Prince Garam's Perspective
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I feel like I'm doing something wrong here...
Huuuh. Log #3, day 1... no... now 2 of the pocket dimension competition with my teacher Zackaria. The rising sun in the windows tells me such.
It seems we've gone into two completely different fundamentals when it comes to making these. Zackaria keeps changing out the door frames for the portal, while I've just been redoing sigils on the starter frame.
I've noticed he's been trying out different woods. Probably to test for the best magic conductivity. I on the other hand have just been using a base oak frame we started with, but now I'm thinking it might have been sabotage.
Oak is good, but maybe I can use ironwood. It's incredibly sturdy; difficult to splinter or break, but it has difficulty retaining magic. If the portal were to explode the frame would last, but it heavily limits how many sigils I can work with.
Maybe I move to Mythwood. No... We definitely don't have enough to make a frame. But... I could use a little transmutation and combine the two... If I did it right, the decrease in sturdiness from the mythwood, and decrease in conductivity from the ironwood would be marginal.
It seems Zackaria is leaving the tower. This gives me just the window. He's not going to know what hits him.
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The Vulgar Dynasty War Room
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Zackaria stood at the head of the table with a stormy grimace. His teeth grinded while his fingers rhythmically tapped on the table.
Before him sat Vanity, Ag, Mordeki, Yoona, and Reggie. One half of the full team.
"Everyone was aware of this meeting. So why are only five of you here?" Zackaria seethed.
"I know where Whistle and Bounty are." Reggie, lent back in his chair with his boots on the table, raised his hand. "They went to see Julia. Something about her vampire healing powers."
"And what about Dian, Gala, and Ave?" Zackaria asked already exhausted.
Ag cleared his throat. "I must apologize. I lost Ave, and have yet to find him. I take full responsibility." He gave a solemn bow.
"As for Dian and Gala..." Ag thought for a second, not wanting to reveal that his bed is against the same wall as Dian's, and that he heard everything last night. "...They are doing some 'morning exercises' together."
Zackaria let out a deep sigh. Planting his hands on the table, an audible crack of his back could be heard as he stretched. His mood seemed to have improved my a small amount. "At least most of the team is accounted for... Which gives us a fitting transition..."
The Vulgar Dynasty give each other some expecting gazes. Hopeful they might actually get some action. So far they've had nothing to go off of when it came to some major goal.
"We need to do some training."
There was an immediate collection of disappointed sighs. Ag stood to his feet. "As the team leader. I will spearhead this."
"Excuse me?" Vanity stood up across from him. "I thought I was the team leader?" She asked as if it was more of a command than a question.
"My apologies, miss Vanity, but I believe I have far more experience in leadership then you."
"Who here has actually led a kingdom?"
Sparks were flying as the blades of their defiant gazes clashed against each other.
"Then I think I know what our training session can be..." Ag unsheathed his short sword from his back and tossed it onto the table. "...a duel. Victor leads the team."
Vanity took her own sword from the hip and tossed it on to the table. "Deal."
"What the fuck is happening." Reggie quietly whispered to Mordeki.
"Where we come from, throwing your sword in front of another is a challenge. To not accept is to show cowardice. It's a very serious matter and usually ends in one or both participants dying. One is a woman who's fought tooth, nail, and hoof for her position, the other an adopted son of a red dragon as old as time itself." Mordeki replied back in a whisper.
"This is going to be awesome."
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The Platinum Palace Training Grounds.
An hour later.
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The team was gathered on small stadium benches on the side of the field. The absentees, excluding Ave, had also joined. Dian sat next to Bounty who was applying a clear liquid from a vial on his leg wound. "Healing potion?" She asked sitting down.
"Worse. Vampire spit." He replied rubbing it under his bandage. "Julia fixed up Whistle pretty quickly when I shot him. We figured we could get some from her for mine."
"Worse? I know plenty of men who'd pay ludicrous amounts to get a vampire to spit on them, and you're complaining about getting it for free."
"I didn't get it for free; I owe her a favor, and I'm real tired of dealing with women recently."
"Quite the misogynist too." Dian said amused.
"I don't hate women, I hate everyone. Bunch of assholes who can't manage to be decent people for five seconds."
"Oh and he writes poetry too!"
"Shut up."
Meanwhile Gala sat up to Whistle to kiss and tell. Though she made a notable wince as she tried to nonchalantly stretch; soreness from last night's sordid encounter.
"Are you alright? A lot of your feathers are discolored and you wing looks kind of haggard."
Changelings don't just lose their wounds when they shift. Damaged tissue persists between forms, and scar tissue can cause complications (which is why she can't fly in the first place), but Gala wasn't just going to reveal this. "You know how I've been trying to get with someone since we got here?"
