Blackheart, Chapter 31: A Final Respite
It had been quite some time. Deep in the heart of the Citadel, things had changed considerably.
A while ago, the survivors had evacuated to the countryside. Before they did so, Basilrin was sent to bring word of the situation to the surrounding lands, in hopes of summoning the forces needed to push to the Blackheart.
The portal was said to be in the very center of the city. To get there, all they needed to do was take the main road. Only problem was the demons. Their corrupted thralls swarmed the main streets en-masse. It was why they had spent their time creeping down alleyways and side streets.
Soon...soon, the time for skulking would come to an end. Soon, the army would begin their assault.
Alexander ran the blade of his sword over a whetstone, looking it over carefully. He had forgone wearing his armor, seeing as it had been a few days since Basilrin’s return.
It was quite the wonder, seeing not only his return, but the arrival of the Lady Protector herself, Gira. The Black Dragon, as she was called, arguably the most important figure in all of Geralthin. She had been there for the entirety of its history, after all.
She and Basilrin had assured them that the army was indeed on its way. Already a few of those towns and villages nearby had arrived, a few guards and citizens armed with the bare essentials now joining them in the Citadel.
It was a good start, but they had to await the mass of royal forces before they could dare start their push.
Gira was another one. Now they had three dragons. That was three beasts of legend to rain destruction on their foes. Alexander could only imagine how marvelous that kind of support would be for the army.
All in all, things were looking quite hopeful. With a force like this assembled, pushing through the city really seemed more than a mere pipe dream.
All they had to do was cause a gap, if only for a moment, in the demons’ defenses. Then Alexander could slip through, enter the Blackheart, and destroy whatever artifact was anchoring the portal to their world.
“Hey.”
The knight turned to see Wurie walking up to him. The wolfman took a seat on the ground beside the knight, flashing him a nervous smile.
“Hey captain. What’s the matter?”
Wurie looked off into the distance as Alexander continued sharpening his blade. “I just...can hardly believe it, you know? That we’re so close.”
“It won’t be long now,” the knight answered.
“It’s been quite the journey.”
Alexander smiled. “Yeah. I think we’ve all learned things from this.”
“Really? I feel like you’ve been the one teaching ME here, sir knight!”
The man shook his head and sighed. “You should know better than that, Wurie.”
The wolfman frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Captain, when I first came here...I must admit that I didn’t feel the same way about you and the others then I do now.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Well...I was raised surrounded by other humans. Not once had I even laid eyes upon another species, aside from Stilich, the doctor.”
“Stilich?”
“One of the shellbacks,” Alexander admitted, “Father hired him to take care of us...but that was the extent of my knowledge. He was one of a kind as far as I was concerned. When I joined the army, I was deployed at the northern border. There, was my first experience with the wolves...with your people, Wurie.”
The captain grimaced. “Not, uh...not a good impression,” he whispered, his voice reflecting pain.
“That’s an understatement. I thought your people were animals, barbarians, monsters...I had a similar view for many of the peoples of Geralthin. In truth, the edict didn’t rattle me as much as it probably should have...it meeting Sigvin to change my mind about a “universal evil”. Even then I thought he was the exception, but now...I see I was quite mistaken.”
“Sigvin?” Wurie’s brows furrowed. “Alexander, you said...Sigvin?”
“Yeah. We commissioned him as pathfinder, during one of our expeditions into tribal territory. We chatted at the camp. Told me all sorts of stories about him and his people. Really helped me understand the wolfmen more than I did.”
Wurie’s eyes were a near sliver now.
“What? What’s with that funny look?”
“Alexander...was...was Sigvin a bard?”
The knight was caught off guard by that one. “He...mentioned he wanted to become one...how on earth did you know that? Wurie, have you met him?”
The captain gave Alexander a serious look. “...follow me.”
He paused only to put his whetstone away and sheathe his sword before he hurried after Wurie. The implications behind this left only one possibility…
Turning past another group of tents, Wurie called out to a figure facing a firepit. “Sigvin!”
