragon eggs?" She asked the child. Glancing down, she caught a brief nod, then was guided towards one of the violently wiggling eggs, a star pattern adorned the egg. The lizardman child placed Arya's palm on the egg, and she felt...a pulse. It was nice. Arya couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face. The egg seemed to quiet down as well, and the pulsing became faster and the heat of the egg skyrocketed. Arya panicked. "Um-"

And just like that, the egg...hatched. A loud crack filled the room as cracks appeared over the surface of the egg, and then a pop as a small, adorable dragon head stared at her. The dragon purred as it stared at Arya, who was both confused and awed. The child beside her all but slapped her exposed stomach with a large slab of meat, making Arya recoil and release the egg to hold onto it. The hatchling leapt at her, ravenously devouring the steak, nipping and licking at Arya's stomach to clean her. All the while, the lizardman child gave a soundless laugh at the scene, even as Arya scowled at them. But pretty soon the hatchling settled on Arya's stomach, staring at her intently. Arya stared back, at a loss of what to do before, suddenly, a voice spoke in her head.

"Mother? Are you my mother?"

Arya recoiled, stunned into silence before looking down at the child as it started to walk away. "well...no. I'm human. You're...a dragon. I can't birth dragon babies." Arya replied. The hatchling, however, seemed to ignore this, even as Arya got up, dumping the dragon hatchling into her lap, where it curled up and stared at her. "My name is Arya. I...guess you're going to be coming with me from now on."

"My name?" The hatchling asked, staring expectantly at Arya. "I want a name!" the voice echoed loudly in her skull as the hatchling threw a tantrum, howling and bawling, making Arya stumble as she got to her feet.

"All right, all right!" Arya whined, holding her aching head. Her vision swam as tears welled up in her eyes. The hatchling purred, landing on her shoulder as she had seen Komodo do earlier. Arya stumbled down the path after the lizardman child. The path eventually led her outside into the cool night air. The lights in the distance could only be Bethma, and she followed them, all the while thinking of a name for the hatchling. "Star. I'll call you Star."

The hatchling was quiet during the walk to town, and even as she arrived in town, stumbling into the inn and flopping down into the nearest seat, not noticing Rain or Lara. The hatchling cooed and purred, resting its head underneath her chin As Arya slowly massaged her temples. "Guess I'll have to ask Xavier how to take care of dragons..." Arya spoke, unconsciously shuddering at the name. She ordered herself a couple shots, moaning in delight as, for the time being, the headache subsided, replaced by the familiar weightlessness that accompanied being drunk. "Welp. Time for bed, Star." Arya groaned, shifting the now sleeping hatrchling's weight as she stumbled upstairs and to her room, collapsing on the bed after locking the door.

Late Heavengiver LegenDarius I iFlipTables

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"Ahh, probably. It has been a while since I visited Bethma. Oh and it's Rain. Sayoru Rain. What's yours, miss?"

It felt weird saying her last name after so long. The inn was quiet, save for the pat pat of footsteps. Spawning a water bead, she pops it in her mouth and finishes the last of her pie. She lets out a satisfied huff and continues to drink water in her own unique way.

"This place feels so similar, and yet so different. It really isn't like back home."

The siren hoped that the girl didn't mind her senseless mumbling.

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara chuckled softly at the girl's mumblings, nostalgia was very common among travellers. She couldn't shake the odd feeling that the blue haired girl was a little odd, her words, her demeanour for someone who wasn't from around the area alerted her that she might hide something. Nevertheless, she continued to talk with a warm voice:

"I see. I'm Lara. Nostalgia is something that, among adventurers is very common. I haven't heard many admit it though, you're certainly a pretty straight-forward one, Miss. Sayoru, or would you prefer that I call you Miss. Rain?"

Heavengiver

 

[LegenDarius]

"Hahaha!" Ren giggled. "I suppose it was!"

He let the silence settle in again before speaking. "Thank you, Airi... It really lightened me up," he said as he got up and looked at her. "It's real nice, you know. I've never been this close to a girl for this long. Most of them were just business partners—and that's fine. But others were... Others were malicious..." Ren's smile slowly turned into a frown as he recalled those moments. Moments in the past that he'd rather not bring up.

