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ezra-iolite · 2 years

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One Last Wish (A Pirateformers Fanfic)

Chapter 2: War and Fears

The Immortal Sun finally arrives on the sea border of Joka Ardhi, the homeland of their Dragonkin crewmate, Asya Mutheru. There, all is revealed about her past and why she has returned to the land that exiled her. Gathering a small army, including her polyamorous spouses Captain Elbent and Verglaust, they march across the desert to the capital to face the tyrant emperor of the kingdom, Dragon Lord Jhamal, and stop his crusade to invade the northern kingdoms before it begins… And fulfil the prophecy of the Throne of Crimson Sands.

Elbent, Verglaust, Ferrous, Indicolite/Indi and the world of Pirateformers belong to @tigracespace

Starhawk, Nova and Starstrike belong to @dimorphodon-x (I really hope I did them well XD)

Drillburst and Divot belong to @cuppajj

Blue Heron belongs to @hyraxas

Asya, Conduit, Sira, Bori and the kingdom of Joka Ardhi belong to me (But Jokani the language is actually Swahili.... you're welcome to use Google Translate for the few lines of it~)

Enjoy the long read, folks~

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“So… Is this everyone?”

Looking around the dining hall that was now remade into a momentary war planning room, Asya met the gazes of at least a quarter of the crew. Elbent stood beside her three husbands at the other side of the table, along with her father Solclave, who nearly towered over Brynjolf and Verglaust as the candlelit shadows hid his face. Around the right side of the long table, Starhawk and Starstrike stood next to Rodimus, his and Hawk's son Nova, Asya’s eldest children Conduit and Sira, the senior medic Nicole and her husband Hypnos, with Ferrous right beside Asya as he shared an anxious look with Nicole.

To her left, Blue Heron stood beside Indi as she looked equally as nervous as her brother Ferrous, with Flora easing Indi's visible worry with a webbed hand on her shoulder, as Indi and Ferrous's cousin Divot looked up to their father Drillburst with an expressionless but curious glance, as if to ask the bard “You got any idea on what’s going on here, Dad?”

Finally breaking the silence, Elbent replied to her wife from beside Drill at the far end of the table, “This is it. I wish we could have convinced more of the crew to join us, but I know we can ask Max later tonight if he wants to help us, once the curse lets him move again from his gargoyle state.”

“It’s ok. This is more than enough. I… I think I know of a way to help Max be involved without relying so much on the time of day. I’ll tell you about it later, Drill,” Asya nodded to the minstrel, the husband of the gargoyle in question. “For now… let’s get started on the plan, shall we? First, allow me to explain what we’re up against.”

Taking a scroll from the large pile of them next to her, Asya held onto the end and with a strong flap, the paper unfurled and covered the centre of the table, revealing a map of Joka Ardhi in full.

“Whoa… I’ve never seen your homeland like this before.” Rodimus confessed in awe.

“That’s because Primus has never been given permission to see my homeland fully, beyond the northern shoreline that takes up the entire bottom half on any Primus-made map, which show the port cities big enough to dock a ship our size. That’s mainly because all ships and natives of your country, Rodimus, are forbidden from touching Jokani soil. Blame it on your great grandfather, darling. He did act stupidly racist towards my grandfather, the past Dragon Lord. He-”

“Wait, what do you mean your grandfather and my great grandfather? Shouldn’t yours be… I dunno, just as old?” Rodimus asked, leaning forward with both hands on the table to face Asya.

“Uh, Roddie? Dragonkin can live much longer than humans, remember?," Elbent answered. "When your great grandfather would be in his thirties, Asya's grandfather would roughly be in the same equivalent of maturity. Physically, if my math is correct, he would have actually been nearing his nineties, by human lifespan standards.”

“And… how long can your kind live for?” Rodimus inquired curiously towards Asya.

“Five to six hundred years, sometimes a thousand if we’re powerful magic users. The oldest of my kind is the Elder Seer or the oracle of my father’s court, Kamaria. She was born just after Alunnui took the throne and became the first Dragon Lord, and then began her service as a court Seer when his son, Bakari, came of age to inherit the throne. That was nearly three thousand years ago now.”

“Th-Three?! THREE THOUSAND YEARS?! Primus almighty... How is she still alive?!” Rodimus held onto his husband blindly to stop himself from staggering back.

“Magic, a playful bit of spite, and wisdom on what wine suit the season... Well, that was what she always told me, whenever I asked her the same thing,” Asya chuckled with a nostalgic smile. “In truth, I have no idea why she hasn't deteriorated with age yet, and I stopped questioning it a long time ago. After all… she is our eyes on the front lines as well as our double agent. She sent me the letter telling me to return home and informing me of my father’s plans, long before he began to plot them.”

“How did she- Oh right, you said she’s an oracle or seer. Sorry, I forgot,” Rodimus shook off his surprise with a sigh. “Like that’s in any way normal… So wait, if the average lifespan is five hundred years for your kind… how old are you, exactly, Asya?”

“Well… I’m in my mid-thirties, by comparison to human levels of maturity.”

“And in mortal years?” Hawk pressed on, revealing himself to be just as curious as his husband.

“Ugh, just don’t react too… Yeah, you’re gonna react either way, aren’t you?,” Asya sighed heavily into her palm as it slid down her face, before she finally replied with a grumble. “… I turn seventy this month.”

“S-Se… S-Seventy," Rodimus sputtered in shock. "You… You’re only now turning seventy… Seventy. Years. Old… When you look... what did you say? Thirty? But now, you're... Nearly a full century old?”

“Yes, Rodimus, nearly a full hundred years. It'll be a quarter of my lifespan, by that point.”

“I…. but… HOW?!” Rodimus exclaimed, earning him a chuckle from a few around the table.

“The same way a siren keeps looking so divine, of course~,” Asya teased with a wink towards her wife. “For my kind, we age at a normal humanoid pace when we're born, since we are technically half human as a species, just until we reach our twenties. Normally it happens between the ages twenty-one to twenty-five, but around that point we stop developing and aging as a whole. After that, we only start to show signs of greying when we reach four hundred and turn fully grey by our fifth century of life.”

“Huh… You’re nearly as old as I am. Nice.” Verglaust nodded to himself with a soft smile.

“Now, any more questions on my kind, or can we go back to what’s at stake here?”

“Can I just ask one more?”

“Rod, we really need to-”

“Just one more question, Asya! Please?”

“… Only one, Rodimus, and no more. Ok?”

“Ok, so like… What beef did my great gramps have with your grandfather? And why did it cause the complete ban on all things Primus-related touching Jokani land?”

“…. You really want to know? Like... here? Right now? Eh, I have to warn you, darling... It might alarm you. Or rather upset you, really.”

“No no, I can take it, Asya! Please, what did my ancestors do?”

“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you… When my grandfather, Alhaadi, ruled as Dragon Lord of Joka Ardhi, long before my father’s older brother took the throne, my grandfather sailed to Primus to arrange a trade union with your great grandfather. However… from what Kamaria told me when she witnessed the meeting while serving my grandfather as his Seer… Your great grandfather’s court of Primus noblemen began to mock my grandfather’s own court. Calling them savages and… Sand Monkeys, and other such names to their faces,”

Hawk suddenly coughed when Rodimus elbowed him harshly, stopping his snort mid-way from becoming a chuckle, allowing Asya to continue.

“So… When the treaty was signed, it caused an uproar for two main reasons. One… None of the Primus nobles had bothered to ask prior to this meeting for an ambassador of Joka Ardhi, in order to train them to speak fluidly in Common and become their translator. And because of their prejudice against wanting a Jokani Ambassador in their court or even to send one of their own here, they instead played a horrendously awkward guessing game in order to form the wording of the treaty. And as such, they caused the second reason for the uproar…

"The scribes of Primus’s court had given my people a new name instead of simply calling us or the country what they're already known by in their own tongue. And the reason I know all this is... well, other than me being his grandchild... Alhaadhi had learned a bit of Common. Even after revealing his minor bilingual skill to show that the Primus court really were being racist and proven thus, they still refused to change their bill or the wording on it. So… my grandfather left and immediately issued a law written in both Jokani and in broken Common, saying that no ship or person made on Primus shall ever dare to go past the ports of Joka Ardhi, unless they wish to die by Jokani hand. And to this day, your people still call us what that bill names my people and country in Common…”

“Savannians… How the hell did they get The Savannah Kingdom from Joka Ardhi?! UGH!! "The Pride of Primus honors all", my ass!!,” Rodimus grunted in frustration as he suddenly kicked the table leg. “Grampa could have changed something during his reign!! Or even Dad!! But no!! They chose to ignore the obvious, and we’re still viewed as your enemy! It’s no wonder trade between our lands was stopped so suddenly as it began! Stupid, bloody, useless-”

“Roddie! RODS!! Hey, hey!! Easy! Easy, Roddie… Easy now. It’s not your fault. You had nothing to do with what your ancestors did. It’s not your fault. There’s nothing you could have done. You didn’t know anything about this, Rodi. You're ok.” Hawk assured, holding Rodimus’s arms to keep him from kicking the table more.

“Ok, ok. I’m ok… I’m good now. I’m sorry Asya. Please, continue with your strategy plan.”

“Thank you, Rodimus. And it’s ok. We’ll fix things in our parents’ place. I’ll make sure of it…. Now then, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to discuss the magic of this land, and why it will affect our battle ahead,”

With a snap of her fingers, orange flames began to spread over her hand, but the moment she touched the scroll and spread its flames over the paper, it did not burn. Instead, the fire rose above the map and thinned out to appear like the surface of a body of water, shimmering with glittery orange light as it slowly bobbed and swirled in the air hovering over the map.

“The magic of this planet can be used like power sources in multiple ways, but magic as a whole cannot be found through just one source. There is no “mother” or any form of a first source of all magic, so to speak… Magic is all around us, and the best way to find a source is to look for what is the most plentiful where you are or where you come from… the elements. Air, water, earth, fire and the spirit. That was what I was taught as a child, and many of you I’m sure got the same lesson but told different ways to find your individual source. Prayer or faith to harness the spirit, the flora of your homeland harnessed through witchcraft, or through your birth element, to harness water or earth.

"For my kind, our element is the sun, and that's what makes the magic of my homeland so potent. Because of the sun's strength here, it grants us the elements of sand instead of regular earth, and crystals then act as a conduit for the other elements since they absorb everything through the ground. Moonstone holds the power of lunar light absorbed by the cold sands at night, while sunstone harnesses the magic of the sand from daylight, and so on and so forth. But the sand of Joka Ardi… it’s special and potent with magic for a reason,”

Gathering the orange dust like light into her hand, Asya tapped the map of the red desert kingdom.

“This entire desert used to be gold, like common desert sand. And some of it is, towards the islands that are nearest to the equator. But those within the Jokani Sea Boarder… Are as red as blood. Can you guess why?”

“Dragon blood… From the Founder’s War.” Flora pointed out.

“Exactly. More so from the Blackfire Siege. Life and death also affect the sources of magic, when too much of one side affects the ecosystem. Therefore, when the dragons fell while fleeing the Blackfire Siege, they fell as their bodies were melting… Leaving their blood and bones to be absorbed by the sands, giving the sands an unmeasurable boost of magic from their magically potent bodies to this day. As time went on, the Jokani began to draw their magic from the sands, but the dragons have always gained their power from it too, long before they fell. And that is because the sun is still an elemental source, just as strong as it was when dragons ruled the sands,”

Opening her hand, Asya allowed the dust to pour like sand from her palm and covered the entire table with it, creating a blanket of illusionary glitter over the entire surface of the table and map.

“Magic in the desert takes another form… a physical one, but also something that affects the people from the moment they’re born. It's also been recorded to affect visitors too, if they live here long enough to absorb magic like how one takes in sunlight or air into their body. But for the Jokani, they merely have to be born on the land to use this source of magic… For the sands are constantly absorbing sunlight, especially during our summers when the Midnight Sun is in effect, for as the sand absorbs the magic, it then takes the form of what you learned as mirages. For the Jokani, however… it is no mere illusion. It is, in fact, pure and raw magic that covers the surface of the sand and fills my people's veins the moment we develop into babies within our mother’s wombs… And in my tongue, we call this Jua’chawi. In yours… Sun Dust,”

To prove her point, Asya quickly sliced open her palm with a flick of her taloned finger, the crimson pooling in her hand to show the team her own blood… with flecks of glittering orange within it being revealed in the dim light.

“If one is born with extra amounts of it in their veins… They develop a gift or condition that alters their appearance and grants them an even higher amount of magic to use. Those with too much Sun Dust in their veins are known as Watoto wa Jua… Children of the Sun, or merely Sun Blessed for short. They are stronger, bigger, faster and much more powerful than any other magic users in Joka Ardhi, be they Dragonkin, human or animal. They will be born with hair, feathers or scales the colour of fire… Red, orange or yellow specifically… And no matter what they're born as, they will be the only sub-species of their kind capable of controlling fire in its most natural state,”

The moment her blood began to seep over the edge of her palm, it suddenly shimmered with light and burst into white flames, the blood immediately vanishing as it shrank towards the cut and the flames reversed the damage of the wound, healing it in seconds, before it vanished with a flicker.

“But amongst my species… Only the royal family can be Sun Blessed. And luckily it is within our favour, as my species are split into two sub-species. The Opal Dragonkin, who can wield fire that instead of burning can instead create things… Such as green fire for flowers and flora, white to heal, blue for ice, and many more along the entire rainbow spectrum of colour. All except the colours of natural fire… They belong to the Ruby Dragonkin, a pedigree carefully bred to always be born Sun Blessed only within the royal bloodline.”

“… Ok, I have to ask… Clearly an Opal can be born Sun Blessed, right? Like… is there some inhibitor that prevents the Opal Dragonkin from becoming one, or…” Blue Heron asked.

“Well, that’s actually something I’m sure has happened, but they don’t seem to show it in the way my family's pedigree do. Amongst the animals born with the Sun Blessed gene, they simply gain an incredibly strong boost in their birth element, such as the Griffons being able to control water and air, while their increased size allows them to become alphas with their distinctive features fitting their role. I think a Sun Blessed Opal Dragonkin is simply one with slightly altered features, but still bears the size and magical boost to their fire type that's increased by the Sun Blessed gene.

"Beyond that, only my family’s lineage shows the extreme lengths the gene can do to one’s whole appearance and magical capabilities, to the point that a Dragon Lord or Dragon Queen can bear multiple children that can all be Sun Blessed, but that’s a very rare thing, I can assure you. Only one out of five children born in a single generation of my family’s bloodline can become Sun Blessed. My father wasn’t, hence why he only became Dragon Lord by proxy, due to his older brother’s death.”

“So I take it only the Sun Blessed of your family are seen as worthy heirs to the throne?” Blue added.

“Exactly that. And it usually always gets passed on to the first born of every generation within my family-”

“So why isn’t Sira?” Conduit suddenly asked, gesturing to his mute Dragonkin sister, who now was her early twenties and was showing the signs of horns and a tail growing from her petite body.

Her words immediately caught in her throat, as Asya struggled to find the right answer. But to her surprise, Sira raised her hand to stop her mother and used both hands to sign her own conclusion, revealing the black tips of her slightly curved fingernails upon her calloused fingers.

“I am not a Jokani Dragonkin. Only those born on the sand of Joka Ardhi can become Sun Blessed. I was born here, on this ship, and far north. Which most likely explains my blue scales and fire. I have only a piece of the magic my mother has in her veins, since I bear her blood. And because of my birth not making me Sun Blessed, but rather a Ruby Dragonkin wielding cold but burning blue fire, I’ll never be an heir to Mama’s throne. Don’t really want to be one, anyways.”

“You can be, if you wanted to, darling.” Asya assured her mute daughter, as Sira’s father, Kevin, nodded in eager agreement.

“Nah, I plan on staying here on the ship and seeing the world you’ll create, once you become queen, Mama. I’m good, thanks.”

“… You are seriously nothing like your father, you know that, Sira?”

“HEY!!”

The blue Dragonkin chuckled at her father’s playfully offended reaction, as she tucked her bob-length braids behind her long, pointed ear and the arm of her rectangular glasses. “I’d beg to differ, Mama, but please, continue. What are the armies like, if some might be Sun Blessed?”

Letting out a long sigh, Asya gathered the fire illusion of the Sun Dust off the map and crafted more fiery illusions to take the form of three figurine sized warriors: Two identical warriors dressed like Asya in red togas and half-plate armour, but this time wielding spears and shields with a dragon shaped helmet under their hoods, and one warrior in black with a shadowing hood and long trousers instead of a toga, alongside a cape with a red handprint on it.

“There are two main lines of defence in my country… Both are two versions of the military army that protect the people and the crown. The army that protects the people and the country are known as the Morani-”

“Heh heh, moron.”

“No, Starstrike. Not moron… More-raw-nee,” Asya explained, her real Jokani accent kicking in as her tongue clicked at the “raw” sound. “They’re the most well trained warriors of my people, or more like knights if you compare them to what Primus and Unicron have. Every eldest son is sent to the camp in the east outskirts of Wajiri, the port city we’re facing right now, the moment they turn fourteen. In my culture, a boy can only be considered a man when they become a Moran first.

"If he cannot fight to defend his family, let alone his people, or is as disrespectable as a child, he is seen as unfit to be mature enough to be a man. It is also law, even more so for the male heir of the throne, to send every son before they reach their teen years to train as a Moran for two years, before they’re allowed home and be seen as an adult, let alone a man… And usually it’s followed by marriage, but thank the stars it’s not an arranged type anymore.”

“And how many are there in Wajiri?” Elbent inquired, leaning on the table to fully take in the sight of the two Moran warriors.

“In Wajiri… Anywhere between ten to thirty thousand, counting the ones in training. But that’s just the public branch… There’s also the royal guard branch, the Kifalme Morani. As an heir apparent, I trained under them to prepare for the mantle of Dragon Lord. And from my experience… they are the least of your worries. For a select few among them are more loyal to my father than any of the Kifalme Morani. Your biggest threat are the Mkono wa Bwana… The Lord’s Hand.”

The two Morani vanished with a puff of flame, allowing the last caped warrior to grow bigger and be joined by others of his guild that knelt down or stood on one leg in martial artistic ways beside him, wielding scimitars instead of spears, and all of them hiding creepy grins under their black hoods.

“The Lord’s Hand are an assassin guild that are the eyes and ears of the Dragon Lord. Anything he whispers of his desire for his kingdom, they enact it immediately. A person causing him minor strife or worry… They will immediately vanish before dawn. Taxes will immediately be paid the day they’re about to be overdue from a poor or struggling family, a bandit group all dead with their heads and bodies on display along the main roads… No one is safe from their wrath. And they only came to be when my father took the throne, the moment both my uncles were found dead, leaving my father as the only child of Alhaadi remaining.”

“The bastard clearly set it up using that guild, didn’t he?” Verglaust snarled.

“I wish I knew, my love… I never got to know him, my uncle Amani. I was born after all that went down, during my father’s… “golden age”, you could say. In truth, it was the only period of his life where things were happy under his reign. But the moment I… I started showing signs that I was not a boy, he lost everything that made him my father and a fitting ruler of the Crimson Sands. But other than his wrath… Our only concern is with the Lord’s Hand.”

“But what about the Morani? Won’t they try to stop us from reaching Oasis, since you've been exiled and are basically a... well... criminal by their laws?” Elbent inquired.

“They will… unless they’re convinced to fight with us, alongside the people. And I know how I can do just that.”

Reaching to her belt, Asya pulled out her short sword and placed it between her teeth, reaching behind her with her free hand to tie her dreadlocks back into a low ponytail before using another length of string to tie the tip of her ponytail with a bow. Holding her sword in hand once more, Asya looked down at it in both hands as her word came out wobbly and gruff, her emotions held back with her lowered tone.

