Fated (Chapter One)
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mindcrackloveThe first chapter to the third part of the Monstrous trilogy!
This follows the story of the descendants, 200 years after the events of Residual (discounting epilogue) and the re-emergence of the Hostiles.
Now, you're probably looking at the tags and getting a bit concerned. EVERY chapter will be tagged with 'mention of character death' to A) avoid spoilers and B) to remind you that Fated is brutal. Remember the Residual epilogue? Yeah.
So let's do this.
Chapter list: http://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/382.html
Map of the continent: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Fated-map-544073443
Character status spreadsheet (New one for Fated): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RKoeOLYhQctmZ5McNHc_kid0tjfb1BxyuD8i95FmFQE/edit?usp=sharing
She stopped in surprise when she realized that the one helping her wasn’t her cousin, but an unfamiliar figure in dark clothes and a skull mask. The figure slashed through the last of the creatures with their dual blades before pausing, evaluating her.
Finally, the figure spoke.
“You know, I’d heard that Davions attract trouble, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite like this.”
“And who are you?”
“A friend. My mother sent me to find you because our ancestors were friends and I’m supposed to help you.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
The figure paused, considering their next words.
“Have you ever heard of Blame the Controller?”
But that’s not for awhile, yet.
Chapter One
My name is Vechs Davion.
And this is not my story.
In a way, it’s a continuation of it.
And in another, it’s someone else’s completely.
Let’s go back, or forward, rather, to a time shortly before the Bloodshadow reaches its zenith.
Let’s go back to when the first descendants become relevant.
Kingdom of Traz’madar, Minecraftia. September 2, year 573. Time instance 483Z.
Nia was running for her life.
She had no idea why this earth elementalist was pissed off at her, but he was. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at him before he had shouted at her and started throwing boulders.
Her feet pounded against the ground as a boulder slammed into the earth just a few feet away. She dodged past one of the trees in the area and flinched as it was hit, wood chips bouncing against her back. She put on more speed, quickly reaching the clearing she knew was hidden just yards ahead.
She charged into the clearing and seized her cousin’s arm, not pausing as she dragged him along and not paying attention as her action forced him to drop his bag.
“Nia, what-“
“Don’t talk, just run!” Nia shrieked as another chunk of earth sailed past them and hit a tree. “We’re got an earth elementalist after us!”
“What?!” Her cousin was running now as well, pulling himself from her grasp but not slowing down. “What did you do?!”
“I don’t know!” Nia gasped. “He just started attacking me!”
“But-“
“Shut up and run, Adrian!”
The two focused on running, moving quickly and trying to get away but never managing to lose him. After about ten minutes, they were losing energy quickly and were beginning to lose hope that they could escape this elementalist- despite the fact that he seemed to have terrible aim- when they were driven to the edge of a cliff.
Nia and Adrian both froze, gazing the seventy or so feet down the chasm before them. It stretched both southwest and north, the northern edge disappearing into the distance.
Part of the Shattering.
Nia was about to pull them to run another direction when a boulder slammed into the ground behind them, making Adrian lose his balance and fall.
Nia seized his hand and they both went down, barely managing to slide down the relatively steep descent into the chasm.
They got to their feet and started to take stock of their injuries when another boulder hit right next to them. Nia glanced up at the slope and noticed the elementalist following them.
“Shit, we’re not out of harm’s way yet!” She grabbed her cousin’s hand and pulled him along, dodging another rock.
“I cannot believe how shitty this guy’s aim is!” Adrian shouted to her as they ran. “How has he not hit us yet?”
“Maybe he’s pissy because he can’t hit anything, I don’t know!” Nia pulled Adrian away from another impact site. “Go, go, go!”
Nia was looking for a way out of this chasm, knowing that it had to eventually end, but the walls were getting steeper and steeper as they ran through it. As they passed a particularly unstable section of wall, a boulder went wide and knocked it free.
Adrian pulled Nia into a gap in the wall to escape the dust and rocks that came tumbling down the wall, shaking the earth and hurting their ears with the roar.
Once it had stopped, they cautiously came out of their hiding place to see what had happened.
The chasm had collapsed behind them, forming a wall of stone that they couldn’t hope to pass. The walls were as steep and unclimbable as ever, leaving the only way to go north through the chasm.
Both looked at their surroundings for a couple of minutes before looking at each other.
“Well, shit.” Nia muttered.
Adrian dusted off his red cloak. “Why does weird shit always happen to us?” he demanded. “And how will we get home?”
Nia shrugged a little. “I don’t know. We’re not climbing out of here, so…” She made a defeated gesture. “I guess we walk.”
