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sorenskyhigh · 4 years ago

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Heyyy! I saw you take requests! Imagine: werewolfves, vampires, winged humans and other fantasy/mythological creatures exist (Dungen&dragon races maybe?), What would your favorite Karasuno character(s) be? And, already a happy new year! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

Happy New Year!🎉🎆 I think I'm gonna do all of Karasuno bc they all deserve love and I just love all the Haikyuu characters!!!!! And thank you for putting in a request this is my first!!!!!! Wooohoo!!

Karasuno as D&D

(Or what I think they would be)

Daichi Sawamura

When I think of Daichi I think of a very stout, hardy person.

I know he's 176 or so cm but he's very built and in personality and physical build, sturdy

I also see him very hardworking

Daichi seems very dependable but in a chaotic way

Like he really wants to help but he also simultaneously has NO idea what he's doing

But also I can see him loving the world, people, and animals and nature

A protector but maybe a slight loner or the leader of a group, no inbetween

I honestly think he would be either a Dwarf (the only problem I have with this one is is that I don't view Daichi as a materialistic person like a Dwarf to want gold everything and whatnot) or a Firebolg

I feel either of these could fit him since they are very hardworking and sturdy people. But I lean toward firebolgs more since they are kinda calmer natural people if that makes sense??????

Daichi by no means is a calm and just no worries kind of guy but, I feel like he does have a slow and steady wins the race

Daichi is wise and strong and could live a calm and natural life like a Firebolg

Living with the animals and helping them but also living with a tribe of his people

Koushi Sugawara

I look at Suga as a very loving person that in his own chaotic way tries to help everybody

A mom friend if you will

I also see him getting close with few people a being very ride or die

He also seems a bit like a home body, like he enjoys staying home and being comfortable

Thats why I chose either a Gnome or Hafling

Gnomes are of a tight knit community and are very enthusiastic about life. Learning and building what they can

Building things to help their community and ending the day with a well earned drink with friends and family

Haflings love home comforts

Sitting by the fire and reading a good book

Doing some gardening and whatnot

But some travel and learn and grow intellectually

I think either of these would suit Suga

I can't stop imagining him as a Gnome with little goggles as he works on something small and metal with gears or him sitting in little Hafling attire or some pjs by a fire with some mead in one hand and a good book in the other

Asahi Azumane

I view Asahi as one of my personal favorite tropes of really big and scary but actually a sweet, bumbling mess/really small and adorable but could actually tortures you in a million different ways

Asahi is such a gentle giant but can get serious when he needs to

I also see him as someone very natural and loves nature/animals

That's why I picked either Triton or Genasi (the only thing about Genasi is they're super confident and Asahi very much is not)

Triton are water folk and outsiders (people think Asahi is scary and unapproachable)

They also have good relations with giant seahorses, Hippocampi, and sea lions

Can you imagine Asahi riding a Hippocampus with his gorgeous hair flowing in the waves of the water 😳 muah *chefs kiss* majestic

Anyways 😆

I also see him as a Genasi because they're kinda mysterious people with such a strong connection to nature and elemental energies

But I think he would specifically be an Earth Genasi bc they don't tend to make rash and are superior in strength and solid power

Yū Nishinoya

The little adorable ball of thunderous chaos

Noya seems like someone who loves to cause chaos but NEVER hurt anyone

He wants to have a good time but most people can't quite handle his version of a good time

Thats why I chose Satyr for Noya

Satyrs have the loose construct of a civilization and the wild urges of animals and beasts

Noya is a very independent person but will stick to very particular people

Satyrs are similar

They also view everyone as either a body to dance with, poor soul the mess with, or a sober mind to get absolutely hammered with

Ryūnoske Tanaka

Ryū is just such an awesome character to me

He is the real ride or die never gonna give up on you kind of person

I am not throwing any hate onto the other second years IN THE SLIGHTEST but Ryū did stay the whole time

And yet he seems, to me, to constantly need to prove his self worth

This is why I think he would be either a Human or a Lizardman

Humans are a young race and feel like, in their short lives they need to prove themselves

This drive causes them to be adaptable innovators and pioneers

Bu~ut I also think he would be good among the Lizardfolk

They have their own set of personal rules that they live by that aren't exactly conventional to most other races

Also they can be very food driven who isn't tho

Chikara Ennoshita, Hisashi Kinnoshita, Kazuhito Narita

All three give off similar vibes to me (not just cause they're background characters)

All three feel pretty chill and laid back but like their hardworkers once they have the right motivation

The three of them seem passive as well

Doing what they're told without much question but also like severe outsiders (I know they close themselves off from the others on purpose a bit bc they left and feel guilty)

So I chose Changelings for these three

Changelings are generally harmless, passive beings without interest in other races political affairs

But bc of this most others find them not trustworthy

They kind of don't have their own culture and just slip into other societies

I feel like these three did this with the volleyball team bc they didn't show them ever having some kind grand dream or ambitions

They just kind of float along with certain people they're comfortable with

Tobio Kageyama

Kageyama is a very independent character at heart

It's not that he WANTS to be a lonely necessarily, I feel, but that he wants to prove himself so much and constantly that he pushes people away

Even after he learned about relying on people and what it means to be a team

He stills feels like he should be able to do it himself

I feel like there is an ever constant duality in him

That's why I think he'd be a Half Elf

Human/elf mixes never really belong anywhere bc they either age faster than there elven peers or watch as their human loved ones age and die off much faster than themselves

This is why Half elf/humans keep to themselves

But for Kageyama, I feel if he had never met Hinata, Daichi, Suga, Ryū, or any of them, he would've isolated himself on accident from everyone

Shoyo Hinata

Shoyo is very impulsive but does extremely well with others

He is definitely social and NEEDS to have other people to watch his back

He has shown to be aggressive and super competitive with other players

But he forms strong bonds with those he really cares about

I feel like he would be, specifically a Longtooth Shifter

These shifters specifically are aggressive towards others they are not close to

But are deeply invested in those they have chosen to share their time with

They also are Lupine/dog based beings

And Shoyo definitely has a very dog like personality

They also are more pack oriented than other shifters

They have teamwork and group fluidity

Kei Tsukishima

Tsukishima a very stereotypical character but written in THE BEST WAY

He's that stereotype of antagonist to ally or prude outcast to reliable friend

This was caused by the circumstances of him finding out the situation with his brother

So he decided that no one could be trusted with Yamaguchi as an exception

Elf or Tiefling, did you really expect anything else? 😜

Elven people are very reserved a set themselves apart most of the time from other races, generally thinking of them as inferior or untrustworthy to be around the knowledge Elven people possess

Like Tsukishima they think themselves above other beings with a few that choose to live with with humans

Tieflings are forced away from other races

Because of a past sin that has changed them to look slightly different from others, they are shunned

I relate what happened when Tieflings became a different bloodline of humans to what happened between Kei and his older brother Akiteru

Tsukishimas rejection of companionship is something he does himself, but it is a form of mistrust towards others to not lie to him like he once was

Both Elven and Tieflings are very intelligent in their own differing ways

Elven are very well read and prestigious

Tieflings are good at slight of hand and swindling others bc of the rough cards they've been dealt in life

Tadashi Yamaguchi

Tadashi is a very different person than from what people make him out to be

Everybody makes him out to be an uwu ooga booga baby child that needs protecting

But he's not

That's not to say he doesn't have a large, warm and welcoming heart but he's NOT weak by any means

He's strong and he eventually becomes independent from Tsukishima and doesn't have to be codependent

Tadashi Yamaguchi is an amazing hardworker that is learning about the world and is trying to better himself slowly day by day

But there is the soft, kind and helpful side of him that would just do anything for a struggling stranger

That's why I chose either a Tortle or Kobold

I see him being maybe a Tortles that lives a simple life filled with schedules and living a very ritualistic life

They live simply and are very personable beings

But there's also Kobolds who are dragon like creatures that are INWARDLY aggressive but are industrious beings

They hate larger beings as they're short but will show respect if need to but would show backhanded and passive aggressive ways to show their displeasure

They also don't like direct confrontation and would rather entrapt another creature or being than directly fight them

They are also cunning and have a knack for plan making with which they share through out their entire tribe

Kiyoko Shimizu

I see Kiyoko as a very dependable person but also very independent and very strong and strong willed

Basically a feminine icon, honestly

She can do just about everything but seemingly has her own agenda

You're very lucky if her agenda should happen to align with you and your goals because she is an indestructible force not to be dealt with lightly

And yet, she is above all else a women

Feminine, beautiful, and incredibly amazing (as all women are)

I chose Aasimar for Kiyoko

Aasimar are beings that are often descendants of celestial or higher beings

They generally hold good morals and are justice deliverers

They generally serve a guardians of law that strike at evil, lead by example, and dish out justice where it is needed

They are cautious of others and sometimes misunderstood as they did what they do what they believed to be right

Aasimars are also extremely empathetic and are often times hurt by the prejudice they suffer in early years as many don't like what they don't understand

Hitoka Yachi

Yachi IS NOT THE SOFT, DEFENSLESS, CRYBABY EVERYBODY MAKES HER OUT TO BE

Yachi is shy and nervous but that is only bc she was accidentally persuaded into an intimidating world of giants

And for a short and petite framed girlt hat is TERRIFYING at first

But Yachi stepped up to the plate and batted away everyone's shit expectations for her because she rose to become an amazing manager for the team

She became independent from her mother's harsh ideas of her and showed her how powerful she can be

She may be small but she is truly mighty

This is why I picked Centaurs for her

Centaurs are the swiftest out of the humanoids and build peaceful communities

They hunt what and where they wish, as they generally move after a few years in one place, move

They highly value personal choice and individuality among their tribes

They also love and worship nature, many wanting to devote themselves to a higher power and/or become druids

They generally bear no ill will towards anyone unless the opposers strike first

Thank you @popcorntime-doodles for giving me my first request I hope you like this and I hope I did a good job

Again this is just my opinion and how I see the characters and the many races of D&D

Also again I do request I have a character masterlist in my bio ❤

@multifandombrainrot @kneecapstealingalien @akabxne @jiheonity @weareallhumans123 @smallmangi @canadian-crow @just-jellyfish @immiamarais @i-need-coffee-now-pls @foreveryoung050 @kuroos-world @luminasapphire @silverfire6 @shadowsbutdead @ghostexhibit @simpfornishinoya @goshikisimp @anothershadeofpink @mestayanon @japoga

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ask-the-crimson-king · 4 years ago

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Primarchs as D&D Characters by a DM

Because I have 0 original thoughts in my mind, I’m hopping on this bandwagon. Inspired to do so based on these two posts. Not going to have much explanation on each choice due to the length of the post, and will be focusing on classes and races because this is a long enough post.

I. Lion El’Jonson - Monster Slayer Ranger. Takes the optional class features; Favored Foe, Deft Explorer, Primal Awareness, and the Dueling fighting style. As for race, I could see him playing a number of things; variant human, tiefling, potentially tabaxi or fallen aasimar.

III. Fulgrim - Dex-based Battlemaster Fighter with the Dueling fighting style or Great Weapon Fighting. Could multi into Bard for expertise, probably wouldn’t go farther than Jack of all Trades. Some sort of fey-associated race, potentially a type of eladrin, or even aasimar. Could also see him playing an aarockra. May even like playing the Yuan-ti later on, because I’m Not Very Clever.

