|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return_to_Metropolis Crew
|
 Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:46 am
 Shadow:
City Name: City of Shadow
Population: Approximately 65,000
Trades with: City of Spirits, City of Metal, City of Ice
Architecture: The homes and buildings here are like large black metal towers with giant domes on top that are made of a strange black substance that does not seem to be metal. These domes are actually made of solidified and shaped shadow courtesy of the local mages.
Trades With: City of Spirit, City of Metal
Magic: Shadow Mages powers allow them to bring shadows to life and even reshape them into creatures or objects of their own design. Their other power allows them the traverse through, and influence, the dreams and nightmares of others who do not have the same power, unless they are weaker than them. When the take a shadow for use in their magic, and do not replace it again (meaning they made it into something permanent), it takes that shadow a full 24 hours before it regenerates. Sounds impossible, I know, but it’s true! That’s just shadow magic for you.
Surrounding Area: The City of Shadow is located in the Shadow Forest, more precisely, the part of the forest located at the base of the Ice Mountains. The city itself actually has the odd habit of moving to a different location within that area each night as the sun sets. This is done so that the city is located in a fresh area of shadow for the mages to draw on.
Residents: The people of The City of Shadow are dark and mysterious. They all seem to have odd physical quirks about them. Some have small wings on their backs, others hooves, others tails…they are a strange and varied race. The only things that all the residents have in common are their horns, their dusky grey skin, and bright red eyes; they also tend to have darker hair. For clothes, they prefer things in dark, muted colors; dark purples, greens, browns, and reds, as well as black are the norm around this city. Their clothing is close fitting and highly decorated with little touches of detail varying from extra belts, to fancy lace.
Daily Life: Like the people from The City of Spirit, the people from The City of Shadows spend their entire day inside their odd homes doing any number of things, but mostly sleeping, as they are nocturnal. Before their Mage Teacher disappeared, this was also when Mages in training would go to school in the tower at the center of their city, until about noon. When the sun sets and the city had changed places for another night, the doors to the towers that hold businesses are opened and the citizens go shopping, or visit friends, or whatever else people do when they’re out and about. Some towers have restaurants, others have clothing stores, each business has its own tower. The homes of the wealthiest citizens are also the largest. Like all the homes, they have a black tower made of metal, which supports a dome on top. These domes tend to be larger for the rich, and some can even afford to have branches built jutting out of their original tower in order to support extra domes for more space. The result is something like a strange, alien forest made all of black metal and shadows.
The City of Spirit provides most of the food for The City of Shadow, because the Shadow City is constantly moving, and would be unable to keep up with any fields it planted. The City of Metal provides all the metal for the towers that make up the Shadow City. Once the shell of the tower is built though, the Shadow mages take over from their.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:21 pm
Veela Fenrir was nearly in hysterics when she reached the door of her daughters home and began pounding on the door. It was early, just a little past dawn, so she wasn't surprised when Kafka appeared at her door looking rumpled and rather cranky in her robe and slippers, clearly having just rolled out of bed. Her mother took little notice though and threw her weeping self at her daughter, wrapping her arms tightly around her.
Kafka looked surprise, red eyes widening slightly, mind jolted into wakefulness as she noticed her mothers upset state.
“Mother...Mother what's wrong?” the woman demanded, looking around the street her mother had just walked up as though trying to spot someone or something chasing her. Seeing nothing, Kafka pulled Veela in through the door and closed it behind her before leading the weeping woman up the stairs and into the main part of her home.
“I...your father...H-he...” Veela managed to choke out as her daughter made her sit down in a chair before pulling up another for herself.
“Father? What happened to him?! Is he alright?!” Kafka said, worry increasing when her mother mentioned Malaki.
“He...He's gone!” Kafka's mother sobbed before breaking down into tears once more.
Kafka was shocked, and the sighed almost irritably as her mother started crying again. While she was a powerful mage, Veela had never been known for her levelheadedness or calm thinking. The shadow novice did her best to calm her distressed mother, and was finally rewarded for her efforts with more information.
“Your father and his entire teaching staff are gone! Vanished off the face of the earth!” Veela sniffed, dabbing at her tear stained eyes with a handkerchief. “I woke up this morning and he wasn't in bed like he should have been! He didn't come home before I went to sleep last night, but that's not unusual, you know how much he works. I wasn't too worried when I woke either, as your father's fallen asleep at his desk more than once.” Veela said with a choked laugh before continuing “So i went to go see him but...but...when I got there, everyone was gone! Your father, the staff...everyone!”