“In my culture… A good leader who has ruled the land for a long time will usually grow their hair extremely long. Be they the Dragon Lord or a chieftain that governs a village or city… Those who have ruled for a long time, and created a peaceful era in his reign, will always have long braids, dreadlocks or long hair in general that is decorated to show how unwilling he is to cut it. It’s why my people will commonly have braids or dreadlocks, to keep their own hair out of their face while they let it grow undisturbed as way to respect their ruler's peaceful reign. Amani had long hair in his time, and it was always decorated with flowers and gems... fitting for a ruler named "peace",”

As Asya tightened her grip on the hilt, she let out a long, shaky sigh that caused the blade to shiver with her, her gaze refusing to rise beyond her sight on the blade before her.

“So… when war is called between two chieftains or a chieftain against the Dragon Lord… The chieftain can demand a one-on-one battle to start and end the war right there and then between only the two of them, to spare their people. In turn, the people can join him to demand the same rite by copying their chieftain to say the same thing..."We demand to see the cruel ruler off his throne". And they do that… b-by… By doing….”

The words dared not leave her throat, as tears suddenly fell onto the steel blade and down its straight, sharp length. Before Elbent or Hawk could react, their hand both reached out towards the crying Dragonkin, her blade suddenly rose and reached behind her. With quick, shallow gasps through her bared fangs to contain her sobs, Asya gritted her teeth and-

“I… I… NGH- NADAI AMANI!!!”

With a dramatic roar of an old rite and a blur of silver, the sword sliced through her ponytail of dreadlocks, the string that held it in place sliding off and allowing her uneven bob to sway freely over her face, even more so as she slammed her sword and chopped length of hair onto the table.

“Oh Primus… What did she say, exactly?” Elbent whispered to Kevin.

“The hair… Primus above, not the hair… Hm? Oh uh… Well… she said, if her Jokani lessons serve me well… I demand peace.”

“It’s what must be said, as part of the rite of my people… Before any kind of war begins,” Asya finally spoke, her face still hidden and lowered under her chopped hair. “When… When a battle is demanded by someone wishing to remove a ruler from his throne… Be they chieftain or Dragon Lord… They cut their hair to show their willingness to sacrifice everything for the right to bring peace. And when one does it before a crowd or… or presents their sacrifice before the people… the people can then become their allies by doing the same thing. If… If I can present a box of hair… to my father… No one else will need to die fighting him.”

Not a word was dared to be said, as Asya leaned heavily onto the table to stop herself from falling to her knees, her soft sobs the only sound breaking the silence.

“… Does it need to be the whole head?” Hawk suddenly asked.

“Wh… what? N-No. Just… as much as you’re willing to sacrifice. Hence why the piece hair that’s been cut off… The piece itself is called the Dhabihu, the sacrifice. What are you-”

"Hopefully I say it correctly... I TOO DEMAND PEACE!!"

With a shout from Starhawk, a hand of black hair was suddenly slammed down onto the table following another blur of silver. Looking up with teary eyes, Asya watched as Hawk, Rodimus, Nova, Verglaust, and everyone with a weapon at their belt used them to cut a piece of their hair, or as much as they could from the top of the shorter few, before Flora took out a handkerchief from her pocket and gathered all the “Dhabihu” pieces into the square cloth before tying it and handing it to Asya across the table.

“You’re not fighting this battle alone, Asya. No matter what the rite demands of you, we’ll all be demanding the right for peace alongside you. Your crazy dad is threatening our home and our lives. And that makes this our battle too… So you’d best not forget that.” Rodimus assured with a smile.

“Uh, babe?” Hawk whispered, using his string to tie back his now roughly cut long bob behind his head into a spiny ponytail.

“I know, I’ll help give it a proper trim tonight, Hawk.”

“No, uh… You kinda… Took a bit too much in the back there.”

“I said I’ll… Wait WHAT?!”

“Yeah, you’re uh… Kinda balding there, hun. I’m seeing more skin than ginger.”

Quickly taking a silver plate from nearby, Rodimus used the side of his sword to see his reflection on the plate, gasping dramatically at the sight of the bald patch on the back of his head.

“OH MY GOD!!” Rodimus exclaimed, as he covered his head with both hands and hid his face when he roughly bumped his head onto the table.

"Oh honey, it's ok!" Hawk giggled, rubbing his husband's back as Nova covered his mouth to muffle his laugh.

“Here, Rods. You can use my hat until it grows back.” Drill chuckled, handing him his beloved feather tipped hat.

The moment it reached his side of the table, Rodimus rapidly smacked his hand across to reach it blindly, attempting to feel for it with a hand that waved over the table again and again, until he finally caught the hat and slowly put it on, letting out a sound that could only be compared to the groan of a dying goat as he slid down onto the floor to hide his blush. The tension immediately lifted like a popped balloon as everyone laughed, even Asya as Elbent came over to hug her and dry the Dragonkin's eyes.

“You ok, fire lily?” She asked over the roar of laughter all around them.

“Heh… I will be. After all… I’ve a revolution to lead.”

~*~

“Is that enough water to last us the three days, do you think?”

“Elbent, we’ll be walking along a freshwater river the whole way up. It’s going to be fine.”

“But for all three days? I dunno, Asya… it sounds rather unnatural for a river to have clean drinking water.”

“Trust me, darling. Whether it’s the magic of the Sun Dust aiding in filtering it or something else entirely, something keeps the water clean and I’ve survived off it for three years after my exile began. No sickness from it either! It’s going to be ok. Now get your tiny rear in the boat already.”

“Alright! Alright, I’m moving!,” Elbent laughed as she hopped onto the large rowboat alongside Verglaust, Kevin, Brynjolf, Starhawk, Conduit and Blue Heron. “But Asya, hun… Are you ready?”

Looking over towards the horizon, to where the city of Wajiri awaited them, Asya could only sigh as she clutched her bag strap tightly. “Honestly? …. No. I’m not. But what choice do I have? Someone has to step up and be there for my people. I… I know I have to stop him, I know him best… I know what it will take to put an end to his cruelty. I just need to get the support of my people to make it happen more smoothly… No one else needs to die for my fear of facing him. No matter what happens… It ends now.”

“And we’ll be with you every step of the way.” Elbent assured, taking Asya’s hand and helping her onto the boat.

“And we’ll wait here for your signal, Mama.” Ferrous assured, hugging his toddler aged, Dragonkin brother, Bori, close to his side, as the infant nuzzled his cheeks of white scales against Ferrous's hip while whimpering nervously

“You and your Grandfather are in charge while we’re away, alright darling? And no matter what happens, do not bring the ship past that rock until I fire the flare to signal you to begin the evacuation of Wajiri. And the moment every Jokani is on board, keep away from the port and keep everyone safe. The Oasis city folk will come to Wajiri in six days, so all you need to do is to keep an eye on them from the ship, until our return… Hopefully. Got it?” Asya ordered, as the boat was slowly lowered onto the water and began to be rowed away from the ship.

“Got it, Mama! You can count on me.” Ferrous assured, smiling smugly with determination…

A smile that quickly vanished the moment Bori slipped from his grip and peered over the side of the ship, wailing at the top of his lungs as he called out to his Mama Asya and Baba Verglaust. Blue and Hawk paused their rowing to look up at the toddler’s cries, at Divot quickly picked him up to carry him away from the side of the deck for his own safety, a lesson they learned long ago judging by their hurried pace. Asya’s shuddered breathing drew their attention from the ship and the echoing cries of the toddler, as the orange Dragonkin placed her bag down and gripped the boat tightly, her talons immediately piercing holes through the wood from her sheer strength alone.

“Asya… It’s ok. Go to him. We’ll go on ahead and let you catch up… It’ll give you a chance to find your well-deserved dramatic entrance after forty years of being away.” Verglaust assured, hugging his wife from behind.

“A-Are you sure? I don’t exactly want you guys to enter Wajiri alone. I mean you don’t even speak Jokani, except Kevin.”

“Asya, it’s fine! We all brushed up on it thanks to you and Kevin, so we know enough to get by,” Brynjolf smiled as he suddenly picked Asya up. “Now, stop dawdling… Na nenda kwa WATOTO WAKO!!!”

“Bryn? When did you learn Jokan-AAH!! BRYN!! BRYN WAIT!! WAITWAITWA-AAAHHHHH!!!”

Asya could only squeal as she was thrown from the boat, across the water and onto the ship, crashing loudly into something wooden. Verglaust, Kevin and Elbent immediately snapped around to glare at their husband, who shrugged innocently.

“WHAT?! Someone should comfort the kids, right?”

“Did you have to throw her so hard?! She could have just asked Apo or Conduit to fly her over!!” Elbent snapped.

“Oh it's fine! Besides, Apo can be her big entrance!” Brynjolf smiled smugly with a flick of his mop of silver hair.

“Ugh, fine. But next time, warn her and us about your idea of throwing her like a rock.” Elbent huffed as she sat down and crossed her arms, Verglaust sitting beside her and rubbing her back to soothe her nervous leg tapping.

“I promise, love… Just thought it would be handy using my half-giant strength for once.”

“Uuugghh, I swear you and Asya are worse braggers than Kevin, sometimes.” Elbent groaned with a sigh.

“Bu- I am RIGHT HERE!!” Kevin gestured to himself with both hands on his chest, before he too sat down beside Brynjolf with a sigh, his gaze returning to the ship.

....

............

“… You think she’ll be ok?” Ferrous asked Flora beside him, watching the boat slowly row away from the ship, as Bori wailed and slammed his tiny fists against Divot’s back whilst over their shoulder.

“If I know your mom well enough after all this time, I’d say as long as your birth mom and your parents all stick together, she’ll be ok.” Flora assured, resting her head on Ferrous’s shoulder.

“I hope-,”

“…aaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!,” A scream and a blur of orange suddenly flew overhead, causing Rodimus nearby to scream while frantically running in zig-zags trying to figure out where to go, before he finally jumped out of the way, just as it landed with a loud crash in a pile of boxes behind them. “…. Ow.”

“… so? Uh... was that... Mama Asya?”

Rushing over towards the pile of broken wood, Ferrous, Flora, Rodimus, Starstrike, Divot and the now quiet Bori all crept closer to the crash site… to see a dizzy and grumbling Asya emerge from the rubble. “Ugh, that cheeky, giant fu- Uuuhhh… Hi, darlings.”

“Mama Asya? What are you doing here?! Why aren’t you going with Mom and the others?” Ferrous queried.

“And how the hell are you still alive?!” Rodimus exclaimed, brushing off some wood chips from the crushed crates.

“I… Ugh, ow… I came to say a proper goodbye to Bori and the rest of the kids, to make sure you were all ok before I left.” Asya groaned as she stretched out her back, letting a few more pieces of wood fall from her shoulders and horns as she did so.

“By… flying with Apo’s borrowed wings? Or…”

“Brynjolf threw me.”

“Ah, that makes more sense.”

Laughing at the absurdity of it all, with Starstrike rolling his eyes as he walked away with Flora to give the two space, Asya and Ferrous were soon interrupted by another wail, as Divot finally placed Bori down and allowed him to toddle over to Asya as he ran to her. With a smile instantly blooming on her face, she knelt down to scoop him up into her arms.

“Shhh, it’s ok. It’s alright, darling. Mama’s here,” Asya softly whispered to her hybrid child, rocking him gently despite his size becoming far too encumbered for her to more easily hold. “Ngh, you’re starting to grow as big as your Baba, aren’t you, sweetpea?”

“Um… Mom?” Ferrous timidly interrupted, fiddling with his hat he held on his lap as he stepped towards Asya.

“Shh shh, it’ll be ok, darling. Hm? Oh, is everything ok, little flame?”

“I… Ok, forgive me, but I have to ask … Mom, are you leaving the ship? Like… for good?”

“… Ferrous, I…,” Struggling to find the right words, she gently placed Bori down and kept him close with her tail, allowing him to hug it as she stepped forward to gently cup Ferrous’s cheek and wipe away a stray tear with her thumb, being extremely cautious with her talon fingernail. “Honey… I’ll be honest too… I don’t know when I’ll be back. But whatever happens once I reach Oasis… I’ll have to stay here in Joka Ardhi, to fix what’s been broken, both by the battle ahead and what my father did to my home. I… I’ve been avoiding this day for most of my life, and I’m terrified of what awaits for me at the end of this journey. It’s been a journey that I… I’ve been too scared to start, and I’m honestly still scared now, when I know I need to be brave. Not just for my sake, but for the people that are relying on me to do the right thing. Both the Jokani… and the people that have come to depend on me here on this ship.

"And the right thing, Ferrous… it might cost me my life, even if I succeed. And I’m so scared of never being able to see you or my babies ever again. I wish I could act brave for you, Ferrous… But I just can’t. I don’t have the strength to pretend that everything will work out. I have no idea what will happen... and I'm so scared.”

“Oh Mom, hey, hey, it’s ok! It’s gonna be ok. I know it will,” Ferrous pulled Asya in for a tight hug, burying his face into her shoulder as the ebony Dragonkin continued to cry. “You got Ma and the Dads supporting you, Uncle Blue who literally cannot die, Uncle Hawk will help protect you, and you got us. I know you don’t want to involve us in your battle in fear of us… you know… losing… But we can help, Mom! We can fight alongside you.”

“NO!!! Stars above, Ferrous, I can’t let you do that! I’d never forgive myself if I saw you on the battlefield. No… Ferrous, listen to me,” Standing back, Asya held Ferrous by both his shoulders as she stared him down with a serious glare and tone of voice. “Ferrous O’Murchadha-Mutheru… You are going to inherit the mantle of captain, not just because we want you to… but because you consented to accept it, and because you are worthy of such a title and responsibility. And should we succeed in this mission… you will be a prince by proxy. Too much is already on your shoulders, on this day alone…

"So I only ask that you be our last line of defence against my father. If we cannot stop him, and you receive the signal from Conduit… You must stand ready to kill him, no matter what. He cannot leave this country, let alone enter these seas… And you must stop him if we cannot. That… is all I will ask of you to help me with. That will be your battle. But I pray to the Evenstar that it never comes to that… But I know I must tell you to prepare either way.”

“Don’t worry, Asya… You can count on us.” Rodimus assured, placing a hand on her shoulder to share a reassuring smile with her and Ferrous.

Letting out a long sigh, Asya soon fell to her knees to pull Bori close, allowing him and Ferrous to hug her as she once more broke down into a fit of tears. Slowly but surely, Sira, Indi, even Conduit as he flew on board from the boat with his silent leathery wings, the five children of Asya, Elbent, Kevin, Brynjolf and Verglaust all approached and surrounded the maternal Dragonkin in a massive hug, allowing her to cry until she could cry no more… and sigh happily as she melted into the embrace of her children.

“Thank you, darlings… Thank you all.” Asya sniffled, holding the young adult children close as Bori purred while nuzzling his mother’s cheek.

The sirens Ferrous and Indi finally stepped back, allowing the curse-born crystal gargoyle Conduit and blue Dragonkin Sira to pick up Bori, in order to completely free Asya from the dog pile of her brood. The moment she was back on her feet, or rather paws, she immediately pulled them back in for one last squeeze.

“I’m so proud of you, my beautiful babies!”

“Ugh, Mama!” Conduit groaned, but immediately chuckled as he wrapped his wings around his family.

Finally, Asya stepped away to place a kiss onto each child, before she handed Bori to Indi and made her way to the edge of the deck, pausing to turn around and face the crew once more.

“Everyone of the Immortal Sun… Thank you. Thank you for accepting me, and for being my home for so many decades. Now… I ask only that you become the home for my children and their next generation to come. I… I’ll miss this ship with all my heart, but I’ll never regret the memories I made here. Thank you, everyone… For everything.”

With a smile and a stray tear trickling down her cheek again, Asya watched as Conduit flew ahead back to the boat with Elbent and the others of their team. And, with Ferrous and the others waving from the ship, with Solclave holding his shoulder beside him, they watched as the ship rowed further and further away, towards Joka Ardhi before Asya stepped back and made a running jump, leaping from the ship and becoming a fiery comet to soar over the sea, towards the city of Wajiri...

Towards the pier that Asya fled from over forty years ago.

#pirateformers au #ezra iolite og work #long read #One Last Wish series

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ezra-iolite · 11 months

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Some OC Facts to Fill the Void...

.... Still figuring out if I wanna give Swift a new bio or not, so have this for now.....

A list of what Swift would be like with the other Transformer OCs of my mutuals~

Swift with Starhawk, on the Lost Light: (@dimorphodon-x)

.... Siblings. They got that sibling vibe, for sure~ ~*~

Her nickname for him is Hawkie or Ndugu (Swahili word for Brother) ~*~

When they first met, her first impression on him was... memorable, to say the least. She joined at the start of the quest to Cyberutopia, and when she entered the bar for the first time and was about to greet Hawk.... She immediately tripped on the much shorter Rewind and fell face first, Blitzø from Helluva Boss style, right in front of him. Never one to feel ashamed for such things, Swift simply laughed and rolled over onto her back, apologizing to Rewind.... before simply offering her hand to Hawk from the floor and introduced herself in a playful tone, "Nice to meet you, darling. I'm Swiftwire, but people call me Swift.... The floor is surprisingly comfy." ~*~ But in due time, after a few shared drinks with him and exchanging trauma stories, she'd see him as a big brother she loves to annoy... But she would 100% protect him from harm and be there for him when he needs her, especially as a babysitter. ~*~

Her main expression around him is a smug grin... She definitely pranked him somehow. He doesn't know what it is yet, but he always knows she did something. It's ALWAYS something with her~ ~*~

Swift's accent is something Hawk would definitely try to tease her on the most, for the first half of their prank wars~ Purely because her Kenyan accent makes her pronounce Rodimus as "Roddy-Moose" with a rolled R, and Starhawk's own name as "Star-Huckoo". And thus, the nicknames began... with Rodimus becoming Roddie and Starhawk being Hawkie. ~*~

Is Rodimus innocent in their pranks? Naaahhh~ He's the one who plotted half of them, at least, allowing Swift to carry them out in his stead, when captaining takes up most of his time. But the pranks are never big or humiliating, only silly~ ~*~

The common types of pranks she'd most likely pull would be to put big chunky eyebrows on his baby/babies or dress them up in funny costumes to surprise him, jumpscare him by popping out from the vents above his head and dangle from her dreadlocks Spiderman style, or switch his drinking glass with an empty one to make him think he drank too much without realizing it.... like stealing a toy from a dog without them noticing~ She mostly loves to confuse him. ~*~

Thunderclash is the mediator to Swift and Rodimus's pranks. He makes sure they don't give poor Hawk a heart/spark attack, and he mostly does this by plucking Swift out of the vents or holding her up like a cat in air prison to carry her away and scold her. Megatron is the main one to do this when Thunderclash isn't around. He is immune to her pranks towards him, when Swift wishes to make Hawk laugh.... since she knows her pranks towards Megatron always end in a chase or her being plucked and tossed out of a room~ ~*~

The moment Swift hears an inkling about children, she'll be giddy and eager to provide her services and aid to Hawk and the papa trio. If she meets Elbent and Verglaust in this AU with their own kids, Ferrous and Indicolite, then Swift would definitely be taking notes on how to be a Mom and Aunty from both families and eagerly offering to be a babysitter to ALL the kids~ She's surprisingly good at managing a whole hoard of them, and thus would easily become the Lost Light's daycare person.... ESPECIALLY after having her own daughter, Sira. ~*~

Speaking of Sira.... Since Swift would technically die for a short while after the birth, I have a feeling she would have Sira after the birth of Flareblaze, once she's gotten to know the full depth of child rearing from Novabird's experience and getting to babysit him. The day that happens, and Swift dies from the pregnancy becoming ectopic but allowing Sira to be delivered safely at the cost of her voice.... Yeeaaaahhh Hawk gonna be traumatized seeing Swift all bloody and grey, only to come back after being patched up and healing a bit. But...... If Cybertronian births occur through the spark chamber.... This would be the day Swift's secret about her spark would be revealed~ And here, if Hawk was present or came after the birth of Sira.... He would see Asya's brutally destroyed corpse within Swift's spark, the only true sign to show that Swift is dangling between the edge of life and death. ~*~

