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To Reforge a Kingdom From the Past, One Looks to the Future (Open)

Started by Marakai Trin, December 11, 2016, 08:44:08 AM

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Bunbun

The young dragon stirred a little as she felt Marakai's hand rest atop her neck; this was not a gesture that she was expecting. She ultimately decided not to fight against it though- unexpected as it was, it was also sort of comforting in a way she couldn't really explain. Although it was in her nature to be defiant, to try and prove others wrong when they had doubts, this was one instance where she couldn't bring herself to do it. She couldn't bear to go and do something that would hurt someone that had gone through so much, especially not after seeing the kindness that he offered to her. The mention of a plan, however, gave her some hope for the future. She longed desperately to know exactly what the plan would entail... but perhaps this wasn't the best place to discuss it. Using thoughts to speak was fascinating and all, but it started to take its toll after a while.

Yeah, maybe that would be for the best. I could use a break from all of this... magic... stuff. You can lead the way when you're ready.

She gave a sideways glance at the strange man from earlier, who had seemingly taken to talking to himself and... well, whatever it was he was doing, Axia wasn't keen on being a part of it.

Marakai Trin

Marakai gave a nod, and stepped away. "Stay back," he said, a smile on his face. "You are quite small, and I do not wish to harm you - it is quite a ways down the mountain, and the descent will be easier with claw and wing."

He stepped over to his blade first, gripping it by the hilt and ripping it from the earth. Now one could see it's true size - the blade, easily a eighteen inches wide, held a single edge on one side, the other side flat and framed by a bar of adamantium. Over six feet in length and seemingly made from black glass, it was truly a monstrous weapon.

Marakai took it in one hand, and as if it was no more than a twig, hefted it so it's flat edge could rest against his shoulder. He stepped to the cliffs edge, and simply tossed it over.

The sound following could remind one of a rather large stone, falling a very far distance. Marakai turned around, then, his eyes glowing brilliantly as his form began to distort and enlarge. The black armor seemingly made of a Dragons scales bulged outward, but did not rend - more scales simply slid into place, filling in the gaps as they spread apart, seeming to simply push outward from beneath the surface. His arms, previously naught but bare human flesh, suddenly sheeted over with those same black scales, enlarging and stretching out with the audible sound of bones cracking and bending. His legs did much the same, elongating and bulging outward with powerful muscle.

From his back, massive wings took form, stretching outward in an extreme span, blotting out the sun with their magnificence for a moment.

His head seemed to jut outward, even as a large fan of spikes shot forth, ringing around his head like an odd crown, black and boney. Two large horns curled from his forehead, jutting forward like a rams.

All in all, the transformation completed itself within but moments, and where once there was but a man, there was now a massive dragon topping more than forty feet in height, with his body reaching nearly two hundred feet, covered in scales ranging from jet black to ashen gray, all glossy and reflecting light as if armor. From the fan of spikes around his head, a line of them ran all down his back, wicked, curved, and sharp.

Two massive, burning red eyes turned to look down at Axia. The huge dragon lowered his head and great neck to look her in the eye, and with a mental voice, spoke as quietly as he could.

Please, do not fear me...from my time, black dragons are regarded as evil, savage creatures, but I assure you this is not the case. Not for me, anyway....come, make your way down the mountain with me. It will likely be easier if you fly, but I'm afraid this form is too large to do more than climb downward.

Even with a frame so massive, when he moved to crawl over the edge, he did so with an odd sort if feline grace. Deadly talons easily found purchase in the stone, making the climb down far easier than it appeared to be.

Far below, he could see the clearing they would head for, a large, open circle of flat, worked stone, framed on all sides by the mountains - a hidden hollow in the earth.

Bunbun

Axia tilted her head a little when she was told to keep her distance for her own safety, but she complied anyways. She didn't know what made him think that doing something like changing forms could result in her getting injured, though that wouldn't last for very long. The absurd display of power by Marakai was enough to make her think twice on the matter; he easily tore a blade that was almost bigger than him from the ground, and threw it down the mountain like it was nothing. It wasn't like the sword was light, either- judging from the noise it made upon impact with the ground, it was a weapon that someone like her would struggle to hold with two hands. That was all the evidence that she needed to deduce that perhaps staying out of the way was, indeed, the best course of action.

