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itallstartedwithplayingvet · 4 years

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Whumptober 2020 Day 10 - They Look So Pretty When They Bleed - Blood Loss

Fandom: Silent Hill

Characters: Valtiel, Cheryl (Heather) Mason, Cybil Bennett (mentioned)

Content Warnings: Blood, loss of limbs, broken bones, body horror, religious and cult themes

Word Count: 3,057 (Sorry about the length, it took a while for me to get to a place that felt good to stop at!)

Side note: Heather is referred to as Cheryl in this bit because this takes place after the events of SH3, after which Heather decided to start going by her original name, Cheryl.

I...I must return to her…

Rain poured from a blackened sky as a pale figure lingered in the open doorway of a timeworn church. Shaking, bloodied hands clutched at the rotted wood of the doorframe, seeking support for the weary body they belonged to. Within the church, a thick trail of fresh blood snaked across the floor, leading from a large pool in the center of the chapel, to the figure itself.

Valtiel’s grip on the doorframe tightened as his legs grew weaker. Through narrowed vision, he gazed upon the Otherworld town before him. It would be a long walk from here...that is, if he could even continue to stand up. A long walk, or an even longer crawl. He didn’t think he’d make it far if he were to crawl. The aching from the stumps of snapped-off bone that had once been his wings had rendered his arms all but useless. It took much of his remaining strength to keep his grip on the doorframe. The thought of crawling along on his stomach was out of the question--his chest felt as though it had been filled with shards of glass, and even breathing aggravated the injury.

Thus he was left with one option. It was a great risk, one that would require every ounce of strength left in his body, and his full, unbroken concentration. It was something he’d hardly ever done before. He’d always preferred to walk or fly in order to get around, but now...well, both of those things were out of the question. Valtiel bowed his head, and in his mind’s eye, pictured the face of the girl he’d watched over since the day of her birth.

Mother...Take me...to the Mother…

The view of the town from the Otherworld faded, as did the wooden doorframe he’d been clinging desperately to. He stumbled and fell forward--onto soft carpeted flooring. It would have been a comfort had it not painfully readjusted his shattered rib cage. His vision remained narrow, but even from a heap on the floor, he could see her.

Cheryl was staring at him in bewildered horror. She blinked a few times, her mouth agape...before at last standing up from her seat before a wooden desk and stepping behind the chair. “What...the...fuck…” She muttered.

Valtiel reached towards her, but his hand soon dropped to the floor. Following the jump, all of the strength had been sapped from his body. He was only vaguely aware that he was bleeding before her--sullying the holy ground she walked upon with his filth. Alas, it couldn't be helped. With luck, she would forgive him.

He was tired...so very tired. Surely it was safe to rest here for a moment...

. . .

"What the fuck are you?!" Cheryl cried, standing behind her chair as though it would protect her from the strange monster that had spontaneously appeared on her bedroom floor. She thought to run to her closet and retrieve one of the many weapons she'd brought home from Silent Hill.

But something kept her from doing just that. It wouldn't have taken a doctor to see that the monster before her was severely wounded.It was bleeding all over her carpet, after all--Bleeding like a damned stuck pig, in fact. And was that...bone sticking out from its bloodied back?!

Christ. I don't think this was my doing. Even God didn't look this bad when I was done with Her. Cheryl mused to herself. Does that mean there's some way stronger monster outside? Did this...thing crawl in here to try and hide from it?

Come to think of it...just what the hell is this thing, anyway? Cheryl leaned closer against her better judgement to try and inspect the creature further. After a moment or so of gazing upon its disgusting, pallid flesh, she remembered something she'd seen in Silent Hill...in fact, a few different things.

This thing was in the elevator at the mall...and in that locker...and behind that ladder...and hanging between those two dead bodies...and in that crawlspace in the church…and…

It's the thing that killed Claudia.

Cheryl could recall a painting she'd seen in the church. An image she'd tried to put aside, given its disturbing appearance. The painting of a twisted, vaguely human-shaped being, with a featureless face and a pair of lips on the side of its skull. A painting labeled as depicting the "Attendant of God", an angel named Valtiel. The bit of scripture beside the grotesque image had explained that Valtiel had been created by God Herself to serve Her and carry out Her will, and that when it was time for Her to be reborn, the angel Valtiel would serve as protector and midwife to the Mother of God.

The thought that this...thing had been following her for heaven-knows-how-long--stalking her, waiting for her to birth the Order's patron deity--It sent a cold chill down Cheryl's spine. She was almost happy to see it suffering, and debated whether or not to finish it off.

Wait...something's missing. That freaky painting...Where are its wings? She could swear the painting had depicted the creature with an oddly beautiful pair of black-feathered wings. She'd almost forgotten this feature, considering that she hadn't seen them on the creature during any of her previous encounters with it. But her eyes were once again drawn to the bones protruding from the creature's back. It all seemed to make sense now--something had torn its wings clean off, and it had sought protection from further harm by seeking out the only human it trusted.

Her gaze softened a bit when she looked at the creature now, for she had realized something else. …I'm sure the Order fucking hates me for killing their God. I saw what you did to Claudia. What stopped you from doing that to me?

...Same reason crocodiles don't eat those little bug-pecking birds that clean their teeth, I'll bet. You still need me. But why? I literally killed your God! I've thrown the world's biggest wrench into the Order's plans, and that wasn't enough for you to kill me?!

...Maybe...maybe I can trust you, then.

Cheryl thought over the idea, weighing what terrible consequences might result from her helping a seemingly rogue, former enforcer of the Order.

...Fuck it. I've killed so many of their monsters...I think I know all their tricks by now. And if this thing's still willing to trust me after what I did...I might as well return the favor.

Cheryl knelt down to the creature's level, and cautiously placed one hand under its chin. She wasn't sure if it even had eyes, but it seemed like it had been looking at her earlier. The creature groaned, but remained still. Cheryl heaved a sigh. "If you use this to try and make me birth your God again, I won't hesitate to finish you off. Understand?" She whispered sternly to the creature.

. . .

The Mother's words roused Valtiel from his brief spell of unconsciousness. Yes, he understood what she meant. He was quite accustomed to threats of punishment for disobedience. Though it had been quite some time since he had spoken the tongues of the common man, he parted his lips and managed a single "Yes."

The Mother recoiled in horror once more. "Fucking hell...you can actually talk?!" She muttered in disbelief. "...I was just expecting a nod." She sighed. "Well...here goes nothing."

Cheryl reached beneath his body with both hands, and hooked them beneath his armpits. With great effort, she attempted to pull him to his feet. After several attempts that left the both of them exhausted, Valtiel realized that he would have to assist her, despite the exhaustion he felt. When Cheryl tried to lift him again--following a handful of muttered expletives--Valtiel strained to move his legs, and with every remaining shred of energy in his body, he pushed against the floor. Eventually, with his cooperation, Cheryl managed to lift him to his feet.

"Okay. That was--" Cheryl let out a cry of surprise and frantically tried to brace herself against her bed when Valtiel suddenly collapsed onto her. She managed to keep the both of them upright, and after catching her breath, she began dragging him to the side of her bed. Luckily, they weren't far from it. She soon reached the side of her bed, and pushed the creature onto it as gently as she could manage, which unfortunately still coaxed a quiet moan from its misplaced lips.

"Sorry." Cheryl muttered, wiping sweat from her brow and scowling when she realized she'd also smeared it with his blood. Whatever, I can wipe that off later. She thought to herself. She thought to adjust the creature to a more comfortable position, but realized she'd nearly forgotten that it was still actively bleeding. Of course, blood loss took priority over any other injury, so she wasted no further time in gathering supplies.

"I'll be back soon." She said to the creature, though she found the idea of trying to reassure a monster rather strange. "Just...stay there. Don't move." Without another word, she left the room and made her way towards the second floor bathroom. She could only hope they had enough gauze.

