My Superhero Fantasy: Tales of Babylon

Eridu Village, Heaven's Breath Inn — Morning, 5th of Arah Tisritum (September)

It was a pleasant morning in Eridu Village. The air was hot and humid as always, mosquitos buzzing around their necks, but clean air and a cool breeze helped make it more bearable. The village stood over a small lake, as clear as a summer day. Fields and farmland stood on the neighbouring shores, the lake serving as a natural deterrent. Scores of mossy houses and huts dotted the endless craigs, waterfalls running under and between, streaming down to the waters below. Plumed birds flew overhead, speckled feathers glittering under the sun's precious rays. It was a work of beauty, an example of humanity and nature living in harmony.

At the top of the falls was a pair of buildings. One was quaint and modest, a small temple made of stone. Stone statues stood on either side, accompanied by small trees. The roots ran over the statue's feet, bounding the two together. The trees honoured the spirits and the statues honored the Gods. The two were of equal importance, but both were precious.

Next to the temple was the school. It towered over it, dwarfing it by comparison. Compared to the cities, it was paltry, but it had a certain charm. It was painted in green and blue, complimenting its surroundings. It was bigger than anything else in the village, but was no larger than its needs. Both the students and the children called it home. It was a symbol of hope, but in Eridu, hope was plentiful.

Across from the village was an inn. It stood at the beach, a large boat strung to the docks. It was small and plain, but it had a certain charm. It was home to weary travelers and the local farmers, anyone in need of a stiff drink. They flocked to the tables, staining their loose tunics and dresses with beer. But to new students and priests, it was a place of gathering. Before they reached the school or the temple, this was their first stop.

There was a table in the corner reserved for the students, about a dozen open seats. A small wolf or fox laid against it. It was hard to tell which. The teacher was absent, but this was they were supposed to meet. Until they appeared, all they could do was wait.

Edited by kkhohoho on Feb 11th 2023 at 5:19:10 AM

A brown, humanoid boa constrictor with oddly vibrant wings is sitting on one of the chairs, fiddling around with his tail, trying to fit it between the legs of the chair, then getting it out. Quetzal was trying to keep himself occupied as he waited for the others.

Zurkraziir

From somewhere in the mountains descended a mighty serpent. Winged and graceful, he glided down from the tops of the waterfalls, golden wings glittering in the sun as he descended.

The dragon landed near the lake, golden baubles jingling around his neck and ankles. Stretching himself in the sun, he trotted over to the lake, stuck his head in, and began to gulp the clear water.

After a few moments, he lifted his head once more, water dripping from his shimmering horns, and walked over to the inn. He found the reserved table easy enough, and reared up until his head was above the table. He didn't try the chairs - it was clear they wouldn't support his weight.

Instead he merely sat on his haunches on the floor. Even still, he could look his fellow reptile in the eye. He was tall, over nine feet from head to toe, and he had to tuck his wings in to avoid smacking anyone nearby.

Zurkraziir smiled, red-gold eyes glinting with curiosity as he observed Quetzal. "Hello there. Are you a student of Enkidu as well? I did not expect to see another dragon, here. I am Zurkraziir. But please, call me Zur."

Kid Cole

The sound of footfalls through the streets, echoed shortly after by much heavier footfalls, the shouts of angry men not far behind. Not knowing what to expect in the heat of the moment, a young Cole Streiss leaped before he even knew what to expect, something carrying him up and on to a passing mule drawn wagon - though not for long as he continued on.

Leaping off of the construct, holding his jacket to him tight as he landed roughly, rolling off of one shoulder and quickly after that back on to his feet as he hurried along toward the school grounds. Ducking and darting between the taller, distant forms of the villagers.

The footfalls were still too close behind to slow down at all.

Sweat dripped down Cole's face as he took a chance, leaping over a smaller cart - landing already in motion. He kept running all the way into the inn. He knew he was safe - relatively so at least - once he got there. That guy wouldn't go after him right there with all the other students present.

But he still kept running, on pure adrenaline, all the way up until he slumped against the wall right by their table. He didn't tire out long. That strange power he had made sure of that. But for now he was out of breath.

After a moment, Cole stood up and walked toward the other students assembled. "I'm...I'm fine, I'm good. I just...got worried about being late is all."

