"So, what's the verdict?"
A world -any world- does not need the crutch of a sentient population to evolve. Many have done it. From primordial cesspools to lush meadows, a chunk of ice to molten mercury; though they have taken time, the results speak for themselves. It is because these worlds are sentient. Breathing life from their cores and into the atmosphere that surrounds them, be it poisonous or blistering hot. At any given moment in its life span, a world may simply choose to smear the denizens that call it home clean from its surface; Dust storms, ice ages, earthquakes , tsunamis. But it is never permanent. Life and Death have and on and off relationship, and as a result, worldwide natural disasters of any kind can never make the population go extinct. They're too stubborn. Too determined to live. To scared of what lies beyond. So, what has to happen then? A meteorite? Alien invasion? The war to end all wars? No, it's not that simple because, well...
"The gods wouldn't allow it."
A golden chandelier lit room, the wooden floors polished to that of mirrors, 18 draperies each with different colors and symbols, and in the center, 18 lords and ladies.
This meeting was brought about by the Lady of Ice, Miyra. The initial reasoning was like all others, for the world leaders to come forth and discuss the current status of their people. Sometimes new laws would be put into place by the end of it, and sometimes they just go home without coming to a decision. Common politics. This time was different. This time Miyra had come forth with an idea that she believes can be the benefit of all; to find the Hall Of Fame: a place of wonder and power. Unknown by the common man, but spoken by legends. She believes what lies within could be the answer to their people's common turmoil. To bring about permenat change to their world. It sure seemed like a good idea at first, but some leaders were still skeptical.
The woman who answered Miyra's question, Oolis, Lady of Psychic, has seen what happens when people have the will to go against the gods. And as far as natural disasters are considered, 'natural' is far from the right word. She was receiving stares from her peers, but did not address them. In fact, she wasn't even facing Miyra when she spoke, simply staring straight into oblivion with her eyes closed.
"From what I understand, "Oolis continued, "We have gone into far length in order to achieve a higher state of being, those ways being organic or otherwise. But to try and lift ourselves to, not a way of life, but a literal 'place of legend' seemes a bit far fetched for my tastes."
"I...I agree," softly spoke Beech, Lord of Grass, and the youngest person in this room. " How can we expect something to help us if we...i-if don't know it truly exists?" At that, Miyra stood up from the table and approached him, making the young man paralyzed. Did he speak out of turn? Was he not allowed to agree with Oolis? Miyra stopped one chair short of his.
"Please, stand in front of me," she said sternly, trying not to make the boy shake any more than he already was. The person Miyra was standing behind, Acho, Lord of Fighting, failed to stifle his laughter as he watched the display. Beech took a moment mustering the strength to look Miyra in the eye. Once he was, she held out her hand and told him to do the same.
"I want you to reach into your core and funnel your energy from the tips of your fingers towards me, I will do the same."
Beech blushed. That sounded strangely intimate and not something you would say out loud. He looked around the room for anyone who might have had the same thought process as him. But strangely enough everyone was watching with disinterest. Like they were about to watch the same card trick they've seen 20 times already. A gentle tap on his thigh made him turn to a woman older than him, but younger than Miyra. Langella, Lady of Fairy, gave him a warm smile and a nod. Now, shaking less, Beerch let out a deep breath and turned back to Miyra. Following her instructions, he took deep breaths to further steady himself. A gentle hum echoes across the room as the chandeliers begin to sway ever so slightly. From the tips of his fingernails, a light green strings of energy leaked out, drifting towards Miyra, where the same was happening, but hers was icy blue. The ten strands of energy intertwined with one another, their colors becoming more intense as the seconds pass. Soon they were the soul source of light in the room, the area between the Lord and Lady's hands a glowing ball of intense white light. Beech was now breathing heavily at the waves of energy the ball was giving off, but something else immediately caught his attention. It was in the ball itself. Another source of light. First it was blue, then a deep red, then green - randomly shining in every color of the rainbow, even colors he's never seen before. This energy, whatever it was felt new, different. He felt drawn too it, like the energy it took to make it was actively pulling him. Then the light started to become dimmer and Beech became worried. Maybe he wasn't trying hard enough. Maybe it needed more energy. He stretched his hand out further, but the light became dimmer still, before vanishing entirely. The glow of the chandeliers became the center of light once again as Beech sighed in disappointment.