Valtiel whined as she left, reaching towards her with one feeble hand, but he could not reach her without leaving the bed, and it was doubtless that he didn't have the strength left to follow her. So he let his weary limb collapse onto the bed, and watched through vision blurred with delirium as his idol left him. Now that he was awake, and after all the effort it had taken to move to the bed, the pain of his wounds was unbearable. It wasn't in his nature to act so pathetic, but it also wasn't in his nature to feel pain. It was something practically alien to him. Divine beings were meant to be higher than mortals, and therefore knew of and felt hardly anything mortals were accustomed to. There had always been threats to cut his ties to the divine, but not until today had they been followed through. In the back of his mind, Valtiel began to fear the prospect of becoming fully mortal. If this inescapable agony was just part of the mortal experience, what else did such a fate have in store for him?!

He found himself unable to silence his impulsive whines and moans. Such noises did nothing to relieve the pain, but he had seemingly lost control of his vocal chords, and to restrain a cry served only to exacerbate the pain in his chest. The steady stream of blood that had been spurting from his crudely amputated wings had slowed to a trickle--a small act of mercy he was grateful for. Still, it hadn't completely stopped, and he felt as though it wouldn't until every drop of life left in his broken body had seeped into the Mother's bedsheets.

He could just barely hear her somewhere down the hall. She sounded as though she were searching for something. She had mentioned that she would return soon. But...what was she searching for in that room? Surely if she were truly divine, she could heal him with only a touch.

No...no, of course not. She was still divine, he had no doubt of that. But her power had certainly grown weaker over the years. As it was, she didn't appear to be capable of any divine feats at all. But that didn't matter now. She was still worthy of his worship, and always would be. And he would accept whatever she planned on doing to help him in this time of dire need with the utmost gratitude an angel could bestow. ...But if she didn't do something soon, he feared he might not be able to stay long enough to thank her.

Answering his prayers, Cheryl returned to the room carrying a small red box in her hands. On its side was a small cross. Valtiel wondered if it was some manner of holy artifact, though he'd never seen one like it before. The Order didn't really use crosses in its holy symbolism...that was Christianity. Admittedly, there was some small overlap between the two religions, but that hardly mattered now.

Cheryl walked around to the opposite side of the bed, until she was facing the angel's back and completely hidden from his limited field of vision. He began to crane his neck backwards in an attempt to see her, but Cheryl seemed to react poorly to this, and so as not to offend her, he returned his head to its original position.

“Okay...I’ve got a grotesque monster that calls itself an angel in my bedroom...” Cheryl muttered to herself. She opened the First Aid kit she'd found in the bathroom, and rummaged for a bit before finding a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a roll of gauze. She looked at the angel's back again, and cursed softly. Whatever he was, he needed a surgeon, not a First Aid kit. But Cheryl knew taking him to a professional would be impossible. She didn't dare move him now, and he wasn't exactly human, or any other creature that could be easily explained to a doctor or vet. Honestly, she wasn't certain if others could even see him. A part of her still thought she might be hallucinating this whole thing.

"Hold still." She commanded him. "This is probably gonna hurt like hell." She poured a few drops of alcohol onto a scrap of gauze, and gingerly pressed it to the first of the wounds. At once, Valtiel whined sharply and thrashed weakly. He repeated this as Cheryl moved to the other wound, though he thrashed less and less as time dragged on, until he simply lay there, breathing raggedly, as she moved to wrapping a thick layer of gauze around his upper back. He whined whenever she would touch the stumps of bone that remained of his wings, and wheezed when she pulled the gauze tight.

"Sorry…" She apologized to him reflexively, applying a few more layers until she was satisfied that she'd made enough pressure for his wounds to stop bleeding. "Had to be done." She gazed down at her hands...they were completely covered in the creature's blood. How the hell am I supposed to explain this to Mom?! It occurred to her that blood was about the toughest natural substance to wash out of fabric. And here her guardian angel had spilled his all over the damn place!

Honestly, she was surprised he hadn't bled to death yet, let alone that he was still lucid enough to react when she touched him. But Cheryl decided that there was nothing she could do now about the mess, and so when her mother found the gruesome scene in her bedroom, she would simply come clean and tell her the full truth of the matter. Her mother had been to Silent Hill before Cheryl was born...or rather, when Cheryl was still her...earlier incarnation. She doubted she'd ever fully understand how a person could have been not one, but two people simultaneously before their own birth. But Cheryl felt certain that her mother would at least know what her new guest was.

Valtiel seemed to have calmed down since Cheryl had finished her attempt at patching him up. Though he still appeared to be in quite a bit of pain, he'd at least stopped moving and had fallen silent. Though...Cheryl wasn't so certain of whether or not that was a good thing. "Does that...feel any better?" She asked him, albeit hesitant to hear him speak again. Thankfully, he only shook his head.

"...I have an idea. Don't move. I won't be long." She said softly to him, before leaving the room again and heading for the bathroom. First, she turned the faucet on and thoroughly washed her hands. Sure, maybe blood of the divine had positive qualities, but she still didn't want it all over her hands. After that was done, she opened the mirror cabinet and retrieved a small white bottle. Granted, her guest wasn't human, and she had no way of knowing how medicine developed for humans would affect him...but she didn't feel right just letting him suffer. So she took the bottle of over-the-counter painkillers back to her bedroom.

She stopped at the side of the bed facing him directly this time, and reached over to her nightstand to grab a bottle of water. She shook the bottle of pills once to get the weary creature's attention. "You're probably not used to doing this...but with any luck, it'll help you." She unscrewed the cap and took out two small pills. “Here, just open your mouth, and swallow these.” She held the pills in her hand near the strange mouth on the side of Valtiel’s head. He didn’t respond. Really, he almost seemed confused by her directions.

“What, do you not know how to swallow things?” Cheryl sighed. “Who am I kidding? Of course you don’t. You’re some weird otherworldly monster, of course you don’t understand the concept of eating.” She took the bottle of water from her nightstand. “Here, do like I do.” She took a few sips of the water in an attempt to show the strange creature how swallowing works. “Think you can do that?” She held the pills out to him again, as well as the bottle of water.

Valtiel snatched the two pills from her hand using a long, thin tongue that snaked out from his misplaced lips. Cheryl jumped back in surprise, but watched as the tongue brought the pills into his mouth, and after a moment, or so, he appeared to swallow them. Cheryl sighed, relieved that he’d finally figured it out. “There you go, weirdo. Hope that helps.” She took one corner of the topmost sheet on her bed, and draped it over the angel’s body. “Just stay here and rest, okay? Please don’t try to follow me around.”

The angel nodded wearily, and soon, Cheryl heard him breathing slowly and softly, as though asleep. She took this opportunity to start attempting to clean the room, albeit while trying to make as little noise as possible. With how much effort it had taken to get him to fall asleep the first time, she didn’t want to wake him again any time soon.

Mom is really gonna freak.

#whumptober2020 #no.10 #they look so pretty when they bleed #blood loss #silent hill #heather mason #valtiel #loss of limbs #broken bones #wing whump

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wo-wann-was-wer · 4 years

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WHAT I WAS THINKING: DARK SEASON 3 EDITION

EPISODE 1:

Who are these dudes with the harelip and what do they want

Why did she just take him to a cave and leave that’s kinda rude

So everything in this universe is just gonna be backwards. Love it

Ugh I’ve said this a million times but this show has such Fringe energy and I can’t wait to get a tattoo for this too

This is super freaking me out, i dont like that everyone’s in everyone else’s house.

Ooooh Katharina with glasses yes girl you better work.

I like Michael and this hat he’s rocking

Super into the fact that magnus and fransizka are involved in this universe too

There’s nothing cuter than sex before school. Ahhh the nostalgia

Ten bucks says that Hannah gets out of this bed and is pregnant

Fucking YEP

I am loving Martha in this Jonas journey

I know that all they did was flip the lens of the camera but my brain is breaking at this flipped Winden

Who the fuck is this random dude Martha is with

You know what he kind of looks like Jonas. I wonder if that's relevant or if I'm just grasping at straws

Bartosz looks like he's going to his first grade violin recital

I straight up just did not recognize Charlotte with makeup. She looks hot

There's got to be another person in that picture other than Ulrich because that's a lot of space to rip out for one person

okay hold up Woller looks so good and then when I saw that he was missing an arm I almost lost my fucking mind

Oh shit okay Hannah is living in Katharina's house.

