Author's Notes:
One of my more recent reviewers volunteered to be my beta reader, and I happily accepted. Their pen name is Strykeruk. They've been a great help to my writing. So much better than my previous one, as a matter of fact. I love how they actually propose changes on the actual text, rather than just giving me indirect/vague/imprecise commentary.
They've got a message for y'all too:
"Hey all, Strykeruk here. As Beta reader I will do all I can to ensure Insomniac gets his chapters out in good time and with good grammar. I'm not going to change how he writes his story (mostly) however so don't worry about that haha. However I will read your reviews and good ideas may be re-appropriated as my own. :P'"
I hope they'll be sticking around for a long time.
Timestamp key: "D" for days, "W" for weeks, "M" for months, "Y" for years, "EM" for early morning, "LM" for late morning, "EA" for early afternoon, "LA" for late afternoon, "EE" for early evening, "LN" for late night, and "AD" for all day. Note that the Realms follows the sexagesimal system for keeping time, just like Earth. (In other words, 60 seconds per minute and 60 minutes per hour.)
Snip category key: There are four categories of snips. "Settling In", "City Life", "Beyond the Wall", and "The Journey Home". All four represent parallel storylines that take place within Aimless, and other than "Settling In", each snip category has at least two subtypes. Those subtypes aren't listed due to potential spoilers.
Enjoy!
Beyond the Wall – Foreign Affairs
Chapter 28: Another 1
"Curiosity is the lust of the mind."
- Thomas Hobbes
[32D/LM]
Ever since he got his ass whooped by the dummy golem in Proudtail Hall—the very same golem that was ludicrously trivial to dispatch back when he held a PlayStation® DualShock controller—Joshua often returned to the vast chamber whenever he had permission.
What did he do there? In theory, he spent the vast majority of his time pondering over the Unknown Element and the mysteries it held. Surely there was a way to control it; and surely Joshua Renalia wouldn't have acquired something so potent—overpowered, perhaps—without good reason. If there had been any prophecies, legends, or myths mentioning some ability as strange and unusual as his, so far nobody professed to their existence, or even their mere possibility. Not his guards. Not the Guardians. Not even his heroes.
In theory, he was tapping into the unknown. A potentially dangerous venture. One that could, at worst, wipe the City of Dragons off the continent, so some level of supervision was necessary. Volteer usually presided over his cogitations. Sometimes it was Cynder.
In reality, the human did nothing but sit there. Sometimes he sat down, legs crossed, on the bleachers. Sometimes, like this morning, he sprawled himself over the middle of the arena. There were even times when he leaned back just underneath the crystal that would bring that golem to life. In short, Joshua did whatever he felt like doing. Because it was either Proudtail Hall or the prison cell they called his room, and honestly, he'd much rather have the Hall over wherever else any day.
Kilat naturally accompanied him each time. God bless that little girl! Joshua had no words to describe how much he treasured her affection. Her love overwhelmed his loneliness so much that he couldn't bring himself to tell her to worry more about her own future or start seeking out clues concerning her family. They didn't need to talk. Silence and affection were often all that was needed.
Today, however...
Today, was different.
Today, Joshua came to Proudtail Hall with something akin to a breakthrough in his understanding of the Unknown Element. It came to him suddenly, during one of the many, many days his mind was still and reviewed the horrific—traumatic events that led him to Warfang and put him at odds with the people he viewed as his greatest fictional heroes, once upon a time.
In his first week, Volteer divulged his observation that Joshua could access the passive abilities of the Unknown Element at any given time. To borrow Elder Scrolls lingo, he had an innate Detect Life spell he could activate at will for as long as he wanted. It obviously didn't work the same way, but for sake of practicality, it was the best way to describe it.
So what if... what if that special "sixth sense" of his was the key—the linchpin to channeling the Unknown Element? What if every application, every form the power took required this "spell" at minimum?
Joshua Renalia felt incredibly stupid when the idea appeared in his head out of nowhere, and while at work at that! The gamer had to wait a few days before it was either "Torsha" or "Mazarach" again—whatever the hell those were; God, he needed to find out how the f*cking calendar worked here—and he could go to Proudtail Hall to test out his hypothesis in a more, controlled environment directly after his morning bath. Kilat naturally went with him. Why wouldn't she?
Volteer made a face he couldn't quite read when he informed the old dragon. He allowed it, of course, not forgetting to express happiness, and respect, at Joshua's self-restraint. Given the unusual nature of this morning's session at Proudtail Hall, both Joshua and Volteer were surprised to see Spyro seated there, sporting a vacant expression.
Spyro's sphere of life contracted the second he laid his eyes on Joshua. "What're you guys doing here?" he said. His gaze flickered at him, Volteer, Kilat, and their entourage of guards. "Isn't he supposed to be in his room?"
"By my authority—
"I go here twice a week," Joshua, mustering the courage to speak, interrupted Volteer right at the moment he verbalized ole syllable. "Didn't Cynder tell you this? I've had this arrangement for a while now."
Mentioning Cynder's name brought a reaction out of the Purple Dragon. His life signature trembled greatly, even though he managed to keep his emotions from appearing on his snout. Instead he chose to glare at Joshua and say nothing.
"Spyro, if your memory is still fresh, you should remember that, following my initial assessment of Joshua's abilities, we all convened and arrived at a consensusto provide him with a space within which he could explore the Unknown Element under expert control, supervision... guidance.
