Ettermire Nights

[Chidori Draconid]

(closed)

“I have to say that statement was a little close minded of you, Sir Tailwind”

The beautiful Avakra Ambul followed her statement with an evasive sip of her Coronian Pinot Gris. Chidori didn’t have to be able to hear thoughts like his love did. He was pretty sure she was thinking some regretful thoughts as the long table of ten couples partially consisting of Raiaeran High Elves and Raiaeran sympathizers fell silent to her accusation. A few seconds of said silence passed as the table awaited Sir Lorban Tailwind’s reaction. The Raiaeran diplomatic aid did not rejoin. Instead he stared down Chidori with his jade Elven eyes. The message was clear. Lorban wanted Chidori to put his woman in her place. The young deity stared back at Lorban with his starburst grey eyes with only one thing to say.

“…Ditto.” The dinning hall of the Ethiopia Estate erupted in gasps and words of astonishment. “I happen to agree with Avakra. We really don’t know if the best of Alerar’s technology could have been effective against the likes of Xem’Zund. Why is that? Well Alerar’s forces were struck with tunnel vision. They wanted to defeat Raiaera instead of presenting a united front against the necromancer, but why try? You wouldn’t let them support you ten thousand years ago in the War of the Tap, so why would you allow them to support you now?”

“They claimed that our magic was ineffective against the Forgotten Ones.” Tailwind said with restrained frustration. His pointy ears seemed to twitch with every word.

“What? You High Elves can’t take constructive criticism? And this isn’t just an issue of tactical preferences that differ between the two cultures. It’s a matter of general wellbeing. Your forefathers could have been a little more open minded not just to see if the Dark Elves had effective tactics ten thousand years ago, but also to keep the peace within the ranks. But they insisted on having things done their own way, which only postponed the advances of the Forgotten Ones, and made it easier for them to get as far as they did only two short years ago. Imagine how things might have gone if this entire continent was under one Elven banner, or at least two allied Elven banners.”

“This is preposterous!” The Raiaeran noble said as he began to push his decorative wooden chair out from behind him. He rose and bundled up his cloth, and his wife followed suit. She was just as offended, while Chidori and Avakra looked at them with polite smiles. They had won. “I will not sit here and have my nation and it’s people criticized by two young… What are you?”

“Complicated.” Avakra said as she received a delightful peck on her honey tone cheek from Chidori. “And it was you who criticized Alerar and the Drow first by saying ‘Alerar’s technology is useless.’ Let me tell you something. The extravagant architecture of Eluriand and Velice Arta is technology, the saddle on a horse’s back is technology, and that mage’s robe on your back is technology. So if you truly object to Alerar’s drive to further our world just like our ancestors did to get us where we are today, then strip naked.”

“That is it! Mark my words, the both of you! When I…”

”Lorban!” The voice of the Goddess Nu Gua echoed throughout the room. As Raiaerans they did not recognize her as a deity, but they knew that she was above mortal and the mistress of the Ethiopia Estate. “I’m all for a healthy debate, but you don’t want to go saying something you’re going to regret.” The Elven man and his wife sat down calmly almost like children who were being placed in time out. They all turned to see Nu Gua stepping into the golden light provided by the giant lit fireplace. She was holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and its quark in the other. It had been a long time since Chidori had seen his hostess dressed so extravagantly. She was wearing a pearl white dress that fit her body so snuggly that one could see the curvature of her flat stomach.

Oh my! Chidori thought upon catching glimpse of Nu Gua’s figure. The young deity almost immediately covered his mouth. Avakra could hear auditory thoughts, and that certainly was one if he’d ever done it. Like Chidori, she had divine origins. She was the daughter of Apa, the godly personification of the ocean, who dreamed of her for a few hundred years until her infant self washed up on the shores of Corone twenty three years ago. Her abilities came from her father and the way he conceived her. She was a master manipulator of water, and she had a variety of psychic powers which were working against Chidori at the moment. He turned to meet the condemning gaze of Avakra’s amber eyes. Yup. She heard that, and she knew he didn’t like red wine so it had to have been something about the goddess hostess. She sat there in silent interrogation until he finally admitted to it.

“She looks better than I thought she did.” He said in quiet shame. Avakra kept waiting for more. He knew what she wanted, which was exactly what it was about Nu Gua that caught his eye. This was a loosing battle for Chidori. She had always felt unconfident about her looks when comparing herself to Nu Gua. They both had a beautiful figure-eight shape, but Avakra was more petite and tone built for dancing and fighting, while Nu Gua was voluptuous and curvy. Nu Gua had a bigger or prettier everything, and Avakra felt like a little girl that shrunk in her shadow. It didn’t matter that she had caught him thinking the same thing about her countless times since they had met. There was nothing Chidori could say that would result in a happy mate for the rest of the evening. She was a good actor though. She would save her disappointment and frustration with him for when they were in private, but knowing the consequences were right around the corner would make the evening worse. Nevertheless the young deity decided to give her the truth. “I didn’t know she had such a flat midsection.”

He had taken too long to say it. “I have a question. If there was any part of me you could change, what would it be?” How the hell was there a right answer to that one? To be honest Chidori never thought of anything like that. He didn’t have the time to. He was busy loving the parts of her that he did like.

“What? How could you ask me to do tha…” An idea struck him. This idea would make up for his thoughts and more. “Why don’t we wait until we’re in private for me to answer that question in great detail?” The young deity had to hold in a chuckle, knowing that his love was filled with fearful speculation, but he made sure to think visually for the rest of the evening to make sure she couldn’t hear his plans.

