《Crutch: Origins by Spoon》 Notes for readers/Prologue ((Mature Content Warning: Story will include references/situations of sex, drugs, profanity, and extreme violence)) This is quite literally the first story I will be ATTEMPTING to write. I have no idea where I am going with this I sort of have general guidline and idea of what I am trying to accomplish but a lot of the characters might feel hollow until I flesh them out. Inspired by an old roleplaying server I used to play on.. References to external sources are purely coincidental as the names were used by players on the server likely referencing things I have not heard of.. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Origin of All Things No one knows how it started. The first families washed to the shore of Astoria with nothing but what was on their person and absolutely no knowledge of who they were or what they were doing there. Instinct is a powerful thing and driven by the urge to survive they pit their skills together, an old man caught fish by wading out into the water, while three brothers walked to the forest and gathered wood. One man collected everything everyone had and pooled their resources to figure out how best to use them. Rope from a climbing kit, string from a sewing kit, several needles, three long knives, a pouch full of gold, several small seeds and a some flint. Later that night when all had gathered they each listed what skills they knew and gave themselves names by their purpose. The first was a woman with bright, pure blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Her belly was swollen, and clearly extremely pregnant. Her beauty was unrivaled and her presence elicited mixed feelings from her benevolent smile. Lust, warmth, love and awe. "I know how to cook, I am deeply in love with fire and I will take the flint so that I may light your fires and keep you warm. You may call me Astar for I wish to burn as bright as the sun." Astar spoke before taking the flint and starting a fire, stoking the gathered wood while listening to the others. The next was a tidy looking man with a critical eye. He was bald and portly and had a frown etched into his face that showed great desire yet unsatisfied, focus so great he all but ignored the glory of the blonde beauty. Stepping forward he picked up the purse of coins. "I know how to efficiently organize and plan, I desire these coins for I understand their value. I will lead all of you, and if you listen you will come to see while you will have to work hard you will all survive in the end. You may call me Anoble" Anoble spoke before stepping aside he began immediately counting his coins while frowning. Next was a comely woman with warm auburn hair she had a gentle expression that expressed a familiarity and deep care, her belly was swollen as she was obviously with child and it explained the alluring glow. "I desire the seeds. With it I understand the way things grow as I have something growing within me. With just these few I will return a harvest many times over to feed my son. You may call me Anew" Anew spoke before lowering her head humbly. The three brothers approached and the first one walked forward and quickly snatched a long knife from the pile standing triumphantly he sneered with a menacing look, he was not unsightly however his nefarious intent was obvious. "I will take this blade, and with it I will take your lives!" He cried out before attacking one of his very own brothers! Lifting his hand to the blade he quickly, rationally sacrificed his hand to stop the blade which severed the limb at his wrist. Letting out a bellow he used his other hand to smash the offender. At the same time the third brother grabbed some rope because he could not bring himself to take arms against his kin and the two together wrestled him down before binding him. After the scuffle which truly only lasted a few moments the man who grabbed the rope stood up and decisively decided to introduce himself still breathing hard from his exertion. "I know what is right and wrong,if you step our of line and do not listen to me or you will be bound. You may call me Alaw" Alaw shook his head at his disruptive younger brother, bound now and unconscious. Picking up one of the blades. A hissing sound was heard as the second brother buried his stump in the flames before howling in pain. Setting his anger onto the one who caused his pain he growled as he promised out loud. "I know the way of the world.. For what you do unto others so shall you receive with interest! You will call me Akarma" Akarma said as he harbored his grudge his one good hand clasping the second blade and holding it close. The two brothers proceeded to argue amongst themselves on how to deal with the third before the third leapt up from his state and threw sand at everyone gathered before fleeing into the dark screaming "You have not seen the last of Asin!" Asin''s voice faded into the distance although he watched from the forest, wanting all he could not have. Seemingly unperturbed the next stood up and picked up the string. This man was huge he easily dwarfed even the biggest of the brothers and the string in his hand looked almost insignificant between thick fingers. "I know how to make things even with what small things we have here. You may call me Aidea" Aidea spoke before taking some sticks and tying