And finally.... If Swift was around after Hawk's death, she would be there to help raise the kids as a supportive family friend, or Auntie/Shangazi Swifty to the kids. But because of her past brushes with death, Swift would DEFINTELY have a weak but consistent ability to sense Hawk's ghost~ She would mourn him massively and paint her plating white (the colour of mourning in most African cultures) for a full month. In turn, Swift would happily babysit little Nova, and through the constant presence of being there for the family, she'd be able to tell where Hawk was.... And perhaps see him like a flickering shadow when he interacts with objects. Due to this, she would keep it a secret and subtly help him out using her dreadlocks when anyone is around, until either Hawk assures her that it's ok to know his secret, or Thunderclash tells her himself. ~*~ In turn...... Hawk would most likely be able to see a small, lingering light in her chest constantly only after his death, like a ghostly presence that embodies Swift's spark. This white light would flicker weakly like a star in the distant night sky, but would grow brighter subtly when Swift becomes nostalgic of her human past or is encouraged to teach the kids or anyone about her culture and mother tongue of Swahili. And should Hawk ever touch this light....... He would experience a very quick but brief flash of her memories as a child, of her time spent with her mother Gasira. All Hawk would see is her mother's face, maybe a whisper of her gentle voice praising her and calling her "my darling rose", before he'd jolt back into the present.... Both him and Swift shivering from the sudden chill up their spines. She'd have some trouble explaining THAT to Rodimus~

................. Will update when the brain decides to brain properly... For now, THIS is what I mean by Swift falling when meeting Hawk:

Just immediately.... plops. XD

#starhawk #swiftwire #dimorphodon x #tigracespace

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ezra-iolite · 1 year

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One Last Wish- A Pirateformers Story

Chapter 3: Old Wounds

(TRIGGER WARNING: A LOT of deadnaming and misgendering of poor Asya here, some mentions of nudity (but only in a cultural sense rather than anything sexual), and some violence up ahead)

Elbent and Verglaust belong to @tigracespace

Starhawk belongs to @dimorphodon-x

Blue Heron belongs to @hyraxas (also let me know if it's still too hard for you to read, in case your neurospicy brain needs more breaks)

Asya, Conduit, Azaan, and the denizens of the kingdom of Joka Ardhi belong to me~

Docking their boat at the pier, right next to a small flight of barnacle infested wooden steps touching the surface of the water, Starhawk jumped up onto the pier and tied the rope to the nearest post before he helped Elbent and the others off the boat and onto the creaking pier with him. The moment they all got off, the stares they could feel from the passing Jokani fishermen and dockworkers, who all had the same rare dark ebony skin-tone the crew had only known Asya to have, they could immediately be sensed like daggers cutting through them. And yet, it did not phase their captain, as Elbent led the way up the wooden pier and past the rickety market stalls bearing weathered but colourful drapes for rooftops, towards a rising flight of stone steps at the end of the docks, built into a wall surrounding the low pier that hid the city ground level from view. The moment Elbent reached the top, she paused to take in her first sight of the Jokani port city.

“Wow… So this is Wajiri? Everything here is so huge! I’ve never seen so many colours and bright buildings before!” Elbent looked around in awe, as the team joined her side to truly take in the sight of the strange land they were in.

Towering before the six of them, they could only gawk in amazement at the layers of buildings made out of flat roofed, rectangular, yellow and red sandstone that grew taller and bigger the further into the city the gang peered towards. Each street and alleyway they could see was decorated with drapes of vibrant colours that hung as fabric eaves over doors or between narrow alleyways, with glimmering and silky transparent curtains swaying gracefully from open arch-shaped windows and doorless entrances to invite the cool breeze from the scorching heat, and the occasional passing Jokani that wore equally colourful togas and veiling shawls, be they the human natives or the Dragonkin with individually unique horn shapes and vibrantly colourful scales upon their hands, clawed feet and long fluffy tipped tails, some tail tips even bearing dyed colours made of red clay that matched their half red-clay tipped dreadlocks or braids.

Their eyes couldn’t help but follow the rising layers of buildings further upwards, until the crew spotted a massive fortress in the distance, the castle at its heart bearing massive billowing tapestries of crimson with a black dragon spreading its wings before a large, white seven-point star behind it, with smaller versions of it dotting along the fortress curtain walls that wrapped protectively around the city boarder on the far horizon. But it was all easily overshadowed by the towering stone statue before them, of a male Dragonkin looking heroically upwards with a spear in hand, also bearing the same royal symbol on another smaller version of the tapestry that fluttered in the breeze, the symbol of the kingdom’s forefather that stood watching over the city from its very heart… a Dragonkin forefather who appeared eerily similar to Asya.

“Wow… so that’s what Alunnui looked like. Damn… It’s like looking in the mirror and seeing your reflection, Asya. Weird though, isn’t it? That you only look more like him after you took that final transition potion I made, to fully alter you face and physique into a more feminine look,” Elbent leaned back to properly peer up at the overshadowing statue that towered over the entire city like a titan. “But by Primus, look at all these Dragonkin! And they’re all… Opal, right? The Opal species?”

“Opal is right, with Alunnui here being the first Ruby Dragonkin of his entire species, I believe. I wonder if he was actually Sun Blessed, which is why all others of Asya’s family selectively breed their next heirs to bear the same gene?” Kevin pondered.

“Maybe. We’ll never know. But just take it all in now, guys… These are all Asya’s people. And this is her culture… A thing no one else beyond the equator has ever seen in nearly four centuries. Amazing isn’t i-,”

“KOMA!!”

“AH!! What the- Oh… Uh oh… I think we might be in trouble, you guys.”

Marching over to the six of them, a spear wielding human Jokani in a red toga and gold half-plate armour glowered before the crew, his mere presence sending chills down every spine before him. The left side of his form was covered by a short red cape that reached below his knee, going around to his back that had the royal “wyvern on a seven-point star” emblem on it, all pinned to his breast plate strap by a gold and ruby dragon claw brooch, the four pieces of ruby forming the claw hinting at his higher status. Despite his face being hidden by a gold dragon-scale shaped layered helmet, with the visor bearing fang shaped vents leading down into a pointed dragon snout-like chin and a dark red fabric covering the back of his head like a short veil, the gang could still feel his glare through the almond eyes of the visor. With a low growl, he slammed his metal spear onto the stone path with a loud clang, drawing the crowd’s attention towards the tall Moran and the crew.

“Oh crap, I forgot Asya’s first rule… Those of pale skin are a rare sight in Joka Ardhi, and as such they’re considered dangerous upon first glance due to the Primus-ban. Just… stay calm, everyone.” Elbent whispered over her shoulder, as the Moran guard glared at her.

“Hamna haki ya kuingia katika nchi hii, wageni! Kwa nini uko hapa? Hm?! ZUNGUMZA!!” The Moran barked his orders at the baffled and frightened crew, as Elbent stammered anxiously for a possible response to his foreign, or rather native, language.

“Uh… Well, we uh… Um… K-Kevin, help me out here!! You’re the one more fluent in Jokani than the rest of us!,” Elbent hissed. “And where the hell is Asya?!”

“She’s still saying goodbye to the kids, give her a minute. It’ll be ok, Ellie … I got this,” Kevin stepped up as he held his arm out protectively in front of his equally short wife. “Let’s see… AHEM… Tuko hapa kama ra- Oh, no, uh… Oh! M-MA- uh… marafiki.”

“Rafiki, unasema? Hm… Ni nani?” The Moran inquired with a slower tone, standing taller with a tilt of his head.

“Ok, we’re doing good so far,” Kevin whispered to translate for the gang. “He’s just inquiring the usual “Why are you here?” shtick for a guard, so I told him that we’re here for a friend. I… couldn’t remember the word for wife. Heh… Uh, crap what’s the word for royal?”

“WHY DOES THAT MATTER?!” Hawk hissed.

“Ok, ok, I get it! Uh… I’ll try heir. Um… Yule mrithi wako... Uh… aliyepotea? Heh heh.” Kevin nervously shrugged in his struggle to form the right words.

Seeing his cluelessness, the Moran suddenly sighed with a shake of his head as he lowered his gaze into his palm, which slid down along his visor as he groaned.

“Ugh, by the gods… You outsiders are all the same! Seeking our lost prince just for the wealth on his head, over and over again. And despite my warnings over the years, each and every time you still come here. Well, let me once again assure you, as I have these last forty years… He. Is. DEAD!! Now begone with-”

“Waitwaitwait- Hold on!! HOLD ON!! Please!! Just wait, I… Y-you can… speak Common?” Kevin asked in shock.

“Hmph… Most of us in this city can, but only when we need to. This port is our biggest trading hub, after all. Now… I’ll ask again in your tongue, and you’d best not make me repeat myself…,”

The Moran suddenly kicked the bottom of his spear with his heel and spun the heavy metal pole over his arm skilfully, before he gripped it in both hands and pointed the tip downwards… right between Kevin’s eyes.

“Why are you here, outsider? And who are you friends with that makes you think you’re allowed to trespass into this kingdom?”

“Allow me, Kevin…,” Elbent gently pushed the sheepish redhead away from the spear to stand with a determined glare before the Moran, the spear now touching her forehead. “Forgive us, sir, we’re all a little rusty with our Jokani, and I think we got off on the wrong foot due to our lack of knowledge on Jokani law. Allow me to introduce myself, to hopefully clear the tension a little… My name is Elbent O’Murchadha-Mutheru, captain of the Immortal Sun, and we’re here on a mission to-”

“Wait a second… Did you say… M-Mutheru? As in… the late Queen Gasira Mutheru?”

Looking between each other, while Blue and Hawk shared a confused glance between them, Elbent answered the Moran, as he once again spun his spear within his hand before he held it upright at his side.

“Yes… she would be my mother-in-law, were she still alive today. But, I bear her name through her child… Who now goes by Asya instead. We are here on a mission sent to her by… Uh…. What’s the title she goes by, again? Mwonaji Kamaria?”

“The Kifalme Mjuzi? But she… Oh, I see, that sneaky old Seer… But who is this Asya you refer to? Is she this friend of yours who… Oh… Oh by the Evenstar, you couldn’t possibly mean Prince Andres? But he… Is he really still alive?” The Moran suddenly lifted his visor up to reveal his middle aged yet youthful face, bearing red painted stripes over his eyes that were holding back visible tears.

“Her name is Asya now, and… I think she can answer that for herself~” Elbent smirked as she stepped back to look behind her.

Following her gaze, the Moran and the crew looked back towards the ship far off in the distance, just in time to see a bright fireball leaping from the ship and soaring through the air, heading straight for them. Surprisingly, the crowd that had gathered to watch did not panic, but instead murmured in curiosity and awe as the orange flame neared the pier and suddenly swooped upwards to rise into the sky, vanishing into a puff of smoke and embers to reveal Asya as she flipped back down towards the pier and, with another puff of flame slowing her descent, she landed gracefully before the crew and the Moran, her arrival earning them a low murmur of caution and amazement from the crowd that watched. Paying them no mind, Asya approached the gang as she gave each person she passed a warm and thankful smile.

“You lot better not have gotten arrested already, cause I don’t even know if I have the… money… to bail you… By the Evenstar,” Asya froze as her eyes met the Moran’s, her once proud smile immediately falling as she stared in teary eyed shock, until she attempted to speak with a voice that came out warbled as tears immediately began to flow, not just from her but from the Moran as well. “No it… it couldn’t be … A-Azaan? Is that… is that really you?”

“Andy, I… I thought you were dead. I… I saw what those bastards did to those Dunefarers… But I saw your mother’s ship missing, so I could only hope when they… I honestly lost hope when the first decade passed. But here you are, after all these years… And going by Asya now, you said? Ah, I think I can see why… It means “reborn through grief”, right? Heh, fitting… Very fitting for what you went through.” The Moran wheezed out a weak laugh, as he took off his helmet to reveal his half-shaved head of long braids and his short full-faced beard, with grey roots in both the beard and the braids, as he quickly dried his tears before they could ruin his face paint.

Asya laughed through her sobs as she carefully brushed past the crew to pull the shorter middle-aged man into a tight hug, his helmet and spear falling onto the stone path with a clatter as the two softly cried in their embrace. It wasn’t until Brynjolf cleared his throat that the two finally pulled away, with Asya’s arm around the Moran’s shoulders as she turned to face her team.

“Darlings… This is my childhood friend, and… kinda my first boyfriend… Guys, this is Azaan Sayyid. He was there for me during the worst years of my life in the palace, when I was training for my coronation day and Azzie here trained in the palace as a Kifalme Moran or Royal Guard. Or… should I refer to you as Captain Sayyid now?~,” Asya laughed as she gently nuzzled her cheek against the shaven half of his head. “You finally earned your ruby claw, huh?”

“I did, just like I promised I would when we were children… But I hope you can forgive me for not being there when you left. I was in the capital then, but if I had known you were escaping that day, I would have left days before and helped fend off the Lord’s Hand while you escaped. I could, at long last, have become your Shadow, like those before me to the sun chosen heirs… Like I swore I’d become to protect you. But look at you now, my friend! Finally broke through that awkward phase, you late bloomer~ Ay? Heh heh~ You finally got the horns and the fire, huh?”

Asya laughed her tears away as she playfully pulled Azaan into a headlock to ruffle his hair. “And you finally started going grey, you old fart! How old are you now, Senior Captain?”

“Hey!! I’m only looking forty, thanks to the magic you let me absorb from you, over the years! Still well within my position as Captain of the Royal Guard, and candidate to becoming your Shadow, so I’m certainly nowhere near retirement age!” Azaan laughed, managing to shove Asya off.

“HA!! You should be in your sixties and feeling it, you granddad!” Asya chuckled as she suddenly tackled Azaan… only to suddenly yelp when he flipped her over like a tossed coin with surprising agility, hopping onto her back when she landed on her front to sit on her waist to keep her down.

“Damn… I think Asya might have a type~” Hawk whispered to Blue, the two snorting behind their hands to hide their laughter.

“So… Who am I to thank for bringing my old friend back home?” Azaan looked back up to the gang as Asya huffed in defeat under him, her tail wagging in annoyance… or possibly joy.

Elbent chuckled as she stepped forward and offered her hand to him, but the moment he took it, she pulled the Moran off and helped Asya back onto her paws once more, before the siren finally turned to face him and replied,

“Like I said, my name is Elbent. I’m Asya’s wife. And these are a few of my crewmates from the Immortal Sun, that ship you see just before the sea boarder, with some of my crew here being mine and Asya’s husbands, none of which might I add were born on Primus… This is Kevin, Brynjolf, and Verglaust, the husbands, and my son, Conduit. And these two are members of my ship’s crew, Starhawk and Blue Heron.”

“Not part of your polyamory, I presume?” Azaan teased, winking to Starhawk and Blue.

“Uh… N-No, sir. I’m married to someone else, with a son of my own, back on the ship. And Blue Heron here is tied to no one. We just work for Elbent.” Hawk explained, clearing his throat to hide his blush from the smirking Moran.

“I see… Well, on behalf of the Kifalme Morani, I welcome you as guests to our kingdom. Welcome to the Dragonlands, folks. Now, if you’ll follow me… You’ll need to blend in if you’re to truly return home, my Lady Asya~”

Travelling up along the city streets of central Wajiri, with Asya and Azaan taking the lead as they covered up their faces with their hoods, Elbent and Kevin followed close behind them as the others followed right after, with Conduit needing to use his lion-like tail to hold Hawk’s hand as he looked around in complete awe like a child starstruck by a new world, occasionally jumping up to tap the drapes tethered across the alleyways just to see if he could. As they slipped through one alleyway and cobblestone street after another for what felt like an hour, the Moran captain led the crew into what appeared to be a market square, its buildings and stalls all blissfully shaded from the desert sun under a giant archway right under the statue of Alunnui. However, as Azaan started explaining what the others could wear to help them blend in and adapt to Jokani culture, Elbent and Hawk suddenly froze when they spotted the more vibrantly dressed mix of human and Dragonkin noblewomen passing by and giggling at their whispered gossip, hidden by their shawls of silk draped over their heads as veils and along their arms and hands, their every step fluttering their layered dresses of golds and rainbow colours. Elbent suddenly squeaked as she quickly hid her face behind her hands, earning the mocking laughter from the noblewomen.

“Oh Primus, Asya!! Why didn’t you tell me your people wear such… r-revealing outfits?!” Elbent whispered in a hissed tone, running behind her Dragonkin wife to hide.

“That’s uh… Is this normal for your culture?” Hawk muttered as he too hid behind Verglaust to cover his sight as well.

Asya snorted as she giggled at the sight, seeing Conduit and Brynjolf averting their gazes as well, while Verglaust merely watched his family and friends with an arched brow in confusion, alongside an equally unphased Blue Heron, before Asya finally replied,

“Well, darling… What did you expect people to wear when it’s constantly hot? I am sorry for not mentioning it sooner, but… Well, what is there to be ashamed of? We all have the same body as women, so who cares if we show some of it off, right?”

“Fair point, Asya, but I am so glad I have a husband. ‘Cause man, Roddie would freak out if he saw thi- Oooohhh that’s a big one!”

Just as Hawk finally gathered the courage to peek out from behind Verglaust, he immediately squeaked and hid again as a human Jokani merchant passed by, carrying a large box on his shoulder in one beefy arm with ease, as Hawk noticed him only wearing pants and a headscarf loosely wrapped around his shoulders and face. Blushing at the brief sight Hawk managed to peek at, he only noticed Verglaust’s teasing smirk long after the shirtless merchant passed them by, causing Hawk to double-take his glance upwards in shock before he grumbled and shoved him away to hide his blush, as Verglaust and Azaan barked with laughter.

“Oh, you northerners never fail to amaze me~” Azaan chuckled as he ducked his helmeted head to enter the bead-curtained doorway of a shop next to them, the glittering incense smoke of jasmine and lavender wafting outside.

“Pfft, holy crap! Asya? Ellie! Heh heh, look at Kevin~” Blue pointed towards the short redheaded doctor, giggling beneath his hand.

To everyone’s surprise, the Unicronian watched in awe as many more noblewomen passed by, his eyes wide and his smile growing, before he finally turned to Asya and Elbent. “Ok, this is amazing! Ladies… Please tell me you’re wearing those.”

Elbent let out a loud audible gasp as Asya sputtered out a loud bark of laughter, before Elbent responded first while her wife bent over in a giggling fit as Heron, a grumbling and flustered Hawk, and a brightly blushing Conduit and Brynjolf entered the shop.

“KEVIN!!! I… How…. What?! PRIMUS, NO!!! I’d never be able to pull that look off! It’s FAR too revealing!! They… they literally have nothing covering their chests, Kevin!!”

“Oh come now! This culture clearly doesn’t have a strong view on women or how they should present themselves based on their bodies, like they do so conservatively in the north! I think you’d look beautiful with all those layers of colours showing off your physique~”

“Kevin, I swear to… Wait, it’s the colours that you like?”

“Oh yes, I think something mixed in with your usual shade of blue would look radiant on you, my dear… And that corset style to help draw the eye to your figure would just be divine!”

“Huh… I honestly thought you were thinking about their-”

“Oh yeah, that too~ It would be amazing seeing you relax a little with your-”

“NOPE!! NO!! NO THANK YOU!!” Elbent finally rushed into the shop, followed closely by a giggling Kevin and Asya.