The rest of the evening was an obstacle even for Chidori. Even after the altercation between them and Tailwind, people found themselves drawn to the two young deities. Chidori was still embracing and affectionate, and Avakra was still very much receptive to him. They would see no more than a half an hour go by without at least a quick kiss. If the opportunity arose, Avakra would lean on Chidori’s shoulder and wrap her arm around his silk black suit. The two of them danced with such precision and grace that others would stop just to observe Avakra’s sparkling green dress float about. They were a beautiful young couple, and even married pairs admitted to considering them the epitome of romantic unity. Surely the two of them succeeded in igniting old flames among the seasoned couples. Chidori could only imagine what they were capable of if Avakra was all there, but she wasn’t. That’s why Chidori was so excited to see the last couple wave goodbye as their carriage took them through the peach orchard in the front of the property.

Chidori hastily led Avakra hand in hand down the long white corridor of the Ethiopia Estate until they finally came to his bedroom, where he practically kicked open the door. Just as they crossed the threshold Avakra broke his grip and walked over to his mirror with crossed arms. She looked back at him through the mirror as he approached and wrapped his arms around her.

“Now to answer your question. If there was any part of you I could change, what would it be? Well I wouldn’t change your eyes of amber. I wouldn’t change your skin of honey for it tastes wonderful.” Just then he gave her a light bite on the neck. She couldn’t help laughing as her cheeks became cherry red.

“I wouldn’t change your silky black hair.” Chidori said as he ran his hands through her hair. It used to be very long reaching down to her calves. Now it only reached the small of her back.

“I wouldn’t change your lips,” He gave her a peck quickly before she could object.

“To be honest I really don’t know if there’s anything about you I would change. So here’s what I’d like to do.” He slowly pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders. “I’d like to inspect every inch of you and kiss every part that I like starting with your left shoulder.” He did so kissing her left shoulder.

Starting there the young deity made good on his promise not missing an inch. He went down both arms before he kissed her collar bone behind the pearl necklace she had on. Then he went down her torso, down each leg and everywhere else. It took a good three hours to make sure that there was no part on Avakra’s body that hadn’t been touched by his lips. Chidori knew good and well that he was a king, a divine creature, a God, and Avakra was a Goddess. It was his pleasurable obligation to bring her back to such a realization every time she forgot, just as it was hers. Together as one the body was gone, although it hadn’t disappeared. They settled down, demonstrating the love and beauty of it all, and leaving value and virtue behind. As far as the eye could see they could see no light but each other. It seemed as though the sun waited to rise just after the divine couple dimmed out. After all was said and done Chidori laid there in his white cushioned bed gazing upon Avakra’s sweat glazed silhouette in the light of the rising sun.

“You’re not going to be here!” Chidori was blown back as she suddenly sat up. He thought she had fallen asleep a good hour ago, but apparently not. “You’re not going to be here when I wake up! Why? Were we not in a good place together?”

Her involuntary precognition was hitting her, and hard. Her visions were never wrong. Everything that she saw would inevitably happen, so there was no convincing her otherwise. Chidori tried thinking of something to say as Avakra ran through the possibilities as to why he would leave her. Then he figured out what to say. It was the truth once again.

“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be here when you wake up. I could be cooking your breakfast, or lunch it may seem.” He rose to meet her gaze and embrace her. “But one thing I can guarantee you. If I’m not here it’s not because I don’t love you. I do love you.”

That’s all he had for her. That stroke of genius that led to a romantic evening was only temporary. Chidori pulled the covers over them as Avakra was clinging tight to him. The young deity fell asleep hearing his love whisper over and over…

“Please don’t leave me…”

“Please don’t leave me…”

“Please don’t leave me…”

*****

It was cold. Chidori was shivering it was so cold. He curled to his side and reached for the covers around him, but instead of grabbing the soft satin cotton composite, he had in his hands an itchy burlap fabric. The hum of numerous passing conversations with the unorganized beat of footsteps could be heard beyond his walls. Quite a few people occupied the Ethiopia Estate today. Maybe Nu Gua was having one of her legendary parties tonight. That would explain the hustle and bustle of the staff and occupants. He struggled to lift his eyelids, which felt as heavy as anvils, and was surprised to see that his room was not painted in the fair Raiaeran sunlight. That would explain the cold, but where was the warmth of his lover’s body? Avakra had made the prophecy that he was going to leave her and she had the audacity to leave him? The young deity sat up in frustration. Then it finally hit him. He wasn’t in his room. She was right. He did leave her, but how?

Chidori’s spacious room had grey carpets, white stone walls covered with elaborate decorations, and a soft, tall, wide white bed. The ceiling of his room had a painting of himself. This room had no such thing. In fact this room was the polar opposite. Chidori put his feet on the cold hardwood floor and explored his tight quarters. This room was of minimal provision, with a small bed, a dresser, and a closet. It had no windows, but a dull grey light crept through the wooden structure of the building. The dresser had an impressive variety of clean neat clothes stuffed in its drawers, a variety greater than Chidori’s at home. That may have been because he had a limited sense of fashion, which he demonstrated here by picking a black cotton tunic and pants with a silver silk sash to hold it all together, his usual choice of color. Just out of curiosity, the young deity opened the closet to see what was in there. There was nothing but a mirror, but it showed him something that he wasn’t prepared for.

The young deity froze in astonishment as at what stared back at him. It had his starburst grey eyes and his short wavy orchid hair. The stature body of a dancing fighter, the long eyelashes, almost everything unique to Chidori Astram Draconid was there. His caramel skin was now ashen black, and his humble Human ears were now pointy and long. The young deity was now in a Dark Elf body, and just when he was getting used to his Human form. This had to have been the doing of a God Chidori knew, and if they went through all this trouble to transform him and take him away from Avakra they probably went the whole nine yards. At that realization Chidori ran down the small flight of stairs and rammed open the front door.