Esa, Lady of Water, let out a giggle, "Well, somebody sure got a confidence boost." At that, more lords and ladies began to snicker to themselves. Beech stood there in confusion before he looked back down at his hand. His was tightly folded with Miyra's. Now beet red, he let go the woman and took a step back.
"I am so sorry!"
The room was filled with hearty laughter from a few lords and covered giggles from some ladies. Beech quickly sat back down as Acho gave a few pats on the back. Rough ones. Miyra's expression did not change as she turned back around to her seat. As she did, the laughter began to subside and she spoke again. "That, Lord or Grass, was the Hall of Fame."
Beech picked his head up, his mouth agape as he stared at his hand. He could still feel the pins and needles as a result from the power they shared. Then he was confused, lifting his other hand up to rub the first one. Litch, Lady of Ghost, snapped her fingers his direction, making the young man jump in his seat.
"Well, don't keep us all in suspense..." she whispered in sharp breaths, dragging a long fingernail across the hardwood table back in her direction, the sound making the Lord of Grass cringe and avoid eye contact. "Tell us how it felt~."
Beech was once again quivering in his seat, but the sensation in his fingers leaving entirely was enough to snap him out of it. He looked at his hand again, clenching it into a fist a few times, and sat back in his seat. " It didn't...feel like a place. It felt like...power. Pure...power. And I was...feeding it." Beech had thought it sounded crazy, but it was the truth. And the more he thought about it, the more it confused him. Usually when rumors spread, by the time it reached the end of the room its a completely different story. That wasn't the case with the hall of fame, to the point where it hardly qualifies as a rumor. The Hall of Fame was where legends go to be immortalized. Their names carved in history. Their epic tales novelized, made into movies, etc. That...that was not the Hall of Fame.
"It's always confusing the first time," Langella whispered, putting a hand on his forearm. "But to what you know in your heart, keep it there. You know it to be true." She gave him another smile and turned back to the table. Well, if she wanted to confuse him further, she succeeded.
"Now, I have a question..."Litch spoke again, having yet to take her eyes off of Beech, but somehow Miyra knew she was addressing her."
"Yes?"
"Why are we even concerned of the gods getting involved, hmm? If you ask me, they're not as threatening as they appear," that made everyone, even the most stoic among them, slightly adjust how they sat. Another hum of energy radiated across the room, and everyone was focused on Litch. The Lady of Ghost gently combed her hair with her fingernails, taking in all the stares before she continued. "If it's such a problem for everyone allow me to propose something; War."
Silence.
"It's all a numbers game, really, "she continued, "we outnumber the gods one million to one. They know this, so they flex their strength ever so often to keep us in check. Strength that, if I'm being honest, isn't that hard to reach, a small army would suffice."
"You suggest to urk the wrath of nature itself upon our people for a meek promise of paradise!?" Cornelius, Lord of Steel, slammed his fist on the table, eyes widened in horror and shock that she would think of such a thing. Litch was too busy admiring the golden shimmer reflecting off her nails to respond. Cornelius turned back to Miyra to fling his case, but held his breath at the sight of her pondering what the woman had said. "Madness!" He bellowed. "Absolute madness," he slammed his palms against the table and stood, his chair sliding a few feet behind him. " The venom this woman is spewing could be the end of gijinka kind! How could we convince anyone that this is the right thing to do? The gods will slaughter us!"
"B-but they are our protectors!" Beech shouted.
"Slave keepers." Litch corrected.
"Enough!"
The temperature in the room dropped and table snapped back to Miyra. Her hands and patches of her clothes were covered in thin sheets of ice. Cornelius let out a huff as he sat back down, as he did, the the temperature began to rise. Miyra then stood up and walked to one end of the room.