The person turned around, sitting on a small wooden stump. In a rather puffy, fanciful striped and dyed suit, was a familiar face. Sure, the clothes, quilled hat, and lute was a far cry to the rags he was wearing all those years ago, but Alexander recognized him all the same.
“Sigvin...you’ve got a friend here.”
The unarmored knight stepped forward, eyes widening. It wasn’t just a shared name. It was him. It was really him.
“Sigvin…?”
The wolfman bard frowned. “Err, I’m sorry. You might be…?”
“It’s me, remember?! It’s Alexander! From the war up north? The Pureclaws!”
The bard’s face scrunched up as he tried to recall those memories. In a moment, his eyes shot open. “A-Alexander?!”
“Yeah! It’s me!”
The wolfman jumped up excitedly and put his lute down. “Hoo boy...Alexander! How have you been, friend?!”
The knight laughed as Sigvin grabbed and shook his hand wildly. “Ah, you know! Pretty busy. How the hell did you end up all the way down here?!”
“I TOLD you I was gonna move to Geralthin! I even went to college! All was going according to plan when, uh...this all happened.”
“Right...you were kicked off with the rest of the exiled.”
“Mmhm. I must say, I saw you here before, but I never imagined the man under the armor would be you!”
Alexander shrugged. “Well, here I am regardless! God I can’t believe we’ve been so close all this time!”
“I’ve been...unable to be of much help,” Sigvin admitted with a sheepish smile. “I, uh...I’ve been hiding back here. Thinking, mostly.”
“Well, why didn’t you leave with the other citizens?”
“Because he wants to help!” Wurie said with a grin, “Isn’t that right, Sigvin?”
“Yessir!”
The knight tapped his foot, looking worried. “Ah, but...what are you planning on doing, than? Not joining the front line, I’d hope!”
“Oh goodness no. I’ve never been a warrior, you know that! I AM a bard, though. My music does more than you might expect. I hope to rally and inspire the real warriors when we attack!”
“You really have become what you’ve always wanted, huh?”
“That’s right!” Sigvin said with a grin, “My dreams are...well, they WERE coming true...but hopefully! Hopefully, after all this, I can finally get back on track!”
Wurie nodded. “You will. We’ll see to that, won’t we, Alexander!”
“Yes...we will. I must say Wurie, it’s good to see you looking up like this. You, uh...weren’t in high spirits, the last few times we spoke.”
“What can you do?” the captain asked with a shrug. “I’ve been seeing and hearing some awful things. It takes its toll, but...it’s almost over. We’re so close. If there’s a time to believe, it’s right now.”
Alexander smiled. Despite everything, even the most mournful seemed full of hope now.
“Hope is a powerful thing to have. We’ll see this through Wurie, I swear.”
The trio sat around the firepit, Alexander looking back at Sigvin. “So...got any songs planned for all of this?”
The bard smiled. “Ah, well I’ve got a few popular tunes, but generally I let the music take me where it goes.” His smile quickly turned into a frown. “I do have...one song in the works though. An...ode to your friend, Alexander. The red dragon. Hopefully, my song will travel across the land once this is over, and all will sing of his sacrifice. I figured such an individual deserves nothing less.”
Alexander’s face scrunched up. “Ah. I see...I’m sure he’d be proud.”
Sigvin nodded sadly. “Yeah. I think he would.”
…
“Hey…”
The holy man didn’t look up as he continued reflecting over the words of the scripture. “Yes?”
“I, uh...I’m going to go with them, you know!”
Andric frowned. The paladin opened his eyes and turned his gaze to Senci, visage firm.
“I would strongly advise against that.”
The kobold looked hurt by that. “Oh, come on, master! They’re counting on me to help them!”
“And I’m counting on you to make it through this in one piece.”
“I’ll make it through just fine! I can do it, you know I can! I was trained by the best, after all.”
“Senci…”
“I’ve make it this far, haven’t I?!”