Outside, a group of rough young adult men watched the entrance to the school with a sort of quiet disdain, having lost their target. Their leader, a tall, long haired blond man gestured for them to follow. Clearing his bangs from his face, William scowled, commenting as the group returned to the village, "...That the school would take in someone unable to even really use his powers...what a waste of a spot."

Edited by NickTheSwing on Feb 11th 2023 at 4:08:28 AM

Jay Alabama Fitzgerald, about to arrive

In a horse-drawn cart, Jay was in the middle of reading The Great Gatsby. She took her sweet time reading its text, casually slipping unto the next page with grace. She was engrossed into a faraway world full of glamour but cynicism towards the wealthy elite that resided within it. Even with its cynical nature, the book brought a great deal of nostalgia to Jay as it was one of the first books she read as a child and helped set her forward on her path today.

Eventually, the cart arrived at its destination, the local inn. Jay carefully placed the book back in her handbag as she left the cart and thanked the driver. With a confident smile, she ran towards the doors, opening them in a loud, dramatic fashion. Once she was inside, she posed as she twirled her umbrella and noticed a couple of other students sitting at their destination table. Interesting, two of them are draconic in nature, which intrigued Jay.

And now she'll make her introduction. In a loud, dramatic voice.

"It is I, Jay Alabama Fitzgerald, descendant of the great F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald! And..."

Jay pulled out the Lumus Ether Grimoire from her bag and showed it off in her hand. Its flowing pages emitted violet light.

"...A Protector-In-Training who's devoted to preserving literature."

She skipped, no danced, towards the table with that trail of violet light following her swift steps. She sat down, having fully opened the Grimoire and showed off a playful smirk to her peers.

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Feb 11th 2023 at 4:18:34 AM

Magnus Nicholson:

The door to the Heaven's Breath Inn opened. Standing outside was a human shaped jumble of metal that wasn't touching the door at all. He walked inside, and the door shut behind him, despite the figure still not having touched it. Spotting the table where the other students were, he walked towards it.

Upon reaching a chair, he didn't pull it out. Instead, as he kept moving, he spread his legs and the metal making up his lower torso apart, and once he was directly on top of the seat, he folded in on himself, his arms separating from his shoulders to swing themselves down to the floor and his legs reaching up to pull down the metal making up his torso. When the process finished, he was now in a seated position, but with only the gold box that was serving as hid head being in the same place on his constructed body.

He turned his head, looking at the other students that had arrived before him with the aqua gem in the center of the box, but he said nothing.

Quetzal

The snake quizzically turned his head. "I don't think I'm a dragon. I'm just some boa. Or at least that's what other people say I am. But it is nice to meet you, Zur! My name's Quetzal! I'm going to Enkindu, too."

Quetzal then turned to Jay, impressed by her entrance, clapping. "Bravo! I don't know what a lit-er-ature is, but that's a cool book you got there!"

Giosetta the Toymaker

The next person to come through the door opened said door with a flourish of their hands, though once they realised they had prompted a few people to give them weird looks they seemed to regret making such a bombastic entrance. At first, they seemed to be a young human woman in mildly tattered handmade clothes, but upon closer inspection the woodgrain indicated she wasn't quite human by nature. That, and her limbs were bare, revealing a darker material that was varnished compared to her lighter face. The rather obvious swivel joint in her neck was the most unsettling part of her appearance by far.

Otherwise, she was quite pretty for an animate puppet, with very realistic hair and carefully painted features. Furthermore, her face warped like skin according to changes in her facial expression—currently one of curiosity as she clasped her hands behind herself and idly wandered over towards the designated table while looking around the inn. She almost crashed right into a table, stammering out apologies as she quickly righted it again and managed to save the patrons' drinks. She focused a little harder on where she was going then, hurrying over and slipping into a free space at the table that the others were congregating at.

"Salve," she greeted, before clearing her throat (how that even worked was questionable) and wriggled uncomfortably in her seat. She was very noisy when she moved. She had a lot of stuff on her person; bags of trinkets and parts and toys and god knew what else. She was like a walking hardware store. "It's nice to... be here? It's nice to be here and meet you all. That's it."