North, towards destiny.
“What happened to that elementalist, do you suppose?”
Nia shrugged. “Beats me. He couldn’t seem to hit us, though.”
“Hmm.” Adrian gazed at the wall that had formed, troubled.
“Come on.” Nia tugged on his arm. “Let’s get going. I want to get back home before Aunt Velana does. I don’t want to worry her.”
As they set off through the chasm, Nia watched her cousin, knowing that he was more troubled about the earth elementalist than she was. They had grown up together and were practically siblings despite looking nothing alike- Adrian was about 5’7 with red hair and bright green eyes, while Nia was 6’0 with black hair and intense blue eyes. Their Aunt Velana wasn’t really Nia’s aunt- she was Adrian’s on his father’s side. They weren’t exactly the most closely related cousins, either, as their parents weren’t siblings, but it didn’t really matter. They called each other cousin and acted like siblings.
As they walked, Nia wondered how long it would take to get out.
Quite awhile, they discovered.
~~~
It was about dusk when they found a wall of the chasm that they could climb up. It took about half an hour, but both Nia and Adrian managed to get out without too much incident- although Adrian did get his cloak stuck a few times.
“Your cloak is both stupid and a liability. I don’t know why you like it.”
“Cloaks are awe…some…” Adrian began to protest, but cut himself off. “Umm, Nia?”
“What?”
“…Look behind you.”
Nia looked away from the chasm to what Adrian was looking at, and her eyes went wide.
In the distance, between them and the vague shapes of mountains, was an angry, fiery glow. Another chasm, much larger than the one they had just escaped, was carved into the ground and glowed with the flames of the core of the world. Lava must have burst up from it, for the area between there and where the two were was mostly burned to nothing, the ground barren and gray.
“I don’t think we’re in Traz’madar.” Adrian finally managed, voice quiet. “I think we’re in the ruins of…of Dalania.”
Nia shivered, remembering what Velana had told them about the Shattering of Dalania.
Sixteen years ago, shortly after Nia had been born and before Adrian had been, the very earth the kingdom of Dalania sat upon shattered, magma bursting up from the core and burning it to the ground. Chasms opened and closed, cities collapsed, and everything that the Dalanians had built over two hundred years fell into nothing. No one dared live within Dalanian borders anymore- it was too dangerous and the area was filled with horrible and unknown creatures from within the world.
Velana had been reluctant to talk about Dalania further, though, other than to warn off the two from going there.
And now, they were within its borders as night fell and the monsters were known to come out and play.
“We need to find shelter.”
“Here? Now?” Adrian demanded. “Are you out of your mind? We need to get back home!”
“We won’t get home before all sorts of horrible things come out and try to kill us.” Nia protested. “Neither of us have our weapons nor is Teramelle here. Where the hell is she, anyway?”
Adrian shrugged.
“How do you lose a unicorn?!” Nia demanded.
Adrian shrugged again. “She wandered off and then you appeared to kidnap me.”
Nia grumbled something rude before looking around for anywhere that looked mildly safe. Before she could locate anywhere, however, she heard a low growl.
“For fuck’s sake!” She grabbed Adrian’s arm and started to run even before she got a good look at the creature- all she saw was that it was dark red and had fangs. Adrian swore colorfully as he was dragged along, scrambling to try to run on his own and screeching at the same time at the sight of the monster.
Shatterbeast.
They weren’t running long before Nia lost her footing and fell, dragging them both down into a steep pit that slid down and right, taking them a good fifty feet before stopping.
The monster growled softly and didn’t follow them down, but remained at the entrance above. Clearly, it knew that this was a dead end and they had to come out eventually.
Nia got to her feet and dusted herself off, flinching as one of her scrapes from earlier was agitated. Adrian grumbled as he stood and tried to ignore the trickle of blood from his elbow.
Nia paused when she saw what they had slipped into. “Adrian.” she said slowly. “What is that?”
Adrian looked.
The cave was indeed a dead end, but there was what appeared to be a stone alter of some kind placed at the end of it. Two azure braziers had lit themselves when Nia and Adrian fell into the cave, illuminating the bow that rested on the altar. Behind it perched a gargoyle, carved out of the same stone as the altar. It held a quiver with a single, unremarkable arrow in it as well as a strap designed to hold a bow on the wearer’s back.
Not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere in the cave, although it felt like the place hadn’t been disturbed for centuries.
Put in place by a Skullblade with a mission.
“Call me crazy, but I think that bow is glowing faintly purple.”
“I see it too.” Adrian told her. Both stepped forward to look at it in wonder.