I iFlipTables

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"Please call me Rain. I hardly ever use my last name. Nice to meet you Lara."

Sensing that she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, the siren orders some apple cider and turns back to the girl.

"I like to think that looking back is a privilege that one takes for granted a lot. You never know when death comes, and once you feel it, the regrets and emotions that you have set aside all rushes back to you. It's...overwhelming. At least, from what I've heard."

"She must think I'm crazy..."

"Most people would, Rain."

"Oh, so the side princess climbs back from the lake of despair."

"Why do you always refer to me as that? I'm not like that girl in that fairy tale we love so much."

"You are, actually. Uncanny resemblance if you ask me."

The waitress brings a cup of sparkling golden liquid teeming with bubbles. Rain gratefully thanks her and sips on her drink eagerly. The cider tingles her tongue, a feeling she hasn't experienced in a long while.

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara silently nods at the girl's words, she was getting more and more interesting. Whatever she hid, it was certainly huge and Lara was willing to find out. Not simply out for the sake of spying, but Rain's attitude had genuinely picked her curiosity, which was no easy feat.

"Many soldiers tell that tale. The battlefield is everywhere now, with...everything going on here and in Fluone." She said before paying her current order and paying a cup of ale.

Heavengiver

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"I know full well...the demons sure move faster than I remembered, though it's not really my place to stop anymore."

Rain raises her cup to clink with Lara's. This girl wasn't staring at her strangely, which struck her as odd. It had to be something in her past that made her accept what Rain's saying with the familiarity between two friends.

"Speaking of which, I have an odd question to ask you. It looks like you've been around the world. Have you seen or heard any rumors of distortions or warps of time and space? It's hard to describe what exactly they look like though..."

The siren racks her head in an attempt to recall. How weird...it should have been one of the most recent things she had seen, and yet...

MementoDei

 

[ChibiSkye]

Rena spotted Dust on the deck and hesitated to speak to him since he seemed to be busy with something. She stood to the side, trying to not to eavesdrop on his conversation. On the bright side, even if she had heard everything that was said, she couldn't make sense of what he was talking about from the names "Perkisas" and "Berthe".

Her ears perked up at the mention of Tureen's name and assumed that she had been keeping contact with Dust since she left. It made her slightly happy to know that the priestess was still friendly.

Fume

 

[MementoDei]

Lara clinked her cup wih Rain and frowned at the girl's question. Now, things were coming together. Was she from another dimension? If she was asking for distortions in time and space, she had to somehow have a link with Henir. Or at least with Glave. Or Luto. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Her familiarity with areas she had not even visited couldn't be explained otherwise.

"That's some dangerous information you're looking for. May I ask why you seek it?"
Although she was almost certain about the answer, hearing the complete version of it from Rain would be more satisfying.
Heavengiver

 

[iFlipTables]

Airi walked over to the other bed and pat his head as an attempt to comfort him.

LegenDarius

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

Rain leans back in her chair and stares at the ceiling. Her smile turns serenely sad.

​

"There is a world I must go back to. Friends I have to protect, a future I must regain. I know very well that people in this dimension don't care for much except survival and revenge, and well...I may be one of those people, but the girl inside me...is too pure for that. I wish to protect her, even at the cost of my own. How strange...because of this feeling and this world, I've never felt more alone than when death embraced me..."

"Rain, that's enough...I-I'm fine now."

The dancer immediately sits properly in her chair. She finishes the last of her cider and addresses Lara.

"I wish to find Glave, either by tracking him in this world...or by going into Henrir's Time and Space again and proving myself to him."

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara was more than pleased to see that her insight hadn't failed her this time either. That was what seemed off about her. This afternoon, she briefly talked with her doppelganger and now she was talking to her original self. Henir was certainly playing his cards in the most curious of manners. Although Lara was amazed by how the gods would fight it out in the end, she kept her expression as serious as she could manage. She feigned to be surprised at Rain's sudden change of attitude and took a big sip of her drink before answering.
"Glave and Henir's dimension, from what I've heard, are not easy to deal with. Who knows, you might challenge him and win, but what garantees you that he will fulfill your wish? There have been a few tales of people sent back in time, further in the future or simply never returning after entering and winning Glave's trials."
She looked at the girl with some concern in her eyes. Now it was a good time to learn how seriously Henir had played with fate or with the mind of his prisoners.
Heavengiver

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

There was no hesitation in her next answer.

