Open The Land of After

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The city of Hiimelgard, with it's cobblestone roads, houses of white stone and lively marketplace. Today, summer rain heavily fell on the city, showering it and its inhabitants in warm water. Most of them locked themselves into their houses, watching the rain as it played its song against the windows. Even so, the marketplace was still somewhat lively. Standing under the small roof covering their stand, the owners called out to the people walking by about the low price of their Sabreslick meat, or Corpsethorn seeds and many other useful and exotic wares.

Standing in the middle of the city was Heavens Tower, proudly raising itself above all other buildings. Built of silver-coloured stones and covered in navy blue ivies, which climbed on the walls of the tower, all the way to the top.

On the highest floor was a small balcony, which was rather hard to notice from down below. Sitting in a chair on the balcony was an old Helelian, clad in large indigo robes with intricate designs, and a large indigo cloth with similar designs covered his head, leaving not much besides a dog-like snout visible. He only sat there, drenched by the rain, unmoving.

Soon, a tall man emerged from the door to the balcony. His head was covered in black, long, wavy hair and he sported a goatee as well. He wore a set of bulky white armour, a long golden cape, and a large sword was attached to his waist. He looked at the old Helelian, and said:
"Sir, it can hardly be good for your health sitting in the rain like this."

The Helelian didn't even turn to look at the man, but answered him.
"Friedmir, such things does not bother me at this point of my life."

The man was quiet, as if looking for something to say.

"On a more important subject", the Helelian said, "Has the Thinkers found the ones they were looking for?"

Friedmir jumped a bit when he talked, as if he snapped back to reality.
"Yes, but due to the rain, we can't send any Serpentflies to contact these individuals. But we got a message from Hisainel, saying that he should reach Hiimelgard later today."

"If that's the case, all we can do for now is to wait." The old Helelian said, and looked up towards the sky, as if he could see through the cloth covering his head.
"It looks like it will rain for some hours before it stops."

Fer hated the rain.

It's not like he was afraid of water or anything, he often used to catch fish and such in the forests, crushing them with a talon or flinging them out of the water with a gale of wind; it was just that in rain, in heavy, pelting showers like this one, he couldn't fly. The air was either dead or screaming with movement, his feather grew soppily wet and unable to perform correctly, and his sharp raptor eyes were occupied with blinking away the raindrops. It was just plain frustrating is what it was.

He loved the smell that this one was giving off, though. Although it was warmer out then he would prefer, the brown-feathered young man enjoyed the dusty smell of the summer rain. Mister Feratu Treilei was, as it happened, perched on a rooftop, staring down at the city like a brown-and white aquiline gargoyle of some sort. It wasn't a very high rooftop, to be honest, as Fer would normally just fly to the higher ones and didn't feel like using stairs. Lord, they were just annoying.

The boy leaped from his roost, yellow talons releasing their firm grip, and he seemed to half-float, half-fall the short twenty feet to the ground. His head feathers rustled in the magical breeze. He landed on an old lioness, apologized, and promptly fled the scene; he had to fight the intense urge to leap into the air as he galloped away through the downpour. He stopped under an awning pregnant at the top with water, bought a hunk of cheese, and began slicing bits of it off with his beaked mouth.

His hand was slick from precipitation and the wedge of white cheese slipped from his hand into a grating.

He hated the rain.

Rain

The tall Helelian looked to the heavens, feeling the warm rain on his head and face. He lifts a hand up, watching as the drops of water collected in his palm. With a quick wave of his other hand the water froze into a thin sheet of ice. He chuckles softly under his breath, dropping the ice and slipping his hand under the collar of his coat.

"You should be happier here, Edi...varmer here then home. But is more vet then I vould like..."

He brushes a finger along the Slitherface's head, resting his gaze in the town before him. He carried a simple bag with his supplies across his chest, the hides of some of his prey tucked safely inside. He passes the shop owners peddling their wares, keeping his head low and looking for a covered area to rest after his travels. After some wandering, he finds a covered building and crouches under it, looking out at the streets before him. He takes a long, slow breath as his eyes slide shut.

Not a bad trip...safe enough for her to come later if she pleased. I'm glad I scouted ahead to check the roads. Once this rain lets up, I'll send word to her that she can continue her trip.

Edi pokes his head out of the coat and looked at the streets as well, his tongue flicking out and licking at Halan's chin. The large canine chuckles under his breath at the silly pet, running a finger along the Slitherface's head.

"Siberi and Bayn should be here in due time..."