In front of him was a busy brick street dominated mostly by Drow. This was what he had heard moments before. It wasn’t the hustle and bustle of the Ethiopia Estate staff; it was the hustle and bustle of an entire city. Out here one could hear the sounds of metal clashing and smokestacks exhaling in the distance. The air was thick with humidity and carried the faint smell of sulfur. He looked up and there was no cerulean sky, just a grey cloud cover. A towering smokestack breathed fire into the sky like an angry dragon, and its flame carried through the low hanging clouds like a burning piece of paper. Wait. That wasn’t cloud cover. That was the signature smog of the Alerarian capital, Ettermire.

“!*@& $& #*@#?” The young deity covered his mouth. He just spoke in a different language. He assumed it was Drow, but he understood it and repeated in a whispered tone, “What the hell is going on?”

“APRIL FOOLS!” A Drow from in the middle of the street screamed. People stopped for a moment in reaction to the disruption, “Hahaha! I am good! I am good! This is a knee slapper right here, most definitely. You didn’t see this coming, Chidori, but your little girlfriend certainly did.”

That was it! Chidori didn’t care who this man was. He seemed to be responsible for this situation, so Chidori was going to burn him to a crisp with his Stellar Energy. A few seconds passed, but Chidori couldn’t feel the seven Chakras inside him tingling. There was no blue incandescent aura.

“Your mother has stripped you of your Stellar Energy, and your father has stripped you of your Dragon Tongue. This was their idea by the way. They believe you need a change in scenery if you are to return to heaven a full fledged God. I’m just the one that carried out their will.” The unnamed man was certainly a God. Chidori could sense it as he approached him from the street. “I’m Loki by the way. Nice to meet you… Again.”

Chidori certainly knew that name. He should have recognized Loki’s light voice and quick speech. Loki was in that crowd of shifty trickster Gods. They claimed not to take any sides, and only did so for self interest or amusement. If Althanas fell into a world war Loki would easily play all sides like pawns in a game of chess, making one move then running around to the other side of the playing board just to ponder the next move. For the moment the shape shifter God had silver hair to match his eyes. He was shorter than Chidori, which meant he was very very short for the average male on Althanas. He was dressed in what looked like a royal Alerarian suit. The young deity was silent; doing what his love had done to him the night before, staring at the target until they spilled the beans.

“C’mon, Chid Kid. Let’s walk and talk.” The two of them started down the busy street. Ettermire was cleaner than most people made it out to be, however the Dark Palace could be seen just a few blocks away. They were walking in that direction. “Do you know why you’re here? Silly me. Why am I asking you that? Of course you don’t know why you’re here. Well, you’re here to further open up your mind to other cultures besides Raiaera. You’ve been cooped up in Nu Gua’s Ethiopia Estate for too long, so they thought why not take you to the polar opposite of Eluriand, so you’re here in Ettermire.”

“That’s ridiculous. It was my mother who brought me to that place, and it was she who told me that I couldn’t leave Raiaera after my encounter with the immortals. They’re treating me like a child!”

“Remember she lifted that rule like three weeks ago. Anyways I have more to tell you. As you know you have been stripped of your Godly powers, but you’ve been given something much more critical to your place here.” Loki pointed at a classy pub across the street from the two of them. “There’s something wrong with that structure. Tell me.”

A chaotic storm of numbers ran through the young Drow’s head. Parameters, angles, and pounds interacted with each other in equations. It was crazy and strange. If he were to put it all on paper it would be a slapdash combination of numbers and signs, but Chidori somehow understood it all. He knew the exact height, width, length and volume of the building to the nearest inch. Then the cracked pillar second from the left of the front colonnade began to glow in his vision.

“That pillar.” Chidori pointed. “If it were hit just above that crack at the right angle with the right force, the entire façade would go down blocking the entry way. It might actually pull the rest of the building down with it.”

“Good job. You’ve been given fifteen years of detailed knowledge in physics, geometry, chemistry, aerodynamics, and architecture.” That explained why the young Drow deity knew that what he smelled was sulfur. “You’ll need it for when you go in there every day.” Loki directed Chidori’s attention to a three story red brick building in the distance. A large number of royal guards stood at the front of the building, tending to those who entered and four cannonades.

“Am I to infiltrate that place?” Said Chidori with a faint smirk of excitement.

“No. That’s the venue for the Ettermire Royal Convention. It’s the first one ever. The Queen’s court has called fourth some of the greatest minds in Alerar to provide a ground to improve the nation, from civics to military. You, my friend, are one of the greatest engineers never to build an airship, so you have been invited. Just give them your name, follow suit and you’ll have your living here in Ettermire.”

“When will I get to see Avakra again?”

“In one week. Oh yea I almost forgot!” Chidori’s signature cane appeared in his right hand. “It’s no longer a sword. It’s a different type of weapon; a combination of two blades on opposite ends of the small pole. You actually may have an easier time with this than a sword. That’s all I got for you. Enjoy Ettermire.”

“Wait what if I choose not to…” Chidori turned to see that Loki had already disappeared. When he became a God he would never do that to anyone. Oh who was he kidding? Yes he would. He really didn’t want to do this. He wanted to be back in Raiaera with Avakra. That’s the real reason why his parents, particularly his mother, put him here. He knew that his mother, in all her omniscience couldn’t stand to see Avakra taking her place as the main woman in Chidori’s life. He was sure that that was the cause of all this.

At least Loki allowed him to sleep before taking him to Ettermire. The young deity was refreshed, and it was almost night time. Not that he could tell where the sun was through the thick smog of the city, but the public workers were walking down the street lighting the tall black street lamps as they passed. The small yard in front of the building of interest actually had grass, which was something he didn’t expect to see for a long time. He walked past carriages that dropped off individuals that made this place their destination as well.