The look in her eyes as Marakai started to transform was, at first, one of wonder and amazement. This wouldn't be the first time that she was witnessing someone change forms, but it was always exciting to see what the other forms looked like. However, as more and more of the changes took place, it became increasingly obvious that Marakai's draconic form was unlike any other that she'd seen before in her lifetime. Well... there was one exception to that. Yes, there was a time that she'd a dragon resembling the one that stood before her- very recently, in fact. The similarities to Kranath immediately set off alarms in Axia's mind, and for a moment she believed that she might have to fight for her life. A low growl emanated from her mouth as she held the gaze of the massive creature, only ceasing when a voice inside her head reminded her of who she was looking at.

U-um... okay. Just... give me a second, I've gotta do something first.

Abruptly, she started to walk away from the cliff, not elaborating on what it was she intended to do. She continued to do so until she reached the opposite edge of the peak, at which point she turned around and began to flap her wings. The dragon had never been proficient at takeoffs and landings, and it didn't help that she was still fatigued from the events transpiring not too long ago. She would need to use everything at her disposal in order to lift herself into the air. After a short while of preparing herself, the dragon's body suddenly shot forwards with an intense burst of speed as she bounded towards the cliff's edge. At the very last moment, her paws crashed into the ground with enough power to send her soaring into the air. Her wings remained open, allowing her to glide downwards without exerting too much energy.

Marakai Trin

Inclining his head to look at her, the great black dragon gave a chuckle that, in this form, sounded like a cross between a cough and a snarl. The mental voice that accompanied it, however, was easily identified as cordial.

It must be nice to be able to fly down here...this is a little harder than it looks.

As if to prove his statement, the loose scree he was treading on at that point slid out from under his massive paws, and he quickly slid down several yards.

When he began to slow, he just leapt outward, transforming in midair to land as a man, coming down hard in a crouch.

"....that was fun. Heh."


(Sorry, totally uninspired post XD)

Bunbun

Axia heard the familiar sound of Marakai's voice as she cut through the air, but she decided to hold off on responding; right now, she needed to focus on keeping herself airborne. Marakai hadn't specified exactly where the Aerie was, but it wasn't anywhere in sight. Stalling in the air for a few seconds, she waited and watched to make sure that she was indeed still going in the right direction. Well, if she couldn't find the place where she was supposed to land, then she could at least aim for a point that she knew they would be passing by at some point, that being where the massive blade had landed.

Coming to a decision on where to shoot for, the dragon folded her wings inwards and allowed her body to plummet towards the ground. She plunged downwards with seemingly no fear, picking up momentum at a rapid pace. Moments before she made contact with the mountainside, her wings started beating with great intensity as she pushed her front paws against the ground. This action gradually slowed her down, but also produced a huge cloud of dust. By the time she came to a stop near Marakai's sword, Axia had erupted into a violent coughing fit. This went on for a bit, until she eventually recovered and shortly began surveying the area.

"...Um, Marakai? I don't see the Aerie anywhere around here... at least, I don't think so. This isn't another one of those spiritual things, is it?"

Marakai Trin

Marakai gave a chuckle as he walked up to retrieve his sword, pulling it from the small crater it had created upon landing.

"No, little one. This place has been hidden for several millennia - you don't think it'd be so easy to find, do you? No, it's very real...just watch."

Their surroundings were an ancient plaza of worked cobblestones, perfectly round and surrounded by the unhewn mountainsides, raw stone all about. However, if one looked closely, they could see an almost hand-sized stone, perfectly flat and smooth against the mountainside. Marakai moved to this stone, and placed his palm flat against it.

When he spoke, it was in a dialect of draconic unheard fr many, many years. "I am Marakai, last son of Trin."

The stone shown forth with a brilliant blue light, and the raw rock around it seemed to fold inward around the one smooth piece, forming a single pillar of raw stone with one perfectly round orb of rock atop it.

Behind it was a space easily large enough for two dragons of Marakai's size to walk shoulder to shoulder.

He looked over his shoykder at Axia with a smile. "Welcome, Axia, to the Aerie.

((I can pm you a rough description of the Aerie if you want))

Bunbun

"...Oh. Well, okay, if you say so..."

There wasn't really any way Axia could have known whether or not the Aerie was hidden, considering that this was the first time she'd travelled into the Thunderblacks. She knew very little about the area, so the Aerie could very well have existed in plain sight for all she knew. However, Marakai hadn't given her any reason to doubt his words, so she held them to be true in her mind. There wasn't much she could do at this point, other than wait and watch the other dragon do his thing.

She heard him say something, but there was no hope of actually being able to understand it- she recognized it as being draconic in nature, but the specific words were all but lost to time. Apparently, though, they were still as effective as ever, as the very mountains themselves shifted in response. It was truly amazing, and would have been even more so if Marakai hadn't already been presented as an important figure. When the process was complete, only a pillar remained with a gigantic opening behind it.