them together to create a spit over the fire, gathering some stones he began to make a few makeshift items as he listened. Finally the old man came back from the sea with arms laden with fish which he deposited near the fire. On a closer look he was gaunt and bony, his appearance was haggard and frightening. He said nothing as he stood there before drawing in the sand a single word. His name. Agrave He then looked on to the others he had a patient look on his face as if he was waiting for the inevitable. He even bent his worn back over and started digging with those bony fingers in the sand. Suddenly another figure appeared. Pale as the moon he had raven black hair and dark intriguing eyes that burned with a mysterious energy, in fact it snapped and crackled about him and he strolled forward with an ease that said he belonged here and everyone suddenly felt like they were children caught in the act of sneaking into someones yard. They even noticed a figure being dragged behind the stranger. It was Asin! The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "What is this..?" The stranger tilted his head as he observed them, eyes focusing on the fire before widening as a realization dawned on him that only he understood as he suddenly became enraged. "You dare!?" Like a madman he threw himself at those near the fire. Shocked those gathered did the only thing they could think of, instinctively they fought back. The two brothers suddenly found themselves crushed to death by their third kin as he was thrown with inhuman strength. Next to feel his wrath was Anew, she crossed her arms protectively over her belly but it did little good as he thrust his hand forward and pulled out her heart dropping it on the pile of buried seeds. Moving a hand to pull the baby free from her womb he was about to dash it onto the sand before Aidea looped some string around his foot and yanked with all his strength causing the stranger to loose his grip and get pulled away, with no weapon in sight he picked the closest thing a flaming stick to bash the stranger. Instantly the pale man caught on fire and he howled in rage and it felt like the world, the air, even the stars shook with his rage. Driving a hand into Aidea''s chest he used hearts blood to try and quench the flames burning him before spotting Astar who had thrown all of the wood onto the fire getting it as large as possible. Still burning his skin was gone and the meat below began to cook he pointed a finger and rasped accusingly! "You..! Will... NEVER.. Succeed!" The energy in his eyes began to swim about in the air as it crackled and snapped with the dark energy that made up his being. Stepping over to Anoble he once again extracted a heart before sinking his teeth into it draining its power to give him the required energy for what he did next. Astar''s eyes lit up in a panic as she dimly began to recall her purpose she quickly opened her mouth and shouted. "I NAME YOU---" abruptly cut off as everything in the area exploded. Astar, Anew, Alaw, Akarma, Asin, and Anoble were all incinerated into ash along with the stranger, the blast was powerful enough to vaporize several thousands of miles of forest and ocean instantly. Ash and mist coalesced into an impenetrable barrier that slowly wrapped itself around the vast, endless land. Strangely there were several people left. The two pregnant women after bursting into ashes each left not one, but six children covered in their ashes which miraculously protected them from the flame. Six boys and six girls. The last figure was the silent old man who had just finished digging six graves. He watched them for a long time before he gave a sigh and hunched down. He began digging more graves. As he dug these children, clearly not your normal children began to grow. Like a plant that absorbs ash to grow stronger they quickly rose in height and age, miraculously before huddling together giggling at the sensation of their bodies touching. And so were born into the world were the many races: The Ashen. Still covered in the ash of their ancestors sin their skin is a mottled ashen color giving them a unique appearance they favor tattoos and possess a unique magic that relies heavily on piercings and their tattoos. Most common traits are bright red hair and yellow eyes. Average height is 5'' to 6'' (Equivalent to humans essentially) The Villyl. Ranging from obese to bony slenderness all Villyl are exactly 5 feet tall, although they have a wide range of other features like hair color and eye color. They possess a unique magic based on how much they consume they have tremendous appetites although they don''t eat food the feed instead on powerful emotions, although they can suppliment themselves on the lingering emotions of whatever is in the food they eat as long as it was alive at one point. Often found as scholars or in jobs that requires them to service many people. The Lings. A hermaphroditic species born from the intermingling of many races that consists of the largest range of diversity they traits in common with whatever animal or other race they resemble. They are considered a primitive race and occasionally they are enslaved or discriminated against. They do not possess any magical power however the have explosive reproduction rates and depending on the animal traits they can be extremely effective