The Fractured Maid · 3 Athera Mountains - Lonely Root, fountain plaza Early Autumn ~ Early Afternoon, distant showers and warm Brick and stone covered in ivy tree shade A village in the mountains hidden among the crags Blessed crops held in towers of glass and steam The steam works significantly more carefree than their keepers A people on edge for the beasts of men rather than the wilds    “F inch! What exactly were you thinking ⁈ ” On Icarus, the races of humankind were typically divided into three classifications. The most populous of these races were the chimeric, their features ranging from the prototypically human icarans mixed with bits of other animals to outright being humanoid animals. The maid with the blond ponytail and ruddy skin was herself split between an icaran from the waist up and a strawberry roan coated horse bellow. She was not large enough for an average adult icaran to ride, but her fiery demeanor and indignant di...

The Fractured Maid · 2 T he bullet rode a tongue of flame out of the barrel of the gun and made a bee line for Chain. The ruffian leader did not desire to kill her as he still believed that she was quite valuable and aimed for her torso. It was an ideal target and to Chain’s advantage. The bullet never reached her as it was ingulfed by a torrent of flames of pure darkness that erupted from her shoulder blades. “What in the name of Icarus is that?” “What your mistake looks like.” Spinning about as she answered the ruffian leader, Chain snatched her sword out of the air as the scabbard that held it disappeared into the flames that trailed from her back. “Can we really deal with people though.” Though Chain threatened the ruffians, her minute mermaid double was less sure of their ability to fight people. Chain remained confident however and took her simple, cruciform sword in both hands as the flames became a sheer black cape and draped around...

The Fractured Maid · 1 S ome five centuries past, the races of mankind faced the consequences of ignoring the warnings of the Cardinal Church. Once more, as had happened time and again marking the end of many an age, mankind was laid low by the Foreigners from their great cities in the sky. Broken and desperate, the races of mankind turned to the Light of the Cardinal Church along with the Sister Goddesses and World God Icarus and again found prosperity. Some two decades past the races of mankind began to fear the Light of Cardinal. The last nation on the Face of Icarus not disbanded by the Cardinal Church, Lucir, was at last laid low and in her dying breath cast forth a light that foretold the coming of the Foreigners’ Dark God. But for fear of the Light that mankind was learning, the Light also saved those transformed by the Foreigners into monsters and was still a necessary part of life as it was known. Yesterday, or perhaps longer ago, or even tomor...

Good morning everyone.      Please allow me to begin by just saying thank you to everyone who has taken part in Link, Elliot, and Melody's journey from a group of dreaming kids to being at the heart of a world changing event. That event ( readable here ) also marks the end of the story "Those Who Watch the Sky" and sets up the unknowable future.

60 – The Day that Could not be Forgotten or Remembered Though it was obvious that Elliot intended to seek the Guardian alone, no one had expected him to throw himself from the deck of the airship. His action proved a deft distraction and Hazel escaped below deck slipping through the crew who worked within the vessel. His goal was a row of personal airships that that were at best an aerodynamic horse body placed on a platform that served as a set of wings. As he seated himself upon it and started up the launch arm controls the spirit on his shoulder squeaked angrily at him. “Sorry, I’m not getting involved. There isn’t anything I can do right now anyway, and Elliot seems to have it in control. Maybe.” As the launch arm swung wide and brought the aircraft with it, Hazel grabbed a crank wheel on it and spun it for all he was worth. As commanded by the crank a hanger door in the side of the airship opened wide and allowed the launch arm to exit the airship. Before Hazel could...