Andric turned around, shifting from kneeling into a sitting position. The pair were inside a tent, taking stock of their inventory and preparing for the final battle.
“I just don’t want anything to happen. I heard about your little stint in the medical tent, you know.”
“But master-”
“What if that happens again?”
“Master Andric…”
“You nearly died, Senci! I cannot abide by this! If I were to let you leave my sight, you could-”
Something snapped inside of Senci, if only for a moment. For the first time since he could remember, he snapped at his mentor.
“I’m not a damned child anymore!”
Andric’s brows raised at the kobold’s shrill yell. He couldn’t remember the man ever being stricken silent like this, but these were exceptional circumstances.
The young warrior felt immense shame and regret almost immediately. He could feel the heat well up in his face and fear creep over him as he looked at his stunned father figure.
“I...I’m sorry…”
The paladin grimaced as he looked the other warrior over. The small lizard shifted uncomfortably, head lowered and eyes full of guilt. Like he was about to be lectured.
Andric sighed. “It’s...fine. I understand. I know this is important to you. I just...I came all this way to make sure you were alright, you know? If something happened, I…”
The man’s lips pursed. “...I don’t know what I’d do. Over a decade, Senci. For twelve years, I’ve been making sure you were okay. For twelve years, schooling and training you...”
“I...I know,” Senci said quietly, “B-but, master...you...you have to let me try! I’m a grown up now!”
Andric shot the kobold a guilty grin and scratched his beard. “Well, actually, you’re still a year away from being an adult at the moment…”
“T-that’s close enough!” Senci insisted. “Listen...I...I’m thankful for everything, really, I am. I’m so lucky I have you to train me...but eventually, you have to put that training to the test! Master...you must let me loose on our enemies! You’ve prepared me for this moment, and I must follow through now! I can’t be useless in this battle, I can’t let everyone down! I HAVE to help!”
Andric frowned and closed his eyes, reflecting on the kobold’s words. Eventually, he opened his eyes and moved forward, wrapping his arms around the young warrior.
“Senci...I know. I know I can’t stop you from doing this...and I understand how much this means to you. You can go.”
Smiling with wide eyes, Senci returned the hug, Andric patting him on the shoulder.
“I won’t let you down. I promise.”
“The only way you could do that, Senci, is if you didn’t come back...so make sure you do, alright?”
Senci grinned wide. “Yes sir!”
…
Razorwing pulled back on his bow, getting a feel for the tension. He sat on the ground beside the tent he had been staying in, his supplies laid out around him.
After this brief test of his bowstring, it seemed like all was in order. He had brought a few extra with him just in case it snapped, but there didn’t seem to be many issues. He’d been using this one for about a year, but he was very fussy about maintenance, so everything still worked as intended.
“Is that the great hero Razorwing, playing around with an unloaded bow?”
The bird turned his head towards the source. Of course, there was no mistaking that voice, despite the additional cheer it seemed to be carrying today.
“You work with crossbows. You know full well the need to test and maintain.”
The human sat down beside him. Despite the mask, his eyes made his amusement clear.
“Obviously. I’m messing with you, dope.”
The koutu shot him a cocky grin. “You sure? You know, if you don’t know about weapon upkeep, I could teach you.”
“Yeah yeah, alright, ya dumb bird.” A light punch to the shoulder made the hero chuckle.
Paul took out one of his own crossbows and looked it over. It was a fair bit smaller than the ones the armies used, seeing as this was made with the ability to hold and fire with one hand. Still, it had enough force behind it, and the bolts were large enough to still be deadly. The downside was that without the heft of the larger models, punching through armor proved...problematic.
Not that this was generally a problem for Paul. As a bounty hunter, he generally worked to end combat before it began. He’d become a good enough shot and a quiet enough sneak to hit targets in their weak spots, while they were unexpecting.
“Hard to believe it’s almost over huh?” the human mused.
“Yes...quite remarkable. We’ve come quite a far way, we have.” Razorwing put his bow down and grabbed his quiver, beginning to examine his arrows.