IV. Perturabo - Artillerist or Armorer Artificer. Leaning more towards Armorer since it allows one to have your armor become more versatile (retracting and whatnot on a BA, the Guardian armor abilities, etc.), however either could most likely be argued. Either plays warforged or goliath, and has made a homebrew stone giant playable race.

V. Jaghatai Khan - Dex-based Beast Master Ranger. Duelist or Great Weapon Fighting fighting style. Takes the Mounted Combatant feat. Also takes the optional class features, however he keeps Primeval Awareness. Potential multiclass into Fighter for Brutal Criticals. Plays either a fey-aligned race or variant human. Potentially hawk-flavored aaracockra.

VI. Leman Russ - Path of the Totem Warrior (wolf) or Path of the Beast Barbarian. Goes against the Intelligence is a Dump Stat barbar trope, has an 11 to Int and an 8 to Cha. Plays a shifter (if not going Beast Barbarian), dwarf, or goliath.

VII. Rogal Dorn - Artillerist Artificer. Forgoes spellcasting. May also play a Battle Master or Champion Fighter with the Defense fighting style. Main races are goliath, warforged, or potentially longtooth shifters. Sometimes variant human.

VIII. Konrad Curze - Assassin or Phantom Rogue. Expertise in Intimidation and Investigation or Stealth. Could maybe multi into barbar later on with a reflavored Ancestral Guardians if he goes Phantom Rogue. Would be too late for it to be much use, but could still happen. Plays kenku, fallen aasimar, or potentially tabaxi. Maybe leans into the edgy rogue trope and plays tiefling.

IX. Sanguinius - Oath of Glory Paladin. Takes Great Weapon Fighting, doesn’t have an optimized Charisma (has a 14 Cha for a 20 Str), but his Oath helps him overcome some of the challenges that can be associated with this later on. Plus he can just smite. Plays flavored protector aasimar, aarockra, or even firbolgs.

X. Ferrus Manus - Battle Smith or Artilerist Artificer. Or Forge Cleric, though I can’t see him as much of a spellcaster. Plus Battle Smith gives him extra attack. Unsure about the Steel Defender though. Plays dwarf, minotaur, or warforged.

XII. Angron - Path of the Totem Warrior (bear) or Path of the Berserker Barbarian. Leaning more bear barbar due to resistance to everything except psychic damage, and Angron DID hold up an entire Titan’s foot while it was actively trying to crush him, among many other feats. Plus the whole psyker - Nails interaction. Plays dwarf, minotaur, leonin, and potentially goliath.

XIII. Roboute Guilliman - Oath of the Crown Paladin. Leans a bit into the Lawful Good Babysitter pally trope. Defensive, Duelist, or Protection fighting style. Also does not play with Completely Optimized Charisma, but still has a 16 in it while he has an 18 to strength. Plays human, Gith (Githzerai over Githyanki), or maybe loxodon if he’s feeling adventurous.

XIV. Mortarion - Circle of Spores Druid. May multi into Death Cleric for more necrotic damage goodness. Traded a proficiency for proficiency in alchemist tools. This character is scarier than Konrad’s only because he knows how to flavor how he uses his Spores class features to make everyone at the table think ‘what the fuck’. Plays veldaken, kenku, gnome, or the occasional genasi.

XV. Magnus the Red - Lore Mastery or Divination Wizard or Draconic Ancestry Sorcerer, though he’ll more often play the wizard for more spells. Potential multi for one level into a martial class so he can have his glaive and make it his spellcasting focus. Spell lists change often from day to day, sometimes tries to metagame in order to make sure he has the Right Spell. Any character he makes takes advantage of the Tasha’s lineages thing, and thus has the Telepath or Telekinetic feat. Plays kalashtar, kenku, firbolg, or goliaths. May also play a grung.

XVI. Horus Lupercal - Oath of Redemption Paladin, later changing to Oathbreaker. Optimizes Charisma over Strength, relies on spells like Zone of Truth and Hold Person over smites. Takes Intervention or Protection fighting styles. Multi’s into Bard for Jack of All Trades to get Persuasion and Deception expertise. Plays human, gnome, or longtooth shifter.

XVII. Lorgar Aurelian - Zeal Cleric, later multi into Divine Soul Sorcerer. Has high Wis and Cha, though does focus on strength later on (+2 in Str, +5 Wis and +3 Cha). Plays kalashtar for the persuasion advantage, or loxodon, human, aasimar, and potentially lizardfolk.

XVIII. Vulkan - Drakewarden Ranger or Forge Cleric. Usually goes with Drakewarden. Defensive fighting style. Homebrewed a nice warhammer for himself. Plays dragonborn or lizardfolk, though did once try a kobold for a one-shot.

XIX. Corvus Corax - Assassin Rogue or Gloom Stalker Ranger, with a later multi into Twilight Cleric. Expertise in Stealth and Investigation. Duelist or Defensive fighting style. Homebrewed some better weapons for himself at a later level. Plays kenku, human, goblin, halfling, kalashtar, protector aasimar, or aarakokra.

XX. Alpharius/Omegon - Inquisitor Rogue. Optimized to stay out of combat, only fighting as an absolute necessity. Expertise in Stealth and Sleight of Hand. Plays yuan-ti, lizardfolk, dragonborn, changeling, or shifter.

I can go more into the specific archetypes I see them playing if people are interested. But here you go, my takes on everyone.

#i know too much about D&D lmao #moonclaw speaks #feel free to add your own commentary

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tigerkirby215 · 5 years ago

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5e Sett the Boss build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Moshi moshi, bossu?

Sett is the latest “Opee Opee” on the Rift (mostly because Rito won’t fucking nerf his damage yet like Jesus Christ how is a reduction to his armor by 3 going to stop him?) but after the complete OMGWTFBBQ that was Aphelios a simple champion was a nice change of pace. With a Q that punches people, a W that punches people, an E that punches people, and an R that pile-drives people it’s nice to have a new, fun, easy difficulty champion to vary the top lane a little.

Helps that he’s a furry anime boy who’s voiced by DIO.

youtube

GOALS

ORA ORA ORA ORA - We need to punch hard and punch... not as fast as Star Platinum, but still fast enough.

He’s immortal! Unkillable! Unmatched! - Sett can survive in a fight with high durability and Grit for days.

RODA ROLLA-DA - Sett’s only ability that isn’t a punch is his ultimate, which lets him grab someone and throw them around.

RACE

Sett is a half-Vastaya and Shifter is perfect for a half-beast who wants to get their wild side on. You get 60 feet of Darkvision and your Shifting feature which gives you temporary health equal to your level and your constitution modifier and an additional effect tied to your subrace. While most of the subraces could work Beasthide is perfect for a pit-fighting boss: you get proficiency with Athletics and an increase to both your Constitution (+2) and Strength (+1). In addition you gain an extra d6 hitpoints when you shift, and your AC increases by 1 during that time.

ON OTHER SHIFTERS:

Longtooth gives you a bite attack to use with your bonus action while shifted. The bite is useful to get more damage output but sadly isn’t in character.

Swiftstride lets you float like a butterfly, but Sett is much more the “sting like a bee” type.

Wildhunt makes it impossible for your enemies to get a cheap-shot in while you’re shifted, but we don’t need the stats and virtually every other Shifter is more useful to us.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CONSTITUTION - To be the boss you’ve gotta be able to take a punch. Remember that it's not about how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

14; DEXTERITY - To survive in the fight pits you’ve gotta float like a butterfly. Also our race will bump our Strength to a 14 and I don’t like odd numbers. Wait then why is our Constitution going to be a 17...?

13; STRENGTH - Sett certainly stings a lot harder than a bee, packing a whopping left hook that can send a blind monk flying.

12; CHARISMA - You don’t get to call yourself “the boss” without having people like you... just be sure not to sell any drugs.

10; WISDOM - Sett’s mama taught him some wise words but he’s still a hot head at times.

8; INTELLIGENCE - You’ve been hit by as many Facebreakers as you’ve received; I doubt you even know how many anymore.

BACKGROUND

While you keep away from the Noxian gladiatorial pits the underground fight ring makes you a Gladiator in your own right. You get proficiency with Acrobatics and Performance to let you style as you slam dunk your foes. You also gain proficiency with a Disguise Kit and a musical instrument of your choice, both of which aren’t too in-character but are still great to have.

But most importantly you get the By Popular Demand feature. This lets you find the local fight ring and get in a brawl for the entertainment of the people. You get paid with food and a place to stay, and the people will treat you like a proper celebrity!

But most importantly you get a costume in your starting equipment, meaning that you can dress fancy with pressed pants and a fur coat on your bare chest.

(YOU WERE EXPECTING OFFICIAL ARTWORK BUT IT WAS ME; SETT! Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 1 - FIGHTER 1

Starting out as a Fighter you get proficiency in two skills from their list: take Intimidation and Survival to be the lion in the pit of wolves. You also get Second Wind for some pit grit to restore hit points equal to a d10 plus your level in Fighter once per rest.

But most importantly we get a Fighting Style, and we’re starting with Fighter so that we can get our punching on. Unarmed Fighting lets you use your fists to fight and do a d6 of damage. If both fists are free you can increase that damage to a d8 - grab a chair or something similar to use as a shield but you do your real damage with your left hook. Additionally if you grapple someone you do a d4 damage to them, and can do an extra d4 whenever you hit them while they’re grappled. Pin them to the ground and beat the stuffing out of them until the ref rings the bell. Then beat them some more!

LEVEL 2 - BARBARIAN 1

Quickly jumping to Barbarian for Unarmored Defense equal to your Dexterity plus your Constitution. Currently your unarmored AC is 1 less than you would have if you had chain mail but you can’t wear Heavy Armor if you want to Rage. While raging you have advantage on Strength checks and saving throws (including grapples.) You can also do extra damage with strength weapons (such as your fists) and have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Your rage lasts for 1 minute but ends early if you spend a turn where you don’t hit someone or get hit, or if you’re knocked down. You can rage twice before needing to long rest.

LEVEL 3 - FIGHTER 2

Going back to Fighter you get Action Surge, letting you take one additional action on your turn before needing to rest. Sneak a good right hook in after hitting them with the left.

LEVEL 4 - FIGHTER 3

3rd level Fighters can choose their martial archetype and Champions are masters of the ring. They get Improved Critical which lets them crit on a 19 or a 20, effectively doubling your crit chance. Who says you can’t build an Infinity Edge?

Why Champion? - The main reason for the Champion subclass for the level 18 subclass feature. Champion is a perfectly viable subclass but it’s not exactly an interesting one. Battle Master is a lot more exciting and if you’re not going to reach level 20 I’d honestly recommend it over Champion. After posting this build I’ll make an errata for this build with Battle Master over Champion.

LEVEL 5 - FIGHTER 4

Grabbing the 4th level in Fighter for an Ability Score Improvement, or rather a Feat. Since Shifter is from Eberron I expect you to have access to the Aberrant Dragonmark feat.

