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sqlionheart · 1 year ago

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The Isolated Land and the Abyss

Our story plays out on a continent called the "Isolated Land" where cultures and species have clashed "since time immemorial" over power and resources. Throughout the Isolated Land's history, "Holes" have spontaneously and unpredictably appeared as gateways to an unknown realm called "the Abyss". The Holes have been known to produce powerful objects and obscure technology, but they have also occasionally swallowed up individuals and even entire regions.

Inhabitants of the Isolated Land: the Beastmen, Springans, and Dogmatika

Scattered across the Isolated Land are three beastmen tribes of Beast, Beast-Warrior, and Winged Beast species, locked in a long cycle of fighting with one another over territory. Having each been banished from their respective tribes, Shuraig, Rugal, and Ferrijit (along with her younger sister, Kitt) band together and create a group of wandering exiles, which subsequently grows in strength and numbers.

Traveling across the Great Golgonda Desert, the group happens upon the Land of Iron and Steel — a region controlled by the Argyro System, the artificial intelligence of a Therion spaceship. It is stated that upon its crash landing, the damaged ship siphoned power from nearby magma and developed a "fiery personality". Here the exiled beastmen befriend the Springans, a group of small soot sprites who inhabit brightly-colored humanoid machines and scour the desert for Holes in search of treasure. They are led by their captain, Sargas, who wears a peculiar necklace "to relieve shoulder tension" (per reference art).

Far away in the northern region of the continent, the Dogmatika Nation is a deeply religious civilization that lives by the 666 Holy Verses.

The citizens follow their infallible leader, Maximus, who uses the Dogmatika Nexus to bestow a brand called the "Stigmata" upon his most trusted followers — the Dogmatika Saints. A total of 665 Saints have served Maximus, the most recent of whom are Fleurdelis and her disciple, Ecclesia. Outside groups are considered heretics and enemies of the Dogmatika, to be vanquished by Ashiyan's forces.

Clash Against the Dogmatika, Formation of the Tri-Brigade, and the Appearance of the Mysterious Boy

Upon learning of the beastmen tribes falling under Dogmatika attack, the exiles decide to go to their rescue. Kitt remains with the Springans while the rest of the group sets off in hopes of unifying the beastmen tribes against the Dogmatika.

The tribes initially reject the exiles' calls for unity, and Shuraig is forced to lead his group into battle against the Dogmatika. Using weapons from the Land of Iron and Steel, the exiles are able to repel the Dogmatika forces and save the tribes. The beastmen tribes finally join forces under Shuraig's leadership, officially forming the Tri-Brigade (a reference to their three different monster Types, as well as a portmanteau of "tribe brigade").

Seeking to rescue their captured members, the Tri-Brigade takes the fight to the Dogmatika Nation and another battle ensues. The strongest of each army, Shuraig and Fleurdelis take each other on.

Amidst the fighting, a Hole suddenly opens in the sky and a raging dragon — Titaniklad the Ash Dragon — emerges from it. Fleudelis slays Titaniklad with a bolt of lightning, but rather than dying, its body transforms into that of an ashen boy adorned in peculiar white orbs. Ecclesia is sent to kill the boy, however upon seeing that he is lost and confused, she disobeys the order and decides to help the boy instead.

Recognizing that the boy is not of the Dogmatika, the Tri-Brigade arrives and offers their help. Ashiyan and his Dogmatika forces also converge on the scene, at which point Ecclesia attempts to prevent another battle from breaking out.

Ashiyan lashes out at Ecclesia and conjures a Hole that causes her to clutch at her Stigmata, apparently in great pain. The boy reacts by transforming into another dragon — Brigrand the Glory Dragon — and repels Ashiyan while protecting the unconscious Ecclesia. The Tri-Brigade also jumps into action, using the opportunity to extradite both her and the boy from the Dogmatika Nation.

The Great Golgonda Desert and Mount Swordsoul

The Tri-Brigade returns to their base, where they help Ecclesia and the boy recover from their injuries. However, the two cannot stay with the Tri-Brigade for long due to the beastmen's ongoing conflict with the Dogmatika. Shuraig advises them to travel across the Great Golgonda Desert and find the Springans. He also gives them his pet, a mechanical bird named Mercourier, as a guide.

Traveling through the desert, Ecclesia gives the boy the name "Albaz".