"It pains me to report that nothing noteworthy has happened since then," Volteer stated while he sat on his haunches, glowering down at the young dragon before him. "But today Joshua seems to have some sort of breakthrough and he's excited to put his conjectures to the test."
To Joshua's relief, the Electric Guardian's attempt to pacify his hero succeeded. Unfortunately, said explanation also attracted Spyro's... interest? So after countless reassurances that he wouldn't assault the human unless he put people in EXPLICIT and OBVIOUS danger, Joshua found himself sitting in the very middle of Proudtail Hall, with his legs crossed, with Kilat snuggling up between them (and kneading his thighs like a giant, scale-covered cat), and with his hero watching him with a gaze so keen Joshua could sense it in the young dragon's sphere of life. Multiple guards surrounded Spyro, just in case the great Savior of the Dragon Realms decided to go back on his word. No sneak attacks from that asshole!
That had been at least an hour ago. Since then Spyro's life signature had begun dilating. It slowly whirled into an oblate sphere and dulled in color, with the core beginning to grow wisps and tendrils of orange light. Joshua interpreted it as boredom settling in, followed by impatience. Spyro reacted no differently from somebody back home. He suppressed a chuckle; truly, some things were just universal.
Joshua found Kilat a welcome distraction, even as he tried to focus on the spheres of life around him. What would be a harmless trick? He thought.
Only when Kilat stood up and affectionately licked his cheek did Joshua make his choice. He eyed the cute, little girl in front of him, his sixth sense envisioning the spinning pink ball of life that belonged to her. Joshua then shut his eyes and raised both hands to take hold of it and shake it a little. Make it tickle. I know there's a spot that corresponds to her sides somewhere 'round... here!
Suddenly the child prodigy fell. Tiny, yellow scales dropped off of her as she squirmed between his crossed legs, laughing. "Sss-tah, s-s-sstop it! That tickles."
"By the Ancestors," he heard Volteer murmur.
Spyro had a different reaction than he did, but whatever it was, Joshua paid him no mind and opened his eyes. He was amazed to see his hands basked in a dim, white light. That had not happened in a very long time. "Whoaaa..."
He couldn't resist.
He poked Kilat's nose, his hand still covered in that strange pale light. She curled in on herself, snickering even as she covered snout with her paws. Then he caressed her wing, and she rolled away from him. Finally, he scratched her chin—one of the things she loved about his fingers—and her tail thwacked his face out of reflex.
"Agh!" the move brought an abrupt end to his channeling. The white light disappeared, as though it never existed to begin with. "Not doing that again," he muttered to himself.
Joshua gazed at Volteer, who for once had a bright, proud smile on his muzzle. "That wasn't bad for a start, eh?"
"Oh I must agree!" He started padding over towards him. "This is a wonderful breakthrough! We'll be able to progress much more easily with my studies now. But first, I must chronicle your experience. Egeria's tail, I haven't been this excited since—
Muffled shouts beyond Proudtail Hall's closed doors interrupted them. While everyone else in the chamber strained—struggled to hear the words being thrown around outside, the human's enhanced hearing allowed him—unfortunately or otherwise—limited access to the conversation.
"—diplomatic repercussions if you go through with this," a female voice was saying. Pleading, if Joshua interpreted it right. "Please, please, please exercise some patience and let us—
"PATIENCE? Since when have I been patient?"
Joshua had never heard that voice in the several weeks that he's been living here in the Temple. He traced it to a life signature he couldn't recognize. A powerful presence loomed large within the humongous sphere, brimming with a light bright enough to actually rival Spyro's. The gamer focused on the voice. It wasn't hard to distinguish the rather nasal pitch, which didn't match the presence this new soul was emanating. Yet...
"But—
Yet...
"SiLENCE! If it weren't for our good relations with these bottom-dwellers, the fact they dared—they DARED to stop me is an act of waaaarr!"
Why did Joshua feel like he's heard this voice before?
A third presence replied using a loud grumble. It was Terrador's life signature. Why was the Earth Guardian coming here? Ever since Volteer and Cynder took responsibility for him, he hadn't heard anything from the other three Guardians since that day they conducted an on-the-spot background check on him. "The Allied Territories of Warfang is independent of Skylands, and I am among its highest authorities. I understand someone of your, unique position, isn't accustomed to the ceremonies of diplomacy, but I urge you to listen to your orator and—
"Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. I, DON'T, CARE!"
Proudtail Hall's doors slammed open at the last word, causing everyone in the room to flinch. The guards tensed up, and even Spyro grew vigilant, his sphere of life contracting into a tight ball of power. Joshua had never seen these huge, heavy doors swing so fast. Thunder echoed across the room when they struck the rock wall. He wondered what sort of person would do something like this, and why. Who was this new entrant to the game? What did they want with him? Did they even want to see him? Maybe they were there to see Spyro. After all, what could be so important that this person would willingly—
All questions—all speculation—indeed, all thought died the second Joshua Renalia laid his viridian eyes on the newcomer. He couldn't wrench his gaze away from the figure standing underneath the gaping doorway, who had their hands raised as though proclaiming to everybody their responsibility for the sudden disturbance. He simply couldn't. It would be an impossible task.
For his eyes were transfixed on a human being.
Another human.
Literally the only other human he had ever seen since arriving in the Dragon Realms.