Kafka sat back, mind reeling. It was several moments before she could speak again. “Have you...have you told anyone?”
“Yes,” Veela said, “I sent a message to the city leader...and then there were some of the students who where there when I found out. I sent them back home though.”
Kafka nodded dumbly, hardly listening. Gone...her most beloved father was gone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Return_to_Metropolis Crew
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 12:55 am
Kafka Fenrir paced back and forth across the familiar living room of her parents home, clearly furious. Her mother sat on the edge of a chair, watching her daughter, red eyes blazing angrily. Between the pair of women the tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Kafka whirled around and glared at her mother as she faced her, making a cutting motion with her arm as she said “I'm going and that's that! You will not stop me!
Veela lunged to her feet and glared back at her daughter, shouting “No you will not! I have lost your father already, I won't lose you too!”
“Stop being so...” Kafka sputtered, enraged by her mother's defying her will to go find her missing father. “Stupid! You're being stupid!” She screamed back, clawed hands balling into angry fists, four black wings flaring angrily out behind her.
“You dare insult your own mother this way?! You should be ashamed of yourself! I'm not going to let my daughter run off on some wild goose chase to go find someone no one else can find!”
The two women stared each other down, red eyes glowing fiercely, the shadows of the room around them were whipped into a frenzy by the tempers of the two shadow mages in the room, dancing about like things gone mad.
“I'm going and thats it! I'm an adult now, mother.” Kafka hissed. “I know I can find him!”
“But how? How can you know that?!” Veela said, disbelieving, temper finally falling from anger to distress. “What if I never see you or your father again?” she demanded, tears welling up in her large red eyes.
Kafka pulled back from her face down with her mother and sighed heavily. She hated it when her mother cried. Around them the shadows fell back into their normal states, ceasing their madcap dance as the anger of the two mages faded.
“I just...I just know. I can't explain it any better than that.” Kafka said, lowering her voice as she spoke, putting one hand to her chest and saying “I have this feeling, it's telling me to go go go...leave and see great things...”
Veela watched as her daughter's bright eyes got a far away look in them, something that had been occurring since she was just a little girl, listening to her father tell tales of times long past. The black haired woman gave a resigned sigh. She knew there was no stopping her daughter, not now.
“Alright Kafka...but promise you'll be safe?” her mother said at long last, a sad look in her eyes.
Kafka snapped too when her mother spoke, a smile lighting her face. The shadow novice would have left even without her mothers permission, but things were better this way. She didn't want to leave on bad terms with one of the most important people in her life. People may call her selfish, snobbish, and even uppity when her back was turned, but she did love both of her parents.
“I promise mother.” she said with a small, slightly sad smile as she reached forward and embraced her mother.
Things moved quickly after that. After promising her mother time and time again that she'd be careful and write as often as she could, Kafka left her parents home and went to her own and set about packing. She had sat staring at her bag for several minutes, wondering what she should even bring. She'd never been on a trip out of the city before, especially not alone. Finally though she decided on the essentials and moved on from there. By the time she deemed she was ready to leave, it was already dawn and most people were beginning to go to bed for the day, as was custom in their city. She could almost feel as the city moved position, it sent a quiver up her spine as she felt the massive wave of power wash through the city and then fade once more, signaling that it had settled once more in a new position.
Kafka shivered with excitement and hurriedly donned her back pack, taking one last look around and then hurried down the narrow spiral stairs to her front door. She exited and locked the door securely behind her. She gave her home one last look over and then turned her back on it and headed down the street as the early morning light poured down from between the domed towers.
The city had landed unusually close to the edge of the forest, something it rarely did, making Kafka blink in surprise. She couldn't help but smile back at her home as she was leaving. The way the sun glinted off the black metal towers and shadowy domes almost made her think it was saying goodbye. A foolish whim, but one she liked to entertain in the back of her head as she headed off down the road towards who knew where.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 7:43 pm
Kenji hummed a soft tune to himself as he walked down the streets towards the grocery store that was near his house. Today was 'off day' for his father and himself, which means that they'll get the whole night to rest up and take a break from the cafe.
Besides, his father had promised to take him to see the mage teachers today and he had been looking forward to this day for the whole of last week. It made him smile more than usual, and even the cafe's regulars had noticed it.
