Sorry it took me a little longer than expected to write this, had to tend to real life obligations.
At any rate, please enjoy!
Ten years have past since Garland Willowbrook took Pyperia under his wing. Within those ten years she became among the best performers in the entire circus. She performed all kinds of acrobatics, trained giant tiger-foz, twirled baton, and even rocked the electric mandolin for the entire crowd. The vast majority of the crowd loved her, as did her fellow performers.
Pyperia's bond with Garland grew quite a bit over the years. Even though, in her heart, she knew that he could never truly replace her late parents, at the very least he was able to fill in the void as a caring father figure. Garland himself was a very eccentric individual, but he was a caring individual all the same. In fact, the majority of the performers were all adopted by him at one point or another, just like Pyperia.
Pyperia had never been happier. Why wouldn't she be? She had a roof over her head, good meals, an exciting life, and a caring new family. Surely nothing would go wrong…or would it?
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Garland announced. "This we all hope you enjoyed yet another spectacular show! Unfortunately, all great things must come to an end, but don't fret! For we saved the best for last. Get ready for the daring… the bold… the amazing Pyperia!"
As the crowd roared loud with excitement, Pyperia somersaulted right into the air and on the trapeze. She went back and forth from trapeze to trapeze for a fair bit, then swung off and landed on a tightrope, which she walked on with ease. After reaching the middle of the tightrope, she launched right off and dove in fast, causing everyone's heart to race. She landed on a trampoline, which launched her very high into the air, then finally lands on her feet, right at the center of the circus. The crowd let out a thunderous applause. Garland couldn't help but let a small tear escape his eye. He was very proud of Pyperia.
After the show was finished and everybody cleared the tent, Garland opened up a magical bag which sucked in the entire tent and everything in it. After that, they all got onboard his magic circus train, which flew into the air.
While the other performers were chatting among themselves about their next big show, Garland took some time to praise Pyperia for her performance.
"Well done Pyperia! You're a real chip off the old block!" Said a large muscular elf, the strong man of the circus.
"Thank you so much!" Pyperia said. "It was so much fun, first I was like, really high, then I plummeted down, then I was all " Ta Da!", by the end! Aw man if only my… parents could have seen me." Pyperia grew a sad face upon that last sentence.
"I'm sure they would have been very proud of you, Pyperia. I certainly am." Garland said as he placed his hand on Pyperia's shoulder. Pyperia smiled at least. There was still pain, but she could still take comfort that there were still fellow elves who cared about her.
Suddenly, everyone's ears perked up at the sound of thunder. As if fate were playing a cruel trick, a terrible storm occurred out of nowhere, and completely engulfed the flying train. The train was durable indeed, but it could only take so much in these powerful winds. Everyone was trying to find cover during all the chaos. Poor Pyperia thought she was going to lose her lunch with all this rocking going on.
Then, at the worst possible convenience, lighting struck the train, which was plummeting to the ground afterwards. "Everyone, brace yourselves!" Cried out Garland, already fearing the worst. Pyperia had never been so scared in her life. She had tried to reach for Garland, only to be knocked out by a stool, which was flying along with other debris as the train was falling. The last thing she faintly heard was "Pyperia!", before blacking out.
It had been at least an hour later when Pyperia finally started opening her eyes. She let out an agonized groan. Her head certainly hurt, but the rest of her body was downright fatigued. She took a look at all the destruction. The train was completely demolished. How she ever survived was a complete mystery to her.
Speaking of survive, were there other survivors? "Garland!" Pyperia called out. "James, Selina, anyone!" Alas, nobody answered. She dug through some rubble, only to find Garland's magic baton. After what seemed to be an entire hour of searching, she found no one. She feared the worst.
For the first time in ten years, Pyperia was alone in the world. It was like losing her parents all over again. She even started to wonder if anyone was safe around her. "Why do bad things happen to anyone who comes close to me?". She did not ball her eyes out as she did for her late parents, but the pain was definitely there, and th tears that escaped her eyes were real.
In the rubble, she noticed her bag and stuffed griffin were miraculously unscathed. After grieving, she picked up Garland's baton to carry as a memento, as well as her bag and griffin toy, and started to move on.
