Praxiteles
Friendly POKéMON.
Note: Be aware that Melting Steel is a working title and may change with time.
This would have to be one of my greatest creations, perhaps enough to rival Upholder of Duty. It is a new venture of mine where I shall try to weave mental and physical reality into a tale of strategies and scandals, betrayances and corruptions, and much more. I gave a decade's thought on this, and I'm glad to say it hasn't been in vain. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:
The orange streaks of the departing sun danced across an open meadow, mixing shadow and highlight - and everything in between – into an artful display of fertility and radiance. A lone tree stood proudly amongst the swaying blades of green and saffron; its branches held nature’s bounty in all their beauty, open for all to enjoy. A shallow stream trickled quietly amongst the abodes and businesses of the grassland’s many residents, selflessly quenching the thirst of any who required its assistance. The rustling of the leaves, the gentle trickling of the stream’s current, the warm glow bathing all in its splendor; few could have remained restless in such serenity.
Amidst it all was a complex pathway dug into a regal mountain of green, around which several creatures enjoyed the beauty of life. Long, serpentine raccoons darted through the grass with the greatest of grace and speed, with lengthwise stripes of russet trailing through the bright beige of their fur. Their claws were great but nimble; two dikes of fur on their heads could pick up the slightest sound. Greatest of all, however, was their sense of smell, enhanced by the spheroids of black which served as their noses.
Among them, with less grace but more vigour, zigzagged many smaller creatures, these predominantly browner in colour. The fur on their diminutive bodies was layered horizontally into alternating, zigzagging outgrowths, and they sported black visors of fur upon a jovial face.
It was unfortunate that the play of the Linoone and Zigzagoon would have to be so short-lived.
Out of the distant horizon came a silhouette of a figure, riding on the thermals of the desolation beyond. Its shadow fell like an infection, feeding upon all that is innocent, delighting to corrupt virgin land. A resounding cry rang out, speaking of deathly pale disease. It was shrill and metallic, and it seemed to seep into the hearts of all who heard it, freezing them in their tracks. Any living creature would have instantly understood that there was no cry more terrible that this in all of creation.
As the death-bird came nearer, all of the Pokèmon around the mountain began to file into their sanctuary by unspoken order. Gone was the joy, gone was their reveling; only terror was left in the creatures now.
The creature came to rest on a wide platform atop the mountain, and its dazzling features became distinct. Cold, reptilian eyes shot out from a mask of a face, constructed out of two overlapping plates of steel. Three elongated, crimson scales protruded from either side of its metal torso, topped by a larger, silver plate; this accursed contraption seemed to serve as its wings. Its tail was pockmarked by a single, circular scar; its avian legs were capped with cruel talons, perfectly suited to rip apart flesh and crush bone.
The Skarmory spoke. His voice was cheerless and emotionless; it only held contempt for the world and all its children.
“Takyos,” he spat, “come out and face me. Or have you lost the last remnants of your self-dignity? You seem to have taken to hiding behind your pathetic brood like a wizened old fool.”
At this, slowly but surely, a Linoone emerged from the tunnel leading downwards. Old scars ran deep across his body, and his limbs held the weight of countless years, but his gait was steady and his voice was sure.
“And you, Skarmory,” Takyos replied, taking care to speak the word ‘Skarmory’ in the most scathing manner possible, “have sunk no lesser. I believed I would die before I should hear the great Scourge of Steel resort to childish taunts.”
Takyos’ affronter ignored the remark. “Ah, I see we are no longer on a first-name basis. How tragic. Tell me, how long will it be until we stop lingering in small talk and get to business?”
The Linoone instantly stiffened, as the Skarmory nodded in approval. Takyos was always uncomfortable in such matters as they were about to discuss.
“If you truly believe, Skarmory, that we would simply hand it to you, you truly are becoming senile. Go back to your accursed land! We have nothing for you.”
“I always knew you had lost your mind. The Gem of Power! A catalyst of unimaginable supremacy, enough to extend your reach beyond even the Great Sea! Your people know exactly where it lies, but for some inconceivable reason, none of you have ever attempted to find it. I have never seen stupidity as astronomical as this.”
The Linoone’s answer was yet again predictable. “You have no idea what you are saying. This much power in the hands of a mortal… It will only lead to the world’s demise. You would be simply corrupted at first, but slowly, inevitably, you would be forced to commit horrendous tasks, against your will. A shell, Skarmory! You would merely be an empty shell, forced to carry out the order of that which you sought. Even you could not imagine a life like this.”
