Kyngdom Survival Guide
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
Chatterbox: KYNGDOM™ Power of Hoof
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
*TALE: TWO KYNGDOMS
A Tale of Two Kyngdoms, Part One
By Zephyra
It was the worst of times. That much was obvious. Chaos everywhere. Claaws was dead. Jaaws roamed our land, jaws dripping with Brazen Goo. Catastrophe was always lurking, ready to fight anyone at the slightest provocation. I heard whispers of a “Mutant Army.” And B.I.G. crept ever closer to finding and activating all four of the Powers, which would lead to--what? Utter global destruction? To be honest, I was finding it harder and harder to go to sleep. Dark thoughts swirled through my brain at all hours of the night.
On one particularly hopeless mornings, as I was drooping over a mug of oak root coffee at the Bog & Burrow, I received word from my faithful network of spies that Dr. Cornelia Hornshaw was heading north, toward the Decoy Forest. My go-to tech wiz, Techibeetle, quickly tapped her phone and, after listening to a very disgruntled conversation she was having with one of her chief scientists, we learned that she believed the fourth Power--the Power of Hoof--was located there. In the forest.
Now, this was a little too close for comfort for me, my fellow spies, and the other Guardians. Because we knew that while the fourth Power wasn’t actually in the forest, it was nearby--very nearby, on the hoof of Regina the Silver Reindeer herself. I sent a message to Regina begging her to retreat to her mansion, and then I began planning my trip to the north.
(Another complication: I was supposed to be planning my nephew Little Crow’s Naming Ceremony. It was time. He was of age. But the party would just have to wait--and I felt terrible about it.)
After another mug of oak root coffee, I hit upon a plan that was simple, but so daring that it made me nauseous. I was going to do the unthinkable. I would try to intercept Cornelia before she went into the Decoy Forest, and I would…talk with her.
Yes, talk. A dialogue. I figured that I could use B.I.G.’s technology to make Cornelia understand what I was saying, and then I could explain how dangerous her behavior was. How it would put us all at risk--animals and humans. Naïve? Maybe. But sometimes the best route is the most direct, no? There’s a reason for the phrase “as the crow flies.”
Of course it was a terrible shock when, while flying over the Labyrinth, I heard something rustling about in the suitcase that was strapped to my back--and out popped Little Crow, squawking that he couldn’t let me go alone and he was practically an adult and why did I get to do all the fun stuff? I was furious that he’d snuck along, but it was too late to turn back. Cornelia’s train was literally zooming below us as we flew. Besides, I’ll admit it: sometimes it’s nice to have a sidekick.
When we arrived at Jökull, the mansion of the Silver Reindeer, Regina greeted us joyfully and gave us each a huge, steaming mug of Black Winter Cherry cider. Little Crow was shivering. I was exhausted.
“She’s coming,” said Regina, giving me a meaningful look.
“I loathe Cornelia Hornshaw,” spat Little Crow.
“Little! She’s done some terrible things, but she is a very lost, very confused woman,” I said.
“She thinks we’re stupid. She doesn’t respect the world we’ve built. Why do I have to like her?” said Little Crow.
I was flustered, jet-lagged, but Regina jumped in with grace. “You don’t have to like her, Little Crow,” she said, her mother-of-pearl horseshoes twinkling. “But what Cornelia Hornshaw lacks is empathy. She can’t put herself in our horseshoes, so to speak. So she’ll never truly understand us--or anything about the world, really. Zephyra is saying that if you try to empathize a little with her, no matter how much it angers you, then you will have already won part of the battle.
“And for the other parts--if empathy and reason fail, at least you have an entire network of spies and warriors on your side,” I added.
Little Crow’s eyes were drooping.
“Let’s go to bed,” I said. “Cornelia is probably staying at that human eyesore, the Wayward Villa, tonight, and won’t be striking off toward the Decoy Forest until morning.”
After Little Crow went to sleep, I turned to Regina.
“I’m worried,” I said. “The Decoy Forest never shows travelers the truth. But who knows what she’ll see there? Sometimes half-truths and white lies can lead to the real thing.”
Regina looked down at her fourth horseshoe--the one that was old, rusty, nondescript.
“I am prepared to fight,” she said, simply.
submitted by Zephyra, Decoy Forest
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
(January 4, 2017 - 1:39 pm)
Ashzan~
Caligo stands in front of the three of us, inspecting us closely. Tsuki's breathing is a bit more labored than when we met, but she's doing well, having taken a bullet wound to the chest. Saoirse's questions ring in my head. I like Saoirse. She's very scientific, like me. I suddenly remember the vials of tree sap I took from Decoy Forest while I lived there. Like her, I have an interest in all things scientific. I snap back to reality.