Upon entering the shop, Elbent’s flustering was immediately forgotten and replaced with excitement and awe as she saw dozens of rows of wooden boxed shelves lining the walls from floor to ceiling, each box containing rolls of fabric and layers of folded cloth full of bright dazzling colours, each and every piece appearing either glittering, shimmering, soft or vibrant, while the front and left side of the shop presented its merchandise on full-bodied wooden mannequins posing in regal or reserved positions to show off their dresses, both with and without cleavage coverings of chiffon or silk, loose fitting suits for both men and women alike, harem pants and long tops of every type, alongside veiling shawls, headscarves, and many more outfits better suited for travelling through the desert, with one mannequin nearest to the door holding a silver tray up high on its flattened palm to allow the incense to burn and let its ash fall into the tray safely and undisturbed, its sweet, musky and floral aroma calming yet exotic.

“Wow… these are beautiful! I finally understand why you always dress so colourfully now, Asya!” Elbent assured, approaching a mannequin wearing a deep blue jumpsuit with golden vine and floral embroidered outlines along the sweetheart neckline, a corset outline on the belly, and more golden vines going down as straight lines along the sides of the legs.

“Colours are how we express the truest parts of ourselves, no matter our culture, yes?~” Came a croaky and heavily accented voice from behind the door at the back of the tailor shop.

A short and elderly Dragonkin with bright green scales stepped out of the doorway at the back of the shop, flicking her long and chunky black braid over her shoulder to show both sides of her head shaved just under her long, ash coloured horns that curved over her head like a mountain goat’s, as her braid formed a subtle mohawk between them. Her long, navy chiffon dress swayed around her reptilian digitigrade legs, her petite form framed by a light grey, sleeveless shawl vest that exposed her arms entirely to reveal the hint of thin pink scars on the back of her shoulders and biceps, alongside the colourful woven beaded armbands of triangular patterns between the gold metal rings around her biceps. Fixing the fabric measuring tape over her shoulders and the circular silver spectacles on her large nose, the older Dragonkin stepped towards the crew and the guard captain with a smile that flashed her fangs from her underbite that peeked slightly over her upper lip, only when she smiled and spoke.

“It’s oh so rare to have light folk in my shop, so please allow me to properly welcome you all….,” Bowing with a hand on her heart and her head lowered to reveal more of her horns, her green tail swayed with a rhythmic chiming of chunky gold bangles that rattled above the short fluffy tip of black fur at the end of her tail, her every wag echoing with a bell-like chime. “Shikamoo, my honoured guests, to “Mariamu’s Natural Touch”. I am… well… Mariamu, but you are welcome to call me Mari! So, how may I help you, hm? And is there anything I can do for you as well, dear Captain?”

“I’m here to help these folk better fit in with our kind, so if you have anything fit for wasteland travel, please help these fine folk be fitted with whatever they choose from your travel-gear selection. I will pay for all their expenses.” Azaan assured, placing his spear next to the door to let him hold his helmet at his hip.

“Oh? Will you all be journeying to Alunn’nchi? Many who hail from the north often head straight to the capital, so you lot are not the first. But, you did come at just the right time of the season for the safest journey there. The weather and the sun will be in your favour… Just do be mindful of the sandstorms,”

Mari toddled over to the mannequins nearest to her register desk, her every step making the chiming of her tail bangles sound even more melodic as she stopped right in front of the nearest mannequins and gestured to the first four, all of them having loose fitting or haram pants.

“These are the newest of my line, designed mostly for Dunefarers, or simply those who journey often through the crimson sands, so every piece on this side aims to help you be completely covered in the sun, but remain warm in the autumn nights to come. For you, my raven-haired friend… I think these will benefit you the most~”

Mari reached up to a shelf behind the mannequin she was presenting to give Hawk a pile of clothing, which included a dark mustard-yellow pair of baggy linen pants and a white loose-fitting shirt with a low scoop neckline, paired up with a black sash belt embroidered with tiny blue stars.

“Oh… Um… Heh, thank you.” Hawk awkwardly smiled, earning him a smirk from the old Dragonkin.

“Try them on, dear. There are fitting rooms down the hall, through that door.”

With a bashful nod, Hawk hurried away with his picked out attire, just as Mari presented Blue with his own picked out parcel of clothes; light grey haram pants, a sky blue sleeveless blouse with a low v-neckline, paired with a chiffon sea blue shawl with subtle gold feather patterns embroidered all over it, which could be worn as a headscarf or like a belt that could cover the entirety of a hip or thigh.

“Oooh, pretty! I love the feathers! Thank you!” Blue cheerfully gathered his gift and bowed graciously to Mari, before he vanished into the changing rooms with Hawk.

“Now… what shall I do with you three?” Mari turned to Verglaust, Brynjolf and Conduit, who were all somewhat struggling to fit inside the room due to their equally large heights and size.

“Oh uh… I-I’d rather not trouble you, miss,” Conduit stuttered nervously, hiding his arms a little with his crystal-covered gargoyle wings. “I know my size can be rather-”

“Nonsense, child! Clothes do not define a person’s form, they help to express it and the body’s beauty. Though, if I may… you have quite the unique body. Are the crystals… a part of you?” Mari lightly traced a claw over his wings, feeling the crystals that sprouted along the arms up to the thumbs of both wings, her gaze following down his back to the main source of his crystals.

“Y-Yes, miss Mari. I was cursed as a child with this form, and every time I use my powers, these crystals grow all over my body. They are handy though, since I am technically a gargoyle. And for some reason, if I have no crystals on me, I do what gargoyles do and turn to stone at the first light of day. But the moment I have enough covering my back and wings… I am free to move about during the day or night.”

“Your crystals act like moonstones, then. Amazing… I know a chieftain on your way to the capital who would love to document your curse. Perhaps she could cure you of it too, hm?,” Mari suggested, gently patting Conduit on the cheek. “We’d best fit you and your fathers in something formal yet practical, ay? Heh heh, dear Faizah would simply love to meet you~”

Chuckling mischievously, Mari snapped her fingers to form a spark of green fire, which was soon followed by the creaking of wood scraping along the wooden floor that echoed the shop. Bursting out from behind the door, three wooden mannequins floated their way to the middle of the shop as their flat disc bases dragged slightly under them, the veins and knots of their carved wooden frames glowing bright green with magic, which then pulsed with a low hum as they each stood to attention in front of the three gargantuan men.

"Whoa... Is that..."

"Opal fire... Green flames can summon and control flora of any kind. Including wood, it seems~" Asya chuckled from the wall she leaned against, as she answered Elbent's question before it could fully form.

"Now then... You're the biggest, so I shall need your measurements first." Mari pulled her tape off her shoulders as she stood before Verglaust and slid her pinched fingers over it to straighten the fabric tape out, covering it in green flames.

The moment she aligned the tape across Vern's shoulder width, the mannequin in front of him suddenly groaned with the creaking of wood as its glowing veins hummed louder and its torso began to grow bigger and wider. Pulling the tape down to his hip, the mannequin grew taller until its head was at Verglaust's eye level. With each limb she measured, the mannequin altered its appearance to match the required size, with its pole even splitting apart to form legs, until a perfect replica of Verglaust's entire body stood before him, leaving the man gawking in silent awe.

"Wow... When I said I could climb you like a tree, I never thought it could become literal~" Kevin chuckled, earning him a snorted laugh from Asya as Elbent immediately smacked the redhead upside the head.

"Fire is not just a burning force of destruction, my cheeky friend~," Mari winked as she began to measure Conduit beside him. "Fire is unbridled life, magic's most wild physical form that is born within my kind. For a wielder of the Flora Flames such as myself, it can hold the spirit of nature herself, and with it... She can form the physical presence I need to build my visions and projects onto."

"So... Wait, can any other colour of Opal Dragonkin have any fire type, and not just the flames that match their scale colour?" Conduit asked, as the tailor began to measure his arms.

"Oh, but of course! It would be pretty boring if we all had fire the same colour as our scales, now wouldn't it?," Mari chuckled, as the mannequin in front of him shifted and groaned as it grew to his size. "No, the type of fire we are born with is based entirely on the parents, mainly the Dragonkin ones. Luckily, both of mine were just that. My Baba was light brown and had green flames that could summon vines of flowers, but desert roses were his usual type, making him a perfect garden architect and city flora gardener. My Mama was white and could use her yellow flames, or normally her bare fists, to lift entire house sized blocks of sandstone or control the very sand itself. I'd still like to believe that she might have been Sun Blessed, but she never did show any signs of it. But then again... She was the royal architectural builder of Lord Alhaadhi. So who could dare question her strength when she regularly fixed the walls of the royal palace itself, and could move an entire house and the ground beneath it on one shoulder~"

"Oh yeah, I remember her! Zira was her name! By the stars, she was nearly as large as you, my friend!" Azaan chuckled as he patted Brynjolf's arm.

Chuckling at the blush blooming on Brynjolf's face, Mari guided her tape along Conduit's wings, causing the mannequin to suddenly sprout branches on its back that took the form of bony wings without the webbed skin between the fingers, as rings of buttercups bloomed exactly where Mari measured the girth of the very base of Conduit's wings on his back and tiny angular branches formed where the crystals were along the arms. After measuring his digitigrade legs and tail, Mari flicked her tape to extinguish the flames on it and waved her hand towards the wall, commanding the mannequins to stand in a row against it.

"Now then... Tell me what you'd all like to wear~"

As Mari guided the three giants to her desk to begin crafting their tailored outfits with some help of her now more mobile newly formed mannequins, Azaan approached Elbent as she viewed a regular mannequin wearing blue haram pants and a sky blue and gold sleeveless, v-neck long top, with the hem going down into a drape that covered the lap of the pants and ended in an arrow-shaped point.

"So.... Is And- Uh... Is Asya usually this quiet?" Azaan whispered to the siren, as he peered at the orange Dragonkin from the corner of his eye, watching her admire a glimmering red gown.

"Only when she has a lot on her mind." Elbent answered bluntly, feeling the fringes of the drape and the gold floral themed embroidery between her fingers.

"Mm, as I suspected.... She's here to face her father, isn't she?" He inquired in a hushed tone.

"She is, yeah. The Royal Sage you mentioned, Elder Seer Kamaria, I think Asya called her… She asked for her help. She sent her a letter a month ago, telling her only two lines....... "Come home. Our people will follow in your shadow." I can easily tell she's dreading the day. But tell me, honestly, Azaan... What is her father like? Who is he, really, and why does Asya fear him so much? What did he do to her?"

Looking around cautiously, the Moran captain leaned against the wall beside Elbent as he began his tale.

"His name is Jhamal, and he is the middleborn of the three sons of Alhaadhi, Asya's grandfather and the last Dragon Lord of the previous era. Jhamal is.... He's always been jealous of his brothers, from what I can remember growing up in the court alongside Asya. With his oldest brother, Amani, being the heir apparent and a Sun Blessed child of orange scales, while their younger brother, Bomani, grew to become a gifted Healing White Flame wielder and a General of both branches of the Morani, Jhamal felt more like an afterthought than a prince."

"Wait... Asya's older uncle had orange scales? Like hers?" Elbent asked in a hushed tone.

"He did, and you’re welcome to see for yourself. There's a portrait of him on the royal family tree mural in the palace, where every member born of Alunnui’s blood is preserved in imagery and shown who became the heir apparent, and a preserved wall painting is here in Wajiri, near Fort Imamu, of when the three sons were younger and newly crowned princes. But from what I can remember of his coronation portrait….

"Lord Amani was the tallest of the three brothers and had scales the colour of carnelian, and it was said he could bring just as much joy to others as the gem's spiritual property could, and his mastery over his birthright flames was claimed to rival the Burning Prince’s level of power. He was a gifted warrior that could end village rivalries with nothing but his word alone,"

Smiling warmly in nostalgia, Azaan's gaze briefly fell onto Asya, who was admiring Conduit's outfit while teasing Starhawk about how "handsome and shapely" he looked, purely to make him blush.

"He was.... The perfect Dragon Lord. A kind and patient man, or so a great many claimed... But he and his General we're both slaughtered while out on a hunt, leaving only Jhamal as the surviving offspring of the late Lord Alhaadhi to inherit the throne."

"I see.... I think I can understand why he might have targeted Asya, then."

"No, dear Elbent. It wasn't her inherited colour and Sun Blessed power that made Jhamal despise his only heir.... The current Dragon Lord has only ever demanded sons from his late queen, not just as his heir but as his entire brood. A son to carry his bloodline and many more to inherit his views and workload, alongside his belief that... That women should be trained to become docile wives who are seen and never heard or given anything a man should always gain freely. And in light of our dear Queen Gasira's open mind towards the dreams of her child gaining the identity she deserves to have in her own homeland, I.... I rarely saw my old friend coming out of the throne room without bruises. Both on her and her own mother."

"All that.... And Gasira's neglectful death by a mere fever.... All that was just because he didn't want Asya being her true self, despite it clearly not affecting her ability in becoming a good and wise leader? That's absolutely ridiculous!!"

Azaan quickly hushed her before anyone could hear, as he led the siren outside the shop to ensure the murmur of the crowd amongst the market drowned out their voices.

"Elbent, you must remember, this man has since embraced his title of "Jhamal the Tyrant", long before the death of Asya’s mother. He knows we called him that the moment he formed the Lord’s Hand, but it has never bothered him, as he continues his public executions and conquering villages on the islands surrounding this kingdom just to make them remain loyal to the crown. The damn bast- I-I mean our Lord… He has since increased the number of men in his personal guild.

"It's now gotten to the point that neither me nor the entire Morani can truly do our job without being sent away by the Hand, due to their so-called higher status… When in fact I am the highest ranked Moran in all the kingdom, and I made sure it happened to allow me to protect this kingdom in Asya’s place. So now, we must be careful how we speak when we are in public... The Lord's Hand have eyes and ears everywhere."

"So how the hell are we supposed to free the people if we risk hurting them by the Hand's wrath? She already did the “Hair Sacrifice” thingy!!" Elbent hissed angrily.

"We just have to..... Wait, what did you say? Do you mean she… she performed the ‘Dhabihu Demand’? That.... Oh that is perfect!," Azaan suddenly laughed, earning him a few fleeting stares from the passing crowd. "I knew our long nights of studying law together would come in handy! "

"What's going on, you guys? Is everything alright?" Hawk suddenly peeked his head around the door's beaded curtain towards Azaan and Elbent.

"Oh it's more than ok, my friend! Your… Huh. Nice outfit. Uh, sorry- I now know what we must do!," Azaan excitedly rushed back inside the shop, finding everyone now wearing their new clothes. “Asya, your wife just told me what you did, and I know how we can make your plan work!"

"You... do?" Asya's hidden face under her new red, sleeveless hooded cloak turned to her wife and her old friend, fixing the string that held it together into a bow above her orange, silk toga top that hung from one shoulder to only cover her chest, while her tail’s slow swaying caused her chiffon, ash grey haram pants to ruffle slightly, revealing that they only reached to her hocks or ankles on her scaley feline legs.

"I must first see if my theory is correct, for if it is.... We may be able to do exactly what you have planned by performing that rite. Mari, my dear.... May I ask you something?"

"Anything, dearie." The tailor cut the thread of her needle with a claw as she finished the last stitch on Vernglaust's shawl vest, handing it to him before she approached the Moran captain with a kind smile.

"Do you know who this is?" Azaan gestured to Asya, who immediately froze up and wrapped her tail anxiously around her haram pants leg.

"Azzie... Az, what the hell are you doing?!" She hissed under her breath at him, as Mari tilted her head in confusion, a look that was shared with Hawk beside her.

"Trust me, Asya... You're safe here. I know she'll side with us," Azaan whispered, before he spoke up once more. "How would you feel, then... If I told you that the lost prince was here in Wajiri?"

Mari's long ears rose up slightly in surprise as she looked to Azaan and Asya, before she replied with a cautious and serious tone, "Then I'd tell you that he would be a fool to come back here without an army. And he’d be an even bigger one for thinking he would be safe by him… self…,”

Her words slowed slightly as she noticed Asya’s claw tightening its grip on her arm as she crossed them, her tail tip now visibly hitting her leg repeatedly in an attempt to stop the entire limb from moving in a now obvious show of discomfort. Her tone rose into her usual friendlier pitch as she looked back up at Azaan.

“… However, it would certainly be a relief to see him all grown up and doing well, after all these years. I mean, by the stars, I still remember that dreadful night! I was there when the Hand and those brave Dunefarers fought along the pier, as the prince made his escape on that boat his mother arrived in, all those many years ago. I can still remember the awful smell from the bonfire as they burned the bodies, and of the corpse of their leader they left on display. He’s still there, you know? Nothing more than a skeleton now… Ugh, it’s simply barbaric!”

"Mari... Do you remember the prince? Or what he looked like, perhaps?"

"Why, of course I do, captain!! He practically grew up attending every Council meeting, after all! Last I remember, the poor child looked like skin and bone, surely from all the years he was forced to spent in the wastelands for his exile! But despite the cruelty of the sands affecting his health… He looked every bit as radiant as his mother. And he was the only one that could make those icy eyes of his father’s look so kind and warm, clearly something he inherited from the good Lord Amani. May the Celestial Maiden protect his soul.... Oh!! And I remember how his flames made his scales look just like Amani’s too! In the same shade of Sun Blessed... carnelian?,"

Mari looked down at Asya's paws and orange scaled legs, before her astonished gaze rose up to meet Asya's eye level as Azaan suddenly pulled her hood down to reveal her face, much to Asya’s disapproval shown only by her ear twitch and low cat-like growl as she refused to meet Mari’s gaze. The tiny old Dragonkin tailor let out a sudden gasp as she staggered back.

"By the stars, it couldn't be... Lord Alunnui? No, no, he... Oh! Oh my... Prince Andres?"

"It's... Asya now." Sheepishly looking away, Asya's gaze was finally brought back down when Mari took her orange claw into her own green pair and pressed her orange-scaled knuckles against her spectacles in a gentle bow.

"Oh thank the Evenstar you're alive, child! I feared the worst when... Oh it doesn't matter now, you're here! And you... Well, I honestly should have expected such a radiant change from you, when you wore that dress I made for your mother at the Council ball. And I must say... It's good to see another woman of royal blood again,"

Chuckling to herself, Mari stood back up and gently cupped Asya's cheek to wipe her tears with her thumb. "And I... I recognize that cutting style along your hair... The Dhabihu… You've come to free us, haven't you?"

"I have... Do you think our people will-"

"Oh hush! Of course we will, my Lady! You've been gone long enough for your father's tyranny to finally reach our wit's end! My daughter, the new Chieftain of Wajiri, will gladly help you in your endeavour! I told her, time and time again, that the prince-”

“I’m… a-a woman, actually.”

“Oh, my deepest apologies, dear! The princess will return one day, and we had best be prepared for the rising chaos to come, when that... Well, that bloody, good for nothing, heartless brat… is finally dethroned!!"

The room soon lost all tension when everyone started to chuckle at Mari's choice of words, but just as soon as it settled when Mari hugged Asya around the waist, the tension came again in the form of fright when a bell began to toll the hour and echo across the city.

"Oh, is it that hour already?," Mari looked outside to see where the sun was, as the sky began to turn pink and red. "The Hand will begin their rounds soon, so you all had best pick your clothes now and head through that door! I take it you don't have a place to stay for the night?"

Elbent hesitated as she pawed at the mannequin she was looking at earlier, before Mari suddenly chimed in again. "Hm! Thought so. Go on now! Pick something! It's on me, so don't worry about paying for any of it, Azaan. You all deserve something nice to help you blend in.”

“Oh, right, sorry! Thank you, Mari, for trusting us. And for helping us.” Elbent smiled warmly as she began to strip the mannequin.