Whistle went immediately wide eyed. "You didn't." He gasped.
Gala subtly raised the feathers around her neck to reveal the Good Girl collar that was carefully hidden around her throat.
"You did! Who!?"
"Shhh-shhh!" Gala quieted the excited Whistle down before giving a subtle shoulder shimmy and nod in Dian's direction. Whistle took a few seconds to process before he looked back at Gala.
"You need to tell me EVERYTHING."
"Okay, so first she..."
While those two were discussing Dian's peculiar interests, Yoona had approached Mordeki with her own peculiar interest. He was trying to salvage the torn pages of his spellbook. "Mordeki...?" Yoona spoke softly in hopes not to frighten him like she's done before. Though that didn't stop him from being slightly startled.
"Hello Yoona... How can I h-help you." He stammered, still getting use to her.
"Yoona wanted to give Mordeki something." She handed him a book full of empty pages. Perfect for a new spellbook.
"...Thank you Yoona. I appreciate this more than you know. How did you know I needed this?" He asked. A genuine smile creeped at his scales. Yoona was tempted to tell him it was all Vanity's idea and that Vanity was going to give the book to him yesterday but missed her chance.
"Yoona just thought Mordeki would like it." She gave a little hyena cackle before she awkwardly stepped away.
"Gods that's weird." Reggie muttered watching both of them. At which he was quickly elbowed in the arm by Vanity. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For being a prude!" She scolded.
"How am I a prude? He's as old as dirt and she has the emotional intelligence of a ten-year-old! It's weird."
"They are beastfolk, they don't apply to your standard of human love. Let them be."
"Fine." Reggie scoffed. "Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
Lady in this instance was on Vanity's side.
"Of course you'd be."
"What?" Vanity asked.
"Nothing."
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"Good. Almost everyone is here." Ag clapped his hands together after getting a chalkboard out into the yard. "Has anyone seen or heard from Ave at all?"
"Nope." "Nah." "Uh-uh."
"Figured." Ag picked up a piece of chalk and began writing. "Zackaria has tasked us with some team training. Our overall performance has been sloppy and half-assed at best. It's time we really show we are the Hero candidates, and that we weren't summoned here by mistake."
"I already train by myself just fine. Why do I need to do it with the team?" Dian asked with obvious annoyance.
"As much as I prefer self training, Dian, I do believe we need more synergy. With this exercise I believe we can figure out each other's strengths and weaknesses together, and have fun doing it."
Ag turned the board to the team to reveal their names in pairs.
Agshulkaal || Vanity
Reginald || Yoona
Dian || Whistle
Gala || Mordeki
Bounty || Ave
"These are our dueling partners." Ag crossed his arms with a boisterous grin. "Who's first?"
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Meanwhile in a rainy, unnamed village in Arkheim, the Border Collie wolffolk, Io, and her Orc comrade, Hos, snuck their way behind the village's inn. Their navy blue cloaks kept them obscured, yet still noticable in the morning coastal mist.
"Where the hell ish he?" Hos muttered.
"He said he'd be here..." Io replied. Obvious that her anxiety was getting to her.
After another couple of minutes passed as a cloaked figure slinked their way around the corner and pressed themselves against the back of the inn with the duo.
"Requiem for the moon." The stranger whispered.
"The night of day's end." Io and Hos replied.
There was a momentary silence before the stranger removed his hood to reveal the pale face and large milky eyes of a changeling. Io's hood fell as she pulled him into a heavy embrace. "Kaz! I was beginning to think you died."
"We literally talked using magic an hour ago." Kaz strained as he patted the wolf girl's back. "You can let go now."
"The Mashter has beehn looking for youh." Hos slowly pulled Io away. "He'sh getting upshet."
"I know, I know. But I've been doing my own investigation. I couldn't risk giving the details over any messaging."
"What is it? It better be enough to quell master's anger."
"It may be a little far fetched, but someone investigated the General's death, but they weren't any of the guard. The body was asked questions."
"Like Nehcromanshy?"
"Exactly Hos. He may have ratted on me... There were also servants who weren't on the staff list at Xena's party, and there was also a report of a quelled cult in that lighthouse town you guys were at."
Io turned between the two wagging her tail. "That explains that magic explosion we saw as we left with the storm!"
"While we were causing issues, someone else was working in tandem. I think we may have competition."
"Whe need to bring thish to Mashter!"
"No! No, don't. I don't even know if I'm right. I'm going to the capital. I have a few 'friends' that could help me. Just stall Master as long as you can. Please."
Both Io and Hos put a hand on Kaz's shoulders. "You can count on us."