Deviation Actions
Literature Text
-Arazlam-
Jenna and I spent hours looking over the entries within the four years Ventus began his stay in the academy. For the most part, nothing much happened during this time. Most of what we could find was matters of lessons on fighting techniques, a few drop-outs, and the mysterious disappearance of Master Xehanort. There were no notes, not messages on the Mog Net, no forms of contact whatsoever. They assumed he died somewhere and held a memorial service for both him and this "Yen Sid" they spoke of.
After that, Eraqus, Ventus, Terra, and Aqua wrote of their times together over the years. Aqua spent the time, coping with the loss of her original master and began her training with Master Kirie to hone her skills in swordplay along with her magic. She eventually grew up to be a very inquisitive young woman, who seems to spend much of her time writing notes. Her journal is the most extensive out of the ones we were reading, filled with descriptions on how she tried to weave her magic into new spells. One entry talks of her trying to make a thesis on the mystery of substitutiary locomotion, the art of making inanimate objects alive.
Terra trained with Master Eraqus in the school of strength. His journal goes into some detail about the hours he spent, trying to perfect his Iai, a sword technique that requires the wielder to make a slice while drawing their weapon. He also felt a bit distant from his father during his training, like there was some kind of wall between them. His description of their relationship almost felt like they were always student and teacher. There was never a moment when they acted like father and son. His mother tells him, “He’s just tense about these dark times.” However, Terra sensed there was something more.
Ven, after becoming a resident of the academy, worked with the castle staff to earn his keep. He helped with cooking the food, scrubbed the windows, and assisted in the training of students with swift opponents. After living there for 6 months, Eraqus finally returned the keychain to the boy, but would refuse to justify his reasons of holding it long after testing his heart. The journal describes how the headmaster would always be watching him through that time with a look of suspicion.
I tried to look through Eraqus’ journal to see any reason for this. But, something didn’t seem right. There seemed to be a huge gap in his pages. The entries after Ven’s arrival were absent, like there were pages missing. After closer inspection, I found pieces of torn paper tucked in the binding. They were ripped out! It really pains me to see this in many records in my career. But this? This was like Eraqus or some unknown third party didn’t want anyone to know something about him at this point. I felt this was something to ask Montblanc about when he would return with our beverages. Of course, I would soon find that Eraqus was not the only one that had something odd about his records.
-A Lone Desert World-
A colossal white palace towered over a vast city within the desert. It was night and the full moon shined on the golden bulbous domes of the eleven towers that were built into the rocks below. The structure and the city were nestled in their own rocky oasis, surrounded by endless dunes and clouds of sand that glimmered in the pale moonlight. One might say that this place looked like a “diamond in the rough” with its splendor, surrounded by this dull, almost lifeless environment.
Within the tallest and largest tower of the palace, a young princess curled in the warmth of her cushioned bed to escape the chilly winds blowing through the silk drapes. For her, it was part of the disadvantages of living in such a tough environment. But hey, it was home. Her guards would always make jokes about the desert like, "If the day doesn't cook you, the night will freeze you to death.”
She was a child at six years old with skin that was tanned from the hot sun that moved across the sky every day. Her hair was a raven black and her closed lids hid a pair of eyes that had the same shade of green as the leaves of the jasmine vines in the garden. Because of this, her father named her "Jasmine".
Jasmine was the daughter of Sultan Hamed II, who owned countless miles of trade roads that have brought all kinds of wonders into the city. Due to the wealth this brought, she thanked her lucky stars and the “most high” that she was born into a social status that eased the woes of this unforgiving world. She couldn't imagine how bad it must be for the people in the city below, let alone care. Her father told her many horrible stories about how horrible of a place the world outside the walls was. Though the roads brought many treasures, they also brought bands of cutthroats, thieves, and raiders. To her, it was a blessing from the highest being that the walls kept it all out. Whatever was out there, was going to be only the problem of the commoner and adventurer, or so she thought.
From beyond the silk curtains that swayed in the wind, there was a loud "thud". She awoke with a gasp and listened in the quiet darkness. There were more consistent "thuds" that followed, like the steps of large feet on the marble floor. She carefully moved under the large pillows and cushions. From the gaps, she could see the shadow of something moving under the moonlight through the veil that looked out at the balcony. She could feel her heart racing as it stepped closer and poked its head through the draped silk.
