《Defy the Legends》Chapter 7 - Part 5
Advertisement
Wiping her eyes, Lyric began collecting herself. Now that she'd cooled down, Kyoya sighed and leaned back once more.
"I was hoping we were the first to see that trap, but I guess something like this was inevitable… At least we were able to help." This day, he felt, had drawn on long enough; the peace and quiet of the evening couldn't possibly have felt any farther away.
"Heard. Maybe we should get headed back, then… I'm sure Alex and Altar are just dying to pick your brain again." Agreed the Seraph. She stood herself up and glanced about, Kyoya following suit. Though, the cat was quick to its feet after them.
It walked circles around the Miscreant for a moment, before jumping onto his back.
"Whoa!" He stumbled in brief from the surprise, but caught his footing afterward. From there, it rung its front around the back of his neck, laying comfortably with one end on either of his shoulders, its tail dangling freely by his left arm. "…Okay, I guess?"
"Hells yeah!" Lyric cheered, twirling over to him to pet their newfound accomplice. "Who'd have known you were a cat guy!"
"Funny you say that, 'cause I'm really not-" He began, though a shush from Lyric put a hard stop on his rebuttal.
"Lying is rude, Blue. Now c'mon, I've had my end of the deal fulfilled, so next on our to-do list is to do nothing." She asserted. Without any complaints, Kyoya looked to the cat, who's absent-but-aware glances to and fro answered his question.
"You think they'll let us bring her in?"
"No problem there. Ace and Alex both crumble when it comes to animals. Altar has his own feelings about it, but he can't really compete with either of them… see, he always wove these animals out of yarn that he'd fuse with his magic to basically make them seem alive, and unintentionally got his kids hooked on nature."
Advertisement
"Huh... word."
Lyric led them in a cruising stride back through the grove, either of them silently anxious until finally merging back onto the main path that guided their return to Altaire's gate. While the momentary nature break was a blessing in itself, he felt that they'd done plenty of adventuring for one day. Stepping onto brick road and stone pathways again had never felt so safe.
The day had matured into a brisk evening-afternoon, with the sun beginning to take the descent of its arch over Takera's skies and bid them a violet-hued farewell, which blazed orange further from the horizon. As such, the vibrant, joyous gleam of lanterns and fireworks began their own parting gift to the lone star, ensuring that the presence of light never truly left them.
Rather than pink and blue, the colors of this show were much more varied, ranging from reds to greens, with additional sparks of purple, gold, and icy white flaring every few shots. "You think the tournament's over by now?"
"They usually fire those off when semi-finals start. We were only gone for a few hours, so it'd make sense that they're only just getting there." Lyric answered.
"In that case, wanna just stay and watch?" He asked, as the cat pawed absentmindedly at his coat's fur trim.
"Nah. You were probably right to think we need a break; this whole thing's been going a mile a minute since we started, so it wouldn’t hurt to let the dust settle a little. Let's just head back."
Kyoya had no objection, turning away from the arena and standing to Lyric's left as they continued down the path they'd raced on earlier. While the road's traffic was considerably denser, presumably due to a great many merchants and travelers having only just arrived for the sake of the Remembrance Ceremony tomorrow, it made walking feel less empty. It didn't take long before the congestion grew enough that they had to take a sidewalk instead, though neither voiced any grievances over the matter.
Advertisement
The pair maintained equal pace with idle chatter for a majority of the walk, but Kyoya caught a couple glances from his partner after a short while. He made nothing of it, until she spoke up. "So, Kyoya…"
Brushing the cat's tail out of his view, he looked to her.
"What's up?"
"Well," she began, her signature amber glint suggesting deep thought. "Whaddya' think we should call her?"
He thought on that for a bit.
At least, until he actually considered what she was asking.
"What, like we're gonna keep her?"
"I mean, if she likes tagging around so much, I figure-"
Kyoya raised a brow at her, the Seraph shrinking back a bit. "Right, it was dumb to ask-"
"Hey, c'mon, I didn't say no. I was gonna ask if you were serious, is all." He smiled back and bumped her shoulder, to which she huffed and crossed her arms.
"…Bully."
Following a bout of laughter, the Miscreant cast another glance to the cat, who stared him back with a tilted head. In dimmer light, its eyes glistened in response to blazing sparks far above, reflecting them down to the pair as though it were their own personal show.
"You're a whole lot more riled up about it than I am… Why don't you give her a handle?"
"As in, no matter what I choose, you won't have any problem?"
"Why would I? She's entitled to a name, and you're the one who fixed her shoulder situation -- she just happened to jump onto mine."