"You three did well today. You shall be accepted into the Elite Class." He raises a hand to his leftmost temple. "You are the only ones who passed the initiation tests." Hm. News to me, though not exactly surprising. "You have the rest of the day off." Caligo smiles. For a second I think his eyes linger on me. I fight a blush, to most avail. "You've earned it. Welcome to Catastrophe's highest ranks." Tsuki's eyes light up, and Deeja gives a triumphant war cry, which, under the circumstances, is correctly quieter than if she was outside or in the fray of battle. I stay silent, with a smile on my face. Caligo exits, but I catch the glance he casts over his shoulder out of the corner of my eye. I can't tell who it was directed towards, but for some reason I really hope he was looking at me. Dang. He's growing on me.
~o~
Ten minutes later, I'm in the interrogation room, watching General Grimm question the girl we caught earlier. I'm not here to witness her scourment, if that's even a word, I just want to learn how to interrogate. After another twenty minutes of questions and threats used as often as punctuation, she won't talk. Grimm is unfazed.
"Slit both of her Achilles tendons, then throw her back into her cell." Wow. He must really think she knows something about... I don't even know what. Immediately, the fire in her eyes dies. She must have been planning something. Well, now she won't be out of here any time soon.
~~
I'm having way too much fun with this thread.
(January 18, 2019 - 1:22 am)
Sorry guys! I know it's my turn to RP, but it's my sister's birthday this weekend so I won't be able to post much.
(January 18, 2019 - 1:09 pm)
You're all good! Say happy birthday to her for me! :)
(January 18, 2019 - 3:22 pm)
Caolán~
A pair of slitted golden eyes peered through the brush, focused on the mansion. A boy crouched in the tangle of thicket and vine that grew a few yards away from Wreath Wall, where the forest ended. He had been in the forest long enough; it was beginning to bore him. And besides that, he was hungry. It was time to have some fun. He was on the lower side of the wall, close to the gate. It was no obstacle to him, of course; it would be easy enough to climb. The guards would pose more of a challenge, but then again, he liked challenges. An impish grin spread across his feline face.
He slid out of his hiding place silently, staying low. His ears pricked at every sound—a crunching of leaves, probably a bird. A groaning of wind. Nothing to be concerned with, nothing to give away his position. But he kept himself on high alert.
He reached the wall and pressed his back against its cold surface. He could hear the guards now, talking and laughing hoarsely, jesting with one another when they should be on alert like him. It was only better that they weren’t, of course. It would take them longer to register and react to his presence if they were already preoccupied.
Without another thought, he turned to the wall and gripped it with his claws. He used them to pull himself up, step by easy step until he’d reached the top. There he stood for a moment, surveying the land around him. It wasn’t a bad view. Before the guards could see him, he scampered down the other side of the wall. He didn’t stop when his feet hit the ground—he bolted off across the snow-sprinkled ground toward the mansion.
He heard the startled sounds of the guards behind him, and one of them cursed.
“Don’t just stand there, get him!” Yelled one.
They took off behind him, but he was two fast. He smiled smugly to himself. Just ahead was the mansion itself—Jökull. He turned the corner sharply and ran the length of the building. There was an open window—perfect. Never mind that it was two stories up. He leapt onto the wall and began to pull himself up. It was harder than climbing Wreath Wall, for the stone that Jökull was built of was slick and harder to get a grip on, but he did manage it eventually. He crouched on the sill when he reached it and shot a grin at the shouting guards below. One snarled, and they took off around to the main entrance of the building.
He allowed himself a laugh. He’d be long out of here by the time they reached the room. He exited the room and trotted down a long hallway, up a few flights of stairs, through more doorways and corridors, with no idea where he was going. He needed someplace relatively unused, somewhere no one important went, and somewhere with plenty of places to hide. He continued until he saw a small room off to the side. Perfect. He ducked through the doorway.
There were soldier uniforms everywhere, as well as other articles of clothing, several baskets, and a few large machines. It took him a moment to figure out what it was, but then he saw several rather large chutes coming out from the walls. Oh. It was a laundry room. He shrugged. It seemed to be as good a place to hide as any, and as an added bonus, he might be able to use the chutes as escape routes in an emergency. They looked fairly big.
Pleased with himself, he plopped down on a pile of (what he hoped were clean but were probably dirty) clothes. He could duck behind one of the washing machines if someone came in. He resolved to explore more of Jökull later—now seemed a good time to catch up on his beauty rest.