She was greeted to the sight of a large beak from a giant bird. The creature was huge! It was bigger than a horse! She had seen many exotic birds come to the palace to entertain her, but never one this size! The bird turned its focus toward the bed. Did it see her? Something told her she didn't want that. It stepped closer on its huge feet, each had three toes: two facing the front and one pointing back with large claws. Its head bobbed as it moved closer. She tried to hide as much of herself under the cushions as possible and hoped that it would just go away. Then something grabbed her by the right leg of her silk pants and yanked her out of her padded fortress. This caused her to scream, making the rest of the palace stir.
The two guards, who were in charge of the princess, ran inside. They wore black vests that showed off their pectorals, white loose-fitting pants, red sashes around their waists, and white turbans with a red polished jewel on each. Both had scimitars strapped to their backs, which they immediately drew at the sight of the creature as they used their free hands to shine their torches on it.
The bird stood over the taller, more muscular guard at 10 feet and its wings extended from tip to tip at almost 20! The feathers that covered its body and its beak were black as charcoal. Its eyes were a deep shade of gold that stared at them with an intensity that pierced their souls. It stepped back while using its wings to make itself look bigger and it let out a horrible shriek that cut into their ears. This defensive tactic seemed to work on the smaller guard, who ran away. The one that stayed shouted, "Cassim, you coward! Get back here and help me save the princess!" He then returned his focus at the creature and charged with his blade. “Fine, run away! I’ll have this bird’s head as a trophy!” Before he could slash at it, he was met with a strong kick to the face by one of its giant gray feet and sent flying out the door.
With the two immediate threats gone, the bird made a run for the balcony as the princess kicked and screamed, “Help! Put me down! Some monster is taking me!” With how she hung from the beak by her clothing, there was no way her small arms could reach the monster to slug it to let her go. It jumped over the marble railing and she could feel the rush of them beginning their flight. The bird extended and flapped its wings to start climbing to the sky.
The other guards found the princess's protector dazed on the floor. They were led by a short, overweight individual with a fancy gold robe and a large turban with a blue feather. His bushy black and gray beard showed his years. Standing over the beaten warrior, he shook him awake, asking, "Razoul, what happened?!"
He spat out a tooth and said, "Sultan Hamed, your highness... the princess.... she's kidnapped!"
"What?! No! Not my daughter!" the sultan shouted as he ran into the room; "Jasmine!" He was too late. The room was empty and only a single black feather was left behind. Razoul stood and demanded to the rest of the royal guard, "Don't just stand there, you idiots! Get the archers and shoot down that bird!" As the guards rushed away to sound the alarm, the sultan jumped out of the bedroom, shouting, “Shoot it down?!”
The princess struggled in the bird’s large beak as it spiraled and climbed with the air currents around the towers. Below, the palace became alive. Torches and oil lamps were lit all over the place as shapes and shadows emerged on the various walkways and walls. A small army of the sultan’s archers, dressed in leather padding, black silks, and pointed helmets that seemed to match the tops of the towers, made their positions. They drew their bows and pulled back arrows to aim at the creature. For many of them, it was difficult, given the dark plumage that blended with the night sky. However, this wouldn’t last for long.
As soon as the bird’s silhouette appeared in front of the moon, one of the guards ordered the archers to fire. A large volley of arrows was let loose through the cold night sky. The creature heard the first few fly by and it tried to avoid the rest. As it dipped and dived, the princess covered her head and hoped none of them would hit her. “What are they doing?!” she thought; “What if I get killed from this?!” No sooner after this crossed her mind, a lone arrow scratched against one of the black wings, causing the bird to open its beak and let out a screech. The princess plummeted down toward one of the spires below and screamed.