fighters. Average height ranges from 3 feet to 8 feet. The Worldborn. Eight feet of hulking muscle these large, powerful bodied race is one of ingenuity and creation. Most of the males are bald and the women braid their hair in dreads with colorfully dyed hair. They steer away from violence despite their large frame and able bodies preferring to create, even if their creations are used in violence. You likely would not want to back it into a corner though, when pushed to an edge they become berserk and can no longer differentiate between friend or foe. The Humans. A race of people who don''t excel at any particular field however they are masters of learning, despite the short lifespan their reproduction rate almost rivals that of a ling and their bodies possess the capability of learning virtually any trade or skill. Magic, Fighting or Crafting. Truly versatile species. The Earthkin. These are a race of short statures and clever minds, they build their homes in the hills in shires or in the tree tops. Their societies often blend into whatever landscape they live in. Most notable for their guile and ability to blend seamlessly wherever they go. Garrulous and friendly people! They drink like a dried sand and steal like shadows in the night. They are incredibly quick and deft they make excellent duelists and thieves. In fact most people are afraid of this race because if they don''t take everything you have they might just challenge you to a duel. Famous for illusion magic, they cannot learn any other kind. The Ashen; Velvet DArque-Youth 1 The City of Arque; capital of the Ashen kingdom Snap. The book is snapped shut. An Ashen woman sets the book onto the table before leveling a critical look at the object of her current frustration. This look, to be fair, is quite effective if it were to be used on anyone else as the woman was a fully decorated Aegis. Long purple hair fell in several braids to decorate her face with pieces of fetish and bone as a clip pinning a set of long bangs to the corner of her profile. Her revealed face had eleven piercings three above her right brow, two long, but thin barbels just to the left of her left eye, one on the right side of her nose, two along the peak of either of her cheek, one nestled below her bottom lip centered in the careful crook before her chin begins. Despite this woman being significantly older, almost ninety-eight years old in fact, she retained every trace of her youthful beauty. "I''m sorry, am I boring you Velvet?" The woman questioned rhetorically. Noticing the child struggling not to fall asleep. "Moom.." Velvet groaned "The Origin story is so boring. I spoke to Teresa and she said when she was told the story everyone was human. Doesn''t that mean it''s fake?" Giving up all pretense she plants her forehead squarely into the desktop before letting it tip over to the side. Not even waiting for a response she continues "Can''t we talk about something more interesting?" Complaining "I heard some of the guards talk about vampires.. Can''t I learn about them?" Eyes widening with childish exuberance. "Manners, Velvet. One question at a time." Her mother Sylk D''Arque continued with a shake of her head. "Humans are ignorant dear, they think they deserve to be part of everything so they change the real story about themselves. It helps them cope with their shortcomings." Pausing as she gazed at her daughters pleading face before sagging her shoulders and letting out a little sigh "Velvet you''re so smart.. Why do you entertain these pointless stories?" Helplessly lifting her hands up. "Vampires don''t exist." "But Teresa said that that''s not true.. She saw one of the nobles chewing on the neck of one of the Vy-" Slap. "Velvet D''Arque!" Sylk chastised "We do not speak ill of the nobles, and you will never bring up those.. Creatures.. In good company again, am I understood?" Her mother had seemingly blurred forward and delivered a firm slap to her daughter causing her to immediately clutch her face and drop her gaze sullenly. Tempted to spite her and say nothing for a moment before the flash of defiance washed away. "Yes mother.." "Good.." Smoothing out the tight fitting outfit she gestured toward the door "Then go out and play.. We will continue your studies tomorrow." Quickly climbing to her feet she shoots her mother an angry look while holding her face before darting out of the room and out into the hallway. Velvet ran through the halls with a practiced air brushing past people because she was embarrassed about the large mark on her cheek. Escaping outside she gave a hateful look at the keep she lived in. Next in line for the throne the D''Arque family was supposedly direct descendants of the original six although there is no other evidence than an ongoing ruling line back to the beginning, or at least to the point where people learned to record things. Beyond that there is little way to verify. That made her a princess and with that title her life was full of classes on history, etiquette and strategy. Rarely did she have time to do anything she wanted to do, like find secrets. Ever since she could remember she had been asking questions non-stop which frightened many people because someone her age had an overwhelming intelligence. However asking questions was a very dangerous thing, it was a privilege to be able to do such a thing