“It’s been rough. The close scrapes, the demons...listening to you blabber on about nonsense,” Paul said with a laugh.
“Oh? You got pretty mad when I stopped ‘blabbering’ though, didn’t you?”
The bounty hunter looked away as the koutu grinned like mad. “Well...you know how it is...the silence in this hellhole is maddening. Any voice is a relief...no matter how dumb what they’re saying is.”
The archer raised a brow. “Oh ho! I see! So what you’re saying is I’m just a voice to you, huh? Just a distraction? Just something any other person could have been?”
“T-that’s not what I meant!”
The hero put a winged arm around the human’s shoulders. Shooting him a grin, he leaned in. “Don’t worry! I’m just...what was it you said? ‘Messing with you, dope’?”
Paul groaned, which drew another laugh from Razorwing.
“Seriously, though. You and I, friend...we’ll go far, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean by that?” with the birdman’s wing still wrapped around him, he looked over questioningly.
“You remember how well we worked in the streets. How long we spent without the luxury of a team, or any support. Just the two of us, against the demons. The scouting we did for each other...we make a perfect duo, don’t you think?”
Paul looked away, sighing. “We, uh...you’re right, but...I don’t know.”
“Aw, come on, pal! No one can beat a team like us!”
“I know,” Paul admitted, “We make an excellent team. Still...I don’t know if I’ll...be doing this in the future.”
Razorwing frowned. “Huh? What’s...what’s that mean?”
“Look. You’re a famous hero. You fight monsters, and lead parades, and have songs sung of you...and I’m a shadow. No one besides you knows my identity. I stalk the shadows. I slit the throats of thieves and killers. I hide from the fame that comes with the work I do. I’ve built a reputation as an ender of lives...despite no one knowing who I am.”
The hero gave him a funny look. “You’re saying we’re incompatible?”
“Well, that’s one part of it-”
He was cut short by Razorwing squeezing him, tightening his arm’s grip around the man.
“Come on, Crux! We’ve been through enough to know that’s nonsense!”
Paul’s eyes narrowed. “Argh. You wanna let me breathe, bird?”
“Very well.” Razorwing let go of him, the pair sitting beside one another once more.
“Hah. Well, besides that...I have an identity to keep concealed. We were able to do that AND work together because, well...we’re in a fog-covered city cut off from the outside world. If we started working together once this is over...I fear your renown, and the attention you draw would...make my secret impossible to keep.”
It seemed to finally dawn on the hero, now. His gaze softened, turning into a saddened, wincing visage.
“Ah. I...I see. You...we can’t...be friends anymore.”
There was a lengthy, uncomfortable pause. Both of them had their heads down, unable to look the other in the eye.
Paul’s voice caught Razorwing off guard.
“You know...you’re the only friend I’ve ever had.”
The archer blinked, eye widening. “Paul…?”
“I, uh...I made an effort to keep my distance from everyone...just so something like this wouldn’t happen.”
The human looked over at Razorwing. The koutu’s head hung low, looking defeated.
“I...there must be something we can do…”
Paul crossed his arms, his weapons checking long forgotten. “Is there...some place you go to all the time? I don’t know if I could leave a paper trail to keep in touch, but if we happened to be around the same places…”
Razorwing smirked. “I’m all over the place. The parades and plays and, well, you know.”
“Of course.”
“Well, my estate’s always open to you. Hey, maybe you could come over sometime and meet Eignach!”
“Eignach…?”
The koutu looked surprised. “Oh, I didn’t tell you? We’re...together.” There was a short pause before Razorwing continued hurriedly. “Err, that’s uh, why I wanted to tell you, by the way, that I’m spoken for. I didn’t mean to...hit on you. I-I don’t drink, so, uhh...I wasn’t thinking clearly. My apologies.”
“Don’t worry about it...lightweight.” Paul was grinning. The way the fabric around his mouth was stretching gave it away.