Rain. Annoying, wet, blinding rain. Hilao hated the rain. The rain made all the allyways smell bad and made his chain heavy and cold. He sighed and turned away from the window, thankful he'd gotten to the resteraunt before the rain had come A few moments later, a waiter came over to him. "What can I get you, young man?"
"Eh...soup of the day, please"
The waiter nodded and bustled off. That was the good thing about this resteraunt. It didn't matter how old or young you were, if you could pay, then you'd be given your food and left alone. His Chirr companion, Kora, was laying on the table, dented armor moving slowly up and down from his heartbeat. The waiter returned, putting down a bowl of soup. Hilao dug in eagerly. Kora joined him. It took less than a minute to finish the dish. He dropped some coins on the table, acquired from a local farmer who wanted some pests removed, and stood. "Come on, Kora, let's go back to the shelter." The two left the resteraunt and moved quickly under the shelter of the overhanging roofs until they reached a large side street. On one side of the side street stood a small shack made from timber, twigs, bottles and clay. It was into this shelter the two dashed. "Ah, home at last.." Hilao mumbled, laying down on the straw matteress. "But I do hope the rain ends soon..."

Running, just the feeling of the world around moving slower than the speed he was going. It was simply amazing.

It was Zurias's favorite pastime, to rush through the city and explore it. Sure, it was raining, but it didn't bother him any. It felt refreshing on his black fur, which had now become completely damp. His companion, however, felt differently about the weather. Evyra would always hide herself in his hood whenever he chose to go for a run in the rain. Suddenly, Zurias came to an abrupt stop, deciding that he would not chance the risk of falling, as the road had become gradually slicker due to the rain.

He stepped over to the side, where the roof of a small shop overhung. Sighing, he said, "I guess we'll just have to wait here until the weather gets better, huh Evyra?" Simultaneously, the Chirr awoke from her slumber from his hood, and climbed onto his shoulder. Being out of the shower of rain was much more to her liking. Zurias's claws clicked impatiently onto the stone. He desperately wanted to start his run again, and found the interruption annoying.

"Let's hurry up rain, shall we? I don't want to wait around here forever."

On one of the many rooftops in Hiimelgard, one could see a Helelian with a small bat resting on its shoulder. This Helelian was completely silent, and was simply in a crouching position in the rain, with the bat occasionally flapping its wings to shake off the water.

After some time, the bat jumped off the shoulder of the Helelian, and began to fly towards the end of the roof. A moment after it did, the Helelian known as Wiraq Trocad got up and followed him.

"Did you see anything, Krenax?"

The bat turned around. "Me? I haven't seen anything worthwhile since we came here. Not a single person that might be a client we could use."

Wiraq sighed, and then began to climb down from the rooftop on which he was perched.

"That vantage point wasn't to find potential clients, it was to get a good idea of what we're dealing with in this city. Every time I go here, something's changed. I was trying to figure out what that something was now, so I wouldn't find it out later, when it would be dangerous to know."

The bat gave a small sigh, and then perched itself back on top of Wiraq's shoulder. "And let me guess, you didn't find the changed thing this time?"

"No."

"Useless," Krenax muttered, disgruntled. When Wiraq glared at him, he added, "well, in the sense that you couldn't find the changed thing. You're not useless in other areas, just-"

"Shut your mouth before I tear off your wings and leave you in the streets," Wiraq growled, "you want to learn the secret behind my power, don't you? Then stop complaining."

The bat sighed, but didn't say another word as Wiraq finished climbing down the building.

Bayn stood out boldly from most others on the streets at this time, not only due to the low numbers, but his massive furry bulk. His claws clicked softly on the cobblestones, and he kept his long neck bowed to try and shield his partner, the canine Helelian Siberi. She was robed in pale blue, per paws tapping on the cobblestones just like Bayn's. The rain didn't bother her much, slipping off her fur like water off the back of a duck.

She didn't pay much attention to the vendors, beyond a shake of the head when offered something, and continued to walk. Her mate was around here somewhere, the silly old coot. She stroked absently at her round belly, and was rewarded with the gentle shifting of the pups inside her.

Bane let out a soft churr when he spotted the other canine, his thick tail sweeping behind him and ears perking up. Siberi's ears twitched a bit and she looked up as well, smiling when she saw his back ahead of her.

"Ah! Halan..." Siberi called, speeding up as she walked towards him.

At the small balcony at the top of Heavens tower, the old Helelian dressed in indigo still sat in his chair, showered by the rain. Suddenly, he raised his head a bit, before standing up and walking into the tower, and went up a large spiral staircase, which seemed to go through the whole building. He went all the way to the highest floor, which held nothing but a pair of large wooden doors. Slowly, he pushed the doors opens and walked into a room. It was circular in shape, and seemed empty at first.

