OZAI'S POV
I could smell the rain before I even noticed the drops hitting my body. I opened my eyes and flared my nostrils. I was uncomfortable, heavy, and wet.
It was obvious that, for whatever reason, I disliked the rain. I saw why when I looked down at myself first. I was heavily feathered. My back was covered in wings that were heavy from the water they had absorbed.
Being a good six feet five inches tall, I was taller. I took a quick look up and around. Prompts from Akasha came into my vision even as my eyes adjusted to the surroundings.
**Welcome to the Akashic Records Administrator 2(Avatar 3)**
**Name: Null(Ozai Ironstone)**
**Race: Argonne(Cosmic Elf)**
**Form: Mortal/Null/Spirit**
**Divine Rank: Novice Deity(Primordial Deity)**
**Divine Essence: (Partial Lock) Limited**
**Realm Influence: Emerging / Local**
**Power: Nascent**
**Wisdom: Growing**
**Eternal Blessings -
- Divine Aura
- Celestial Wings
- Cosmic Manipulation (Cooldown effect applied)
- Divine Knowledge
**Servants -
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**Domains:
- Realm of Cosmic Creation - Novice
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**Divine Artifacts:
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**Quests -
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Akasha was meticulous in making sure I understood everything, sending information straight into my brain on everything. I guess some of my powers and prowess came from the fact that I was a god, so I should not have to do too much to stand out.
Mortal, null, and spirit symbolized each state I could be in. Mortal was, well, me interacting. Null meant I was non-existent and without contact with the world. Spirit was able to possess and use a mortal for some purpose.
Looking around, I noticed that I was on the top of a large peak. Even with the annoying rain and loud noises of thunder above, it was clear that there were caves all over the mountain peak I was on. I moved from the perch sluggishly and struggled to crawl into a cave.
Fortunately enough, I found a cave. I pushed myself into it, and there I rested.
I was unsure of the duration of the rain, but it was sufficient to dry out my feathers and acclimate to my new physical form. I had learned from Akasha that I was strong for a mortal.
Even so, this body did not make me unbeatable. My avatar was not the most skilled or powerful mortal there was. Excitement coursed through my veins, and I couldn't help but want to head out already.
My wings were long and rather large. "My real ones are large too, but these are bigger. Maybe it's the body and size." I frowned at my deeper bass voice but shrugged. I was darn large and muscular. Not in a heavy and bloated way but more lean.
Deciding to settle back and wait for the rain, I asked Akasha about Vaustaris. An hour of speech told me a lot, but I was more interested in where I currently was. Apparently, with nine continents and 12 races, there wasn't that much space.
Which was why the Argonnes had relocated from the Argonne Islands to where I was now. The Zephyr Isles. An Archipelago of verdant lands that floated in the sky. The tips of their mountains peaking from the clouds.
"Don't know what most of it means but I'm more excited to see it all".
"The rain. It's finally stopped." The sound of the pattering had died away. The smell of rain and dampness filled my nostrils.
"Let's check it all out".
Stepping out, I took another deep breath, and my senses were filled with scents. Knowledge flooded my mind like a glimpse of colors and scenes. Images and pictures. I could see flowers, trees, weeds, oceans, and fruits. My senses told me what was good and what wasn't.
"Amazing". Yet, it was nothing compared to getting out of the cave and finding a wondrous view.
My wings instinctively spread out, my legs taking steps to the edge of the mountain peak I was at. I dropped, my body falling fast, and this feeling rushed up my body and feathers.
In the divine realm, it felt stiffer, more filled with various energies that forced you to decipher them. Here it was pure and empty. Just a natural breeze that made me want to relax.
The ground was quickly approaching, so I spread my wings and simultaneously twisted myself into an updraft. The hot air dragged me right up and then shot me into the sky.
I simultaneously flapped and shot up even higher. The sky was a deep blue that drew me in.
I halted mid-air, floating right in the sky. "This is amazing, Akasha". I sighed, shutting my eyes and feeling the sunlight on my face. I shivered.
"Let's see..." My arms and wings spread as I activated my Divine Force. Divinity flooded through me and rushed into every part of me. I could feel and sense my body growing more powerful.
"Is this..." My level rose from 1 to a whopping 10 then kept ascending".
"I'd advise against that. Overuse of divinity in a body unused to it leads to immolation".
"Immolation?".
"Yes. You burn from the insides. And while you are immortal, the pain is not something for a child to bear. Your mother wouldn't be pleased".
"Well, she's not here".
The look I received told me everything I needed to hear. "Right. Sorry mum".
Akasha shook her head and just waved me away. "Do what you want, but be careful and don't act like Freyr right now or I'll spank you".
I could sense that those words came directly from Mama, and I gulped. Nodding, the force vanished, and I went back to my energy. My level had halted at 12, and man was I now more powerful than before. Still, I could sense that the energy wasn't permanent.