She then heard the sound of a ship horn. Using her keen elf ears, she followed the sound, her curiosity getting the better of her. As luck would have it, there was a flying cargo ship, nearly ready to take off. Without a moment to spare, Pyperia stowed away on the ship, hiding in various corners and cargo to avoid detection.
"Alrighty, let's move out!" Said the captain. With that, the ship pulled out and off it went. Pyperia could only hope another storm wouldn't hit. She sat quietly in the cargo bay, safely hidden from view. Though they did not seem like bad men, she certainly wasn't going to take any chances. All she could do was wait, and see where this ship would take her.
Three days have already past since Pyperia stowed away on the ship. Once again, her rations were pretty low, and she was getting very hungry and thirsty. She was hoping she would reach land soon, for she felt in her heart that she would be discovered eventually. Knock on stone, she was lucky so far. Finally, her prayers were answered, for the destination was within view. It was perhaps the most beautiful city she ever saw. It was Drake City.
As soon as the the ship reached its port, Pyperia could not get off fast enough. As quickly, yet quietly, as she could, she exited the sky ship, and looked at Drake City and all its hustle and bustle. It was a marvelous metropolis indeed, though something else peaked her interest. It was a strange circular contraption that looked like it would go underground. Running on curiosity, she entered the ride, wanting to see where it went.
As the ride went under, she started getting a bit uneasy. She wasn't sure what it was, but something told her that whatever this ride leads to, it couldn't be like the gleaming city above. She looked at all the people that she rode with, and felt very uneasy. Some of them re humans of average size, others were either trolls or ogres who dwarfed their fellow passengers. Compared to them all, she felt so small.
Upon landing, dust floated everywhere. Lots of people excited the ride, literally leaving Pyperia in the dust. After a few coughs, Pyperia saw the new world she entered. It reminded her a bit of Alar, dark and somewhat grizzly, yet infinitely more bustling. "Don't be scared Miss Paisley." Pyperia told her stuffed griffin, trying not to be scared. The loud noises alone were frightening, but the dark scenery was terrifying to her. Before she could take another step, the door shut behind Pyperia, startling her to drop Miss Paisley.
After narrowly dodging a car, she tried to pick up Miss Paisley, only to for a rogue biker orc to snatch it away. She tried going after him, narrowly dodging each car in her way, except one. Yet, just when it seemed like she was about to be run over, she was tackled out of harms way by a human girl. Pyperia took a moment to inspect this Good Samaritan. She seemed to be in her preteens, had a light blue sleeveless hoodie, and purple hair worn in a ponytail. Shortly after, the girl was accompanied by a white foz, no doubt her faithful companion.
"Alright kid, on your feet." Said the girl as she helped Pyperia up. "You must be a newbie to the Undercity, most people here look both ways at least three times before crossing."
"Th-Thank you. For saving me." Was all Pyperia could say.
"No prob. I'm Zarya. And this little guy, he's Choko." Zarya then proceeds to scratch Choko behind his long ear, which he enjoyed very much. "So you got a name or what?"
"Pyperia Ashryn Elvanestri. Though, my adoptive last name is Willowbrook."
"Piper it is! Hope you don't mind, it's just easier to remember."
"It's.. fine…" The poor elf then began tearing up a little, much to Zarya's shock.
"Whoa, what's the matter kid?"
"I've got nowhere to go! Everyone I ever got close to was always taken away from me and..."
"And what? What happened to your parents?"
Piper tears flowed faster upon that question. "They were taken... by a monster."
From there, Zarya knew where she was coming from, for she suffered similar trauma. "Sorry to hear that Piper. Believe it or not, I know what it's like to lose parents to... a monster. Tell you what, why not stick with me?"
"I don't know. people around me… bad things seem to happen to them."
"Well don't worry about me kid. I'll take care of you, I got your back!"
"Pinky promise?" Piper asked sheepishly, still uncertain
"Piper promise. Here, have this." Zarya then pulled out a stuffed bunny, giving it to Piper as a show of trust. "His name is Binky, he kept me safe during my time here."
"Thanks!" Piper then hugged Zarya out of impulse, much to Zarya's shock. "How can I ever repay you!"
"First of all, boundaries." Zarya said as she gently nudged the enthusiastic elf off. "Second of all, don't worry about it, I'll show you the ropes. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine."
And that does it for Piper's story. I admit it may not be as strong as part one but I had fun writing it. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and review, thanks for taking the time to read.