Silenia and NekoLen's rp :)
 

It was another hot day in the Kingdom of Solaris, a city built next to the only river in a burning hot desert. The buildings were made from sandstone, and adorned with various creatures from folklore. The city was protected by a giant wall, built from marble. A top this wall were multiple soldiers, guarding against any creatures or rebels that dared to try to take the city. The streets were lined with small stalls, people trying to sell their wares to any that passed through. Down by the docks, the fishermen went about their daily lives of pulling in nets and going out onto the Serpentine River on their shoddy boats.
Beside the large iron gates that opened to an empty expanse of desert, a small opening lead deep underground, to a forgotten temple. Shade stalked down these crumbling and cool tunnels, making his way to his home. The Hideout of the Dark Dragons, a gang that had taken him in when he was dying in the desert.
If anyone from the outside tried to navigate these twisting tunnels, they would get lost for sure. Only those that knew where they were going could make it inside. Shade was lucky to be one of these people.
Holding a bag of supplies, he left the tunnels and found himself in an open space. It had been converted into a sleeping area for the Gang, with sleeping bags and mattresses littering the floor. No one seemed to be there at the moment. Ever since the Leader had taken over the Palace, the Gang spent most its days there, living in splendour. Shade was just here for old time's sake. He gazed about the small chamber feeling a sense of nostalgia. The Palace never felt like home to him, so he came back to the Hideout frequently. Even though he was supposed to be going straight to the Leader with the supplies he had bought from the markets, he just had to stop off here. He turned away and made his way back through the tunnels, only looking back once.

The leader of the Dark Dragons gang sat on the throne that for ages had belonged to the mighty kings and queens of Solaris, but that now was his. In the hallways and rooms of the palace, he could hear the men and women of his gang laughing and working, each of them glad not to be outside in the hot summer sun.

Whoever had designed the Palace of Solaris must have been a genius, he felt, for no matter how hot it was outside, the temperature within was nice. The beautifully painted walls and gilded furniture in the throne-room made him feel like a king. He swallowed a soft giggle at that thought - he was a king now, after all, now that the old one had died and the true heir disappeared.

With a flick, he threw a strand of black hair out of his face as someone knocked on the great, wooded door that bore entrance to the throne-room - a sign of luxury, for wood was rare in the desert. Probably Shade, he thought, he's about due to be back with the fresh supplies.

"Come in!" He called out loudly, giving a small nod to the two guards at the door to open it - two men he knew he could completely trust, for they had been part of his gang for a decade now and always accepted his leadership over them.
The door swung open, allowing the visitor entrance to the throne-room.

Karim, for that was the name of the leader - or at least the name some of his gang-members knew him by, even if few of them were allowed to call him by his name - sneered as he saw that the guest was not Shade, who he had expected to see, but rather one of the other newer members of the gang.

Wonder what's taking Shade so long, he thought as he gestured for the gang-member to walk towards him.

"My leader," the guest whispered softly as he came closer to Karim's throne, "I-"
Karim interrupted his guest. "Not just your leader, your king now," he corrected the young man and the guest immediately bowed.
"My apologies, my king," he said, swallowing softly. "I bring news from the city. Another upstart brat is loudly clamouring about the... situation, trying to rally support for his... cause," he picked his words carefully, knowing better than to anger his leader.

Karim nodded once in reply. "Can you tell me anything more about him?"
Immediately he shook his head. "Not much, my king. I apologize."

Panting from the hot sun that beat down on him, Shade kept low against buildings and walls. It was easier to move about the city if he kept away from the busy bustle of the main streets, and if he kept out of the sun. Even though his skin was dark enough not to burn, the heat was very deadly on unprepared travellers.
Shade stopped to rest next to a building that had once been the church. He removed a water skin from his belt and drunk deeply. The cooling water sated his parched throat. He licked his lips and recapped the skin, hooking it back on his belt. Water wasn't a rare commodity here in the city of Solaris, as the Serpentine River provided enough fresh water to get the city through the 10 months of drought. Shade had always wondered where the River came from. Some travellers spoke of a great expanse of water, called an Ocean. He shook his head at the thought of anything beyond the desert. A lot of travellers never made it passed the city, as the sands held deadly hazards.
Not only did you have to put up with no water, no food, and the blistering hot sun, but there were deadly creatures that lives under the sand dunes, thirsting for mortal blood. The Sand Worms were a problem, but at least they were large and slow, only able to move freely under the sand's surface. The poisonous snakes and scorpions mostly came out at night. The Shadow Demons however... Shade shivered at the thought of them. When he had been rescued by the Leader, he was lucky that the Demons hadn't claimed them. Yet, a lot of the Dark Dragons acted in awe around him. There was a rumour that Shade may be a Demon himself, seeing he can transform into one. He didn't know anything about his past, but that sounded like bullshit.
He started to move again, realising he had stalled for far too long. He came to the Palace and rushed up the stairs. At the front door he greeted his fellow members and proceeded inside the cool building. As he walked down the cavernous Main Hall, he admired the sculpturing and painting done on the walls. Tiny etchings of mermaids and fish, of dragons and phoenixes adorned the roof and floor skirting. He approached the Throne Room, knowing that this was where he would find Karim. He opened a wooden door and slipped in, noting that the Leader was in conference with a civilian. He hung back in the shadows, not wanting to interrupt him.