Joshua's heart fluttered up and down, a twisting rollercoaster of emotions that left the teenager gasping for breath as he took stock of the second human being this world had to offer. It was a short man in a black robe. His stature, about as physically frail as the high school student himself was. Not at all like the charismatic hero one might expect given all the tropes in Spyro fanfiction featuring humans. Even then, relief like Joshua had never known in his entire life washed over him. The unease weighing down on his soul, grinding it slowly 'til it eventually became dust, was lifted away, like everything was going to be all right from now on. Water filled his eyes—blurred his vision, and haphazardly he wiped it off.
Oh my God.
Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my f*cking Goooooooood!
Joshua couldn't help pinching his own arm. An upbeat feeling swelled in his chest when he realized he wasn't dreaming. In front of him was a human being. An honest-to-God human being! Jesus Christ, he wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't alone! Hallelujah! New questions—new speculations—new thoughts erupted in his mind, all urging him to learn more about this other human. Where were they from? Did they come from Earth too? How did they earn the respect of Terrador of all people? How were they even getting away with blatantly disrespecting the same people Joshua was supposed to pay lip service to every single f*cking day in this f*cking city on this shitty continent? Just who exactly was backing this other human that—
The gamer's authentic moment of happiness came crashing down when reality finally set in.
When he noticed the array of azure birthmarks on the other human's forehead.
When he ogled the other's red eyes and the black tattoos running along them in a pattern that resembled a quadratic function on a Cartesian plane.
When Joshua Renalia finally recognized the man for who he was: Kaos, the main antagonist of Activison's Skylanders. The very same idiot with his hare-brained schemes, exaggerated manner of speech, and delusions of grandeur.
"Ahhhh, so THAT'S the 'furless ape' everybody's talking about these days."
With a characteristic smirk, Kaos began strolling towards the arena as though the numerous guards scattered around Proudtail Hall did not exist. As he strutted forward Joshua realized Kaos looked a little different from his cartoonish depiction in Skylanders. While still small, he wasn't as ludicrously tiny. Joshua was surprised Kaos's head actually matched his body size, despite it still being far larger than what could be considered normal for a human being. It was clear to him that, even in a fantasy world with magic, dragons, and furry anthropomorphs, the laws of physics could only stretch so far.
He felt Spyro's life signature contract. The Purple Dragon growled. Joshua swore he felt his paws curl on the stone as though they were his own feet. He was ready to pounce at any moment—
"Submaster Kaos!" A Wind Dragon overtook the Portal Master from behind and obstructed his path. Joshua couldn't help noticing Kilat getting up. She stood protectively beside her brother, her cobalt eyes trained on the adult dragoness towering above the other human. "Please turn back. If you proceed—
"Out of the way, Skydancer!" He waved his hand dismissively. His arms moved in wild, erratic patterns. Joshua was stunned. It was like watching the show every "true" Spyro fan hated come to life. "I, SUBMASTER KAOS, am not here on official business! The mere fact I work closely with the Empress means nothing before my SACRED Portal Master duTIES!"
She gritted her teeth, ears flattening when she crouched in a threatening manner. "Your Grace, if you proceed, you'll set back years of diplomacy with the Allied Territories. The resources Skylands invested—
"Are trivial!" he curtly proclaimed, his crimson eyes trained on the gamer. Joshua unconsciously took a step back, and even Kilat bared her fangs. "Believe me, there are many things we can learn from this wonderful gemstone Warfang's been hiding from us."
Spyro finally had enough and leaped down from his perch. The Savior landed with a loud thud. He stood before the Portal Master on all fours, his posture as imposing as it was intimidating. He stretched out his body, emphasizing—exaggerating their size difference in an effort to look more intimidating. As far as Joshua was concerned, it worked. A young adult like Spyro was comparable to a large horse, with his head already resting several inches above Joshua's own; the dragon was more like an elephant or a hippopotamus when compared to the other human. "You."
"Oh!" Kaos blinked, before he sneered. "Well if it isn't Spyro, the Purple Dragon of Legend. I didn't expect to see you here. How are you these days?" He tendered his hand. "Are you taking my offer to join the Skylanders today? We always have a couple spots open for you and Cynder—
The Savior snapped at the proferred hand.
Kaos retracted his hand at the last moment. A relaxed smile found its way to his face. The kind a man would wear when he was amused. Joshua shuddered. How could anyone find a snarling dragon twice his size amusing? "Awww, look at you!" cooed the Portal Master. "Playing hard to get, huh? You can't delay this forever, 'Savior'. The two of you don't belong down here. You—
"Enough with the dragon dung," Spyro gruffly cut him off. "I've said it almost a hundred times: Cynder and l will never join the Skylanders, no matter what you say!" He stepped closer to the other human, going nearly snout to face. "Now what do you want, Kaos? You know you're not welcome here."
"Isn't it oooobvious?" he chuckled darkly. "I'm here for your guest." Joshua flinched when the diminutive human pointed a finger at him. He felt Kilat lean on him, consoling the boy with her presence. "I have a pulse on things anywhere Skylands has an embassy in. And I've heard many interesting things about Joshua here."
"This is none of your business."
"On the contrary, dragon, it is." Kaos sneered. "I'm here as a Portal Master, not a dog of the Empire! I'm concerned with matters of magic far beyond your meager comprehension."
The Purple Dragon snarled, livid. An orange glow swathed his claws and horns. "GET. OUT."
Kaos smirked. "Hmmmnnno."