“Name?” A soldier said as Chidori stepped onto the property of the convention building. He was dressed in what looked to Chidori like a Kyorl uniform. “This convention is invitation only. If you haven’t been invited you’re going to have to move along.”

“Chidori Draconid.” He had taken too long to respond again. That was a bad habit that he needed to break.

“That’s a strange name.” The soldier said as he flipped through the pages of the guest list. “Where are you from?”

“A suburb of Kachuck originally. A lot of the Trolls and Dark Elves gave each other cognomen and it kind of mixed.” Did that pass? Chidori hoped to the Gods that I passed. This would be a disaster if it didn’t.

“Oh yea. I know someone from there. He has a unique name as well. I hope you’re not offended by my calling it a strange name earlier. Ah here it is. Chidori Draconid. Please proceed to the atrium. The main meeting will begin in a few moments.”

The pair of giant wooden doors led into a large room of approximately fifty Dark Elves, and Alerarian patriots conversing and eating small snacks available at the concession table. Surprisingly Chidori didn’t feel out of place here. It was probably the social interaction that kept him comfortable. That’s what warmed him up to Raiaerans when he first encountered them. There was something about conversation that made him feel good. He was coming in just as the chandelier was being lit and the tall window curtains were being opened. They would probably get more light from the fiery stacks outside than from the chandelier inside. Chidori squeezed between the narrow passes between bodies and ducked under high arms carrying snack trays. He simply looked for a seat near the wall and sat there. The conversation outside with the Kyorl solder made him realize that he needed to keep his mouth shut until he got his background stories strait.

[Arsenic Ruin]

Groan

Shuffle

Turn

Turn


So that is how it went, turned in the bed that held me so secure with her warm hands, and soft caressing touch. In away she was my lover, and my confidant rocking me gently with a mother’s touch, and whispering into my mind the dreams, desires, and emotions that I dare not share outwardly. She held me together, while the covers the twins of good deeds and prosper acted as a barrier to keep me safe. And that is how it went for every day of my life, the bed my lover and the covers our kinder. Oh the joy I feel as I come back to her after months, or days of sleeping on the forsaking ground. The ground that chastised me for not spending any time with him, and leaving for that lover I almost cried out for in my times of adventure, maybe I was pampered, or spoiled. Then that is my reason for shunning her so now, as a cool breeze past through the room.

Soon the morning light bending against the rolling, sun struck fog woke me up. Eyes fluttered before being shielded, soft linen wrapped around my lithe frame like a cocoon. Stretching my arms out, caramel skin covering tight sinews glistened almost from the night sweats I have been having. Nightmares plaguing my dreams, as reckless actions often brought. My mind was pre-occupied as I didn’t even realize the significance of this day. More worried about what I dreamt about rather, than what I should wear. Touching on the foundations of bettering my swords mastery rather than, remembering the steps to the waltz, I was in shambles in more ways than one priorities hardly organized if ever.

I wasn’t surprised at all to see my own face looking back at me. My hair long sense changing from blue to a sandy blond, chalking such an instance up to maturity, or my mother’s lineage showing through finally. At any rate I felt it gave me a sort of foreign look. Running my right hand through it I inspected the scar on the side of my face from attending the Cell. Lips grinning as I reminisced about the epic battle, well epic for myself. Then my eyes lingered to an invitation that was on my dresser. Eyes widening as I realized my crucial oversight. The delicate curvature of the letters, written down on a stiff parchment as most invitations were now days, held embossed on the inside my name, along with a message.


To Arsenic Ruin,

I have pulled strings for you to attend the Ettermire Royal Convention. Enjoy, and mingle a bit.

Velkan Ra’unke


My eyes damn near rolling in the back of my head, as I realized that I would have to dress up, and the appropriate attire was so much more uncomfortable than my usual pseudo knightly dress. So my legs carried me hardly conscious to the wardrobe that my mother invested in, pulling out a black tunic, along with a pair of slate gray pants, and boots. All of which I carried to my bed, laying them down as I rummaged around for my cloak.

Coughing lightly, as I inspected my picking out with the clothes, grinning from ear to ear as I slipped it all on; careful not the make a mess of myself. While I wrapped the cloak around my shoulders sauntering over towards my trusted sword, Emilia I named it after my mother. The hilt gripping starting to wear from excessive use, and the scabbard was scarred marred and almost falling apart. The weapon was originally named Damascus but after the show it gave at the Cell I believe it served for a new name. Running my tongue along my lips as I strapped the weapon to my side, rolling my shoulders backward as I looked myself over in the mirror it was show time.

I walked from the small vestige, out towards Ettemire which didn’t take long. The bustling streets and the smell of sweets tingled caught my eye, and tingled my nose. Which was always the case, even if I went to Ettemire thrice a day; it would be the same feeling. Some knew who I was, but not many, but I could be picked from a crowd if it came to it. My young face, adhering to the trails of coming to age, and was starting to reap the benefits. Emerald green eyes holding a bounty of youth for this stage of my life, my hands calloused from holding my weapon of choice. My father would be proud to see me now, and he probably would see me if he wasn’t so bloody busy with the ladies.

Groaning I shoved my hands into the grey trousers I chose to where with the black tunic. Stepping up to the property of the convention, the guard was looking down to the guest sheet as I walked up to him. Keeping his head down only noting my shadow.


“Name?” He said in the generic unenthusiastic voice. Then he looked up at me, eyes widening as he realized who he was talking to then started grinning. “Well drop tar on me and call me a two headed sleez, Arsenic you ol’ codger.” The guard laughed punching me in the arm, I could only laugh. Then he slapped me on the back, over looking the guest list and ushered me in. Bringing me to face a table at the wall pointing to the man that had just sat down, I could only blink briefly as I wondered what importance could he have to me?