Her greeting was off to a flying start, it seemed. She would've blushed if she had any blood in her body, but she expressed her embarrassment anyway through her awkward scratch of the back of her head. She drummed her fingers against the surface of the table, fidgeting as her eyes wandered away from the others, before she snapped back to attention as she remembered to introduce herself.

"Giuseppina. Giuseppina Giordano. Or Giosetta, for short. Or... or Pinuccia. Or Toymaker. Or Talkative Puppet. E-Excuse me. Is this awkward, or is it just me...? I'm so sorry..."

Edited by Enirboreh on Feb 11th 2023 at 1:42:14 PM

Kid Cole

Watching the weird lady dance up to the table and make her grand introduction, Cole found himself feeling at least a little...awkward.

He'd by now fully recovered his stamina from that chase out there in the town, and could get a look around in full at his classmates.

Quetzal was some kind of big flying snake, Zur was a big honking dragon, and he was...a kid in a jacket, ratty jeans that probably smelled horrible, and powers he barely comprehended. That kinda scared him sometimes, honestly.

Then some golem guy also entered the room, silently sitting in a way in one of the chairs. Cole's eyes glanced around the room, and he for now focused on the lady. He looked down briefly and said to Jay, voice cracking all the while, "Hi uh, I'm Cole. I'm thirteen and I...I guess I traveled here from the north. I've read a bit of literature in the bunker I guess. Mach—-my guardian said it was important I learn to read...but Kenon was always more study—-studiful—-stu-di-ous."

In the middle of him saying that, another lady entered the room. Something about her seeming...weird. Was she a—-? There was indeed something vaguely unsettling about her face even as she seemed perfectly nice. "Oh it's—-it's not that awkward. Not that awkward." He blushed a little bit as he looked down.

Edited by NickTheSwing on Feb 11th 2023 at 5:58:50 AM

Niklas Hallman

A tall, bipedal deer whose back is covered in a heavy shell of ice stomps into the edge of town. He is holding a map leading towards the inn. Aside from his shell, he wears nothing but a pair of raggedy brown shorts. The shorts have pockets, and in one of those pockets is his only possession, a small, metal music box.

The deer looks up and wipes sweat from his brow. Although his icy armor can't melt, the warm temperature here still makes him uncomfortable. A gentle breeze gives him some temporary relief.

The deer finds the inn on the map, then looks up to see the real inn, and continues walking towards it, without a word.

Magnus Nicholson

"Magnus," the Lodestone Golem answered, his voice projected only to the students at the table, which they could all hear clearly over the chatter of other patrons. "And no, I wouldn't say this is awkward."

He looked at Giosetta. While he could tell she wasn't human, he wasn't phased by her appearance in the slightest. What did peak his interest, however, was all the bags she had on her person.

"What exactly are you carrying?" Magnus asked.

Zurkraziir

"You have wings." Zur replied to Quetzal, eyeing them as he spoke. "What is a dragon but a winged serpent, hm?"

Before he could ponder the question further, more people trickled in. A child in ratty clothes, a puppet woman, a book-loving scholar of some sort, a deer with a frozen shell, a metal man. Such a varied group. Zur smiled at the menagerie, huffing smoke from his nostrils at some of the more bombastic entrances.

"I am Zurkraziir. Or Zur, for brevity." He repeated, so that the rest of the group would hear him. His voice was deep and powerful, easily heard over the conversation. He dipped his head in greeting. "A pleasure to meet you all."

He eyed Giosetta with amusement. "Worry not. It's only as awkward as you allow it to be."

New Town, Old God

He'd been traveling at a good clip, enjoying the fresh air and stretching his limits. Hometown hadn't been small, but Eridu Village was of a good size. He'd puzzled over what an "Ink" could possibly mean, but decided that once he arrived directions would be simple. People tended to be polite to him.

As Latarak approached where he had been told the "Ink" was located, the young student slowed his pace. I wonder who I'll find in here? Who will the other Protectors be? More Beas-more people like me? I hope so. In the back of his mind, he could feel his Patrons muttering. Nothing he could clearly understand, but by now he was used to their constant presence.

