Takeover: Dragon Soul
Part One:
A Place to Call Home
Page 2:
Just Some Bread, Please
Allbright was a small farming town sitting quaintly in center Fiore. Green pastures and rolling hills surrounded the cozy piece of civilization- what land that wasn't conquered by tilled soil, that is. The vibrant emerald color of the grass was breathtaking, to say the least. On a perfect day like today, it would be a prime spot for midafternoon naps and relaxation after a hard day's work.
Axis watched the clouds roll by the eternal blue of the sky. They were few and far between on a day like this, but each one was large and full like cows on a grand blue pasture. They sailed into and out of his sight limitlessly with no reservations and no goal. Up there, in that gigantically sapphire sky, they were free.
"Free to do whatever they want, even if it's to drift endlessly…" Axis mumbled to himself, stifling a yawn. "I wonder where the clouds go?"
A shadow was suddenly cast over the youth's face. His azure slits shifted from the white clouds in the blue sky to the blue orbs in a white sea. He snorted at the coincidental reversal of color.
"Are you laughing at me?" Lisanna whined. "But you're the one who said something funny!"
The thirteen-year-old boy cracked a smile. Thinking back, it was really a ridiculous thing he had said out loud. "Yeah, I guess I did. So what's up?"
Lisanna squatted down next to her friend of a few weeks. "Elf and I- er- Elf says he's getting hungry. We should get some food soon."
Axis glanced over from his horizontal position on the ground to the person in question. Elfman was sitting with his back to the abandoned tool shed they called home for the past few days. He was observing a small ant colony do whatever it is they do. Every now and then he would glance at the shed door.
Axis moaned as he stretched his four stiff limbs. "I don't wanna work. It's too nice out."
The eleven-year-old Lisanna planted both palms onto her cheeks and puffed them out with a pout. "But I'm huuuuuuungry."
Axis grinned once all pretenses of only Elfman being the one hungry dropped. He rolled up to a sitting position. "Yo, Elfman!" he shouted over to his other friend. "You hungry?"
Elfman jumped at the sudden call of his name. "Uh, a little?"
Axis narrowed his eyes at Lisanna, who had now resorted to using puppy-dog eyes to convince him. He sighed. "You're lucky I'm too soft in the heart. Come on." he relented as he stood to his full height.
Lisanna sprung up. "Yes!" Courageously she dashed towards the town on her own, leaving the rest behind.
Elfman was alarmed at how quickly his little sister had sprinted off. He got to his feet and followed after. "Wait up, Lisanna! It might be dangerous!"
"I'll catch up!" Axis managed to call out to the sibling pair as they ran away. He watched the two heads of white bob energetically over the green hills, but this time he frowned. He strode over to the small tool shed and held the deteriorating wooden door slightly ajar. The last head of white sat depressingly still inside.
"Hey, Mira?" Axis opened calmly. "Me and the others are getting some food in town. You wanna come?"
Through the slit in the doorway, Axis could see her blue eyes, more hardened than her siblings', meet his. "No."
Axis awkwardly pushed the door open another centimeter. "Well, do you want anything, at least?"
The girl didn't need to answer his question as her stomach chose that moment to make its needs known. Mira didn't say anything, but through what little light the shed held Axis could see a small blush excite Mira's pale cheeks.
"Heh, alright I get it. We'll be back soon." Axis then made a fist and traded his mirth for seriousness. "And don't worry, I'll keep them safe. That's a promise."
Upon utterance of those last words, the boy closed the door once again. And, with one last melancholy look at the toolshed, he sped off to find his two charges for the day.
...
"There's so many people!" Lisanna gasped in wonder.
"Huh," Axis stood aghast. "That's more than I expected."
The trio entered the small town proper, expecting a lazy day. In opposition to those expectations, they found Allbright absolutely bustling with activity. The main street in particular was packed with all kinds of folk. Workers, traders, some farmers, even kids running around.
"Whelp, let's get some food." Axis, not one to drag, took the first steps into the town with Lisanna following eagerly behind.
"But Axis," Elfman started to worry. "We don't even have any money. How do we get it?"
The blue-haired boy smirked. "Simple, my friend. We use some underhanded tactics."
Elfman's eyes widened. "You mean ste-!" He was cut off as Axis smacked his hand across the younger boy's mouth, silencing him.
"Not so loud!" Axis shushed his friend. Upon confirming that Elfman wouldn't shout anymore, Axis removed his hand.