The sultan pushed a few of his archers out of the way and was horrified to see his daughter falling to her certain death. “Jasmine!!!” The girl could not hear her father’s cry, but the roar of wind that assaulted her ears. She could do nothing, but close her eyes and hope this was all a bad dream. Then she had a nauseous feeling in her stomach as her world flipped upsidedown and she stopped in her tracks. She opened her eyes to see she was mere inches from the tip of the tallest tower. Looking up, she saw the black bird again, gripping the waist of her pants with the hook of its beak. It yanked her up and continued to fly away clumsily, before catching a strong air current and soaring away.
The archers were about to reload, but the sultan burst forth from the halls into the northern wall and shouted, “Lower your weapons! You’ll kill my daughter!” They did as he asked without question and felt rather embarrassed of themselves for trying it again. The sultan was right. They nearly had her impaled on the highest tower. Now, there was nothing they could do. They could only watch as the bird carried off the only heir to the throne.
Jasmine looked back at the only home she knew moving away from her. Her tears welled up in her eyes as she heard the last faint cries of her father calling her name. Soon all that was left was the sound of the wind that carried her captor through the air. She looked up at the bird angrily. She started shouting questions at it, almost as if she expected it to understand her and give an answer. “Where are you taking me? Why did you kidnap me? What do you want from me?” Naturally, all she got from the bird was silence. Its golden eye just gave her a glance before looking back at the way ahead. As if by impulse, she looked to see they were moving toward menacing looking clouds that flashed with lightning. “You’re taking us into a storm?! No, fly away, you stupid bird!” The black feathered creature squawked at her before she felt the vibrations of the thunder.
It wasn’t long before they were engulfed by the swirling dark mass and the light of the moon was completely blocked out. The only thing she could see was blackness and the occasional flashes around them. Soon a new sound came to her ears. Within the wind, there were the soft sounds of hissing, growling, and sinister giggling. Shadows of strange humanoid shapes appeared in the sparse seconds of light all around them. They seemed to converge to a point before them that almost made it look like a black orb within the electric sky. It seemed to widen and open like a huge maw that the bird was speeding toward. Jasmine closed her eyes as her captor dove into it.
-Uncharted Swamp-
The princess felt the wind around her become calm. It even felt different. Sure, it felt a little warmer and more humid than what she was used to. She opened her eyes to see that the storm clouds were gone and they were flying over a layer of clouds as far as her eyes could see. Taking in everything she could, she could not help but notice some other differences. The moon changed phases into a waxing crescent and she felt there was something different about the positions of the stars.
She watched as the clouds below cleared away and revealed a vast gloomy swamp. Everything here was blanketed in the darkness of night with only a few fireflies providing a small bit of light around them as they danced in the air. The sounds of frogs, crickets, and cicadas were deafening. Ahead, trees that had a strange moss that draped over their branches spread apart at a clearing. The moon’s reflection showed it was a lake. In its center, an abandoned ship of a design she never saw before sat on a bank that was thick with reeds and cattails. The years were not kind to this vessel. All the paint chipped off long ago, the wood rotted at certain points and the smoke stacks were horribly bent and weathered. The wheel in the stern that seemed to propel it forward was almost rotted away. Dim lights shone through the various windows.
The giant bird swooped down and closed in on the ghostly ship and landed on the very top. As the bird carried the princess in its beak, the girl struggled and started punch and kicking at it. "Where did you take me?! Put me down, or I'll..." She was soon interrupted as she was brought to one of seven iron grates that appeared to be recently installed on the roof. The bird used one of its large feet to open one on the starboard side near the smoke stacks and did as the princess requested. She screamed as she fell into the room below before immediately landing on something soft.
She climbed her way off and back on her feet, when she found she was on what appeared to be a fancy bed with freshly cleaned sheets and a feather mattress. Looking around, she could see she was in what appeared to be a room with a tarnished vanity mirror, a rotted wooden nightstand, and a musty smelling wardrobe that was made of oak. She looked at the door and saw thick iron bars. The gaps showed it led into a hallway with another room across. It was barred as well. She could see the silhouette of someone else moving inside. Without hesitation, she ran to the door and shook the metal bars to get the other person's attention. "Hello?! What's going on? Where are we?"
The silhouette seemed to notice her and came up to the bars. In the dim candlelight of the hall, she could see it was another girl around the same age as her. Her skin was pale with parts of her hands and face covered in what appeared to be soot. She wore a blue dress over a white blouse and a white apron that was stained in a black substance. Her brown hair was tied back in a braid. The girl spoke in a language she never heard before.