You increase your Constitution by 1 to make it a nice, even 18. You also learn one cantrip and one level 1 spell from the Sorcerer spell list. Your spellcasting modifier for these spells is Constitution (not Charisma!) and you can cast the leveled spell once before taking a short or long rest. Your cantrip doesn’t really matter (if you want to be efficient I’d recommend taking a ranged attacking cantrip) but for the spell take False Life for more Pit Grit. You gain 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points for 1 hour which go away when the hour is up or if they get hit out of you.

In addition when you cast False Life you can roll one of your hit die - I’d recommend rolling your Barbarian die for higher potential rolls. If you roll an even number you gain temporary hit points equal to the number rolled, and I’d argue that this health stacks with False Life. If you roll an odd number a random creature within 30 feet other than you takes force damage equal to the number rolled, but if no other creatures are in range you take the damage instead. Your rage can sometimes be dangerous but if you keep your cool you can grit down and take more hits.

On Greater Aberrant Powers: Getting this feat early is always useful but if your DM is using this rule it’s extremely helpful. After level 10 you have a 10% chance to get an Epic Boon, which can give you the upper hand in a fight that no one else can. When it happens your hitpoint maximum is reduced by a roll on your hit die plus your constitution, so I’d recommend rolling your Fighter hit die so you lose less health. You also lose that hit die permanently, and it can’t be restored through any means. The trade of a hit die for an Epic Boon is more than worth it though, so get excited if some greater powers manifest!

LEVEL 6 - BARBARIAN 2

Grabbing a second level in Barbarian for Reckless Attack. When you punch you can choose to give yourself Advantage on all attacks on the turn but all enemies will have Advantage when attacking you. With Improved Critical you have about a 20% chance to crit if you have Advantage, so you can knock your opponent out before they hit you.

Speaking of Advantage, Danger Sense gives you Advantage to Dexterity saving throws against effects you can see. You’re not magic but if you see a punch headed your way you know to duck.

(Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 7 - FIGHTER 5

Guess what boys it’s a straight track through Champion Fighter now. Level 5 Champions get an Extra Attack, so you can hit them with a left hook and a right punch.

LEVEL 8 - FIGHTER 6

6th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll cap off our Constitution for maximum pit grit.

LEVEL 9 - FIGHTER 7

7th level Champions get Remarkable Athlete, letting them add half their proficiency bonus to any Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution check they don’t have proficiency with. You already have proficiency with STR and CON saves as well as Acrobatics, but this will let you add half your proficiency to Stealth and Slight of Hand checks.

LEVEL 10 - FIGHTER 8

8th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and it’s time to increase our Strength for harder punches.

LEVEL 11 - FIGHTER 9

9th level Fighters get Indomitable, letting them reroll a saving throw once before taking a long rest. If you fail a Strength or Constitution check this should be enough to save it, and if you need it for a Dexterity check you effectively get three total rolls for the save.

LEVEL 12 - FIGHTER 10

10th level Champions get an Additional Fighting Style but unfortunately most of these rely on us using weapons and armor. Since you’re using your fists your best option would be a way to grab your opponents: the Superior Technique fighting style from the Class Feature Variants UA gives you a d6 Superiority Dice to use on a Battle Master Maneuver which comes back on a short or long rest.

You also learn one Battle Master Maneuver and Restraining Strike from the same Class Features UA will let you grab someone for the Ultimate Show Stopper! After hitting a creature with a weapon attack you can use your bonus action to attempt to grapple them. You roll your Superiority Dice and add the number rolled to the grapple check, further increasing the chance that you make the grab. "GOIN' FOR A RIDE!"

(Artwork by @victorli_ran on Twitter.)

LEVEL 13 - FIGHTER 11

11th level Fighters get a third Extra Attack, so you can sneak another left after your right. Or alternatively you can Action Surge for 6 attacks in a turn!

LEVEL 14 - FIGHTER 12

12th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement and we’ll continue increasing Strength to punch harder, better, faster, and stronger.

LEVEL 15 - FIGHTER 13

13th level Fighters get another use of Indomitable. Man that’s a hard word to spell... that’s all I’ve got.

LEVEL 16 - FIGHTER 14

14th level Fighters get another Ability Score Improvement, so max out your Strength for maximum punching action.

LEVEL 17 - FIGHTER 15

15th level Champions crit on an 18, 19, or 20 thanks to Superior Critical. If you give yourself Advantage with Reckless Attack you have a little less than a 30% chance to crit, and over the span of 3 attacks you have a 37.7% chance of not at least getting one crit if they all have Advantage. With that many attacks you’ve gotta hit something vital!

LEVEL 18 - FIGHTER 16

16th level Fighters get the last Ability Score Improvement of this build and now that we have maxed out Strength it’s time to improve our grapples. The Grappler feat gives you Advantage on attack rolls against a target that you are grappling and also allows you to use your action to pin your grapple target, restraining them until the grapple ends. Unfortunately you can’t pick them up and drop them on the enemy ADC but you can certainly drop them to the ground and wail on them.

NOTE ABOUT GRAPPLES: Grappling is in-flavor for Sett but isn’t very practical in 5e. If you want something more useful the Tough feat will give you an additional 36 health at this level, and a total of 40 extra health once you reach level 20.

LEVEL 19 - FIGHTER 17

At level 17 Fighters get another use of Action Surge and a third use of Indomitable. This means more attacks and less chance to fail when being attacked which overall means more time as the boss of the ring.

LEVEL 20 - FIGHTER 18

18th level Champions finally get some Pit Grit thanks to Survivor. At the start of every turn you regenerate health equal to 5 plus your Constitution modifier, which is +5 so you regenerate 10 health per turn total. This health regen only works if you’re below half health but not if you’re at 0; regardless you have the endurance to tough-out a fight no matter the odds.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

DORA RA RA RA RA - You can throw many hard-hitting punches: 3 per turn and up to 6 if you use Action Surge. Not only that but with Superior Critical and Reckless Attack there is a very high likelihood that you’ll crit with your attacks for double damage.

I CAN beat the shit out of you - Even if you’re unarmed you can still fight, requiring nothing but your two fists and your raw muscle. This means that even if your allies are stripped bare you can still defend them on your own.

Diamond is Unbreakable - You are insanely tanky. A maxed out Constitution with Fighter levels leads to easily over 200 health, and you can reduce incoming weapon damage with Rage and keep yourself in the fight with both Shifting and False Life giving you Temporary Hitpoints.

CONS

10 Meter Range - Unless you took a ranged damage cantrip with your Dragonmark you have no options to fight outside of melee range. It’s fair enough since Sett is a melee fighter, but like most Juggernauts the way to counter him is to just keep away from him. Considering that you have a 30 foot movement speed that’s incredibly easy to do.

Magician’s Red - All your damage is physical bludgeoning with your fists, so unless your DM gives you some magic knuckledusters you won’t be bypassing magic resistance anytime soon. What’s more is that our saving throws for everything other than Strength and Constitution are awful and while Danger Sense can help with DEX saves Indomitable can only help so much when you have at best a +1 or at worst a -1 to a saving throw.

MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA - A lot of the options taken in this build are done entirely for flavor. Even if Rages are nice so are 4 attacks, and the Unarmored Defense is more of a cosmetic feature since plate mail would get the job done just as well. Probably the biggest issue is that Grappling as a whole in 5e is USELESS USELESS USELESS USELESS, meaning that our secondary Fighting style and pick up of the Grappler feat end up going to waste. But with that being said I know most campaigns don’t go to level 20 anyways and at earlier levels this build is more than serviceable; it’s only at later levels that the weird choices start to come into play.

But that only matters if you’re fighting a war and you’re fighting in the pits. The rules are different in the pits: no weapons, fox-men only - it’s the final destination. You’re the boss of the ring and you can strike down all who oppose you. But if you hear someone playing the piano as some blond Japanese-Italian kid approaches you; run.

(Meme made by u/smakuliak on Reddit)

#DnD 5e #dnd build #dnd guide #dnd #League of Legends #dnd fighter #jojo's bizzare adventure #jojo reference

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chimachapterbooks · 1 year ago

Text

The Vault

“Longtooth! Wake up!"

The old Lion Warrior sat up abruptly. "I wasn't napping," Longtooth insisted, half asleep. "I was just . .. resting my eyes."

Leonidas was standing over him. He shook Longtooth fully awake. "I needed to find you!" Leonidas exclaimed.

"Because . . . um . . . because…”

Longtooth sighed. Leonidas was never very good at doing two things at once, like bringing a message and remembering what it was.

"Are we under attack?" Longtooth asked groggly.

"No," said Leonidas. "That's not it."

"Is the CHI in danger?"

"NO, not that," Leonidas replied. He furrowed his brow in concentration.

“Think!" said Longtooth, exasperated. "Did Laval send you to find me?"

"That's it!" cried Leonidas.

"Laval! CHI! Laval is trapped in the legendary CHI vault!"

Longtooth slowly rose to his feet. He already missed the nap he wasn't going to get to finish. "All right," said, yawning. "You had better start from the beginning."

As Longtooth gathered his CHI harness and armor, Leonidas explained what had happened.

A few weeks before, while Laval had been cleaning out the map room as part of his chores, he had stumbled across a particularly old-looking scroll. It belonged to the Lion Elders. The scroll told of an ancient legend about a CHI vault the Lions had built centuries ago, the last time the CHI was in danger.

According to the legend, the vault was filled with doom traps and was one of the most secure places ever created to store CHI. But when the danger passed, the Lions never needed to use their treacherous vault after all.

So it remained hidden somewhere in the forest. Lava asked the Elders about the legend, and they said it was just a myth. But Laval insisted that if it was real, it could be the perfect solution for protecting the CHI.

"Laval used the scroll and the Lion Elders' maps to figure out where the CHI vault might be," Leonidas explained. "I saw him sneaking out of the Compound this morning. Laval made me promise not to say anything.

But he hasn't been back all day. I'm worried something might have happened to him."

"All right," said Longtooth as they prepared to set out. "Where's this legendary CHI vault so we can go and find him?"

Leonidas's expression suddenly went blank. "Uhhhh, find him. Right . . ." he said.

Longtooth sighed. "You mean you don't know where he went? How are we going to rescue him if we don't know where he is?"

Leonidas scratched his head with a rolled up parchment he held in one hand. "I'm not sure," he said slowly. "I feel like Laval told me before he left, but now I can't remember."

Longtooth gently took the parchment from Leonidas's paw and unrolled it. It was one of the Lion Elders' maps, with a trail drawn on it.

"Did Laval by any chance give you this?" Longtooth asked.

Leonidas brightened. "Oh, yeah! He did. Good thinking, Longtooth. I completely forgot!"

Torches in hand, Leonidas and Longtooth reached the entrance to the ancient CHI vault marked on the map. At least, it was where the entrance was supposed to be.

Longtooth glanced down at the map and back up to the weathered, root-ridden rock crevice in front of them.

He frowned. "Is this really it? It just looks like an old hole in the rocks."

Leonidas shrugged. "I guess there's only one way to find out."

The two Lions advanced inside. Except for the glow of their torches, there was no light to guide their way.

They had gone only a short distance when Leonidas's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Hey!" he said. "Look at that. I didn't know you could grow grass in a cave with no light.”

"Grass in a- ?" Longtooth started.

Before Longtooth could stop him, Leonidas headed for the grassy spot in the middle of the narrow tunnel.

