• INDENTIONWhen Mysque had been told he was going to be tested, he assumed he’d have something simple thrown at him, which he could brush off and mock. Upon being told that his test was to fight the fox, Ix, he’d literally laughed, as he felt his assumption had been proven true…

    INDENTIONOh, how wrong he was.

    INDENTIONA few minutes into this test, the young dragon hit the ground for about the thirteenth time. Ix smirked, the fist she’d struck the dragon with still extended, “Amrit-sama, I’ve gotta say, the newbie makes a great punching bag.”

    INDENTIONAmrit made no response, just looking to Mysque expectantly. The boy rose slowly, and brushed some blood from his lower lip. “Hey… rodent…” he charged, readying a punch of ‘Z’ proportions, “Don’t underestimate me!”

    INDENTION“Okay, where to start?” Ix caught the boy’s fist before it made contact, “First off, you should really use ‘don’t underestimate me’ before you’re making a joke out of your species,” at this, she gave the boy a strike to the face that broke his nose and sent him flying across the room. As he slowly rose, he felt a heel making contact with his back.

    INDENTIONThe fox continued, “Secondly, it’s pretty hard to underestimate you. I’m not sure that expectations can drop that low. And lastly…” she lifted the dragon so he could face her, “Foxes aren’t rodents, you dunce. They’re canines.”

    INDENTIONLacking a proper response, Mysque just spat in her face.

    INDENTIONIx’s eye twitched, but she smirked, “Now now… we’ll have to work on that attitude.” She leaned in close to the young dragon’s ear, whispering something in the vulpine language. Mysque found that he was almost viewing the proceeding events from the third person…

    INDENTION“Now, say you’re sorry, hatchling,” to the dragon’s amazement, a voice suspiciously similar to his own said such a phrase. Yet Ix shook her head, “Not like that… on your knees, kiss my boots.”

    INDENTIONThough Mysque willed himself not to, his body still seemed nothing but a puppet before Ix. He indeed went through with the action, or would have if the fox hadn’t kicked him in the teeth before he could, sending him flying again (not long into this ‘training,’ Mysque had begun to suspect that the room's gravity had turned against him…). She walked calmly, yet briskly towards the boy, “Get up.” Faster than he could have of his own accord, the young dragon scrambled to his feet.

    INDENTIONThe kitsune’s smirk widened some, and she handed him a bowie knife, “Now, slit your throat.” If Mysque had any control over his body, at very least he would have widened his eyes in shock… he took the knife, and watched helplessly as it approached his jugular…

    INDENTIONHis story would have probably come to a close, had an enraged Amrit not risen and shouted “Enough!” to Ix.

    INDENTIONOn cue, the girl huffed and snapped her fingers, and Mysque dropped the blade and fell to his knees. The girl promptly left, stopping beside Amrit and stroking her EMPEROR’s cheek, “I expect you to make amends for this later, Mr. Buzzkill….” With that, she was gone.

    INDENTIONAmrit sighed with annoyance and approached the boy, who was now shaking with fear and pain. “Well… that was discouraging.”

    INDENTIONMysque looked up at him incredulously, “‘Discouraging!?!’ She tried to kill me!”

    INDENTIONThe burned man paid him no mind, murmuring, almost to himself, “Of course, I couldn’t expect him to have talent right away…”

    INDENTION“Couldn’t expe-” the boy repeated, then growled, “Well what could you have expected? You put me up against a mind-raping lunatic!”

    INDENTIONAmrit once again ignored the boy, “Come. Your partner awaits.”

    INDENTION“Partner?!?”

    INDENTION“Is there an echo in here?”

    INDENTIONThe dragon rolled his eyes, “You know I hate working with inferiors, Amrit!”

    INDENTIONFor a few minutes, Amrit just stood there, marveling at the boy’s arrogance and disrespect towards him. He was this boy’s EMPEROR, and would be treated as such. Finally, said EMPEROR responded to the boy, “… do you know why I forced Ix to spare you, despite your proving too useless to so much as strike her?”

    INDENTIONMysque opened his mouth, as if to respond, but was interrupted.

    INDENTION“It was because there is no living replacement for you. For all your weakness, you are the only hope that I may one day have the power of a dragon by my side. However…” he unsheathed his blade slightly, “If you continue to behave like a spoiled brat, I will gladly turn my back on that goal.”

    INDENTIONThe boy was silent after that, following the burned man into yet another grayscale room. This one possessed a… hm. Mysque genuinely had no idea what the man in the center of the room could be.

    INDENTIONAs if hearing the boy’s thoughts, the man spoke, “That would be a tortoise, my boy,” he rose, and when he turned to face them, he was revealed to be… well… old. Very, very old. So old that it should not have been physically possible for him to be alive.

    INDENTIONAmrit smiled, “Ujarak, old friend, we have found you a partner.”

    INDENTIONUjarak, as the tortoise was apparently called, did not speak, seeming to be reading Amrit mind for further instruction. Mysque was furious that he wasn’t being let in on the conversation… further, mind reading wasn’t even a natural tortoise ability…

    INDENTIONFinally, Ujarak spoke, “Understood, EMPEROR-sama.”

    INDENTIONAmrit, however, said nothing more, just vanishing into thin air. The tortoise turned to the boy, “Well, little dragon, Amrit-sama tells me you’ve got an obnoxious disdain for authority.”

    INDENTION“Define obnoxious.”

    INDENTION“… I’d prefer not to…” the ancient tortoise seemed deep in thought, “Mysque-kun… I sense a great desire for revenge in you… I’ve always loved cultivating such desires…”

    INDENTION“… what are you talking about?”

    INDENTION“Amrit has ordered me to keep you in line,” Ujarak smiled, “However, it seems far more interesting to this old tortoise to deliberately push you out of it… come. We’ve been given a mission… you’ll quite like its location…”

    INDENTIONThe dragon was made curious, “Really? … where?”

    INDENTIONUjarak smiled wider, “Raj… capital of the tiger empire…”