Adrian reached out to touch it but quickly retracted his hand. “Ouch! It’s hot!”
“Is it?” Nia gently placed her hand on it, but shook her head. “No. It’s a little warm, though.” She wrapped her fingers around the bow and lifted it. It thrummed gently in her hand and a quiet hum filled the cave momentarily. The glow strengthened momentarily before fading again.
“Woah. It feels almost…alive.”
“I think you should put it down.” Adrian said nervously. “It doesn’t seem that sa-AAH!”
Adrian’s shriek was caused by the gargoyle opening its eyes and stretching its wings. It stood up straighter and looked at Nia closely before whooping loudly. It dropped the quiver and strap on the altar, flexing its claws. “The heir is here, the heir is here!” it chanted, flapping its wings excitedly.
“Um.” Nia blinked.
“The Davion heir has taken the bow, I am free to leave!” the gargoyle cheered. “I was charged to make sure it never fell into the wrong hands, and your hands are the right hands, yes, yes, yes!”
“I think you’re confusing me with someone else.” Nia said slowly. “Davion heir? The last Davions died in the Shattering, didn’t they?”
“All but three.” The gargoyle grinned at them. “And the two living ones both stand before me, the heir and the cousin, the ones who will change history! Fate has brought you here, to Kaen no Mai, the bow of Vechs Davion. Fate has set you upon your quest, just as Blame the Controller told me that it would, that you would come before the Bloodshadow bleeds the sky.”
The gargoyle sped past them, taking flight and shooting out of the cave like a frightened bird.
Nia and Adrian looked at each other blankly.
Davions.
-~-
Vechs leaned back in his seat, looking up at Aureylian after staring at the orb in his hands.
Norazdomu had appeared in the Vortex two days ago and given every Mindcracker an orb, informing them that ‘fate’s wheels would begin to roll again soon’ and that the orbs would let them see what their descendants were up to. They would only begin to work once the descendants became ‘relevant’ and Vechs supposed that this relevance was starting now, as his and Aureylian’s had started working earlier that day.
“Nia and Adrian.” he said slowly. “Mine and yours.”
Aureylian nodded, looking up at him. “They’ve found your bow, and that gargoyle…Did you set that up?”
Vechs shook his head. “No, but I have a feeling I know who did…”
His eyes drifted to Blame, who was dozing in a chair nearby, the orb in his right hand dim.
This follows the story of the descendants, 200 years after the events of Residual (discounting epilogue) and the re-emergence of the Hostiles.
Now, you're probably looking at the tags and getting a bit concerned. EVERY chapter will be tagged with 'mention of character death' to A) avoid spoilers and B) to remind you that Fated is brutal. Remember the Residual epilogue? Yeah.
So let's do this.
Chapter list: http://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/382.html
Map of the continent: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Fated-map-544073443
Character status spreadsheet (New one for Fated): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RKoeOLYhQctmZ5McNHc_kid0tjfb1BxyuD8i95FmFQE/edit?usp=sharing
She stopped in surprise when she realized that the one helping her wasn’t her cousin, but an unfamiliar figure in dark clothes and a skull mask. The figure slashed through the last of the creatures with their dual blades before pausing, evaluating her.
Finally, the figure spoke.
“You know, I’d heard that Davions attract trouble, but I hadn’t expected it to be quite like this.”
“And who are you?”
“A friend. My mother sent me to find you because our ancestors were friends and I’m supposed to help you.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
The figure paused, considering their next words.
“Have you ever heard of Blame the Controller?”
But that’s not for awhile, yet.
Chapter One
My name is Vechs Davion.
And this is not my story.
In a way, it’s a continuation of it.
And in another, it’s someone else’s completely.
Let’s go back, or forward, rather, to a time shortly before the Bloodshadow reaches its zenith.
Let’s go back to when the first descendants become relevant.
Kingdom of Traz’madar, Minecraftia. September 2, year 573. Time instance 483Z.
Nia was running for her life.
She had no idea why this earth elementalist was pissed off at her, but he was. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at him before he had shouted at her and started throwing boulders.
Her feet pounded against the ground as a boulder slammed into the earth just a few feet away. She dodged past one of the trees in the area and flinched as it was hit, wood chips bouncing against her back. She put on more speed, quickly reaching the clearing she knew was hidden just yards ahead.
She charged into the clearing and seized her cousin’s arm, not pausing as she dragged him along and not paying attention as her action forced him to drop his bag.
“Nia, what-“
“Don’t talk, just run!” Nia shrieked as another chunk of earth sailed past them and hit a tree. “We’re got an earth elementalist after us!”