Oh my God are Ulrich and Charlotte having an affair

Is it normal in Germany for kids to just walk into classes that aren't there’s and just sit down

follow up he has a clear noose mark on his neck

Aleksander looks so hot with this beard. universe B is the fucking glow up universe

It's weirding me out that the whole school is black and gray instead of light brown

The look of satisfaction on katharina's face

Wow honestly Louis just broke my heart with his facial expression when he realized his mom didn't know who he was

he looks so scared

Yes yes do it afffffffffair

Oh no you done got found out!!!

Oh the theme of the play here is red and set of gold

Fransizka looks so cute in this little outfit

Oh my God she's deaf!!!!

What the fuck. the fact that this actress can talk is blowing my mind

RIP to Regina a real queen

Peter's a fucking priest

All the fucking weird-ass freaky motherfucking trio is back

The dopplers have the same house That's cool

excuse me sir I think your child is broken

these guys are so creepy What the fuck

I definitely don't like the piano wire

oh this motherfucker is the one who gets lost

I feel like winden in this universe is just a little bit fancier

Well Charlotte and Ulrich just be fucking like crazy

Bartosz is the Jonas of this group and I love it

who was that??????

I cannot get over Aleksander in this beard

I like that things are opposite but they also have things that are different enough.

Like I'm so into the fact that they all went down into the bunker

who in the unholy fuck is that. who is that

Oh shit old Martha

What the fuck is this Tannhaus’ factory we're at

hold up Martha's in 1888

What the fuck. why is Jonas in 1888 and looking SO good

EPISODE 2:

casually sitting over your bed watching you sleep

he's look so good though

yo what the fuck everybody else is there too

Oh no things got really ugly at Mads’ wake

Not for nothing but Tronte is a dick

I kind of don't understand why Claudia would want Regina to live in such pain in this type of universe

Peter is such a good boy

lurking is the freaking national past time of this place

Oh shit we got some spin-off timeline stuff good

who is This is blind guy

I love Katharina so fucking much

I know what she's thinking and it's the same thing I'm thinking which is can I kill a child

why does this picture of Tronte make him look like Jimmy Smits

Katharina looks amazing in this jacket

Also I definitely did not just start yelling GO GET YOUR MAN KATHARINA

Regina just gets more and more badass as time goes on. Also all of the women of the tiedemann family are so fucking badass

I am so excited to watch this fucking relationship develop. they're both too cute

awwww he's using signs!

oh they're writing back and forth

DAMNIT PETER

I always feel like little Noah should do fuckboy sign offs when he leaves rooms because he's so smooth

yesterday Laurel said that this was back to the future but serious and just now Bartosz said it's not super easy to get nuclear fuel in 1888 and now I think that Laurel's right

I will never get over how good he looks JONAAAASSSSSSS

This guy feels like the OG inventor of sic mundus right

Katerina why are you even trying to check in at the front desk bitch Go and get your man

Is this Katarina's mom why does she just recognize that woman's name

everyone on the show is so talented.I spend the whole damn time being like oh my god the performances on the show and it's like yeah we know

Katerina get your man

I literally love them so much look at the look on her face She is a mama bear She is not going to let anybody take her man or her children and I love her

Not a huge fan of people who quote Shakespeare right before they kill other people or am I an enormous fan of people who use Shakespeare right before they kill other people

using a garotte to kill someone is ugly as fuck

I feel so bad for Jana

see this is one of the reasons why I'm like why would you bring Regina back to this world.

wowwwww TRONTE what's up dude

YO WHAT

Oh so how did Charlotte get back there but Elizabeth's still there too. didn't they switch places?

oh the head bump

Not excited for the mother daughter abuse stuff that's about to happen

I love these split sequences that they do at the end

anytime somebody stands and stairs for a lonely at a spot on the ground I assume to somebody died there

Oh shit that guy is a tannhausokkkk I see you

a religious images we love to see it.

This show is a whole series of pause that frame.

No I ruined something for myself!!!!

EPISODE 3

got to love those through and through Ariadne references

okay so Charlotte's great great grandfather has her watch?

who are these horrible traveler human beings

they look like less sexy Francis dolarhydes

I can't get over the fact that wollers missing an arm here I swear

we ARE the glitch BITCH

alternate universe Ulrich is a better person than standard Ulrich

what's this new like zoom-y thing they're doing

I was attracted to Magnus at this jump of the show but he looks better with dark hair

How did they not all die of fucking flu

eternally repeating deja vu

I looked at the production stills and I was like what the fuck is this hair do that Moritz has but he looks amazing

Also everyone on this show deserves an acting award

and Magnus is wearing a skeleton sweater

Hannah does that deep dive detective work any bitch knows the Nose doesn't lie

why doesn't anybody want to fuck wöller

omgggg eat the RICH

also he has that x tattoo on his hand that represents the no future thing

oh the light is rectangular and not circular ooooooh fancy

The show is also a lot of people catching each other's wrists as they walk away

I knew we couldn't trust this bitch

What did he give her

I love the parallels and characters behaviors between universe a and universe b

I want to know how Noah factored into all of this on this side

Martha has a type and her type is iconically Aryan

Oh Aleksander's back with that beard he's back

Hannah is such a snake

Omg that's her!!!!! I thought she was a trans actress.. hm. not super happy bout that :/

What is Helge talking about Ulrich did what??? omg

I would be like SIR DO WE NEED TO FIGHT STOP FOLLOWING ME

I stopped taking notes for the last half of that episode cuz I was really sucked in haha

EPISODE 4

FIRST OF ALL I'D LIKE TO GO ON RECORD THAT I DON'T CARE FOR THESE GENTLEMEN AT ALL

second of all why is this guy being like oh I took your name

why does he have Agnes's bracelet I don't like that

I don't like anything about this guy That's the end of the story

Also hold up a red hot second is Agnes dead cuz if so that's a hate crime

see what did I say

I knew that Hannah was going to get involved with Egon

from the second she walked in that office I was like that bitch has her eye on him and as she should he's handsome as fuck

Also he spoils her so much more than any other man she's ever been with AKA is Egon the only man she ever deserved

Is Hannah going to develop a heart cuz I'm not sure how I feel about that

Also what happens if Hannah gets pregnant

why is Ines a bitch I thought she was mad cool the beginning and now I feel fucking deceived

Also it's such a sweet gig that The kids who are playing kids can now play teenagers

poor Doris. Also he was shitty to her but he was far nicer than I would have been

Doris is so beautiful it's bullshit

older Magnus is so handsome

All I wanted was middle-aged Martha

bitch you have been having unprotected sex with him why do you think that pregnancy was not on the tabl

I'm like who's this guy in the church if it's not Noah I bet it's that little bitch

yeah I fucking knew it

Is this the dude that was married to Agnes I feel like this guy isn't real or something

I'm not surprised he let her go but I don't know why I'm not surprised. I feel like she's important to his timeline and I'm not sure why

look at these relationships forming between these sweet little bab

Hannah looks good in this red. Hannah looks good in all of these styles.

who is this child

I like that already as a child Bernd had his eye on Claudia as someone who was smart and had a ton of potential

I keep forgetting that I'm taking notes because I get so invested in episodes

Also I realize the zoomi thing which is going back and forth between the universes

Is Agnes Silja’s mom And if so with whom

he gave her Agnes’ bracelet that dope All right Tronte

Wow Claudia needs to back off her man

Claudia force him into a relationship with her

I fucking hate Hannah but sometimes she speaks so much sense

ooh I don't need anyone Yes girl that's true You don't need anyone You needing people was what made you act fucking crazy You don't need anybody

This was always my big problem with Hannah was that I initially identified with her because she was such a survivor but then she did such horrible reprehensible things I just couldn't let it go and I absolutely couldn't identify with her anymore

Oh here's my daddy Noah looking so good

I mean okay so I have been in this position before where I was cheating and then my man cheated on me and I was like how dare you but also you cannot be mad if your partner cheats on you when you cheated too. You both fucked up

Is Hannah going to have a redemption arc cuz that's a lot

Oh my God she's not going to get rid of this child is she

Oh my great God I cannot believe that she gave Helene that necklace.

