Fated (Chapter Two)
Monday, July 6th, 2015 02:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveThe second chapter of Fated is here!
We meet a third descendant and realize that the italicized text at the beginning of chapter one really wasn't that far ahead.
There will be more, though.
You'll see.
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
Chapter Two
Ruins of Dalania, Minecraftia. September 2, year 573. Time instance 483Z.
“Davion?” Nia asked, finally. “Did I hear that right?”
“I think that gargoyle was nuts from being in here too long.” Adrian decided. “Let’s just…get out of here and go home.”
Nia nodded and moved towards the exit after putting on the strap and quiver, but was stopped by the growls of the monster. “Oh, hell.” she growled. “I forgot about you.”
“How are we gonna get past that?”
“We’re going to shoot it.” Nia informed him, reaching for the arrow in her quiver and raising the bow. “I just need to not miss.”
Surprisingly, her fingers brushed against the feathered ends of two arrows. One of them felt different than a normal arrow and she pulled it out, looking at it. It shimmered slightly, glowing faintly purple like the bow itself.
“It just…appeared.” Adrian said, sounding lost. “Does this thing duplicate arrows?”
“Apparently.” Nia gave the bow an odd look as she nocked the arrow. “…Okay. Let’s see what else you can do.” She pulled back the string and stepped forward to get a good angle at the monster.
“Happy birthday, fucker!” She released the arrow, instinctively reaching for another one.
There was no need.
The arrow burst into flames the moment it left the string, shooting faster that Nia could have anticipated. It slammed into the monster, setting its fur ablaze and tearing through its flesh to its heart.
It screamed once before falling dead beside the exit, corpse burning merrily.
Nia and Adrian both stared.
Kaen no Mai’s power was beyond any that they had previously seen.
Nia very carefully secured the bow on her back.
“Let’s just…go home. We can ask Aunt Velana about this thing as soon as we get there.”
“Are you forgetting that it’s night out?!” Adrian demanded. “What if there are other…things?”
“We’re armed now.” Nia patted the bow. “And I don’t want to spend the night here.”
Adrian hesitated, but nodded. “I can’t believe Teramelle has my sword.” he muttered. “She wandered off with it. Why couldn’t we go find the unicorn before running into another country entirely?”
“I was a little too busy running for my life to think about your unicorn. Sorry.”
Adrian sighed, following her out of the cave and onto the surface. Nia helped him up before pulling out her bow again. “We need to head south.” She oriented herself by looking at the sky and started to move, quickly running into the chasm again.
“We need to angle along this. We can’t jump it.” Adrian sighed. “Back the way we came, pretty much.”
Nia sighed. This would be a long walk.
~~~
They had only been walking for about half an hour when an entire pack of monsters showed up.
Nia quickly set about shooting them, but there were so many that a few got past her to Adrian.
One sunk its teeth into his arm and he kicked at it. Nia’s arrow killed it a moment later, but the monster to Adrian’s right slammed into him, making him slip and fall into the chasm.
He screamed as he fell, barely keeping himself from freefalling by grabbing ledges and sliding down to the bottom. Nia didn’t see him fall, having looked away to shoot another monster, and only heard his scream. She turned to look but was forced to focus on the monsters attacking her.
Nia, unfortunately, selected the wrong arrow a couple of shots later, seizing the non-glowing arrow. It put the monster down, but when she reached into her quiver, there were no arrows there.
Oh, shit.
As Nia stepped back, trying to get away from the creatures, one of them beside her was sliced in half. She felt its blood splatter her arm.
A sword hit the ground beside her, a voice growling for her to defend herself.
She instinctively assumed it was Adrian and seized the sword, putting her bow on her back and throwing herself into combat. She wasn’t nearly as good with a sword as she was with a bow, but she didn’t need to be. The other fighter seemed capable of handling it, but she didn’t really look that much at them for the first few seconds. Soon, however, she turned to make sure that they were alright.
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?”
Nia hesitated. “Briefly.” she admitted. “A gargoyle in some pit over there mentioned him when I picked up the bow.” She paused. “He also said that I was a Davion, and so was Adrian- oh my god, Adrian!”
“I’m down here.” came her cousin’s irritable voice from the bottom of the chasm. “How am I getting out of here, exactly?”
The dark figure had already pulled out a rope and tossed one end down to him. They had apparently already wiped off and sheathed their swords. “Wrap that around you and tie it tightly. We can pull you up.”
Adrian followed the figure’s instructions and once he was up, Nia got a good look at the figure.
They were wearing completely black leather armor with a black cloak. On their face was a gray skull mask with two horns. The figure’s eyes were hidden in the shadows of the mask, but they were clearly not a bright color. A single set of...ribs?...were visible on the figure’s armor.