Ecclesia the Exiled — "A pure white heart to be filled with many memories. With thoughts of coming days in mind, the girl gifts a name to the boy."

Albaz the Shrouded — "Does his name refer to a past, buried in darkness, or to a bright future?"

As Ecclesia and Albaz approach a Springan hideout, they are mistaken for potential enemies and captured. Fortunately, Kitt recognizes Mercourier and vouches for them, at which point they are welcomed by the Springans.

They join Kitt and the Springans as they seek out the Holes that open throughout the desert, hunting for the treasures and technology that emerge from them. They celebrate with the Springans after finding a cache of gems and jewels, while Ecclesia obtains the large skull of a dragon or serpent.

Meanwhile, Fleudelis hears of Ecclesia's exile and has a foreboding premonition of Maximus and the Dogmatika. Suspecting that Maximus may have ulterior motives, she defects along with Adin and Theo. The three leave the Dogmatika Nation and head toward a distant place where they can have their Stigmata sealed.

Concealed within a dense mist at the peak of Mount Swordsoul, the Enion Cradle is a living reservoir of magical water from which the Icejade receive their life force. The Enion Cradle manifests itself in the form of the first Icejade, Kosmochlor, who in turn creates the other Icejade. As they expend their life force, the Icejade's bodies are slowly overtaken by a black color. Upon depleting their energy, the Icejade's spirits return to the Enion Cradle while their bodies shatter into a crystalline material.

The Swordsoul are warriors "with the bodies of mythical beasts" who reside on the mountain and guard the Enion Cradle. They wield swords provided by the Icejade — forged from the Icejade's shattered bodies and imbued with the "heart and soul" of the Swordsoul.

Fleurdelis, Adin, and Theo arrive at Mount Swordsoul and encounter Chixiao, Mo Ye, and Taia. They are brought to the Enion Cradle and have their Stigmata sealed by the Icejade.

Back at the Dogmatika Nation, Maximus bestows a Stigmata upon a girl with red hair — the 666th Saint.

The Day of Gospel

The day has arrived and Maximus declares, "The time of the Gospel's fulfillment has come." He performs a forbidden ritual, and the Dogmatika citizens' Stigmata are revealed to have been closed brands that awaken all throughout the Dogmatika Nation. A giant Hole tears open the sky above the city and an immense dark energy flows forth from the Abyss, causing the citizens to be corrupted by their brands and transform into Despians.

Maximus becomes Dramaturge, Ashiyan becomes Ad Libitum, and the White Knight — seen in Fleurdelis's previous armor — becomes Quaeritis.

The Nexus itself is transformed into the Despian Proskenion, and the Dogmatika capitol crumbles as the massive Theater of the Branded emerges from the ground to stand upon its ruins.

An early fan theory suggested that Fleurdelis might still be wearing her armor when it begins to corrupt. The Valuable Book EX2 does not say this, but rather says that she left after "sensing the secret intentions of Maximus". Future retrains of Fleurdelis also imply (but do not confirm) that the White Knight of Dogmatika is not Fleurdelis.

The front line between the Tri-Brigade and Dogmatika forces erupts into chaos, as the latter become Despians and fight with increased power and frenzy.

Another figure emerges from the Hole and watches the carnage from afar with amusement. It is Aluber, a masked boy with red hair and pale skin who seems to relish the events unfolding. Adorned with red orbs identical to Albaz's white orbs, Aluber demonstrates that he, too, has the ability to transform into dragons. He becomes Masquerade the Blazing Dragon and flies off to seek Albaz with motives unknown.

Aluber the Dogmatic — "A thing separated from the abyss. It mocked the light and deceived the darkness."

Back in the Great Golgonda Desert, the Holes' energies are amplified by Maximus's ritual. A colossal serpent, that has fed upon the desert's Holes for years, is corrupted by their dark energy and goes on a rampage.

Albaz's white orbs also react and are revealed to be brands, causing him to transform into a dragon covered in intense flames, Albion the Branded Dragon. He is immediately overcome with rage and goes on a rampage against the serpent. Kitt attempts to intervene in her mech suit, Bearbrumm, but is unsuccessful.

Suddenly, the serpent is struck down by a single bolt of the very same lightning that had previously felled Titaniklad. Ecclesia and the Springans look to see Fleurdelis, Adin, and Theo — each with their Stigmata sealed and wielding the power of the Swordsoul.