“Well EXCUSE me for practicing a bit of clean living!” the hero laughed and shook his head. “Well, at any rate, we’ve been together for...not too long. We were just friends at first. Poor fellow was expelled from the kingdom during the exile. He grew up in Geralthin. He may be one of my people in body, but culturally, he was a human. Our homeland was alien and frightening to him. I took him in, seeing as he lost his home and...the rest is history.”
“A bird frightened of his own flock…” Paul pulled out his dagger and inspected it for any nicks and scratches.
“I suppose! He’s adapted well, though. You know he was a fan of mine? He was absolutely starstruck when we met. Even fainted and everything!”
“Everyone has a hero to look up to, I guess. You happened to be his.”
“That’s right.”
Razorwing turned to look at the human, still running his hand along his dagger.
“Hey, Paul?”
“Yeah?”
There was a brief moment of hesitation. “Whatever happens out there...we’re a team, alright? I’ve got your back.”
Paul lowered his dagger, turning to look at the archer. His eyes ran over the other man, taking him in.
“And I’ve got yours.” He held a gloved hand out to the koutu, who took it without hesitation. The pair shook.
“Domnall...it’s been a pleasure. Let’s cast these beasts back to the deepest pits of hell.”
Razorwing radiated confidence as he sat up straight. “Hah! The armies of hell themselves will learn to fear our names!”
Paul nodded, a smirk etched in his mask. “That’s what I like to hear. Let’s you and I give em’ something to call hell...bird.”
…
“Looks like everything’s ready.”
“Just about.”
The man and woman were sitting inside a small tent, just the two of them and their supplies. The man was sitting idle, while the woman was chewing on a piece of jerky. He looked at her with a near unreadable expression.
“Hungry?” she asked in between bites. He shook his head.
“Not a fan of jerky?”
He shook his head again. “I don’t care what I eat, Leianna. I’m just not hungry right now.”
The cleric shrugged, still chewing. “Suit yourself.” Taking another bite, she looked off to the side in thought. “Man, all they’ve got left around here is cheese and jerky.”
“Not much else can last months without spoiling,” Lexius noted.
“Hey, I’m not complaining. Food’s food, and cheese and jerky are damn fine.”
Lexius sighed. The priest looked sullen and out of it. Leianna noticed this, and gave him a questioning look.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just...I wish I could have...been of more use.”
“How so?”
The man held his hands out. “I...I was poor support on the field. I’m an awful combatant. I spent half my time here bedridden. I failed to come prepared. I...I even...Leianna, if I had been with you when we split into two groups...perhaps Basilrin’s brother and Tourthun would be-”
“Hey. Monk boy.” Leianna gave him a firm glare, as if chastising him. “Listen to me, you fool. You came here of your own volition. You waltzed into a hellhole full of the darkest beings the world can offer with scrappy armor, a chipped iron blade and a tiny wooden shield. You never trained for combat. You healed a goddamned DRAGON, Lexius.”
He was about to respond, but Leianna put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “You kicked ass out here. No one expected some guy from a church to make it this far, but here you are.”
The priest lowered his head and laughed. Leianna raised a brow. “Err...Lexius?”
“Heh...yeah, I guess you’re right. No use in feeling sorry for myself. I did what I could. That’s...all you can really do.”
“Hey, that’s the spirit!” Leianna grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Look, I’ve got plenty of things I wish I’d done differently too, but there’s no turning back the clock. You live with what you do, and you do the best you can.”
Lexius looked up at the cleric hopefully. “Sister Leianna...could you join me in prayer?”
The woman shrugged. “I don’t see why not.” She shoved the rest of the jerky in her mouth, chewing loudly as she rushed to finish her meal.
Lexius took out his cross, from under his armor. The small, wooden symbol appeared hand-carved by him, if its quality was any indication.
Leianna wiped her mouth and took out her own, pulling it from a pouch. The handheld crosses were more good luck charms than anything, not blessed or magical in any way. It was a simple reminder of God, carried on each church member’s person to serve as a constant source of hope and faith.