As soon as he put one paw on the grass, it caved in, revealing a deep pit below. Leonidas started to tumble in! Longtooth lunged forward and grabbed his friend before he could fall.

"Doom traps, remember?" said Longtooth. "I'm pretty sure the key word there is doom. We have to be more careful."

"That was a close one," Leonidas breathed. "Thanks."

Then, his face grew worried. "I sure hope Laval is okay."

"Me, too," said Longtooth. "Let's keep going."

Backing up a few steps, the two Lions took a running jump and just made it over the pit. They kept walking, until they came to a much wider part of the cave. On the left-hand side of the stone floor there was a vine tied into a loop. The vine trailed up toward the ceiling.

"Okay, now that one's too obvious," said Longtooth.

"Why would you step into that vine? Of course it will hoist you up toward the ceiling. All we have to do is go around it."

Longtooth took a few steps to the right of the vine.

Just as he was beside the loop, the stone floor under his feet sank a few inches. A big slab of rock suddenly shot out from the cave wall, big enough to crush him against the opposite side.

"This way!" yelled Leonidas.

He grabbed Longtooth and pulled him into the center of the vine loop. The vine yanked up, pulled tight around their legs, and jerked them into the air just as the slab crashed against the wall.

"You're right, it’s so obvious. Anybody could see you were supposed to step into it to get pulled up to the ceiling. Right?"

"Um, right…” said Longtooth. "I was just showing you why you would want to be up near the ceiling.”

The vine slowly lowered the two back down to the floor. Longtooth and Leonidas freed themselves and started forward again.

As they walked, Longtooth grumbled to himself. He was worried about Laval. He was also annoyed with the Lion Prince for getting into this mess. But as much as Longtooth's aches and pains were bothering him, he was beginning to look forward to the next trap. He was starting to see this whole thing as a big tactical challenge. And if there was one thing Longtooth was always up for, it was a challenge.

They had walked a little ways farther when Leonidas spotted something. "There's a pile of CHI against that wall. Maybe Laval dropped it? Or maybe it's another trap?"

Longtooth thought hard. It did look like an obvious trap, but the last time, the obvious trap turned out not to be one at all. So mavbe this one was safe . . . or maybe the ancient builders of the vault just wanted him to think it was safe.

But they would know he would never believe it wasn't a trap, so maybe it was safe. This was starting to make Longtooth's head hurt.

He knelt down to examine the CHI. Suddenly, one of the orbs flew out at him. He moved aside and it smacked against the cave wall with a loud thud.

"That's not CHI!" exclaimed Longtooth. "It's a rock painted to look like CHI."

"Wow, there are CHI rocks now?" exclaimed Leonidas “Awesome!”

More of the rocks flew out at the two Lions from a miniature catapult hidden beneath the pile.

"Leonidas! Run!" yelled Longtooth. They sprinted down the tunnel to avoid the barrage.

Up ahead, a sticky net was drooping low from the ceiling. Both Lions hit the floor and rolled underneath it. It was a good thing they were down low, too, because just past the nets, stone spikes started flying out of the walls above there heads.

"How did the Lions who invented this vault ever make it through to get to the CHI they stored?" grumbled Longtooth.

The friends crawled forward until they were past the spikes. Longtooth sat with his back to the cave wall, breathing heavily. He was exahusted. Leonidas, on the other hand, still seemed full of energy.

"Not sure how much farther we have to go," said Longtooth. "There might be a dozen traps between here and the vault door. We might be sitting in the middle of one right now. So why don't you look more worried?"

Leonidas shrugged. "I just take things one at a time," he said. "I sometimes try to take things two at a time, but that gets confusing. And you remember what happened when I took things four at a time."

Longtooth winced. He did remember. It took a week to clean up that mess, and everyone's fur smelled of swamp for a month.

Together, the two Lions started walking again. They came to a massive wooden door with a big keypad in its center and a handle on the right. This had to be the door to the vault itself.

Longtooth immediately began trying different combinations but none of them worked.

After each combination, he would push the door handle down and try to pull it open, but the door wouldn't budge. He started to feel very frustrated. Minutes went by, then an hour as he tried and tried to solve this last puzzle. When Leonidas suggested he take a break, Longtooth angrily answered that he would beat this challenge yet.

Leonidas waited until Longtooth stopped for a moment. Then he reached out, and tried pulling the handle upward. The door opened.

"Things that look like traps aren't," said Leonidas. "Things that look safe aren't. So I figured maybe something that looked like it was a normal, locked door... wasn't."

"And the vault builders guessed an intruder would be so angry by the time he got here, he would spend hours trying to find a combination that didn't exist," realized Longtooth.

Now they were faced with another door. It looked almost identical to the previous one. The only difference was the last keypad had numbers and this one had letters. Just as a precaution, Longtooth tried the handle up and down, but this door remained locked tight.

"Can I try?" asked Leonidas.

"Sure," said Longtooth.

Leonidas started using the keypad to spell out every word he could think of that might be the combination.

Lion, CHI, Chima, Legend Beast, even Vault. None of them were right.

"Boy, they sure made this hard," he said finally.

"The ancient Lions must have really wanted to keep their enemies out."

Longtooth smiled. "Leonidas… nothing is what you expect in here. Think about it: If you wanted a combination no enemy would ever guess, what would you use?"

Leonidas thought for a moment. Then he punched the letters on the keypad to spell:

W-E-L-C-O-M-E

The door swung open.

There was Laval, standing in the middle of the vault. He smiled broadly at the sight of his two friends.

"Am I glad to see you!" he exclaimed happily.

"Laval!" Leonidas cried.

"Are you okay?" asked Longtooth.

"I am now." Laval breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure anyone would ever reach me. I guess I shouldn't have tried to find this vault on my own."

"Might have been a good idea," Longtooth said.

"How did you make it past all those doom traps?"

Leonidas asked, amazed. "They almost got us . .. several times! l wouldn't have made it through if Longtooth wasn’t with me. "

Longtooth nodded. "Leonidas saved my hide a few times, too. How did you get past them?"

Laval chuckled and pointed up at the ceiling. "Didn't have to. I fell in from up there."

Longtooth and Leonidas followed his gaze upward.

Hish up on the vault ceiling was a cluster of tightly racked rocks that looked like they were blocking a large opening.

"There was a hole up there from the outside when I got here," Laval explained. "The rocks have probably been wearing away for hundreds of years. When I lowered myself in, they collapsed and the hole was blocked. The vault door was sealed from the outside, so I would have been trapped in here forever." He smiled gratefully at his two friends. "If it wasn't for you two."

“Wow," Leonidas said. "I can't believe you missed all those doom traps. They were really something!"

Laval put his arms around each of their shoulders.

"Well, I guess I'Il get to see them on the way out of this vault." He smiled. "But as long as I have you two by my side, l'm pretty sure we can handle anything.”

#lego chima #legends of chima #lego legends of chima #laval the lion #Leonidas the lion #longtooth the lion #chima #for chima

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rayeverydangday · 5 months ago

Text

I wanted to practice drawing these guys <3

#my art #legends of chima #lego chima #lego legends of chima #lego #chima #the legends of chima #legend of chima #lego chima lions #lego chima longtooth #lego chima Leonidas

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olivescales3 · 11 months ago

Text

The Forgotten Legends of Chima Episode 3

[Episode 1]; [Episode 2]

I’m at the lion temple’s entrance hall, surrounded by statues of lion warriors, who gaze at me gracefully in an action of ferocious protection. Each and every one of them are unique, sculpted in such a way that they look real, or like they could be real– and that’s because they’re meant to. They represent the glorious warriors that protected our temple long ago.

It is truly a comforting sight, to be safeguarded by my ancestors, the ones who swore to protect Chi. Then, a disembodied voice, monotonous yet mellow, whines from the distance, blended in with nervous footsteps.

“You know, man, this canine craze is wild. Like, they went bonkers out of nowhere!”, cries Leonidas, mumblings on his words.

As I tiptoe near the guard, hiding myself behind one of the statues, Longtooth leans on the temple’s door frame. He sighs, pushing down his beanbrows– one scarred from top to cheekbone. While he crosses his arms and hides the huge claw tear on his bare chest, he whispers,

“I know, sweetheart.”, He opens up his damaged eyelid, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll sort it out– together.”

A moment of silence slips in the middle of the conversation, a minute of peace and thought. Leonidas slides slowly near the brunet lion, getting his thin and delicate body near his mate’s fluffy mane, then shoves his muzzle inside it.

Accidentally, a meow escapes from my mouth, and the lion couple notices me, happy about my presence.

They turn around and march towards me; Longtooth then crouches on the floor, just to pat my head with his dark tan paw.

Beneath the fierce bodyguard’s canines hides a smile that loosens his serious, headstrong expression into an almost submissive frown. When his watery eyes try to shed at every blink, but that only makes them shinier.

As he brushes my cheek, I utter, “Longtooth… are you alright?”, my voice cracks a bit.

Leonidas tilts his head, his banded orange mane falls down from his shoulder. He presses his lips, hiding the malformed incisors that stick out of his mouth.

Longtooth delicately puts his hand under my arm and holds it– the wounded limb has already recovered, and the only remains of the injury are ugly scabs in the shape of claw marks. His agonized concern is enough to make me understand— even in silence—, that nothing is over yet.

I can see Leonidas’ concern for his partner, but also his fear for what might happen; he’s right– what’s been happening during these last days is wild. Of course, to say the least. In reality, words can’t encapsulate the weight of this tragedy.

“Alert, alert! Close the main gate and stand in your positions!”

This powerful roar rumbles throughout the castle and beyond, attracting our attention to the howls penetrating inside the temple.

“Your Highness– please remain still.”, he murmurs, while skimming his eyes to the side, before dashing away.

Leonidas soon stumbles forward, behind him, while wielding a spear.

I wonder for whom the bell will toll today.

Lagravis wanders in small but hard steps across the Throne Room, staring at the ground. His face recoils in doubt, as he murmurs to himself whatever is in his thoughts.

The Lion Temple was invaded, this morning, by a pack of a hundred wolves. Warriors were able to protect our fortress and control the damage caused by the invasion, but it wasn’t enough– blood was still shed in our territory, whether from our people or from the Wolf Tribe.

I sneak into the room, patiently waiting for him to notice me. Or, do I even want to be noticed? Dad’s posture this week has been worrying me a bit…

He sits on his throne with a loud thud. “I can’t believe this!”, he shouts, throwing his arms forwards, before leaning his face onto his hands, “Even with my guards in the Wolf Lair…!”

My dad’s shock resonates with my feelings, I’m also confused, too. I witnessed him ordering guards to surveil the wolves; lion tanks and buggies were scattered all across the camp’s radius, monitoring every move!

Lagravis roars, once again, “Someone has to be involved in all of this! These events are too organized for a bunch of mindless ferals.”

Uncle Lavertus passes by, waving his hand at my dad. Perhaps he also wants to check up on his brother, just like me?

“Hey, buddy! Big bro, whatever! How’re doing?”, says Lavertus, with joy brimming from his glistening eyes.

Dad doesn’t even move an inch, but instead scowls in frustration, not willing to loosen his mood. His gray-haired muzzle is starting to look more grizzled than normal.

“Aw, Lagravis. I noticed your attitude’s quite bitter recently. Stuff sucks and all, but can’t ya at least keep up with a smile?”