“What?!” Her cousin was running now as well, pulling himself from her grasp but not slowing down. “What did you do?!”
“I don’t know!” Nia gasped. “He just started attacking me!”
“But-“
“Shut up and run, Adrian!”
The two focused on running, moving quickly and trying to get away but never managing to lose him. After about ten minutes, they were losing energy quickly and were beginning to lose hope that they could escape this elementalist- despite the fact that he seemed to have terrible aim- when they were driven to the edge of a cliff.
Nia and Adrian both froze, gazing the seventy or so feet down the chasm before them. It stretched both southwest and north, the northern edge disappearing into the distance.
Part of the Shattering.
Nia was about to pull them to run another direction when a boulder slammed into the ground behind them, making Adrian lose his balance and fall.
Nia seized his hand and they both went down, barely managing to slide down the relatively steep descent into the chasm.
They got to their feet and started to take stock of their injuries when another boulder hit right next to them. Nia glanced up at the slope and noticed the elementalist following them.
“Shit, we’re not out of harm’s way yet!” She grabbed her cousin’s hand and pulled him along, dodging another rock.
“I cannot believe how shitty this guy’s aim is!” Adrian shouted to her as they ran. “How has he not hit us yet?”
“Maybe he’s pissy because he can’t hit anything, I don’t know!” Nia pulled Adrian away from another impact site. “Go, go, go!”
Nia was looking for a way out of this chasm, knowing that it had to eventually end, but the walls were getting steeper and steeper as they ran through it. As they passed a particularly unstable section of wall, a boulder went wide and knocked it free.
Adrian pulled Nia into a gap in the wall to escape the dust and rocks that came tumbling down the wall, shaking the earth and hurting their ears with the roar.
Once it had stopped, they cautiously came out of their hiding place to see what had happened.
The chasm had collapsed behind them, forming a wall of stone that they couldn’t hope to pass. The walls were as steep and unclimbable as ever, leaving the only way to go north through the chasm.
Both looked at their surroundings for a couple of minutes before looking at each other.
“Well, shit.” Nia muttered.
Adrian dusted off his red cloak. “Why does weird shit always happen to us?” he demanded. “And how will we get home?”
Nia shrugged a little. “I don’t know. We’re not climbing out of here, so…” She made a defeated gesture. “I guess we walk.”
North, towards destiny.
“What happened to that elementalist, do you suppose?”
Nia shrugged. “Beats me. He couldn’t seem to hit us, though.”
“Hmm.” Adrian gazed at the wall that had formed, troubled.
“Come on.” Nia tugged on his arm. “Let’s get going. I want to get back home before Aunt Velana does. I don’t want to worry her.”
As they set off through the chasm, Nia watched her cousin, knowing that he was more troubled about the earth elementalist than she was. They had grown up together and were practically siblings despite looking nothing alike- Adrian was about 5’7 with red hair and bright green eyes, while Nia was 6’0 with black hair and intense blue eyes. Their Aunt Velana wasn’t really Nia’s aunt- she was Adrian’s on his father’s side. They weren’t exactly the most closely related cousins, either, as their parents weren’t siblings, but it didn’t really matter. They called each other cousin and acted like siblings.
As they walked, Nia wondered how long it would take to get out.
Quite awhile, they discovered.
~~~
It was about dusk when they found a wall of the chasm that they could climb up. It took about half an hour, but both Nia and Adrian managed to get out without too much incident- although Adrian did get his cloak stuck a few times.
“Your cloak is both stupid and a liability. I don’t know why you like it.”
“Cloaks are awe…some…” Adrian began to protest, but cut himself off. “Umm, Nia?”
“What?”
“…Look behind you.”
Nia looked away from the chasm to what Adrian was looking at, and her eyes went wide.
In the distance, between them and the vague shapes of mountains, was an angry, fiery glow. Another chasm, much larger than the one they had just escaped, was carved into the ground and glowed with the flames of the core of the world. Lava must have burst up from it, for the area between there and where the two were was mostly burned to nothing, the ground barren and gray.
“I don’t think we’re in Traz’madar.” Adrian finally managed, voice quiet. “I think we’re in the ruins of…of Dalania.”
Nia shivered, remembering what Velana had told them about the Shattering of Dalania.
Sixteen years ago, shortly after Nia had been born and before Adrian had been, the very earth the kingdom of Dalania sat upon shattered, magma bursting up from the core and burning it to the ground. Chasms opened and closed, cities collapsed, and everything that the Dalanians had built over two hundred years fell into nothing. No one dared live within Dalanian borders anymore- it was too dangerous and the area was filled with horrible and unknown creatures from within the world.