"We have been expecting you, Throon." three voices said, at the exact same time.

The old Helelian looked up to the roof, from which three pairs of orange eyes stared down at him.

Attached to the roof were three beings. They were humanoid in shape, but lacked and kind of legs and arms. Their bodies where white and transparent, and you could see their organs through it, but they lacked any kind of skeleton. Their heads lacked a visible mouth, and a single tendril reached from the back of their heads to the middle of the roof, where a single, massive brain was attached.

"We have found the seven individuals we deem helpful in this mission, much like you ordered", the voices spoke again, and it seemed they came from the brain rather than the beings, "but we feel that additional individuals can potentially raise the chance of success."

"And what are the names of these individuals, Thinkers?" Throon said, his clothes, which were drenched wet just a minute ago, looked like water had never touched them.

"The names of these individuals are as follows."
This time, only one of the voice spoke, one that sounded like that of a woman.

"Feratu Treilei, Siberi Anadyr, Halan Anadyr."
This time, the voice that spoke was incredibly deep.

"Crosus, Zurias Rynne, Wiraq Trocad, and Hilao Mutleaf."
The voice that spoke was so high-pitched it was hard to hear what it was saying.

Now, the three voices once again spoke at the same time.
"You can prepare your message to these individuals. We know that the rain is holding you up, but do not fret, for it will end in about ten minutes."

"Once again, I thank you for your help." Throon said, and slowly walked out of the room, closing the doors behind him.

Much like the Thinkers said, soon, the rain had stopped, and Throon stood on the balcony once again. But this time, coiled around his arm were seven green serpents, with bulging, yellows eyes and a pair of insect-like wings. He held up seven letters in his other arm, and said softly:

"Serpentflies, deliver these letters for me."

And with those words, each serpentfly let go of Throon's arm, took a letter in its mouth and flew off.
While each of the seven letters were addressed to different people named by the Thinkers, all of the letters said the same thing:

You are hereby asked to come to the ground floor of Heavens tower, as your skills, abilities or wisdom has been deemed useful in something we need help urgent help with.

I apologize if this message might seem a bit blunt, but more information will be handed out if you arrive, and if it is what you seek, you will be rewarded for your help.

Sincerely
Throon Tetragrammaton, high scholar and guardian of Hiimelgard.​

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"Ah! Halan..."

Halan turns his head and looks toward the sound. He blinks a few times in disbelief before he was hugged by his mate. He lets out a slow sigh and wraps an arm around her, his hand resting on her opposite hip. He lowers his head onto her shoulder, closing his eyes.

"I thought I told you I'd send vord when things vere safe...you vere to stay put. You could have been hurt, the collection of all of you...but I von't lie, I'm glad to have you here vith me."

Edi slips his head from the coat and slithers around Siberi's neck, giving her small little licks on the cheek. He then slips into the top of her robe and proceeds tickle her with his tongue as he snakes his way down to the large belly. Halan let out a small amused laugh, capturing Edi's tail.

"Seems he's glad too..."

The rain finally pattered out, clouds parting and starting to show a few cracks of light overhead. He looks up and smiles a little more (or what can be considered a smile in his case), when a duo of Serpentflies looped through the air and made way to both him and his mate.

Vho vould send a message to the both of us...vith separate letters?

He holds out a hand to one of the Serpentflies, one landing on his arm and holding out a letter to him. Releasing his grip on Edi's tail, he takes the letter and opens it, wordlessly mouthing the words as he reads.

"...Seems I vill be going to the Heavens tower..."

Hilao woke with a start. The first thing he noticed was that it had stopped raining. The second thing he noticed was a Serpentfly trying to pirch on Kora's back. "Hey, gimme the letter!" Hilao said. The Serpentfly nodded, dropped the letter and flew out again. Hilao tore open the letter, shoved the envelope into a small box on the floor, and began to read. "Time to go Kora!" At that, he ran from the shelterHe dashed through the streets, pausing once at a food stand to get some bread. He lifted Kora from the ground, shoved the bread in his mouth and kept running.

Fer sighed, which made a whistley sort of sound as the air passed through his nose. He was in the process of maneuvering under a small awning as the rain, as if to spite the bird-boy, petered out and then suddenly stopped. Small drops of water still fell from overhangs and such, but the actual precipitation had ended. He shook his feathers slightly and began to press the important ones on his arms between his claws, straightening them and giving them a shine.