because if you asked the wrong question you might upset a Noble. Even a king bent his knee to a Noble, they were a mysterious group but in this world where the strong make the laws there was no one stronger than the Nobles. They say around five hundred years ago there was a riot in the human kingdom and a single Noble was dispatched and he settled it by killing a lot of people. Wandering towards the servants quarters to find Teresa, one of the few children old enough to play with her she spotted a figure she had never seen before. A human, but what stood out was her skin which was as pale as marble and utterly flawless it looked almost milky and soft. Hair that was so blond it borders being called silvery or white she wasn''t the prettiest girl but she had an edge of youthfulness that placed her around the age 18 from appearance sake. However what beauty she did hold was utterly ruined by the fierce expression on her face, if looks could kill this woman would have been murdering everyone in sight. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was a noble. The only ones she had seen were brief glimpses and while they generally just looked very pale the tell tale sign was the armor they wore. As if attempting to contrast their pearly white skin the armor was utterly black and it seemed to glow with energy, along with a sanguine cloak that fell all the way down to their heels. It felt wrong and it made people feel uncomfortable.. Like children caught where they shouldn''t be. Only this woman was different she held no such majesty and her armor was common, dyed simply black and she had no cloak and her hand kept clutching at the hilt of her sword. There was no refined Noble air although in its place was an unsettling sensation, a unconscious understanding as your primitive mind understood it was in the presence of something dangerous. The woman''s brow furrowed suddenly and she began looking around while doing so it looked like she was trying to force herself not to appear as aggressive as she does, which was failing miserably. "Faraday, control yourself." A deep voice filled the air as a true Noble stepped into view, the calm expression, the armor darker than night, the red cloak. On his back was slung a large staff with a horizontal blade that arched down parallel to the staff it was meticulously kept and showed signs of constant wear. "Do not make me regret my decision for bringing one so young." There are young nobles too? Velvet thought to herself as she eavesdropped. Not much was known about them but anyone who had ever seen one they only referred to each other by name and weighed all suggestions equally this seemingly offhand comment keyed in on a deeper social structure that the majority were simply not aware about. "Yes, Lord Kenshin" Faraday spoke before dipping her head before calming and the aggression melted away almost instantly although her hand was still glued to her blade. Did she call the other noble a lord? Velvet''s eyes widened, as far as anyone knew the Nobles were all the same status this was exactly what she wanted to hear and she bit her lip in excitement. This only helps prove her theory correct. "It''s just Kenshin here." He corrected her before looking her up and down and shaking his head. "Never before have I seen someone struggle so much after their baptism, perhaps -" He would stop suddenly before glancing sharply behind Faraday toward the emergency shelter. "Remain here.. They have begun the ceremony. I can feel it." With that Kenshin simply disappeared, from one moment of standing there to simply gone without even a blink. What is a baptism? She wondered to herself before jumping a little as she saw Kenshin vanish suddenly and couldn''t help voice her surprise by letting out a gasp "Huuh!" Wincing as she potentially exposed herself she quickly turned to flee not a moment too soon. A silver blur appeared before her eyes as she fell backwards in her haste to leave her vision narrowed on the point of a blade a mere inch from her face before she felt a small prickling on her cheek, a small vertical line was cut just below her eye giving her the appearance of weeping blood as the face wound began to bleed. Starring numbly at the blade she had yet to register what had happened. Starring down at her was an equally surprised Noble. "How did..?" The lingering question drifts off as a pair of dark eyes glue themselves to the tiny cut on her face. Velvet couldn''t move, she had never known fear like this before something primal, it was raw and it ate at her it was the type of fear that etches itself into your bones. Like a lingering question in the air that simply asks are you predator or prey? "Ah.." Faraday would lower her sword, her lips parted before she swallows like a drinking man after gazing at his favorite poison. "This.. Isn''t.. The place for you.." Her jaw moved to talk but it looked strained and she reached out a hand to the fear paralyzed Velvet thumbing away the crimson tear. "My apologies." The hand that wiped the blood off would tremble as she lowered it to her side. "Run. Now, little girl, and you might live to see another day." She ran. She didn''t remember getting up, she felt the sensation of air on her face as she sprinted like being chased by a bear. Of looking back for the smallest of moments as she watched the noble lick her thumb