Spyro curled his legs. Joshua felt his gargantuan sphere of life radiate with the intention to leap forward, thrust his horns into the other human's chest, and rip his heart out. Before he could do so, strong whirlwinds blasted him back, leaving a ringing howl in its wake.
Skydancer landed between the two and flared her wings for all to see, as though they could protect the Portal Master from harm. "Try it, Lord Spyro, and you'll have many storms blowing your way. Submaster Kaos is a high-flyer in the Empire! By the Empress, we demand you treat him with respect, whether you like it or—Eek!"
Kaos's life signature glimmered for a split second. Suddenly, Skydancer slid a few paces to the side. Caught off-guard, she lost her balance and fell to her knees. The Wind Dragoness whirled around and found the Portal Master glaring at her, his hand slightly raised. It thrummed with power. She wore an expression of disbelief. "S-Submaster Kaos?"
"Move, Skydancer, get out the way!" He scowled. "I told you, I don't need your help. Besides, I don't want these foolish bottom-dwellers to think I'm easily bullied." Kaos straightened his back as he turned to Spyro. Not once did his confidence falter. "Let me remind you that I am CHIEF of the Doomraiders!" He declared, raising his voice. "The Sky Empress is at MY beck and call. One word from me and she'll command my unit plus all the Skylanders to come and obliterate Warfang. Now let me take a look at Joshua, or else I'll rain hell on your city!"
Spyro returned his threat with a daring grin only the true Hero of the Dragon Realms could have made. "Challenge accepted." He bared his maw. A bright orange light filled his mouth moments before searing flames shot out.
A boulder twice Joshua's size intercepted the flames before they could reach the Portal Master. Both the Earth and Lightning Guardians dropped between Kaos and Spyro. "Spyro, fasten your wings!" Terrador boomed. His shout carried enough force and power to stop their momentum.
An astonished look formed on the Purple Dragon's muzzle. "What!" he responded. "Why? Why'd you stop me?"
Kaos started laughing maniacally.
Volteer leaned forward, prepared with an instant rebuttal. "Do you even realize what you almost did? We just had a war four years ago! Warfang is in no shape, status, condition to engage anyone at this point in time, most especially—most particularly—most specifically not a foreign power that eluded Malefor at the peak of his reign!"
"Awesome!" hollered Kaos. The Portal Master applauded the Guardians, clapping his hands with much vigor. "So some bottom-dwellers have good eyes after all."
Spyro narrowed his purple eyes at the gloating human. "Azeroth's horns, Volteer! I—
"That's Master Volteer to you, young dragon."
Spyro swallowed some of his anger. "Master Volteer, Master Terrador, do you mean I'm just supposed to stay aloft and watch that outsider fly circles around us? We can't let that dragon do whatever he wants!"
"I am disappointed in you." Terrador glared at the famed Hero of the Dragon Realms. "This entire month you've been flying blind on one impulsive decision after another."
"That's not my fault!" Spyro defended. "Everything would have been fine if you had just dealt with him back then!" One of his wings fluttered towards Joshua. The finality in his tone made it obvious what Spyro thought of him. "That Ape—
"Human," Volteer couldn't help himself. "He's actually not an Ape."
"That human—hoo-man—Ancestors, whatever he's called! Joshua's been causing problems ever since he showed up at our gates. As long as he lives he is a danger to everyone around him!"
Joshua frowned. As depressing as it was to once again hear his childhood hero call for his death, he was not taking that from him, not after all the work and bullshit he's been enduring this entire month. "F*ck you, dude! Like you're one to talk! You're not the first Purple Dragon to walk the Realms. How do they know you're not gonna go all 'Dark Master' and shit eventually?" The Spyro in front of him wasn't that much older from his counterpart in DotD, and naturally his dark side remained an unknown variable. Malefor had hinted on a development like that during the final battle, and several fanworks explored that possibility, with Xannador's Pure Light being one of the more prominent stories of that genre out on the Internet. What used to be a fanciful topic of debate in the Spyro fandom was now a very real and very terrifying prospect.
Spyro snarled at Joshua, his scales flashing for an instant. "If it wasn't for Cynder, I would—
A bolt of lightning passed by the Purple Dragon and explosively struck the cavern floor. It left a hole big enough for Joshua to put his foot in. "Cease and desist!" Volteer growled. "We have gone over this many times before and we will not repeat, reiterate, recycle, rehash all that endless arguing until we have more facts! As it stands, we know next to nothing about Joshua or his Element and it isn't logical to make decisions on baseless speculations." He drilled his cold, judging stare onto the Savior's eyes.
"But I—Master Volteer, this isn't baseless—
"Leaders who operate on unproven biases, Spyro, only lead their people and themselves to ruination."
"And Joshua," Volteer rounded on him just as quickly. "Baseless speculation works both ways. Spyro is still our Savior. The Hero of the Dragon Realms. You cannot judge him by the actions of a predecessor."
Like Spyro, Joshua stammered, "B-b-but! But dude! That's, that's not my point. I was just pointing out the flaws in Spyro's thought pro—
"Referencing, imputing, adverting to a sensitive topic was excessive. Totally uncalled for."
"Oh come on, dude! Vol—Master Volteer, you know it's tr…" Joshua's voice trailed off when he realized the elder dragon turned away and effectively dismissed his protests. Goddammit. It felt like he was talking to his dad all over again.