The king gets up, his blue scarf swings violently. As he clenches his paws and sticks out his claws, the muscles from his tanned torso tense up. He can’t go forth, because the Sacred Pool of Chi is right in between him and his brother, scattering blue light throughout the room.

“…Tell me about the necropsies, Lavertus. Be serious with me!”

My uncle grabs a piece of fibrous paper, with notes written all over it, from a pocket on his tunic.

“Want me to—”

“Just tell me already!”, Dad screams.

After a few eternal minutes of silence, just enough for doubts and fear to haunt us, Lavertus begins to read the notes out loud:

“All of the lion guards assigned to monitor the Wolf Lair were found dead during the sunrise, with the sunlight hitting Mount Cavora’s east side. The deaths happened approximately at dawn, as the corpses smelled fresh, but blood was dry.”

The Throne Room begins to smell with adrenaline. No one has noticed me, yet.

He continues, “A necropsy exam began soon after the discovery of the bodies– their thoracic cavities were mauled with distinctive bite and claw marks. All organs situated in this area of the body were found to be severely damaged on gross observation. Therefore, the cause of death was diagnosed to be acute organ failure due to physical trauma.”

Dad nods, understanding the situation. Whispering about his shock at the wolves’ strength, he sits on his throne again, with his paw placed under his chin.

I shrink and curl behind a lion statue. What an abominable act of violence that was… and in such detail too!

“And what about this morning’s incident, brother?”

“Exactly the same thing. It’s safe to assume that the wolves from now were the same from before.”

Lavertus marches around the Sacred Pool of Chi, as the chains that adorn his tunic hitting against one another, then lends the two necropsy notes to his sibling.

After a quick glance on the papers, Lagravis raises his eyebrow in concern. “Chi was found near the dead wolves. Do you have any ideas about why that happened?”

“They were after our Chi, Lagravis. We found crystals inside the wolves’ bodies. That’s how they managed to destroy our guards back at the Wolf Lair— all with the power of Chi.”

Dad quickly turns his head upwards. This shocking revelation petrifies him: his breath starts to hiccup, and he places his hand on his chest in agony. Such horrors tear him to shreds, a pain so sudden and terrifying that his face deforms into the scariest snarl imaginable. Cough after cough. Bulging eyes, awkward skin folds, menacing teeth…

He roars, “Chima is in danger, our people are in danger! My son is in danger!”

Lavertus presses himself onto his brother, petting his back while humming a comforting melody– my uncle’s voice softens and… Dad begins to cry.

That melody brims with the warmth of nostalgia; I recognize the notes, the emotions it brings, because my dad would sing this to me when I was a baby. A heartfelt reunion of both past and the future, the contrast of simpler times against the unpredictable war of tomorrow.

I know this feeling— It’s anxiety.

Between sobs and desperate coughs, Lagravis reaches his face near Lavertus’ ear and whispers something. My uncle glances at me in reaction, before nodding to my dad with a layer of resentment.

Maybe it’s time to leave; I can’t let this slaughter to prevail– and I will find what’s truly going on.

This noon’s ambiance feels heavy, and quite haunting too. Even if the sky continues to be blue, I sense a presence behind me– of the lives who were taken away by that purple moon.

I have returned to the Forever Rock with my friend. This time, however, we aren’t going to play. We’re going to do something else.

Cragger rests his back on the big rock. He briefly looks at me, before turning away and crossing arms.

“Laval… I’m scared.”, he mutters.

My heart starts to race. We’re just kids, after all, we can’t do much. Maybe this– or I– might fail, but silence now is not an option… right? As a prince, it’s my duty to help my father in situations like these.

The crocodile returns eye contact for another short moment. There was doubt in his pupils.

In second thought… what if I get hurt? Will I only get in my father’s way? It might all just be adult matters, like Lavertus said— but for me, it doesn’t matter. I won’t leave animals behind.

My stomach churns in a whirlwind.

“Don’t worry, Cragger. It’ll be worth it in the end…”

He waddles up to me. I rest my head on his shoulder. Struggle will dawn on Chima, but I’m sure we’ll prevail.

Then, from the deepening jungle, two Speedorz emerge; it is at this moment, while the hanging leaves are pushed away, that I encounter Wakz in a worrisome state. His skin folds are heavier than usual, flopping at each panting breath. Drool melts off his tongue and drips on top of the vehicle.

Worriz’ eyes look damper today, too, sullen by his hanging beanbrows. He’s holding onto Wakz’ thin fur, not ready to let go. I’ve never seen him like that… It breaks my heart.

They parks before us, followed by Winzar stopping his Speedor besides them, alert, almost in judgment. The wolves remain still, and they’re staring right at our souls. A chill runs down my spine. I don’t know what they expect from us; perhaps, it’s that I don’t know what to do.

Worriz soon lets go of his father, though hesitant on stepping his foot down. We can notice that his eyes are quaking between blinks, as he trembles while getting down the Speedor. The pup walks in our direction with his tail between legs. It’s horrible to see such a young kid be anxious like this— I don’t know how could a child still be standing after witnessing deaths upon deaths, especially of their own kind.

That’s why I called him.

“Hey, Worriz… I’m sorry for your loss…”

He stares down at the grass, and doesn’t budge. A small tear crawls on his face; it shines all the way down his chin and onto the ground.

I slowly get closer to the pup, then kneel in front of him.

“Look. Everything is going to okay.”, I hold him with my arms, “Just give me time to solve this.”

He stares down at the grass, and doesn’t budge. A small tear crawls on his face; it shines all the way down his chin and onto the ground. I slowly get closer to the pup, then kneel in front of him.

“Look. Everything is going to okay.”, I hold him with my arms, “Just give me time to solve this.”

Worriz stares at me, his right eyebean raised. As the pupils twitch around, they shrink and grow in size, before pinning their aim right at my soul— a speck of dust submerged into a pool of honey. It is the dirt inside cynical sweetness that catches my attention; right underneath those golden eyes, moves resentful lips that drool spiteful words, and they shine from the saliva coating them.

“I doubt that someone like you could achieve anything. Stop acting like the hero you think you are”, his gray, delicate snouts pushes itself right in my view, the bare teeth of his snarl leak drool.

I push my hands on Worriz’ chest, putting a distance between us. Those words… how— no, why would I think of myself as a hero? What is the point he wants to make? This is outrageous, to assume the worst of someone in this manner— an act of sabotage! Huh… Nope… Perhaps his reaction was genuine and out of fear, or did I just phrase myself wrong? I can’t piece anything together.

“What do you mean? I just want to help—”

“That’s what I’m talking about, idiot”, he interrupts me, whispering in a sharp tone of voice. “Hundreds of wolves died by the hands of your tribe, and a gold adorned crybaby is not going to stop this slaughter!”

My body flinches in reaction. It recoils backwards.

...

All is silent. Even Cragger himself keeps his mouth shut, holding his jaw tightly so that he doesn’t utter even a single word. He’s clenching his fists, too. None of the adults behind us say something either— I need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. Their reaction rubs me the wrong way.

“Is this what you think of me, Worriz?”, my voice breaks the unnerving quietude that haunts us. “Do you truly believe that I’m doing this for myself?”

Worriz stops for a second, analyzing my body, then returns to swab his snout aggressively. He snarls worse than before. “Friends, family members, acquaintances are all going insane because of this moon. Do you know how it is to see someone snap, kill, die, with no salvation? We live knowing that there’s nothing else able to be done.”

“Did you even understand what I was trying to ask?”

Argh! It was short, but I failed to keep my mouth shut; the thoughts from my mind spewed too quick. It has now placed me in a tough spot— one that, in reality, I believe isn’t that tough. It was merely the truth!

The pup locks his stare onto me. Those golden eyes brew with fire from the sun.

“I said that a golden adorned crybaby is not going to solve this issue!”

A howl dissipates out of thin air throughout the Forever Rock; it soothes down everyone here and alleviates their tension. Worriz, however, stares at the sky, attentive. His ears sprout upwards. The cry repeats once more, as if it’s a cue for the wolves to leave.

From afar, I notice Wakz moving his wrist at himself and it attracts my friend’s attention. I stay quiet because I know that there’s nothing more to be said. Worriz wouldn’t lend an ear anyway.

He groans again, “You got lucky, unlike us. Keep your mouth shut.”

Then, the wind turns colder and brings a strong breeze that rattles the leaves all across our land, its noise concentrates as the foliage whips around with force each minute passing. Cragger and I can’t listen to our surroundings properly, we’re stuck watching our guests chatter for a bit before they mount on their Speedorz. Though, something keeps rubbing me the wrong way— Cragger is besides me, yes, but it doesn’t feel like it, I can see he’s observing them, processing each and every move they take. His eyes focus on the wolves’ lips, while also moving his mouth following their movements. It forms: “Fu… ne…”

“Are they going to a funeral?”, he finally speaks, muffled down by the incessant atmospheric noises.

My body twists in shock. “…Care to explain?”

It’s obvious… with the melancholic howls, depressing mood, and countless deaths, that a funeral could be foreseen, but I couldn’t help myself from asking. I want to be sure. I have to do something, now.

“Do you think I know what’s goin’ on?..” We notice them moving away from us at a slow pace.

Cragger smirks, uttering, “Better find out!”

He sprints at his vehicle and hops on top of it, before drifting to my side in a break. He tilts his head towards my own Speedor. Without a doubt, this is the opportunity waiting for me…

I don’t know what I expected when I came here; maybe it’s the dry air that’s making me sick, or the weight of witnessing a funeral… Probably both.

Cragger and I are standing behind a spike at The Fangs, as we witness wolves stand in a circular formation around a huge hole on the ground they dug up; an entire graveyard made out of one single grave. None of those who died will have the peace of rest, but instead, seems like they’re going to be piled on top of each other. Everyone keeps waiting for the corpses to arrive— and they do, carried, inside a container, by Wakz’s Pack Tracker. Then, the vehicle brakes in front of the hole, ready to dispose of the bodies.

The wolves bow, they open their muzzles, howling harmoniously underneath the hidden moon; next, elders stand within a hand’s reach near that pit, ready to throw there little bits and pieces of fruits and herbs clasped between their claws. Inspired by darkness surrounding them, they grasp the ground and pay attention to their elders’ words. Prayers of perseverance, pleas to the moon— all tears from those who suffered, but still continue to ask for help during their pain; they cry a shower of flowers in loyalty to it, even if it was the one to doom their brethren. Soon, those tears blend, after the elders open hands, and it turns into a colorful curtain, a flowerbed for the dead.

Winzar makes his way towards the container. Vibrations smear out of his footsteps; they are strong– I can feel it with my whiskers–, intimidatingly imposing silence. When he opens that container, it drops forth the piles of bodies as they tumble and crash into the void. Everything ends when those corpses, muffled by their fur, scream ‘thud’ at the pit’s bottom, the sound pounding on our eardrums.

Cragger looks at me, terrified– jaw open, and eyes smaller than a speck of dust. The crocodile clings onto me; I’m held hard enough by my friend’s arms to feel the intense heartbeat punching from his chest.

He sobs in a whisper, leaning at my ear, “Is… Is this what happens to us after we die?”