clean with an expression of utter bliss. The Ling; Youth 1 Silverleaf Forest near Midway; Ling Tribe: Last''ts A wizened, wolfish looking man with a fierce expression paced up and down a set route. He was currently overseeing the village youths in their training. Thirteen yearlings were gathered before him in various states of disarray and expressions of exhaustion. "Are you tired?" He asks while giving them a critical eye. "No!" They shouted.. Well most of them. "Yes!" a sole voice chimed. The other twelve all let out a soft groan, or mixtures of displeased noises while feeding dirty looks at the newbie. They were forbidden from speaking unless spoken to by an adult and thus could not properly warn new arrivals how to behave. A toothy grin stretched across the wolfish man''s face revealing abnormally sharp teeth with extended canines, not even attempting to intimidate, yet the children all went silent, they knew the meaning of that smile. Sharp yellow eyes focus on the yearling that spoke differently. "Come here, yearling." He commanded. Hesitantly the yearling crawled out from the crowd. All yearlings looked the same, for the most part, they had yet to reach the age where their biology would naturally pick a gender that would influence their future appearance. However that is not to say they were not easy to tell apart at the same time some were covered in a fine layer of fur and shared more animal features. This particular yearling had no fur yet and pale, blue skin although it''s cheeks were slowly turning purple as it was embarrassed. Two tiny bony nubs poked from it''s forehead and a tail peaked out swishing back and forth nervously hinting at it''s bloodline. For a moment the wolfish man looked surprised. "A Darkling?" he murmured to himself before shrugging, it didn''t really matter but it was exceptionally rare to find someone who inherited blood from an outsider, or what the other races call ''Oni'' however for the Lings it was considered a great boon as it would allow them to cultivate faster. It would explain why it was so tired however Darklings started training at the age of eight because their bodies can handle more stress, the rest of the yearlings were all ten and would begin showing signs of gender inheritance in a year or two allowing them to grow hair if they had not already inherited it from their bloodline. "Defend yourself!" He cried abruptly before leaping forward, holding his strength back he began to attack the yearling. Simple attacks aiming to maximize pain but not damage the actual body, it involved a lot of openhanded strikes. Eyes widening the Darkling began to frantically attempt to defend itself, trying to bat the large hands away or soften their blow but sadly it was of little use it''s uncoordinated body and limited strength was easily circumvented. Loud slaps filled the air as purple welts began to appear all over, this continued for ten minutes as everyone watched with grimaces until the Darkling was laying on the ground, utterly devoid of energy. "You lied, yearling. If you were tired you would not have had the energy to defend yourself." He spoke loudly, to everyone but mostly the downed darkling. "In this world, we Ling have no magic save that of the energy within our own bodies. We hunt with our bodies, build with our bodies and survive with our bodies. The path of cultivation is not easy it is something you must put forth your entire body and will into. If you lie to me then you have already lied to yourself, even now you have the energy to crawl.." Giving a glower to the rest of the group. "Since you lasted ten minutes, you are fortunate you will all run ten laps around the village, you have ten minutes a lap." Everyone''s eyes lit up with excitement, it only took eight minutes to run around the village! They set off almost at once before a bark caused them to stop. "I said all of you" He pointed to the exhausted Darkling who could barely climb to it''s feet. Another chorus of groans escaped them as they quickly gathered around the Darkling, helping it to it''s feet and supporting it as they ran. With the extra weight they would have to transfer from person to person and keep together or they would never make it in time, likely they wouldn''t make it regardless and be forced through more grueling training. A voice followed them as they set off. "In this world there are only two people you can count on. Yourself and your people. If we do not stick together we will die alone, etch your brothers and sisters into your heart for they will die for you in the future. If you do not want this to happen then you must grow stronger individually, so that when you come together even mystical force cannot stop you." The voice faded away as the distance grew. The Darkling was being supported by two other yearlings one was older than everyone else and had a head full of feathers that shot back horizontally along its head, they were a mixture of dark hues that gave an intimidating look. Most likely it shared the blood of a Many-Colored Roc which enabled the yearling access to an astonishing amount of stamina, allowing it to potentially run for almost an entire day. The second yearling was covered in a very fine layer of fur that changed color to it''s surroundings giving it a blurry outline as it ran and depending on which direction you''re looking at it from it would appear that the Darkling was only carried by a single person and simply had their arm stretched out. Most likely it shared blood with a Cheshire Cat. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Still reeling from the beating it stumbled along wearily, the first few laps it was supported by the first two before being passed off to in turn to other pairs and by the time the laps were finished the Darkling could stand on its own again. Standing with the others at the training square it noticed the wolfish man kept starring at it, so nervous at being under scrutiny it jumped when the instructor barked again. "That is it for me today, you will all attend Elder Coin for lessons after you eat. Take the time you have before lessons to introduce yourselves." With this the wolfish man turned and left, leaving the yearlings to themselves. It watched the instructor leave before letting out a sigh of relief, the beating it received was not kind at all and the bruises would not likely heal for a few days. While in idle contemplation it realized a silence had grown and looking around it noticed a circle had formed and it was surrounded before someone stepped forward. It was the Rocling. Almost instinctively they began circling one another in the center of the ring looking each other up and down as if sizing up an opponent while glaring at one another. If anyone other than a Ling saw this they might think something bad was going to happen, but in fact this was basic communication. The yearlings were forbidden from speaking common tongue unless spoken to by an adult, so they speak with their bodies. As they circle one another they begin to puff out their chest or raise their chin, tilt their head to the side or flick their hand or tail, establishing tells as each individual person essentially has their own dialect of an unspoken language. They were figuring out how to talk to each other. It didn''t take long, moments in fact since they are raised in the same tribe many nuances are the same it is only a matter of which appendage they favor to relay certain emotions. A scuff of a foot versus a dismissive wave of a hand could mean the same thing depending on your bloodline. The Darkling took turns with each person in the circle, stalking in circles until a ring had formed in the sand from their pacing. When the final member had finished they all crowded together, pushing their bodies against one another to show acceptance, this is perhaps the deepest level of bonding as the collective warmth both physically and spiritually is transferred. When this was all done they could finally talk. The Darkling took the initiative gesturing to the Rocling. Confusion. The instructor is displeased with me? Reassurance. He picks someone new every week. He would have found a reason, it is tradition. Satisfied with that answer it let out a small sigh of relief. Nothing else needed to be said really so they all moved on to eat. The dietary habits of the Lings would give any biologist nightmares, in fact the only reason the Ling do not overpopulate the other races is specific to this reason. Providing all of the required food for each palette is a challenge and it gives reason for certain Lings to live in certain areas because of it. Thankfully despite several unique food requirements around 70% of them ate meat, meat and vegetables, or vegetables. After they were finished eating they all collected a small cup and filled it with water. Following in turn the Darkling inquired this time to the Catling, who was perhaps the most difficult to speak to since it was constantly flickering in and out of sight. Curious. What is the cup for? Displeased. To drink poison. --------------------- Author note.. Don''t know why but when I copied this into the thing it only put in half.. It has been pasted appropriately and you may read the rest of this chapter now. The Vyllyl; Vile-Youth 1 Enclave City; Tower of Dissipation Not many races look kindly on the Vyllyl. As a race they are self cannibalistic, after a fashion, they are all exactly five feet tall and look literally identical with the same facial features as the next. The only difference is gender, eye color and hair color. There is one other way, although it is not always the best method and that is weight. Despite this they have absolutely no problem picking each other out of a crowd. This is due to a unique ability to their race called Aura Sight which lets them see the unique signature of someones aura and emotional state, as you can imagine there is not a lot of crime in Vyllyl culture seeing as if there is a single witness they can easily pinpoint who the offender was. It''s also why you can imagine why they are so reviled, since it is very difficult to lie to them when they can see your emotions. Although that is certainly not all the biggest reason is that they eat emotions. Simply by being near them they can absorb whatever it is you''re feeling like a giant leech. This has lead them to become a very calm and logical race since living near one another they are constantly feeding on excess emotion they are left with not much more then a calculating mind, which works well for them because they are perhaps the best mages in the world. The Ashen have a particular hate for the Vyllyl, this is explainable because the Ashen''s magic relies on