"Hey, Kenji! How's you and your father this fine night?" The shopkeeper, an elderly but kind looking man asked as Kenji entered the shop. "Looking for something for dinner again?"
"We're fine, thank you." Kenji nodded, feeling comfortable speaking with the shopkeeper. He had known the man since he was just a child, and he was like a doting grandfather to him. "Yes... I was hoping to cook something extra good up today. Do you have any new supplies? I'm sort of in a hurry today... Sorry if I sound rude..."
The old man laughed, pointing to a crate on the edge of his counter top, "I packed some new food for you, all fresh goods. I'm going to do it every week when you shop! Makes it more convenient for you, eh?"
"Thank you!"
"You're most welcome! It's free too, for today, since you look real cute with that smile of yours. It's been ages since I've last seen you smile like that." He replied with a soft chuckle as Kenji turned a deep pink at his compliment.
Then, he suddenly turned serious, and glanced around nervously before turning his voice down to a whisper. "Kenji, don't take me for my word, but some of the ladies who came by here just now... They told me something most unbelievable! Scary to think about, even!"
Kenji took the crate from the counter, his blush creeping away as he turned to the old man. Blinking, he tilted his head to a side as a weird feeling surfaced in his stomach, "What... What sort of things?"
"I've heard... That the mage teachers have all vanished!"
Kenji went numb for a moment as he tightened his grip on the crate, almost feeling too afraid to believe his own ears. Swallowing down the lump that had formed in his throat, the teenager finally opened his mouth, "Van... Vanished? But... But..."
"Yes! Vanished! Gone! Disappeared! Unbelievable, is it not?"
Just as Kenji were about to reply, the shop's door opened and a pair of middle-aged women walked in. The old man quickly regained his composure, greeting them as they entered. He beckoned for Kenji to leave, before turning back to his costumers.
The teenager walked out of the shop and out onto the streets. Everyone walked past him as he made his way back home, ignoring him as 'just another person'. He had always been a loner, but he saw his new found powers as a key to a door called 'friends'.
"But now they're gone... All... Gone..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:36 pm
"I need to look for them... The mage teachers..."
"Kenji, listen to me..." His father sighed, wondering if it would had been better for him to never had discovered his powers. He had always wished for his son to grow up being a confident and happy young man, but not in this way. "It's better for you to stay and help me. I've already lost your mother, and I'm not going to lose you as well."
"Father, please," Kenji sighed, looking down at the floor, afraid to look his beloved father in his eyes. "I've always wanted to believe that I could stay here forever, being contented about who I am. When mother was around, that was what I had believed in. However, when mother passed away... I... I..."
"Realised that I can't be here forever to be with you too," His father finished the sentence for him, knowing full well that his son could never finish that sort of sentence. For the first time in his whole fathering life, this was the first time Kenji had spoken so strongly against him. It was also the first time he had seen that 'confident and happy young man' attitude in Kenji's eyes.
"Father, it's calling me. I really have to go..."
"It? What's this 'It' you speak of?"
Kenji looked up, and accidentally locked eyes with his father. He felt a surge of sheer determination through him as he gave a gentle smile. Walking towards his father, Kenji shook his head, "I don't know, father, but what I know is that I really have to do this. Trust me... I'm not a kid anymore, you know... I'm old enough to take care of myself, and to travel out of this city..."
His father reached out, pulling his only son into his arms as tears started to stream down his cheeks. He smiled as Kenji returned the hug, "You're right. You've grown up... Your mother and I are glad that you came into our lives. Be safe, and I look forward to your return. Quick, go before the city moves again... It's nearing dawn..."
"Thank you, father."
Kenji pulled away from his father's arms, and grabbed the bag lying on the table. He had already packed some food and a bottle of plain water, along with a few pieces of his favourite clothes into the bag. Taking one last look at his living-room before he stepped out of the house, the teenager quickly sped away.
"My dearest, did I make the right decision in letting him leave?" His father sighed, eyes still moist with tears, as he closed the door. "Please let him stay safe..."
Kenji moved away from the city and towards the forest, following his instincts. Just as he was about to enter into the forest, he felt something moving behind him and saw the great city moving away. Kenji smiled sadly to himself as he walked away, the image of his weeping father on his mind as the sun started to rise.
"Don't worry, I'll come back home safely... For the sake of mother and you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
