My paintings are not ordinary. There is nothing special about my sketches. With pencil, I am fine. Nothing extraordinary happens when I make a sketch of a battle plan for Catastrophe. Except that he’ll have me erase certain lines and add others. It’s only with paint that my powers show. I wasn’t born with them, they just appeared one day. My family wasn’t that rich, and had no interest in my little pieces of art, until one day, I painted an arrangement of brightly colored fruit. After my last stroke, my older brother Wayne came into the room. He paid me no attention, but grabbed an orange off the table. Guess where the orange came from? I shouted in surprise as he peeled the fruit. Only then did he stop to look at me. “What is it Karina?” he said in an annoyed voice. “Can’t I eat?” I didn’t hear him, I was too busy staring at the platter of fruit now positioned on the table in the very spot where I had been painting. It looked exactly like my painting, minus an orange. I explained all this to Wayne, who blinked, and then laughed. He patted me on the shoulder and exited, breaking his orange into sections. It was evident he didn’t believe me. But everyone believed me when I painted a dog in the living room after calling the family together. The animal leaped off of my canvas. It bonded across the room, instantly friends with the 3 year old twins, Eva and Eric. My parents and older siblings stood frozen in shock. But my younger sister, Olivia didn’t hesitate to give a request. 

“Chocolate!” She called out, dancing across the floor to meet me. “Paint chocolate!” And I did, smiling at her. She was my favorite sibling. And I did paint chocolate. Rich and sweet, it gave Olivia obvious pleasure. Then there were more requests. A new dress for sixteen year old Riley. A fancy computer for Mom, who was a professor. Gaming systems for Wayne and Tristen. It was Dad who suggested painting money. The room got quiet, save the delighted shrieks of the twins, who were rejoicing with the dog. Slowly, my paintbrush trailed along the canvas. Green paper fluttered to the ground, 10 minutes later. 

My life changed immeadiately. My parents encouraged me to paint every spare minute. If I wanted to take a break, they said that painting was a form of relaxing. As my family gained wealth, people began to notice. Soon I was putting on shows of my “magic art” as newspapers called it. I hated it. We moved to a bigger house, and my family acquired servants. I wasn’t treated the same as before. Even Olivia became more distant. Inside myself, I hardened. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I was being put on display day after day, like a prize show animal. I ran away. 

~~~~~

Hey everyone, Karina here! More of my backstory comes later. I’ll be a bit slower with NaNoWriMo going on, but I’ll try to keep up with Kyngdom.

THREAD! I COMMAND YOU TO LEVITATE!!!!!

There was a small town nearby that I hid in for a while, but soon the lamp posts on which signs for lost dogs and advertisements for new businesses help my picture, as well as a large reward for returning me to my parents. When I first saw one, I sucked in my breath sharply. Quickly, I looked around to make sure no one had noticed. The street was nearly empty, save a small old lady crossing the street. Once she was out of view, I tore the sheet of paper down and ripped it to shreds. In the alleyways, I painted myself a cloak which would conceal my face. I knew for a fact that many people wore cloaks in those days. It was a few years from the present, and the hot topic was the feud between the BIG and the Animals. Cloaks were in style then, as they added to the element of mystery, so no one found it old when I started wearing one. Then there were bounty hunters. I had moved on to another town, this one a bit larger than the previous one, and was sitting in a cafe, sipping hot chocolate and leisurely sketching. The bell on the door jingled. I didn’t bother to look up. There were whispers behind me, I ignored them. I heard a beverage crash to the ground and a few angry shouts. A murmured apology, a scoff. It all meant nothing to me, I was absorbed in the paper before me, which I had become connected to thanks to the pencil in my hand. I didn’t even notice when a large, muscular man sat down in the seat across from me. I gave a start when he grunted, and looked up. I raised an eyebrow at him, then went back to my sketch. He pulled out a phone and started tapping on the screen. A few seconds later, he stood up abruptly, moving the table a bit so that my hot chocolate spilled onto the paper. I, now angry, also stood up. “What was that for?!” My shout filled the small café, but I didn’t care.  I snatched the soggy paper from the table and inspected it. Ruined. Furious, I balled it up and tossed it in the nearest garbage can. I stormed over to the cashier and slapped a few bills down on the counter. She shrank away. Too enraged to care, I stomped out of the café, but not without giving the man a murderous glare first. He half smiled, like he knew something I didn’t. Outside the building, a man with an eagle tattoo running down his arm leaned against the wall, staring at his phone. He looked up, and flashed a sly grin at me. I clenched my teeth and turned away. People are SO stupid. I was about to start walking away when a hand clamped down on my shoulder. If there’s such a thing as being blinded by rage, that was what happened to me right then and there. I swung around and my fist connected with... nothing. My right wrist was caught in a viselike grip by the man with the tattoo. His buddy from inside the café joined us. I tried to kick my captor in the shins, but a quick jerk on my arm made me lose my balance and stumble. In the process, my hood slipped off, revealing my face. 