Volteer glanced over his shoulder. "Now I don't like the way Kaos crashed in on us today without going through the proper rituals. Utterly disrespectful." He trained a frustrated gaze on the Portal Master standing near the entrance, impassively watching them all. "But he's here to study Joshua and I suspect he's willing to start a war over that. So I say, by Egeria, we may as well let the dragon do his work, as long as he shares his conclusions. Your thoughts, Terrador?"
Terrador nodded. "I have nothing to add."
It took a few seconds, but eventually Spyro bowed his head. "...all right, Master Volteer. Then I'll stay aloft, as you and Master Terrador say I should."
He glared at Joshua, his eyes lingering on him. The gamer resisted every urge, every instinct to turn his eyes away from his hero and cry. He clutched Kilat by the horns, tightening his grip. From her, he gathered the strength to glare back. Spyro huffed at the apparent defiance and took to the air. He touched down on the elevated seats, gazing down on Proudtail Hall from above.
Terrador turned to Kaos and sauntered over to him and Skydancer. "As you just witnessed, we agreed to overlook your grave disrespect for our sovereignty just this once and allow you to meet with Joshua today, on the condition that you impart your findings with us."
"We are deeply honored, Master Terrador." Skydancer gave a courteous bow. Her beautiful white scales glittered under the magical light of the crystals scattered all over the cavern's walls and ceiling. "Thank you so much for your astute consideration."
Kaos did nothing and remained aloof, at least until the Wind Dragoness blew a gust of air in his direction and caused him to stagger. The other human blinked suddenly and blanched before making a couple of hilariously quick bows, even though they were clearly insincere. "Yes-yes-yes, thank-you-thank-you-thank-you, and all that. Can I go see him now?"
The Guardian scowled, but did nothing. "Yes you may."
"Great!" cheered the Portal Master. "Finally!" He smirked up at him. "You know, for a couple of bottom-dwellers, you and Volty aren't half-bad. You have my respect."
Terrador's sphere of life quaked at Kaos's words. It shrunk and grew in size. It sparkled in various intensities of brightness. Joshua was amazed his irritation did not show anywhere on him other than a loud, rumbling grunt. Terrador warned, "Do not test our patience, Skylander. We are permitting you to examine Joshua, but only within reason. We will be watching. Overextend your boundaries and the Allied Territories shall cast out your orators. The furless ape belongs to Warfang, not Skylands."
Kaos waved him off as he walked past the Earth Dragon. "Ah, whatever. There's no reason to get all upset! It'll simply be a quick look. I don't plan to do much anyway."
Joshua Renalia watched the diminutive man come closer. His strides were short but quick. His arms were raised to his chest in anticipation, as though he was mentally a child. Like many other Spyro fans, Joshua abhorred the Skylanders continuity. Any idiot could see Activision's game plan as one gigantic collect-a-thon designed to exploit the human tendency to hoard and rake in tons upon tons of cash from merchandise sales. They didn't care about the old fans. Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure was less about their beloved purple dragon than it was about their "innovative" concept of connecting colorful, plastic toys with gameplay. Jesus Christ, they even made Spyro look like a f*cking gremlin! What a travesty!
So like his fellow haters, Joshua boycotted the game and rejected anything that even smelled of Skylanders.
And Jesus-Mary-Joseph, was he regretting it now. The gamer's knowledge on anything from that continuity was basic at best. Was real-life Skylands the same as their video game counterpart? Were the Portal Masters even the same? Why was Kaos being treated with respect by someone like Skydancer then? It's as if he was, he was truly a Skylander himself!
He took a step back and pulled Kilat in front of him, to literally hide behind the little girl's tail. (Joshua had long been desensitized of the shame.) Her only wing flapped open as though obscuring him from sight. A useless, but touching gesture. He rested his hand on her head, and rubbed it. She returned the gesture and let out a cute whine. Joshua once more drew strength from her presence. Man, life would be so hard without her.
"Kaos, stay right where you are!" Joshua said, when the other human was five paces out. "Just because you get to talk to me doesn't f*cking mean you can walk up to my face and drag me into whatever insanity you've cooked up this time."
"...hmmm that's new. You sound like you actually know me."
The sphere of life before him—as massive as it was—as overwhelmingly powerful as it felt—was as still as water on a lake. Joshua couldn't read it at all. He had to go by facial expressions. "Of course I do. Who hasn't heard of you and your crazy schemes?" Jesus Christ, that annoying grin of his was starting to get to him. "So what really brings you here? Why disguise yourself with an illusion?"
His cheeky smirk suddenly vanished. For the first time, Kaos' sphere of life quivered. It grew dark. A common sign of anxiety. "Y-you can see me?"
Gotcha, you little b*tch. Joshua had put two and two together after he noticed nobody fussed over Kaos' species, even going as far as calling him a dragon a few times. How could anything other than illusion magic explain this so well?
"Yeahp-puh." Joshua accentuated each syllable. "I don't know how that happened but, I'll be honest: I'm glad to see another human, even if it's somebody like you." He relaxed a little as he spoke. The relief of finding another person just like him had a calming effect on Joshua. Still, he had to remain vigilant. They weren't necessarily on the same side here.
Kilat swung her head at him, her mouth agape. "Ehhhhhhh?" she exclaimed. "He's a hoo-man too?" The child prodigy whipped her muzzle from Joshua to Kaos and back, the befuddled expression on her snout and her dilated cobalt eyes revealing her thoughts. "But-but-but, b-but, Joshuaaa, he looks just like a dragon! He's not that much bigger than Spyro!"