"Isn't that stealing?" Elfman now whispered.
"Something wrong with that?"
"Yes!" Elfman exclaimed quietly. "It's really wrong!"
Lisanna's demeanor lit up even more as she smelled something wonderfully pleasant. Her eyes scanned the gathering until she locked onto a certain stand selling a multitude of baked goods. She tugged on Axis' loose pants.
"Let's go there! Let's go there!" her mouth was already watering.
As the trio sauntered over to the stand, Axis placed a hand on Elfman's shoulder. "Listen, buddy, do you see that stand in front of us? With all that bread and stuff?"
"Uh, yeah?" Elfman cautiously acknowledged.
"Look at how much there is!" Axis exaggerated his movements whilst referencing the large pile of loaves sitting beautifully on the stand. "Do you think they're gonna sell all that in one afternoon? No way, right?"
Elfman scratched his head. "I guess not…"
"Mhm." Axis hummed. "What do you think's going to happen to all that unsold bread?"
"I don't know, throw it away?"
"Exactly!" Axis smacked Elfman's back playfully. "What's the point of making all that bread go to waste, anyhow? We gotta make sure it's used up like it's supposed to!"
Elfman gave his friend a hard glare. "Stealing is still wrong. We shouldn't do it."
"Ugh." Axis facepalmed. "If you just wanna ask 'em for free food, don't let me stop you." He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Just in my experience, most people aren't so kind."
Axis let that statement hang in the air as they approached the bread stand. Lisanna had already arrived at their destination. She was salivating at the sight of the massive pile of oven-fresh bread towering over her small form.
Elfman took his place in the back of the small line of people. Seeing how adamant he was to go about it the 'right way', Axis elected for a different plan. He pulled Lisanna aside.
"Alright, Lisanna, you're the last one on my side so don't let me down. Here's the plan-"
"I will not steal." the girl stated in such a matter-of-fact manner that Axis' determination was blown out the window.
The boy hung his head. "Not you, too. Why not?"
"It's wrong." Her answer was resolute. Apparently satisfied with her words, she walked to the back of the line and met up with Elfman, who smiled down at his sister proudly.
"Why do you Strausses have to be so complicated?" Axis groaned as he still stood in place off to the side.
After a moment or two, he rejoined his friends in line and waited. And waited. And waited. It was agonizingly slow. While the siblings stood there contently with smiles on their faces, Axis couldn't take it. He started tapping his bare feet against the cobbled road. He crossed his arms in frustration. They still hadn't moved.
"Come on, what is taking so long?" he murmured.
Elfman looked over with some concern. "Are you doing alright, Axis? It's only been a minute."
Axis frowned before dismissively waving. "Don't worry, I'm all good. Heh heh." His answer wasn't very convincing, but it seemed to satisfy the white-haired boy anyway.
The blue-haired freedom-lover ruffled his already messy hair and groaned. He looked back up at the sky to find it now completely clear.
"If I'm not back in ten minutes, just go back to Mira." Axis relented, walking away from his place in the line.
"Where are you going?" Lisanna questioned innocently.
"To the bathroom, or something." Was his answer as he left the two to their own devices. He walked away from the stand and crossed a street or two, now finding himself in a completely different part of the market and away from his friends.
"Alright then, Axis, it's just you again. Let's show those goody-two-shoes how it's done."
He observed the small plaza he was now situated in. Spotting a large pipe snaking its way up the wall of a building, he made his way over and scaled it. Getting high enough to view the plaza with an unobstructed view, he hooked one arm around the pipe and looked back.
The plaza was square in nature with a small fountain situated in the middle. The walls were lined with internal building shops and external stands selling all kinds of merchandise, including some food stands. There, he spotted a lonely fruit stand sitting primely between two other mildly-popular sites. This meant that no one should take much notice of a few too many apples and pears gone missing.
Axis declined from his position on the pipe and, with a pep in his step, navigated towards his target. He took a wide berth around the plaza instead of a direct path. He hoped he could sneak behind the stands themselves as the setup allowed for multiple bodies to pass through the back unobstructed.
He finally arrived at the first stand in the line. He counted about three stands in between him and the fruit. Keeping that number in mind, he crouched low, under the sightline of most people, and crawled stealthily behind the merchants running the stands. He quickly shuffled past the first and second stands easily.
"Sir, I have to know, where did you find such a nice necklace?" a customer asked the merchant Axis was currently hiding behind.