—
Alright, now seemed as good a time as any to jump in. I hope this is okay!
Oh, and a random note—Caolán’s name is pronounced KEEL-in. I just felt the need to say that. XD
(January 18, 2019 - 4:31 pm)
Davina~~
Change of plans. I'm leaving right now.
Thank Lunee they'd unshackled me before the interrogation begwn. I pulled the dagger out of my boot. The guards reacted quickly by shooting. However, since these weren't the guns they used on the battlefield, they were slower, and possible to dodge.
The General stood up quickly. He threw a knife at me. It grazed my shoulder. Turns out he didn't have the best aim.
I darted past the guards. The elf was right behind me. So was the lizard.
The elf grabbed a pistol from one of the guards and fired it. Shoot, she had really good aim. I ducked down a small hallway and sprinted like mad towards a pair of doors.
I slammed into them with all my might. The elf was right behind me. The general was a bit farther behind.
The doors led into the barracks. The recruits stood up, shaken. They struggled to find weapons and attempted to stop me.
Fortunately, there was a window. It had been left open by the recruits.
There was just enough space for me to squeeze through. I dropped down onto the rooftop below. Only the elf followed. The lizard shouted a few curses but realized he couldn't follow. He started yelling at the recruits instead.
The elf came at me swiftly. She had a dagger that was wickedly sharp, much stronger than the sad dull one I had. Oh well.
In the darkness, I could hardly see her. She darted at me and managed to cut me several times. She pushed me closer and closer to the edge. I felt my feet slip. I grabbed onto the edge, but unluckily dropped my dagger. The elf was about to catch me.
I swung down through the wjndow below. Glass shards tlew everywhere. They cut into my skin but I kept running. I needed to get Kimi, then get out of here.
The elf had different plans for me.
I hadn't expected her to be able to follow me through the window. But she did.
~~~
(January 18, 2019 - 4:31 pm)
Ashzan~
The girl crashes through a nearby window, but I follow at her heels. Oh, how I wish she hadn't turned a corner just before my bullet reached her heart. I also wish the interrogation guards had faster rifles. I'm gaining on her. Due to her giant size, however, she was still strides ahead of me. Soon, realizing she couldn't escape, she grabs a nearby branch and turns to face me and my dagger. I duck her first blow, a stab-like motion directed for my abdomen, and I return her gesture with a downward slam on her wrist with the flat side of my own weapon. Her hand muscles spasm, and she drops the branch. Quickly, I wack her on the side of her head, and she tips off-balance. With another push, she stumbles and crashes into a tree, giving herself a concussion. Out cold, her limp body spread upon the snowy ground, I slit both of her achilles tendons, then proceed to drag her slowly back to the Generals.
~~
(January 18, 2019 - 8:53 pm)
Tsuki~~
I sit on my bed in our new barracks. Saoirse and Raven are in there. So is Deeja. Deeja has been full of surprises.
"I don't think any of us here actually like Catastrophe," Deeja whsipered after locking the door and shutting the windows tightly .
"What? I thought you loved him," Saoirse exclaimed.
" No. I joined so I could find his weaknessess. I'm actually a Resistance spy. " Deeja smiles. "My real name is Fahada Arashi."
"Can we still call you Deeja Sagestone though? Because, I mean, calling you Fahada would be nice and all, since that's your real name, but it we call you that around the generals, they could get sus--" Deeja cuts Saoirse off with a dismissal hand gesture. "Call me Deeja or Fahada or even Cat-Lady, I don't really care."
Raven seems to have been thinking. "So, what do you suggest?"
"I have an idea," I inform them.
" Let's hear it, then! " Deeja says, nodding.
"What if we freed the two prisoners? The ones with the Power of Hoof?" I suggest .
Deeja nods. "They've probably been injured. If we're going to free them, we'll have to heal them first."
"I can fix that!" Saoirse says. " I've got plenty of healing potions! "
"Tonight. We'll heal them. Then tomorrow night...We'll free them."
~~~
(January 18, 2019 - 9:47 pm)
Saoirse
--
I smiled as I bounced down the hall to the barred rooms where the prisoners were being held. Before I rounded the corner, I took a deep breath. I'd have to keep up a happy and perky (and slightly psycotic) personality the entire time to keep everyone thinking I was on the General's side. I skipped up to the guards and gave them a blinding smile. "Hi there! I'm just here to look at the prisoners." One of them cocked an eyebrow. I smiled at him before turning my attention to the prsioners. Hmm, there were supposed to be three of them. I guess they took one for an interrogation. One was the cloaked girl, the other, a raccoon anthro. The raccoon looked at me, slightly confused, before returning to stare at her hands. The other girl looked at me in confusion, as if she were asking herself why a girl in a yellow raincoat was being allowed to skip around without being chased by a mob of angry guards. "Aren't there three prisoners? Where is the third?" I asked the guard.