The man with the tattoo smiled. “Your days of hiding are over Karina Kanvas.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Do I know you?”

“Uh, no,” the other man said, awkwardly. “But your parents hired us to-“

“Shut up Perry,” the other man growled. In a flash, I realized the situation. My parents were so desperate they hired dangerous men to find me and force me back home. 

“I see,” I said coolly, trying to sound calm. With my left hand, I reached into my back pocket for my paint brush and a tube of paint. “Mom and Dad want me back huh?” Somehow, I manipulated a glob of paint onto the fibers of the brush. “Well,” I said, trying to stall. On the surface of my jeans, I painted a sloppy knife. It became three dimensional in my hand. I whipped it out and them hand disappeared from my wrist. I lost no time in sprinting away. “Too bad!” I yelled over my shoulder.  I had a good head start, and when I ducked into an alley way I had just enough time to paint a skateboard on the side of a garage. Long story short, I got away, but it wouldn’t be my last encounter with those wanting the reward. There was a team of serious female acrobats, a man with a scar on his upper lip, a girl with some kind of mechanical monster at her side, and many others. By the time Catastrophe found me camping in the woods, I had been hiding out for a year. I had a katana sword attached to my belt at all times. I also was suspicious of all human beings. I remember the night clearly. 

I had finished painting the fire just before the sun set, and my tent was already set up. The tent I had bought. Somethings are better if they’re made by an expert. The red and orange flames threw shadows across the surroundings, and they gave everything a half-alive appearance. My meal was small, and I ate it slowly while thinking. I was trying to think of a place that civilization hadn’t reached yet. Somewhere no one would think to look for me. Somewhere isolated and hard to get to. It was a topic constantly on my mind, and definitely an important one. I had pulled a crinkled map of Kyngdom from my pocket. It was marked with many red Xs and a few question marks. I wasn’t too far from a place called the Labyrinth, from what I’d heard it was pretty much in ruins. All of the sudden I heard a low growl from the dark forest on my left. A shrill whistle sounded in the tree to my right. I put the map down and peered into the darkness. There was silence. I stood up slowly. A faint cooing came from behind me, answered with hooting that seemed to come from the shadows before me. I put my hand to my katana sword and unsheathed it. I called to the darkness, clenching my teeth and swinging my blade in the air, “Here for the reward or something?” There was no reply. I stood there, nerves on edge and ready to attack. One minute passed, two minutes. Five. Ten. Nothing. I sheathed my sword with a huff. “Getting too jumpy, Karina,” I muttered to myself, sitting down again. Just then, a burst of maniacal laughter exploded from all around me. I jumped to my feet as it resonated throughout the forest, weapon once again at hand. “Show yourselves!” I shouted into the night, my eyes darting around. And they did. Animals of all different species had me surrounded. Wolves, birds, foxes, some winged humans, and many others stood on all sides of me. I turned slowly in a circle, searching for any weak point in the cordon. There was none. “Wow,” I said trying to adjust my mind to the situation. “They must be desperate.” I was referring to my parents. I couldn’t believe they had pulled this off. I mean, a group of animals hunting me? But, I had mistaken their reasons. 