"Il vous obtenir aussi? Que veut ce garcon avec nous?!"
"What? I can't understand you!"
The other girl thought for a moment and said, "Wait, are you speaking in Arabic? I read a book on that and can speak some of it!"
Relieved that she had someone to talk to she said, "Praise Allah! Please, tell me what's going on! Where are we?"
"I'm wondering the same thing!" said the filthy girl. "I was just working on a machine with my Papa, when it started letting off smoke. I ran outside to get some fresh air, when this giant bird swooped in and carried me away! I ended up here and saw another girl was brought here as well."
"Really? Another one?"
"Oui, down the hall. She's hasn't been much conversation really. She speaks in English and I'm not very good at it. I just wished she knew some French!"
Just then, form out of the shadows down the hall, a black masked boy stomped forward and kicked on the French girl's cell door. He shouted in the same language as her. "Se taire!" His mask looked like a featureless black come that wrapped around the front of his face and was bordered by a silvery ring of metal that lined the chin and around the back of his scalp. His body seemed to be out of a nightmare since it looked like it lacked skin. The visible areas around the neck, torso, arms, and thighs had what looked like it had the black sinew of exposed muscles with lines of blood red fibers. The only parts not visible were hidden under a indigo tunic and black boots.
He turned to face the girl from Agrabah. Her face was reflected on the polished black mask as he gripped the iron bars. "And you, you shut up too! Prisoners are not allowed to speak to each other here!"
She could feel her heart racing as he stood over her with his presence. She gulped and asked, "Was it you who sent that bird? Who are you? Why have you brought us here?"
He stepped back and walked away. "In due time." he said; "in due time."
Meanwhile, while the boy wasn't looking, the third girl was picking at the lock of her door. She kept a hairpin hidden under the mattress when she was first brought here. She couldn't help but thank her grandmother for giving it to her before the black bird kidnapped her. After her warden was done shouting at the newcomer, her lock opened with a "clank" and the door opened. Without a thought, she took this opportunity to make a run for it. It was at this moment that the boy turned to see her.
"Oh no you don't!" he shouted, extending his arm toward her. The candles grew dimmer as the shadow of his arm stretched across the wooden floor that creaked with each of the girl's steps. As the shadow grew darker, it seemed to change into the shape and consistency of liquid. It soon went from a point where light is blocked to a form of matter. The liquid oozed across the wood and bubbled as long, blade-like claws emerged and grabbed at the girl’s heels. She picked up the pace as dark humanoid creatures slowly crawled from the inky substance. "You can run, but you can't hide from me, little princess!" she heard the boy bellow; "I'm everywhere!"
As she kept running, more and more claws raked and grabbed at her from the walls. She had to pick up the pace or else the creatures would surely have her! After some bobbing, weaving, and sprinting through the growing hoards, she eventually came to the room at the hall and closed the door behind her. After locking it and placing a chair at the handle, she felt it bought her some time, but she didn't know how long.
Quickly, she looked at her surroundings. It looked like an office. There was a large mahogany desk with a worn leather chair behind it. Scraps of parchment and blots of ink were left strewn about like someone was using it recently. Glass bottles were also placed around the table Behind it, she could see the yawning opening to a balcony with the sounds of cicadas and crickets calling her to freedom. She ran to it, only to see that the way down was a two-story drop! A crunch of wood told her that the creatures were getting through her barricade. If she was to jump now, the water below may be too shallow for her to survive. It looks like she would either be captured and sent back to her room, just die, or maybe...
She looked back at the desk as the claws broke a hole through the door. While pairs of red eyes glowed in the darkness, she hastily took a blank piece of parchment, dipped a pen in the inkwell and wrote a short message. She knew this idea would be a shot in the dark, but she was desperate. Once finished, she took one of the bottles and pulled out the cork. It let off a nasty smell that stung her nose, but all she cared about was stuffing the paper inside. Stuffing the cork back in, she ran to the balcony before one of the creatures created a hole big enough to crawl through.
