fromastudio (
fromastudio) wrote in
almondinflower2008-11-16 02:45 pm
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
The Skylord, part 4/? [fantasy AU, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Vongola guardians]
The Skylord, part 4/?
Characters: Yamamoto, Gokudera, the Vongola Guardians
Summary: While Yamamoto and Lambo meet up with Dino Cavallone, Gokudera conducts a search of his own.
Notes: ...I suspect this fic is becoming an object lesson in HOW NOT TO WRITE A FANTASY AU. T_T
Gokudera Hayato was lost.
He had in fact been lost for some time, but it was not until just now that he'd given in and admitted it to himself. The sun was long gone, and above the forest path where he was wandering, small stars had begun to dot an ink-coloured sky. He lit his way with a mage-globe that hovered on the fingertips of his left hand, glowing bright red; in his right, he clutched a rolled-up parchment map that he hadn't bothered to consult in days.
Should have known that any gift from Shamal would be hopeless. As a guide to every bordello and whorehouse in the Vongola duchy, the so-called map was rather effective. As a visual representation of the geography of that same territory, it had serious shortcomings, most notable among them the cartographer's inability to draw to scale – as evinced in the proportions of the buxom blonde whose illustration took up a full quarter of the parchment.
Really, Gokudera would have been better off ignoring the map altogether and just heading straight for the coast.
Although the real goal wasn't to get to Namimori; it was to find the Tenth Skylord.
Who was most likely to be in Namimori, Shamal had said, given the unusual weather disturbances in that place - “but there could be other reasons. A high number of potential Guardians, for instance.”
“What are the conditions for being a potential Guardian?” he'd asked.
Shamal seemed bored by the question. “The same conditions that are required for a potential Skylord, I suppose. A natural affinity for the elemental magic that guards this land. And the inner strength to produce the Flame of Dying Will. I, of course, have all the qualifications to be a Guardian.”
“Then are you going to become one?”
Shamal had shrugged. “It's too much work. Well, if the Skylord this time turns out to be a woman, I might reconsider. Why are you looking at me like that, kid – do you want to be a Guardian? I wouldn't bother; a rebellious brat like you doesn't have the willpower.”
“I never said I wanted to! Anyway, it's nothing to do with you.”
“How pathetic. You're always so easy to read.” But Shamal hadn't pursued the subject; instead, he'd asked Gokudera to go to Namimori on his behalf, to look for Skylord candidates. “I've been asked to do it by the Higher-Ups, but it's impossible with my current schedule. The social season's about to begin, you know. All the ladies have left their country estates and come to town, and I'm a very popular man.”
All the usual useless excuses. Gokudera lifted his chin: “Well then, I'll go find the Tenth Skylord, and ask him to make me his Guardian – no, his right-hand man..”
“Oh, really? That's not a very reliable plan, is it? I already told you there might not be a Skylord candidate in Namimori at all. Well, it might be interesting to see you involved in something other than futile rebellion, for once.” He'd handed Gokudera the map, then. “It should take you ten days to get there on foot.”
That had been two weeks ago.
Gokudera raised his mage-globe and stared down the path. There was no sign that it led anywhere except deeper into the forest. Damn it. The wind had grown in intensity again, rustling the leaves and branches on trees, and he had no way of knowing whether it was merely a natural turn of the weather, or if he'd lost control of his magic again.
In a way, it was satisfying to know that he could affect the weather like this. I have the affinity to be a Vongola Guardian. This proves it. Gokudera had done more in these last two weeks besides getting lost – he'd also been paying attention to the magic that ran throughout the land and protected it: a complex pattern of power nodes and ley-lines embedded in the earth, a joint creation of the First Skylord and the Rainbow Children. Known as the Vongola Protection, its lines of power ran across every field and mountain and valley in the Vongola duchy, and – according to the historians – linked well over five thousand magical nodes.
He'd read about the spell while researching the history of the Skylords in the Vongola Castle library, but it was only on his sixth day of travel that he managed to see it, with its rippling rainbow pattern of magical power.
If truth be told, he wasn't sure how he'd managed to see the ley-lines. He put it down to the fact that he'd been practicing his magical powers every single night, constructing and refining the explosive spells that Shamal had taught him to cast, back when he was a child.
The Vongola Protection didn't quite look like what Gokudera had imagined, from the diagrams in the history books. It was was strangely messy, for one thing. Some ley-lines ended abruptly in the middle of nowhere, with no magical node to flow into. Others seemed to be hopelessly tangled together as if they were pieces of yarn that an inquisitive kitten had pawed at for hours. And whenever Gokudera chanced to see an actual node, he always noticed free-floating lumps of rainbow-coloured magic hovering in its vicinity, like small moons around a planet . Patches of magic weren't supposed to just stand around like that, with no defined pattern. The potential for thaumaturgic accidents was enermous.