"Yeah, that's fair…" Lyric returned her gaze forward as they passed through the last of the plains that filtered back into the market district. "Then, how about…"
The tail end of that statement came a full minute after she'd started brainstorming, but its return came with a purpose. "Brynn!"
Kyoya's flinch was clue enough that her delight remained absolute.
"Jeez, don't yell like that outta' nowhere!"
The Seraph laughed it off and stood up next to the newly named Brynn, eyeing her gleefully. "How about it? Does it suit you, Brynn?"
Their accomplice, as Kyoya mostly expected, simply offered a tilted head to her. Though, it was followed by an excited mewl, which he'd initially thought came from his partner. "Right on!"
"If that's not a seal of approval, I dunno what is." Concluded Kyoya. He and Lyric exchanged warm glances before returning their stares forward, as Altaire's castle marched into view.
Advertisement
- End601 Chapters
The Taming Master
The world’s largest scale virtual reality game, ‘Kailran’. A well-known gamer in the virtual reality game community, Ian. He deleted his lv 93 character to obtain a hidden class… but the class he chose was the most useless class in Kailran, the summoner? On top of that, a call from his professor leads to a mental breakdown! To avoid academic probation, he must level up the same level as his deleted character in two months!
8 1936 - In Serial352 Chapters
Calamity Mandate
Beneath the peaceful surface of a nation, a conflict between royal factions and secret organizations is coming to a boil. Drawing upon esoteric energies, those with Exalted powers rule supreme as they fight to shape the world in their vision. Yuzu, a simple pawnshop owner's daughter finds herself in possession of a mysterious ornate chest that has the power to manipulate destiny. Her normal life in an asian influenced Victorian era changes dramatically as she gets plunged deep into a dangerous, mystical world filled with secret rituals, horrifying monsters and ancient gods. Follow Yuzu as she entangles herself in the threads of fate to save her friends and family from the dark forces rising from the depths. She must develop her powers as an Exalted, find allies and unravel the mysteries that govern the course of history. The delicate balance that holds the nation in check has already been disrupted. How far will those ripples spread? - Author's Note - This story starts quite slowly, and takes until about Chapter 16 to get rolling. I wrote this to be the kind of story you can really get into, where the world and characters are fleshed out and when the action happens it makes sense and hits hard. Thank you for reading. Update Schedule: Every Wednesday and Sunday at 5PM PST (8PM EST)
8 5928 - In Serial161 Chapters
Before They Came (Magical Apocalypse)
Our way of life it ended faster than we ever thought possible. It didn't happen with a nuclear war, an asteroid, or a damn ice age. It ended because of another war, far away from us. The Ripples from that war changed the fabric of everything. If only we had known that it was just the beginning. Btw, the beginning chapters are short, but get longer as the story goes on. Thank you for your time and your patience. CLARIFIER: The MC struggles with himself. He has human flaws including IGNORANCE. The MC starts the story out drunk, which has a major impact on the story in the beginning and way beyond. The story takes time to unfold, please be patient. This story does not shy away from the darker elements of life.
8 261 - In Serial6 Chapters
Flame of the Immortals
The Dark Elves have lived in the caves since before humanity walked the lands. The fire that kindles their long lives has been cursed, and soon they will know death. A human child apprenticed to these Fae has the ability and opportunity to stop this calamity. To purge the flame of immortals of its curse if he can survive long enough not to get eaten by the creature who cursed it. However, the struggle to live like the quest for immortality demands cruel payments. An original dark fantasy short story. Character centred and introspective.
8 72 - In Serial31 Chapters
The Tears of Kas̆dael
It was just supposed to be a game. A really, really great game, yes - but a game. Instead, Jasper got his heart ripped out by a brooding goddess and awoke to find himself in another world. No weapons, no skills. Naked. Trapped in a world full of ancient horrors, where gods and monsters still roam the earth, Jasper is forced to adapt quickly or die - and he's not ready to die. Good thing he's a mage. This is a high-fantasy novel with light LitRPG elements. It's not super-crunchy, but the system is an important part of the story. There is some light cursing and gore, but this is not a Grimdark novel. There will also be no harem. The current schedule is chapters on M-W-F of around 2000-2500 words, as well as occasional bonus chapters that provide background or insights into side characters. This is my first real attempt at writing a full novel, but the story is based on a world that I've been creating and re-creating since I was a child. I have an extensive "history" and religion, and even a semi-cohesive language system worked out, which will hopefully slowly shine through as the story progresses. I want to avoid having too many info-dumps, so I may from time to time post a bonus lore chapter that will explain some of the background for any who are interested.
8 233 - In Serial13 Chapters
Fierrochase One Shots
Just Magnus and Alex bein cuties and sometimes being sad.Credit to @turnawaynow on instagram I love them so much
8 216