A tear crosses down his face, slowly touching my fur. I pat him on the head, but the crying only gets louder, as loud it can get. While under my breath, tears begin to flow down from me too. Water brims out of Cragger’s daffodil eyes; for the Fangs’ crust, it is a precious gift, one that brings life to this lifeless land– a second chance for those who rest. If only we— all tribes of Chima— could’ve helped prevent this massacre… All we can do is go forth and protect those in danger, starting with the wolves who might soon succumb to their next night. Alas, those losses happened inexplicably, and might’ve also been unavoidable… Is this such work of a king?

In the meantime, we begin to hear a melancholic melody flowing out of the pack’s voices, and it blends against Wakz’ humming; must be their final goodbye to the dead, memorialized into a ritual. Then, Winzar, along other pride mates, push the dirt back where it was dug up from, and thus finishing the ceremony.

We can’t, and shall not, be caught here; it would be quite rude of us to appear uninvited at an event like this one. Neither of us had thought on an ‘escape plan’, because it never came to our mind up at this point. Since we came here behind the wolves’ car, it wouldn’t be wise to repeat that again– it’s unlikely that the vehicle goes away from The Fangs, as the Wolf Lair is camped near the burial. Though, not a lot of choices are available to us. I’m afraid we might have to find someone, and hope they don’t suspect a thing.

After we turn our backs, the fogs of sadness blurring my mind dissolve away; with it, the real silence of steps and murmurs returned. Passive noises of a beetle’s buzzing elytra tick me off, and I whip my hand to swat the bug— fingers fetch on the recoiling paw at my back.

Worriz stands behind my arm while clutching it, then lets me go as he positions himself in front of our path. He puffs up and growls. A tough look like his is never a good sign—

Cragger rushes behind me. He’s scared of what the little wolf might do. Size might be lacking, but a sharp tongue is nonetheless an efficient weapon, capable of lethality if used properly… And, coming from Worriz himself, there is no doubt that he won’t leave it without causing ruckus…

I look at my surroundings, but can’t find any Speedor in sight. Even that pack tracker behind the ground’s hole has begun to leave, too! Bad luck for us, because this time I didn’t even bring anything. Worriz points fingers at me, “Never mind how you came here. What did you say last time back at the Forever Rock, Laval?” he snarls while licking his snout.

My heart bursts into flames, and the combusting adrenaline riles up through my veins. This face… it means no good. What if he uses whatever happened earlier, against me? It wasn’t much, but he’s taking it so aggressively that…

The rhythmic lung movements, breathing in and out, bump onto each of the rib inside my caged chest. It needs to get free; I need to escape. Do not succumb to Worriz’ ruthlessness.

“You idiot! Can’t even remember your thoughtful words. Disgraceful.”, he pulls on my tunic, “Fine, I’ll ask it instead; tell me how you’ll help us, and how long it’ll take for you to do it.”

I instinctively place myself distant from him, but he persists to close the gap between us. As I move backwards, my torso hits a land spike— and Worriz pins me his hind paw. I push the wolf’s toes aside, still holding it with a though grip.

Nothing is possible at this point. Cragger’s whimpers only get worse and it riles up the pup even more… until he waves his hand at me, like a sign for me to wait; though his awkward smile expresses uncertainty, or maybe even fear.

Within the blink of my eyes, I managed to capture a drastic change of scenery, during when these two kids had begun fighting each other.

…It didn’t stop at that blink; they’re still tumbling on one another with cascades of boundless punches really close to me. The crocodile immobilizes Worriz on his back; I roll away from them in the short time frame before the wolf breaks free, hiding behind the fang of dirt.

A few seconds later, I hear a pathetic growl from behind.

“D— don’t pick me by the scruff! Argh! Laval, just answer my question already, you coward!”

My heart skips a beat, I try to remain calm, but the sight of my friends tearing each other apart— it hurts badly.

I wanted to help his people. It felt wrong to stay silent during all of this terror; even as a cub, there’s always a way for me to help… for I am the prince of the Lion Tribe. Something can be done. I just… don’t know how to help. I fear of turning everything worse, or being in the way of help. Instead of placing myself as a possible obstacle…

“I’ll use my position of power as prince to extract information and opinions from animals.”

He recoils, confused, staring at me in mockery.

“Then, I’ll analyze whatever was collected, and use that for guidance. It might not lead me to the solution… but it’ll help our leaders with their strategies, and avoid as much confrontation possible.”

Worriz seems suspicious… though, he looks at me with a serious face. “You’re kidding me, right? A child like you can’t possibly do all of that”.

I push myself forward, just before Cragger lets go of the wolf. My lips rise with strengths I never knew of having, revealing my growling voice.

“Why are you doubting me?” I reach closer to him, exposing my teeth bare.

His eyes immediately shrink. Somehow, I managed to intimidate him— it was out of my control… but it went to my favor.

Worriz whimpers, “Go back home and do as you said.”

Time is of the essence. …Did I say that right? Ah, forget about it, it’s my dad that says these kinds of stuff… I need to concentrate on my work, a survey I thought out. What was the deadline Worriz set for this? I don’t think he said anything about that yesterday.

The sun hits the open window of my room, sizzling my fur. It’s too hot in here and I can’t think of anything! Do I need to drink some water? Again?

Pen in hand, paper on the table, I sit in front of what might be able to help us in this dire situation. It’s blank, but it’s the key we need—

It’s blank.

The pencil sitting between my paws waits for the moment I push it onto my project and begin to write. Its tip, made out of charcoal, shines in faint tones of light— it was sharpened not long ago, too.

I look outside; I sigh in relief at the sight of a bright, early morning. But the clock continues to tick, click and swing. Clouds swim throughout the horizon, almost in synchrony with the noises snapping each second.

Again, the paper continues empty. Nothing will be done at this pace! Think, Laval… think! What is of utmost importance, something that needs to be highlighted and questioned, right now? My hand begins to tremble, but I know it’s no use to be still!

…Yes! I need to ask about Chi first. It’s powerful and important to all of us… but is it harming the wolves? Uncle Lagravis said that they were after it, and that it was the reason for them becoming strong like that. What if I try finding out what lions think about this— or, what to do about this?

The noises of friction on the paper start to itch my brain. I can feel the ideas rushing from my thoughts straight to the paper.

About the wolves… It’s important to know how my people feel about them. We can’t run into trouble against those who are suffering through something we don’t understand yet. I don’t want to risk my tribe of growing resentful, especially when our biggest event of the year was interrupted by wolves… It all started with me, the prince, getting attacked, so this will also influence the answers… but it’ll be all revealed later.

I sigh, fatigued, but relieved as well, because I finally managed to strip all of my questions and place them into the survey.

Now… it’s time to leave.

I step down the lion temple’s stairs; a once bustling place, the Chi Market is now empty. Of course, today isn’t Chi Market day, but the absence of lions who would rest here, laying their torsos onto the , sitting on top of abandoned barrels and relaxing, gives off a disheartening melancholy. Though, it’s not just simply melancholy– I can sense their dread, one that stems from today’s annihilation, a wound so fresh that no one knows how to cope with it, but I think I can tend their injuries…. starting at this door!

I give the door a slight knock. For a few seconds, my gaze points at the text I had written, at the wobbly handwriting whose ink is engraved into the fibrous plant remnants we call paper. The wolves, the Chi, the lions, my family, my father, me. We are all in danger. If I’m not able to pull this through, I might not—

“Oh, a lost cub…”, a sweet and tender voice whispers beneath the noises of the opening door, “Do you have something for me?”

I hand over the questionnaire and the pen to this lioness, who reads it with attention, seemingly surprised by what’s written.

“So I just sign what I think?”

“Yes… exactly that.”

She moves the pen, pressing it onto the paper, hesitating on what she’ll answer. What is she confused about?… I touch my forehead– that’s why she’s looking at me like that; I forgot my crown at home.

After a long minute of wait, she returns my materials while smiling, though she can’t hide the awkwardness leaking from her muzzle. In the end, I got to see someone’s opinion on the matter. Now, I need a few more participants to get a result.

At another house, I knock on the door, waiting patiently for a reply. My hind paws balance forth, as my tail wags in eagerness. It seems the papers are a bit out of order, so I organize them back in place. However, time still passes by. Waiting isn’t the problem here— it’s the difference in responses that piqued my curiosity, and as far as this knock goes, no one has come. I tap again, now with my knuckles hardened, and the noise of the hits echo through the door. Then, it opens faster than I could’ve expect, revealing to me a short brunet lion. His tan body is quite muscular, with a Chi holder strapped around his shoulder and torso.

“Laval… is that you?”, his voice rises in happiness.

I proceed to hand over my papers. “Yeah, I mean… Wait— how did you know that?”

He picks up my item and flips over the pages. “Of course I do. I work for your father!”, he giggles.

Yikes…. what a dumb question. The harness on his chest is worn only by lion warriors! I should’ve seen that coming. Furthermore… having a lion warrior give his opinion on my survey might help me out a lot. His tall smirk would soon dissolve at the last page.

“Oh… you mean that, right?…”

The smug expression on his face had completely dissipated into a state of terror. He signs on the papers then hands me my materials, before whispering mournful words and closing the door.

The study, with over a hundred participants, has been completed. Whatever opinions my people wrote down here will change the trajectory of this mess. This might be the only way I can know if the Wolf Tribe is in danger.

‘What was your perception of the Wolf Tribe before the occurring incidents?’ Out of 150 total answers, the majority of them were neutral; 25 were ‘positive’; 28 were ‘negative’; 8 were ‘overly positive’; and 6 were ‘overly negative’.

‘What is your perception of the Wolf Tribe now; is the tribe innocent?’ 26 votes were ‘wary; neutral’; 14 were ‘wary; innocent’; 17 were ‘positive; innocent’; 30 were ‘wary; guilty’; 53 were ‘negative; guilty’; 10 were ‘overly negative; guilty’. There were no overly positive votes.

This is not looking good so far.

‘Is Chi in danger; should it be protected? Should the Lion Tribe still host events such as Speedorz Racing or the Chi Market?’ ‘Chi is in danger; withhold it at all costs’, 45 votes; ‘Chi is in danger; make smaller and safer events’, 54 votes; ‘Chi is for everyone; continue everything as is’, 18 votes; 33 votes were null.

From the corner of a discreet alleyway, an orange chunk of fur wiggles in every way possible, and it shakes to the sides while vibrating. Whenever I get closer, even if it’s just a tiny bit, the fluff stops for a second– before returning to its funny dance. Fluffy, moving… thing! I– I can’t take my eyes off it!

My legs project forwards and I pounce onto the worm-looking object; my teeth pierce it, but it screams and turns around in a violent curve, throwing me onto the ground. The paperwork slips off my hands, making a high pitched noise. My survey is all over the ground.

“Argh! Hey…!”, it shouts.

As I begin to observe what’s in front of me, while dealing with mild pain from the thud, the ‘thing’ walks up to me, tapping their toes on the ground!Everything is a bit blurry…

They— an animal that reminds me of a fox— stare at me; their eyes are so dark that I can’t see their pupils. Oh, wait… that’s a real fox! I thought their tribe went extinct.

He grips his tail, snarling pathetically. Pathetic isn’t enough– he falls flat onto the floor, curls up like a baby, and begins to cry. “Can’t believe I found a mean… mean cub! Get your teeth out of my tail.” I sigh and drop my shoulders. Who is this guy, and why is he making fun of me being a kid? Does he even know I’m the prince of the Lion Tribe, son of Lagravis?