(Sorry about the late reply)

"See that you find out more, then," Karim replied sharply. "Is there anything else you need or wish to say?"
"I will do so immediately, my king," the man answered the statement, afraid of angering Karim, "with your permission?"
Karim merely nodded shortly and gestured to the guards at the wooden door to lead this man out. The younger of the two guards left with the man and Karim gestured for the other, older man to come closer.

He had known this man for years now and knew he was at least somewhat trustworthy. After talking about the guest for a moment or two, he finally asked his question.

"Any news of what is taking Shade so long?"

---((Other Character))---

In the distance, Mikaël could see the beautiful palace. How he longed to see a rightful king in it again, rather than this leader of a gang of dark mages.

He sighed as he heaved a barrel filled with fish from one of the boats onto the dock, blisters forming on his hands from the rough material of which the barrels were made. Soon he had unloaded all of the barrels. The two fishermen on the boat went back onto the river for further fishing, after receiving the second half of their payment.

Mikaël dragged the barrels over to the carriages which would bring the fish to the storehouse where it would be sorted, cleaned, then often dried or salted to stock them. Part of the fresh fish would instead make it towards the market, where it would be sold on one of the many stands.

As horses were expensive, most carriages were built so that they could instead be dragged by human force, the wheels under them making this a slightly easier task but nevertheless hard, tiring work.

He sighed as he started to drag the carriage to the store-house. Surely he deserved a better life than this, bringing fish from the dock to the storehouse and bringing the empty barrels back. He was not even in charge of buying the fish - the storehouse's owner made the deals with the fishermen. He just was meant to get those fishes and pay the fishermen the second part of their money.

He had always wanted to become an artist or bard at the royal court. Back in the days when the old king still seated on the throne, that had been well-possible. Nowadays?

He sighed deeply.

At the mention of his name, Shade stepped forward, out of the shadows. He walked towards the throne and bowed slightly. He was still unsure how he could approach his father-figure now that Karim was King. He decided to be semi-formal about it, just in case that's what the man was expecting.

"I'm here, Leader," he said, showing the bags he held. He had spent most his life labouring as a side job, so carrying a few bags of food and alcohol was an easy task for him. "I bought everything you asked for." Again, another thing that felt weird to say.

Usually the Dark Dragons stole, or manipulated others to get what they needed. They hardly ever had any use for gold, and never bothered with it. But now, with the Palace's treasury, they could buy luxuries they could never have stolen. Like the fine wine that Shade carried in his bag. It had costed 500 gold coins a bottle. It came from across the desert, from another land which was fertile enough to have a vineyard. Shade had always wondered what it tasted like, it seemed he would fine out soon.

"The food and bottle of wine are all here, sir," he explained.

"Good, good," Karim answered, "well done, Shade." He was well aware that Shade saw him as a father-figure and he tried his best to keep it that way. Made it easier to keep the young man loyal to their gang.

"I noticed you took slightly longer than I had expected," he continued after a short silence. "I hope there were no troubles?" His voice sounded slightly threatening, he knew, but he also knew that Shade would almost certainly know it was not directed at him but rather, at those that caused problems for his gang.

He smiled softly at Shade, to emphasis that the threatening voice was not directed at him. "Would you care to join me for a glass of that outstanding wine you brought me?"

Shade shook his head. There hadn't been any trouble at all. He was the less known Dark Dragon, so he didn't get any people trying to fight him or kill him as he went to the market. One of the reasons why he often was the one to go buy the supplies was that no one knew he was a part of the gang.

He had spent most his days underground, in their old hideout, making weapons and doing old jobs about the place. He rarely had gone to the surface, only to do an occasional part-time job hauling barrels down by the wharf. Anyone that had met him would never have guessed that he was part of the ruthless gang that had murdered and lied their way into the King's throne. He seemed like a kind and honest young man, very reliable and obedient to outsiders. Not the sort of person to be a part of a gang.