"Oh, this? I discovered such a piece on my recent trip to Bosco! Would you like to see the album I made for it? There were a fair few surprises!" the merchant responded, already turning around to rummage through his inventory.
Thinking quickly, Axis ducked under the merchant's stand, silently thanking that it was on legs and not a full table. His misfortune turned into an opportunity, however. Now he could just move under the tables instead of putting himself at risk of being seen by those above. He licked his lips greedily. He could already taste those apples.
Axis crossed over undetected to his final destination. He eyed the several crates of food sitting behind the merchant's legs, completely unattended. He reached out for a handful of pure, juicy gold.
"Hey, Bingo!" Axis heard someone approach the fruit stand. "Nice to see you!"
"Well I'll be, is that Adrian? It's been too long!"
Axis tried to ignore the conversation above him as his hands drew tantalizingly close to the fruit crate. His mouth grew an elated smirk as he wrapped his fingers around his treasure.
"Say, did you ever get that weird condition figured out?"
"You wanna see?" the merchant responded mischievously. "How bout you pull my finger?"
Axis withdrew his hands, feeling giddy at the acquisition of sustenance. He gripped a pear between his teeth and moved to grab some more…
Smack!
Suddenly one of the merchant's legs kicked out, quick as lightning. The boot struck Axis across the cheek with surprising force. The boy was blown out of his cover, his hands and jaw instinctively clutching his prizes.
Axis dropped one apple to message his aching face. "Watch where you're kicking old man! Jeez!"
The crowd around the fruit stand all stood in stunned silence at the sudden appearance of the boy. The merchant especially, as he stood there blinking at the several pieces of fruit still in the boy's possession.
"Uh," Axis gulped. "I just found these."
Judging by the adversarial expressions the crowd now wore, Axis guessed that his excuse didn't fly so well. Knowing the all too familiar turn of events that were about to transpire, Axis bolted before the merchant could even get the words out.
"Guards! Thief!"
Axis scampered his way through the plaza, avoiding any hands that tried to grab him. He sidled past some folk, even rolled under a few legs, until he was face-to-face with a fairly large wall with a maze of alleyways on the other side.
"If I can make this, I'm home free!" he said excitedly at the thought. Looking back, he saw a small crowd of people start to form, all giving chase to him. "They really took this seriously."
Facing the wall, he clutched his leg. He tried to feel the mysterious power like before, the one that allowed him to do incredible, not-so-normal things. He could feel the magic inside and willed it into his lower body. Yes, he could feel it all. A well of power inside him just waiting to be unleashed.
"So long, suckers!" he shouted, jumping into the air and to his freedom…
…at least that's what he imagined in his head. The truth hit him pretty hard when he touched back down onto the ground not a second later, having gone nowhere. He looked down at his leg in betrayal. "Come on, man!"
Axis then felt a cold sweat run down the back of his head. He felt heated glares come in from all around him. He stiffly turned to face the surprisingly intimidating entourage of townsfolk, bakers, and merchants all with their eyes solely on him.
"Well, then," he smiled weakly. "Would it be too late to ask for forgiveness?"
...
"So where do you think Axis went?" Lisanna asked, swaying on her feet.
Elfman looked down at his younger sibling with obvious confusion. "Didn't you hear him? He just went to the bathroom."
Lisanna deadpanned. "Oh, big brother, did you actually believe that story? He's been gone for ten minutes!"
Elfman shrugged. "Maybe he just really needed to go?"
"You're hopeless…" Lisanna sighed as the pair moved forward to another spot of the oddly popular baked goods stand.
"I still can't believe he was tryna get us to," Elfman looked around worriedly as if someone was watching him before lowering his voice. "Steal."
"I don't think he meant anything wrong by it. He was just looking out for us, you know?" Lisanna adopted a warm smile. "I think it's kind of sweet!"
Elfman crossed his arms. "Or he is just a no-good thief."
"Do you still not trust him?" Lisanna exclaimed with a small gasp. "But he's our friend!"
"He tried to leave us before, remember?" Elfman shivered. "Back there with that wizard. He almost... let that wizard hurt you. I don't think I can forgive him for that."
"Maybe," Lisanna's look was pensive. "But it's not fair to blame him for something that wasn't his fault. Well, not entirely. And he came back to save us! I think that matters the most."
"Right…" The siblings cascaded into a stunted silence as they waited for their turn in line, deep in their own thoughts about their new friend.