“Just told that guy” He pointed over to the man I just watched seat himself. “About you, not your name and all, but you know. Go have a chat with him he looks a bit out of place, not from here you know."


I chuckled bringing my right hand through my hair shaking my head soon after. Then I brought my hands behind my back nodding briefly before breaking away from the clasped hand on my shoulder. Stepping forwards to the table where the new guy was, sitting down before rapping on the table top.


“How goes it eh?”

[Chidori Draconid]

Chidori scanned the bodies of the room as he leaned forward over the oak table. Even though he had a large number of people to compare himself with, he still wasn’t sure whether or not he had the appropriate attire on for an event such as this one. Some went his way, with a simple tunic and pants. However, others wore what seemed to be aristocratic attire, characterized by stiff pressed fabric, high shoulder pads, head decorations, and gloves and boots. Even though the variety was there, he’d much rather be one of the better dressed in the room. Instead he was on the lower end of the spectrum. The realization of this killed his natural comfort and affinity for social situations, and he slightly hung his head in bashful shame.

“Excuse me!” Chidori said as he signaled for a man with a snack tray to come his way. He picked up an apple fritter with a thank you and shrunk back into his tiny bubble. The pastry on the tinny snack plate was something to distract him from the situation at hand. Like a timid chipmunk he would nibble on his food and occasionally look up to check for predators.

That was until one time he looked up and saw that a young man with a kind smile had sat down to his right. His hair was blue, which was a little more common in these parts. His cream skin complexion made him the bright dot on the dark side of the yin yang, thus making him the strangest looking member of the conference. He looked much younger than Chidori, and he was dressed just as casually too. This made the young deity feel much better, so he straightened up, smiled back and extended his hand.

“Steady as she goes. Chidori Draconid.”

At that moment a Drow in a Kyorl uniform stepped up to the wooden podium in the distance. Two guards at his side lightly stomped their tall halberds on the stage area causing a thunderous boom. That was the cue for the rest of the room to take their seats. Within seconds their table became filled with Dark Elves, and Chidori found himself once again shrinking back to his half eaten fritter as chairs dragged around and plates and cups hit the table. This was going to be an up and down battle for Chidori’s sociability.

“May I have your attention please?” The Kyorl officer projected his deep voice all the way across the room, as the sea of heads calmed. “On behalf of Queen Valsharess, her royal court, and the Kyorl, I want to thank you all for attending the very first Ettermire Royal Convention. We are all here this month to discuss the current state of our great nation economically, socially, militarily, and diplomatically, and what we can do to see a bright future in all of these aspects. I am Lieutenant Commander Iroto Utana, and along with my officers, who you will see standing along the back wall, I will be arbitrating this meeting. Later on tonight we will be separating you all into your departments of expertise, and you will have the opportunity to get acquainted with your Kyorl officer and peers. But before we do that I’d like to offer a bit of a history lesson as to how this meeting of great minds came about. It was only a month ago that I and some of my officers were in the presence of her majesty. We had just finished dinner and…”

A light hissing of two voices in Chidori’s left ear kept him from focusing on the Lieutenant Commander. The young deity kept his eyes on him, but that no longer helped. He glanced over with spastic blinking eyes, but they didn’t get the message. It was like he was invisible to the two men. It seemed as though one was telling a story as his hands went all over the place, and the other interjected with a question every now and then. He set his fritter down and stared the two of them down. They still didn’t get the message even as he leaned in towards them.

“E… Excuse me…” Chidori whispered as he practically placed his head between the two of them.”I can’t hear.”

They gave him a thumb’s up and apologized, but instead of shutting the hell up they just slightly lowered their volume. He had already asked them once, and they probably weren’t going to do any better if he asked again, so he returned to his fritter and finally finished it. Another waiter came by and offered another one. He needed something to distract himself from the rude pair, so he took two and offered one to the blue haired fellow to his right.

… He couldn’t take it anymore. “Shhh…”

They still exchanged whispers as if they hadn’t heard him. He knew they heard him. They couldn’t fake hearing that. The rest of the table heard him.

”Shhhh!” The two talkers turned to him along with the rest of the table. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. “I couldn’t hear.”

Success came at a price as always. Although the two talkers finally went silent the rest of the table considered him to be the disruption. No mind. At least he was able to pay attention now, but he had missed a lot. At least a dozen men and women were standing on the side of the stage.

“We also have some prominent engineering minds here today. Maybe they’ll have a new invention up their sleeves or…”

What did the young deity miss? Damn those two talkers. They had distracted him for that long! Maybe he could ask someone what he’d missed, but that would only make him someone else’s distraction, and he’d miss even more in the process of catching up.

“And now I’d like to introduce the youngest member of the engineering workshop, Chidori Draconid.”

The young deity widened his eyes and dropped his apple fritter upon hearing his name fly out of the mouth of Iroto Utana. A polite applause arose as he stood up and slowly headed for the stage. His heart was beating hard, seeking to free itself of the prison that was his ribcage. He honestly didn’t think he was going to make it up to the stage, but he did, and Utana stepped aside to allow him to have a few words. The podium was a breath of fresh air to the young deity. His legs had been shaking the whole way through and now he was able to lean on something before he broke his balance. The perfect gimmick then came to mind.

“Okay. I see how it is, Sir Utana.” Chidori’s belligerent tone sent the room in silent shock, “Bring the new guy up and embarrass him, why don’t you?” The audience’s reaction was a mixture of laughter, applause, and a collective sigh of relief. They got the joke. Everyone was new here. He continued, “I’m not going to waste your time telling you my whole life story. Quite frankly it’s very dull and short compared to all of yours. What I do know is that we’re all here to make a mark on the nation that we love, and that’s really all that matters. I hope we can have a productive time here. Thank you all for having me.”