I knew she was fucking connected to Katharina in the older generation I knew it

Louis and Lisa are a super cute couple and I know that they're not dating in real life but I think that they're very cute together

Oh everybody fucking

yeah they created the Apocalypse yeah

Oh no they have a child outside of worlds that's a mess How does that work so they had they gave birth to that ugly fuck

honestly I hate that he's their child for the most part just because he's ugly as fuck and neither of them are ugly as fuck so it makes me mad.

#episodes 1-4 #live reacts #dark season 3 #spoilers #spoilers dark season 3 #dark #dark network

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avenger09 · 4 years

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The Dragon Prince: Fighting Game Banter

If there was one made in the style of a NeatherRealm game.

Callum: (Drawing a rune in the air) It's the fight of the century!

Ezran: (Riding on a Banther) Brother, vs Brother.

Callum: Mage vs giant sharp-toothed Banth- Oh-this-was-a-terrible-idea.

Ezran: Callum, and Rayla, sittin' in a tree-

Callum: You've been waiting to use that, haven't you?

Ezran: K-I-S-S-I-N-G. And yes.

Rayla: How’s our adorable little Prince?

Ezran: Great. But I’m a king now.

Rayla: You know I meant Zym, Ez. Good joke though.

Soren: (Sword over his shoulder) Rematch Time.

Rayla: (Her blades switching in and out of scythe mode) Really? You want to risk breaking your back again?

Soren: (Combat pose) Hey! That was a Dragon! Not you.

Callum: What did I do?

Rayla: You ate my last moonberry surprise...

Callum: Oh no, she's Hangry again!

Soren: Want to spar today your highness?

Ezran: I would like to, yes.

Soren: As you wish. For the record though, using a Banter is totally cheating.

Soren: Sometimes girls can be so weird.

Callum: My first girlfriend get's superpowers from the moon.

Soren: ...That's neat buddy.

Rayla: Winner gets to plan our next date.

Callum: Neat. And the loser?

Rayla: (Chuckle) Has to tell your Aunt we're together.

Callum: (melodramatically) Two lovers divided, forced to fight!

Rayla: (just as melodramatically) Can their love endure this tragic twist of fate?!

Callum: Only thing is for certain... Wing cuddles will ensue.

Callum: Hi there. What"s your name?

Rayla: I'm Rayla, I'm your girlfriend, and we really don't have time to play "Never Met."

Callum: ... Rayla's a pretty name.

Callum: You didn’t need me to dance with you to let me into the Silvergrove did you?

Rayla: Hmmhmm Nope.

Callum: I’m dating an evil genius. And I’m okay with that.

Rayla: You think we should be called, what?

Soren: Eclipse Elves. ‘Cause that’s the only time the moon makes a shadow.

Rayla: That's... surprisingly A good point.

Ezran: What is it Aunt Amaya?

Amaya: (Gren interpreting) [Your mother would be so proud of you.]

Ezran: Thanks... I think she'd be proud of you too.

Amaya: [What's this I hear about you jumping of a cliff?]

Callum: It was for love!

Amaya: [Good motive, still reckless.]

Soren: Sometimes for lunch, I eat nothing but butter.

Amaya: [You shouldn't do that.]

Soren: Probably. My chest hurts all the time.

Corvus: (Spinning his sickle chain) We got off to a rocky start.

Rayla: It's okay. We all came together when it mattered.

Corvus: Still feel like I owe you a free one.

Amaya: [It's good to have you back.]

Corvus: Funny how we both ended up captured, General.

Amaya: (Grinning) [Captured? I was just taking a sunny holiday.]

Corvus: You really set an impossible goal post, your Highness.

Callum: How?

Corvus: How can any other couple top; Confessed our love mid-flight?

Rayla: So... Got any hobbies?

Amaya: [I know your dating my nephew.]

Rayla: Wha... I don't, I wasn't. Okay, I was just building up to that.

Rayla: Are you the reason we’re sometimes fighting copies of ourselves? Lujanne: (Dissipating her Human form) Maybe I am, or maybe the veil of reality has been opened wide for your others selves to come through. Rayla: So it’s definitely you, then,

Soren: Waaait... Are you and Callum together?

Rayla: Uck, no Soren. (mock cheery tone) We just like to kiss, hold hands, and be around each other all the time.

Soren: Hey, some people do, do, that. I'm not judging.

Soren: This is freaky.

Soren: Are we in some kind of weird, reflection, world?

Soren: If it is, you'd think it'd be a lot shinier, other me.

Ellis: (Ava poised dramatically) Hey Banterboy.

Ezran: Hey Wolfgirl.

Ellis: (Ava ready to lunge) Now, we fight crime.

Ellis: Yes! I knew you two would get together!

Rayla: Well we didn’t.

Ellis: Of course you two wouldn’t, dummy.

Ellis: You can grow wings now?! Callum: Just call me, “Souring Callum.”

Ellis: Hehaha! Sorry I thought you said: “Snoring Callum.”

Viren: This is a test Claudia.

Claudia: (Eyes turning black her snake wrist chain moving) To prove what?

Viren: (Staff extending) To prove If your strong enough to fight even your flash and blood.

Claudia: Hey man-bun!

Corvus: I have a name.

Claudia: Well, I've forgotten it. So...

Soren: Shouldn't have sent a Guard to do an Assassins job.

Viren: I sent you to save Katolis from a weak ruler. And to earn my pride.

Soren: I've got plenty of Pride. Big shock, none of it came from you!

Viren: Come to kill me for real, son?

Soren: I should have left you when Mom did!

Viren: Yes. You should have.

Viren: Impossible. How did you learn Primal Magic?

Callum: I did this thing called; Actually trying!

Viren: Dark Magic, Is not, A shortcut!

Claudia: Don't make me fight you Sorebear.

Soren: Claud's... Dad is evil.

Claudia: I can't choose again!

Callum: The way you use magic is wrong.

Viren: Oh? And how should I use it, oh wise, mongrel, Prince?

Callum: To help people, not use them! You selfish idiot!

Callum: You say you cared about my Dad.

Viren: Like a brother.

Callum: Then why didn't you ever just consider trading back the egg?

Rayla: Shouldn’t you be a puddle right now?

Viren: Despite your best efforts I live.

Rayla: Your remind me of a bad itch that just won’t go away.

Rayla: Do you even know my name? Or the names of those you’ve captured?

Viren: Should I, Elf.

Rayla: You will.

Ezran: I know about the Soulfrang, Viren.

Viren: How?

Ezran: Let's say, a little birdy told me.

Jenai: (drawing her Sunforge sword) Lux Aurea will be avenged.

Viren: I don’t even know who you are.

Jenai: You will...

Callum: So. You and my aunt huh?

Jenai: (Genuinely confused) What about me and your aunt?

Callum: Oh you’ll find out.

Janai: You don't have to stand so close to me.

Amaya: (teasing) [But your so warm and cozy.]

Janai: *sigh* *You where much more intimidating before we started talking.

Soren: If it isn't the Hot Elf.

Janai: Excuse me?!

Soren: Huh? No, Wait! I meant like.. Your made of fire sometimes!

Claudia: I bet Callum hates me right now.

Rayla: He doesn't hate you. He misses you.

Claudia: Why? He has you now.

Claudia: (sadly) Just an 'Assassin Friend' huh?

Callum: I'm sorry. Me and Rayla... It was completely unexpected.

Claudia: ‘Unexpected’ is just another kind of expected.

Ezran: I'm not angry Claudia.

Claudia: How can you say that, after I let you down.

Ezran: Your not your father. You can still be helped.

Soren: Your hair, what did you do?

Claudia: I made Dad better. Like for you.

Soren: Better, but he..? Claudia, no...

Amaya: (stern) [Your father is a liar, a thief, and a traitor. For your sake give him up.]

Claudia: It's not that simple!

Amaya: (sympathetic) It never is with family.

Aaravos: (After his familiar has possessed a host) I've looked forward to this meeting.

Callum: Do I know you?

Aaravos: No. But you possess something that can help me. A certain... cube.

Lujanne: They say “Time fades even Legends”

Arravos: Who does?

Lujanne: No clue? Read it in a book about vampires once, and thought you might know?

Callum: Why should I trust you?

Aaravos: I can help you achieve your full potential.

Callum: That just helps me, what about my friends?

Aaravos: Why settle for being a mere High Mage?

Callum: What else is there?