Lexius bowed his head, cross clutched underneath his hand and held onto by both hands. Leianna followed the gesture.
“Through God and the intercession of Saint Martin, we stand firm against the work of the enemy,” Lexius said, his voice low and clear.
“We thought we may have died and been sent to the underworld for our transgressions, for we are surrounded by grinning faces of demons,” Leianna continued. The pair continued to alternate between each line.
“Even in death, even in the underworld, despite our true odds, we will never waver. Such is the burden of the faithful.”
Lexius’ eyes were squeezed tight as he brought the prayer to a close. “Guide us now, for we do the bidding of the Lord, our God. Allow us to fulfill our duty, no matter the cost. No matter the cost…”
“Amen.”
Despite having reached the end, Lexius did not rise as Leianna had.
“No matter the cost…”
The cleric looked at the priest with a notable degree of concern. “Lexius…?”
“No matter the cost…”
…
“This catastrophe was man-made! I’ve seen it for myself!”
Charles stood among a group of humans, the first few militiamen who had answered the call. Several of them, in their light uniforms of cloth and wielding simple weapons, leered at him in disdain.
Though Alexander and the others had been through enough with the magician to trust him, but as he had always been told, the common folk saw him as little more than a monstrous chimera.
“What the hell do you know?!” one of the levies shouted, eliciting cries of agreement throughout the crowd.
“I recovered documents from the college! One of the wizards said himself that he did it!”
“Oh yeah?! Where’s your proof?”
Charles frowned. “I gave them to my friend, the professor. He left with the rest of the citizens in the evacuation.”
“How awfully convenient,” one of the men mused. A few voice called out in agreement once more.
“Whatever!” the dragonoid cried, throwing his hands up, “I don’t care if you believe me or not! The truth will come out on its own!”
“Yeah right. I bet YOU did it!”
“M-me?!” Charles reeled back, “Why would I do that?!”
“It’s in your blood!” Cheers erupted through the crowd at those words, the magician clutching at his shoulders defensively.
“T-that’s not true. I make my own path...my origins do not determine my future…”
“Yeah, right! Say, if you’re one of them...I wonder if you’ve got any secrets you’re hiding…?”
A few men stepped forward, their stances clearly hostile. Their eyes glinted with malicious intent, and their grin were anything but friendly.
“W-what’s this?!” Charles shouted, shaken. He backed up, nervous about where this was going.
“Why are you wearing that?” one of the men asked, reaching out for his wizard hat. Though he grabbed it, Charles threw his arm away, clutching onto the hat possessively.
“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch my things! They aren’t yours!”
The man smirked. “Are you hiding something under there, beast?”
Their approach quickened, even as the dragonoid began backpedaling.
“L-leave me alone! Stop it!”
“Show us what you’re hiding!” Several shouts rang out through the Citadel. Some from the mob of soldiers, some from citizens around the camp that saw what was happening.
Charles, focused on the approaching men, failed to notice a rock behind him. His foot slipped as he tripped over it, falling to the ground on his back. He sat up, and just as it looked like the mob was about to descend on him…
“That’s ENOUGH!”
Blinking, the fallen dragonoid looked over to the source of the bellowing voice. Sure enough, the knight was stomping over, though not in his armor. Still, he had his sword on his hip, and looked suitably authoritative enough anyway. Behind him, a few others followed, most notably Wurie.
“Causing trouble, are we?”
The knight’s demeanor seemed to shake the mob of levies out of it, many quickly backing away from Charles.
“W-we were just-”
“Harassing the people you were sent to help? Yeah, I noticed. What’s next? Gonna mug a few of the wolves? Attack the birds?”
“No,” a single voice answered meekly. The knight scowled at the group.
“Which one of you imbeciles is in command here?” He demanded. A lone soldier answered.
“Captain Howard, sir. He’s outside.”
Alexander stepped forward and grabbed the man by the neck, pulling him close. The others gasped, but didn’t interfere.
“Tell your captain to get his men under control,” he growled, voice dripping with venomous hostility, “NOW.”