Ashenhorn Skullblade.
“I would assume that you are Nia and Adrian Davion?” the Skullblade asked.
The two looked at each other. “Apparently.” Nia said, shrugging a little. “Who are you?” she asked again.
“I am Shred the Mainframe, but I go by Shred. I’m one of the many descendants of Blame the Controller, but my mother, Seer of Pathways, has informed me that I was destined to locate you and bring you to Ashwatch to be present for the hatching of the valk’vanor later this month. She says that there’s more, but she can’t tell me until after that.” She held out a hand.
Nia cautiously shook it. “Nice to meet you…Shred?” The name was bizarre. “Thanks for the save there.”
“It would be unfortunate if your life ended right then and there.” Shred informed her, shaking Adrian’s hand as well. “What are you doing within Dalanian borders, anyway? My mother said you would be here, but…”
“We didn’t really mean to be.” Adrian admitted. “We kinda fell into that chasm while an earth elementalist chased us and we couldn’t get out until really recently. Then Nia found that bow and a gargoyle spouted some crap about us being Davions.”
“Are you sure that’s true?” Nia asked Shred, narrowing her blue eyes.
“Completely. Skullblade seers are never wrong.” Shred shrugged. “We should get to Ashwatch.”
“Woah woah woah, hey, wait a minute!” Adrian protested, making a negative gesture with his hands. “We need to get home and tell Aunt Velana what’s going on. I’m not heading halfway across the continent just because some girl in a skull mask says so.” He hesitated. “And it’s less tiring if we’re riding on Teramelle’s back.”
“Teramelle?”
“His unicorn.” Nia said, rolling her eyes. “But he’s right- we can’t just follow you around on your say-so. We’re going to go back home and talk to Aunt Velana, and if she backs up what you say about this…valk whatever and Skullblades and seers, then we’ll go ahead and follow.”
Shred sighed. “Fine. We have about twenty days anyway.” She crossed her arms. “Let’s get going. I’m looking forward to being home, but I admit that I’m glad to be in the company of Davions.”
Like old times.
As they started walking, Nia shot Shred a strange look. “Why?”
“My uncle was the primary advisor to the last king of Dalania, Callen Davion.” Shred informed them. “And my grandfather before him, and his father, and so on. I think I was meant to find you because of that, and because my uncle had no children, I’m the closest we’ve got to his descendant- my brother is younger than I am, so he’s second closest.”
“I don’t think I believe this Davion nonsense.” Adrian muttered. “Us? Related to the dead royal family of Dalania?”
“They generally had a mixture of red or black hair and green or blue eyes.” Shred shot back. “And you two both fit that, as well as being tall.”
“I’m not exactly tall…” Adrian began.
“You are a couple of inches shorter than me.” Shred admitted. “But still, you’re not short.”
“But-“
“If I haven’t convinced you, look at the bow.” Shred told Nia. “Only Davions, and some Davions at that, can pick that thing up. Adrian, did it burn you?”
“No, but it was really, really hot.”
“You could carry it, but not use it, then.” Shred said, nodding. “Nia, however…”
“It’s warm, like it’s alive.”
“Exactly. That bow was enchanted in the waters of the Vicious Wilds and was originally carried by Vechs Davion. It only listens to those of his blood- not that it was ever really given a chance to.”
“How did you k-“
“The name ‘Kaen no Mai’ is carved in the side. I recognized the name. Which reminds me.” Shred pulled an arrow out of a hidden pocket. “My mother also told me you would need this.”
Nia nodded, taking the arrow, and fell silent.
She had a lot to think about.
-~-
Blame looked up from his orb at Vechs and Aureylian.
“How many Ashenhorns do you think there are?” he asked finally.
“The way Shred phrased it made it sound like there were quite a few. It’s been two hundred years, Blame. There are probably at least a few hundred of them.” Vechs answered, shrugging a little.
Blame leaned back in his chair. “I feel bad for them.” he said finally.
“Why?” Aureylian tilted her head.
“They’re all descended from me, that’s why!” Blame growled. “That’s pretty shitty. Out of all the thousands of Ashenhorns, only one survived that night, and it was really one of the shittiest ones that could have: me.”
“You’re not shitty.” both Vechs and Aureylian protested.
“You’re amazing.” Vechs continued.
Blame grunted. He didn’t believe his friends.
After a short pause, Aureylian changed the subject. “When do you think that they’ll encounter other descendants?”
“Soon.” Vechs said vaguely, gazing down at the orb again. “At least I hope so.”
We meet a third descendant and realize that the italicized text at the beginning of chapter one really wasn't that far ahead.
There will be more, though.
You'll see.
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
Chapter Two
Ruins of Dalania, Minecraftia. September 2, year 573. Time instance 483Z.