Kaos was not easily rattled. In an instant he recovered from Joshua's sucker punch, life signature returning to its previous unreadable state. He gave the gamer a round of applause. "Well, well, well," he said, his tone rather patronizing. "Okay, you caught me. I am using illusion magic." He smirked. "So what? It doesn't change ANYTHING!"
The gamer pouted. Shit, he's right. Revealing it in front of Kilat didn't accomplish a single thing. What more if he revealed it to the others here? Kaos was influential. Powerful. Joshua was neither. Disclosure of this reality would only bring down more scrutiny upon him. How was that any different from shooting himself in the foot?
Kaos took advantage of Joshua's silence to take two steps closer. Kilat tensed up in response, drawing the gamer's attention. "I wanted to come here sooner, but, I've been very busy. Special tasks for the Empress, errands for Master Strykore… important stuff, basically." He dared to take one more step closer to them. "But enough about me! Let's talk about you."
"Dude!" Joshua stepped back as well. "Give me some space here."
"Hey! He told you to stay right there." Kilat stood firm between Kaos and her adoptive brother. Sparks of electricity ran across her body, giving Joshua no choice but to let go. "Now stay!"
Kaos raised his hands in a clear, non-threatening position. "Hold on here, girlie. I—
"Kaos," Joshua interrupted. "I don't think you're actually here to study me. What do you really want?"
Another grin appeared on the Portal Master's face. A mischievous grin. The kind people from back home associated with scammers and peddlers of snake oil and unreliable Chinese counterfeits. The fact Kaos didn't care at all about Kilat's threats scared Joshua. Other than that one time his use of illusion magic was exposed, he did not give off any signs of fear or anxiety at all. Not on his sphere of life. And certainly not on his facial expressions.
"Oh Joshua, you wound me!" Kaos said, in a derisive voice. "I AM here to study you. What other reason would I have to warp all the way DOWN here and see a human?"
So cold! "What other reason, he says..." Joshua muttered. The f*cking kind of answer was that?
"Ever heard of the Fifth Crusader?" The sudden question threw him for a loop.
Joshua blinked. Twice. What the hell? "I ever heard of who?"
"The Fifth Crusader!" Kaos chimed matter-of-factly, as though he expected Joshua to know it by heart.
The young man was dumbfounded. "I don't know anyone called that."
Kaos dismissively replied, "Nah! You probably just know him by name! Hmmm, what was it again? HMMM!" He put a finger to his chin as he thought. "I thiiiink his name was Joseph—no! No, no, that's not right! What did Master Eon say it was now? It's... uhhhh... uhhmmm..."
Joshua knew A Joseph. In fact, he knew several people with that name back in high school. A wave of nostalgia hit the teenager. One of those people was actually a friend of his. An upperclassman in fact, which was a rare thing at his school. How was that guy doing now? Did he know he was missing? God, if he knew where Joshua was right now, he'd be frothing at the mouth with jealousy. It probably wouldn't matter to him if he was saddled with all the other shit he's been put through so far. He was an even bigger Spyro fanboy than Joshua had ever been.
A wet, squelchy snap intruded on Joshua's ruminations. "AaaaaaaHA! Now I got it!" The bald, diminutive human wore a triumphantly dumb expression. "It's Christopher Van Numen! You know him, right? I bet someone like you would—
Namedropping someone else? What the hell's he up to? "For the love of—dude! No! N, F*CKING, O! Where are you going with this? I don't know anybody around here so pulling names out of your ass won't—
Joshua's words flew straight through Kaos' ears. The Portal Master fired off another question like he hadn't heard a single damn thing. "Then how about the Realmstone Fragment? You knoooowww. Tiny, green shard of crystal? Indestructible, compressed high-grade æther?" He gesticulated several times with his hands. "Emits enough power every second to vaporize the twin moons and—oh forget it!"
Kaos bared his teeth when Joshua shook his head in reply. "Doesn't any of that sound familiar to you?" His tone became more menacing. "SERIOUSLY? Nothing at all?"
"Do I have to f*cking spell it out for you, bruh? I already said no but you're not even listening to a word I say!"
Kaos stomped the floor in an apparent fit. "This is SO disappointing! What kind of Transcendent are you? You're sooooo pathetic!"
Joshua didn't have enough time to process what Kaos just called him before red light enveloped his body and Kaos' hands at the same time. His senses instantly reacted. Painful tingling erupted all over his body. "Oh-oh-oh shit! Shit! SHIT!" He fell. "What're you doing to me?" Joshua spoke through gritted teeth.
"Like it? I made it myself. A special diagnostic spell designed to go through every inch—every pore on your body for very, very special artifacts." As he was speaking Kaos moved towards Joshua, magically brushing aside Kilat with a simple flick of the wrist, a sadistic glint in his eyes, before adding in a hushed voice. "It's extra painful, for nearly making things difficult for me."
Where were Terrador and Volteer? Why weren't they intervening? Joshua strained to connect with them. It was so hard to focus. He could hear the two Guardians arguing with Skydancer.
"Call it off..."
"...ending this myself!"
Skydancer's signature brightened and cut both of them off. Her words were just as hard to hear. "...non-lethal scrying spell..."
"...painful...can knock you down if you're not ready..."