"So this town's pretty nice, right?"
"I'll say. Much better than that slug hole the boss keeps us in all day. At least now we can see sunlight!"
Lisanna's ears perked up at the rough voices coming from behind her. Sneaking a peek, she saw two brutish-looking men waiting in line behind them. One stood taller than the other, his bald head reflecting brightly back at her. So much so that she had to wonder if it was polished. The stouter of the two juxtaposed the other man by having flowing locks of hair with a large beard. They both wore a weird off-white uniform with a symbol she could recognize as some sort of paw.
"I can't wait to try this stuff." The taller man pined. "Zumi says they got the best damn croissants you'll ever eat."
"Ain't she live around these parts?" The shorter man replied. "There's gotta be some bias in there somewhere."
"Who cares!" The tall man leaned back. "I'm so damn hungry I could probably settle for the trash the boss feeds the beasts!."
"Heh, don't let these bakers hear you compare their food to that gunk, Monroe." After a short breath, the smaller man groaned. "We need to find that runaway beast soon. Boss says it might get out of control if we're not careful."
"Yeah, for sure." The tall man nodded. "But we can afford this little snack break, yeah?"
"Oh, yeah."
Lisanna was shaken from her eavesdropping by Elfman as they finally arrived at the front of the line. She quickly put on the sweetest, cutest smile she could muster in front of the lady merchant.
The merchant leaned down with her elbows on the table. "Now what would you two cuties like today?" Her tone was sweet.
Elfman glanced nervously to the floor, avoiding her gaze. Lisanna internally sighed at her brother's shyness. It looked like she would have to handle this one.
"Excuse me, miss?" She gained the merchant's attention. "I have something to ask."
...
"I get it, I get it!"
Axis burst from an alleyway and into the rolling pastures surrounding the town proper. He ducked as a dulled knife sailed right past his head, stabbing into the ground upon landing. He looked back incredulously.
"Are you trying to kill me?!"
A small crowd of townsfolk stood at the edge of the building line, armed to the teeth with spoons, cutting knives, and he even saw a cheese grater. A burlish old lady made her way to the front with a rolling pin waving at him.
"We don't appreciate thieves around these parts, youngin'!"
Axis gave a smug smile. "Oh, yeah? And just what are you gonna do with that, huh? Roll me out flat and put me in an oven?" he snorted at the thought.
Clunk!
"Ow!" he rubbed the now red spot on his forehead from the flying rolling pin. "It was just a joke, relax!"
"We'll give you one chance to run away since you're just a kid." A man with a boisterous mustache warned him. "But if we catch you back at the market, you're toast."
Axis could hear several murmurs of agreement and even some laughs at the pun. Now he just felt downright indignant. Seeking to get the last laugh, he pointed feverishly at the crowd.
"You think you could catch me? Think again!" he cackled. "You never will! Because I'm never gonna do what I don't wanna do! Because I'm free- OW!" He clutched his face as now a wooden spoon smacked him in the eye. "Alright, I'm going!"
Axis embarrassingly trudged along the beaten dirt path and away from the village, all the while keeping a wary eye on the townsfolk- who apparently refused to move until he was out of eyesight.
"Damn bakers…" he mumbled to himself spitefully. "Can't I just keep one damn pear? The nerve…" His stomach grumbled. If he wasn't hungry before the excitement sure made it so now.
The late afternoon sun was starting to set under the horizon. He was definitely over his five-minute timer, that was for sure. He guessed the other met back up with Mira at the shed. And judging by his unpleasant experience with the villagers, they probably didn't have any food.
"Yeah," he verbally agreed with his thoughts. "Those demon villagers would never just give away their stuff. No way."
He silently and shamefully walked back to the shed. He dragged his bare feet through the dirt. His shoulders were slumping. He gripped his leg once more.
"Why can't you work when I want you to? Just listen to me, will ya?"
Of course, the leg didn't talk back today, either. It was a leg after all, but it didn't hurt to try.
After a few minutes, he finally arrived back at the shed. He could see some faint light coming from inside, so he assumed the others had a small fire going inside. He exhaled some pent-up oxygen, ready to tell his friends about how he couldn't get them dinner.
Mira's gonna be downer than usual.
Axis opened the shoddy wooden door to reveal the three white-haired siblings all huddled around a tiny fire for some warmth and some light. They looked up at the newcomer, and Axis could see the relief on Lisanna's face, the suspicion on Elfman's, and the…something on Mira's. He couldn't really decipher her blank expressions.