“Davion?” Nia asked, finally. “Did I hear that right?”
“I think that gargoyle was nuts from being in here too long.” Adrian decided. “Let’s just…get out of here and go home.”
Nia nodded and moved towards the exit after putting on the strap and quiver, but was stopped by the growls of the monster. “Oh, hell.” she growled. “I forgot about you.”
“How are we gonna get past that?”
“We’re going to shoot it.” Nia informed him, reaching for the arrow in her quiver and raising the bow. “I just need to not miss.”
Surprisingly, her fingers brushed against the feathered ends of two arrows. One of them felt different than a normal arrow and she pulled it out, looking at it. It shimmered slightly, glowing faintly purple like the bow itself.
“It just…appeared.” Adrian said, sounding lost. “Does this thing duplicate arrows?”
“Apparently.” Nia gave the bow an odd look as she nocked the arrow. “…Okay. Let’s see what else you can do.” She pulled back the string and stepped forward to get a good angle at the monster.
“Happy birthday, fucker!” She released the arrow, instinctively reaching for another one.
There was no need.
The arrow burst into flames the moment it left the string, shooting faster that Nia could have anticipated. It slammed into the monster, setting its fur ablaze and tearing through its flesh to its heart.
It screamed once before falling dead beside the exit, corpse burning merrily.
Nia and Adrian both stared.
Kaen no Mai’s power was beyond any that they had previously seen.
Nia very carefully secured the bow on her back.
“Let’s just…go home. We can ask Aunt Velana about this thing as soon as we get there.”
“Are you forgetting that it’s night out?!” Adrian demanded. “What if there are other…things?”
“We’re armed now.” Nia patted the bow. “And I don’t want to spend the night here.”
Adrian hesitated, but nodded. “I can’t believe Teramelle has my sword.” he muttered. “She wandered off with it. Why couldn’t we go find the unicorn before running into another country entirely?”
“I was a little too busy running for my life to think about your unicorn. Sorry.”
Adrian sighed, following her out of the cave and onto the surface. Nia helped him up before pulling out her bow again. “We need to head south.” She oriented herself by looking at the sky and started to move, quickly running into the chasm again.
“We need to angle along this. We can’t jump it.” Adrian sighed. “Back the way we came, pretty much.”
Nia sighed. This would be a long walk.
~~~
They had only been walking for about half an hour when an entire pack of monsters showed up.
Nia quickly set about shooting them, but there were so many that a few got past her to Adrian.
One sunk its teeth into his arm and he kicked at it. Nia’s arrow killed it a moment later, but the monster to Adrian’s right slammed into him, making him slip and fall into the chasm.
He screamed as he fell, barely keeping himself from freefalling by grabbing ledges and sliding down to the bottom. Nia didn’t see him fall, having looked away to shoot another monster, and only heard his scream. She turned to look but was forced to focus on the monsters attacking her.
Nia, unfortunately, selected the wrong arrow a couple of shots later, seizing the non-glowing arrow. It put the monster down, but when she reached into her quiver, there were no arrows there.
Oh, shit.
As Nia stepped back, trying to get away from the creatures, one of them beside her was sliced in half. She felt its blood splatter her arm.
A sword hit the ground beside her, a voice growling for her to defend herself.
She instinctively assumed it was Adrian and seized the sword, putting her bow on her back and throwing herself into combat. She wasn’t nearly as good with a sword as she was with a bow, but she didn’t need to be. The other fighter seemed capable of handling it, but she didn’t really look that much at them for the first few seconds. Soon, however, she turned to make sure that they were alright.
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?”
Nia hesitated. “Briefly.” she admitted. “A gargoyle in some pit over there mentioned him when I picked up the bow.” She paused. “He also said that I was a Davion, and so was Adrian- oh my god, Adrian!”
“I’m down here.” came her cousin’s irritable voice from the bottom of the chasm. “How am I getting out of here, exactly?”
The dark figure had already pulled out a rope and tossed one end down to him. They had apparently already wiped off and sheathed their swords. “Wrap that around you and tie it tightly. We can pull you up.”
Adrian followed the figure’s instructions and once he was up, Nia got a good look at the figure.
They were wearing completely black leather armor with a black cloak. On their face was a gray skull mask with two horns. The figure’s eyes were hidden in the shadows of the mask, but they were clearly not a bright color. A single set of...ribs?...were visible on the figure’s armor.
Ashenhorn Skullblade.
“I would assume that you are Nia and Adrian Davion?” the Skullblade asked.
The two looked at each other. “Apparently.” Nia said, shrugging a little. “Who are you?” she asked again.