"I called this meeting because I believe the Hall Of Fame holds the answers we cannot offer to our people. And, I would prefer that we come to conclusion before the night is done. You all raise valid points and concerns, " she glances at Litch, "some more extreme than others. But allow me to share my piece." Miyra reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small remote. After pressing a few buttons, the Fire and Water flags parted, revealing a 15 foot wide screen tv in the wall. The screen was blank for a few seconds before an electric hum filled the room. Seconds later, a balding man wearing dark tinted glasses was on screen. He appeared to be in a small office with a window directly behind him. Behind said window was a ball of white light the size of a car, with a second smaller rainbow ball within. Other than its mass, it didn't look too different from the ball Miyra and Beech created moments ago.
"Lady Miyra," he said, "I must first apologize for contacting you so late, but this cannot wait." He was sweating, and the lab coat that he wore was a bit patched. "Me and my colleagues have made an incredible discovery with Project: Hall. By increasing its size by 30%, a volunteer was able to send a drone inside and record activity from within!" As he spoke, the footage cut from his face to a shaky camera from the ball of energy's room. The light went from intense to dull in uneven waves. The platform it floated on began to smoke and scientists weren't able to get close. The footage switched again to the drones footage, but this time it was pure blackness, occasional strings of light swimming past it. A horrible screech made the screen fizzle for a bit, then focused again. An explosion from the side knocked the drones from its aimless course. The screen was flashing red, "internal failure" blinking on the screen, then everything went dark. A more steady phone camera footage viewed men in hazmat suits picking up the twisted drone and bringing it to quarantine.
The man's face returned to the screen, "So you see, we are able to send in objects for a short period of time before something, we do not know what yet, but something throws it out. Also, the drone, "he reaches down and shows the what was once a slim flying machine, now looked like the result of a child with silly putty. "It is not radiated. I can only suppose that, me being a steel-type, I am able to hold this with ease while others cannot touch it." He puts the drone away. "I will contact you as soon as I can with more information." And the screen goes blank.
Aside from Miyra, everyone was either horrified or more interested than they were before.
"What was that," Langella spat, shooting daggers at the back of Miyra's head. The woman in question glanced back at her and the two shared a tense staredown before the Lady of Ice turned away.
"Progress."
"Damnation!" Cornelius slams his fist on the table, a bit of wood splintering off. "How are we supposed to agree to this!? How can you convince us that this is safe-"
"I cannot! Lord of Steel," she shouted back, her voice shaking a bit. That shout followed by the temperature dropping again. A few seconds passed before Miyra realized that about half of her body was covered in a thin sheet of ice. She took a few deep breaths and the temperature rose again. She turned away from the table and put a hand over her eyes. She didn't mean to get too stressed, if anything that gave everyone more of a reason to veto this. She can't get carried away. Not now.
"I...may not be able to explain it now, but as we speak, the top scientists of the world have made it their secret priority to study the Hall and what it can offer us in the grand scheme. That ball of light, the "door", as they've called it, is merely scratching the surface. With enough time, we may be able to open the Hall Of Fame to the public."
An uproar of dispute erupted from the table.
"That's not what it's for!"
"You will be introducing unknown power into dangerous hands!"
"And my idea was extreme?"
'Everyone, please...'
The voice came from Oolis, stretching her mind out and lowering the aggression to safe levels. Once everyone had calmed down -albeit, against their will- she stood up. "If we can all agree on something, it's that the safety of the public is our top priority. Nothing will, or should, change that; no god, no door to paradise." She was speaking out her mouth now, and everyone had a chance to be reminded of the bigger picture. However blury it looked. "Though, these concerns are still present," she turned to Miyra. "Even if we introduce the Hall to the public, how do we know they will come to an agreement. Martial law cannot be the answer - they will revolt."
Litch sighed in a singing tone, "We could just sneak it by them over time."
"At the cost of their trust!" Langella snapped back. "And even if that was the right path, answer me this: How do we sneak something we dont know if we can touch?"
"We don't. We give it to them."
"..."