"He will. I'm Henrir's creation, after all."

Rain didn't know how to feel, labeling herself as that. True, Henrir did recreate her world, but she still doesn't know why. Why would a god that desires oblivion create life? It was the reason she and her friends pursue Time and Space in the first place.

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Henir's creation? Well, he was certainly getting more desperate. Reviving two souls into one body and putting them here was a weird move. Too weird for her to undrstand fully. She pondered these toughts in silence, frowning slightly and finishing her drink. Then, she looked at Rain in the eye.
"You're Henir's creation? Pardon me if this sounds rude to you, but the legends describe Henir's creations as their disciples and you, Rain...look very different from them."
Heavengiver

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"I'm not too sure either; I was made a normal girl. My world is not an ordinary one though..."

She lets out a small yawn and rubs her eyes in a childish manner.

"Excuse me, I haven't had any rest for a while. So back to my question...do you know of any place where I can enter Time and Space, or whether of Glave's whereabouts?"

MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Lara's old greed kicked some of her thoughts out of her mouth in a calming voice:
"I like to help people, but if you truly search for that dangerous information, I need something valuable in exchage."
The Soul Priestess got up and yawned, covering her mouth to hide the small grin that crooked slightly her face.
"I'm getting a little tired too, but I'll be around at least until tomorrow. I'll leave that time for you to think of a reasonable gift in exchage for my help. Goodnight Rain."
With those words, she got back to her room and let out a sigh as the smirk on her face turned into a grin. Playing for only one side was definitely too boring. So many good details were left over, but she didn't have to conform herself with one of them. She had both in her hands, she felt it.

Heavengiver

 

[LegenDarius]

Ren wanted to say more, but he felt his eyes closing. The soothing sensations from Airi petting him spread through his body like pulsing waves, lulling him into a deep sleep.

Ren felt like a small child being comforted by his older sister, even though he was likely older than her. He let out a sigh, leaned into her hand, and fell asleep with a small smile on his face. And for some odd reason, Ren didn't care about how vulnerable he was.

I iFlipTables

 

[Heavengiver]

Rain
​

"Good night Lara."

After the girl leaves, the healer sits quietly in the restaurant for a while.

"We came into this world with nothing valuable, Rain. Should we even consider her offer?"

"I'm not too sure. Judging from my time with her, she seems to value information."

"So information with information? But what would interest her?"

"That I don't know. We should go to sleep first before we think about it."

Rain gets up from her chair and heads to her room. Seeing Xavier asleep on his bed reminds her that she still needed to talk to Perkisas. Well, her other self. That could wait for another day. She climbs into bed, sighing in relief at not only the comfort but the familiar softness of the bed. Rain once again sees her world in her dreams, and the allure of it drew her into a deep sleep.

Late MementoDei

 

[MementoDei]

Her excitement lasted very little, the smile on her face vanished and Lara finally dropped on the bed after taking her leg armour and cloak off. How much time was left until the sun rose? She did not know, but she didn't feel like sleeping either. Instead, she began to remember the events of the day and, mostly, the few minutes before. Airi and Steele were staying here and would most likely still be there the following day. She looked at the two bags of gold and counted the gold coins for the umpteenth time.

Five million in each, no doubt about it. Her unrestful nature, brimming with fear and apprehension returned to her mind as the coins in her hands vanished once again into the bags. With a trembling hand, she reached for the nape on her neck and found the scar her death left on it. She began to scratch it, as if it was only a stain. The stain that spell left on her neck and her mind. The spell of oblivion. The spell of the death of her mind. The spell of peace. A stinging sensation and the smell of blood stopped her. She removed her hand from her neck and looked at her bloodied fingers.