The young deity stepped back and allowed Utana to take the floor once again. Chidori joined the ranks of the group of men and women who had already introduced themselves.

****

…“And for our final workshop, our security workshop. Some of our high ranking officials will be coming out of their shells soon, making diplomatic runs and speaking to the public about certain issues concerning Alerar. Our queen may even be in on that action a little bit, which is why we have called forth some of the greatest Alerarian escorts and protectors. The first of this group has showed amazing skill and potential for someone his age. I happen to know his father and I’m very happy to introduce… Arsenic Ruin.”

[Arsenic Ruin]

“And for our final workshop, our security workshop. Some of our high ranking officials will be coming out of their shells soon, making diplomatic runs and speaking to the public about certain issues concerning Alerar. Our queen may even be in on that action a little bit, which is why we have called forth some of the greatest Alerarian escorts and protectors. The first of this group has showed amazing skill and potential for someone his age. I happen to know his father and I’m very happy to introduce… Arsenic Ruin.”


Oi…I knew it was coming so I swallow the pill instead of biting it. I nod to Chidori as he passed grinning as to say “good show” coughing briefly into a gloved hand as I stood on stage. Pausing briefly as I looked amongst the crowd a few knew who I was, but still those who did were out numbered by those who didn’t. I was a young face, one probably too young to be here in the first place but I didn’t care. My hands grasped each side of the podium as I let my eye lids fall inhaling slowly. I rolled my shoulders back as I felt the light beating down on my head.

Old wounds starting to pain me in this moment where I would usually panic, trying to keep my stammering to a minimum as I opened my mouth. What to say? What do they want? Who exactly am I speaking to? Oi I knew this was going to happen. Oi I should have stayed in bed and pretended to be sick. Oi, oi, oi, oi…gallivant eyes skimming the crowd as I soon spoke my first word it seemed.



“Ahem…Hello, and welcome to this spectacular convention. Boy, I never expected to see myself up here, and how can I follow up a wonderful speech of our dear Chidori?”




I let a sour chuckle pass my face smile saying “Damn father, damn, damn, damn...” But I leaned forward onto the podium for emphasis on my words.



“What is there to say? We want a union aye? We want to bring peace, and make this nation rise to its fullest. Well this is not going to happen by me working alone. It was mentioned that there are other protectors here, my soon to be comrades. We are entrusted with the duty to put our lives on the line to protect, defend, and liberate this nation, and the next for the sake of our kinder. For the sake of the future, no one person is here to freely give their time to a dying cause. Nay, I say to you, no one will fight our battles for us. And the soldiers, protectors, mages, and all alike are our brothers, fathers, sisters, mothers, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles. And whatever enemy we face…they are not going to be kind to us. We have to take what we want, and I will give my all for the sake of preserving our rights, culture, and dignity. Thank you…”


I felt I gave a powerful speech, but what I felt may not be felt by the myriad of others that stared blankly at me. I felt out of place, maybe it wasn’t my time. But it was a speech that I was ill prepared for, and one that would present me with a standing ovation of I could have mustered it.

But I didn’t or I thought I didn’t until someone from the crowd stood clapping softly looking around to her peers. She was beautiful, stunning even but her small clap lead too many others would was only a sign that I did something right. Groaning I slid my hands behind my back, inclining my head forward to bow. Then I took a step backwards turning right I semi-marched from the stage to my seat. Rapping on the table lightly, as I garnered my courage to talk again, quirking a brow as I looked to my cross the table acquaintance

[Chidori Draconid]

Chidori tilted his head in confusion at the audience’s reaction. They were slow to respond to this Arsenic fellow’s speech, which he felt was much better than his own introduction. Chidori didn’t really give a speech. He just said “hi there” in a highly elaborated fashion. He didn’t get an applause; just a couple of warm chuckles at his joke. Arsenic, however, seemed to seek an applause after giving an inspirational oration, but the room was slow to react. It seemed as though they just weren’t sure if Arsenic was finished or not. Wait. He did say thank you at the end of the speech thus signifying that he was finished. The room just had a lack of formalities after listening to Chidori. So it was the young deity’s fault that the fair skinned elf suffered the way he did.

People cam up one by one as Utana introduced them, and they all gave their thanks to the Queen and the Kyorl for arranging this meeting of great minds. The sermons got old fast, and he was happy when Utana sent Chidori and his group back to their tables. At least in the audience he didn’t have to act like he was listening. It was ironic that only half an hour ago Chidori was struggling to pay attention and now as he sat back down beside Arsenic he didn’t even care about what Utana was saying. He leaned over with a smile and pointed across the table to the pretty maiden that initiated the applause after Arsenic’s speech.

“Is that the pretty lady who saved you?” he said as he jovially bumped his acquaintance on the shoulder. “You should talk to her after this. She’s cute. Besides, you owe her.”

Finally Utana was finished with his speech. The room started to hum with conversation as everyone rose and went to their respective workshops. How time flew. Two hours had passed since the conference started. There was no gray fog of melancholy outside now, just the fiery orange luminescence of the Ettermire skyline and the clean white glow of the streetlamps below. The view was unique. That’s the best Chidori could give it for now.

He followed the sign that said engineering which led him into a room with no windows. The brick walls were painted black. Not that one less observant than Chidori would notice. They were covered almost completely with blueprints of buildings, devices, and contraptions of all kinds. Like the other ten engineers he decided to circle the room and scan all these blueprints before taking a seat. One was of a building possibly slated to be the Queen’s second palace. Like her Ettermire home it would have to be rigged with the most advanced traps and defense mechanisms. The next was a flintlock rifle, with a more efficient caplock mechanism.