Ecclesia soothes Albion and helps him to shed his rage. Hearing her speak the name she gave him, Albaz is able to quell his flames. Rather than revert back to his human form, he instead takes an ashen appearance as Albion the Shrouded Dragon.

Attack on Mount Swordsoul

Fleurdelis explains the situation to the group, detailing Maximus's actions and informing Ecclesia that her Stigmata is actually a Despian brand. Fleurdelis, Adin, and Theo then resolve to return to the Dogmatika Nation and confront Maximus.

Ecclesia and Albion depart from the group to go to the Icejade and have their Stigmata sealed before they become corrupted. As they part ways, Kitt gifts Ecclesia a powerful hammer made from the skull she had obtained earlier, now inhabited by the rocket soot sprite, Springans Rockey.

They arrive at the Swordsoul Sacred Summit and are brought before Chengying and Chunjun, who judge them to be virtuous and allow them access to the Enion Cradle.

The Icejade welcome Ecclesia and Albion as valuable allies, as Tremora has been observing all of the story's events from afar (seen on her card art). She is able to temporarily seal their Stigmata.

Ashiyan (now Ad Libitum) secretly emerges from a Hole and offers Longyuan a deal. Longyuan has harbored hidden ambitions for power, which he had concealed from Chunjun by placing the darker half of his soul into the sword he gave to Mo Ye.

The Despians appear in full force and launch an attack on Mount Swordsoul. Amidst the fighting, Longyuan appears at the Enion Cradle holding both his and Mo Ye's swords. He combines the two blades — containing the two halves of his soul — and takes his true form, Qixing Longyuan. Chengying engages Longyuan in order to protect the Enion Cradle. With her energy dwindling, Kosmochlor creates Kingfisher to help repel Longyuan.

As if drawn to the chaos, Aluber makes a dramatic entrance in front of Albion and Ecclesia. He uses Holes to steal Albion's power for himself, causing Albion to revert back to Albaz as he loses his ability to transform. With his new power, Aluber transforms into Lubellion the Searing Dragon and overwhelms Chengying, Kosmochlor, and Kingfisher.

In desperation, the three give the last of their Swordsoul and Icejade energies to Albion, allowing him to transform once more and become Mirrorjade the Iceblade Dragon who single-handedly defeats Longyuan. Completely depleted, Kosmochlor shatters and Aegirine becomes her successor.

As Lubellion and Mirrorjade lock into a swirling clash of fire and ice, they begin to merge with one another. A blinding light rises up from within the Enion Cradle, and from this light a single dragon emerges — Alba-Lenatus the Abyss Dragon. Featured prominently at its center is one of Aluber's red brands, overlaid with four circles like those seen around Albaz on Branded in White.

Albaz is quickly ejected from Alba-Lenatus and falls to the ground in his human form. Things are looking grim at this point. Not only does Albaz lack his white brands (and no longer has any Fusion Summoning effect), but we also see Ecclesia's hammer abandoned behind him and Springans Rockey crouched on his shoulder. Albaz has at least managed to retain a small blade left over from Mirrorjade.

Fleurdelis Returns to the Dogmatika Capitol

While Ecclesia and Albaz struggle against Aluber and the Despian attack on the Enion Cradle, Fleudelis arrives at the Dogmatika capitol with Adin and Theo. The three are shocked and horrified by the Despian transformations of the capital's citizens, as Dramaturge gleefully descends upon them.

Fleurdelis appears to land a full-powered strike on Dramaturge. However, it turns out to be an illusion created by Quem, the first Saint of Dogmatika whose soul was contained within the Dogmatika Nexus and who is seen as an idol at its center.

Quem then transforms Quaeritis into a golden dragon with stained glass wings (described on reference art but only barely seen at this point). Fleurdelis is captured and Dramaturge seals her soul within the Despian Proskenion along with the souls of the 663 previous Saints.

Following Ad Libitum through a Hole, Ecclesia is transported to the Dogmatika capitol and arrives just as Fleurdelis's soul is sealed. Overcome with grief for her mentor, she loses the protection of the Icejade and her brand awakens. We see Quaeritis's dark appendages surrounding her ominously.

We also learn that Quem, the first Saint of Dogmatika, has received the body of the 666th Saint (the girl on Dogmatika Genesis) as a physical vessel, and possesses the brands of all 663 previous Saints whose souls reside within the Despian Proskenion.