Aaravos: Becoming the heir to my power. The new Archmage of Xadia.

Aaravos: We have both broken past the limits others set upon us.

Callum: That doesn't make us friends.

Aaravos: But it does make us equals.

Aaravos: I had such hopes for you.

Viren: Please, I still need your power. Anything you ask I’ll grant! Aaravos: Oh, have some dignity!

Amaya: [Stay away from my family!]

Aaravos: Afraid you’ll fail at protecting another of them, are you?

Amaya: [I’m only afraid I’ll enjoy this.]

Jenai: Any last words?

Aaravos: How’s your sister..?

Jenai: (Heat mode) Arrrrgh!

Aaravos: You shall be quite useful.

Rayla: Not happening.

Aaravos: Your compliance is not required. You will lure my new disciple to me.

Harrow: (Standing up from his throne as a set of disembodied armor) So... Tell me about this girl your seeing.

Callum: You do know she was one of the Assassins sent to kill you, right?

Harrow: Well, nobody’s perfect.

#The Dragon Prince #Fighting Game #Injustice 2 #Mortal Kombat #Rayllum #Rayla #Callum #Ezran #Soren #Claudia #Viren #Corvus #Amaya #The Dragon Prince Fighting Game

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captain-azoren · 5 years

Text

White Knight Red Queen - Chapter 4: Test of Might

“Is that really all you’ve got?” Azula chided as she looked down at Soren, sternly crossing her arms. Zuko frowned at his sister, displeased by her treatment of Soren, while Claudia bit her lip, afraid of where this was leading. Soren’s veins were bulging, and his skin was turning red as he bared his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut from the strain. “Maybe you should just sit out the invasion. You wouldn’t last a minute against a bender if you’re this weak. I’ll just have to-UWHA!”

Soren and Claudia show their strength and skill to the Fire Nation Royals, and Azula pushes Soren to his limit as they each learn a little more about one another.

FF.net and AO3

The place was dark, filled with smoke and shadows. Soren turned left and right to find anything in this strange void. There was no sound, he could barely hear his own breath or his heartbeat. The silence was suffocating. There was a glimmer in the distance, and Soren ran to it, hoping for an escape. It looked like a doorway, or a window, with no frame or wall. His heavy boots fell like whispers as they hit the ground.

As he drew nearer, Soren could see something beyond the window. A dark figure knelt on the ground, its back turned to him and long dark hair flowing downward. It was shaking, shuddering. He could not make out much more past it, other than a red sky and a burning sun casting crimson light, and the figure cast a long dark shadow in turn. Soren reached the window, but as he put his hand out, he felt a cold surface. It was like glass. Soren felt around the clear, invisible barrier, confused. It was then that he finally heard the sound; the gasping and growling of seething anger. Soren looked to the hunched figure beyond the glass, and he knew that it was the source.

The growls began to grow louder and more frantic, turning into a high-pitched roar. Fear gripped Soren’s heart with cold talons, freezing his blood as the roar turned into a wail, then a shriek, like a banshee from his father’s tales. The figure, a woman, began to thrash, her face hidden by the tangled mass of dark locks. Soren’s instincts told him to run, that this thing was dangerous and deadly. It was a chained animal who would wreak havoc if let loose.

Something made Soren stay however. The shrieks slowly turned into cries of pain and despair, and the woman hung her head low, shuddering with every choked sob. The fear in Soren’s heart was replaced by sadness, pity, then righteous anger. He banged his fist against the glass, making a muffled thud. The woman before him did not notice, and her sobs continued. He called out, but it was as if his voice was under water. Soren grit his teeth as he continued to assault the glass with his body. Whoever this was, Soren could feel her sadness, and he had to stop it. Soren wanted so badly to help her, to reach through to her, but the barrier prevented him. The feeing of powerlessness tore at his very soul, but Soren would not stop.

A part of himself told Soren to leave, that it was not his responsibility, but he ignored it. He felt the pain in his arms and hands as bruises formed, but he could not give up. The woman’s cries were growing quieter, and Soren watched in horror as her body began to erode away, pieces drifting in the wind like ash. If he did not reach her, if he did break through, he would lose her. Soren dug deep, mustering all of the strength he had built in his life, and with a cry that echoed through the void, he punched the glass as hard as he could. As the glass shattered, the woman turned…

Soren woke with a start, his body jolting. He immediately sat up, looked around the guest room, and remembered what had happened yesterday. He was in the Fire Nation with Claudia. They passed through a mirror, and now they were trying to get back home, but he promised Princess Azula they would defend her. Soren let out a loud sigh as he scratched his head.

“Man…talk about a freaky dream,” Soren yawned and got out of bed. “Maybe I shouldn’t eat right before sleeping.” The blond boy looked out the bedroom window to see that the sun was only just below the horizon, not yet woken up. At the very least, he still woke up at his usual hour, he thought. Soren did a few stretches before changing into his new clothes and heading out the door.

Azula rose with the sun, feeling bright and refreshed after a good night’s sleep fit for a princess, as she usually did. She did her morning routine, light stretches, washing herself, and tying her hair before stepping out onto a patio in the garden. Azula was not one for sentiment, but she did find the early mornings peaceful. This was the place where she made her childhood memories, after all.

The princess breathed in the crisp morning air as the light from the sunrise began to sparkle off the morning dew clinging to the tree leaves and blades of grass. The turtle ducks were just beginning to stir, floating on the water as they looked for breakfast. Azula’s own breakfast would be served to her soon. For now, she wanted to enjoy the simple, perfect order of the garden…until a noise disturbed her tranquility. A dull, repeating, thudding sound that grew ever louder. Azula, dressed in her royal robes, frowned as she turned her attention to the sound.

Coming around a bend in the path was Soren, dressed lightly as he jogged down the path that went around the perimeter of the palace, connecting the training yard to the garden. He was sweaty and panting as he kept pace, inhaling and exhaling with intent and deliberation. As he made a turn around a tree, he noticed Azula standing near an entrance, holding her hands behind her back as she stared at him emotionlessly. Soren shot her a bright, toothy smile, but she only responded with a raised eyebrow. Soren slowed down as he approached the princess and stopped to catch his breath.

“Morning Azula,” Soren greeted her. “Up early too, huh? Just wanted to get some laps in.” Soren began to do some stretches, touching his toes before bending into a squat.

“Yes, I see.” Azula replied coolly. Though she made sure to be cordial with the siblings the day before, she could not help but be bothered by the lack of formality Soren was displaying towards her. “Is this what you usually do in the morning?”

“Pretty much,” Soren answered as he stretched his arms over his head, his large, well defined muscles flexing under his skin, gleaming in the morning light. “Got to train every day to stay conditioned, right?”

“But of course,” Azula said, with just a hint of playfulness in her voice. “Speaking of training, if you’re going to defend the royal family, you’ll have to be at your best, your very best…” Azula stressed the last part, catching Soren’s attention away from his stretches. “Soren, I would like you and your sister to meet me in the training yard later. I want to see what it is the both of you can do, and then improve it.”

“Okay…” Soren replied hesitantly. He was expecting Azula to be a bit friendlier, like she was during the tour. He hoped he had not done something to upset her, but he was glad to be given a chance to display his skill. “Sure, sounds good!” Soren smiled again. “I’m down for that.” Azula smirked back this time.

“Excellent. I’ll send a servant to get you when it’s time.” Azula turned to head back inside, but shot Soren an icy stare from over her shoulder. “Oh, and Soren? Don’t forget to address me as Princess Azula. And please jog a little less loudly.” Soren felt a chill run down his spine when they made eye contact, and he nodded stiffly.

“I will, Princess.” Soren replied. Azula smiled at him approvingly and left the garden. Soren was still for a moment before finally exhaling with relief. “Oh man, what was that?” He asked himself. “I thought I was so smooth. My biceps should have done the trick.” Soren sighed and grumbled before continuing his morning run at a slightly slower pace. “Next time, I’m breaking out the abs…”

From behind the doorframe Azula watched Soren jog. She smirked mischievously at the thought of what she would do to him later. The boy was a bit dense, but soon he would realize what he had gotten himself into. He and Claudia were the first new friends Azula had made since Mai and Ty Lee, and Azula would have to bend the both of them just the same way. The Princess would test their limits, then break them as she always did, as she always loved to do. When Soren was out of sight, Azula walked further down into the palace halls, finding a nice dark corner. She cleared her voice and spoke.