What stopped the young deity in his tracks was the blueprint of the airship. Its bulky body was hardly aerodynamic. The materials used for it may have been strong but they were extremely heavy. Why use this when they had access to lightweight mythril in Kachuck? Then there were these blots, these blank spots on the sides and in the back of the ship. The government didn’t want them to know how the engines worked. No matter. If the men and women in this room were half as knowledgeable as Chidori was, they would use deductive reasoning and figure out the general idea. The weight of the ship was on the bottom left corner of the blueprint. The engines had to push a substantial amount, an unnecessary amount.

“Ladies and gentlemen if you would please sit down, we will get right into things.” A familiar voice came from the door. It was Utana again. He was the manager of this particular workshop in addition to being the general manager of the conference. Everyone immediately found a seat. “I hope these blueprints sparked your imagination. You will be improving upon these and producing more while you are here, so why don’t we go around the room and give our name and an idea that we may be able to contribute to the wellbeing of this great nation of ours?”

Utana pointed to the end of the room opposite of where Chidori decided to sit.

“My name is Illrath Kis’herlin, and electric copper gates may assist in warding off intruders to that compound you have there.” Chidori already knew that he wasn’t going to remember any of these names. He was bad with names, but he would definitely be able to match a face with an idea.

“My name is Al’korina Starca, and I’ve been brainstorming a new water distribution system that may increase the output of our farms. That way not only would we be able to feed ourselves we may be able to export to other nations for a profit.”

“My name is Ixories Darksoar, and I have a rail transportation system in the works. It’s cheap, fast, and primarily for long distance. It would definitely be useful for transporting food and resources, but in times of war it would be an invaluable asset for defensive strategy.”

“My name is Loserith Calli, and I think we can add a spring cartridge of bullets to that flintlock. The wielder wouldn’t have to reload it every single time they fire.”

They finally got to him. “I’m Chidori Draconid, and we can definitely improve upon that airship.” He said as he smiled and pointed at the blueprint. “Is that your only model?”

Utana narrowed his silver eyes in intrigue. “No, but I consider it our best model. I’m the captain of one of these.”

“Would you like to be the captain of a better ship?” Chidori said with a smile as he leaned on his cane.

“We’re open to new designs. That’s why we have it up here. What were your thoughts?”

“Well I can understand a titanium haul. These ships are meant for war, but it’s extremely heavy, and to the best of my knowledge Alerar doesn’t have much titanium in its boarders. Why import that, when you can just get mythril from Kachuck? It’s lighter, stronger, and within our own boarders.”

“Well, Kachuck is under the control of another, less loyal military regime. Plus the Dwarves who mine those shafts are their own people. Even if we did have Kachuck, we’d still have to negotiate with them.”

“I guess we’ll have to get down to doing that then. Until then, we can make the body of the ship more aerodynamic, and the inner frame could be wood. That would eliminate some of the strain on the engines and make the ship much faster and efficient.”

Utana smiled as he took the blueprint off of the wall. “Alright. Why don’t you take this home with you tonight? Make two models, an improvement of this one, and a model of your own. The weight of the engine is seventeen tons, give or take some. It can always be modified for your design.” He rolled the blueprint up and handed it to Chidori. “Protect this with your life!” Chidori looked up to see a crinkled face of urgency and silently nodded as he took the blueprint.

He sat down and they continued their meeting. It was brief, but with introductions out of the way they would discuss things in more detail tomorrow and the weeks to come. All the other workshops sessions ended at the same time as his. The entire fifty patriot population poured out of the building at the same time, but many of them stuck around, socializing in clumped masses in the grass yard. The young deity stepped outside with a smile on his face. He was excited as the numbers, scales, angles and shapes in his head came to form the most ingenious airship ever known to Drow.

Chidori would deal with that later though. It was time to hang out. Now, after finding his niche the young deity felt much more comfortable with his surroundings. With his newfound confidence he stepped up to a group of Dark Elves and introduced himself. To his delight they opened up the circle to let him in.

[Arsenic Ruin]

Knights and guards alike.


My lips curled as I was nudged in the side, almost goaded by my tableside companion to talk to the woman that nearly saved my skin. With a deep breath I started to stand, but in the moment I chose to step up to the plate, I was shuffled off to my own workshop. Obviously it wasn’t meant to be, but I could hardly get her off my mind. I was young; she looked to be about three to four years older than myself. But she was courteous enough; maybe she thought I was much older. Or that could be a youthful whim, but whim or not she must have been long gone by now. Probably she was just a visitor scurrying the streets so soon in hopes of finding a means of occupying herself.

But there I was wondering about this mysterious woman that was ever so gracious to me. My eyes averted to the dismal gray skies. The room that I was stuck in was filled with the lingering smells of metal that seemed to make my teeth cringe together. The inhalation of which caused me to damn near gag on my own spit. But it was a smell you started to get familiar with. Soon enough though, I was lost within the murmurs of the crowd of guardians that seemed to follow with the separation of the larger group. My right hand was neatly tucked under my chin as I was lost within my own daydreams. Soon enough those too would be interrupted.


Another unmindful nudge…


I was shoved again, not forcefully, but it was enough to throw off my concentration of the lovely angel for a second. That was enough though to make me skip depression of forgetting her face, to going to being pissed at my fellow swordsman. But I soon came to when I realized that all eyes were on me. A few of the more seasoned knights snickered, whispering like a women at the gossip table about me. Quirking a young eyebrow I found myself grinning, the upper half of my mouth on the right side twitching. The nervous chuckle, the scratch against the back of my head, and then the stammering speech.


“Eh…”


An intro that I would kick myself in the butt for afterwards, anyways my hands moved quickly to my sides standing at attention looking to the rest of the crowd. Bowing forward quickly to regain what little respect I may have had after giving the speech. Apparently the others were giving their introductions, but shouldn’t close to all of them already know me?