Such ignorance is unacceptable, telepathic words from Dad sprout in my mind, his deeply angered voice sends chills down my spine. I won’t let that slide. Even if I sound brittle…

“Tell me your name. Present yourself before—”

My vocal chords crack.

That pesky fox stares at me again, then opens his jaws wide to burst out laughing. An act of absolute disrespect towards the Royal Family.

“Name’s Furtivo. Or Furty, but you’re not my friend. Shoo!”

Furtivo regains his upright posture the moment I start to pick up my sheets of paper– the orange shadow runs around, and my project disappears from my sight.

While flipping over the pages with swift fingers, following the text in his mind, he pauses everything and instead fixes attention at a specific part of my survey, as he sticks his snout up close to it.

Furty’s muddy iris turns up and down, diverging between the paper and I. The animal squints at me. He hisses, “What do you have against the wolves, huh?”

I hop at his hands, but he lifts my project out of my reach.

“First you bite me, then you ask others if they hate wolves. What’s wrong with you? Coward!”

How audacious! You were the one to start this whole mess, mocking me unashamedly!

“Targeting the young lion prince is the cowardly action here. Return it to me, or I’ll call the guards.”

An interesting turn of events happens; Furtivo is caught off guard, surprised by the reveal– his cynicism gets shut down, tail between his legs.

He hands back my possessions, then he reaches closer to me, whispering in my ear, “Let me work for you as your secret agent– I got deep connections with the Wolf Tribe, and they might help you sleuth the truth.”

Humph… Snarky attitude aside, his emotional attachment towards the wolves seems quite strong. Might as well test him out, but I am not too fond of belittling jokes.

I nod. “Let’s meet up here later. Grab as much information as you can about this. We can’t let this slaughter continue.”

Cragger and I tussle on the soft, moist dirt, leaving depth marks on the ground. I push his body aside, though he grabs my arm, tugs me forth and puts his mouth on my face. As he pulls me around, I place my paw on his head and tap him, before he wiggles his head and takes it off me. After wiggling around for a bit, sending friendly kicks, I manage to nip his tiny tail– he cries loud in reaction, but not in pain.

“I told you to not grab my tail!”

His crispy and brittle voice catches me off guard; I’m unable to hide my sudden giggles, even if I cover my muzzle.

“Ah… Sorry, Cragger. It’s just that…”

“Just what?”, he cracks his voice.

Ah– haha… He’s so adorable. Can’t say that straight to him, though!

“You’re funny. That’s it”

He growls, stomping on the ground as he gets up. Moist dirt gets all over his toes.

“If you think that’s funny, then watch this!”, he kicks a ball of mud onto my chest, in a pitiful tantrum.

The ball splatters all over my already dirty tunic. It spreads a moist, musty smell that makes the swamp’s humid atmosphere even more unbearable.

We sprint at each other; the moment I pounce on the air, Cragger dodges my jump, and I fall down. He cackles, making fun of me, as he hops around uncontrollably.

Amusing for him, but I don’t find that funny. The mild pain aches a bit everywhere; I hit the floor with my entire body, and the impact hurts. Agh!

As awkward as the pain is, I can’t take my attention away from the sky. The sun was setting the entire time we were playing; now, a moon rises from below, while radiating the horizon with a violet tint– it seems to block something else — a bright satellite — behind its shadow. Before the light disappears, a glimpse of shine reflects itself onto the muddy water, mirroring the image from above us. Every bit of heat turns by itself into light; Cragger’s eyes become ghastly in contrast to his cold, pale scales, between the masses of spectre terrain.

This entire scenery sends chills down my spine, the manifestation of a déjà-vú, an omen of horror. However, it’s a warning I can fully understand: the purple moon.

Grimey footsteps echo splashing sounds– unnerving, for sure, but the anxiety still remains, sprouting as sweat from my skin.

A feminine voice emerges in the middle of the noise, screeching, “Your dad has been calling you for an hour, Cragger!”

From amidst the hanging vines and crooked trees, a small crocodile marches up to us, her dark green scutes blending in with the background, as her pink eyeshadow stands out.

“I don’t get it”, she whines, “you want to be attacked or something? You act as if you’re five.”

Cragger groans, “B- but I’m playing, aight! Stop butting in my life.”

“Our parents babied you for long enough, and not for you to almost die again! Ungrateful brat!”

She picks up her brother by the tail, pulling him through the dirt. He slaps the ground in anger, shouting and screaming, in vain.

Somehow, he manages to break the clinch by throwing himself at Crooler, making her lose her grip. She crashes onto the mud and screams in shock.

Her long pink dress, raggedy from overuse, is now covered in dirt and moss. She stares at the pink trail of makeup smeared in front of her, as her anger spills, leaving only sadness to be felt.

Cragger frowns, arms crossed, wagging his tiny tail.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen them together, but she has changed quite a lot since then… Resentment is in the air, strangling the relationship between the twins. They’re fighting with their sharp tongues, each word at a time pinning on one’s weaknesses.

Crooler holds her breath, claws clenched, before she starts to sob, “Why are you like… this? Why do you always need to make things hard for me?”

“If you stopped crying, ‘nd saw the animals around you, maybe things would get easier…”

Her eyes shrink in fury. She tries to say something, but her words hide themselves behind her teeth, so she storms out of the woods.

I grab Cragger’s hand.

“I think it’s best for you to see your dad.”

In this swamp rests a kingdom, one so small yet so lively, where crocodiles are constantly fishing, building, training, and overall living their lives. It’s almost like the embodiment of the Chi Market, except it’s only crocodiles. However, what strikes me the most out of everything here is that they embrace a state of being ephemeral, as they live in function of the swamp’s natural cycle. They possess barely anything, because they already have happiness, whereas my homeland is covered in gold, but very closed up when you get to know my people. The trees around here are scattered sparingly, enough to create a comforting shade on the landscape. No wonder everyone here is so peaceful.

I… I feel like this was where the Legend Beasts lived— surrounded, and shaped by pure nature, with no concrete walls to hide behind. The varying shades of green blend with the dark dirt into a soothing mix of colors.

From the corner of my eye, I see a crocodile merchant selling toys. How interesting! Maybe should I check his products out? It won’t hurt to explore a bit. Unfortunately, there is a huge influx of crocodiles scuttering across the thick mud. I’m too small to be noticed and I get pushed around by the crowd. After finding a breach, I stick out from the masses.

As I get closer to the seller, his charismatic voice grows louder, shouting tempting words like: “Bones to chew on for cheap! Better than those you see for sale in the Chi Market! Come and buy them!”

I look at the sky and notice the sun has changed position.

“Thank you very much, but I now have to take my leave!”, I say in a hurry.

I dash across the migration herd of crocodiles, mud splatting at my toes with every step. As they get farther away from me, I brake my run and stop to breathe.

What exactly was I waiting for? I don’t remember having a specific schedule for today— Oh. Cragger!

I begin sprinting in the direction of the village’s castle.

At the castle’s entrance, I lean myself. My panting is too loud, it’s not good etiquette to enter royal property like this! Even worse, my blue tunic has been muddied into oblivion.

After a few minutes of recovering my breath, I observe my surroundings. It seems that there are no guards around here. Strange.

I enter the castle and notice Crominus holding his golden cane and gently tapping it on the floor. His children are starting at him. Maybe they haven’t noticed me yet, or did I just come here late?

By making noise with his cane, the crocodile king reignites what looks like his kids’ already exhausted attention.

“My children…“, he sighs, “Even if I explained everything, I can’t expect you to take extreme safety measures, in the way I’d hope.”

The twins glance at each other, seemingly tense because of whatever conversation the three had while I was late. They stiffen up, gazing at their father and paying attention to his words.

He adds, “It’s hard to take care of you all by myself. Please understand where I’m coming from.”

Crooler tilts her head and freezes her tail, in an almost state of shock. I peek a bit more from behind the cave’s walls; I can sense that the princess is distraught, as her eyes twitch up and down at Crominus. She’s paralyzed.

Cragger looks at her while beginning to itch the palm of his hand. She, however, doesn’t even look back. It feels like sympathy isn’t enough to calm her down. They’re concerned, anxious, silent, holding themselves back and waiting for the right phrase to come. But it doesn’t.

“…What about my mother?”

She stares at the floor, head low.

My mouth falls open wide. I… don’t think I should be here…

Crominus hugs his daughter during the blink of an eye, then curls her inside his arms. The thick eyebrows on his face furrow down the eyelids. He’s not ready to let go. She did not hug back. Instead, her entire body collapses onto his grasp– waves of uncontrollable emotions take control over her, drying her eyes up until the last tear she can drop.

“She won’t change, Crooler, at least not soon. I’ve also been waiting for her, just like you, but only time will tell.”

Though, the crocodile princess refuses to listen. She’s revolted, angry, holding herself to not burst into flames; it’s all made transparent through her snarl. Beneath her aggressive posture, my eyes can’t stop noticing some kind of jealousy...

She bawls, her desperate screeches echo across the cave, “Cragger always gets everything, but I can’t even have my mother! My pain is never understood!”

Crooler pushes Crominus away— I dive backwards as she dashes all the way outside the cave. The noise of my fall got muffled by her incoherent words. Those sobs echo around the room. Her relatives have been left behind, worried in silence.

She took off so suddenly… and left behind dust. Nothing else is there to do. They both return to wherever, but not to where she went.

I can’t believe… I never knew Cragger had personal issues in his life. He doesn’t look like the type of animal to—

I sigh. Guess his family also has their own problems to deal with…

This revelation is too sudden. For me, at least… Maybe he’s already used to it? What about his mother?.. To be honest, I don’t recall much about my own mother either.

The hall has been emptied. It hurts to be alone. But I don’t know how it is to be consumed by resentment, the way Crooler was. Every single piece of tasty crumb we leave for those we love, fulfilling and sweet affection, disappears without a trace, they’re devoured by the feeling resentment. It blinded Crooler. It might blind someone else as well. They stuck to me, the devastating cries and weepings of a lost child blinded by rage.

I think I have to leave now. Ah… If hopes and wishes could—

Sweat has been crawling on me, dripping over metal chains… Chains that tie me up to a cut tree trunk. It’s tight, so tight that it hurts, and blood can’t get around in me well. My stomach turns upside down, as it chokes every breath I take.

There are almost no light sources here. Air is damp and it drowns my lungs, as multiplying noises from my gasping haunt every corner of this mysterious lair.

No… how could this be? What even is all of this?

I’m confused, I can’t understand what happened for me to be here. I can’t concentrate either, the pain is too much to handle.

I force my eyes shut, then begin scouring through my blurry memories; what was it… before the agony of this torture…?

Nothing.

I can’t even remember how much time I’ve been here. Everything is pitch black. The area stinks of mold and old, still water.

“Dad…”, I whisper, but silence is the only one to greet me, with despair tapping at my shoulder. "Dad!"

Tears flood down, flushing away on my crushed body. Everything is too much to handle, and even if I face forward, even if I try to persist… only darkness can be seen, and the shadows reply back with the reflection of my deepest fears. In nothing, there is no place for reality, as the emptiness distorts even the most rational of thoughts. This feeling… It crawls between your nerves.