"Hey, guys," he slumped down, closing the door behind him. "Sorry, I'm late."
"Hey, Axis," Lisanna smiled and waved before noticing his mood. "What's got you so down?" Then, upon noticing something else, she pouted. "And what's with the bruise?"
Axis instinctually covered the growing mark on his forehead with one hand. "Yeah, uh, that's nothing important. It's just…" he squirmed in his spot. He didn't look them in the eyes. "I, uh, couldn't find any food for us. I'm really sorry. We can probably try again tomorrow, maybe."
"Don't worry about it," Elfman said promptly. "We already ate."
Axis blinked. "What?"
"Yeah!" LIsanna nodded. "That baker lady was reeeally nice! She let us have some loaves when we told her about us!"
"She…huh?" Suddenly the bruise hurt a whole lot more.
"She was pretty understanding, actually," Elfman added. "There's some really nice people in that town."
Axis pursed his lips and widened his eyes in disbelief. He didn't want to believe it, but the three sat here with some content smiles on their faces. He could practically feel his self-confidence deflate.
"That's…good. Yeah, that's good." Axis relented with a small smile. "At least y'all got something to eat for today. Can't sleep on an empty stomach, I always say."
The quiet meeting was interrupted by a sudden gurgle from Axis' stomach. The unpleasant sound filled the room, causing the one who released it to blush.
"You wouldn't happen to have any extra, would you?"
Lisanna could only give a sad frown. "Sorry, Axis, but we only got three loaves. And since you were taking so long we kinda figured you found your own…"
"That's fine." Axis slumped further down the wooden wall. "I can wait till tomorrow, no problem."
The second stomach gurgle said otherwise.
"Ahem."
Mira caught the attention of the other three as she cleared her throat. She rummaged through the inside of her black cloak until she pulled out something slightly tanned. Axis gasped as he recognized the item as half of a loaf of bread.
Mira leaned closer to Axis, extending her hand with the food item. "I'm not hungry anymore. Here."
Axis gaped at the act of kindness, but he quickly shook his head. "No, you keep it. I can find my own stuff tomorrow."
Mira scowled. She leaned in a little closer, just enough so Axis could see the small fire in her eyes. "I said I'm not hungry anymore."
The difference was subtle, but Axis could swear he saw a demon in those eyes. Taking the hint, he gingerly brushed his hand across hers and took the rest of the bread from her possession. Seemingly satisfied, Mira leaned back to her original position. As Axis took a small but out of the admittedly delicious bread, he could see the smallest of smiles form on her lips.
Thump, thump, thump
"Uh, Axis?" Elfman asked worriedly.
"Hm?" the blue-haired boy hummed contently while in the middle of chewing.
"Oh my gosh, you have a tail!" Lisanna exclaimed with shocked surprise.
Axis nearly choked. "What?!"
"You're like a dog!" Lisanna immediately traded her surprise for laughter. She doubled over, not being able to control herself anymore.
Axis looked over his shoulder, and sure enough there it was. A long appendage grew from his lower back made of dark blue scales and muscle, the same color and physical makeup as when his legs and arms sometimes transformed. It would seem his magic had activated independently from his command again.
Now was not the time to admire it, as it currently had a mind of its own, wagging exactly like a dog's would.
"Aw man, turn it off!" Axis blushed at the embarrassing turn of events. "This is so stupid!"
Elfman got over his stunned surprise to join in Lisanna's laughter as Axis then resorted to trying to hold the tail in place, but to no avail. It was a surprisingly difficult task to do in his position, after all. They laughed even harder as Axis' cheeks grew redder by the second. Although, it didn't take long for the young boy himself to join them.
Mira watched the scene in mirthful silence. The sight of the new appendage had her clutching her cursed arm in pain, but looking at her brother and sister now she couldn't help but smile. After all, there wasn't nearly this much laughter between them just a few weeks ago, before the mysterious boy had almost used them as bait.
She felt something nice well up inside her gazing upon her companions. Maybe, she could learn to smile a bit more, too.
Happy Friday!
Thank you all so much for the super positive reception to the debut of the story! It's really awesome to see, especially considering that was only the first chapter! As always, reviews are greatly appreciated so don't be afraid to share your thoughts! Anyway, see y'all next time!
P.S: Just as an FYI, I don't have any set upload schedule, so chapters will only come out when they're ready.