“Y-yessir,” he squeaked, stumbling backwards as Alexander released him.
“Crawl on out of here, all of you. You’re not welcome.”
As the group turned to leave back through the sewers, the knight called out one last time.
“If I catch you attacking any more citizens, you’ll be hanging from his majesty’s gallows for treason!”
As the group fled, Alexander turned to Charles, still sitting on the ground. He quickly extended a hand. “You all right?”
“I-I think so.” the magician grabbed the man’s hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet with a grunt.
“Ah...thank you, Alexander.”
“Don’t worry about it. The nerve…!”
Charles smiled as he dusted himself off. “I’m thankful to have friends in such affluent stations…”
The knight grimaced. “I don’t like throwing my weight around, but in these situations I hardly have a choice.”
“What in the world was that?” Wurie asked, “They were like...common rabble! Like the thugs whose fights I had to break up back in the day!”
“That’s what happens with the army,” Alexander noted. He frowned as he looked over to the exit, hands on his hips.
“These aren’t elite soldiers of the king. These aren’t contractors or professionals. These are levies, militia and common folk. They don’t have the discipline a lifer has. Force them to stay on duty without an enemy to fight, and eventually they’ll starting picking their own fights.”
Wurie tilted his head. “Sounds like you’ve dealt with this before.”
“Comes with the territory. Command enough armies and you know the best and worst of it inside and out.”
“Still...unacceptable,” muttered Wurie. He looked deeply wounded by the proceedings.
“Captain? You okay?”
The wolfman shook his head. “It’s...nothing. Just remembering the exile.”
“Similar treatment?”
“Very.”
Alexander crossed his arms. “Things are going to change around here. I don’t know how, but they will.”
Wurie smiled despite himself. “I...appreciate the optimism. I would say I don’t believe it but...I already said that about you saving our people. I fear I’d be eating my words yet again if I said such a thing!”
The knight shrugged, a small smile at the corner of his lips. “Guess we’ll just have to see, huh? So how about…”
A shadow taking up the entire middle of the camp cause him to trail off. While the twilight wasn’t much, it was noticeable now that it was gone.
He barely had a moment to look up before a green dragon dropped down the hole and into the Citadel. Basilrin.
“They are here! The king’s men are here!”
There was a lengthy silence as the crowd looked at one another. A few citizens walked over at the dragon’s call, including the others that had been journeying together with Alexander all this time.
Looking back, the knight gave them a nod. At last, the end was here. Alexander closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“It’s time.”
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immmmmm actually super happy with how this thing is turning out
im like
collecting a bunch of old monster boy ocs
like ocs that are boys and are monsters of some kind (not like strictly monster monsters, more like mythical creatures)
and they get together
and start a boy band called M!nstr Boys
i... still haven’t quite decided on like if they’re human or not but
the clear theme is “these boys aint human” and they all have like,, a certain aesthetic that sorta points in the direction of their like “character”?
most of them have pointy ears but
aragon is a dragon, so he wears like,,, leather and stuff like that (and fishnets apparently)
solomon is a wood elf so he wears primarily linens and like white stuff
Rav is a spirit (i think he used to be a spirit of death or smth idk) but hes goth (obviously) but like high goth??? fancy goth???? whatever
Wei is a koi merman so he’s obviously gonna have skin tight, shiny clothes
and hal is a half siren (like the bird kind) so he’ll have like wing and feather motifs
it’s basically repurposing like 5 totally unrelated OCs into a boy band lmaoooo
i just wanted to do a boy band squad group thing :’)
they’re all pals and good friends and they do their squad thing together
if i ever make like
a whole comprehensive world for my OCs itll be like
the pixar extended universe theory thing
like
clearly magic exists
fairies and shit
i have a fairy boy who’s dating a soft girl who can see fairies (it’s like her thing ok like she’s,, she’s underwent a very long journey, she started out as a student then she like,,,just evolved. anyways)
there’s a vampire girl who is like pastel goth
i have like magical girl idol (who can be like part of an all-girl band hmmmmmm i should do that although idk if i have enough female ocs lmAO)
and her brother who is a goth warlock
uhhh there’s like
a demon hunter and a ghost who are brothers????