It'd taken Gokudera a while to realise that whenever his emotions were disturbed, the ley-lines seemed to warp and then send bright red tendrils of magic snaking towards the sky, and strong winds would start blowing. He hadn't put two and two together until after he'd met the young man with a sword – whom he'd mistaken for a spy from one of the competing Skylord candidates (Shamal had warned him that there might be some), and promptly attacked. Gales and rain had followed Gokudera for an hour following that encounter.
The winds had been relentless for most of the last two weeks. Gokudera decided not to think too hard about the implications of that.
He lowered his mage-globe. It's too dark to travel any further tonight. Damn it.
All these delays were really starting to piss him off. He found an open patch of grass alongside the path and set up a warding-spell, then spread out his bedroll.
Thankfully, sleep was not long in coming.
#
He awoke to daylight and the sound of human voices. The latter brought him to wakefulness all at once: he dispelled the wards around where he was sleeping with a flicker of his fingers, gathered his things, and then quietly concealed himself in a corner, behind some shrubs.
A beautiful girl was walking through the forest. She had long, very straight, light brown hair, worn loose; and she wore a pink gown, with a finely knitted white shawl around her shoulders. She looked around her with a delighted expression. “The wildflowers are so lovely! You never told me about this place before, Brother.”
Gokudera heard a whickering sound coming from further up the path, and a young man about his own age came into view, leading two palfreys by the reins. The young man's cropped hair reminded Gokudera of a poorly-maintained lawn. He was grinning as he spoke: “I thought you would like it. There's a little stream further on, that has the most marvellous coloured fish. Trout, too. Wish I'd brought some fishing tackle.”
“Well, it's not very far from the city. We could come here again soon. Hana would love it."
Gokudera pricked up his ears. There could only be one city in this vicinity, unless his knowledge of geography was even more confused than Shamal's mapmaking skills.
He emerged from his hiding place.
The girl gave a little start, and then smiled. “Oh, my! You frightened me. I hadn't expected to see anyone else here.”
He went straight to the point. “How far is it to Namimori from here? I'm on my way there.”
“Oh! I see. It's not far at all; it's only about an hour away on foot, to the north. Would you like us to take you there? We're having a picnic breakfast here, but afterwards we'll be making our way back to the city.”
Gokudera frowned. “No. I can get there by myself.”
“Hold on,” her brother interjected. “I don't appreciate the tone you're taking with Kyoko here, stranger.” He brought his fists up. “Be more civilised, or I'll teach you a lesson in how to behave like a gentleman.”
Gokudera scowled and walked right past him. “I don't have time to play with you.”
“Of all the--”
“Oh, it's quite all right, Brother! I'm sure he's just in a hurry and doesn't mean it.”
“Did you see that? I am extremely outraged!”
“Don't get into a fight here, of all places!”
Their conversation began to fade as he walked faster now, invigorated by the knowledge that his destination was very nearly in sight.
Tenth, I'm coming for you.
A small yellow bird flew past, overhead; he registered its presence but did not make anything of it, at the time.
On to Part 5.
Characters: Yamamoto, Gokudera, the Vongola Guardians
Summary: While Yamamoto and Lambo meet up with Dino Cavallone, Gokudera conducts a search of his own.
Notes: ...I suspect this fic is becoming an object lesson in HOW NOT TO WRITE A FANTASY AU. T_T
Gokudera Hayato was lost.
He had in fact been lost for some time, but it was not until just now that he'd given in and admitted it to himself. The sun was long gone, and above the forest path where he was wandering, small stars had begun to dot an ink-coloured sky. He lit his way with a mage-globe that hovered on the fingertips of his left hand, glowing bright red; in his right, he clutched a rolled-up parchment map that he hadn't bothered to consult in days.
Should have known that any gift from Shamal would be hopeless. As a guide to every bordello and whorehouse in the Vongola duchy, the so-called map was rather effective. As a visual representation of the geography of that same territory, it had serious shortcomings, most notable among them the cartographer's inability to draw to scale – as evinced in the proportions of the buxom blonde whose illustration took up a full quarter of the parchment.
Really, Gokudera would have been better off ignoring the map altogether and just heading straight for the coast.
Although the real goal wasn't to get to Namimori; it was to find the Tenth Skylord.
Who was most likely to be in Namimori, Shamal had said, given the unusual weather disturbances in that place - “but there could be other reasons. A high number of potential Guardians, for instance.”
“What are the conditions for being a potential Guardian?” he'd asked.
Shamal seemed bored by the question. “The same conditions that are required for a potential Skylord, I suppose. A natural affinity for the elemental magic that guards this land. And the inner strength to produce the Flame of Dying Will. I, of course, have all the qualifications to be a Guardian.”
“Then are you going to become one?”