“Impossible. How can a vessel of my own will trap me? In any case, all of your stratagems and machinations are over, Takyos. I have a lead, and I will follow it to the end. The Gem will be mine! The world shall see my power, and despair!”
Storm clouds gathered, shadowing the world in a dreary veil. Swaying blades of grass became tentacles of death, grim and thick with darkness. Ragged threads of light streaked from the sky, illuminating all with an unnatural light before sinking into the blackness from whence it came. The illusion of serenity was forever broken; paradise was irretrievably lost in one blinding moment, as all the hope and contentment of the last remnants melted away.
Takyos seemed to fall into himself before the death-bird, and he was finally revealed for what he was: an old, defeated man, ultimately swept away by the tides of time. The pride of the Linoone was inexorably brought down to its knees as its perpetrator reveled in his triumph, and the last remaining traces of morality were soon to collapse.
This was the end.
“Goodbye, Linoone!” the Skarmory said, shouting above the roar of the maelstrom around them. He took one bounding leap, landed on the very edge, and zoomed upwards in a triumphant corckscrew.
Takyos walked over to where the Skarmory had jumped. A depressed red button contrasted among the rocky precipice.
Somewhere, Takyos heard a beep.
“Dear God.”
In an instant, the mountain cave was engulfed within a murderous inferno, racing up to the heavens with the deadly tentacles of its cyan flame. The center of the commotion began to spread outwards across the grassland, feeding upon life, converting every conceivable shadow of beauty into a wasteland of infernal flame. The horizon which had once linked fertile land to majestic sky was now the fine line between fire and rain, meeting the fiercest bowels of hell with the greatest wrath of heaven.
And through it all, the Skarmory dived in crazy swirls, a recreant demon come to rain its wrath down on earth.
One moment he was a god of flame, and in the next instant, he was nothing but a distant shade amidst wrathful darkness, zooming off to the bloated, drowning sun.
This isn't exactly a preview of a part of my story, rather, it's an illustration of an event that happened at the time of Melting Steel. Enjoy!
This would have to be one of my greatest creations, perhaps enough to rival Upholder of Duty. It is a new venture of mine where I shall try to weave mental and physical reality into a tale of strategies and scandals, betrayances and corruptions, and much more. I gave a decade's thought on this, and I'm glad to say it hasn't been in vain. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you:
~ Melting Steel ~
The orange streaks of the departing sun danced across an open meadow, mixing shadow and highlight - and everything in between – into an artful display of fertility and radiance. A lone tree stood proudly amongst the swaying blades of green and saffron; its branches held nature’s bounty in all their beauty, open for all to enjoy. A shallow stream trickled quietly amongst the abodes and businesses of the grassland’s many residents, selflessly quenching the thirst of any who required its assistance. The rustling of the leaves, the gentle trickling of the stream’s current, the warm glow bathing all in its splendor; few could have remained restless in such serenity.
Amidst it all was a complex pathway dug into a regal mountain of green, around which several creatures enjoyed the beauty of life. Long, serpentine raccoons darted through the grass with the greatest of grace and speed, with lengthwise stripes of russet trailing through the bright beige of their fur. Their claws were great but nimble; two dikes of fur on their heads could pick up the slightest sound. Greatest of all, however, was their sense of smell, enhanced by the spheroids of black which served as their noses.
Among them, with less grace but more vigour, zigzagged many smaller creatures, these predominantly browner in colour. The fur on their diminutive bodies was layered horizontally into alternating, zigzagging outgrowths, and they sported black visors of fur upon a jovial face.
It was unfortunate that the play of the Linoone and Zigzagoon would have to be so short-lived.
Out of the distant horizon came a silhouette of a figure, riding on the thermals of the desolation beyond. Its shadow fell like an infection, feeding upon all that is innocent, delighting to corrupt virgin land. A resounding cry rang out, speaking of deathly pale disease. It was shrill and metallic, and it seemed to seep into the hearts of all who heard it, freezing them in their tracks. Any living creature would have instantly understood that there was no cry more terrible that this in all of creation.
As the death-bird came nearer, all of the Pokèmon around the mountain began to file into their sanctuary by unspoken order. Gone was the joy, gone was their reveling; only terror was left in the creatures now.