'Best use it before it all fades off'. With a powerful flap and orientation to my left, I burst away in a random direction. I flew over the archipelagos for a long time. Going higher and higher till I was seeing only a speck of it.
Only then did I descend.
There were numerous islands of mountains hidden by the clouds and covered with verdant forests and fields of green. A few small clumps of rocks floated here and there, and vines formed bridges and even normal rope ladders.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
It was clear that the Skylands were spread out in most places over Vaustaris as they seemed unending.
"Just how many Argonnes are there?".
Unperturbed, I found a location that I decided would be good to finally land. I'd seen enough of the sky; it was time to feel the ground.
****
UNIVERSE - The Star Rings
Ring - 4th
Reality - Mortal Plane
Solar system - Origin
World - Vaustaris
Continent - Subcontinent (Zephyr Isles)
Main Continent Western Edge - Zephyrwood Outpost Territory
Village - Whisperwind Haven
UNKNOWN POV
Today was my group's turn in the community watch. The Arg'baln (hunters) for today were already gone, and I knew it would be hard for me to be accepted into their ranks.
I pushed myself out of my Unock (hammock or bed) and spread my Argannen. A moan escaped my beak as the bends and twists in my muscles stretched out. "Feels good".
Today was a good day. I could feel it in the air. With a deep breath, I rushed for my hut door. Swinging it open, I froze in shock and then annoyance at the sound of the rain falling outside my hut and on my thatched roof finally reaching my ears. I was just so unfocused that I didn't notice the sounds being one of rain.
"I guess there's a reason I'm not at the hunting party". I drooped my Argannen self-depreciatingly as I sulked back to my bed to lazily get ready. An Argonne's very perk was in our sense of smell. We were the hunters and apex predators of these lands.
But I was not. My sense of smell had been wronged ever since I sniffed a Joirin, a purple nauseous flower. It had ruined my sense of smell and spoiled any chance of me hunting.
No one knew what it did, but it was quite effective as I didn't even smell the rain. We could all smell rain, even the babies.
I sighed as I replayed the memory in my head. Grabbing my Yotke and Unerp from my wooden box, I slung my Unerp over my shoulders and past my head, locking and forming the clasps to my sides. The Unerp was good, the best my ondoi shells could get here in the outpost. It was formed from wood and vines, creating a loop around my wings to knot at the center of my back with a single circular wood piece to protect my spine.
It wasn't lost to us here how poor we were compared to the rest of the isles. "Nothing we could do about that".
Zephyrwood was just poor in resources. With the rugged lands, we usually got harvested just enough for us, let alone for trade. Then there was the forest. Arg'be was good, but the dangerous savages of the forests made it hard.
Our most important and lucrative source of income was the Woodworking and artisan of our village, but even that was overshadowed by almost all three villages of Zephyrwood Outpost doing the same trade.
I shrugged on my Laqits, a bright woven vine material for our lower bodies. "Claw check". Eyeing up my claws, I smirked.
I tied the sling for my Yotke to my Laqits hip hoops and took one more look around before leaving my home the moment the rain reduced a bit.
It was always annoying to step out in the rain when it fell. The soggy feathers did no good for the sights I would present to the Argons. Hopefully, none were out when I returned wet to dry up. Stepping out, I let out a slight croak and whistle from my beak to alert the other guards of my arrival.
Flight in the rain was annoying, but I lacked any choice in the matter. The storm was enough for some thieves to sneak in or even some of the red ones to attempt an attack. A grumble was blown away by the wind as I flew.
The village walls were quick to spot even within the harsh storm. Navigating myself, I soon found the bigger thatch but post used by the security. I dropped down into the thatch, tucking my Argannen behind me. With it built into the tree branches, we Argonnes had several landing spots. The wind buffered my face as I shot down. Just as I neared my target branch, my Argannen spread out, breaking my fall and letting me set my legs on the ground.
"Well, I'll be Feather clipped, look who came and just in time too. Get in here Aeris before the rain sheers your feathers off".
I mumbled a groan as I got into the thatch post and shook off my Argannen.
"Well, we're all here Argo, let's get on with it". A larger Argo (male) spoke. "Today we patrol".
A series of groans left us. Gustblade eyed us all before walking out of the thatch. "You all know your pairs and positions. Get to it".
The storm was calmer after an hour of flying around our allocated position. I and Skyhorn were already tired from the torrential rain and the flight. It was hard to check the location of the Suns in respect of each other too for time.
Grumbling, we kept on our flight until finally the clouds cleared and the rain stopped.
"Ahhh. The sun". Skyhorn groaned and flapped upwards, stretching out his wings and basking in the rays touching down on us. While I did the same, I still kept my eye out for everything. Something Skyhorn did as well. He was no stupid Argonne. Just like me, he wanted a position in the Arg'baln.
Flying around almost every time did wonders to make us good and best of friends. Each one of us plotted ways we could finally get our hands on the better weapon for joining the Arg'baln.