“Desperate?” It was a lynx, female, and she stared me down with pure fury. “Soon, you’ll be the one desperate human.” With that she launched herself at me. I leaped to the side, to avoid the assault but found myself confronted by another animal. I probably shouted as my katana sword was knocked out of my grip. I groped around for my paintbrush and some paints, but my supply was in my tent. That was blocked by more animals. 

“What do you want?” My hands were in the air. I had realized there was no escape. I darkened my scowl as I stared down at the lynx. She was most definitely their leader. 

She snarled, as if sensing my hatred and returning it tenfold. “Hmm, should we do away with you on the spot, or keep you alive as long as we need information?” I stiffened. She couldn’t possibly mean- “What do you think, Cyg?” She was referring to one of the winged humans. 

“Right now, this aid is our only lead. He’s extremely secretive, you know. I’m surprised word got out about-“

“I’m surprised you haven’t given me a direct answer yet!”

“Calm down, Ila.” The winged human, Cyg, seemed used to the animal’s outbursts. “I think we need the information more than we need revenge. That’s all.”

“Information?” The word was out of my mouth before I should stop it. “Information on what?” I paused, narrowed my eyes, and then continued. “You guys need art lessons or something?” There was a collective growl. 

“You know exactly what we’re talking about, aid,” Ila spat out. “Wever, subdue her. We can’t have a struggle on the way back to headquarters.”

I sputtered, confused and a bit frightened. “What?! Are you taking me back to the Kanvas household? If you want the reward, I-“ Then something hit me on the head, and a blackness spilled over my vision, like a jar of ink had been knocked over. When I woke up, I was gagged and tied to a stalagmite.

I don't know if I should post here. I guess you could say that I am on Catastrophe's side, but my story is in his castle. Should I?

I blinked the confusion from my eyes, taking in a few moments to adjust to the low lighting. Seriously, there was only one light, by the door. The steel door implanted in the stone wall directly in front of me. It probably had about 50 million combinations that you needed to unlock it. I squinted, trying to banish my mind fog and recall why I was there. Then it all came rushing back. Some crazy animals kidnapped me because they wanted “information.” Then the door slid open and the lynx gracefully stalked into my prison. I could have sworn I saw a smirk on Ila’s face. “So,” she said cooly. “You’re awake.” Her voice was more controlled now that she was in her home base. The tone was beautiful and dangerous at the same time, each word throwing tiny poisoned daggers at my heart. I glared at her, unable to make a retort because of the gag. She smiled wickedly, finding pleasure in my discomfort. “Finally,” she said softly. a”fter all theses years. We finally have a lead to put us ahead of him.” She paced my cell, which was just large enough to do so. Her tail twitched with each languid movement. She then stopped, her cowl black nose inches away from my face. “It’s simple really,” she hissed. “All you have to do is give us the information and we won’t harm you.” I tried to speak around the rough piece of fabric that had been stuffed into my mouth, but my words came out muffled and strange. Ila laughed. “Oh that’s right, my bad.” But she made no move to remove th gag. I narrowed my eyes, trying to find the animal equivalents of weakness signs. If there were any, though, I couldn’t tell. Finally I gave up and I sat there, uncomfortably propped up against the stalagmite as the cold hearted animal stared at me. It seemed like hours passed, the moments filled with rising dread of the lynx who was standing before me. Then, all of a sudden, she turned and leaped back through the opening in the wall before me. The door slid closed again, and the light flickered. I was alone again, but not for long. Within seconds, another group of animals entered. They removed the gag. Judging from the weapons in my hand, I knew they were instructed to do just about anything to get the “information.” Only problem: I didn’t know what the information was. And I was sure they wouldn’t believe me.