The Springans and the Argyro System

Having watched Ecclesia and Albaz fly off to Mount Swordsoul, Kitt and the Springans decide they can't just sit on the sidelines while their new friends take on the Despians. Kitt dismantles Bearbrumm to make a Springan mech suit, and then the group returns to the Land of Iron and Steel seeking weapons like those the Tri-Brigade had used against the Dogmatika and Despians.

Upon arriving at the Therion spaceship, they brace themselves for the Argyro System's stubbornness. Sure enough, it refuses to help the Springans unless they can prove themselves by defeating the Therions, mechanical warriors created by the Argyro System and built from the parts and weapons of previous enemies they have defeated.

Aboard the Therion Discolosseum, Captain Sargas steps forward and takes on the Therions one by one. We learn here that Sargas is a former Therion himself, hence his Level and card name similar to those of the other Therions. Sargas is almost defeated by "King" Regulus, but is cheered on by his comrades and ultimately emerges victorious.

The Argyro System is angered by this and releases the Sprights, electrical sprites with a resemblance to the soot sprite Springans themselves. The Sprights' energy overloads Regulus, causing him to go berserk as Therion Irregular.

The Springans join the fray and an all-out clash ensues. We see Sprights Blue and Red captured within Sprind, a device built by Kitt using parts from the dismantled Sprind the Irondash Dragon. For reasons not explained, Regulus changes sides and joins the Springans, as we see him and Sargas landing dual blows against Gigantic Spright.

Cartesia and the Bystial Dragons

The doors of the Despian Proskenion open and a girl emerges bearing the appearance of Ecclesia, however she is now the body of Cartesia — an amalgamation of all the souls that were in the Proskenion (except the first soul, Quem, who still inhabits the body of the 666th saint). She commands Quaeritis's dragon form, Granguignol the Dusk Dragon.

Continuing to grow stronger, Dramaturge opens even more Holes in the sky, and through them arrive the four Bystial dragons (a portmanteau of "abyss" and "bestial"). Although they each bear chains, these mighty dragons were once considered kings of the Abyss. Just as Ecclesia had a fondness for Albaz's dragon forms, so does Cartesia look endearingly upon the Bystial dragons.

Having taken Albaz's brands, Aluber is now more powerful than ever as The Bystial Lubellion. He uses his new power to evolve the Despian Proskenion yet again, creating Alba Los.

Last Stand in the Great Golgonda Desert

In the interim, Albaz has regrouped with the Tri-Brigade in the Great Golgonda Desert. Kitt and the Springans have also returned from their battle with the Therions and Sprights at the Land of Iron and Steel. But have they returned empty handed?

Countless Holes tear open across the sky, turning the desert a crimson red, and from the largest Hole emerges the entire Theater of the Despia. Above it hovers the fearsome Alba Los and the menacing Aluber himself, flaunting his power before the Isolated Land's last line of defense.

Our protagonists do not back away. Sargas steps forward with the combined power of the Springans, Therions, and Sprights as Gigantic “Champion” Sargas, while Shuraig readies his newest weapon from the Argyro System, the Tri-Brigade Arms Bucephalus II.

The two sides explode into action as Sargas and the Springans launch an all-out barrage of missiles and cannonfire. The Despians counterattack as Aluber becomes The Bystial Lubellion, and the desert erupts into a chaotic battlefield of explosions, cannons, dragons, and Holes.

Aluber augments his forces by resurrecting Qixing Longyuan and fusing him with the body of the felled serpent of Golgonda to create the The Abyss Dragon Swordsoul. This combination of two great powers threatens to turn the tide, when Aegirine appears as the new empress of the Enion Cradle. With her is none other than Mo Ye — presumed to have been killed by Longyuan — atop the massive Icejade Creation Aegirocassis. Commanding the full power of the Icejade, Mo Ye defeats Longyuan.

With Aluber's monstrosity neutralized, Shuraig and Sargas seize their opportunity and land a devastating two-pronged attack on Alba Los, destroying both of its heads and sending it crashing to the ground.

Albaz and Kitt approach at high speed on Kitt's newest creation, Rindbrumm the Striking Dragon, and fire dual blasts at Lubellion, but Cartesia suddenly appears (atop Granguignol) and takes the full brunt of the attack. Recognizing her as Ecclesia's body, Albaz leaps after her as she falls from the sky.