“I’m doing this for more than just your good natured company, my dear. I was chieftain when Asya here was still without her horns or her tail’s full growth. I knew her mother when she still had her Embolet name, a little toddler so eager to wear the dresses I made for my daughter. No, rather… I’m doing this for Gasira, and not just the queen she was… but for the explorer that arrived here so long ago, eager to learn and truly study our culture, and the woman I called a friend,” Mari smiled with a heavy heart , but quickly shook it off as the final toll echoed outside. "Now, we should really get out of here before the Hand spots us in their rounds!!"

Quickly grabbing their things and heading into the back of the shop, Mari locked the door behind her before she grabbed a lantern nearby, lit the candle within it using a match, and once everyone finally had their new clothes on, she began to lead them through another door at the very end of the changing rooms and onto a street.

"Now, keep your heads down… Asya, your hood up, please. And remember, everyone… Whisper only and follow me. And whatever you do, don't look at any men in black hoods or capes with a red handprint. Those are the Lord’s Hand, and no one survives their capture, should they deem you light folk as a threat.“ Mari instructed, leading them by candlelight down the street and towards the east side of the city.

“Mari… How long has it been like this? Needing to sneak around, fearing the guild… How many have died because of them?” Asya asked in a whispered tone, pulling her cloak tighter around her body and over her horns.

“In the last twenty years since they truly began to run rampant… Thousand, by now. Mostly in the smaller villages amongst the more rural areas of this side of the country.”

"And... How do you get by in such circumstances? How are you even able to be so happy and kind in all this?"

Mari smiled as she gently held Asya's claw behind her. "Because, my dear.... There will always be a source of light to every shadow."

The old Dragonkin winked at Asya from over her shoulder as she turned towards a wider street that opened into a wide hilled area full of cottages and houses amongst sectioned short walls of chunks of sandstone, their shape weathered yet held together by their ornate ways they locked together to form the walls. As they neared the edge of the outskirts and began to enter the grassland outside the city walls, a chilling laugh suddenly pierced through the silence of the dusk to come, as more joined in from a nearby house… followed by a child’s scream for help. The fur on Asya’s and Mari’s tails immediately rose like electricity coursing through their veins, the moment they rushed into an alleyway to hide, just in time to see a group of black cladded cloaked men kicking a young human woman out of the house and onto the sandy road, her stumble from the literal kick sending her rolling over onto her side and caking her in sand and dirt.

As the laughter filled the night air once more, now revealed to be from the black hooded men, the last of the small group emerged from the house, revealing one of them to be holding a Dragonkin child of pink scales by the arm, who wriggled and clawed aimlessly at the arm of her captor.

“MOMMY!!” She cried out towards the fallen human, who struggled to sit up as she coughed and clutched at her side.

The closest hooded figure approached the human, with his back now turned towards Mari and the crew to reveal a large red handprint on his cape, before he picked up the Jokani human by her hair and held her up to grip her throat to silence her scream. As he growled in Jokani to her, Asya whispered to translate his threat for the crew.

“Kulipa sasa, mbwa... au kusema kwaheri kwa binti yako~”

“He… He’s threatening the daughter if the mother there doesn’t pay him. Is this… a loan shark threat? Seriously?! The Lord’s Hand are mere fucking mobsters? This is ridiculous! We have to help them!”

“Don’t, my Lady! If you threaten one of them, you’ll send them all after you,” Mari whispered, gripping Asya’s arm to stop her from running towards the Lord’s Hand. “They flock together like cattle, and if you are caught, they will easily outnumber and overwhelm you and imprison you in the Fortress. If you go there… there is no escape. Man, woman, child… They all go to Imamu, the moment a rule is broken or a deadline reaches its due day. There. Is no. ESCAPE… Trust me, my dear, I tried fighting them from the inside… There is no way to breach their ranks or to sneak into the Fortress and come out of it alive. Your father’s loyalists are too tightly knit for spies… The Fortress is unbreakable for even the strongest of mages. I’m sorry… We cannot help them.”

"I'm sure we can think of something, right Mama?," Conduit looked to his mother with a reassuring smile, which quickly vanished when he saw the seething look in her eyes. "Uh.... Mama?"

“… Nothing is unbreakable, Mari. Not even courage or toxic loyalty can withstand everything. And I refuse to let another suffer because of him!!” Asya snarled, gripping the edge of the wall as she slowly sank down onto all fours, her body now more animalistic in position as she began to prowl towards the woman and the lone Hand assassin.

“Asya! ASYA, GET BACK HERE!!” Verglaust hissed, quickly hiding when one of the Hand from the group holding the child looked over their way.

“Mkuu!! Nyuma yako!” He called out, making the nearest assassin turn, the woman still in his grip, just in time to see Asya suddenly charging with her horns out and rammed into the man’s chest.

The Hand and his captive woman fell onto the road, as Asya flipped and landed on her paws to bear her fangs at him, her tail flicking wildly behind her and making her cloak come off and flutter over onto the stone wall to reveal Asya’s full form. The Hand group leader groaned as he slowly got up, allowing the woman a chance to scramble towards the wall next to Asya’s cloak, before the fallen leader looked up and froze at the sight of Asya.

“Nini… Mtoto wa Jua?,” He tilted his head in confusion, before he staggered back when Asya’s horns began to glow with magic surging and ready within her veins, her aquamarine eyes glimmering as she growled again. “Miungu yangu... Mfalme!!”

“Mfalme? Je, ni kweli mfalme?!” The rest of the Lord’s Hand group began to repeat the same word over and over in question and disbelief, as Mari slinked back even more in fear.

“Oh no… They recognize her. They know she’s the prince. We… What should we do?” Mari turned to Elbent and Azaan worryingly.

“We let her handle it… Until more come. We’ll save them, you have my word. No one will be going to the Fortress tonight, Mari. Not on my watch,” Elbent assured, just as the Hand all crowded together to surround Asya, completely forgetting about the child and the woman as they both ran into each other’s arms and hid behind the wall surrounding the house to watch in fear. “Ok, there’s our chance! Blue, Hawk, help the mother and child and bring them here! Ryoma, Azaan, be on the look out at the end of the road there for more of the guild! Let me know the moment you see reinforcements! Conduit, stay here with me and get ready to protect the woman and her child!”

Nodding to their orders, the group split up as the five members of the Hand began their attack on Asya, charging at her in pairs as some took out their scimitars while others only used their claws or fists. Stepping aside to dodge the first wide swooping attack from a scimitar slicing through the air, Asya used the momentum of her backstep to swing a right hook into the gut of the curved-sword wielding assassin, knocking the wind out of him immediately as he was sent flying above the group and landed a good few feet away on the road, bouncing upon impact before rolling to a stop on his front, his lost scimitar clattering nearby. With a spin on her paw and a loud whip that rang through the air, she swung her tail at another Hand and sent him flying into three more, knocking them down like bowling pins as they tumbled and crashed into the wall near the mother and child, two crashing against it while one broke through it, falling unconscious next to the screaming child within her mother’s arms. Managing to dodge the flying trio, Hawk skidded to a halt beside the mother as Blue grabbed the fallen scimitar and stood protectively in front of them.

“Miss, come with us! We’ll protect you. Follow us over there, where it’s safe!” Hawk called over the battle cry of one of the Hand, who Blue ducked for as Asya sent him flying over their heads with a kick and could only watch as the man skidded across the road and into the grass.

Following to where he pointed towards Elbent and Mari in the alleyway across the road, the mother held her Dragonkin child close and nodded in understanding, before Hawk held her shoulder as he guided her around the wall and with Blue acting as their shield, he led them towards Elbent and Conduit, who used his wings to cover them all.

“Thank you, Hawk. It’s going to be ok, miss. Wewe ni salama. You’re safe with us.” Elbent assured, using what little Jokani she learned from Asya and Kevin to comfort the two, as Brynjolf and Kevin led them away to a safer distance while Conduit stayed beside his adoptive mother to shield her with his body and wings.

Just as Elbent turned around to look back over Conduit's shoulder at Asya, she found two of the five Lord’s Hand bleeding on the ground, their throats and chest sliced open and gushing crimson that drowned them where they lay. The three remaining assassins, now battered and bruised with ripped cloaks, circled Asya as she hissed like a cat at them. Upon seeing Elbent giving her a stern nod, Asya smirked as she rose onto her paws once more, the rings of her horns starting to glow brilliantly like embers above a bonfire.

“If any of you survive… Tell my father that his daughter is coming home. And his people will rise against him before I’m anywhere near the palace doors.” Asya snarled, as her chest up to her throat began to glow bright orange with heat.

Her growl rippled through the air in an increasing and ear ringing volume, as she sucked in more and more air and made the fire within her throat glow brighter the more air she took in. Well prepared with their scimitar and cloaks wrapped around them to protect their bodies from the heat, Asya suddenly swallowed and chuckled as she used her tail to toss a lost scimitar into the air in front of her…

And with a yell and a thrust of her palm forward, orange and red flames shot out from her hand and sent the sword zipping towards two of the remaining Lord’s Hand, the wave of fire pushing the sword forward as it spun rapidly in the air and straight through the neck of one of the remaining Lord's Hand, the flames engulfing them both as they vanished in the cloud of fire while the third managed to jump out of the way but landed roughly in a crumpled heap against the wall of the house. A sudden yell broke through the roar of the flames, as a surviving Hand ran out and tossed his burning cape aside to charge with his scimitar raised, his companion revealing with the cloud now gone to be headless and burned to a crisp on the floor, spurting blood that now covered the entire right side of the charging Hand.

Swinging madly at her, Asya dodged with a low duck to stand behind him, her hand raised once more with glowing orange veins along her entire arm as she blasted a thin stream of yellow fire straight into the Hand’s back. His scream echoed only for a split second, for the moment he turned to swing blindly behind him and face the Dragonkin, his yell was abruptly cut off as Asya gripped his sword wielding arm and bit his throat, his abruptly cut-off scream now becoming a drowning gargle as blood began to pool in his mouth and trickle over his lip.

“ASILI, NO!!!!” The last Hand screamed as he finally clambered up the wall back onto his feet, before he too charged with a yell.

Ripping Asili’s throat out and spitting the flesh out of her mouth, she dropped the dying Hand onto the road as the light faded from his eyes, watching in his final moments as the last member of his group ran towards Asya and managed to punch her in the gut when she went to dodge, but the moment he swung for her arm, she caught the scimitar on the scaled side of her arm, revealing its armour-worthy strength and her hungry glare as she easily but shakily pushed the sword away from her and charged her fire into her throat once more. Screaming with pure terror in his eyes, the last man of the Lord's Hand tried to flee, but he was soon grabbed around the jaw by Asya’s other hand and was forced to look at her square in the aquamarine eyes as red flames flickered within her mouth.

“No, no, please no!! Rehema!! REHEMA!! MERCY!!!” The Hand pleaded, tears trickling down his cheeks that immediately boiled and burned his cheeks from the heat coming off of Asya’s breath as she finally released her flames.

It shot down into his pried open mouth in the form of a bright red glowing stream, cutting off his blood-curdling scream before it could even begin as his body glowed red from the heat inside him, cooking him from the inside out as his already dark skin turned at first dark pink, then black and gravely as it began to burn and turn crisp. His limbs flailed in silent agony before they fell limp and turned crispy black with the rest of him, his clothes soon catching fire and falling apart to reveal nothing but charred, distorted flesh. The moment Asya stopped to catch her breath, a loud wet pop came from the man’s now bubbling and crackling cooked body, and as Asya dropped his charred corpse onto the road, Elbent and the others watched in horror as his eyes popped out to make way for the fiery blaze that emerged from his now hollow sockets, just as Verglaust and Azaan ran back up to report to Elbent.

“Oh my god…” was all Azaan could say, before Hawk turned away from everyone to vomit into a large bush.

Turning to face everyone, panting breathlessly and bleeding from a good few cuts along her arms and on her cheek, Asya scanned over the gang and the rescued woman and child, before she approached them slowly and knelt down to the woman and child in Conduit's protective hold.

“You two ok? Je wewe vizuri?” She asked them softly, wiping the blood of her own kind off her mouth.

The woman slowly nodded, still in a daze as the child hid her face and clung tightly to her mother’s shawl. “Ndiyo... Sisi wote ni sawa. A-Asante, Utukufu wako… Kwa kutuokoa.”

“No need to thank me. They deserved what came to them,” Asya assured with a warm smile as she stood back up, allowing the woman to fully take in her appearance. “Can you stand? Unahitaji msaada?”

“H-Hapana. Nadhani naweza kusimama.” The woman shook her head with reassurance as she slowly stood up while cradling her child close to her chest, with Asya, Azaan and Brynjolf all helping her anyways as they led her back to her house, blocking her view of the dead bodies while Azaan helped carry the child and used his cape to hide her from seeing the bodies they passed by.

“By Alunnui's grace… She truly is a Child of the Sun. Oh gods… How am I going to clean all this up without anyone noticing all this blood?” Mari began to fidget with her tail in both hands nervously as she gazed in gut wrenching horror at all the bodies across the road.

“We’ll sort this out for you, Mari. Sand is, after all, an excellent absorbent material,” Blue assured, making his way onto the road to start picking up and dragging the bodies towards the grassy field, kicking sand onto the blood to hide it. “Hawk, Conduit, can you two lend me a hand?”

“I… Heugh… Ugh…. In just a sec, Blue.” Hawk groaned with his face still in the shrub behind the crew.

“I got it. You just stay with Conduit there and… get some water, buddy. I’ll tell you when the eyeballs are gone.” Kevin assured, as he and Verglaust began to help Blue with the mass disposal, picking up the eyeballs off the road to toss them to the nearby vultures and dogs that had gathered during the fight to feast upon the dead.

“We’d best hurry home, dearies. I know these five will be reported missing soon, and we’d best get away while the scene of the crime is still fresh,” Mari warned, pointing to the top of the hill in the distance. “Travel along the edge of the grass to hide your footprints. I’ll tag behind you and hide our tracks on the road.”

“Leave mess to me,” The woman suddenly announced in broken Common, emerging from her house alongside Asya and Brynjolf as the woman handed Asya her cloak back. “You saved me… saved us… from Fortress fate. Allow me to help. Please, friends.”

“Thank you, ma’am. It would really help if you could cover our tracks here, while we hide our prints the rest of the way,” Elbent assured, spying the meek pink Dragonkin girl hiding at the doorframe in the house as she held Azaan’s hand. “And perhaps it would be best if you found somewhere to hide out for a while. Somewhere safe and far from here. Do you have a friend? Family? Somewhere to go?”

“I do… Sister in Ma’Mwezi Temple. Sacred to women. No men may enter, and big no to Hand’s presence. Mzuzi and I safe there.” The woman assured.

“Good idea. Pack your things as soon as possible and leave before the next hour. I’m sure some of the Morani under Azaan’s command can be your escort.”

“Gladly. I’ll help you pack and escort you to the gates myself, miss. As for the rest of you, I’ll meet you all here tomorrow morning to discuss my idea for how we can begin your uprising, Asya. Stay safe… and if you need help, go to the statue and light the drape. I’ll find you.” Azaan assured, briefly kissing Asya on the cheek before he headed inside with the pink Dragonkin.

Elbent giggled at Asya’s blush and the sudden surge of blood trickling down her cheek from her cut, as the orange Dragonkin approached the crew on the now clean road. “Fire lily? Do you need me to patch your wounds?”

“No, I’m ok. I just… Huh… I thought he’d fear or be repulsed by me after that.” Asya confessed, touching where Azaan’s kiss was.

“How could anyone be repulsed by you, when you literally went feral to protect that woman and her daughter? That’s just you already acting like a true queen you’re destined to be~,” Elbent assured, kissing Asya on the other cheek. “Now come on, let’s go and get you patched up somewhere safe. Ry’, honey? Can you carry Hawk, please? I don’t think he’s ok after witnessing that final strike.”

“No, no! I’m fine! I’m fi-AAH!!,” Hawk blurted out quickly, only to be suddenly lifted by Verglaust over his shoulder. “HEY, COME ON, YOU DUMB GREEN GIANT!! I SAID I’M- Uuuuggghhhh, who am I kidding? I’m tired, anyways.”

“That’s the spirit, bird-brain~,” Asya teased, playfully patting Hawk on the rear as Verglaust past her by to journey up the hill, giggling as she spotted Hawk flipping her off with both “birds” while blowing a raspberry at her. “Pfft, oh grow up!”

“Says the one who touched my ass!” Hawk called back.

“Says the former mighty thunderbird, who threw up at the sight of eyeballs~” Asya stuck her forked tongue out at him with a smirk.

“I… SCREW YOU!!” Hawk flipped her off again, ending their banter with Asya laughing as she and the others followed Mari up the hill to her house, the woman watching with a chuckle as she began to sweep their footprints away with a large palm branch.

~*~

As the night brought its comforting chill across the crimson sands, from deep within the palace in the heart of Oasis, a loyal fleetfooted Lord’s Hand knelt with his head low before the wall of ruby shards. Upon the crystal carved throne attached to it sat its blood hue-cladded sovereign, a crown formed by snarling dragons of gold clutching rubies sat upon his furrowed brow, his glare icy cold from deep within the scorching heat of his mere presence. His black scaled claw tapped impatiently upon the arm of his crystal throne, his other claw fidgeting with the golden lunula of square sunstones and rubies over his half bare chest, before his voice finally broke through the heavy silence with a spine-chilling growl.

“Speak, worm. What news have you brought for me this time?”

“A ship has been sighted on the boarder, near Usiku Island, your Highness,” The assassin reported, his gaze finally meeting the Dragon Lord’s. “It is not of Primus make, nor does it bear any kingdom’s colours, but my spies report that a boat came from it and docked at Wajiri. My Lord, there has also been word spreading since the boat’s arrival that… a-an orange Dragonkin was seen around central Wajiri. A female reincarnation of the Burning Prince, they call her. She is travelling with a large group of light folk and one of foreign equator-based descent. What shall we do with them, my Lord?”

“Orange, you say?,” A pearly fanged grin spread across his scarred face, all three claw scratches forming said scars rising with his smile as he chuckled. “Interesting… So, my worthless runt has finally dared to return home. He will most likely send his sacrifice our way, to demand my dethronement. Whether it’s only his or the people’s, it matters not. I’ll finally be rid of him all the same.”

“Uh… m-my Lord. The orange one is a female, actua-”

“WHATEVERFORM HE TAKES, YOU MINDLESS FOOL…,” The Dragon Lord roared at the top of his voice to silence his servant, the flames within the mouths of the pillar marble dragons flashing red and filling the throne room with red light and sweltering heat, before he sat back into his throne with a sigh that dimmed the lights back to a warm yellow. “… He is still the runt that escaped his overdue punishment.”

“F-Forgive my slip of the tongue, my Lord. Shall I fetch h… the orange one, then?” The loyalist stammered.

“… No. He will come home, one way or another. And when he does arrive at my door with his fruitless demands… I shall be waiting, my claws ready to rip his throat out, to finally put an end to this migraine,” Rising to his black scaled, bejewel golden band-covered paws, the Dragon Lord spoke with a voice that echoed throughout the palace. “Let it be known, by my decree, that no harm shall come to the exiled one or his followers!! For should he perform the Sacrificial Demand and challenge me, only I shall answer it, as the old ways demand of us! Until he comes here to Oasis, no one is to challenge him!! Am I understood?”

“Yes, my Lord.” The faithful follower bowed his head once more.

“Then get out of my sight, worm, and keep a close eye on the runt and his pack. Notify me the moment he nears the outskirts of Koyar.”

With a lazy wave of his hand, the now standing Lord dismissed his followers from the hall, watching those who stood guard by the dragon pillars following him through the door and leaving the Lord alone at last. Gazing up at the mosaic windows high above the wall to his left, at the story of the kingdom’s founding within them, he looked towards the first pane depicting a spear wielding human stabbing a red serpent dragon bound in gold chains, a halo of gold and ruby shards around his head.