“You may come out now,” Azula called out. A second later, a man in dark green robes and a conical hat dropped from the ceiling. The man was a Dai Li agent, one Azula had brought back after she had conquered Ba Sing Se, and they would prove quite useful. He bowed before the princess. While the princess was giving her guests a wide range of the palace, she knew better than to just leave them unsupervised. They had to feel welcomed, but not allowed to simply do as they pleased. “Give me your report.” Azula commanded.

“The two of them are indeed not from this world,” The Dai Li spoke. “Their items, the material, the symbols and patterns don’t match any culture or civilization known to history. The girl’s bag contains books with foreign writings, animal parts, and other strange artifacts. The boy’s armor and sword appear to be steel, but even stronger than any the Fire Nation has developed.”

“And what else?” Azula asked.

“The girl lay awake for half an hour before sleeping. The boy slept quickly, but seemed to be dreaming.” The Dai Li answered. “He awoke an hour ago, went looking around for breakfast, and has been jogging around the palace for the last forty minutes. The girl woke up about half an hour ago, skipped breakfast, and immediately went to the library to study.”

“Keep your eyes on them, and make sure that they don’t go snooping where they shouldn’t,” Azula said to the agent. “And one more thing, the girl is developing a spell to create a portal back to their world. I don’t want to risk them leaving too soon. As sincere as they seemed, I don’t fully trust Soren and Claudia to return once they’re gone. Be subtle, and keep Claudia from completing her spell until I say otherwise. You are dismissed.”

“Yes, Princess Azula.” The Dai Li paused, then spoke again. “There’s something else; Prince Zuko has been seen visiting Iroh in the prison. That is all.” The agent saluted Azula before leaping back into the shadows. Azula did not like to leave things up to chance, and preferred to ensure everything went her way instead of blindly trusting in promises. As for Zuko, she would have a chat with him later. Azula was not about to let all her work bringing her brother back to the Fire Nation go to waste by having her traitorous uncle fill his head with doubts.

Azula walked briskly down the halls toward the Royal Library, a place filled with scrolls both ancient and new, full of history, legend, and myth. The double doors were cracked open, and Azula went inside to find Claudia seated at a desk, her satchel at her side, and scrolls rolled out in front of her. The sorceress was wearing a frown as she tried to read the writing in front of her.

“Find something you like?” Azula quipped. Claudia nearly jumped out of her chair in surprise, earning a playful smirk from the princess. Claudia caught her breath and grinned back.

“Morning Princess Azula,” Claudia greeted. “Actually, I just realized something,” Claudia held a scroll up in front of Azula. “I don’t think I can read any of this writing!” Azula quirked an eyebrow as Claudia went through the scroll. “I’ve been looking through these documents, and I don’t recognize these characters. I thought they were all magic sigils at first, but this is just how things are written.” Claudia rubbed her temples and Azula sighed.

“Yes, that is inconvenient,” Azula leaned against the desk and absent mindedly picked up a scroll to look at. “We might have to get you a tutor just to teach you how to write.” Claudia groaned in response and slumped in her chair.

“Awww, my research is going to be so slow…” Claudia picked up a different scroll and opened it. There was a drawing of two serpentine dragons creating a shape of a heart with their bodies. “Well, at least the illustrations are nice. Reminds me of my friend’s sketches…” Azula glanced at the title on the scroll and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, that one,” Azula scoffed. “That scroll isn’t important, just some sappy love story our mother used to play in, Love Amongst the Dragons…” Claudia perked up at the title. She let out a loud gasp, then began to tap the side of her nose with her finger as she giggled excitedly at Azula. The princess was perturbed as she stared back at Claudia, wondering what on Earth the sorceress was doing. Claudia reached for her satchel, then pulled out a large, thick blue book with golden letters and patterns.

“This is my copy of Love Amongst the Dragons!” Claudia practically shouted. “Can you believe it? We’ve got the same story in my world!”

“That’s an…incredible coincidence…” Azula replied, feeling even more confused now. How could this girl from another world have a book written about a Fire Nation love story? While Azula briefly pondered the implications, Claudia was already leafing through the pages and looking through the scroll.

“With both of these, I could learn how to translate your writing, assuming there aren’t too many differences in the copies,” Claudia said, her grin growing wider. “Oh, this is great. I wonder if someone from the Fire Nation ever came to Katolis? Well, whatever, I’m glad if they did. Learning your writing shouldn’t take me too long now…” Azula frowned slightly, unnoticed by Claudia. The princess had hoped that the language barrier would help delay the mirror spell’s progress, but who could have seen this coming? A classic Fire Nation tale written down in Katolis. Azula shrugged it off, sure that her Dai Li would do well enough to not let Claudia finish her spell too quickly.

“That’s wonderful Claudia,” Azula said sweetly and patted Claudia’s shoulder. “By the way, I’d like you and Soren to come to the training yard later. I want you to show me some of the tricks you’ve got in that magic bag of yours.”

“Huh? Oh, sure Azula!” Claudia looked up from her book and smiled brightly. “I’ve got a few spells I can demonstrate, just not too many. I don’t know if I’ll be able to prepare more later. Looking forward to it though!” Claudia went back to her book, engrossed in her readings, and Azula left her to her work, feeling just a tad off balance from their interaction. Azula did learn something though; Claudia loved knowledge. The princess could see how new discoveries could intrigue her, how experimentation could excite her, how unlocking secrets could tempt her. Azula took note of this observation, something to keep in mind for later.

The hours passed, and Claudia spent her time pouring over the texts before her, asking the royal librarian to read certain passages to help her translate the scrolls. She was already well on her way to deciphering the new language. Her stomach began to growl loudly, and Claudia realized that she had missed breakfast. As if on cue, a female servant entered the library and bowed politely.

“Miss Claudia, your lunch is ready in the garden,” She declared. Claudia smiled and shut her book before slipping it back into her bag and standing up from the desk.

“Lead the way!” The sorceress said. The servant lead Claudia from the library and outside to the garden. The sun was high in the cloudless blue sky, its heat bearing down on the ground below, and a warm breeze gently shook the blades of grass. There, a table was set under the shade of a tree, already covered with plates of food, a new assortment of meals from yesterday. Soren was already seated and having his fill when he saw Claudia and waved to her.

“Hey,” Soren greeted his sister as he carefully used his chopsticks to get a tiny morsel of pork-chicken into his mouth. “I think I’m getting the hang of these…”

“Hiya Soren,” Claudia sat down on the matt next to her brother and grabbed a plate. “I didn’t see you all morning. Sleep well?”

“Slept okay,” Soren answered with a slight frown. “Had this weird dream though. There was this scary woman in a window, who was all shrieky and weepy, that I was trying to get to. I don’t remember much else.”

“That is weird,” Claudia replied and nibbled on a bun. “What else did you do?”

“After that I went looking for the kitchen,” Soren continued. “I think they were already making us breakfast, but I got to it first. After that I just went jogging around the garden and did some more exploring.”

“Yeah, I completely forgot about food, I went right for the library,” Claudia responded. “They’ve got a whole other writing system from ours, but get this! They’ve also got Love Amongst the Dragons! Isn’t that far out?”

“I…guess so?” Soren answered with a quirk of his eyebrow, but Claudia did not notice his ambivalence.

“It means I can use it to learn their language. Anyway, I was looking through some texts about wildlife, and this world has some weird animals of their own,” Claudia explained. “All of them are like hybrids of our own. This beef here?” Claudia held up a beef strip with her chopsticks, dripping with sauce. “It’s actually from a cow-hippo!” Claudia grinned before popping the meat into her mouth and chewing happily. Soren frowned uneasily, but then gave a shrug and ate some as well.

“So, did Azula come see you?” Soren asked. “I met her here earlier, and she seemed…different? Like, more serious?” Claudia looked to Soren and gave a shrug of her own.

“She did come see me in the library,” Claudia replied. “Seemed fine to me. Why, what did you do Soren?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Soren began to say defensively. “I was just jogging around in the garden and doing my stretches and Azula was there.”