The arguing continued in the background. No shit he wasn't ready! Kaos just whipped out the magic without prepping him at all. And that b*tch continued to defend the crazy bastard. "F*ck! Someone, s-someone make it stop!"
Kilat responded to the call when politics thwarted the adults in the room. The sparks covering her scales became lightning the second she dashed towards Kaos, horns aimed at the center of his belly. "I won't let you hurt him!" she snarled.
All spheres of life in Proudtail Hall contracted at the moment Kilat landed her Volt Tackle on her target. The Portal Master's life signature flared for but the briefest of moments, His very image trembled and rippled like television static in the blink of an eye. Joshua did not see the child prodigy pass straight through his body.
Submaster Kaos, completely unharmed by the attack, extinguished his magic and released the gamer from its effects. Granted relief, he glanced up and screamed, "OH MY GOD! Kilat! What did you do to Kilat?"
"Eh don't get all worked up over nothing! She's fine."
The Electric dragoness in question stood behind Kaos. She looked back and forth in confusion, before speaking to Joshua. A cold spill went up his spine when he realized he couldn't hear her. Worse, the bright gold of her scales and the lustrous color of her eyes had slightly faded. She looked terrified. Fine, my f*cking ass!
Joshua, stumbling as he picked himself up, staggered towards his adopted sister, who leapt to the air with her paws sprawled out, seeking to glomp him with all her might. He replied in kind, spreading his right arm as wide as he could to catch her—and she passed through Joshua the way a ghost would phase through solid objects.
"WHAT THE F*CK!"
He whirled around to see the little girl ogling him. Tears began trickling down her faded eyes. Joshua Renalia burned the haunted look on Kilat's snout into his mind, staring long enough for him to have nightmares about it even days or weeks after today. Jesus Christ, how he wanted to hug her right now!
Joshua turned to glare at the person responsible for this and yell at him, only to find the balding half-man right in his face. "How can someone like YOU be the Second? There's nothing ON you! NOTHING!"
"Tell me why you're doing this." It took Joshua immense willpower to restrain himself from shouting at him or calling for help. "I'm just a regular kid with an unusual power, but that's it, dude! There's nothing special about me! Just release Kilat from whatever you've done to her and leave. Please!"
Kaos laughed. "Nothing special about you?" He sneered. "That's where you're wrong, Joshua. I—Submaster Kaos!—can smell it on you." He brought his nose to the gamer's skin and took a deep breath. "A sharp, metallic odor." Joshua felt a slimy sensation and shuddered from disgust. "The smell of æther and cosmic energies.
"Any true wizard can see signs of the Space Between Worlds all OVER you! Who wouldn't want to take a look?"
Joshua skipped back. His heart rate increased. Hold on, with a name like that, then—
Kaos' voice reverberated in his head, sounding no different from words spoken to him by teammates through a Razer headset. "That's right. I know exactly what you are."
The f*cker knowing telepathy was a big surprise on its own. But that was nothing compared to the bombshell he dropped next.
"You are an exomigrant! A person from another world."
Author's Notes:
Finally got this chapter started! Whew. This has been in my head for AGES.
I don't like working with Kaos' character here. Aside from changes in biography—which you'd expect in a direct importation from another continuity—his personality should be the same as his canon counterpart… except he's smarter and more sinister. It's a struggle to get that balance just right, and I hope I did well in this regard. *Sigh* And there's still a Part 2 to this…
Anyway! Other than that, well… I'm moving up in life. Your pal TSI (or "Somni", as GoldenGriffiness and SnickerToodles like to call me) is getting married soon! I was recently out on a trip to Taiwan with my girlfriend, and on the very last night I proposed to her, and she said YES!
٩( ๑╹ ꇴ╹)۶ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
Happy Holidays, everybody!
Replies to reviews:
Hitler's Moustache. Sorry about the updating frequency. It's not like I can focus on this full-time. I got work, a relationship, friends, my own hobbies, that sort of thing. XD As for shipping Joshua with someone… I believe I addressed this in a previous A/N.
SKdaGamer. Hey! Good to see you again. Thanks so much for the review.
Re: the worldbuilding. You're totally right, it's not something done often, if there's any at all. The information revealed at the end of Keeping Time is enough for people to get a feel of what the Dragon Realms' planetary characteristics are. On top of that, not many people in the fandom (or in fanfiction writing in general) delve into little details that paint a picture of what life must be like for the people in the world being shown. It's hard, but hey, it pays off when done right.
Re: Joshua's age. Uhhhh he's actually 15 years old in Earth years.
Re: furniture/shopping snip. You're probably not gonna see that in a while. It's definitely set in stone in my outline, but I've already made up my mind on what the next few chapters will be. The next one – you know, the one you just read – covers an offscreen event previously mentioned in Teacher's Pet 1.
Re: Broken Perceptions. Yep, I enjoyed it. Definitely helped that I came in with low expectations (I suppose other Aimless readers have done the same). I wish Aaron stayed longer though. Still, I can totally relate to how you feel about your fic.
Abysmal Taint (both reviews). Thanks so much for your review! I'm looking forward to writing that "invention" chapter myself, but sadly, you're gonna have to wait. There's already so much in the backlog…
Yeah, the Dragons in Aimless don't really take sarcasm very well… or maybe it's just because Joshua was being tactless there? He pretty much insulted Vara in that scene.