“For now… I am curious to see who you brought with you, son. It is so rare that we have visitors, after all~” Jhamal chuckled, as he made his way down the hall and out of the throne room.

Climbing up multiple flights of stairs and up a final spiral staircase of stone, he soon reached the astronomy tower, being greeted upon opening the grand doors bearing the seven-point Evenstar by a strong gust of cold wind. The draping sleeves of his robe fluttered behind him as he stepped towards the railing, peering out towards the north. Touching the large sunstone centrepiece of his lunula, he drew a deep breath as red flames covered his entire body, before the flames became red smoke and it rose with the wind to fly over the capital, past the towering city gates of stone and guardian statue dragons atop of them, and soon gained rapid speed over the wasteland of crimson sand, flying faster and faster under the guise of night as the smoke soon reached the shore and continued onwards over the sea… towards the Immortal Sun.

To be continued…

#long read... SORRY FOR IT BEING SO LONG ;A;#pirateformers au #Joka Ardhi lore

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ezra-iolite · 2 years

Text

One Last Wish- Chapter 1 (A Pirateformers AU Fanfic)

The Pirateformers AU, Elbent and Verglaust belong to @tigracespace

The brief mention of Solclave belongs to @dimorphodon-x

Blue Heron belongs to @hyraxas

Asya and Apophis/Apo belong to me

Chapter 1: Legacy of the Burning Prince

“So… This is Joka Ardhi, huh? The legendary Kingdom of Crimson Sands… You still haven’t told us why we’re here, Asya. And after six months of you playing my role as the navigator, I think now’s a good time as any to tell us what exactly is going on here.”

“I told you already, Blue. All will be explained in time. For now, we just need to stay on this side of the sea border and begin planning.”

The taller native of the desert kingdom turned her back to Blue Heron to face their destination, its glimmering red sands and many colourful and small sandstone buildings of the port city now within sight on the horizon. His focus, however, remained on the Jokani woman as he spotted her long pointed ears droop ever so slightly, a motion caused by the shiver that spread up her back the moment she spotted her homelands far ahead.

“Wait, I-I’m sorry, I must have misheard you over the strong wind. I thought I heard you say that you didn’t-”

“You heard me, Blue… I know I’m normally the “I’ve got a plan, let’s get going” kind of person, but… I honestly don’t know what to expect the moment we enter Jokani territory. I… I-I mean, come on, Blue! It’s been forty years since I left this place, and I haven’t even dared to sail past the equator until now. I’ve never been able to gather the courage to come back here since my exile, not even when they…”

Asya’s words caught in her throat as another shiver ran up her spine, this time accompanied by an audible whimper as she hugged herself to be rid of the chills of her past. Blue’s anger immediately fell as he approached the Dragonkin and held her shoulder, drawing her teary eyed attention back onto him.

“Asya… You’re here now, and that’s all you need to know that you’re ready to face whatever lies ahead. You faced your fear by asking your wife, our captain, to be the navigator for this mission you told her was vital and would be explained later, and your courage has since brought us all the way here. So whatever happens next… You won’t be alone in facing this challenge. But, Asya… We all need to know what you think we’ll face, once we dock in that city. If this is a dangerous mission you’ve started, we need to know what to expect. So please, Asya… tell us why we’re here.”

Sniffling loudly, Asya quickly dried her eyes on her dress sleeve before she sighed and turned to fully face Blue Heron. “Not here… I need everyone to hear this. Gather the entire crew here, then I’ll tell you everything.”

“I understand. I won’t be long.”

“Take your time… And Heron?”

Blue looked over his shoulder as he neared the door to head below deck. Asya let out a long sigh before she looked back up at him with a half-smile.

“Do you trust me?”

“… With my life, my friend. Or… how do you say it in your tongue? A friend?”

Asya chuckled with a soft blush blooming on her dark ebony cheeks. “It’s rafiki. You’re my rafiki, darling… my friend.”

“Huh…. It’s nice to hear your true accent again, and not your preferred posh Primus one,”

“I- Wait, how do you know about tha-”

“But… To answer your question… I trust you, as my rafiki, with my life. And I hope that you can trust me in turn with whatever you need to do here. We’re a crew, Asya… Nothing will change that.” With a wink, Blue slipped through the door and vanished down the stairs, leaving Asya alone in her shocked realization on the deck.

Letting out another heavy sigh to release the tension within her, Asya reached up to her headband and carefully untied its knot under her dreadlocks, removing her most valuable treasure and holding the thin strip of silk in both hands, before her thumb squeezed out the small hard lump within its folded layers to reveal a large ruby that plopped into her palm. Holding the ruby up between her fingers, Asya gazed at the soft glimmer of orange magic within the crystal, letting out another sigh to steel her nerves as she closed her fist around it.

“If only you knew, Blue. I have no idea what might happen the moment I step off this ship. But I know one thing’s for certain… I’m not running away. Not anymore. Bori… Mama… Kamaria… I’m done hiding the real me. It’s finally time to do this… Right, Apo?”

A golden string of pure magic flickered into reality from her chest, its glimmering soft light revealing itself slowly across the deck and up towards the mast, where a red ball of fire roared into life at the end of the golden string and soon formed the shape of a giant feathered amphiptere dragon, his outline and form made entirely out of red fire that did not burn any of the wood of the Immortal Sun’s exterior. Gripping the mast with a winged claw, he hoisted himself up to the empty crow’s nest and used his fiery serpent tongue to wrap around the chest hidden under the floorboard, pulling it out and clambering down to place it in front of Asya before he stood tall before her and finally spoke.

“The throne awaits, my queen~” Apophis purred, wrapping his coils under himself to perch before his soul-bound ward, the string connecting their very souls turning invisible once more as Asya kicked the chest open and knelt down to rummage inside it, placing the crystal and her beloved headscarf in her dress pocket for the time being.

“Don’t call me that… There’s too much that needs to be done before I can even dare to announce my claim to the crown. And luckily, it’s a three day journey from Wajiri to Oasis. And… I still need to actually consider the consequences of what will happen when I show my face there.”

“Well, forty mortal years is a long time for anyone to remember such a detail as your exile. And who knows? Maybe there are those who hate the Tyrant too that will happily choose you over him?” Apo crossed his winged arms over his chest as he coiled his serpentine body under himself to perch before Asya.

Asya glared over the lid of the chest at Apo. “Really? You actually think they’ll side with me? The unwanted runt who was nearly killed for simply coming out as a woman, who then had the entire Lord’s Hand hunt me down the day I left, and killed those who helped me? Really, Apo?! Tell me something, then… If they truly did support me after all this time, then tell me right now that there isn’t a decomposed body being hung on display on the outskirts of that same city my entire first family were slaughtered in. Tell me that they finally buried the only mortal man who ever made me feel loved and helped me escape this hellish kingdom…. Only then will I finally believe you, that the people of this kingdom have truly changed and will willingly betray the crown for me.”

Apo dared to only look briefly to the horizon, before he muttered a soft, “I don’t know… I cannot smell him.”

“Exactly… Only his bones are surely still there. The rest of the Dunefarers were at least burned at the pyre for aiding in my escape. They were given mercy, Apo… He gave them mercy for daring to aid the runt of a child he wanted dead. And I still remember the laughter of the Lord’s Hand members, those damned humans who swore such eager loyalty to him and only him… I remember them laughing as they hunted Bori down… And I could only watch from the drifting ship as he was gutted alive and… Apo, I can’t. I can’t face him again, after what he did to Bori… To the one man I felt safe enough to consider being my Dad, when…. My own blood father killed him, Apo!! Just for helping me and giving me the family I yearned for in that accursed desert!!,”

A hiccup caught in her throat as Asya gripped the sides of the chest with one hand, the other tightly holding onto the red cloth parcel she was looking for, shakily pulling it out to reveal the blood splatters of that day still staining the fabric. Sobbing into the parcel, Apo leaned down to nuzzle his snout against Asya’s shoulder.

“And you’re telling me… I have to see him again, after what he did to me and the Dunefarers? To Bori?”

“Someone has to stand up to him, before he begins his crusade to the north,” Apo whispered as he wrapped his wings around his ward, swaddling her in feathers of harmless fire. “Kamaria would never have sent that letter if her vision wasn’t true. That same vision is surely how the old Seer figured out where to send it in order for it to reach us on time. How else could she have known when none from our old home knows our whereabouts?”

“That… That’s Kamaria for you. Always the first to know what to do in any situation. She’s the Elder Seer for a reason, after all.” Asya sniffled, her grip on the parcel finally loosened to allow her to unwrap it and reveal the gold and leather armour within.

“So then, if you don’t believe me or that Heron fellow that you are ready to do this, then will you at least believe in old ‘Maria? She’s seen an empire rise and fall before, remember? She was there when your forefather, my grandson, took the throne and emerged in fire as her new Dragon Lord. She was there to serve his heir as the first Seer and formed the Mwonaji Council of other Dragonkin Seers. That old hag is the strongest ally we have, and who is luckily hidden on the inside. She knows what you’re capable of… And what your father will do if you don’t stop him.”

“… And what if I have to kill him?” Asya’s thumb brushed over the old bloodstain on her aged armour as Apo’s fiery form shrunk down to the size of a large dog to meet her gaze.

“Then you’ll have an army. Not just on this ship… but along the path to the capital. You are not the first nor only noble of Alunnui’s bloodline to have been born in the wrong body. Your great grandmother was born a male too. And yet she was more than able to carry and deliver your grandfather and his brother. Just as how you delivered Sira. That alone is proof that your father is an idiot for thinking that only a man deserves the crown.”

“But others follow his sexist logic, Apo… Others will try to stop me from doing this. What if they outnumber those who wish to see my father step down? What if no one wants me in his place?”

“Tell the crew your story… They will be your voice to convince the people of why he must be stopped.”

“But what if they-”

“They have known you for twenty of their mortal years. And while you may hide it, Asya… The closer we’ve gotten to the border, the stronger you’ve become. Your connection to our homeland’s magic is growing stronger, and your once stunted appearance has finally changed. You’re not the same person you were when you left these lands, or when you first stepped onto this ship… These people got to know you as you grew, in both power and through gaining a family. One look at the real you and upon hearing your story of why you left… It will be enough. If you cannot trust in yourself to convince them… Trust me. They deserve to hear the full story.”

“About my ancestor… or about you?” Asya chuckled softly as she dried her eyes and closed the chest, allowing Apo to use his tail to wrap around it and carry it behind him as he slithered over to the mast.

“Why not the both of us? Not many know the tale of the Burning Prince… or why I am bound to your soul. So… why not tell them everything? And show them why you need their help to stop running from what you fear most. After all… You said it yourself. You’re done running… Aren’t you?”

“I am. And I’m tired of hiding it all. I came out once before… It couldn’t hurt to do it again, right?,” Pulling the ruby out of her pocket, Asya looked at it within her palm before looking back up at Apo. “…I’m done hiding from him and from everyone. It ends now.”

Closing her eyes with a heavy sigh, Asya hugged the wrapped armour close to her chest, and with one more look to her fist, she crushed the gem into tiny shards, each one that fell from her opened hand vanishing as they turned into red sand that blew away in the wind before they could hit the wooden floor. The orange glittery magic swirled like a sandstorm around her, rising up from the soles of her boots to the top of her head before it too blew away with the wind, towards the sun high above. As Apo’s form returned to its full size to allow him to hide the chest within the crow’s nest once again, he looked down from above her with a proud smile.

“And there she is… A blessing of the sun itself. Orange suits you, my dear~ So… What’s the plan?”

“I’m not sure yet, but… I think I might change before they arrive. These heels are killing me.”

Apo chuckled as he lowered his tail to her, allowing Asya to sit down on it and lift her up into the crow’s nest, a flash of orange scales appearing under her dress as a tail wrapped around Apo’s own.

~*~

“Seventy-seven… Seventy-eight… Has anyone seen Solclave? I thought he came up here with Elbent?”

“He’s coming up in a sec, Blue! He’s just busy with something,” Elbent called out, as she waved Verglaust over to join her side. “Over here, hun! Is Kevin and Bryn’ with you? Did either of them find Asya yet?”

“Kevin’s fetching the kids right now, and Bryn’ is helping him with that. They’ll be here soon,” Verglaust assured, peering over the massive crowd now gathered on the deck. “But no, they’ve been too busy to look for Asya. But I doubt we need to, since she’s the one who asked Blue to bring us here. He said she had something to tell everyone, about why we’re in Joka Ardhi.”

“Oh, good. As long as she’s… Wait, you don’t think this is about… that, do you?” Elbent gripped onto Verglaust’s arm as she looked up at him.

“We’ll have to wait and see what she says. But I have a bad feeling it might be that.”

As Verglaust turned his attention back on the crowd, he spotted the two half-giants, Brynjolf and Solclave, coming through the door, with Kevin and five children in tow. But just as he waved them over to reunite the family amongst the hoard of crewmembers, a flash of red zipped down the mast from the crow’s nest and landed on the quarter deck above the crowd.

Standing before the entire crew of the Immortal Sun was a warrior wrapped in red fabric that hid her face in a hood, which continued as a drape that wrapped from over her right shoulder and around her chest under a golden half plate of armour shaped as an under-bust corset, leaving her ebony shoulders exposed. From her elbows to her hands, bright orange scales formed a natural armour for her exposed arms, armed with lethal claws for hands that rested upon her pleated skirt of dark brown leather strips, woven with leather string on top of the underskirt of more red fabric that peeked out under the leather to reach her knees, all held together by a belt of cheetah skin and braided red fabric, on top of a tan coloured strip of leather that formed the large belt around the entirety of her stomach and waist. As she made her way to the stairs towards the deck, her bare digitigrade legs were finally revealed to also have orange scales below the knee, leading down to talon bearing paws for feet that made no sound whatsoever as she stepped onto the usually creaking wood of the stairs and stopped halfway to stay in everyone’s line of sight, a long tail of orange scales and black fur covering the tip revealing itself as it curled around her leg.

“Thank you for coming, everyone. I know you all have questions, and they will be answered soon,” The warrior spoke, revealing herself by voice alone to be the Dragonkin.

Pulling down her hood, Asya looked down at the crowd with bright aquamarine, draconic slit eyes, her pointed ears now long enough to reach past her head behind her, and long, curved horns of charcoal black peeked through her tied back dreadlocks and grew above her head slightly before they swooped towards the back into sharp, curved tips, the rings along the horns glimmering like polished crystals that glowed in the colours and red veins akin to volcanic magma. Stopping at the middle step along the short flight of stairs, Asya spoke once more to the entire crew.

“In order to answer at least some of them, I wish to tell you about this kingdom we’re in… About the history of Joka Ardhi. Apo… Would you mind starting us off?”

Closing her eyes, Asya’s head suddenly twitched to the side with a soft crack of her neck, but instead of her blue gaze greeting the crowd, golden eyes that glowed with power and pride narrowed with mischief, as a grin formed to flash sharp fangs in a playful smile and a masculine voice purred from Asya’s lips, as Apo spoke to the crowd.

“Certainly, my dear~”

With a snap of his fingers, Apo brought the lanterns around the entire deck to life with red flames that casted long dark shadows over the deck, startling many of the crewmates as they huddled to one side of the deck, as the fires sputtered and grew brighter within their glass lantern prisons. The midday sun seemed to nearly dull as darkness covered the deck like a tent roof, and from the shadows rose silhouettes outlined by the fires… Silhouettes of dragons soaring through the air.

“Three thousand years ago, dragons ruled the world. They were, however, found to be the most plentiful in the south, where no humans or mortals lived due to the harsh sun and the shifting sands. So, the south gained its name from the main inhabitants of the land… For to this day, it is still known as the Dragon Lands, merely called so in a different tongue. You know it to today… as Joka Ardhi.”

The shadows changed as Apo stepped onto the deck, the light swirling behind him to reveal his true shadow, that of a giant serpentine dragon. As he turned to face the crowd, his eyes in the shadow glowed gold behind him, but around his neck shone the reflections of ruby shards in the shape of a crescent. Beside his shadow were two wyverns, both bearing blue eyes just like Asya’s.

“Three thousand years ago… I ruled the Dragon Lands as their Lord. My reign was supreme in every continent for no dragon could best me in battle, but my seat of power was here in the south. I ruled with my Alpha and wife, Jua… and our many children, including my eldest daughter, Princess Citrine. She was to be my heir, to become Dragon Queen of the skies, the seas and the lands across the world. Then, one day… The first humans arrived.”

His shadow changed as Apo paced to the left, now revealing him sitting like a regal sphinx facing a group of humans that bowed on one knee to him, a large fleet of ships behind them.

“They came from the far north, even farther than the shores of Primus or Unicron. They told me that day that they came to my domain in search of a home, for a place they could begin a new life and to build a culture of their own. I granted them the right of shelter and aided in building their first settlement, and for a time… there was peace. They respected our laws and culture, and in turn we learned about the beauty of humanity, our ability to shapeshift in order to appear like them and walk in their shoes for a time, and the advancements one generation could craft in such a short lifespan. By the time my daughter was in her adult years, the settlement had become a vast village and they were already spreading out to create more for their ever growing numbers. But with such rapid growth and pride in one’s growing strength… came humanity’s true form of hubris.”

The fires dimmed as the shadows changed once more, revealing a cave where Apo and the two wyverns slept around a nest of eggs. Apo’s fist clenched at his side as he spoke with a growl to his voice.

“I…. Rrrrgghhh…. I was nearing the day where I would give my mantle of Dragon Lord to my daughter, for she had already started a family and had asked me to be their guardian in my retirement. I was happy… so happy… to settle down and see my family grow. One night, my den was invaded by humans… seeking something they once swore loyalty to, but now sought to have for themselves.”

The fires suddenly rose into a bright blaze to reveal the humans wielding spears and swords at the mouth of the cave, many of whom had already plunged them into the two wyverns, while others stormed through the nest, breaking the eggs and spilling their precious yolks. The humans that surrounded Apo’s shadow plunged their spears into his neck, ripping off the collar of rubies he wore and frantically started pulling them off the collar.

“They called themselves the Founders, for they deemed their half of humanity as the true inhabitants of the kingdom, and none should dare oppose their right to rule their own kind. So… they took my mantle and crown and killed my family before my very eyes. And with my dying breath, I swore to them that the kingdom of mankind would fall, for the sands have always been home to the dragons, and we do not die that easily. I remember only their laughter at my words… before a spear was plunged between my eyes.”

Darkness then fell over the entire ship, as the wind blew harshly over them all, bringing a chill to their spines as somewhere within the breeze… distant war cries echoed, the clashing of swords and the roar of dragons boomed far off into the distance.

“And so began the Founder’s War… A battle for the right to own the kingdom of the sands… But for my people, it was a battle for survival of the species. A war against humanity’s desire for our extermination. We were once called Titans by them… but now they deemed us pests, monsters… mere beasts. However… during the twelve-year conflict, a miracle happened.”

Out from beside Apo, a new shadow dragon rose, glowing red with blue eyes just like Jua and Citrine’s, with a single ruby shard upon his neck. Beside him… a female human that held his raised claw and looked up at him with awe and adoration.

“My youngest son, Prince Rhodon, led my kind against the human Founders in the war, making him the last true Dragon Lord for a time. However, during the war… He fell in love. With a human of all things, but the human was a leader too. Her name… was Seraphina, and she led a resistance of other humans that saw the dragons as equals, and as such did everything they could to persuade their own species to stop the crusade. In fact, because of their secret union, many other dragons fell for humans too and just like my son and his forbidden bride, they hid their love from the world and used it as motivation to stop the war for good. But… the humans had lived on our lands long enough to learn magic, especially our kind of magic… Fire. And while we used fire as both our weapon and lifeforce, we also used it as our leverage to keep our numbers alive… We had Soulfire. White flames made from the very essence of our souls, we could use it to bring someone from within death’s grip back to life, in exchange for a piece of our soul. A life for a life, something we rarely did only when absolutely necessary. And somehow… Humans learned about our secret and managed to find a way to create its exact opposite. By human hand alone, they made the most forbidden form of magic to this day… Grimfire or, what my people called it back then… Blackfire.”