imagination and ingenuity they enchant piercings and rarely they have people who can use ink magic letting them become painters or tattooists. They are a race of deep emotion and they use it to fuel their imagination. Hence the Vyllyl have a very bad relationship with them and their presence is considered poisonous. Currently a young Vyllyl man, named Vile is sitting in a feeding booth in the tower of Dissipation he is memorizing a spell calmly while he waits for his food. As a student of the Enclave Academy he receives his meals for free and like many students he eats very well and in excess. He particularly favors violent emotions and so he ordered a criminal. With the alliance of the races Humans are perhaps their favorite since they have an abundance of people they often trade scholars or wizards to Human cities to either teach or work to police the cities or villages and in turn they provide criminals and a steady trickle of tourists or exchange students. A second Vyllyl appeared and spoke in a toneless voice. "You''re meal has arrived" "Very good, please lead the way." Vile responded politely. Standing and following the second Vyllyl down into a basement where he was lead to a room that was empty save for a large cage where a large, angry looking man was babbling to himself. Occasionally he would stand up abruptly and scream violently. "I''ll KILL YOU ALL" He would scream, as if sensing someone had arrived before letting out a manic howl of laughter "Hahahahaaaa.. Watch you squirm." He was clearly deranged and there were two reasons for this, one was because he was unstable and violent in the first place the second was because his meals were drugged to produce extremely violent behavior, like seasoning your meat. Vile licked his lips in anticipation, even the stoic guide glanced enviously after Vile as he stepped through the doorway. It was an exact measurement the moment he passed through the threshold he was bombarded with rage, and madness. Drowning in the potent energy his eyes lit up and his hair began to glow in a quick flash before absorbing the latent emotion he greedily sucked in everything the man had to offer. In turn the angry roars stopped, the manic laughter vanished as a moment of clarity fell onto the man. A horrified expression on his face as he starred at his hands a piercing recollection from a mind forced into a calm state allowed him a brief moment of conscience at all the things he had done. A low, pitiful wail escaped him as he dropped to his knees and gave a hollow cry lifting his hands to his head as if he wanted to claw out the deeds. Vile''s eyes lit up again as a rare smile stretched across his lips. "Dessert.." He calmly waited for the man''s emotion to build and as he let out that hollow wail just before the criminal could lift his hands up to damage himself Vile once again sucked the emotion away leaving nothing more then a husk that fell unconscious, rolling limply over onto it''s side as Vile watched indifferently. Glancing down at himself he had swollen in size significantly his cheeks were rounded and his belly large as he had gained nearly fifty pounds from this single meal. Without so much as a second glance he turned and walked out leaving the escort to take care of the criminal. Having gorged himself he was feeling a little smug. The rare moments Vyllyl''s feel is after a large meal or when isolated from other Vyllyl for extended periods of time. This lasted until someone noticed his aura and sucked it away from him, this led him to be upset as even their culture it is considered impolite to eat a strangers feelings without at least asking and he was enjoying the basking until even the upset emotion was bled away and with nothing hindering the logical part of his brain he isolated those nearby before his eyes fell on the only person close enough with bright eyes, an effect that lingers for a minute or two after eating. It was a Vyllyl woman. In fact it was not just any woman it was his Master and she had a small little smile on her face. The more powerful you grow in magic allows you to effectively ward yourself from people feeding off you so quality teachers make a show of how they can reveal emotions. This, in a way is the Vyllyl form of beauty. People are attracted to emotions and if there is an emotion you can''t have you want it all the more. The allure is maddening although for a dispassionate people their muted emotional state simply finds it attractive. "Master, I wasn''t aware you were in the city." He spoke flatly having been drained he has no real emotions and only sought out the culprit to finish the trail of thought. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "Ahh..!" Flinging her arms out in a wild gesture before planting the back of her hand against her forehead as if she were like to faint. "How can I stay aware from you, Vile?" She teased ineffectively. Clearly playing with him although the scene brought many glares of jealously before the woman''s hair began to glow in a flash and it quickly sucked in all of those emotions. People blinked before moving on with the rest of their day. A small giggle erupted from her. "I''m not a student anymore Vile, so my meals are not free you have to be gentle with your poor master''s feelings!" Ambling on sweetly. "I see. You''re using me for Attraction." "My name is Allure." She retorted with a little sigh. "When will you lean the wards so I can tease you properly, I want to see what you look like when you blush." Pouting a little. Vile understood a majority of Allure''s actions were just for show, she wasn''t anywhere near as emotional as she portrayed she was just riling up people passing by so that she can catch a quick meal. It was a surprisingly effective strategy as the two began to walk and talk she slowly gained nearly thirty pounds. "Ahhh.." Letting out a small sigh "I always look forward to meeting you Vile, it''s always such a rewarding experience." Allure continued "But I didn''t come here just for a free meal, show me your mastery of the second circle.. If you''re not careful you''ll loose all that precious food." Reaching a hand out to rub at his stomach while licking her lips. Alarmed he quickly stepped back and threw his hands up. Words flowed from his lips and vaporous energy formed as he expelled it his hands quickly began forming an elaborate circle in the air with complicated inscriptions before drawing a second circle around the first and filling in the tiny gap between them with more lines. While this sounds like it would take a bit of time his hands were a blur of concentration and a barrier suddenly sprang forth, a round translucent bubble formed around him. He watched his Master who, this time, actually waited for him to finish his barrier before she raised her hands and opened them wide bowing her head down she began to inhale. Then he felt it, he watched as he saw his master, Allure, stretch out her aura around his bubble it started by forming into a point and striking the bubble, when nothing happened it widened and struck again like a flat surface. He was familiar with both of these tactics, the hard way, and thus modified his spell accordingly. A small confidence swelled in him as he watched his master''s aura striking at various locations looking for a weak point. "Aahh.. So much better then the last few times." Her words echoed, but there was a tone that suggested it was far from over. "Sadly you''re still lacking. I''m disappointed Vile I thought I taught you better then this.." Eyes widening he saw his masters aura suddenly spread itself out and cover his barrier in a thin layer that covered every surface, not able to spare the concentration to respond he immediately felt the trickle of his master''s aura sprinkling in like sand through the tiniest of gaps caused by a hastily written rune, he rationalized as he continued to watch with a muted annoyance. He watched his teacher loose ten pounds from the energy requirement for spreading her aura so thin like this but then he felt the attack, helpless before it he dropped to his knees and his spell shattered and he instantly lost twenty five pounds as she stole half of his weight. With her costs she came out on top with an additional fifteen pounds, before she stole another five with a giggle. "Round numbers are best." As she pat her now swollen stomach. "You''re doing so much better, if you had used a bit more patience I might have even lost that test... Tsk.. Tsk.." Pushing himself up to his feet unsteadily as he let out a sigh, it was insulting that she didn''t take away his sorrow at defeat. Allowing him to wallow in it only complicated things as he grew frustrated at her teasing. "Next time I will succeed." He promised. He had no other option, people considered him unlucky because he was assigned to Allure. The reason behind this is because she only gives you three times to master a spell after that she doesn''t stop feeding until you''re dead. Many teachers use this practice although they generally save such strict measures for people with very little potential. Not Allure though, she expected results and if you didn''t give them to her she wouldn''t waste her time with you they only gave people with excellent potential to her because she got results.. She also ruined several prodigies leaving them in states of incapacitated or simply dead. Her head tilted to the side before her pretty smile twisted and her face darkened. Lips pressed together in a thin line as her brow furrowed, she was bald and had a large Ashen tattoo on her bared head, it consisted of three large, perfect circles and it allowed her to cast spells silently since she didn''t need to form them in the air, they were already on her forehead all she had to do was channel her magic and the symbols appeared like sweat to fill in the space depending on the spell. Right now the potential for a nasty spell formed itself on her forehead it was a spell that would suck the life force from you, literally draining years from you. "I truly hope so, Vile, for your own sake." Running a hand down his cheek. With her head canted to the side it was done intentionally to let him know what will come next she had already prepared the spell and if he failed there would be no more chances. "Yes... Master." Dipping his own head down as a muted fear blossomed in his belly and he yearned to find a crowd where someone might absorb the unwanted emotions away. He remained frozen in place for a minute or two before realizing his master had already left and he found he had lost his trail of thought and was starring vacantly into space, apparently, all of his emotions had been sucked clean before she left, a small mercy.