As Albaz reaches the falling Cartesia and grabs her hand, a bright light appears between them. Cartesia is separated from Eccelsia's body, while Albion undergoes a new transformation — taking the form of Albion once more as Albion the Sanctifire Dragon. (Likely the counterpart to Lubellion since they have mirrored ATK/DEF and their Japanese kanji share homophones.)

Albion fills the entire battlefield with a golden flame, curing the countless Despians of their corrupted brands and reverting them back to their human forms.

Meanwhile on the ground, something is stirring within the destroyed Alba Los. From its cracked walls emerges Dramaturge, now in the hideous form of Alba Zoa.

Seeing the undoing of his Despian children, Alba Zoa goes into a rage and consumes the four Bystial dragons, becoming the Bystial Dis Pater. (Latin for "rich/divine father", a reference to Maximus as "the agent of God" according to the 666 Holy Verses.)

Dis Pater turns his wrath toward Albion, who is still curing the Despians of their corruption.

Suddenly, red lightning crackles where Cartesia had fallen. Separated from Ecclesia, her form is unstable and crumbling away. However, through sheer drive and will power, one of the 665 souls manages to rise up and take control, surging with a single purpose to protect Ecclesia — the soul of Fleurdelis.

With an eruption of flames, she takes the form of Despian Luluwalilith and lands her signature lightning strike on Dis Pater. He furiously retaliates, however the tables have finally been turned. Luluwalilith hits him with thousands of lightning bolts and then Shuraig lands a fatal piercing blow.

As Dis Pater lies in defeat, his crumbling body is incinerated by Albion's flame and scattered to the winds.

Epilogue

Consistent with the Argyro System's history of assimilating the parts and weapons of its vanquished enemies, Spright Sprind has taken the fallen Lubellion's armor for itself. As the others fly off in the distance, we see that Springans Captain Sargas has gifted the Argyro System with his necklace.

Ecclesia has been restored to her former self and prepares to fly off with Albaz. Reference art shows Kitt explaining to them what happened at the battle's climax, indicating that neither remembers anything after Ecclesia was freed and Albaz became Albion. As they wave to Ferrijit, we see that Kitt and Shuraig — as well as other Springans and members of the Tri-Brigade — are also present to see them off.

Unfortunately, this will be a journey without Fleurdelis, whose soul held only temporary control over Cartesia's dissipating form.

Aegirine returns to the Enion Cradle and seals off the Swordsoul Sacred Summit, resolute to never allow it to be invaded again. Seen in the background is the sealed form of a dragon, likely The Abyss Dragon Swordsoul.

If you thought that Aluber was killed, then think again. Etude of the Branded shows Ashiyan (as Ad Libitum) pledging loyalty to Aluber after Maximus's death. Far from enraged, Aluber is simply amused with this story's plot twists.

But what is meant by "étude"? Aluber has not only survived, but also retains possession of the red crystal that he obtained from stealing Albaz's brands. He may one day return from the Abyss, perhaps stronger than ever.

Finally, we see that Quem remains in this world along with Quaeritis. Her alignment remains uncertain but she has appears to have become a guide — a role fitting of her Latin namesake, "Quem quaeritis?"

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bradsmindbrain · 1 year ago

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Feathers and Fur

Summary: A few weeks after the defeat of Maximus, Shuraig and Rugal’s relationship has become a lot more domestic than expected.

Ao3

Tw: none

Rugal huffed as he placed the construction materials he was carrying on the ground, a few of the metal beams among them clanging against each other as they hit it. It had been a few weeks since the Death of Maximus, or the Dramaturge, or Alba Zoa, or whatever it was he was called, and now he and the rest of the Tri-Brigade were in the process of trying to create a more permanent, shared residence for their own tribes now that the ever-looming threat of the nation of Dogmatika and the Despia were out of the picture. Well, not entirely, the population of Dogmatika were no longer Despians thanks to that combined form of Albaz and Ecclesia, but without Maximus guiding them, it’s likely they wouldn’t be as big of a threat as they were before, they were probably trying to focus on their own reconstruction efforts too. With Maximus out of the way, hopefully their tribes and the nation of Dogmatika could come to an agreement in the future, and put countless years of strife behind them.

The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, and many of the other members of Rugal’s construction crew were beginning to pack up and leave from the building they were currently working on. As this was a new settlement, buildings of course had to be made. He and many of the other stronger tribesmen such as Kerass had taken it upon themselves to construct this new settlement’s various buildings, a task which they were quite adept at. That being said, Kitt also played an integral role in this as well, as many of her inventions made the construction process much easier. Watching as the others took their leave, Rugal decided that it was about time to leave and rest as well, and most importantly, check on Shuraig.