Shade brought the bags up to Karim, pulling out a bottle of the wine. It had a label on it, written in some foreign language that looked slightly familiar. Shade shrugged this off, thinking that he probably had seen it on a boat or some rubbish left lying around on the street. He found some glasses sitting on a table near the Leader. Someone must have put them there before his arrival. They looked like they were made of crystal, and glinted many different colours in the light. Shade opened the cork on the bottle and poured the velvety red liquid into the glasses, setting the bottle on the table when he was done. He waited for Karim to take his glass before he lifted his own out of respect for the older man.

"Good," Karim said, allowing a small amount of faked worrying to colour his voice, "it's just that before you returned, I heard some news regarding there being someone trying to rally up the masses against us yet again and for a moment I wondered if they had caused your delay."

He knew it hadn't, of course. Who would recognize Shade as a member of their gang, except fellow members? Unless there was a traitor, but had that been the case, then the attempted rebellions would not have failed as bad as they had.

He saw the young man looking at the bottle's label before pouring the wine in the glasses, but chose not to comment on it. Sawing that Shade was waiting for him to take his glass, he picked it up from the table and swirled the liquid a bit before lifting it to his lips, then finally taking a sip.

Shade followed his example, swirling the liquid first, before sipping it. The tart flavour of alcohol blended in with heavenly hints of fruits and wood. He smacked his lips, quite liking the taste. Again he looked at the bottle's label. For some reason Shade knew how to read, a past time that many average citizens failed to be able to do. Though this label was definitely in another language, Shade still studied the words as he took another sip. He thought about the news Karim had told him. He knew that there was a lot of unrest in the city, quite a few demonstrators had already tried to over throw the gang. But they had no power to. Only the rightful heir could take the throne from Karim now, and no one knew who that was.

There had been talk of a bastard child, born by the King and a prostitute. The King had paid the woman quite well for her silence, but once he died she was telling all that would listen that her son was the true heir. Everyone laughed her off as being demented or drunk. She eventually lost her mind and walked out into the desert, never to be seen again. As for the son? Well, Shade drunk bitterly, he was never found.

"I heard whispers in the store about an uprising," he finally spoke, his golden eyes staring at the wall. He seemed far away, in a place far from here. "They spoke of a man, claiming to be the rightful heir." He shook his head, the store owner and customer had gone silent when they saw Shade enter the place. He might not be well known as a gang member, but he still made citizens weary. With his long black hair and unnatural gold eyes, he seemed very out of place.

Karim blinked. Shade was proving himself more useful with every passing day. Most gang-members would not think to listen to the conversations of other citizens. After taking another sip, he spoke.
"I see," he said as he swirled the deep red liquid in his glass another time, then set the glass down for a moment on the table.

"Do you know who these people were, or could you at least recognize them if you met them another time?"

He could, after all, always arrange some of his better-known gang-members to pay them a visit during the nightly hours. People talked about uprising a lot, but they were afraid, deathly afraid, of his gang of Black Dragons, and the appearance of several of them in the safety of their homes might just prove to be enough to have them tell all they knew about this mysterious, self-claimed heir to the throne. Might be that bastard-son of a prostitute that people had been talking about, even if Karim himself had never found proof that the boy even existed, or someone who knew the rumors well enough that he'd have no difficulty making others believe him to be that one.

If not... well, he'd make sure to send one or two Dragons along who were well-experienced in making people talk.

Of course, it all depended on whether or not Shade could properly identify at least one of those who had spoken of uprising.

Shade finished his glass of wine, thinking about the faces of the people. He knew one was the elderly owner of the grocery store, the other was a housewife known to be quite a gossip. He had always hated telling on others, especially seeing that it usually meant they were going to be dealt with. But he knew that Karim was happy being in power, and wasn't about to let anyone take it away from him.

"Old Gorm, who owns the grocery store in town," he said, staring into the cup. The outside light that came in through the high windows filtered through the crystal, refracting and reflecting rainbows. It was a beautiful thing, something Shade would have killed for. "The other was housewife Susie Monle." He put the glass down and looked up at his Leader, his father. "It could have been just mere gossip."

Karim could see a small frown on Shade's face for a moment. Unlike Karim himself, as well as most other members from the gang, Shade did not seem to relish in violence. Instead, he was part of the gang out of loyalty for having rescued him from the desert and certain death. Karim did not worry, however. He knew that whether or not Shade approved of the methods used, he would tell him all he knew.

"Old man Gorm, hm," Karim repeated softly but with a slight sneer, "should have guessed that much. He and I... we never liked each other, to say the least." 'At least not since his boy was stupid enough to try and double-cross us and paid for that with his life,' he mentally added.