"Interrogation room," he said curtly.
"Thanks! I'll be sure to tell the General you are doing a grat job!" Now the cloaked girl looked very confused. This was fun. I turned an started to head to the interrogation room, but beofre I got more than a few feet, I ran into a lizard looking man He was wearing a generals garb, so I assume he must be important.
"Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here?" He barked at me. (Or would it be hissed at me?) I suddenly realized that he must not have heard about the beautiful Moi from Caligo.
"I'm just a humble alchemist who is on the good side of General Caligo and have free access to anywhere here!" I give him a small curtsy. "You must be a general here, May I have the name of whom I speak to?"
"I am General Grimm. Have you seen a girl run by? Followed by an elf?"
"I have not, But I assume you mst be talking about the third prisoner and Ashzan, whom I briefly met. And if you are, then you must be in charge of the interogation!" He nooded. I continued, "So I was talking to my new friends Deeja and Tsuki when Deeja came up with the most wonderful of ideas!" I smiled, making sure my dimples were on full display. "I'm sure you big scary generals have plenty of ways to make someone talk during interrogations, but it only works if they're concious, so what if I helped you keep the prisoners healthy? It's like giving an artist a blank canvas to continually restart and ruin, but the mistakes won't matter because it will be like they never happened!"
A scream cut me off. "DAVINA! NO WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? YOU MONSTERS!" Metal clanged on metal, and sheer curiousity overwhelmed me. I turned and looked down the hall where the prisoners were being held. The gurads were banging at the bars to keep the raccoon anthro back. In front of the room was Ashzan, dragging the body of the missing girl. Ashzan sneered at the anthro before continuing forward to where I stood. She had a firm grasp on the girl's hair, and was pulling on the unconcious girl. the prisoner's feet were bloodied and trailed a line of red down the hall.
Behind me, the general chuckled. "Well then. I suppose we need to set up that blank canvas." I gave him a wavering smile before looking away and biting my lip to keep the bile down. I took a deep breath, reminding myself of my cover, and looked up again, giving Ashzan a bright smile.
"One healing potion, coming right up!"
--
A side note. I started working on that cover I was thinking of, and opps. I already had it all drafted out and organized before Moonshadow introduced Caolan! So Caolan won't make it onto the cover, I'm sorry. But maybe since this RP is kinda long, I can do more covers later!
(January 19, 2019 - 8:59 pm)
Aw, well, that’s okay. I’m still looking forward to seeing the finished product! It would be awesome if you were able to do more covers later, but no pressure. :)
(January 19, 2019 - 11:20 pm)
I was thinking Ashzan was dragging Davina by the shoulders, but okay then!
(January 19, 2019 - 11:30 pm)
~skylar
The girl with the umbrella is probably not here just to heal people. Her actions seem abnormal. The guard drags the girl back to her cell.
"DAVINA! NO WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? YOU MONSTERS!" Kimi yells at them. She looks at me for help and I just shrug my shoulders. But I am having second thoughts about Catastrophe. Would he actually be able to help me? Would anyone? Did they just hurt her for fun?
The girl with the rainboots and umbrella gives Davina a bottle of something and pours stuff on her legs.
"Now gently put her in her cell and let her rest until she can stand." She says and looks around.
I decide to shadow whisper to her. "Look I'm the one behind the cloak. YOu seem like a healer. Can you help me?"
She looks suprised and looks at me. I nod and motion for her to come closer.
"Don't" Kimi says flatly.
"Can I see this one? She seems to need help." The girl asks Grimm.
"I mean sure?"
She walks in. "What do you need?" She asks confused.
In response I pull back my hood.
She gasps. "I don't think anyone can help you with that." She says softly "May I ask what happened? I'm an alchemest and always looking for new things to study nd make!"
"The resistance." I reply shortly.
She gasps and looks around "Are you sure?"
"Pretty, Is this one of their badges?" I pull out a badge from my pocket. I hope I'm right.
"N-no" She says "It's his" She motion to Grimm.
I feel my face pale. I've had it all wrong. I whisper to Kimi "I'm so sorry" And then black out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So Maybe she could like have had it all wrong and Catastrophe did that to her and she could help them escape? So yea.