“I am Shred the Mainframe, but I go by Shred. I’m one of the many descendants of Blame the Controller, but my mother, Seer of Pathways, has informed me that I was destined to locate you and bring you to Ashwatch to be present for the hatching of the valk’vanor later this month. She says that there’s more, but she can’t tell me until after that.” She held out a hand.
Nia cautiously shook it. “Nice to meet you…Shred?” The name was bizarre. “Thanks for the save there.”
“It would be unfortunate if your life ended right then and there.” Shred informed her, shaking Adrian’s hand as well. “What are you doing within Dalanian borders, anyway? My mother said you would be here, but…”
“We didn’t really mean to be.” Adrian admitted. “We kinda fell into that chasm while an earth elementalist chased us and we couldn’t get out until really recently. Then Nia found that bow and a gargoyle spouted some crap about us being Davions.”
“Are you sure that’s true?” Nia asked Shred, narrowing her blue eyes.
“Completely. Skullblade seers are never wrong.” Shred shrugged. “We should get to Ashwatch.”
“Woah woah woah, hey, wait a minute!” Adrian protested, making a negative gesture with his hands. “We need to get home and tell Aunt Velana what’s going on. I’m not heading halfway across the continent just because some girl in a skull mask says so.” He hesitated. “And it’s less tiring if we’re riding on Teramelle’s back.”
“Teramelle?”
“His unicorn.” Nia said, rolling her eyes. “But he’s right- we can’t just follow you around on your say-so. We’re going to go back home and talk to Aunt Velana, and if she backs up what you say about this…valk whatever and Skullblades and seers, then we’ll go ahead and follow.”
Shred sighed. “Fine. We have about twenty days anyway.” She crossed her arms. “Let’s get going. I’m looking forward to being home, but I admit that I’m glad to be in the company of Davions.”
Like old times.
As they started walking, Nia shot Shred a strange look. “Why?”
“My uncle was the primary advisor to the last king of Dalania, Callen Davion.” Shred informed them. “And my grandfather before him, and his father, and so on. I think I was meant to find you because of that, and because my uncle had no children, I’m the closest we’ve got to his descendant- my brother is younger than I am, so he’s second closest.”
“I don’t think I believe this Davion nonsense.” Adrian muttered. “Us? Related to the dead royal family of Dalania?”
“They generally had a mixture of red or black hair and green or blue eyes.” Shred shot back. “And you two both fit that, as well as being tall.”
“I’m not exactly tall…” Adrian began.
“You are a couple of inches shorter than me.” Shred admitted. “But still, you’re not short.”
“But-“
“If I haven’t convinced you, look at the bow.” Shred told Nia. “Only Davions, and some Davions at that, can pick that thing up. Adrian, did it burn you?”
“No, but it was really, really hot.”
“You could carry it, but not use it, then.” Shred said, nodding. “Nia, however…”
“It’s warm, like it’s alive.”
“Exactly. That bow was enchanted in the waters of the Vicious Wilds and was originally carried by Vechs Davion. It only listens to those of his blood- not that it was ever really given a chance to.”
“How did you k-“
“The name ‘Kaen no Mai’ is carved in the side. I recognized the name. Which reminds me.” Shred pulled an arrow out of a hidden pocket. “My mother also told me you would need this.”
Nia nodded, taking the arrow, and fell silent.
She had a lot to think about.
-~-
Blame looked up from his orb at Vechs and Aureylian.
“How many Ashenhorns do you think there are?” he asked finally.
“The way Shred phrased it made it sound like there were quite a few. It’s been two hundred years, Blame. There are probably at least a few hundred of them.” Vechs answered, shrugging a little.
Blame leaned back in his chair. “I feel bad for them.” he said finally.
“Why?” Aureylian tilted her head.
“They’re all descended from me, that’s why!” Blame growled. “That’s pretty shitty. Out of all the thousands of Ashenhorns, only one survived that night, and it was really one of the shittiest ones that could have: me.”
“You’re not shitty.” both Vechs and Aureylian protested.
“You’re amazing.” Vechs continued.
Blame grunted. He didn’t believe his friends.
After a short pause, Aureylian changed the subject. “When do you think that they’ll encounter other descendants?”
“Soon.” Vechs said vaguely, gazing down at the orb again. “At least I hope so.”
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Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:04 pm (UTC)Loved it.
Shred is a badass. I love her already.
Good chapter and its starting to shape up very interestingly.
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Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 11:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:16 pm (UTC)At least appreciate the awesomeness of his descendant's nicknames, Shred the Mainframe is a pretty manly name.
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Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 08:57 pm (UTC)-awkward anon
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Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 01:27 am (UTC)this
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Date: Monday, July 6th, 2015 11:53 pm (UTC)/#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/ /#/
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Date: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 05:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Wednesday, July 8th, 2015 04:00 am (UTC)G.C. (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)