The shadow of a battlefield soon appeared across the deck, with dragon roars and clashing swords growing louder all around the crew as dragons and human warriors clashed claw and weapon over and over again. From beside Apo, three humans adorned with mage robes towered over the battlefield like spires, the one in the middle holding his hands cupped together and a sinister grin grew under his hood. The flames from within two of the lanterns suddenly jumped out of their glass prisons and into the hands of the mage, the fire gathering into a wild and angry blaze that darkened in colour, until it became black with a purple core and outline and brought an unnatural chill to the crew who stood near it. All three human mages laughed as they released the purple flames… only to join in the chorus of blood-curdling screams and screeches alike as both the mages, the dragons and every single shadow on the battlefield was engulfed by the black fire, the deadly flames spreading over their flesh and turning them instantly into skeletons. One such shadow from the battlefield, a large wyvern, jumped out of the flat shadow world and became a solid 3D figure of green flames that flew around the ship and screeched in fear as the black flames gained tendrils and lashed out at the green life-sized dragon. The black fire leapt out and caught the dragon’s tail, turning its green fire into yellow bone shaped flames as the black flames devoured its flesh like burning paper, causing the green wyvern to screech and roar in agony as it crashed next to the ship but it did not touch the surface of the water. More roars suddenly accompanied it as more and more coloured fire-formed dragons began to appear and drop from the sky onto the sea, right where the rocks were all around the ship.

Apo raised his arms and slowly with his movement, the flames dwindled down to take back the darkness and allow the midday sun to shine through his veil of theatrical darkness… Revealing the giant rocks and small islands all around to be covered in weathered bones of dragons, the closest one being a wyvern skeleton with its lower half missing, its head and wings spread across a rock as it struggled in its final moments to climb onto it, its claws dug into the rock to escape its demise with its maw open wide from its final screech. As Apo raised the veil of shadows once more, hushed gasps and murmurs came over the crew, with Elbent looking towards Apo with eyes full of worry and sorrow. Giving her a simple solemn nod, he continued his tale of the past.

“The Blackfire wiped out every single dragon and human Founder across the battlefield, and then upon every fleeing dragon. After twelve years, the humans won as they became the sole survivors of the Blackfire Siege. In turn… the corpses of my kind that fell in battle and died from the Blackfire on land became the reason why the sands turned red and remain so to this day. But… not everything died by the Blackfire in that final battlefield.”

The red flames brought back the shadows of the battlefield, now littered with skeletons and fallen weapons across the sand. Through the field of bones, two humans made their way into the battlefield, as though searching for something. Through the heavy silence came a whisper of a sound, a sound even the shadowed humans could hear as they looked around in a panic. Through the breeze and the chill of death…. Came the cry of a baby.

“There were survivors found that day that weren’t human… But neither were they dragons. And the first of their kind is the reason why I know all this. For I saw the end through his eyes.”

The scene zoomed in on the humans as they reached the bones of a massive amphiptere dragon, just like Apo, and within his wings was the skeleton of a human. And there, within the shelter of the wings and the huddled embrace of the human… was a baby bawling at the top of his lungs, bearing a black burn scar over the side of his entire face and left arm. A baby with tiny nubby horns, red scales that shone like crystals over his healthy arm and legs, with tiny claws for feet.

“Rhodon and Seraphina had a son… And during the final battle, they attempted to flee to save their family so that they could fight another day. When the Blackfire came… they did as any parent would and protected their son with all their love and sacrificed themselves to save him. Rhodon’s last breath… was a breath of Soulfire for his son. That was the day I awoke and saw the world through the eyes of my grandson… trapped and weak within his soul. All I could do was watch as the allies of Seraphina came and rescued the child. A child they knew the name of from their leader’s loving speeches on how she would cherish the child for a better future.”

He paused to sigh as the shadows swirled and the fires brightened to cast one long shadow onto the deck… before it came forth as an illusion of a man, a Dragonkin with long horns, clawed digitigrade feet and an air of royalty on his rugged and determined face… A face and overall appearance that was just like Asya in every way. The same horns, hair, height, face… Identical in every way but gendered appearance, golden eyes like his grandfather Apo, and the scar across his face and over his entire left arm.

“A child she and my son named… Alunnui. He grew up in the care of the human rebels, as they rescued other hybrids like him and hid them in the underground caves my kind once called our home. His kind, the first of the Dragonkin, all grew up together in hiding, for the humans grew confident and in their pride they built the first cities that still stand to this day in the kingdom before you all. And in his years of living in secrecy, Alunnui was told tales of my reign, of how his father and kindred fell to the humans, and how he and his own secret kindred were the last to bear dragon blood. The stories became inspiration… then motivation, as he reached adulthood. Thus, he began to plan… To build… To prepare.”

Behind the shadow of Alunnui, an army of Dragonkin bowed to him, with one handing him a spear covered in colourful beads, feathers and dragon scales.

“With the Prince’s Spear in hand, Alunnui and the Dragonkin marched to the capital and for the first time since the Founder’s War ended, they exposed themselves to the human world and began their attack. I still remember his words that day, when he stood before the gates and spoke to the king that bore my crown…”

The shadows warped behind Alunnui as he faced towering stone gates, the army of Dragonkin behind him on the deck floor. With a powerful slam of his spear, Apo spoke as Alunnui moved his lips to his words to speak to the shadow of a human in a crown on the walkway above the gate.

“Mortal king of the sands, I speak only to you! Your father and his people have slaughtered my kind, and you now stand on a kingdom forever stained in the blood of my ancestors. Hear me, false king, for I stand before you now as the survivor of my people’s royal bloodline, and so I speak as one royal to another… Give back the land that belonged to the Dragons, to whom you once called your neighbour and friend, or my kindred and I will take your cities and reclaim what is ours by birthright! Deny us our right to our own lands and crown, and your kingdom shall fall and burn with you in it! What say you, thief?”

The shadow of the human king laughed soundlessly, before Apo responded for him.

“You ghastly beasts have fallen once before by human hand! If you truly believe I owe you anything, then I shall happily remind you of how your father and his kind fell.”

With a soundless yell accompanied by the roar of flames from his body, Alunnui charged through the gates and lay siege onto the kingdom of shadows, as Apo continued his narration.

“The Dragonkin attacked the capital city of Oasis in a wave of fire and bloodshed… For when night fell, the palace erupted into a tower of flames, where the king fell and the crownless prince emerged before his people, of both human and Dragonkin alike… Where he donned the moniker of the Burning Prince and the first Dragon Lord of his kind. This night became the historical event known to both humans and Dragonkin… as the Night of Crowning Fire.”

The shadows formed a door that suddenly burst into red and orange flames that did not burn the ship, and with a gust of hot air the doors flew open to reveal Alunnui walking through the fire that did him no harm as the humans behind him fell to their death by the scorching flames. The crowd of shadow Dragonkin and humans all watched in awe and horror as Alunnui stepped out of the palace doors and raised a blood covered crown that burned with flames from his arm, a motion that sent every shadow witness to their knees as they bowed to their Dragon Lord.

The shadowy veil then vanished, and the flames from the lanterns went out, giving back the light of day across the ship as Apo stood before the crowd of crewmates and bowed his head. Upon rising back up, blue eyes met the crowd as Asya gained her voice and body back and spoke with her arms behind her back.

“On that day, a new monarchy took hold as old grudges and fears were whittled out, in respect for the history our people shared. Humans and Dragonkin became one civilization… the Jokani. In turn, the Jokani prospered under the rule of the new emperor, Dragon Lord Alunnui, who then sired an heir and began the Ruby Bloodline.”

Summoning orange fire in her palm, Asya created a new illusion in front of her, with each name she called out revealing a Dragonkin, each bearing a crown like the one Alunnui held.

“Dragon Lord Bakari, son of the Burning Prince and Queen Consort Noxolo…

Dragon Lord Mzuri, son of Lord Bakari the Kind and his King Consorts Amri and Shani…

Dragon Queen Citrine the Second, daughter of Lord Mzuri and Priestess Zahara, founder of the Nyotan religion and the Evenstar Church…

Dragon Lord Alhaadi, eldest son of Citrine the Second and King Consort Lauzel…

Dragon Lord heir apparent Amani, eldest son of Alhaadi the Wise and Queen Consort Lulana, who died before he could take the crown and was succeeded by the second eldest of the three children…

Dragon Lord Jhamal and Queen Consort Gasira Mutheru…”

Stepping through the fiery illusion to make it disappear, Asya stood before the entire crew as she raised her head high and spoke louder than before, only this time tears began to form as she struggled to hold back her sobs.

“Prince… A-Andres, son… o-of Lord Jhamal and Queen Consort Gasira. B-But I do not go by that name anymore! Not since I was exiled by my father for coming out as a woman. For I… I am Princess Asya Zahara O-Murchadha-Mutheru of Joka Ardhi, bearer of the Ruby Bloodline, descendant of the Burning Prince, and the next in line to the Throne of Crimson Sands. And I… I brought us here so that I could ask for your help. My father, Jhamal, intends to invade the north and claim Primus, Unicron and every kingdom beyond here as his domain. But I… I cannot allow that to happen. For my father is also known by many as Jhamal the Tyrant, and he earned that name through his cruelty, for neglecting his queen and letting her die alone with their only child f-from a… a mere, curable fever, for draining this land of its once peaceful and prosperous wealth and wellbeing, and for slaughtering the innocent for merely helping me escape his cruelty many years ago. He has been nothing but a heartless and bloodthirsty monster my whole life, and now he is set on claiming the rest of the world as his plaything. I… I can’t let him do this,”

Quickly turning away to dry her eyes, Asya spoke much more softly as her voice struggled to come out between her sobs and hiccups.

“I… I cannot stay hidden any longer and allow this to happen. And so… I come to you all to ask you only one thing… For should you agree, I cannot guarantee your safety the moment we cross into Jokani territory. And should we succeed in my plan… I might not come back here, onto this ship, ever again. For my plan is simply this… I must go back to my homeland, to the palace in the capital city of Oasis, and face my father in battle for the right to reclaim the throne. Should I succeed and overthrow him, I will become the new Dragon Queen and empress of Joka Ardhi. So, I will need everyone’s help in ensuring the safety of the Jokani people, to keep them away from the battle between me and my father, but should I fail… I will need every one of you to try and kill him in my stead.

“So… Now that you know what lies ahead, I fully understand if any of you do not wish to do this, and why I will allow you this one chance to step away and be safe here on the ship. But for those of you who wish to help me save my home and to fight with me to take down my father…,”

Putting out her hand, Asya offered it with tears now rolling down her cheeks towards the crowd as she weakly smiled and looked around to the crew of the Immortal Sun. “… Will you fight beside me and help me reclaim the Throne of Crimson Sands, for the freedom of this and all kingdoms across the world?”

#long reads #fanfiction #pirateformers au #LOOK I DID A THING!!#A BIG WRITING THING!!!#I'm so proud of this -w-#...... I hope to fuck this isn't cringey #ezra iolite og work #One Last Wish series

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ezra-iolite · 1 year

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The O'Murchadha-Mutheru Kids: Conduit, Sira and Bori

Because I can't draw for shit, and I'm too scared to...... Have some bios of Asya's main kids. Along with some cringey Picrews to help with visualizing them..... ART IS HARD, OK?! ;A;

| Conduit (The Eldest of all the kids- Adopted by Asya) |

~ Brief Description ~

He/Him pronouns. Gay/Achillean orientation.

Voice Claim: Hanta Sero- My Hero Academia (Japanese voice) Singing voice: Stratovarius

His full mortal name is Natori Siwatu O'Murchadha-Mutheru. He prefers to be called Conduit due to the comfort the nickname brings, though his adoptive mother Asya usually calls him "Little Bird", which is what his first name actually means.

Conduit is a curse-made Gargoyle just like Fort Max (link here if you need a visual reference), but while Conduit should turn into stone during the day, the crystals that grow along his back and wings (sometimes his arms, legs and tail, if he uses his powers too much) are shards of moonstones that save him from the curse's stone-form effect. They are what prevents his ability to speak from being stolen and keeps his head and chest from becoming fully gargoyle in appearance, aside from his horns and fangs, and allow him to be active during the day and night.

If the moonstone shards are all removed, the grey scales will creep further up his human skin and he will become a statue at dawn, which will continue until a new crystal patch grows on his back again. But if he cannot regrow the crystals at all before the end of a week.... he will become a full gargoyle and lose his human side forever.

The appearance of his human side only consists of his light tan skin on his upper-torso area and head. But, from his shoulders to his hands, his hips to his feet, his tail and his wings down along his back... Conduit has dark grey scales befitting a gargoyle. He also has scraggly blonde hair and baby blue eyes, with short, straight-arching, dark grey horns. He got his scar across his face long before he met Asya, when he was a feral child struggling to survive against the Deep Dweller sirens constantly attacking him.

Those constant attacks from the Deep Dwellers are the reason why Conduit has a fear of going into the ocean and of sirens, other than Elbent, Ferrous or Indi. Starstrike (@dimorphodon-x's OC) does unnerve him for this reason, but also because of his infamous stare reminding him of a Deep Dweller, but Conduit instinctually masks his fear and does his best to not react to it around him, to ensure he isn't rude or hurtful towards Strike. (He's a very polite little man, even in the face of his PTSD, ok?!)

He quickly grew to reach 8 feet tall by the time he turned 19, making him a full foot taller than Verglaust. But for a while, he was considered the shortest on the ship due purely to his malnourishment, so as soon as he gained some pounds and healthy chonkiness, he quickly gained muscle and size thanks to the healthier lifestyle and care Asya and the gang gave him... Making both Conduit AND Asya late bloomers that gained their growth spurt at the same stage in their life.

He's around 27 years old by the time he arrives at Joka Ardhi, making him the oldest kid on the ship by six years. Once Ferrous becomes captain of the ship, Conduit will take over his father's role as the Immortal Sun's main doctor, helping Nicole even after her retirement.

Overall.... Conduit's a very good boy, kind-hearted, well mannered, and always eager to help. Also very protective of his siblings, especially his sister Sira and Bori.

~ Backstory ~

Asya and her two husbands had spent only five years living on the Immortal Sun, when they came across an island full of pearlescent shards of moonstone crystals, with some growing as tall as trees in towering clusters. Upon landing on the island to investigate, the crew found a cave full of different veins of crystals, a majority of which were magical in nature and could therefore be used for medical or practical purposes. And with Asya's childhood being spent studying the magic of crystals, as is commonly used in Jokani culture, they began to mine for them and bringing back barrels worth of them, a majority of which could be sold for a great fortune.

During their excavation adventure, Asya stumbled across a hut made of palm leaves and crystal shards, as well as a crowd of Deep Dweller sirens flocking at the shore of the hut. There, being pulled down by the sirens and frantically trying to escape their bloodthirsty hunt, was a young boy. A gargoyle somehow moving about in daylight, and being pulled down under the water by the Deep Dwellers. Without even a moment to hesitate, Asya jumped into the water and fought off the sirens, before she pulled the boy to shore and helped him catch his breath.

Weak, malnourished, riddled with injuries, old scars and crystals just like the ones on this island covering his back and wings, the boy looked to be no older than seven, but by his gargoyle features and face, Asya knew he was physically older but was too weak to develop into his teen body properly. And despite her feeling the sting of trauma from a child she previously rescued long before she met her husbands (a purple Dragonkin toddler she named Hyacinth who died at the hands of his captors despite her best efforts to save him).... Asya chose right there and then to take this boy in and raise him to be stronger, healthier and adored, to never face his struggles in life alone ever again.

After checking to be absolutely certain that he was the only one on this island, Asya marched right back to the ship with the boy in her arms, and without even looking back or saying a word to anyone she passed by, despite the obvious confusion and questions of the crew and her captain, Asya brought the boy below deck and nursed him back to health, making him the first child on board the Immortal Sun. The moment he regained consciousness, the child began to act defensively feral, hissing and swatting at anyone who dared come near him, with the only real way to treat his wounds being to wait until he was asleep or wait for him to trust Asya, Nicole or Kevin to touch him while he was too exhausted to fight back, and only then could they fully patch him up. Not even Max during his nightly rounds brought the fellow gargoyle any comfort, but no matter who came and went out of the cage room... Asya was always there, spending every moment she could by his side, patiently waiting for him to lower his guard and simply spoke to him with a soft, maternal voice to soothe his worries, oftentimes calling him "Little bird" affectionately, all without realizing just how suddenly she was adopting the role of a mother.

Four months later, the now healed up and less frightened boy finally began to explore the ship, curious yet timid but in a way a child should be. No longer did he show his feral side, but still he preferred to walk on all fours and move or act like a beast, not that Asya minded as she encouraged him while also showing him how to rely on his hind legs (a secret she had yet to reveal to the crew about her own childhood habit of walking on all fours and learning to transition onto her paws). And after another month, he finally began to speak but with very few words, like a toddler learning how to grasp the concept of speech. It was, however, more than enough to learn his story...

Of how he lived with his human father and mother, a Primus fisherman and a Unicronian weaver, on a tiny ship that relied on the sea for all they needed. Of how the ship suddenly crashed on a small island that was home to a mage, and how the mage angrily cursed Conduit, the only survivor, for stealing from his trash for food, and thus cursed him to bear the appearance of a true beast scavenging to survive. The moment the curse took form, it went rogue from the boy's fear, trauma and anguish, and thus the island became completely surrounded by crystals born of his body and power, killing the mage with it on accident. And since then, the boy grew up surviving on his own, until he was attacked yet again by the same Deep Dwellers who caused his family's ship to crash and killed his parents.

Since that faithful day, Asya has since taken him under her wing and raised him with all her love and praise, and with a healthier lifestyle he immediately shot up in size and grew physically stronger and bigger as a result, reaching well above Ferrous's height when he reached twelve years old, while the gargoyle child was twenty and already surpassed the average human height easily. Nowadays, rather than going by the name Asya chose for him in place of the one he can no longer remember from his parents, he usually goes by Conduit, in reference to his crystals being conduits of the elements.

~ Appearance ~

Present day Conduit (during the timeline of One Last Wish) is a 27 year old cursed Gargoyle who stands at 8 feet tall, with a wingspan of 7 feet. He has light tan skin with more human features than gargoyle ones, with his wings, entire lower torso down to his digitigrade legs and tail, and his hands up to just below the elbows, all being grey like a gargoyle. From the middle of back and the arms up to the thumb of his wings are all covered in small moonstone clusters, which aid in his ability to stay unfrozen during the day and grant him his powers over the sky-based elements (air, heat, water and lightning). He also has short, scraggly, golden blonde hair and blue eyes, nearly the same hue as his adoptive mother's, a large scar right across the bridge of his nose and under his eyes, and short, straight, grey horns.

Clothing wise, Conduit normally just wears grey, baggy shorts or haram pants, due to the sheer thick size of his digitigrade legs, and a sleeveless yellow top that must have no buttons due to how large and beefy he is naturally as an adult. More often than not, he's usually shirtless when he doesn't feel like struggling with his clothes.

When he uses his powers, the crystals glow the colour of what element he uses (red for heat, light blue for air, yellow for lightning, sapphire blue for water) and he can use up to two elements at a time. However, the more or longer he uses his powers, the more the crystals grow along his body, which mainly gather along his back and wings. But if he uses them too often during a battle, they'll begin to creep more and more along his body, starting with his spine area on his back, down to his tail, and then along his arms and the back of his legs. The more crystals that grow, the more unstable his powers become, until he'll start losing control entirely and lighting or heat begin to spout from his crystals and body against his will. The only way to stop this is to break the crystals off and bring them down to a minimum amount at least on his wing tips.