"...Wow. It's enormous! I've never seen anything like that before."

The more bubbly parts of her personality shone through as she excitedly checked over the new scenery. She was incredibly anxious to see what was inside, until a strange feeling started to stir inside of her. It was similar to what she had felt before; it felt as if she was out of place here, that she was different. After all, it wasn't as if Axia would ever have found out about the Aerie on her own. The only reason she was being allowed to enter was because she was with Marakai, not because of anything she'd done. It felt as if she was about to trespass on holy grounds, and it made her a little reluctant to enter.

"Marakai, are you sure about this? It feels... it feels a little weird."

((Oh, yes please! That would be nice.))

Marakai Trin

Marakai shook his head. "Don't worry. It feels weird for me, too. But I have happy memories of this place - it's odd for me, because...looking at it now, empty and dead, none of those memories seem right anymore."

He gave a sigh, and turned back to look into the gaping hole in the side of the mountain. "Come, Axia. I'll show you to somewhere you can rest. And when you're rested, perhaps I can show you the rest of the Aerie. And also, I'd like to learn a little more about you, if I can. But that can wait."

He took a couple steps into the darkness before turning again to look at her. "Don't be afraid - there's nothing in here but memories and a horrible past. There's nothing that can hurt you."

Bunbun

"Um, alright. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do. But, you know, you probably have more interesting things to say than I do."

She gave the other dragon a nod before finally starting to make her way into the Aerie, turning her head around to look up at the colossal walls. There were plenty of stone statues- ones that looked almost suspiciously lifelike- but there wasn't anything living to be found. It was pretty eerie, poking around a place that was supposed to be full of life, but was instead completely devoid of it.

"Hmm... I think I get what you mean by 'kingdom'. Must get pretty lonely, being the only person in a place so massive."

She paused suddenly, staring into the eyes of one of the statues, before abruptly turning to Marakai.

"Sooooo... where do we go first? I've got no clue when it comes to this place."

Marakai Trin

"Well, it's not so much what we'll talk about...I'm actually curious about what you're capable of as a dragon. But that can wait, till after you've created, as well. Now, about where to go...how well do you handle heat? There's a hatchery with plenty of space, warmed by a lava vent. There's no danger of actually touching the lava, but it's very hot. But if you're not comfortable with that, I can take you to the royal commons - there's plenty of room there too.*

He laid a hand upon the stone sphere, and it once again shown forth with that brilliant light, and the gate closed.

"Oh, if you want out for anything, let me know...if you hadn't guessed, I'm the only one that can open the door....for now. But let's talk as we walk - we've only got a ton of hallway to cover before we can get anywhere."

Bunbun

"Ah, the hatchery should be okay, I think. These scales are... mostly heat resistant. I don't want to be sleeping in a place where I don't really belong."

She left it at that, deciding not to elaborate any further unless she was asked to do so. It wasn't as if she didn't want to talk, though- rather, the subject of the conversation was something that she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Instead, she simply waited and watched as Marakai closed off the entrance to the Aerie. Essentially, she was now trapped- there wasn't any way for her to leave without the elder dragon's permission, at least not yet. In all truthfulness, that thought made her feel somewhat nauseous, yet she didn't really feel afraid. Marakai had made it clear that there wasn't anything to be feared inside the Aerie, and Axia had long since placed her trust in him. When he was finished, she would begin to make her way down the long hallway.

"...Okay. So. Um. What... did you want to talk about?"

Marakai Trin

"Well, if you change your mind, you're welcome to the Commons as well. I won't stop you from going anywhere, except the armory and that's only because I think it wouldn't be safe for you."

They came to a wide open atrium, with a raised dais. Upon this dais were two large thrones, made seemingly of the same material as Marakai's sword. Behind these thrones were two very large, and incredibly life-like statues of the same material. One depicted a man, a kingly figure with a large beard and wild hair, garbed in armor and leaning upon a sword exactly like the one Marakai carried.

The other was slightly smaller, depicting a slim, regal looking woman, almost elfin in appearance with a circlet atop her head, long hair flowing down her shoulders. In one hand, she carried a long, curved daikatana, it's point meeting the floor. At the back of the statue were too smaller blades of similar make.

These were the old king and queen of the Aerie, and Marakai's parents, though the prince didn't say as much.