Shuraig had survived the final battle thankfully, but not without his own wounds. His use of the Bucephalus II had caused some major scarring to his arm as a result of the energy discharged from it, leaving purple, fern-like scars snaking up his left arm. He’d been staying at their shared home ever since it was built to try and recover, but he was getting a bit better, much to Rugal’s relief. He left the site, and began making his way through the streets of the settlement as night began to fall. The cool night air was nice to feel compared to the hot, arid air that permeated the rest of the day. Even with his white fur, it was hard to stay at a comfortable temperature, but sacrifices needed to be made for this new home of theirs.

He and Shuraig had been… together for a while. Between him, Shuraig, and Ferrijit, he and Shuraig had known each other the longest. He was exiled from his tribe for killing a criminal before he could get his proper due (even though his standing in the tribe probably meant he’d get a slap on the wrist despite what he did), and Shuraig was exiled for being a burden to his tribe due to his lack of a left wing, both while they were in their teens. They had met a few weeks after he was exiled, there was some hostility at first due to rivalry between their home tribes, but they decided to stick together for survival. Those early days were tense when the first met after their exiles, once Shuraig had learned he had killed one of his own kin, he was on edge around him. Meanwhile, he was worried that Shuraig’s single wing would cause problems when it came to getting resources. Despite their mistrust, they had to rely on each other, they were exiles, and any help they could find was invaluable. Over time, they got more comfortable around each other, with Shuraig becoming less cautious around him and himself realizing that Shuraig was fully capable of doing most things despite his inability to fly.

Their bond had only gotten stronger from there, especially after Ferrijit and Kitt joined, which was probably two years later. Shuraig sometimes braided his fur, and sometimes he helped preen Shuraig’s wing. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to sleep together either. Meanwhile, he and Ferrijit got along like a house on fire, despite their wildly different upbringings. He sympathized greatly with the other teen’s desire to provide for her younger sister, and the two of them frequently went off hunting together. Kitt, well, Kitt was a very smart cookie, she was only exiled so that she wouldn’t be separated from her sister. She was a bonafide genius despite being no more than seven, albeit one that was a little… inept at social cues. He very clearly remembered her asking Shuraig where his other wing was when they first met. Ferrijit looked mildly horrified by the question, but Shuraig just laughed it off and explained.

Kitt made Shuraig his first prosthetic a few weeks later, crudely pieced together out of scraps she had found in the wilderness. Despite the fact that it was nowhere near as high quality as Shuraig’s current prosthetic, it did fulfill its intended purpose, allowing the bird-man to fly. He remembered how happy Shuraig was to finally be able to fly, how much he laughed as he soared through the air, a sound that was exceptionally rare to hear from the mostly stoic young man. He remembered how much his heart swelled at seeing how happy his friend was. They made sure to give Kitt some extra portions that night, and regularly brought her back all kinds of scraps of metal that they could find afterwards.

About a year and a half afterwards, they had stumbled upon a group of Dogmatika crusaders raiding Shuraig’s tribe, which was nowhere near where Shuraig remembered it being. Despite their exile of him, Shuraig wasn’t just going to sit idly by and let them fall to the Dogmatika, and so Shuraig led the three of them into the fray (Kitt was of course told to stay back). With their help, Shuraig’s tribe was able to push back the crusaders, and the three of them were quickly heralded as heroes, with Shuraig being accepted back into his tribe for his efforts. Shortly afterward, they had learned of the true scale of the Dogmatika’s crusade. While relations between the tribes of beastmen and the nation of Dogmatika, His Magnificence Dogmatika Maximus had called for full blown raids on the tribes, pushing them further and further southward.

The four of them, Shuraig, Ferrijit, Kitt, and himself, wouldn’t let this stand. With a lot of difficulty, they were able to rally and unify their own tribes and the tribes of other beastmen in order to push back against the looming theocratic threat, and thus, the Tri-Brigade was formed. Kitt was the one to come up with the name, it was supposed to be a portmanteau of Tribe and Brigade, but also Tri since the ones who rallied for its creation came from three different tribes. Shuraig was elected leader, something he was reluctant to accept at first, but he came around to it. Shuraig chose him as his second-in-command, a duty that he was happy to fulfill for his longtime friend.