The creature came to rest on a wide platform atop the mountain, and its dazzling features became distinct. Cold, reptilian eyes shot out from a mask of a face, constructed out of two overlapping plates of steel. Three elongated, crimson scales protruded from either side of its metal torso, topped by a larger, silver plate; this accursed contraption seemed to serve as its wings. Its tail was pockmarked by a single, circular scar; its avian legs were capped with cruel talons, perfectly suited to rip apart flesh and crush bone.
The Skarmory spoke. His voice was cheerless and emotionless; it only held contempt for the world and all its children.
“Takyos,” he spat, “come out and face me. Or have you lost the last remnants of your self-dignity? You seem to have taken to hiding behind your pathetic brood like a wizened old fool.”
At this, slowly but surely, a Linoone emerged from the tunnel leading downwards. Old scars ran deep across his body, and his limbs held the weight of countless years, but his gait was steady and his voice was sure.
“And you, Skarmory,” Takyos replied, taking care to speak the word ‘Skarmory’ in the most scathing manner possible, “have sunk no lesser. I believed I would die before I should hear the great Scourge of Steel resort to childish taunts.”
Takyos’ affronter ignored the remark. “Ah, I see we are no longer on a first-name basis. How tragic. Tell me, how long will it be until we stop lingering in small talk and get to business?”
The Linoone instantly stiffened, as the Skarmory nodded in approval. Takyos was always uncomfortable in such matters as they were about to discuss.
“If you truly believe, Skarmory, that we would simply hand it to you, you truly are becoming senile. Go back to your accursed land! We have nothing for you.”
“I always knew you had lost your mind. The Gem of Power! A catalyst of unimaginable supremacy, enough to extend your reach beyond even the Great Sea! Your people know exactly where it lies, but for some inconceivable reason, none of you have ever attempted to find it. I have never seen stupidity as astronomical as this.”
The Linoone’s answer was yet again predictable. “You have no idea what you are saying. This much power in the hands of a mortal… It will only lead to the world’s demise. You would be simply corrupted at first, but slowly, inevitably, you would be forced to commit horrendous tasks, against your will. A shell, Skarmory! You would merely be an empty shell, forced to carry out the order of that which you sought. Even you could not imagine a life like this.”
“Impossible. How can a vessel of my own will trap me? In any case, all of your stratagems and machinations are over, Takyos. I have a lead, and I will follow it to the end. The Gem will be mine! The world shall see my power, and despair!”
Storm clouds gathered, shadowing the world in a dreary veil. Swaying blades of grass became tentacles of death, grim and thick with darkness. Ragged threads of light streaked from the sky, illuminating all with an unnatural light before sinking into the blackness from whence it came. The illusion of serenity was forever broken; paradise was irretrievably lost in one blinding moment, as all the hope and contentment of the last remnants melted away.
Takyos seemed to fall into himself before the death-bird, and he was finally revealed for what he was: an old, defeated man, ultimately swept away by the tides of time. The pride of the Linoone was inexorably brought down to its knees as its perpetrator reveled in his triumph, and the last remaining traces of morality were soon to collapse.
This was the end.
“Goodbye, Linoone!” the Skarmory said, shouting above the roar of the maelstrom around them. He took one bounding leap, landed on the very edge, and zoomed upwards in a triumphant corckscrew.
Takyos walked over to where the Skarmory had jumped. A depressed red button contrasted among the rocky precipice.
Somewhere, Takyos heard a beep.
“Dear God.”
In an instant, the mountain cave was engulfed within a murderous inferno, racing up to the heavens with the deadly tentacles of its cyan flame. The center of the commotion began to spread outwards across the grassland, feeding upon life, converting every conceivable shadow of beauty into a wasteland of infernal flame. The horizon which had once linked fertile land to majestic sky was now the fine line between fire and rain, meeting the fiercest bowels of hell with the greatest wrath of heaven.
And through it all, the Skarmory dived in crazy swirls, a recreant demon come to rain its wrath down on earth.
One moment he was a god of flame, and in the next instant, he was nothing but a distant shade amidst wrathful darkness, zooming off to the bloated, drowning sun.
This isn't exactly a preview of a part of my story, rather, it's an illustration of an event that happened at the time of Melting Steel. Enjoy!
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