Growing and trimming the crystals always cause him pain since they pierce through his flesh and grow directly from his bones, but Asya's white fire always helps to soothe it a little during their removal.

~ Personality ~

Conduit is a very sweet, empathetic, kind and patient gentleman, and the older he becomes, the more polite and patient he ends up being through experience and age. Even as a man in his late 20s, he's still the kind of person who helps anyone and everyone, even animals... With such an example being his habit of picking up snails when on land, and putting them in the grass or somewhere safe and hidden to keep them safe from a human path. Despite him understanding that he lives a safe life, however, he always excessively worries about his parents due to their collective trauma. And despite Asya's best efforts in making sure Conduit lives a good and happy life, he still worries about his Mama's wellbeing every time she plays the role of the hero for her family. This has resulted in him developing constant nightmares and insomnia.

... Which led to him becoming close with Blue Heron, Max and his adoptive father, Verglaust, when they're all out and about during the night. Once he becomes a doctor, Conduit will grow even closer to Max and Blue Heron, considering them his uncles.

| Sira (Second child of Asya, Third born on the ship- Biological Daughter of Asya and Kevin) |

~ Brief Description ~

She/Her, Lesbian/Sapphic - Asexual

Voice Claim: Yasha- Critical Role Campaign 2 (she IS mute and literally has no means of talking vocally... but Indi does find a crystal that can grant her one, so this is what she would sound like, after a long while of training to relearn how to speak) Singing voice: Lethabo Mello

Her full name is Sira Citrine O'Murchadha-Mutheru, but like most on the ship, she gained a "pirate" name later on in life, based on her assassin skills and lack of voice... Whisper.

Sira is the shortest of all the kids, with her being just two inches taller than her adoptive mother, Elbent, and only reaching below her closest friend Divot's nose when facing them. On average, she can only reach below the chest of the majority of the Immortal Sun's crew, and can very easily sit on Solclave and Verglaust's shoulder without feeling heavy on them, even as an adult, mostly thanks to her lanky build.

She's known as the "smartest" kid on the ship, due to her analytical and quick-thinking nature, so she usually always knows what to do to solve a problem. She inherited her high intelligence and beauty (alongside her height) from her father, but learned her fighting skills and wit from her mother and Uncle Blue Heron. However, she's often considered a know-it-all due to this, and is often teased when she tries to infodump any exciting new thing she's learned.

On that note, she also inherited her Mama Asya's autism (as well as the Mutheru aquiline nose), which only adds to her struggles due to her being born mute and becoming more reclusive as she grew up. She often hides in high places hidden from view to read and stay away from everyone, mostly due to her being so frequently ignored because of her mutism or teased for her book-smarts but lack of knowledge on how to properly express her emotions. This developed into her "cold and stoic" reputation and masking method, even though she is an emotional and highly empathetic person thanks to Asya teaching her and Divot comforting her.

Sira is one of the only two Dragonkin of Asya's lineage living on the Immortal Sun, after Asya and her poly-fam move to Joka Ardhi. But despite Asya being a Ruby breed of Dragonkin, Sira and her younger brother Bori are both Opal Dragonkin, due to them both not being Sun Blessed or bearing the traits of their mother's pedigree. This is because specific conditions must be met in order for a Ruby Dragonkin to be born, and thereafter are considered their own species or breed. (But without these conditions tampering with Asya's firstborn or any child afterwards, every child born of Asya's blood are therefore all Opal Dragonkin (But only Njeri, Asya and Elbent's child, is a Ruby Dragonkin like Asya, since they were born on Joka Ardhi, and has since become the only one of Asya's species to be born during her reign as Dragon Queen)).

Divot (@cuppajj's OC, the child of Drillburst and Fort Max) is the only one who can truly understand Sira on a personal level. For even with them learning how to fluently use sign language, Divot has always been able to "read" and deeply understand Sira since they were kids, and as they grew up together to become warriors and wiser people as a whole, Divot can now read her body language just as clearly as her hand sign. To Divot, Sira can speak a thousand words with just a mere shrug, or say all that she needs to say with just a glance or glare. Deep down, Sira considers Divot her soulmate, thanks to their deep understanding of the mute Dragonkin, and deep down she feels drawn to them in a certain way~

~ Backstory ~

After the troubling birth of Elbent's second-born daughter Indicolite (in which Asya aided in the delivery, but when she was born blue and deathly still, she used the forbidden Soul Fire magic and gave up a piece of her soul to revive Indi), Asya immediately knew deep down that she yearned to bear a child of her own. The baby blues hit even stronger the moment she held the crying and lively newborn siren in her arms, now bearing a tiny shard of Asya's soul for the rest of her life.

There was just one problem with her wish... She was still stuck with the remnant parts of a man, despite her hormone replacement therapy granting her the physique of a woman.

So, it was decided, after much discussion and argument between Asya, Kevin, and Elbent, that until a more permanent solution could be found, they would craft a potion to temporarily grant Asya the full form of a woman, with her first love, Kevin, being chosen as the sire of this child. And for the first few months of her pregnancy, despite all the sickness and aches she felt... Asya finally felt whole. The dysphoria was gone, for the first time in her life, and Asya had never felt so happy since that day.

But the joy did not last... For when she reached only her seventh month, Asya began to bleed and knew something was wrong. The baby was coming. And she knew, despite the constant reassurance she gave to her spouses through her agony... She was dying. The potion was wearing off too soon, and Asya's body was reverting to its old state, with her womb slowly disappearing and the labor now starting to tear Asya apart from the inside.

Working quickly and efficiently, they finally delivered a healthy baby girl, but... Asya couldn't wake up. And while the newborn never cried her first breath, the screams that echoed from Elbent rang across the ship marked the event for all to remember for the rest of their lives, as her spouses soon ran in to witness Elbent slowly turning feral with grief, as she held her dead wife. Kevin and Conduit quickly worked together to patch Asya up and used Conduit's electricity to shock her back to life. And even though it worked... the new mother remained sleeping, too weak to wake up or even move. And upon checking on the premature infant, Nicole discovered why she was so eerily quiet....

The baby was born without a voice. Not even a voice box could be found in the newborn's throat, despite her having everything else she needed to breathe, drink, eat and live without any issues.

So, when Asya finally healed and came out of her coma a month later, the new parents worked during Asya's bed rest to learn sign language and form a curriculum for their mute daughter and all their kids and the crew of the ship to learn, in order to grant their youngest child the right to communicate as she grew. And as she did grow up strong but silent, Asya finally figured out a name for her now three month old, based purely on the appearance she inherited...

Sira, after her late grandmother, Gasira Mutheru, and Citrine for her middle name, after Apophis's daughter, the dragon who was meant to become the next Dragon Queen were it not for the Founders.

....... Growing up on the ship soon became a challenge all on its own for Sira, as without a voice or a clear way to communicate, the young Dragonkin was easily ignored due to how chaotic and loud everyone else was, despite their love and care for her. So, instead of trying to stand out to be seen, Sira opted to simply hide and be patient, wait for her turn for attention to get the things she needed, or simply go to Solclave, Blue Heron, Hawk or, more frequently, Divot for help.

Her visits to Divot and Drill to get away from the frantic lifestyle of her family grew more and more common, even more so when Sira became fully fluent in hand sign alongside her parents, her brothers and sister, and of course Divot, the only person quiet enough to listen to Sira who aided in helping her learn. Now with a more visual way of communicating beyond being dragged around, pointing and writing to show Sira's needs, the blue Dragonkin and the child of the bard quickly became a common sight around the ship, as they grew into mischievous teenagers and eventually witty young adults, masters in the ways of a warrior and seafaring pirates.

Mastering her icy blue flames and the ballet-like grace of her steel barbed whip, a weapon she hides as a belt under her sash while her leather corset protects her skin, Sira grew up into a formidable warrior due to the speed of her attacks and the range of both her fire magic and her weapon. However, Sira's greatest strength lies in her stealth and silence, alongside her quick wit and the trust she has in Divot.

~ Appearance ~

As she grew and neared her pre-teens, Sira looked almost entirely human during this phase of her childhood development, were it not for her sky blue hands and feet (aside from her soles and palms, which were the normal pale brown befitting a person of colour) alongside the very tiny stumps for horns hidden in her afro of dreadlocks. But as she reached her mid-teen years, she developed the traits befitting a blue Opal Dragonkin, with clawed draconic feet upon scaly legs, sharp clawed hands and fangs, a long tail with a short black tuft of fur at the tip, and short, slightly curved, gazelle-like horns. She hated this form of puberty since Dragonkin grow their scales through pimples, just like a human teenager with acne, but are extremely itchy as they emerge and become scales along the skin, which is also oily to help the scales develop into strong, vibrant and hard armour... but it stinks like rotting fish, unfortunately for Sira.

Fashion wise, Sira wears dusty-pastel blue, shoulderless blouses with long draping sleeves, all of them being made of silk or any soft fabrics she can find due to her finding cotton and linen too rough for her comfort. This is normally paired up with simple navy or dark blue pants that only reach her knees, to accommodate for her digitigrade legs, held up by a scarf belt Asya weaved for her 18th birthday, made of dark green and yellow cashmere... The colours of her crush, Divot, which she started wearing as a belt on the day Divot explained their pronouns to show her support for her She/They friend. (Yes, Asya knows this, and she excitedly ships them... She already has a golden cow statuette ready to give to Drillburst, as it is Jokani tradition for a parent or partner to give the family of the betrothed a cow as their dowry) And due to her constant reading, Sira developed bad eyesight and at the age of 12, earning her rectangular glasses that she cannot take off for anything other than baths and sleeping.

Sira inherited her mother's ebony skin tone, but due to her half-black genes, she's just one hue lighter than Asya but is still MUCH darker than Blue Heron. Alongside the Jokani completion, Sira also inherited her mother's long curls, and so keeping in her half-Jokani tradition and for easier hair maintenance, Sira has skinny and tight box braids that only reach below her chin and jaw, styled in a side-swept bob, with a few colourful beads to decorate the very ends of some of her braids in the colours of her parents:

Orange for Asya, Red for Kevin, Dark Blue for Brynjolf, Sky Blue for Elbent, and Emerald Green for Verglaust.

Two pairs are on the first two braids framing her face, to represent all four parents evenly, and two more pairs are on either side of her ears....... And yes, when it's windy, they do tend to whack her glasses.

~ Personality ~

Due to her growing up surrounded by loud, energetic and constantly busy family members, and an even louder ship full of crewmates constantly arguing, bantering, singing and fighting monsters of the sea or other pirates, Sira grew up feeling invisible for most of her life, finding comfort in books and solitude. But because of this lifestyle, she never felt the need to be emotionally expressive to make up for her lack of a voice, for who would even see her expressions or emotions when no one can hear her or remember to look her way?

As such, Sira doesn't speak, or rather sign, as much as she'd like to, simply because she rarely has much to say knowing she would just end up being talked over or not given attention in order to communicate at all, due to her mutism and her need to have someone who knows hand sign to speak to. So, when she does hold a conversation with someone, she often has a chilling and stoic aura around her, almost like an inability to use any of her emotions, which surprisingly aids in showing just how intelligent she can be.

However, Sira is actually very shy and introverted, and oftentimes finds herself acting rather awkward in most social situations due to her solitary lifestyle. This is where Divot comes in as her saving grace and her advocate.... For without them, Sira would be even more antisocial and outright afraid to even approach people, due to the huge barrier her disability causes.

When she's with Divot, Sira is much more expressive, relaxed and happy, to the point that no one on the entire ship, other than her parents, have ever seen her smile without Divot being there. It's gotten to the point, now that they are all older and have formed their adult lives on the ship, that every time Divot enters the room, Sira immediately brightens up and her fire magic flares due to her magic being fueled by her emotions and her literal heart. They usually show up as a smoke-filled sigh that comes out in the shape of a heart, or her tail tip catching fire suddenly. Divot has yet to realize this, much to Sira's relief in her hope of revealing her fiery heart's desire to them one day~

| Bori (Third child of Asya, Last child born on the ship to Elbent's family- Son of Asya and Verglaust) |

(Art belongs to PammyJammy117 on Twitter... I'm just using it as a placeholder cause HE EERIE LOOKS JUST LIKE VERGLAUST AND ASYA BUT WHITEWASHED, LIKE DAYUM)

He/Him, Pansexual

Voice Claim- Lon'qu from Fire Emblem Heroes Singing Voice: Rengoku's part in this... Bori would most likely sing this with Flora (Nicole's daughter) for a karaoke night of drunken fun.... but also I just really like this song ;3;

His full name is Borealis Kaito O'Murchadha-Mutheru, and instead of gaining a badass pirate name like the rest of his family... his appearance and the teasing from his much older siblings led to him earning the nickname "Panda". But, when he's finally treated more seriously, he bears the proud moniker of his name, Bori, after the adoptive albino Dunefarer that Asya considered her true father in her past.

His usual reaction to being called Panda is to immediately snap/spin to the one who called him that (usually just his siblings) and yell at the top of his voice "YOU..... Shut your face!!" and then just as suddenly return to whatever he was doing, including speaking at a calmer and quieter tone, as if it never happened. It's become an inside joke to the O'Murchadha-Mutheru siblings, to see just how far away they can be to see how loud Bori's voice can get.

Bori became the strongest person on the ship, in order to inherit his father's role as the protector of the Immortal Sun. And thanks to the crystal magic Asya discovered during her battle against her father, Bori soon gained the ability to transform into a 35 foot long white Lindwyrm.

Because he's the youngest on the ship, Bori was half raised on Joka Ardhi until he was around 20 years old, when he felt ready to live on the Immortal Sun away from his parents. During his time on land, he discovered his orientation and became a bit of a playboy amongst the Jokani. He did meet and eventually fall for a Dragonkin transwoman with lavender scales named Djamila, whom he visits once a year when the ship returns to Joka Ardhi for their annual family meeting to keep in touch. He hopes one day to bring her with him for the year to see the world beyond the southern kingdom's shores.... and marry her~

Should anything happen to Njeri or her future heirs when they becomes the next Dragon Monarch after Asya, Bori has given his consent to come back to Joka Ardhi and step in as a "stand-in" Dragon Lord until a suitable heir can replace him, be it his own children or someone he feels can bear the mantle of the crown. So, despite his Opal Dragonkin birth and his lack of coronation as crown prince, Bori is a real prince, and a cautionary heir apparent to the Throne of Crimson Sands. And should he actually become Dragon Lord, none would dare to oppose him due to his strength and kindness.

~ Backstory ~

Once again, the baby blues hit a now fully transitioned intersex Asya, only this time she was more severely warned by her husbands and wife that she cannot, under any circumstances, carry a child. Not until they were truly sure of her body being capable of undergoing such a taxing event and survive.

So, a deal was struck... Kevin would carry the child by undergoing an upgraded and longer lasting gender-bending potion, and through a mix of science and meticulous magical aid, a piece of Asya's DNA (her "seed") was altered to ensure she was the biological mother of the child. And, with Verglaust chosen as the sire, Kevin would henceforth be their gender-bent surrogate to the very first Half-Fauna dragon-hybrid, that being a half Desert Lindwyrm Dragon - half Sea Dragon.

Despite their worries of Kevin possibly facing body dysphoria and pain from carrying a child, let alone one bearing a plethora of sturdy genes (of both an increased dragon bloodline instead of a half human one, and Verglaust's dominant giant-size gene), Kevin had no issues and instead experienced a surprisingly pleasant pregnancy and birth... At the result of him realizing that he was genderfluid and loved appearing as masculine or as feminine as he felt each day, to the point that he and Elbent now have daily arguments over her dresses that he steals borrows.

When the baby was born, there was no question on what to name him, especially after the shock wore off from the fact that the infant's ebony skin had white Dragonkin traits. The white scales of his Dragonkin features would soon lead to his parents deciding on the name Borealis, after Asya's father figure who often wore a white wolf pelt to cover his pale, albino skin.

However, because of his literal "black and white" appearance, as well as his early growth spurt making him as tall as Elbent by the time he was ten, his siblings and most of the crew started calling him "Panda". This, however, would be a name that he'd greatly benefit from as it perfectly described him in personality too... For when the day came that his parents decided to leave the Immortal Sun and live in Joka Ardhi, bringing Bori with them after consent was given to let him be raised by his parents until he was ready to return to the ship, many of his now adult aged siblings were given the roles of their parents, be it by the child's choice or inherited by birthright.

And so, Bori grew up for half his life in the royal palace of Joka Ardhi, a designated prince by blood as he grew in both size and power, while also growing up hearing the tales of his parents' heroic deeds during their decades at sea. And as he grew to be just as big as his father, Bori was inspired by him and so chose to inherit the role of the "guardian" of the ship, once he was old enough and felt ready to leave. During his final month in preparation for his departure, his mother Asya revealed to him the secret of her family, of how she won the war against her father for the crown... The crystals that bore the ability to change a dragon from before the Founder's War into humans could also allow humans bearing their blood to turn into titan sized dragons.

Immediately, Bori took his chance to fully embrace the old mantle of his father and gained the ability to turn into a giant Lindwyrm at will, just like his mother could, but one capable of rapid speeds through both air and sea thanks to his inherited White and Yellow fire magic allowing him to hop and glide through the air, while his father's sea dragon genes allowed him to swim faster than the wind... Even though he requires a potion to grant him gills.

~ Appearance ~

Bori is the only one so far to be JUST as tall as Solclave once he's fully grown, all thanks to his father's tall genes and his mother's Dragonkin size boosting genes adding onto it. It certainly doesn't help that he's also huge in a physical way, due to his training to tone his growing body and prepare it for his chosen role as guardian of the ship, a mantle he eagerly wished to gain to honour both his father and maternal grandfather-by-choice.

As such, Bori usually wears armour that mostly consists of leather pants, metal knee pads and boots, leather straps crossed over his bare chest (that constantly creak with strain when he crosses his arms) that hold his twin sinmalayat swords at his hips, and a metal pauldron covering the entirety of each shoulder down to his bicep, one cut in the shape of a wolf skull, the other of a dragon.

...... He refuses to wear a shirt or coat.

Beyond that, he mostly inherited his father's looks, but he has his mother's ebony skin tone, though his is a bit lighter and towards a bronze hue. He also has central heterochromia, with his father's sunset-orange eyes being in the center while his mother's aquamarine-blue hue surround the rings of orange... And sometimes, when his eyes are half-lidded, they appear just like a golden sun on the sea horizon. He often wears his black, wavy curls half-up in a messy bun to hide them, while the rest of his hair reaches just past his shoulders, with three beads (green, orange and red for his father, mother and surrogate carrier) in a single row woven into the hair-tie, as is tradition of a Jokani child.

~ Personality ~

Upon first impressions, Bori appears stoic, intimidating and a terrifying presence to be near, which certainly fit his overshadowing appearance and height. However, once someone gets to truly talk to him without showing him any fear, Bori finally reveals his true personality...

A kind, mannerly, sweet and caring guy who tends to be rather sheepish and easily flustered at the simplest of compliments.

He is very playful with his siblings, since they rarely saw each other before he joined the crew once he was of age, and to make up for lost time they constantly prank each other. In turn, he is very protective of his older sister Sira, the only other Dragonkin on the ship, and the two form a close bond as they celebrate both sabbatic and religious traditions of their Jokani culture together, to honour their mother and family when they miss them.

And when the day comes that he finally brings his girlfriend on board, they celebrate their Jokani ways as a new family to help Djamila (often called Millie for short) settle in and enjoy her time on the ship... just as the crew did when Asya first came on board~

And to finish this off.... here's everyone's heights, with Asya (in her true Dragonkin form), Verglaust, Elbent, Kevin and Solclave for comparisons.

#pirateformers au #tigracespace #ezra iolite og work #character bios #Conduit #Sira #Bori the Second

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