(January 20, 2019 - 9:33 am)
Tsuki~~
Saoirse skipped down the stairs into the dungeons. "I have everything planned!" She'd said before going down.
I turned around, surprised by a quiet shuffling sound from in the laundry room. It was probably just a mouse or something, but I decided to check anyways.
I carefully opened the door and poked my head in. "Hello?" No response .
I noticed something on the floor. Bending down, I realized it was tiny bit of fur. It looked like cat fur. Or at least, I think it was cat fur. Maybe it was something else. Did a soldier or maybe even a general have a cat? I giggled quietly, imagining Grimm as a secret cat lover.
I decided to check behind the washers. It seemed like a good spot for a mouse or cat to hide.
Quickly, there was a flash of sudden movement as something human-sized darted up one of the laundry chutes.
"ARE YOU A MOUSE?" I blurted in surprise . What was I even saying? Weird things came out of my mouth when I was surprised.
I tried to look up into the laundry chute. "Um, I didn't mean to say that. It just sort of happened. If that makes any sense.... Wow. This sounded alot better in my head than it is coming out of my mouth."
I swore I heard a muffled laugh.
~~~
(January 20, 2019 - 6:56 pm)
Caolán~
Caolán crouched behind the washer, listening intently to the approaching footsteps. His heart pounded in his ears—a result of adrenaline rather than fear. The footsteps came closer, and then a pair of brown eyes peered around the back of the washer. Caolán darted between the girl’s legs and squeezed into one of the chutes. He started to climb up the slippery metal and away, but the girl’s voice stopped him.
“ARE YOU A MOUSE?”
He’d been called a lot of things in his life. He’d heard Feline Freak, Puss, Kitty Boy, even Kitten Face, but Mouse? That was a new one. He smirked in spite of himself.
“Um, I didn’t mean to say that,” she said, trying to look up the chute. “It just sort of happened...if that makes any sense. Wow. This sounded a lot better in my head than it is coming out of my mouth.”
Caolán couldn’t resist a chuckle. With some effort, he managed squeeze around in the chute until he was facing the room, so he could get a better look at the girl. His eyes widened. She had...tentacles. And what appeared to be a tail. How strange... He immediately laughed again, realizing how ironic it was to think that about someone else when he was half-cat himself.
Perhaps it was the amusing way she had stumbled over her words. Or perhaps because she had tentacles and oddities, she didn’t seem so different from himself. But for whatever reason, Caolán felt she wasn’t a threat. He slid out of his hiding place, landing silently in a pile of laundry on the ground. He padded toward her.
“I’m not a mouse, actually, but I’m sure you can see that by now. What I’d like to know is what you are.”
—
Sorry this is kind of short. I didn’t want to control Tsuki too much since I don’t know her character very well yet.
(January 20, 2019 - 10:09 pm)
Tsuki~~
"I'm not a mouse, actually, but I'm sure you can see that by now. What I'd like to know is what you are."
He had almost mottled skin, and fur. Half-cat? Maybe. He was still handsome in an odd way. But the good type of odd.
"Oh! Um, I'm a Homo Aquarius. Half sea serpent....or something. Created by SOCS-- You've probably heard of them," I replied .
"Yeah, I know who SOCS are," He says darkly . But then his face returns to normal--or at least, I think what his face normally looks like.
"You were changed by them too, weren't you?" I blurted. Oops. That was sorta rude. Oh well. He should know that I wasn't trying to be rude since SOCS is what made me, too.
~~~
(January 21, 2019 - 8:35 am)
Caolán~
”You were changed by them too, weren’t you?”
Caolán usually would’ve prickled at this comment, but he could tell she was only asking an innocent question. Besides, anything that would’ve been rude coming from a human was different coming from another hybrid. She had the right to ask questions like that.
With a jolt he realized he’d been staring at her, not-quite-inconspicuously. He quickly looked away, noting absently that she was actually quite pretty, despite—or perhaps because of—her sea-serpent-ness.
“Yeah.” He folded his arms. “They took a bunch of us as little kids, did crazy experiments on us, trying to make us into some kind of cat-human army. Home Felis, they called us.” He stared into the middle distance, remembering. He quickly shook himself back to the present. “Most if not all of us got away in the end, but I never knew any of them myself.” He grinned, showing his fang-like teeth. “Congratulations, you’re the first other freak-experiment I’ve officially met.” He half-regretted the words as soon as he said them. He hoped she didn’t take them the wrong way, for of course he didn’t mean it as a bad thing. Oh well.
—
(January 21, 2019 - 11:15 am)