I have no idea how long I was in there. Ila visited me every day, keeping my inner fire alive by taunting me. I wouldn’t have said it then, but it was a good thing she did, because without that bit of spite in my heart my spirit would surely have been broken. Different groups of animals came each day, trying to pry this “information” out of me. Why couldn’t they have realized I had no idea what they were talking about? One day, Ila brought someone with her. It was a caribou, so tall he had to duck his head in order to get through the doorway. Ila looked uncomfortable near him, and I wondered why. My face had been scarred with red lines, as well as my arms. I was already very thin. If the sight of me caused emotional pain, neither of them showed it. I stared ahead with anger, waiting for her to humiliate me in front of this stranger and bracing myself for infliction and promising myself I wouldn’t cry. But the lynx didn’t move towards me until the caribou nudged her. She gave him a look, and then began circling me. My gag had been removed many days ago, but I found no need to speak. I didn’t look at her, but I’m sure she stared me down. Finally she spoke. “Prisoner.” 

I clenched my teeth. “What do you want?” It was the same phrase I’d used when we first confronted each other. 

“My associate means you no harm, aid.” The caribou’s deep voice was gentle, but I flinched anyways.

“If you meant no harm,” I said coldly, “I would not be sitting here right now.” 

Ila gave a short laugh. “She will not bend, Olan. We’ve tried everything.” 

“Everything?” Olan’s voice was suddenly sharp. “Look at this girl! Throughout her stay here, she has been shown no mercy and brutalized at any excuse! Like we are monsters! No, Ila. You certainly have not tried my ways.” Ila stiffened. She looked at him a cold hard stare for a good full minute, then turned her back. 

“You may try, Olan, but it will be to no avail. The aid will not succumb to anything. I will be training the new recruits in the Ember wing for an hour. You can come cry to me there when you fail.” Her words were rushed, and when she finished she was panting with anger. Then she drew herself up to her full height, and exited the room. 

Olan stared at her retreating figure for a while, as if saddened. Then, he slowly looked back at me. I readied myself, but it was not insults and harsh words that he spoke next. “Tell me, aid,” he said, his voice smooth but tired. “What does Catastrophe mean to you?”

“Catastrophe?” My sarcasm dripped venomously. “Do I look like a dictionary to you?” 

To my surprise he smiled. “No, you most definitely do not. But I am just asking you to tell me what you know. What is your experience with Catastrophe?”

It would be some time before I realized he was saying Catastrophe with a capital C. “Catastrophe,” I repeated, calming down. I closed my eyes. “I guess most right now would say catastrophe is the war between the Brazen Inquiry Guild and the animals.” With that, my words poured out, painting a picture of who I was. “To me though... Catastrophe is when your parents care more about your powers making money than what you want to do.  Catastrophe is when your little sister doesn’t remember you’re there. Catastrophe is when you don’t feel like a person anymore. Catastrophe is when you run away and the reward for your capture is enough to by a house. Catastrophe is when you have people constantly stalking you. Catastrophe is when you can’t trust anyone, and never will again. Catastrophe is when you become an empty shell, void of emotion. Catastrophe is when you are...” I paused, and suddenly my voice hardened again. “Catastrophe is when you are kidnapped by a bunch of savage animals and locked up for creatures to take it out on you.” 

Olan looked at me with sorrow, his brown eyes full of understanding. “I apologize for the actions our organization has inflicted on you, Karina Kanvas. I hope we can make it up to you.”

I could feel tears burning in my eyes, but I changed my weakness to anger. “How do you even know my name?! I haven’t told it to anyone here and no one even cares! All you beasts call me is ‘aid,’ ‘girl,’ and ‘human.’ Why this sudden kindness?!” Despite my efforts, sadness poured down my face. I lowered my face in shame as my words caught in my throat and I began sobbing. I had broken my own promise. After a few moments I calmed down. I felt Olan’s warm breath on the back of my neck. “Sorry,” I whispered, once my voice was steady enough to speak. I didn’t know why I said it, but it felt like the right thing to do. Silence draped upon us, and no one spoke for at least an hour.