Inside, the other student would hear his footsteps thumping down the hallway. He wasn't trying to be stealthy-why bother? They weren't enemies, and suddenly appearing in the door might startle or frighten them. So he made sure to step with exaggerated weight, even if it felt clumsy or cumbersome. He opened the door and ducked in, giving the room a quick glance before perching in a seat. "Hello. My name is Redmane. Is this the Protector's room, or have I joined a traveling actors' group again?" He offered a smile, though he was careful not to show his fangs. That put folks off sometimes. Inside he was trying not to stare at the dragon, and the snake, and the weird girl, and-I wonder if they're staring at me too?He was used to looks, but it was still unpleasant to have people all but wonder if he was going to eat them.

Quetzal

Quetzal shrugs. "I don't know, then again I just know I am, dunno where I came from, exactly. I could actually be a dragon, but I dunno."

He also picks up on the others coming in.

"Oh, hello everyone! I'm Quetzal!" The winged snake-person eagerly waves to the others.

Giosetta the Toymaker

"Oh, okay! Good... that's good advice..." Giosetta smiled at Zur and Cole gratefully, finding her confidence and leaning forward a little more comfortably. As Magnus asked her what she was carrying, she made a noise of affirmation—nonchalantly slinging an entire belt of bags and satchels onto the table and letting their contents spill out with a clatter. She winced at the noise as soon as she'd done this, catching a few items from falling off the table before bunching them up into a less chaotic pile. Once they were... semi-arranged and not taking up the entire table, she picked a couple of items out and held them up with a smile on her face.

One was a jointed toy doll, another was a duck that could be pushed around on wheels. Most of what was in the pile were either finished toys, incomplete trinkets, or tools that ranged from scissors to hand drills. The items that were finished were carefully painted, and had a glossy vinyl shine to them to make them look more appealing. Everything was handmade, and once it had all been shown off enough Giosetta began to put them all away again.

It would take her three whole minutes just to stuff everything back into their respective bags.

"I'm a toymaker. A woodworker, too. I learned from my Papa. He's the one who assembled me," she explained, a bright grin on her face as she talked about her work. "I figured that I could... expand my skills to help more than just kids' attention spans."

Magnus Nicholson

"Interesting," Magnus mused, though he was primarily focused on the tools Giosetta showed. Those could be useful.

"You're in the right place," he then calmly told Redmane.

Edited by RapidFirestormer on Feb 11th 2023 at 10:04:10 AM

Jay Alabama Fitzgerald, in the Inn

"Well thank you Old Sport! And about literature, it means any written work, usually one with artistic merit," Jay explained to Quetzal. "It's also pronounced as 'li-tr-uh-chr' but it's not that bad of a mistake to make— I had ran into several creatures that mispronounced the word as well, so I'm used to it. Anyway, a decent amount of literature has been lost to the Great Darkness, so I had made it a duty to preserve literature and spread it around the people."

Jay then takes out several books from her handback; The Great Gatsby, Save Me The Waltz, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Journey to the West, Frankenstein, The Count of Monte Cristo and Tender Is the Night. She shows them off to Quetzal and the rest of the people seated down.

"Here are some of the books I had collected. This is not all of them, in fact far from it! They're just the novels I decided to take with me, although The Great Gatsby and Save Me the Waltz are the ones I always take with me alongside my Grimoire, which gives me my magic."

Then, Jay notices more students entering the inn and sitting down. Ranging from a metalic golem, beastfolk and even a very human-like marionette, they all fascinated Jay.

"Oh, hoho! We got ourselves an interesting cast!" Jay said. "In case you didn't hear my entrance earlier, I am Jay Alabama Fitzgerald, descended from a fabled pair of writers!"

Edited by Cutegirl920fire on Feb 11th 2023 at 8:39:43 AM

Making his own way into the inn, wearing all in black and keeping a strange mask on his face hiding his eyes tried to keep distance from anyone passing by, as he looked around. Pulling out some water from a flask he was carrying as he tried to act unaffected by the heat. May every god help him, the heat. He really should have considered another destination for going abroad...

Just endure, take what comes with your choices

His hand rested slightly on one of the swords he was carrying, both of them radiating power as he found his goal, at least for now. He saw many interesting faces. A dragon (hopefully is nicer than the last one I met), a snake, an apparent puppet, a girl out of the old days...

He tried to make himself less noticeable, making small drawings in a small book he carried, for what reason, the others wouldn't know.