They fought hard to protect their tribes, and thanks to all the tribes working together, they had a lot more resources at their disposal, resources that Kitt put to good use to engineer powerful energy-based weapons that allowed them to counteract the Stigmatas of the Dogmatika crusaders. Weapons weren’t all that were made, Kitt had also put together a much higher quality prosthetic for Shuraig, one much more complex and usable than his previous one.

They spent as much time together as they could, as their new duties meant that there was little room for indulgence, but they managed. They often partnered up on missions if they could, and always made sure their living quarters were close to each other if they could help it. Shuraig still braided his fur, and he still helped preen Shuraig’s feathers, but there was something developing along with the gentle touches and missions spent together, though neither of them said anything about it.

They didn’t just defend, they also frequently raided Dogmatika outposts, both for resources and to push them back to reclaim their land, gaining quite a bit of infamy among the Dogmatika. They weren’t just Shuraig, Ferrijit, and Rugal, they were Shuraig the Ominous Omen, Ferrijit the Barren Blossom, and Rugal the Silver Sheller, titles that amused them to no end. During one such raid, he’d gotten hurt pretty bad. It was his fault of course, he should’ve paid better attention to things outside of field of vision. He remembered how enraged Shuraig was, how he began blasting through the outpost and every crusader in it. Shuraig had always been reserved and level-headed, even during their time alone, so seeing Shuraig act like that was shocking to say the least, to say nothing of the fact that the mask obscuring his face made his rampage even more terrifying.

After they returned to their home base and he got patched up, Shuraig came to visit him. The two of them talked, and their shared feelings for each other came to the surface. He remembered very clearly how Shuraig described how worried he was at losing him during the raid, and he remembered reassuring the slightly smaller man that it would take a lot more than that to take him out. It was sweet, seeing the usually stoic Shuraig so concerned for his well-being and declaring how much he cared for him. He remembered telling him that he felt the same way, and after a few moments of realizing that their feelings towards each other were one and the same, they kissed.

The rest of the night was a blur as they laid in Shuraig’s bed, filled with cuddling, kissing, Shuraig burying his face into his furry chest, and declarations of ��I love you.” After that night, it didn’t take long for rumors to start swirling around about the nature of their relationship, which they dealt with relatively quickly. They officially confirmed that they were together, but that it would not be affecting their fight against the Dogmatika crusaders in the slightest. Much of the Tri-Brigade was happy for them, none more so than Ferrijit and Kitt, the former of whom joking that it was about time the two of them got together.

True to their word, entering a relationship did little to distract them from their duties, and for the next five years they battled relentlessly against the Dogmatika, gaining all kinds of new allies along the way. The most notable of these allies was the Springans, small ash spirits who lived in the great desert of Golgonda. The Tri-Brigade had a strong alliance with the desert dwellers, with the Tri-Brigade bringing them things that they would find interesting in return for the Springans providing them with materials they would find scattered throughout Golgonda. Not too long ago Kitt was sent to stay with them in a bid to keep her safe, as she was too valuable to the Tri-Brigade to lose should a more direct attack from the Dogmatika crusaders occur.

Thankfully, their strife against the Dogmatika was at an end thanks to that boy who fell from the sky a few months ago, Albaz, but that was an entirely different story.

The moon hung low in the sky as Rugal stepped into his and Shuraig’s shared abode. Two stories and made of adobe, just like all the ones that had been built so far. Theirs was about average-sized, with a living room, office, kitchen, and washroom on the first floor, and a bedroom and a few storage rooms on the second floor. He spotted Shuraig in the living room, prompting him to speak., “I’m back, feeling any better?”

Shuraig sat on the sofa, fiddling with the Mercourier resting on his palm, a small device Kitt made for surveillance, before the rise of the Despia, there had been an innumerable number of them, and Shuraig kept quite a few as pets, now there was only a single one left. He wasn’t wearing his prosthesis at the moment, despite how useful it was, he had told Rugal that wearing it for long periods of time could be uncomfortable. He was wearing his black undershirt and grey pants, a far cry from the multilayered combat attire Rugal had grown so used to seeing him in these past few months. Shuraig turned to look at him, a slight smile forming on his lips before he spoke, “About as well as I felt when you asked this morning.”