Everyone was staring speechless at Acho who, despite how crazy it sounded, looked very confident. Once he had enough of the stares, he held a hand up, "Okay okay, I'll elaborate a bit; this all sounds like it'll be an intricate pain in the butt. I say we take the easy route. Putting something this dangerous in the putting something we dont quite understand in the public hands sounds dangerous, yes, but I never said they couldn't work for it."
Beech noticed a cheeky smile graze his lips at the last sentence, and sighed. "You want to make them fight for it." Acho heard a bit of a sneer out of that.
"Hold on now, I just thought of this. I don't wanna toss people in the colosseum. From what we've seen, the "door" to the Hall Of Fame opens from our shared energies. So, what if we sanction a few fights to absorb energy for the project, give the eggheads something to work with on a regular basis." He didn't think it was all too complicated, it'll probably take some time to buff out, but at least it's on the table. He looked around to see if anyone else wanted to chime in but, to his shock, everyone was giving what he said a good bit of consideration. It made him feel a sense of pride and worry.
"L-look, guys, that was my 2 cents. I don't want to be in the front of the line here."
"Aww, the meat head is modest~" Litch cooed, her index nail slowly tracing her bottom lip. " It doesn't sound like half bad of a plan, you should feel proud."
"I'm not."
"Irrigardless," said Miyra, drawing the attention back to her, to Acho's relief. "I say the longer we wait the harder little be for the public to accept it."
"So that'swhy you were so anxious for this meeting to happen. Little Miyra wanting validation for something she can't control," Esa giggled. Her smile spread a bit further when she saw Miyra's face tense up. But, whatever, let's get this little get together over with. Esa cleared her throat and stood up, raising her right hand to her ear. "I hearby vote for this little experiment."
Litch wasn't far behind in doing the same. Acho stayed still, hopping everyone would forget he was there, then quickly gave it up. "I should've kept my mouth shut," stood, and raised his right hand. He looked down at Beech who was still fiddling with his hands.
After what felt like an eternity of thought, Beech slowly stood up and raised his left hand. Miyra looked the most surprised, granted the decision looked unanimous at first.
"I...I can't agree to this..." he said in a shaky hush. With a slam of his palm, Cornelius jumped up and joined him.
"Good man."
Langella was next to raise her left hand, never taking her eyes of Miyra. "In another time, maybe, but this feels too risky."
The room was tied, now for everyone else.
...Right
...Left
...Left
...Right
...Left
...Right
...Right
...Right
...Left
...Right
...Right
10 to 7, the council had favored Miyra's plan, but it looked like anything but; Cornelius was the first to storm out of the room, the double doors flying open, the heels of his shoes echoing down the hall. Not wanting to be here any longer, Acho followed, but hid his haste until he was out of sight. The room slowly but surely cleared out in minuets, leaving Miyra and Oolis sitting across from each other. Miyra had her head buried in her hands, silent, while Oolis simply stared at her. Really, she was getting bits and pieces of everything that was swirling around in her head. Possible riots, public denial, the experiment going arry - beating herself down to the point of misery. What Oolis was receiving the most was regret. As if Miyra wished the vote would've gone the other way. At that point the psychic severed the mental connection, stood up and walked to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sometimes it is best to go against our consience. If you're doing what you truly feel is right, then you should not worry." And she left, leaving the Lady of Ice alone in her thoughts. But she wasn't. It felt like everyone was still in the room. She could still feel their shouts, their glares. If she could ask the gods for one thing, it would be to see the future...
...and cut this woman's throat out.
"If you do not quit your games, I will freeze you to the bone."
A childlike giggle came from every direction. The shadows of the tapestries began to writhe and stretch, splitting into multiple multiple tendrils and climbing onto the chairs and table. The shadows soon became a bubbling oil towards the center as ten foot-long fingernails slowly breaches out. Miyra sat there scowling as Litch emerged from the table and sprawled herself out, her body covered in black oil.
"What? Can't a girl stretch her legs a bit?"
"The meeting is over. You can go home - Now."