Velana had been reluctant to talk about Dalania further, though, other than to warn off the two from going there.
And now, they were within its borders as night fell and the monsters were known to come out and play.
“We need to find shelter.”
“Here? Now?” Adrian demanded. “Are you out of your mind? We need to get back home!”
“We won’t get home before all sorts of horrible things come out and try to kill us.” Nia protested. “Neither of us have our weapons nor is Teramelle here. Where the hell is she, anyway?”
Adrian shrugged.
“How do you lose a unicorn?!” Nia demanded.
Adrian shrugged again. “She wandered off and then you appeared to kidnap me.”
Nia grumbled something rude before looking around for anywhere that looked mildly safe. Before she could locate anywhere, however, she heard a low growl.
“For fuck’s sake!” She grabbed Adrian’s arm and started to run even before she got a good look at the creature- all she saw was that it was dark red and had fangs. Adrian swore colorfully as he was dragged along, scrambling to try to run on his own and screeching at the same time at the sight of the monster.
Shatterbeast.
They weren’t running long before Nia lost her footing and fell, dragging them both down into a steep pit that slid down and right, taking them a good fifty feet before stopping.
The monster growled softly and didn’t follow them down, but remained at the entrance above. Clearly, it knew that this was a dead end and they had to come out eventually.
Nia got to her feet and dusted herself off, flinching as one of her scrapes from earlier was agitated. Adrian grumbled as he stood and tried to ignore the trickle of blood from his elbow.
Nia paused when she saw what they had slipped into. “Adrian.” she said slowly. “What is that?”
Adrian looked.
The cave was indeed a dead end, but there was what appeared to be a stone alter of some kind placed at the end of it. Two azure braziers had lit themselves when Nia and Adrian fell into the cave, illuminating the bow that rested on the altar. Behind it perched a gargoyle, carved out of the same stone as the altar. It held a quiver with a single, unremarkable arrow in it as well as a strap designed to hold a bow on the wearer’s back.
Not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere in the cave, although it felt like the place hadn’t been disturbed for centuries.
Put in place by a Skullblade with a mission.
“Call me crazy, but I think that bow is glowing faintly purple.”
“I see it too.” Adrian told her. Both stepped forward to look at it in wonder.
Adrian reached out to touch it but quickly retracted his hand. “Ouch! It’s hot!”
“Is it?” Nia gently placed her hand on it, but shook her head. “No. It’s a little warm, though.” She wrapped her fingers around the bow and lifted it. It thrummed gently in her hand and a quiet hum filled the cave momentarily. The glow strengthened momentarily before fading again.
“Woah. It feels almost…alive.”
“I think you should put it down.” Adrian said nervously. “It doesn’t seem that sa-AAH!”
Adrian’s shriek was caused by the gargoyle opening its eyes and stretching its wings. It stood up straighter and looked at Nia closely before whooping loudly. It dropped the quiver and strap on the altar, flexing its claws. “The heir is here, the heir is here!” it chanted, flapping its wings excitedly.
“Um.” Nia blinked.
“The Davion heir has taken the bow, I am free to leave!” the gargoyle cheered. “I was charged to make sure it never fell into the wrong hands, and your hands are the right hands, yes, yes, yes!”
“I think you’re confusing me with someone else.” Nia said slowly. “Davion heir? The last Davions died in the Shattering, didn’t they?”
“All but three.” The gargoyle grinned at them. “And the two living ones both stand before me, the heir and the cousin, the ones who will change history! Fate has brought you here, to Kaen no Mai, the bow of Vechs Davion. Fate has set you upon your quest, just as Blame the Controller told me that it would, that you would come before the Bloodshadow bleeds the sky.”
The gargoyle sped past them, taking flight and shooting out of the cave like a frightened bird.
Nia and Adrian looked at each other blankly.
Davions.
-~-
Vechs leaned back in his seat, looking up at Aureylian after staring at the orb in his hands.
Norazdomu had appeared in the Vortex two days ago and given every Mindcracker an orb, informing them that ‘fate’s wheels would begin to roll again soon’ and that the orbs would let them see what their descendants were up to. They would only begin to work once the descendants became ‘relevant’ and Vechs supposed that this relevance was starting now, as his and Aureylian’s had started working earlier that day.
“Nia and Adrian.” he said slowly. “Mine and yours.”
Aureylian nodded, looking up at him. “They’ve found your bow, and that gargoyle…Did you set that up?”
Vechs shook his head. “No, but I have a feeling I know who did…”
His eyes drifted to Blame, who was dozing in a chair nearby, the orb in his right hand dim.