"Well, I was wondering about your abilities as a dragon. In my time, your kind didn't exist, so I'm unfamiliar..you mentioned before that you 'didn't know' about transforming. Does that mean you can't, or you haven't tried?" He continued to walk beside her, glancing sideways to look at her. He turned to the side, leading them toward a wide ramp heading downward.

Bunbun

"Hey... what do you mean, 'you don't think it's safe'? Everyone's always saying that kind of stuff. I'm not a hatchling anymore, you know! I'm not gonna get myself hurt..."

Axia began to sulk again, apparently quite touchy when it came to being forbidden from doing certain things. In reality, it wasn't really that she particularly wanted to go poking around the armoury, but being barred from it just made it a lot more alluring. This wasn't the first time she'd dealt with this kind of situation either; the dragons who raised her had taken similar measures in keeping her out of trouble, all in the name of her own safety. She appreciated the thoughtfulness behind it, but at the same time, it had always felt a little patronizing. It tended to leave a bad taste in her mouth, regardless of how well justified the efforts to keep her safe were.

She eventually perked up, however, when they came across the two statues. They were certainly eye-catching- the massive size and attention to detail gave away the fact that they were indeed depicting some very important people. One of them was in possession of a sword identical to Marakai's, hinting at a relationship between the two people. It could be a coincidence, perhaps, but a sword like that was almost certainly custom made, and Axia doubted that more than one of them existed. Seeing as the other dragon was remaining silent on the subject, though, she decided against bringing it up. Dredging up possibly painful memories was something that she wanted to avoid, if at all possible.

"I really meant it when I said that I didn't know. Never tried it once in my life..."

She started, getting increasingly more worked up as she went on.

"...but it's not like I didn't want to try! I've always wanted to find out the answer to that question myself, but... well, nobody wanted to teach me. How to transform, I mean. They would always say something like I 'wasn't ready', but that's not what they told the others when they asked. No, the real reason is because they were afraid I was gonna hurt myself. 'Cause I'm not normal."

Marakai Trin

Marakai blinked and looked to her, one brow raised. "The only reason I would bar you entrance to the armory is because of your size - it is meant for dragons in their human form, and the spaces are far too narrow for you as you are. I don't think you'd like having weapons like mine tearing you to shreds because you bumped into the racks."

He was silent for a moment afterwards, and considered her words about transforming. He stopped, and turned to Axia. "Nonsense. There is nothing about any dragon that's abnormal. All changes are progressive - if anything, you're different because you're better. Listen...if you want to transform, I can teach you. It's not easy the first time, but breaking that barrier between man and dragon will forever leave it open to you."

He gave a smile, then, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I tell you what. If you can manage to transform, I'll let you see the armory. That's my promise to you. Also, I'll be able to give you access to the gate, so you could come and go as you please - that requires a human form."

Bunbun

Axia frowned a little at Marakai's comment about being 'torn to shreds'. She liked to think that she was at least tough enough not be be killed by an inanimate object, especially due to a mistake of her own doing. Then again, though, if the weapons inside the armoury were anything like Marakai's blade, then they were no joke. There was little sense arguing over it, considering that she didn't actually have a way to access the armoury in the first place. A more reasonable course of action would be to see if she could transform first, considering that doing so was something she was planning on anyways.

"...I wouldn't call my changes 'better' than anyone else's, or even good for that matter. It seems to me that they've been nothing but trouble, for myself and others. I mean, I don't even know if I can do magic, and that's something that almost every dragon can do. Honestly, I'm not sure what I'm good for."

There was a short pause, followed by Axia returning Marakai's smile and giving an energetic flap of her wings.

"...But I'm not going to give up. Not easily, anyways. In fact, I have a promise of my own- I will see the inside of that room, Marakai. No matter how difficult the first transformation is, I swear I'm gonna get it done."

Another pause, this one caused by a sudden realization. Clearly nervous about something, the dragon averted her gaze and took to staring at the ground.

"That being said... being the first time and all, I guess I wouldn't be wearing anything. That's something that humans tend to avoid."

Marakai Trin

Marakai tilted a brow. "Listen. I can barely do any magic at all. So that's not saying much. And I think the more you try to do new things...the more you'll discover about yourself."

When she showed enthusiasm about transforming, though, his smile broadened again. "I'll help you any way I can. It should be fairly easy to talk you through it, but if necessary I could probably just give you the knowledge...though I'd like to avoid that again if possible."