On cue, the temperature dropped drastically, sheets of ice beginning to cover the entirety of the tapestries, chairs and the table. Litch gasped and shivered, wrapping her arms around her body as tightly as she could. "Brrr, who opened a window," she sighed, rubbing her hands together for heat. She then stopped, smiled, and placed her fingers on her forehead. Miyra watched in disgust as Litch dragged her fingers down, peeling away her face like it was a sweater, revealing an eyeless skull underneath. She kept going until she got to her stomach, then her skeleton stepped out of its skin and gently laid it down on the table.
"Much better."
"You're revolting."
Litch giggled softly as she slowly strutted to Miyra, her bone feet occasionally popping, making the Lady of Ice cringe every time. "I just wanted to talk while we were alone."
"The gods do not concern me."
"And the people do? I think you have your priorities misplaced." Miyra locked eyes with the skeleton, eyebrow raised. No doubt she was thinking on Litch's thought on the matter earlier. "Now now, I did say the gods aren't who they make themselves out to be, but value has different meanings."
"...As in?"
"Well, I don't mean to tarnish all of their names, only a few. A few who, dare I say, may be false." Litch walked off the table, past Miyra and towards the Ice flag. "The blizzard's mistress, Articuno. If you ask me, neither she or her sisters have done anything to deserve the title of god. Just an eternal beef that ravages the landscape and destroys homes. And I say, must we just watch? Even their father, Lugia, his only job seems to lessen the damage of the trio, "she turned to Miyra, "Wouldn't you say they are nothing less than troublesome?" Miyra remained silent for a few moments mostly because she felt Litch was right. From what she's read, a handful of gods only exist to serve trouble with a foil to balance it out. How this came to be, she will never understand, but she didn't need to say that out loud.
"It's not my place to say."
"And THAT, my friend, is why I brought up my original point," Litch cheered, sprinting from the Ice flag to behind Miyra in a blur. "It may sound reckless when we say it blunt, but think about who we're dealing with. These gods, immortals, legendairies - they think they're in a higher level in every category, but they're not. The only thing that separates us from them is age and attainable power they just so happen to be born with."
Miyras face went deadpan, "And what of the gods able to, say, move through time and space at will?"
"Long term."
"You're crazy," she sighed, standing up and walking past the skeleton. "We have rules we must abide by, whether we like it or not. Trying to tear down that structure will beget chaos. Even if I agree with you, what makes you think the gods do not have a gang mentality? Go after one, even a lesser god, and they all will attack."
"It's crazy, because it is. I'm banking that they're so high and mighty that an uprising from the lesser folk isn't even an afterthought."
"And what if they aren't? What if there's a god listening in right now, powers beyond our combined lifetimes. What would you do?" Miyra watched as Litch's skeleton jaw twist up into an eerie smile.
"Well, I'd call them stupid by not dealing with us sooner."
Miyra paused. She hated when this woman sounded right. Getting in her head. It made everything more complicated than it needed to be. The gods are not a worry, the experiment will continue. Period, end of story. She pivoted on her heel and made a b line for the door when Litch stopped her.
"I have one more question."
Dammit
"What?"
"What was that scientist's name?"
Miyra couldn't hold back a chuckle at something so out of left feild. Morso on how Litch could care about such a minor detail of the meeting. She stopped, waiting for a follow up question, but it never came. The request lingered in the air longer than it should have. Turning back around, Miyra watched Litch walk back onto the table and to the bubbling oil she rose from and stopped a foot from it.
Someone screamed.
It was muffled, but Miyra was certain that it was close, but what put her off was that Litch didn't even jump from the noise. Another scream, this time louder and closer. Miyra sprinted out into the Hall and skid to a stop. Not a soul was present. She was certain that scream wasn't inside her mind, and it was male, so it couldn't...
"...No."
She wouldn't. Not an innocent man.
"What's his name, Miyra?"
Teeth and fists clenched, Miyra slowly turned back to the room. Instead of ice, black oily tendrils have spidered out across the floor, walls and ceiling. Litch had put her skin back on as she was sitting on the lap of a middle aged man. Gagged, bruised, and bearly able to keep his eyes open.
"Charles!"
Miyra's right arm had become a sword made of jagged ice, poised to chop Litch's head off in one swift motion. But she halted once she saw Litch's needle-like nail pressing at his Adams Apple.