Velocicopter. Thank you for the review! Yes, I know that feeling very well. I'm an avid reader of fanfiction myself – have been reading fanfics since 2004 – and I hate it when I get to the bottom of the chapter and there aren't any more updates.
Anyway, the Keeping Time snip shows that Joshua's situation isn't stagnant and it does change over time… just not as fast as readers expect (or demand). Real life situations rarely take sudden, dramatic turns. Joshua and Vara will definitely be good friends. I can't wait to introduce the other characters that will form Joshua's party later on… but ah, need to set those up first!
Djax80. You also forgot being rejected by shopkeepers the way some people in the USA just refuse to serve people they don't like. Still, like I wrote to another reader, the shopping chapter probably won't show up until much later.
And yep, by month 2, Joshua's already starting to slip with those lies.
Thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoyed this one!
Fanfiction Scrutinizer. 10 years? It COULD be shorter if you can just do a few quick time skips or gloss it over with offscreen events so you can go straight to the good stuff! Hehehehehe. Loved your story though… when are you updating Bald again? XD
LoNeWoLf (guest). Uhm, the point of the previous chapter is that, like any sentient civilization, they have their own calendar and their own timekeeping system. The Gregorian calendar we're all used to here in modern times? That's just one out of God knows how many calendars that have been developed throughout human history. Some of those other calendars are still active too, and they've been around for centuries! For some examples, look up the Chinese and Islamic calendars on your own time.
Nightspark43. It wasn't stated to be Adine, though I understand why you associated the mother with her (since they share the same colors). I can always change it – doesn't really matter to me, much. It only came out that way since, well, I had been obsessed with AWSW when I was writing Teacher's Pet 1.
XCOMPhantom. Errr… I don't think Joshua's smart enough to know what that is. XD
Iceman3423. No problem! I take my time to reply to each review, as you know.
Well, the basic ideas for Aimless are mapped out, like Joshua's storyline from beginning to end. But I'm still filling in all the details. The non-linear storytelling is a result of all the plots and subplots that I've thrown into the pot, but it's fine. If you've ever read TokoWH's The Infinite Loop (which was unfortunately discontinued due to politics on the Spacebattles forum) then I think you'll understand where I'm coming from.
Hehe, I know you like Vara so I'm sure it was a treat. :D
Space Communism (guest). The timeline spreadsheet was my invention! Poured hours—countless hours into it. Believe me!
XDDDD
Damie243 (guest). Whoa, thank you for your glowing review. I really appreciate it. I try very hard to keep my work high-quality, especially when the "Human in the TLoS World" premise is horrendously lacking in good stories. I hope my work keeps you entertained as the updates come out. See you in the next chapter!
Toadn2011. Hello again! Once again, thanks for taking the time to leave a review, give me some feedback.
Re: Vara. Glad you liked seeing her again, and enjoyed the way she interacted with Joshua and Kilat. She's great to work with when it comes to writing too, especially when I know exactly the way people like her think. I've had the fortune (or misfortune?) to have met and be friends with two people who act EXACTLY the same way Vara does. Now, I was never the "Joshua" in those situations, but I was always observing (and silently wishing they don't shower me with their brand of attention lol).
Can't blame Joshua for getting a little comfortable with her. It's what happens when you're living in another country and you become SO comfy with someone you met there that you forget the fact you're a foreigner with different values/rules. Fun trivia: my best friend had experienced exactly the same thing a week before the Keeping Time snip came out (well, his wife did) and he had to come in and resolve the misunderstanding.
Re: 7.2 Earth years. No, that's just the time Spyro fought in the War. You're forgetting that the Dragons and the Apes have been in conflict for many, many years, with Cynder and Gaul leading the way. The War's been going on for a MINIMUM of 12 years before Spyro showed up, so that brings the count to 15 years, or about 36 years in Earth time. Nasty!
Piston24. Oh wow! I forgot to reply to your review D: Oh well. It's okay… at least I can reply here.
You know what, I want to have that as a chapter now. Bicycles don't exist in Aimless, but I'm sure Joshua can come up with a very, very, very, VERY basic design for one and have a mole make it for him. XD
I've no idea how I triggered that, but still… thank you, too!
Strykeruk. Glad to have a new reader and I'm happy you're enjoying the story! It's been a blast reading your comments. BTW, thanks for volunteering to be my new beta reader. You've REALLY been a great help.
Adventure Ind. Your review didn't come out as blocks of text, thankfully. :D Man, I can't believe it's been three months since the story was last updated. A new chapter was in the works when you left your review, but I had a tremendously hard case of writer's block…
Re: use of comma splices. Actually, I use hyphens when characters are talking really fast. Commas, when signifying a pause in the conversation. (I try to use ellipses sparingly.)
Re: your guess on Joshua's Element. You're pretty much the second person to call it that. And I've given you the same answer I told them. Heh.
Re: Joshua swearing. I said it before and I'll say it again: this is part of who he is. Joshua actually HAS a namesake in the real world (Renalia is his maiden name). Back when we were in high school, he would curse and swear a lot. At least once in every other sentence or two. Now I haven't seen the guy since we graduated 12 years ago, but I'd assume he matured a lot from the way he was back then.
Re: continuity. Yeah, just pay attention to the timestamp.
Re: subversion. Yep, totally love doing that too. XD I'm a reader too, and I value believability highly.
Guest #1. Nope. Not going to happen. The changes are already internal anyway (see Boop! and Field Demonstration 1 snips).