"It may have been," Karim allowed, "Susie Monle is proably the most notorious gossiper in the whole city."
For a moment he paused, picking up his glass of wine again and finishing it by taking the last sip.

"Problem is that it may also have been genuine. Not necessarily that there is a heir again, I mean," he quickly added, "but that there is someone making them believe he is the heir. I have to know, you do understand that, surely?"

He waited for a bit, letting his words get through with the young man that saw him as a father-figure.
"Even if there is no heir and they can't do a thing to me, they can still harm others... your brothers and sisters of the Black Dragon Gang if they catch us unprepared."

Shade nodded, understanding what his Leader was getting at. There had been a few of them assassinated throughout the time they have been in the Palace. It felt like his own siblings being killed, even though he barely knew all of them. They were a family of misfits and magic users, none had a real place in the world, only in the Dark Dragons gang. Karim had found them all and offered them a place to stay, a place to be included. Shade would never wish harm on any of his family, even the more annoying ones.

"I understand, my Leader," he said, bowing his head. He never called Karim by his first name, even when the man himself had told him to. Karim was a God in Shade's eyes, and he refused to ignore customs and manners. He was very polite for a gang member and always chose his words carefully. A lot of the other gang members found him too soft and asked Karim why they didn't get rid of him. Shade was thankful that he had a place to call home, thankful that Karim protected him from harm and saved his life.

"I am glad that you do," Karim replied, "though I wish you'd call me by my name." Not that Shade would ever do such a thing, he knew. The fact that he said it once in a while was more for the purpose of reinforcing the thought that he saw Shade as someone special - or at least making him think so - than to actually get Shade to call him by his name.

Unlike most other gang-members, Shade had a sense of propriety and good manners. Had circumstances been different, he could have easily imagined Shade to be one of those attempting to undermine the gang's power... but Shade was nothing if not loyal. As the gang had saved his life, he'd sooner give up his life than act against the gang.

For a moment, they were both silent, Karim pouring himself another glass of wine.
"Have you made any more progress with your magic so far?" Karim broke the silence with his question, "Oh, and feel free to pour yourself another glass of wine if you'd like."

Shade had lapsed into silence, what he often did when he was deep in thought. He was thinking about this uprising that could happen and where he stood in the Dark Dragon's hierarchy. He knew that he must be considered high up or close to the Leader, as he was allowed to call him by his name. Only the oldest, most trust-worthy could have such a privelage. He didn't want it to seem that he was ungrateful, he just hated breaking tradition.

He shook his head at the offer. He was hardly a heavy drinker, and he found that one glass was fine enough for him. He placed the crystal ware down and watched Karim pour himself another glass. For one that knew nothing but poverty, thievery and lies, he sure seemed to know how to live the high life. Shade considered asking for some gold to spend at the markets, but shrugged the idea off. He only ever saw Karim give gold to the others to spend at taverns or brothels. Shade liked women, he just didn't see the appeal of a brothel.

"I need a little more practice, the transformations still cause horrendous pain," he replied after thinking carefully. He was always truthful to the Leader, he knew that Karim had his ways to find out when you were lying. "And I am still reading up on the other spells."

Not completely unexpectedly, Shade refused the second glass of wine. 'Oh well,' Karim shrugged mentally, 'more wine for me that way.' He knew better than to say such a thing out loud, of course, but he certainly thought it. It had been a while since he'd had access to wine, let alone wine of this quality.

Last time had been when the gang had assaulted and robbed a traveling merchant who happened to have three bottles of wine as part of his stock. That had been quite a while ago, though - well before he had lied, threatened and murdered his way to the throne, even.

"I see," Karim replied, "and I am certain you will master it soon enough, as you work hard and do the practicing often, yes? As to the other spells... don't worry too much about them for now. I am sure that once you've mastered the transformation, those will come easier too... though it can never hurt to practice them once you've read up on them."

Again Shade nodded, going quiet as he thought to himself. He never really enjoyed magic and transforming was more of an inconvenience. But Karim had always seemed to pressure him into practising more and more, as if he wanted Shade to become a Shadow Demon entirely. Again, Shade wondered why he could transform into a best like that. He didn't know of any one else that could. He thought of the rumours and frowned.

"My Leader... What do you know of my past?" he asked, already knowing the answer, as he had been told a million times before. Karim had found him on the outskirts of the desert, hungry, dehydrated, practically dead. Where he had come from was not clear, all that was obvious was that he had travelled a long way. He also had signs of being under the sand at one point, though how he survived the Shadow Demons always made Shade wonder. How could he have spoken of the eternal darkness of the temples underground, when the Demons that live there would have eaten him as soon as he had stepped foot in that place.