“I am Arsenic Ruin, I do apologize for being poorly prepared for this meeting. OR for this part rather. I am nothing special or noteworthy, just a young squire aiming to make his service available.”



With that I took my usual seat, though a bit more irritable than usual, I did allow my thoughts to trail to mother. Wondering how she would be doing, but yet again I was pulled from my open eyed slumber thanks to the bustling after the meeting was over. Lips curling as I was partially relieved, sauntering outside the last of the pack. But I realized I should catch up with my tableside counterpart. And what better place to look for an inventor than the watering hole, or as known to the public El'inssring, it was time for me to take a swig myself.

[Chidori Draconid]

After a few moments of talking Chidori determined that he hand found the right bunch of fellows to hang out with. This was the younger, more humble half of his engineering workshop. It seemed as though every few seconds they were breaking the stereotype that was brought upon by the rest of Althanas. They smiled, laughed, told innocent jokes, and patted each other on the backs. The previous night’s argument against the Raiaeran suddenly came to the young deity’s mind. That was when, after warming himself up to them, Chidori decided to ask them a peculiar question.

“What do you gentlemen think of High Elves?” The question was followed by half a second of contemplative silence.

“I for one hate Raiaera, the High Bard Council, the Bladesingers and that sect of ultranationalists that want Alerar gone.” Said Ixories, the Drow with the rail system idea. “That said, I have no problem with individuals at all as long as they have no problems with me.”

“I find it particularly difficult to seek to see the world if one has a problem with every other civilized species of Althanas. My father assisted in the rebuilding of Radasanth centuries ago. He hated Humans, High Elves, Dwarves, you name it, but he had to get past that to live and work with those people while he was there, and he ended up making good friends and connections.” Al’Korina, the only female of the group followed her statement with a smile. “I cannot lie. I’m going to be suspicious of anyone, Dark Elves included. Everyone’s has to work to earn my respect and favor, and some may have to work a little more than others.” The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Chidori leaned on his cane and smiled. He was happy to see that the best of Alerar was practical minded. Yes, there were people like this in Raiaera, but they didn’t hold the power. At least Alerar was allowing them a chance with this convention. The young deity’s smile was wiped off as he saw the other half of the engineering workshop. They were everything Althanas thought them to be. There was not a smile on anyone’s face and every chin was up in the air. This handful of Dark Elves sauntered on by in a loud silence. It screamed “We are real Drow. The rest of you are simply imitators.”

That was when Chidori decided to make it his mission to put this group, who had gained his favor, into power as much he could. It would be a long and arduous task, and he would have to begin as soon as possible, but he knew exactly where to begin.

The group took their time, but they migrated to a popular bar not far down the street. It was the same bar Loki pointed out to him, El’inssring, the bar with the structural flaw. He was almost too afraid to step inside but he did.

[Chidori Draconid]

The wood creaked with every step on the front porch of Ettermire’s most illustrious tavern as the group of Drow, including Chidori, made their way into the front door. The flawed pillar glowed bright blue in his vision where the structural flaw lay. He couldn’t help but stare as he passed it by.

“Chidori.” Ixores chimed in breaking Chidori’s train of thought. “We’ve got a table. Are you ready to eat?”

Chidori nodded and reluctantly followed the party into a relatively calm tavern. This was a strange bar to him. The average tavern was thick with tension as occupants remained eerily quiet or turbulently loud. Newcomers would receive the attention of the entire room just for intimidation’s sake. The constant threat of a bar fight breaking out loomed over all. None of that was the case here. This was less of a tavern and more of a restaurant, where patrons cared little about anything besides their own company. There was an abundance of civilian women here, which was a tell tale sign of a safe place. The fact that this wasn’t so intimidating actually shook the young deity a bit simply because he wasn’t used to being in a safe tavern.

He sat down with the rest of the group at a round wooden table near the dead center of the large tavern. There was a classical guitarist near the corner of the room, whose song echoed about. People had to speak over the music. Chidori decided that he would have to order but a small snack here. He wanted to keep the rolled up airship blueprints in his hand even as he ate.

“Hey!” Loserith said with a smile as he knocked on the table. “Chidori! Are you listening?”

He raised his head to his colleagues around the table, exposing an embarrassed look on his face. “Sorry. I’m just taking in my surroundings. I’ve never been in here before.”

Loserith made a big smile with an audible laugh. “That goes to show that you haven’t been in Ettermire for long. I can guarantee you that we will be here quite a bit. This is the most entertaining establishment with the best drinks and food without risking a fight.”

A waiter set a few beers on the table. The light gathered in the ale of the tall glasses making it seem like they were all luminescent.

“Since we are all here why don’t we make a covenant?” Al’Korina said. “No matter what goes on we will meet here on the fourth day of every week. Not just to keep in touch as our work with the convention separates us, but also ensures that we let some of the pressure off.”

“A sound idea.” Ixores raised his glass of beer. Al’Korina and Loserith followed suit, but their toast was halted by Chidori, who was frantically doodling on a napkin.

“Chidori!” All three of them said in frustrated unison.

The young deity raised his head out of his napkin.

“Here! Fourth day! Every week!” Loserith said as he thrust Chidori’s glass forward.

“Sure! Sure! I think I can make the time for that!” They stared at Chidori with a deadly condescending gaze, not unlike that of Avakra’s gaze the night before. He leaned forward with a determined look and with a quiet voice, “Alright. I will make time for this with the fourth day of every week.”

“Well why don’t you go home for tonight?” Al’Korina said with a chuckle. “It looks like you’ve been afflicted with tunnel vision.”

[Vorin]

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