“Karina,” Olan said softly, breaking the silence at last. I kept my head down, staring at the floor. “You have done nothing wrong.” 

“What do you mean, the aid has done nothing wrong?!” Ila’s voice was indignant. Both of our heads snapped to the doorway. “Have you joined him, Olan? Has this siren changed your path? Come to your senses!” Olan stepped towards the door.

“What I mean is that we have made a mistake.” 

hey guys, totally not winging it right now... any suggestions for this plot?

 I will be posting on this thread because I am too lazy to top my old thread. I will start off from where I stopped last RPing.

I woke at four hundred hours. There was no clock in the room, or window to give me any indication of what time of day it was, yet my internal clock was instinctive. It took me 0.5 of a second to remeber where I was and what I was doing here. 

I was scheduled to complete Catastophe's challenge today. I felt no trepidation, but then again I had never felt anything. I knew that the Professors had placed their full confidence in me, and I knew that I would fufill their expectations.

I got up from the floor and brushed my jumpsuit off. I had checked the bed that night for any traps or poisons, but even after finding nothing I still slept on the floor. I had been told to never trust anyone ever, a fact that seemed important to remember here. 

Quickly braiding my hair, I thought about today. I had some idea of what Catastophe would do. He would probably ahve me fight someone, someone who would be sure to beat me. Or so they thought. . I would have to be ready, as he most likely wouldn't want to give me any time to prepare. 

Finishing my braid, I dropped down to the floor and begin stretching. The stretches were part stretch and part exercise, meant to warm my muscles up before exerting myself. I didn't think that Catastrophe would be kind enough to allow me time to prepare for whatever challenge he had prepared. I had to be ready.

I continued to stretch, and as the time wore on I began doing more complicated positions. 

I estimated it was around six hundred hours when the door opened. I was in the middle of a complex handstand when the door opened, and I lowered myself to the floor when I had heard the person gasp in surprise. 

Straightening, I faced the person who entered. It was another lady, slightly more angry looking than the last one. Her black bun was pulled up tightly to the top of her head, yet for all the tightness it was still a little lopsided. Her face was pinched and shrewd, with calculating eyes and lips that were drawn into a thin line. She wore the uniform of a guard, a red sash over a plain black suit of armor that I knew was bulletproof. 

"You will come with me," the lady snapped, turning around and walking away before seeing if I followed. 

I walk out of the door behind her, and we went down the same hallway towards the throne room. I had memorized the route in the previous trip, yet I still refreshed myself on the way in case I had to make a quick escape. 

We entered he throne room from the same entrance as last time. The sun had not yet risen, so the only light in the room was shed by torches on the walls. 

Catastrophe was sitting in his throne as always, but surrounding him were what looked like advisors, all seated on large wooden chairs. There was small chatter when we entered the room, but it ended as soon as Catastrophe noticed us. 

Catastrophe stood, watching me as I walked towards the dias with the guard. She dropped down into a low now when she reached it, and I followed suit. 

"Hello 99" Catastrophe said. 

I didn't respond. 

"I said hello 99", he repeated. 

"Hello," I replied. 

I heard a sharp intake of breath by the guard beside me at me not calling him your majesty, but if Catastrophe cared he didn't show it. 

"Good," he said. "I'm glad you can at least recognize when people speak to you. I was afraid that the scientists had forgotten to program you with conversation skills."

There were small chuckles in the group of advisors, though I knew they laughed not because they thought the comment was amusing but because they wanted to appease the king. 

"Today this experiment will show us what she can do," Catastrophe said, addressing the advisors and court officials. "We will put her up against our most talented fighters, and see how well she fares. If she fails, then no harm done, at least to us. If she succeeds, however, we will find ourself with a valuable new asset."

He leveled his cold gaze on me. 

"For even I know the mistake of judging by appearance."