Fer sighed again, this time in contentment. He could be dry again! He stepped out from the awning, waited for the few people nearby to move far enough away, shook himself once, and then flapped his wide, feathery arms; he took off after less than a second, a buffet of air rising from each wing. Fer lifted quickly and mostly silently, laboring for each foot gained, until he reached a sufficient height. He hovered for a moment.

And then he dived.

He wasn't going full-out, and he wasn't actively influencing the winds, but Fer was still almost a blur. After a few moments of this, he slowed; Fer now glided almost lazily over most of the city. A familiar tweetledeedeeing filled the teenager's ear and, like he had expected, his favorite bird fluttered into sight. A red-on-black specimen, Cardianor greatly resembled a crow or a raven, and was perhaps even smarter than one. An irregularly-shaped red heart adorned the small bird's chest. Cardianor swooped down towards Fer...

...and was blindsided by a serpentfly. The green reptile would have been easily audible if not for the wind, which only somewhat removed the deep thrumming of the creature's wings. Cardianor tiddiddledeed in protest, but the serpentfly continued to hover as Feratu made slow, wide circles around it. It had a piece of paper in its scaled mouth. This wasn't strange; a good number of people used the intelligent little reptilethings to deliver messages. What was strange was that the thing wasn't moving. At all. But it couldn't be for him, he didn't know anyone here besides the lioness and she didn't have a serpentfly...

He swooped by the serpentfly, snatched the envelope from it with his beak-lips, and dove straight down. The ground roared up, he flared his wings/arms, and landed gracefully, although the effect was ruined by the letter in his beak. Fer spat it out onto his hand and ripped the top of the envelope unceremoniously. He read it slowly as Cardianor arrived and looked curiously but uncomprehendingly at the paper.

"You are hereby asked to come to the ground floor of Heavens tower, as your skills, abilities or wisdom has been deemed useful in something we need help urgent help with.

I apologize if this message might seem a bit blunt, but more information will be handed out if you arrive, and if it is what you seek, you will be rewarded for your help.

Sincerely
Throon Tetragrammaton, high scholar and guardian of Hiimelgard."

Hmm. What a fruity last name, 'Tertragrammaton'. There was no 'To Blank Blankington' space at the top, so he couldn't be sure that they meant him. Oh well, this seemed like it would at least be interesting. Tucking the letter into his pant's waistband, the aquiline teen lifted into the air once more, this time staying relatively close to the ground. He swooped low and saw a rotund and probably pregnant dof with a gruff-looking partner. He though he saw a letter in one's hand, but then it could be any sort of letter or perhaps just a map.

He soon alighted on the impressive front of the Tower, and waited.

Rain wasn't really all that bad... it was just a little bit wet. Obviously. Crosus's rough skin was fairly resistant to it, but of course it still dampened him a little, just like almost all the other creatures on this planet. There wasn't really anything that came to his mind that was somehow immune to the rain.

Simply, he pulled forwards the collar of his smooth jacket, temporarily arching his hands over his stretched face. His pronounced brow slightly furrowed, he proceeded to step outside the door. Instantly the rain pounded on his head, and he shuddered. His practically normal hand shook, attempting to scatter the droplets that pestered him like miniature meteors. Except they didn't really hurt nearly as much... the meteors would definitely be much more destructive.

Just as he pondered the rain in this way, he lacked the wet pounding feeling. Tilting his almost animal face upwards, he glimpsed brightness that betrayed the presence of good weather coming in. At least he wouldn't get wet anymore. The air was still cold from the moisture, though, so it wasn't quite time to hang up his jacket.

What seemed like a sort of bird or insect zipped across his field of vision, and it instantly caught his attention. Once he got more than a glimpse, though, it seemed to be unusually long and slender for any other flying thing he had seen. It was about another half a minute before it got close enough for him to examine it, and shortly after then it was practically upon him, dropping some large flat thing on his head. Perplexed, Crosus reached up and pulled down the envelope the flying serpent thing had dropped. Hovering expectantly nearby, it seemed impatient as he carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the paper to examine it.

"You are hereby asked to come to the ground floor of Heavens tower, as your skills, abilities or wisdom has been deemed useful in something we need help urgent help with.

I apologize if this message might seem a bit blunt, but more information will be handed out if you arrive, and if it is what you seek, you will be rewarded for your help.

Sincerely
Throon Tetragrammaton, high scholar and guardian of Hiimelgard."

Crosus thought it rather odd that an introduction was not included, but nevertheless he used a blunt hand to slip it into a pocket near his hip in the long jacket and meandered down the nearest path that lead shortly to the tower.