“Uh huh, anything else?” Claudia pressed him. Soren sighed and broke eye contact.

“I might have been trying to show off my muscles. Just a little bit though,” Soren answered. “She asked me to call her Princess. I didn’t think she was that kind of royalty, you know, the really snooty ones…”

“Really? She didn’t ask me that,” Claudia responded before sipping some melon juice. “Maybe she’s just messing with you. Oh, did Azula ask you to meet her in the training yard later? I almost forgot about that.”

“She did, Azula wanted to see how skilled we both are,” Soren said, then gave a grin. “Guess I’ll have another shot at impressing her then.”

“Soren…” Claudia sighed with slight exasperation and a playful smirk. Ever since her brother had begun his own training, he had always been eager to demonstrate his skill and athleticism. His instructors had told their father Viren how talented the boy was, and Soren soon grew fond of bragging and showing off. Claudia did not mind it too much though. She was glad that her sibling had found his calling, and a little pride would not hurt, so long as she kept him in check. It was important she let Soren have this, especially when she knew how much it meant to him. The siblings continued their meal until most of it was done, when the servant from before approached their table.

“Princess Azula would like to see the both of you in the training yard,” The servant told them. “Please, be there promptly.” The servant quickly turned and walked away at a brisk pace, as if she was in a hurry. The siblings wiped their mouths with their napkins and left the table to follow her.

By now Soren knew the way to the training yard, and when they reached the area, Azula was there waiting for them, along with her brother Zuko. Azula was dressed in a red outfit, less formal than the robes or the armor, and she stood with her hands behind her back. Zuko held two wooden dao swords and was slowly performing a kata with them, then stopped when he saw Soren and Claudia arrive.

“Hello Azu-Princess Azula,” Soren said with a smirk, quickly catching his mistake. Azula pursed her lips, but nodded to him in acceptance.

“Hey Zuko!” Claudia gave the prince a wave and a wide grin, not minding the deadpan look he offered her back. “So, you wanted us to show you what we’ve got huh?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Azula answered. “Why don’t we start with you, Claudia. What sort of spells can you perform?”

“Oh, so many spells,” Claudia said as she rummaged through her bag. “Where do I even start? I know, you’ll like this one,” Claudia pulled out a small bottle from her satchel containing a black spider with an orange pattern on its back. She opened it, allowing the creature to crawl over her hand. Claudia let the spider into her palm before squeezing tightly, causing its vibrant, orange insides to spurt over her hand. Zuko and Azula flinched in disgust, though Azula admired Claudia’s lack of hesitation in ending the spider’s life so swiftly. That kind of resoluteness was always appreciated.

“Semalf gnippiks gnipael.” Claudia’s eyes glowed purple, and the orange slime on her hand became a flame. She extended her arm and cast the flame into the air. It homed in on a nearby brazier, igniting it before leaping to the next one, until the all the braziers around the training yard were lit. Claudia’s eyes returned to normal and she grinned at the royals. “See, we’ve got fire magic too!”

“How very…quaint,” Azula said, then extended her own hand, palm upward. A blue flame ignited from her palm, its light glowing intensely. “But I’m afraid it doesn’t hold a candle to what us firebenders can do,” Azula closed her fist, extinguishing the blue fire as well as the braziers surrounding them. “I know you can do better.” Claudia frowned and thought for a moment, then pulled out from her bag her Primal Stone, an orb holding a maelstrom. Azula’s eyes lit up as she examined the artifact. It crackled with electricity, and the faint sound of thunder emanated from within its dark storm clouds.

“How about this then, a Primal Stone connected to the sky arcanum,” Claudia declared proudly. “My father gave it to me for my birthday. They’re extremely rare.” Soren rolled his eyes at his sister, but did not interrupt. “I don’t use dark magic with this, but sky magic instead. Like so,” Claudia extended her finger towards the grassy field outside the main court, and she drew a symbol in front of her. It appeared out of thin air, and glowed with magical energy, resembling two curved lines. “Aspiro!” Claudia breathed in deep, then blew out through her lips. Her breath went through the symbol and turned into a strong gust of wind. It blew across the field, whipping the grass and causing even the trees to sway back. Claudia placed her hand on her hip as she turned back to Azula and smirked.

“Alright, so you can airbend,” Azula said, mildly impressed. “I saw you use that object to create lightning though.”

“And I saw you made lightning yourself,” Claudia replied, stroking her chin with intrigue as she put her primal stone back into her bag. “That’s a firebending skill? Very interesting…fire spells are connected to the sun arcanum in our world, but here you can use fire to make lightning, a sky spell…”

“Firebenders do draw power from the Sun,” Zuko quipped. All eyes darted to him, and he simply stared back. “What? Every firebender knows that. So, you’re saying lightning is an airbending skill in your world?” Claudia shook her head.

“No no, the spell I used, Fulminus, is connected to the sky arcanum,” Claudia explained. “It’s not just air, it’s more like things to do with the weather, like the power of a storm. There are seven branches of magic, Ocean, Earth, Sky, Moon, Sun, Stars, and then Dark Magic. The first six are primal magic connected to primal sources of power and the world. Dark magic, however, is something us humans discovered. We aren’t born with magic, but we squeeze it out of magical creatures and use that instead.”

“Yeah yeah, that’s great Claudia,” Soren interrupted. “Can we save the magic lessons for later? We came to show our skills, not give a lecture.”

“That is correct,” Azula said as she stepped toward the blond boy. “I’d love to learn more about magic Claudia, when you have the time. For now, I want to see what you can do, Soren.” Azula made intense eye contact with the would-be Crownguard. Soren stared back, but Azula’s steely, piercing gaze was still unnerving. He shook it off and crossed his arms confidently.

“Okay, what do you want to see first?” Soren asked. “Speed, strength, skill? I’m game.” Azula smirked deviously as she turned away and gave him some space.

“A few tests then. Why don’t you show me how fast you are?” Azula cocked her head and smiled. “When I give the signal, run from the here to the end of the field and back again, as fast as you can.” Soren shrugged as he turned towards the field. He bounced on his heels a moment to warm up as he waited. It was a good several seconds of silence, and Soren wondered what was wrong. He turned to Azula with a confused look.

“So, are you gonna count down, or do you mean like-?”

“GO!” Azula shouted loudly, causing Claudia and Zuko to flinch. Soren was caught off guard, but he quickly bolted off, his feet pounding the ground. Soren’s legs carried him swiftly, and his heart was already pumping adrenaline. He reached the tree line in no time, and Soren slid across the grass as he turned and bolted back to the stone tiled courtyard. His arms swung fiercely and his lungs pumped the air. In just a few seconds he made it back. Soren wanted to put on a good show, but realized he was running right for Azula. The blond had to skid to a halt, and stopped just inches from the princess, face to face with her.

“Well well, you are rather quick, aren’t you?” Azula said, not batting an eye as she locked her gaze with Soren, who was sweating and heaving from exertion. “All those morning runs must pay off.”

“Yeah, he always won whenever we used to play tag,” Claudia chimed in and crossed her arms. “Except of course when we played inside that one time and he broke dad’s – “

“Shut up Claudia.” Soren shot his sister a nasty look, but she only stuck her tongue out at him. Azula walked off toward the weapons rack and took a wooden practice sword. It was straight, simple, and basic, meant to be used with two hands. She picked it out due to the similarity to Soren’s own sword, through it lacked a proper cross guard.

“Hmm, I’d like to test your skill with a sword,” Azula began to say as she felt the weight of the practice weapon, then placed it back on the rack. “But I think I’ll save that for tomorrow. For now, I want to see just how strong you are.” Soren smirked and placed his hands on his hips.

“Okay, what do you have in mind?” The blond boy asked. Azula steepled her fingers as she thought for a few seconds, then smiled and narrowed her eyes.

“Do some pushups Soren,” Azula said as she cocked her hip. “Do as many as you can.”

“Is that all?” Soren asked, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, watch and be amazed…” Soren got down low on his hands and began to push up. He started at a fairly quick pace for the first ten, then upped his game. Soren pushed hard, and clapped his hands together before falling back down on his them. Azula was not very impressed though, not yet. After several more claps, Soren changed things up again, switching to one-handed pushups.