"Not much," Karim replied, not being completely truthful, as he had done often before, "and no more than what I've already told you. I found you in the desert's outskirts, a place where few have ever survived before. It is as much a miracle to me as to you how you survived, and I'd dearly love to know the answer."

He paused, sipping from his wine, carefully picking out his words, as he noticed a slight resistance in Shade when he mentioned practising his transformation.

After a while, he finally spoke again, slowly and softly, with a seemingly sincere - but nonetheless pretended - kindness and care in his voice.
"I also know how important it is to you, how much you want to know the answers to your questions. That's why I push you so hard, so much harder than the others. I believe that your rare talent may bring us some answers to those questions we both have and perhaps with your talent comes knowledge of how to avoid some of the risks of the desert or help you could give us there. Learning to master the transformation might give us the answers... and it may one day save the life of one of your brothers or sisters here."

Sighing heavily, but nodding to show that he had understood, Shade sat heavily on the ground near the wall. He leant his back against the cool stone. It was rather marvellous how the builders of this Palace had used particular materials in order to keep those inside the Palace cool during the hot days and warm during the frigid nights. Shade wished he knew how they had preformed such a feat, but any that had worked in the Palace had been killed or banished by Karim. Shade wondered if there was books or scrolls written somewhere about the place and made a mental note to look it up.

He thought about his past, and how much he didn't know. It was a strange feeling not being able to remember exactly who you were. All Shade could remember was waking in the Dark Dragon's hideout, with Karim taking care of him. Anything beyond that was a blur. If he concentrated hard enough, he could recall the coolness of underground tunnels and the smell of decaying bodies. He shook his head, not sure if the memory was even real. He stared at his hand, imagining his Shadow Demon form. His fingers would be longer, the nails turned in vicious claws. He would indeed be the perfect weapon, and sometimes he wondered that this was all the man saw him as.

"I understand, my Leader," he muttered, even though he couldn't understand. Wanting to relax and take his mind off things, he added, "May I go to the City? I have cravings to be sated." He pretended he was going to go to a brothel, but they both knew that Shade wasn't that type of man. He wanted to lose himself among the civilians, to pretend he was normal, to see what their life was like.

(Sorry for the abysmally late response. Yesterday I had no internet access most of the day, then today I've been so busy)

Karim nodded softly as the younger man asked for permission to go to the city under the pretense of "having his cravings sated", even if the both of them knew that he wasn't going to one of the city's many brothels.
"Certainly, Shade. Do be careful, though, please. You might not be easily recognizable as a Dark Dragon, but there are enough other dangers there as well. I would hate to lose you," he remarked, having noticed how Shade was becoming wary again, wondering about his past, wondering about his - Karim's - intentions towards him, and he hoped to placate the younger man with his words. "I may not always show it," he added in a softer voice, "but I do care about you."

Though it was true - they did not have many with gifts and powers as special as Shade's ability to transform, and none with that exact ability. Karim would hate to lose him.

Part of him was glad that the young man was leaving for now, really. He had several things to do and he knew that with Shade's... delicate way of thinking and his morality, the young man would be disgusted. Certainly, Shade was loyal to the Dragons, but when possible, Karim tried to shelter him slightly from the harsher, darker side of things. Who knew how long he'd be loyal if he'd have to deal with things that to him were disgusting on a daily base, after all?

Smiling at his father figure and bowing slightly, he left the throne room. Walking slowly, he made his way outside and back into the heat of the Solaris' sun. He slid carefully from the Palace's grounds and into the crowd, blending in as he always did when he walked the streets. He was always careful that no one saw him go or leave the Palace, that way keeping his anonymity. He kept to the walls and buildings, hiding from the worst of the heat in the shade. Most of the city dwellers covered their heads and faces with light material, blocking the harmful rays of the sun and keeping them cool. Shade had no suck head gear.

As he made his way to the market place, he decided to stop by his old job near the pier. Maybe he could pick up a few coins for helping the fishermen carry their wares to the storage up the street. He hailed his old boss, who recognised him right away. Shade offered to help, and began lifting the barrels and boxes of fish, carrying them to the warehouse. He enjoyed feeling his muscles work as he lifted each heavy box, enjoyed the physical labour. The other gang members had laughed at how he worked, they never understood why he didn't just steal like them. He didn't know why either, but there was something about earning your gold that took an appeal to him. As he walked up the hill to the old building, he talked to the other labourers, pretending to be a sociable guy.