"Uh uh uh. We don't want to do anything that'll hurt poor Charles, now do we?" Litch giggled, gently rubbing the back of his neck. Her eyes glowed a deep red as she slowly turned to him, and he turned back, his eyes faded with the same glow. "So that's your name. This would've been so much easier if you had told me yourself."
"Let him go!"
"And why would I do that," she sighed, slowly rising from her seat and turning her back to Miyra, now looking down at Charles. The man let out a soft moan as he stared back, a smile on his face, nothing in his eyes. All he could think about was his Lady of Ghost. The love of his life. The woman he'd do anything for. Why would he want to go anywhere? He was where he needed to be. Litch started to slowly caress his shoulders, arms and chest.
"That man has a wife, you creature!"
A blast of ice cold energy came from Miyra's feet. A path of 6 foot shards of ice tore up the wooden floor directly towards Litch. The Lady of Ghost's eyes shot open as dozens of ice shards pierced her legs and torso. She stood still for a second before her form became foggy and vanished before Miyra's eyes. Now she was looking at the smokey eyes of her scientist. In her rage, she had not realized that some of the shards were but inches away from piercing Charles' face. She gasped, shut her eyes, and the ice shattered into a harmless mist. She jumped onto the table and knelt down to meet his eyes. "Charles...Charles!" She shook his shoulders. "Tell me what she's done to..., " her eyes drifted from one wound to the next; the welts on his face, severe bruising in his arms and legs and the...marks...on his...wrist. Miyra examined closer; his clothes were ruffled, but no holes or tears. All his injuries were in very specific parts of the body.
"These are...self inflicted..."
Her breathing became shaky, she gripped Charles' shoulders tighter, biting back the urge to scream.
"Why...why would you do this...?"
"Well, I honestly thought it was because of me. I do have that effect on people. But I figured out that whatever he had locked up in that big noggin of his was much more valuable than his own life. So, before he finished the job, I made him that."
Miyra could tell that Charles wasn't even looking at her. He was looking right passed her to Litch. The gods knew she wanted to make due on her earlier threat, but she must've done something else to him. A standard Hypnosis wasn't anything to write home about. But to use him as a pawn, this man's life could very well be in Litch's claws. And Miyra was standing in the way of that.
"What do you want?" Pure venom dripped from her lips, but Litch took it with a laugh.
"I just gave him a little suggestion about our false god conversation. On top of this whole "fighting for paradise" thing the world is gonna be involved in, he is going to be my little fly. And you are not to stop him."
Miyra glanced back, "And what if I do?"
Litch took her hands from her hips and placed a nail on her chest, making small circles. A thin smile spread across her face as she backed away and walked down the hall. " If you're not going to contact the champion, I will." And she was gone. Once she was, all the twisted shadows and tendrils that caked the meeting room vanished in an instant. Following that, the dark red glow in Charles' eyes faded away into a natural sky blue. He jumped in his seat, blinking madly as everything went by so fast. One second he was running for his life and the next he was in a very decorative room. The thing that surprised him more was that the Lady of Ice was but a foot away from him with her back towards him. He looked around to see he was on a chair that was on a table, not tied up or anything. At first he feared the worst, but now, now he was just flustered.
"L-Lady Miyra," he quivered," w-what's happening? Where am I?"
Miyra did not want to face him. She did not want to show him the face of a failure. Even if he was a devote, even if he saw his work more valuable than anything else. He didn't deserve this fate.
"We have work to do."
I've been meaning to get this going before fall, but hey, better late than never. This story will feature gijinka's, or, humans that have some animal traits. If that's not your thing, I understand(p.s.: if you plan on sending a character, you don't have to give them animal traits, just that most people in this world do have them.) More details about the world(it's an AU with some changes, don't freak out) will be revealed as the story progresses, as I do not want the first-ish chapter to be one big info dump. So if you're interested, look forward to that.
As for character submition, I will post the fourm on my profile page. Aaaaand, that's it. Happy sending. Hope you like it.
Enjoy.