When she mentioned the point of clothing, he was silent for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much. I am already bonded with another, wherever she is...if she's even still alive. You don't need to worry about attention from me. Bit, if it's a huge issue, I'm sure we can find you something to wear. The only problem would be that just now we have no idea how big you'll be when you transform, so we may have to figure that out first and go from there."

Bunbun

"O-oh! I wasn't really worried about you specifically. It's just that... y'know... it's usually considered kind of indecent, and I don't want to give off that kind of impression... a-and it'll probably be pretty cold as a human... and... um, yeah."

Her words became an inarticulate jumble, constantly bouncing between several different thoughts as she tried to get them across. If she was capable of blushing in this form, she would've went crimson. Silently, Axia wished that she could at least, for once, make it through a single conversation without completely losing it and making herself look like an idiot. However, now wasn't the time to be sitting around feeling sorry for herself, not when there were plenty more exciting things that she could be doing. She couldn't let her own moodiness ruin the good mood that she'd been building towards.

"...Hey. If I'm not gonna quit, then I won't let you give up, either. Dragons are tough creatures, it'll take a hell of a lot to do us in; if there's even the smallest chance that she could still be alive, that she's still out there somewhere, then you should hold on to that hope and never let go."

She gave him a (hopefully) reassuring nod, and a sparkle of hope in her eyes accompanied the soft glittering of her scales. It was perhaps a bit naive to be banking on the best case scenario coming to fruition, but she'd never let improbable odds deter her before. To her, 'unlikely' and 'possible' might as well have meant the same thing.

"...but anyways. How exactly do you go about transforming, huh?"

Apparently, she had disregarded the previous plan to rest before trying anything too taxing.

Marakai Trin

Marakai smiled a bit at her. "It's fine - I'll go into the common rooms before we try, and just grab everything I can. Something will fit you, so you won't have to worry."

When she mentioned his mate, his gaze went askance, turning to the ramp below them as they steadily made their way downward. He hoped that he would find Otohime eventually - it'd been eight months of visiting region after region of this new world he had awakened in, and he had heard and seen nothing of her existence in the areas he had been to.

He was beginning to lose hope, but for Axia's sake, he voiced it anyway. "I do still hope she's out there. It's just been so long since my hibernation began, and she could be anywhere."

And then she suddenly asked about transforming, and he arched a brow. "....well, if you want to try now, I'll explain it to you, but I thought you wanted to rest....it's completely up to you, though."


(OOC: Sorry this took so long - I've been caught in post volleys like crazy and I tend to overlook alot of my bookmarks...if I take more than a day, please poke me! Lol.)

Bunbun

She regained some of her composure, thankful that she wouldn't have to go without clothing if she did in fact manage to transform. While she would never consider the extermination of an entire kingdom to be a good thing, one small consolation was that they left all of their belongings behind. Out of all the dragons that used to live in the Aerie, there had to be at least one that had a human form similar to hers... right? Well, that's at least what she convinced herself of for the time being. She hated thinking about how inconvenient the alternative would be.

Axia noticed the other dragon's sudden mood shift when she finished speaking and briefly wondered if she'd done the right thing by trying to inspire hope, but her doubts were quickly put to rest by his response. As long as he wasn't planning on giving up entirely, that was good enough for her.

"I know it can't be easy to find someone you've been apart from for so long... but on the bright side, you've got plenty of time, right? And with enough time, even the smallest amount of hope goes a long way. Besides, if she's still around, I bet she's out there looking for you, too."

A grin quickly started to make its way across her face, while her wings gave an energetic flutter. If her words didn't give away the fact that she was excited, then her body language certainly did.

"As far as I'm concerned, the sooner I try it, the better. To be honest, I've been wanting to do this for so long that I doubt I'd be able to sleep if I tried. I think that resting can wait for a little while longer."

((Ah, okay. Poking people for posts is a little weird for me tbh, but I'll do it if you want.))

Marakai Trin

His lips curled into a smile. She had a point - the bond between him and Otohime was one that was forever. Idly, he wondered if other dragons were the same. He might ask Axia later, but now....

"Well, if you're determined to do it now, we can head to the Commons first - it's a shorter walk, anyway." He have a small smile, and gestured to the room the ramp was about to deposit them into.

"Here we are. Wait here a moment, and I'll find you some clothes."

He opened the door, stepping through - he'd have had her follow him, but unfortunately the entrance was far too small for her.

For now.

_______


He came back after several moments with an armload of various women's clothing of many styles - he even thought to grab children's clothing, as he had no idea of her species' life span.

"Here we are," he said, depositing them on a table set in the middle of the large area. "Are you ready to get started?"

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