Something caught my attention below. Skyhorn was the same, and both of us watched, not missing the rustle of leaves and snaps of barks and twigs due to our keen sight and his good hearing.
Whoosh.
Arrows flew out of the forest, and I banked right while Skyhorn went left. The sound of them tearing through the wind was drowned out by the chittering and calls of the enemy below.
"Red Ones!" Skyhorn bellowed and dropped low. I joined him, gripping my Yotke and diving downwards.
The Red Ones, as we called them, were little devilish creatures we believed were born from the horrors of the ground. They were tiny compared to us, came from nowhere, and were ruthlessly annoying. Our large sizes and Argannen gave us a boon and even more, our air affinity set us very apart from them.
But that was where it all ended.
The things were ruthless, bloodthirsty, and lived up to their skin color with rumors of their ability to use one's blood.
I landed with an outburst of wind, Argannen flapping thunderously to keep the goblins back. The moment I retracted my Argannen and folded them against my back, I spun, swinging out my Yotke and unsurprisingly cutting down the first of them.
It let out that very childish squeak as its lower body left its upper one. Next to me, Skyhorn was already decapitating his second, his left Arganne slapping another away.
Whoosh.
The sound of arrows being released made me drop to my knees and bring up my Argannen as cover. Skyhorn leaped and flapped his wings, bringing them together at the center in front of him. A wave of wind shot out, blasting the excess arrows away and fluttering my feathers.
I jumped up and kicked one. Another aimed for my thigh with its little blade. Definitely a dagger. Yotke came down, slicing through its wrist and leaving it screaming as its hand lay on the floor.
"There's more of them, Aeris."
I jumped back, avoiding an attack and simultaneously taking a look around me. Skyhorn was right; there were more of them than normal for these creatures.
"We've mistakenly fallen into a raider path. Ah, Aerondam," I cursed. "Take to the skies, Skyhorn. Sound the cry."
"But you..." Skyhorn began.
"Sound the Skyshriek, you Aerondam," I spat at him and leaped forward Argannen spread wide as I batted the attacking goblins into me bringing all eyes to me alone.
I swung my Yotke like a mad Argo. Left, right, side left down, and side right up. The ways of the Yotke had been ingrained in all young Argos and Argns of my village. Made to keep as close to us as possible.
We should have been trained in the Ra'kit, but its expensive cost made it a weapon for the strong.
I felt the air behind me as Skyhorn took to the sky. The red ones beyond my reach aimed and fired arrows at him to bring him down.
'If only I was Aerondir'. I mentally cursed. "Aeromdam". I spat as pain lanced up my right thigh. I staggered back just as a heavy weight slammed into my chest bringing me down.
"Aaaahhhh!!!". I screamed as an unholy pain lanced up my back and I felt the soft flexible bones of my Argannen bend and crack.
The pain from another dagger digging into my abdomen was lost in the pain from my Argannen. Then the sound came. The all of an Argonne. A loud screech that spread in all directions. A warning call to our village and other villages of an imminent raid.
"Aeres". Skyhorn screeched once more as my blurry sight watched him drop from the sky and he dove for me.
"No..." My voice has grown weak. The pain from my Argannen hid the pain to my chest and abdomen from which blood flowed freely.
Skyhrom weaved and fucked through arrows but even then he couldn't stop an arrow from finding its spot in his collarbone. He flapped backward.
I could barely see anything now as black spots clouded my vision. There was another screech from. Skyhorn and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.
I could hear the angry calls of red ones and Skyhorns labored breathing.
'We were weak'.
I felt blood splashed down me. Hot and thick. A body fell to my right and nudged me sending pain up my Argannen. I hissed and spasmed.
'Aerondir. The Aerondam'. I mentally laughed at the amusement of using a curse word made from a figure's name on the said figure.
Our people spoke of the time when they first realized. When they had suddenly found themselves alive in this world. They called it Ser'Tuk'Itan. Awakening. Consciousness. Life.
But they had no idea why and how. they got here. It was a debate that most of the Argnons always had. A debate that I had listened to at times.
Someone, Skyhorn, grabbed my shoulder. "Stand Aeres!". He let go instantly and the grunts of something came before his hand returned. "Aerondam stand!".
I grunted as he pulled and affected my Argannen. "Your Argannen. No!".
All Argonmes knew the pain of an Argannen injury. Those who didn't have been taught.
"What to do...what to do?".
I ignored his mutters more interested in my pain and the raid wading by us. It was certain this was only a scouting party. A true raiding party would have the evolved versions of the red ones. Entities you dared not bleed near.
'No. I was thinking of...what was I thinking of ...ahh. Ser'Tuk'Itam. But...not real. If real then...'. my thoughts waned as darkness clouded my mind.
'Aerondir...Aeromdam. Help. No. Ser'Tuk'Itan. Help'.