The young warrior slowed his pace, but he was soon well past fifty repetitions and showed no sign of fatigue. Soren went from one hand to the other, then began pushing with just two fingers. Soren continued to change variations even further, switching hands with each push, then doing finger pushes into claps, and still not breaking a sweat. Now Azula was impressed, and so was Zuko, who wondered how Soren’s muscles were not tearing. Claudia meanwhile tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for Soren to finish his routine. Her brother always did this to impress the nobles’ daughters.

Soren was about to finish his set, when suddenly he felt a weight drop onto his shoulders. He stopped on both hands as he turned his head to see Azula holding a large sand bag, with one on his back. Azula smirked down at him. “Don’t stop now, please, continue. Like I said, do as many as you can.” Soren furrowed his brow at Azula, but he was not about to quit. He continued his pushups a few more times, then felt the other sand bag drop on him, increasing the weight holding him down. Azula went to retrieve more sandbags to place on him, and the weight kept going up.

“Hey, don’t do too much,” Claudia protested. “That might be dangerous.”

“Soren is free to stop when he wants to.” Azula replied with sugar on her lips. “We need to test his limits if we want improvement.” Soren grunted and turned to look at his sister.

“It’s okay Clods, I, unhg, I got this…” Soren grunted as he pushed. There was a whole hill of sandbags resting on his back now, and though his arms felt like they were about to snap, he pressed on. Azula had thought the blond would have reached his breaking point by now, but he just kept going, albeit at a much slower rate. Claudia was relieved when it appeared that the princess had run out of sandbags to add, hoping the spectacle would be over soon. Instead though, as Soren lowered himself down, Azula stepped on top of Soren, adding her own weight on top of everything else.

Azula was cut off as Soren, with one mighty burst of strength, pushed off the ground with such force that Azula was flung off of him, along with all of the sandbags. Soren rolled over and lay on his back, breathing deeply as he finally relaxed his muscles. Azula sat up and scowled at Soren, though he did not see her expression. The princess had not expected the warrior to pass her challenge. Azula had intended to break him, a way to assert her dominance over Soren, but she underestimated his strength, and now he made her look foolish. Azula was about to scold Soren, but he spoke first.

“Thanks…Azula…I needed that…” Soren said between breaths. Azula was taken back, and stared at him with silent confusion as the blond sat up. “I’ve never been pushed that hard before. Guess I’m stronger than I thought.” Soren smiled brightly as he and Azula looked each other in the eye. Azula squinted at him, trying to understand what had happened. Did he know what she was up to? Was he playing her game, or was he really just clueless? Azula could not tell, but it seemed that whatever the case was, Soren’s gratitude allowed her to keep some of her dignity.

Soren reached over and offered Azula his hand to help her stand, but she was too proud and stood on her own. Soren shrugged and got to his feet, giving his strained arms some stretches. “Alright, you clearly have some well-conditioned muscles. I can see why my guards we tossed around like rag dolls.” Soren smirked at her, but the princess turned on her heels towards the exit. “I think that’s enough for today. We’ll see how the two of you fare in a battle against someone more skilled than the usual rank and file. Same time tomorrow.”

As Azula left, Zuko eyed her suspiciously. He had seen her game enough times before, with Ty Lee, Mai, and himself, though it was rare that anyone actually rose to the challenge. He looked to Soren, who was now conversing with Claudia, and wondered if either of the two siblings had any idea what would be in store for them. The prince gave a sigh and a shrug as he left the training yard. He was growing more sympathetic towards the two Katolians, but there was little he could do once his sister set her mind to something.

“That was really pushing things Soren.” Claudia said as he took out a little bottle of ointment and gently rubbed it onto Soren’s arms.

“I know, that was awesome, wasn’t it? Even at camp they never went that hard on us,” Soren said with a grin. “Azula would make a great instructor.”

“Not what I meant Soren,” Claudia said as she put the bottle away. “I thought you were going to tear something for a minute there.”

“Claudia, it’s fine,” Soren frowned in annoyance. “I’m alright, and now I know I can get even stronger. I can already feel it! Ow, ow…” Soren winced as he felt his triceps. “But yeah, I hope I don’t have to do that every day. Think I’m gonna go relax at the spa for a bit, get a good arm massage.” Claudia sighed and shook her head.

“If you say so, Sore-bear. I’ll be in the library. Later.” The siblings left the training yard and waved goodbye to each other as they went their separate ways. Azula’s tests, though brief, had worn him out, but Soren felt excited. He could see now that Azula was the real deal, not just another dainty noble’s daughter, and he was looking forward to what the princess had for him next. Once he and Claudia returned to Katolis, Soren would be not just the youngest, but the greatest Crownguard in history.

#Azula #Soren #tdp soren #claudia #tdp claudia #avatar the last airbender #avatar #atla #the dragon prince #tdp #Zuko #fanfic #White Knight Red Queen

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ilikethemwings · 5 years

Text

Intro: “welcome to Interview with the Vampire”, the movie about the saddest vampires in the world

Amanda: already snorting

Welcome to: Erin and @deityofdeception watch Interview with the Vampire (her first time)

I’m so excited

Amanda: *looks at Anne Rice*: “she looks like she would write this book”

*Antonio appears onscreen* me: “I love him so much”

A: “why are we in San Francisco? Me: “..... that’s where he lives?” A: “but I thought. okay. I’m just gonna go with it”

me explaining why it’s the 90s:

“it’s...

the interview....

with the vampire”

*looking at interviewer* A: “hm. he’s gonna get murdered.”

“told ya he’s gonna get murdered” (he has not been murdered)

A: “that’s how they show he moves fast? using a whiplash sound?”

A: “uck, they did the thing. with the hands.” (talking about their bad nails)

Louis talking, Amanda *quietly*: “Oh please”

once again: “he’s gonna kill him”

Louis: “I couldn’t bear the pain of their loss” A: “So I hung out in a graveyard”

A: “I feel very defeated” Me: “Why?!” A: *offers no explanation*

A: *faking incredulity* is that Lestat?

A: “there’s no way that’s not Lestat”

*whore drops to her knees* A: Oh! *pushes hands to cheeks*

Lestat pulls Louis into the air, A: “what? this is very homoerotic. also why are they flying”

A: “wait, you said he had to drink the other guy’s blood” me: “he’s not turnt yet!”

A: “uck. what a drama boy.” (I forget which one this was about)

general facial expression: dismayed skepticism

Me: “they love the light but they can’t be in it anymore” A: “kay. that’s kind of sad I guess”

A: “there’s nothing about this that is not homoerotic”

A:“he just wanted a vampire boyfriend that’s literally it”

me: “he’s so gross. he bleeds all over his lace.”

A: “good makeup though.”

A: “he’s secreting. just not, on screen.”

*angel statue opens eyes* A: “ooh, ooh, don’t like that”

A: *about Louis*: “Don’t be so dramatic, this is stupid!”

me, @ Lestat: “Gross. brush your teeth.”

A: “ew, no, that is entirely too much tongue.” Me: “I don’t think it’s the tongue we’re worried about.”

insert snapchat video i sent to @branchlikeatree

A: “was he squeezing the rat? that’s not! that’s not how anatomy works! i don’t know, maybe for a rat it is”

Lestat: read her thoughts, Amanda: what? , Lestat: read her thoughts, A: *sighs*

A: “oh there’s that stupid thumb thing again”

A: “why did she kiss his nose??”

A: *poodle dies* What?! *hides in blanket*

A: “oh, look at that flyline”

A: “what an ASShole”

Lestat: “life without me would be even more unbearable”, Amanda: “yeah, i stand by my statement”

“the nails!”

A: “is he gonna murder all of them? he’s gonna murder all of them”

A: “uck, those sleeves! honestly it’s a miracle he doesn’t set himself on fire on this scene”

A: *about Lestat* ooh, he mad, me: *chokes on donut*

sorry, multiple minutes of snapchat videos

“there’s no movie that’s too serious for bloopers”

A: “oh look at all those rats, capri suns..... oh no, I was kidding!”

A: “why is he walking like he’s injured?” Me: “because his heart hurts” “oh...okay”

A: “so they’re her dads”

A: “he has a gif-- hnnnnn the gift is the kid”