…

My mind suddenly clenches onto the most excruciating thoughts possible: what if they think I’m dead? Cragger, Dad, Uncle, Eris… What if they think I’m gone?

The pathetic disappearance of the Lion Prince– a life Dad fought so much to flourish is now captive. I wonder how he will die… if it is even death at all. The anxiety of not knowing one’s destiny is enough.

Only one can wonder… I want this to end. Please.

My lungs ache, I’m unable to fill them, as my throat can only cough– it contracts violently; a cannonball of warm liquid surges there and drops all over my chest.

I yearn for warmth… but… This smells like blood.

“Ugh— stop yapping…”, a lanky creature abruptly rises from the depths, holding a burning stick, “I won’t hesitate to end your pity show.”

A voice, something I hoped would lead to my salvation, instead brings my attention to this grotesque figure, of olive green scales, tall enough to hit their head onto the caves’ ceiling. That dancing light reveals everything: the height of this basement, the pool of my own blood, the hanging fish skeleton from that crocodile’s loincloth. On top of their sully look, there’s… a creepy, sadistic smirk that spreads all across their mouth. While the flames of their torch ignite a shine on my splattered blood, the fire gets closer to me, small steps at a time. I try to not inhale any longer, but can’t hold for much longer, and the ashes go through my nostrils, forced to breathe in fumes inside this musty cave.

“And… you’re covered in blood. You already did half of my work for me.”

Those amber eyes… A familiar face!

I shout, drooling, “Are you the one who pulled the trigger at the Speedor Race?”

The reptile recoils, offended by my words. He slaps me— in the blink of an eye. It hurts a lot, blending in with the aching of my body.

A sharp nail pushes onto the cartilages of my neck, slowly crawling up to the chin.

“If you don’t hand me that survey of yours, I’ll kill you.”

Blood shoots from a cough to his face. In reaction, he pulls the nail, cutting my chin. Tears fall off my eyes.

All of this for a survey?… What sur—

Oh.

“But… what do you have to do with it?”, I whisper.

He shoves his empty hand on my neck. “Think you can take information from me, naive cub? …Either hand me the survey or burn it!”

The crocodile analyzes me from top to bottom, as his previously angry expression melts into that creepy smile. He throws the torch away– it sizzles from contact with muddy water– then goes behind the tree trunk and unties me. My body falls onto the ground from exhaustion, everything going to black.

Thorny giggles echo inside the cave.

A husky voice interrupts the laughing, “This is taking too long, Crawley. If you keep making noises, the king might come here.”

“Didn’t you block the entrance with your personal guards, Cruz? Shouldn’t they be enough?”

“His Majesty’s wishes are above mine”, the voice sighs, “Put this kid somewhere else, before anyone notices. I’ll clean up this mess.”

Personal guards?… Wait– if a guard was willing to follow this kind of order, then… Is someone from the Crocodile Tribe actively involved in this, or worse, someone who has enough power like that? This is war!

My body is already dropped on the floor, but I try to loosen myself enough to look unconscious; pain might be sufficient to do this trick. … Then, I wait…

Breathing flows on top of my head and ears, followed by sharp fingers poking me. I’m flipped over to the side, as the filthy water underneath begins to moisten my fur. Ew.

“Ehh. I think the cub is unconscious.”, Crawley grunts in a high pitch, “I’ll get rid of him, while you do the rest.”

Air feels dry and my throat is stiff, aching slightly as it moves. Sore eyelids begin to open up after the sunlight hits through the retina, but it’s too bright, making my tear ducts water up. I can’t even see properly anyways…

Coughing slips out of my mouth, forcing my lungs to squeeze, and projects my neck forward. I squirm in pain.

Just before I can react, everything starts to look normal again.

Ehboni sits down besides me while holding a cup of tea. The vapor that steams from the warm liquid dances around in a trance, as it dampens my breath. She then leans forward, at my left.

“Please, drink this tea I made. It’ll ease your pain.”

A strong odor startles me. It definitely comes from that beverage.

“But— Ehboni… is it acerbison?”, I stutter by moving my frail vocal chords.

With hesitation, she pats me on the forehead, and lends the cup very close to my face. I drink the liquid from it, its bitter taste shocks my tongue, I snarl hard in reaction, but this is numb compared to the pain piercing me. It’s for my own good, anyways.

My throat trembles while I feel the liquid itch down to my stomach with its bitter taste. It’s horrible. I don’t even want to look down and stare at my bruised body. Dad doesn’t want to see it either. Though, there he is, his eyes unable to understand the wounds on my neck, the redness scattered throughout my skin… Or the damp fur, too.

“My son…“, he kneels before the bed, “How could—”

His voice froze while speaking. He’s terrified– I can see his paws twitching.

Dad cries, “I failed you.”

No...

The wounds on my neck writhed and my breath whistled under moist lungs as I heard those words. I clench my eyes shut. However, I can feel Ehboni caressing my forehead, brushing her fingers between the hairs of my growing, wet mane. I am able to listen Dad’s sobs, and to the nurse’s calming whisper:

“It’s not your fault.”

“How is it not my fault? Look at my son! Look at the state he’s in!”, he bursts into tears.

Lagravis’ sorrow becomes louder than before, enough to hurt my ears. He’s… roaring, his voice brimming with anger.

“Someone is trying to murder my child, my prince!” Then, his voice lowers into whimpers near me, “Who did this to you?… Another wolf?”

I open my eyes. My heart skips a beat. Two battles should not be happening at the same time… And yet…

I haven’t told my dad about the survey– it’s about the wolves, but I accidentally got Furtivo involved… followed by crocodiles? Yes, the one who disrupted the big race of weeks ago. He was with guards too, who were commanded by someone also directly—

Dad interrupts my thoughts, “Son?”.

“It’s a long story… Dad, please bear with me”.

Each word I stutter under my moist breath seems to terrify him further. The naked truth is disheartening, and not even the bravest of kings can handle it.

“The crocodiles are also involved in this too?”

I sigh, “I think so, yeah.”

He touches my hair, rolling it with his fingers.

“How terrifying… An unexpected turn of events. Your damp fur already attests this.”, he pets me while crying, “I will find those who harmed you.”

We feel the stones and gravel crunching beneath the royal tank’s caterpillar tread. My eyes are barely open, but I can notice the faint moonlight hitting them, while thousands of blurry stars shine in between the sight of my eyelashes. I also feel the vehicle rocking sideways from time to time— it’s a soothing motion, combined with the warmth of my father’s arms wrapping around me. I am barely awake— the pain was too much for me to handle—, though I know my presence is needed for now.

Meanwhile, the trees that pass behind our view begin to appear more and more scarce, as I start to regain vision. They look paler by comparison. The air becomes sharper to the nostrils, too.

A serious voice rises from nearby, “My king, we are getting closer to our destination”. It stops silent for a few seconds, but speaks once again, in a whisper, “I wish you the best in this. For Chima.”

“For Chima, Longtooth. For Chima.

Lagravis turns his head to the side. “Wakz. Do not fail us. Tell them everything you know.”

Are we returning back to The Fangs?… I hope not. Besides, it doesn’t seem like it either way— we’re surrounded by life, even if they look like the tiniest of shrubs. Our surroundings are vast, with a mixture of pale green and brown, dry but still livable.

Surely enough, we’re face to face against the tall Eagle Spire— far away, though. It’s huge, shaped like an eagle. Houses branch off that mount, sometimes built on top of its cliffs. The yellow tip piercing the sky is supposed to be a sculpted beak, shaped to meticulously that I can notice this from the distance.

Then, a cold, yellow hand holds my wrist, catching me off guard. Ehboni has been by my side the entire time… She lets go of me, picks up a piece of paper and, without uttering a word, takes notes on it. Lagravis receives it before sighing in relief.

My eyelids start to fall down again…

I wake up being held by Dad inside a large library, similar to a big enclosure.

“Good afternoon, Your Majesty and sir Wakz”, a blue eagle smiles as he opens space on the bookshelf and returns the book between his claws.

Wakz bows in response, “Good afternoon, Ewald. We need your help.”

The sapphire eagle pauses himself, book midway inside the shelf– his wings curl and hide his body in a state of shock. He proceeds to finish what he’s doing, then turns around, establishing eye contact with the elder.

“P-pardon me, please continue…”

“Could you please lend me your wife’s studies of the Purple Moon?”

Ewald’s pupils shrink, he raises his eyebrows, afraid. Eris— who has been near him meanwhile— and I freeze; perhaps she knows what’s going on, or how serious is this matter, but I don’t– his distraught face was enough to make my heart race.

…Oh, wait, a purple moon? Sounds familiar, maybe I’ve—

“My son had a dream with a purple moon once, where he was attacked by a wolf.”, sighs Lagravis, “It seems that both wolves and this moon are intertwined when causing terror.”

Wakz explains, “Yes, that is the case, Your Majesty. We are currently going through the Hundred Year Moon.”

Makes sense, of course, because whenever it gets dark, chaos breaks loose. However… this feels too simple. Hundreds of wolves died. Blood was shed, lives were taken, animals are in danger– it has been three days already, three days too many.

“Such events have been occurring ever since my son was attacked. The patterns are very obvious here, but if we don’t prepare ourselves, he’ll become the first victim of this terror”, Lagravis weeps.

Ewald moves his head, searching for something, but with his despair growing by the minute, it feels like he has nowhere to go. What could he be looking for in such a big library?

“Oh dear Phoenixes… please lend me your strength”, he mutters.

“Humph. What is it, mister Ewald—”

“We don’t have much about the Hundred Year Moon."

Lagravis, while slowly moving his tail, glares at the eagle, arms crossed. His eyes pinpoint down on Ewald’s anxiety, ready to inspect whatever possible when necessary; however, what is there to inspect? What is there to be questioned, when the Eagle Tribe knows even what they don’t?

“Elaborate.”

Ewald starts to point his nails, rubbing them on his sharp scales, grating them at a fast pace.

“We don’t have any studies about the Hundred Year Moon, Your Majesty. There are only a few sightings archived in our library, written in ancient language.”

“And can’t you translate them?”, Dad hisses.

“We’ve tried, but the records are in bad shape…”

An awkward silence slips into the investigation for a few solid seconds.

“Therefore… you have no idea on how to solve this. Your wife was a renowned astronomer, Ewald; maybe her research could give us any clues.”

The blue bird’s feathers close his body tight, and his elongated head shape becomes more obvious, unlike when it was behind a puffy cloud.

Eris tugs the waist of her father’s delicate tunic; she whimpers in soft chirps, blinking to wipe off the tears that shine from her golden eyes.

Ewald caresses his daughter’s forehead, while he whispers soothing words to her, but to no avail.

No one dares to interrupt this moment of grief, one that every father can sense from the bottom of their hearts: an aching loss of a loved one, the agony of no longer being able to see someone you cared for.

I’ve… never seen Eris like this before, trying to hide her sadness– or feeling sad at all. Sunshine doesn’t remain forever, as cloudy days are to come when you least expect it.

I leave my dad’s side and get closer to my friend, hug her and hold her tight with my arms.

She cries, “I’ll do it. I’m going to solve this, just like how mom would’ve.”

[NEXT]

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