What would you do now, Lance? Knowing you, you would throw me in the middle of this without context

Heaven's Breath Inn

A figure, settled in a dark corner with a drink in hand chooses this moment to peel herself out of the shadows and shake off the guise of a mysterious loner. It was easy to overlook her beforehand, camouflaged against the wall and the other patrons but now that she chose to reveal her presence and walk towards the table of prospective Protectors her metaphorical plumage was on display and hard to ignore. Especially given she had a gleaming silver staff-like weapon strung across her back perpendicular with a longbow.

"Well, quite the eclectic group here. Are we all bound for the Akadimía? If so, I feel lucky to be in the company of such fine men, beastfolk and stranger things besides."

She carefully finds a spot at the table and sets down her wooden cup and looked for the wolf-fox creature she had spotted before the table filled up.

"Are we doing introductions then? While we wait for our first instructor to arrive... Or simply reveal their presence."

Heaven's Breath, Back Table

As the students gathered, they started getting strange looks. The village was used to strangeness, but even in a world of beastfolk and magic, their group was eclectic. The metal creature was the most startling, but the dragon and the puppet got their share of whispers.

As the group waited, an old beastman walked over. He was short and fat, grey fur long and shabby, but there was a fire in his eyes. He was weathered and ragged, but his apron was well-pressed, free of stains and blemishes. He had a spring in his step, tail and floppy ears wagging, brimming with charisma.

"Greetings! You must be new recruits, yes? You no tell old Niko, Niko knows! Niko sees fresh faces ready for adventure! Fresh faces must had long trip, yes? Full of many wonders, but just as many perils! Niko knows all."

He reached into his tunic, pulling out a pen and paper. "Nico knows fresh faces need fresh refreshments! No need to pay Nico! Nico knows this special occasion! Nico is head of honoured establishment. What Nico says goes! If there anything fresh faces want or want know, they but ask!"

Edited by kkhohoho on Feb 12th 2023 at 5:09:05 AM

Quetzal

The snake-person initially quizzically looked at the books Jay brought, but Niko caught his attention.

"Hi, Niko! I'm Quetzal! I'm a fresh face!" He eagerly waved. He then thought for a moment, unsure of what to order.

"I'd like whatever you would drink here, this is my first time here."

Magnus Nicholson

"That won't be necessary for me," Magnus answered Niko. "I don't eat."

Kid Cole

Cole had absolutely no idea what was served around here. He'd scavenged and spent his time roaming southward - long enough that he just...couldn't even know for sure what they had and what they didn't. His mind promptly turned upon itself, debating internally about what he wanted versus what he thought they might have, remembering the food that he had back in that bunker - and he felt like screaming because he didn't even know if the place was still there, guilt flaring up about leaving even though he was told to...

Eventually, Cole looked up, and shook for a moment. Still nervous about vocalizing what he wanted. "...I want to eat cheese sticks and uh, toast with—-with butter on the middle between slices. If—-If you have that."

Just talking about it reminded him of when he and Kenon would be served those mozzarella crunchy sticks at lunch time. He hadn't had that in...years? Years. Cole gripped the table briefly to settle himself. Why hadn't he noticed how hungry he'd been...?

Zurkraziir

When the boy with the swords entered, Zur's gaze turned to him in interest. There was a strange magic emanating from those blades, and something about it gave the dragon a twinge of unease.

He pushed that feeling away, however, and returned to smiling. Zur nodded at the appearance of the girl with the staff and bow. "Yes, we're all getting to know each other. You're welcome to join us."

At Niko's offer of refreshments, he tilted his head in consideration. "Some mead and a leg of mutton would be nice. Though any sweet drink or meat is fine."

Then he leaned over so his head was eye level with Cole, almost close enough to brush the boy's shoulder. "Are you alright, little one? I'm aware that dragons can be quite imposing, but you needn't be so nervous."

Kynigos of the Food Order

The hunter gave Niko a warm smile as he approached and prepared to take orders.

"Ah yes, I would like another cup of... I asked the wench for something interesting and local and she gave me this thing I'm still trying to identify."

She checked her preferred up and seeing a dreg at the bottom downed it quickly and closed her eyes to focus.

"I think it is orange wine? The fruit, I mean. This region was known for it I believe or was that north of here? Regardless, if you have more of whatever this is I would like a refill of it. I am fine on food however."