Rugal gave a little chuckle as Shuraig turned to face him, despite the fact that Shuraig was just a year younger than him, being twenty-three, the bird-man still had a rather boyish face. He and Ferrijit loved to lightly tease him about it, especially since many people who saw his face for the first time didn’t always expect him to look so youthful, especially considering his rather intimidating build. His muzzle turned up in a grin, “Doesn’t hurt to check again.”

“Fair enough,” Shuraig responded as Rugal grabbed a book from the nearby bookshelf before coming to sit down to the left of him, slinging an arm over Shuraig’s shoulder. Rugal began reading it from where he had left off last night. Back when they were raiding outposts, he often took any books he could find, usually to help deal with boredom and take his mind off of more stressful matters. Sure, since they were written by the Dogmatika, some portrayals of outsiders in their stories weren’t exactly… accurate, but it’s not their fault Maximus made them a glorified cult.

Rugal sat quietly for a few minutes as he read the book before Shuraig spoke up, “So, how was work today?” His tone was rather neutral, but Rugal knew that he was being genuine about his curiosity. Shuraig was always a man of few words, sure he spoke a bit more with Rugal, but even then his calm, cool demeanor remained.

“Same old same old,” the wolf-man replied, “got a couple more buildings up today, gotta remember to thank Kitt next time I see her, those machines she made to help us build have been a real lifesaver.”

Shuraig nodded, “Yeah, Ferrijit’s really impressed with what Kitt’s been able to put together for this place.”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Rugal said as he looked up from his book. “If I had a younger sibling that was as much of a genius as her, I’d be pretty proud too.”

“We all would,” Shuraig added. “Abyss, I’m not even related to her and I’m proud.”

“You’re not wrong about that, I am too,” Rugal responded. He moved a hand to ruffle Shuraig’s feathery hair a bit, which the smaller man barely reacted to, save for a faint smile. “Anyway, if we keep going at the pace we’re at, we should be able to finish the town before the end of next month.”

“Yeah, you’re making pretty good progress, even your break tomorrow shouldn’t slow things down too much,” Shuraig replied.

“Wait, why?” Rugal questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Shuraig rolled his eyes, “Albaz and Ecclesia are leaving tomorrow to head to… wherever it is that they’re going. Everyone’s going to say goodbye to them, Kitt, Ferrijit, Theo, Adin, Sargas, basically everyone they’ve met.”

“Oh right, I completely forgot that it was tomorrow,” Rugal replied, pulling Shuraig slightly closer to him. Albaz and Ecclesia had done so much to put an end to the Dogmatika, it was only fair that he came to say goodbye, even if Shuraig, Kitt, Ferrijit, and Sargas were closer to them than he was. It was thanks to them that the Tri-Brigade finally had a chance at normalcy again. “I’m surprised that Sargas is going out of his way to say goodbye,” he joked.

Shuraig gave a snort, “You know he wouldn’t miss it, even if he hasn’t been able to keep his hands off Regulus since Maximus was defeated.”

Rugal gave a chuckle, “Can’t really blame them, from what I heard from Kitt, they haven’t seen each other in years.”

“Yeah, Shuraig responded, placing the mercourier down on the table in front of him before raising his hand to scratch behind Rugal’s ear. It was his left hand, so he had a bit of trouble moving it, as it hadn’t fully recovered yet, but he was able to perform the motion without any major problems.

Rugal gave a content look as he felt the sensation, opening his eyes once Shuraig was done. “Anyway, yeah, I’ll try to get a chance to say goodbye to them.”

Shuraig nodded, “That sounds good to me.”

Rugal buried his muzzle in Shuraig’s shoulder, “Glad that you approve.”

Shuraig rolled his eyes, “Whatever.”

Rugal chuckled as he turned his attention back to his book, placing his right hand on Shuraig’s left. It was nice, being like this. Being together without the threat of war with the Dogmatika hanging over their heads was… odd to say the least, but Rugal didn’t mind it. He doubted that their relationship would ever become something he would consider “domestic,” but here they were, sitting next to each other on the couch of their shared house, talking to each other about how their day went, and just having a nice, casual conversation. It was a strange change of pace, but Rugal knew that he and Shuraig wouldn’t have it any other way.

#yugioh #yu gi oh #ygo #abyss #shuraig #rugal #fallen of albaz #ecclesia #sargas #regulus #springans captain sargas #therion “king” regulus #kitt #ferrijit #my stuff #definitely writing something for sargas and regulus too

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