Why was she again falling in the same abyss? That had been in her past. There was no way of changing it, she remembered who she had been and what she had done. Lara could only move forward, even if she had to force herself to do so. The wound quickly closed on its own and Lara took off her shirt and washed it in the machine. Her almost nude, athletic torso was marked with her old war scars and the ones she had received shortly before her death. In a different outcome, she couldn't have hoped to stay with the Knights for long. Her instincts, combat tactics and the sharpness of her blade were one thing, but her body wouldn't have kept up with that pace for long. A few months at best.

One of the most vicious ones was on her stomach. Where Ran had stabbed her as Idrak's head fell on the ground, her golden hair stained by a silent stream of crimson; as a glitter spearman had pierced Darhan's heart, the crying children in his arms were taken down as swiftly as him; the succubus' queen cut Reijak in half with her synth, breaking his sword in half. The small unit of twelve Knights knelt to the overwhelming power of the demons. Their sole commander, had died. Fear, confusion, sorrow, resignation...an endless, sombre palette of emotions led the Knights and every citizen to death. She had been no exception.

Her world had been scorched by powerlessness, plagued by sorrow, buried by guilt and drowned by the despair of the light Glewin had so desperately fought for. Light that consumed corpses, corrupted them. The army of the shadow light.The army that drove demons away. At least, until they learnt how to wield the waves. She covered her face with her hands and pressed her indexes over her eyes and swept the shadows of tears. She had to be patient, her plan was going better than she could've hoped. Ran would pay, the demons would pay, the Knights would pay for ignoring their own land. But all had to come in due time. Now, it was probably better to rest. The chirping ding of the machine made her turn around and fold her clean shirt, warmed by the machine's integrated dryer. With no sight of daylight through her window, Lara took off her boots, pants and slid underneath the bedsheets. She closed her eyes and dreamt about Darhan, Idrak and Reijak. They were all smiling to her, but they were surrounded by darkness. They were in the void. Lara didn't move. She took a step forward, after hours of hesitation, and her town began to appear, as proud and immaculate as it was before the Cataclysm. A hand landed softly on her shoulders, Hennon's voice filled her with dread as chains crawled from her feet and immobilized her.
"Your thoughts don't drift to far from Henir's will since that day. Remember it well. We all know what you're truly seeking."
The images of her dead friends transformed into shadow monsters that now proliferated in a world conquered by demons. They jumped at her and began to attack her.

She woke up swiftly, moving her arms and legs vigorously, to shake the monsters away. Seeing herself in a inn's room, at the beginning of dawn, she calmed herself down slowly. It was all part of her typical dream, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that Hennon had truly been there. He had spoken to her, he had used her weaknesses to get inside her mind. She shivered and put on her clothes in complete silence. She glanced at her reflection, seeing herself as how she truly looked like now. Lara put her illusion back on and walked down the stairs to get to inn's restaurant. Once there, she simply ordered a piece of dry bread and a glass of iced tea. Eating was superficial and she felt a knot in her stomach either way, ready to throw up whatever she ate.

It was a clear and beautiful morning rising up in Bethma's sky. For the first time, the inn's quietness felt eerie, even if it was perfectly normal for a village's inn. Everything was out of place.

 

[Late]

Xavier woke up at the snoring of Komodo who was resting on top of him, curling up on his back as Xavier was laying on his stomach. It was comforting yet the snores were bothering him, wondering why Komodo decided to snore now when the sun was up. He carefully started to shift around the bed, getting Komodo to slide off of him and onto the mattress.

The trainer sighed when he got him off and noticed how he felt a bit sweaty. Xavier looked over at the other bed to see that Rain was still sleeping. He took the chance to head to the bathroom first just to take a quick shower. So far his night went rather peaceful, and Perkisas haven't bothered Xavier through his dreams. He takes it a good sign of sorts.

The time Xavier got into the showers, Komodo woke up and let out a yawn. He stretched out his body all over the bed and look around the room. Komodo rose from the bed and hopped down to the floor, sniffing around as he caught something new. Komodo growled low yet he perked up his head over at Rain's sleeping body. Komodo walked over to her bed and stared at her face, his head resting on the mattress. Komodo kept staring at her with his bright orange eyes.

Heavengiver

 

[iFlipTables]

Airi woke up to find herself sleeping on Steele's bed. She blushed. Did they do IT last night?

She gently shook Steele.

LegenDarius