like the ghost is dead
they were originally gonna be ‘i can see fairies’ girl’s love interests but
she deserves better than those two assholes
so she and fairy boy ended up together
and i also have prince boy who has a roguish alter ego (wow i know real original) but he’s cool and like he has a violin sword and shit like that (i may redesign him at some point too)
there’s like
a whole comprehensive universe of OCs lmao i gotta put them all together at some point tbh
and there are like
countless other ocs too like... i have two cyborg boys
i think one is a full android(?) i can’t remember(?)
i dont think the club allowed full androids so i think they’re both cyborgs
so yeah cyborgs also exist in that universe
god i have.... so many fucking ocs hjklfjglasjhdfldksj
also im not counting my like wide variety of sonas in this collective verse, nor am i counting my fan characters
like this is
original characters only
and i??? won’t be including the ap concentration ocs either bc they belong somewhere else
OH YEAH AND
i have another merman oc called sol who i will change bc he turned into a shota and iiiii dont like that
and then i have like,, my zodiac ocs that i’m sorta considering turning into like
an elite group comprised of members from every single faction that’s responsible for keeping order
for example gemini is from the siren nation (where hal is from) and takes the form of two kids who can combine to form one larger kid
libra is a witch who comes from the same place as warlock man and singer girl
aquarius is a fairy from the same place as fairy boy (obviously)
and.... capricorn is an elf bc arrows and shit fuck off i dont care
pisces is obviously from the merman nation
wow
okay
welcome
to my extended universe lgkljafhlakjfh this is so wild wow haha
OH AND I HAVE
GEM PEOPLE
more like sleep people
they’re made of gemstones kinda sorta and take on the colors of the gemstones
they’re like if you married hn/k and s/u, so like,, ihave a whole set of them, they’re like gods basically, and are responsible for the whole realm of sleep. I ALSO HAVE MY VIOLIN WHO IS
I
WAIT
i dont
hm
should i kep her in this
i.... i kinda want to? she’d be like
from the same kingdom as the violin prince
oh and i have a candy witch like,,, i think his name was candy floss???? he’d be from the same like
witch kingdom as libra
i should also have like a headfeets kingdom entirely populated by headfeets hgbakjdfldasjhgklsjdhfkj its fuck its horrible but i like the idea?????
yeah theres
so many ocs to go through i give up
but for now this is the universe
im
so excited
like there are these high tech metropolitan cities like where the cyborgs are from and where the m!nster boys would perform (also like ive basically settled on the fact that they’re monsters now oh well)
and there’s obviously a place for dragons (who can take on a human form)
and the oceans have like ocean life and shit
there are like land-based mermaids (like in rivers and lakes and shit) like Wei the koi merman, and sea-based mermaids like Sol who is a deep sea merman
and there are woodland based people
and like
okay so the dragons live in the mountains
the sirens live at sea on islands
there’s two main continent areas--one is wooded, the other is highly technologically advanced
there is magic in the world, which is balanaced by the technology also present in the world
magic is what powers the tech
there are four floating islands on which the technologically advanced people live (borrowing from sky pillars dont mind meeee its the club that my two cyborg ocs are from so)
and then there are like
god there are so many places
like wooded places are where the elves live
there are like open plains where like centaurs and shit live
and obviously there are like your average humans who live in villages dotted all around the world
ITLL BE SO COOL OK
AND LIKE
CELESTIALS (the dream keeper people) WHO LIVE IN THE NIGHT SKY AND SHIT
like they control your dreams and shit and are like
made of precious gems
the main guy who i posted awhile ago has like power over the process of falling asleep
i remember there’s like
good dreams and nightmares
probably a storyweaver
lucid dreaming
and like
sleep paralysis (who is a terrifying guy btw)
it’s so solid and im so happy
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