Shamal had shrugged. “It's too much work. Well, if the Skylord this time turns out to be a woman, I might reconsider. Why are you looking at me like that, kid – do you want to be a Guardian? I wouldn't bother; a rebellious brat like you doesn't have the willpower.”
“I never said I wanted to! Anyway, it's nothing to do with you.”
“How pathetic. You're always so easy to read.” But Shamal hadn't pursued the subject; instead, he'd asked Gokudera to go to Namimori on his behalf, to look for Skylord candidates. “I've been asked to do it by the Higher-Ups, but it's impossible with my current schedule. The social season's about to begin, you know. All the ladies have left their country estates and come to town, and I'm a very popular man.”
All the usual useless excuses. Gokudera lifted his chin: “Well then, I'll go find the Tenth Skylord, and ask him to make me his Guardian – no, his right-hand man..”
“Oh, really? That's not a very reliable plan, is it? I already told you there might not be a Skylord candidate in Namimori at all. Well, it might be interesting to see you involved in something other than futile rebellion, for once.” He'd handed Gokudera the map, then. “It should take you ten days to get there on foot.”
That had been two weeks ago.
Gokudera raised his mage-globe and stared down the path. There was no sign that it led anywhere except deeper into the forest. Damn it. The wind had grown in intensity again, rustling the leaves and branches on trees, and he had no way of knowing whether it was merely a natural turn of the weather, or if he'd lost control of his magic again.
In a way, it was satisfying to know that he could affect the weather like this. I have the affinity to be a Vongola Guardian. This proves it. Gokudera had done more in these last two weeks besides getting lost – he'd also been paying attention to the magic that ran throughout the land and protected it: a complex pattern of power nodes and ley-lines embedded in the earth, a joint creation of the First Skylord and the Rainbow Children. Known as the Vongola Protection, its lines of power ran across every field and mountain and valley in the Vongola duchy, and – according to the historians – linked well over five thousand magical nodes.
He'd read about the spell while researching the history of the Skylords in the Vongola Castle library, but it was only on his sixth day of travel that he managed to see it, with its rippling rainbow pattern of magical power.
If truth be told, he wasn't sure how he'd managed to see the ley-lines. He put it down to the fact that he'd been practicing his magical powers every single night, constructing and refining the explosive spells that Shamal had taught him to cast, back when he was a child.
The Vongola Protection didn't quite look like what Gokudera had imagined, from the diagrams in the history books. It was was strangely messy, for one thing. Some ley-lines ended abruptly in the middle of nowhere, with no magical node to flow into. Others seemed to be hopelessly tangled together as if they were pieces of yarn that an inquisitive kitten had pawed at for hours. And whenever Gokudera chanced to see an actual node, he always noticed free-floating lumps of rainbow-coloured magic hovering in its vicinity, like small moons around a planet . Patches of magic weren't supposed to just stand around like that, with no defined pattern. The potential for thaumaturgic accidents was enermous.
It'd taken Gokudera a while to realise that whenever his emotions were disturbed, the ley-lines seemed to warp and then send bright red tendrils of magic snaking towards the sky, and strong winds would start blowing. He hadn't put two and two together until after he'd met the young man with a sword – whom he'd mistaken for a spy from one of the competing Skylord candidates (Shamal had warned him that there might be some), and promptly attacked. Gales and rain had followed Gokudera for an hour following that encounter.
The winds had been relentless for most of the last two weeks. Gokudera decided not to think too hard about the implications of that.
He lowered his mage-globe. It's too dark to travel any further tonight. Damn it.
All these delays were really starting to piss him off. He found an open patch of grass alongside the path and set up a warding-spell, then spread out his bedroll.
Thankfully, sleep was not long in coming.
He awoke to daylight and the sound of human voices. The latter brought him to wakefulness all at once: he dispelled the wards around where he was sleeping with a flicker of his fingers, gathered his things, and then quietly concealed himself in a corner, behind some shrubs.
A beautiful girl was walking through the forest. She had long, very straight, light brown hair, worn loose; and she wore a pink gown, with a finely knitted white shawl around her shoulders. She looked around her with a delighted expression. “The wildflowers are so lovely! You never told me about this place before, Brother.”
Gokudera heard a whickering sound coming from further up the path, and a young man about his own age came into view, leading two palfreys by the reins. The young man's cropped hair reminded Gokudera of a poorly-maintained lawn. He was grinning as he spoke: “I thought you would like it. There's a little stream further on, that has the most marvellous coloured fish. Trout, too. Wish I'd brought some fishing tackle.”
“Well, it's not very far from the city. We could come here again soon. Hana would love it."
Gokudera pricked up his ears. There could only be one city in this vicinity, unless his knowledge of geography was even more confused than Shamal's mapmaking skills.
He emerged from his hiding place.
The girl gave a little start, and then smiled. “Oh, my! You frightened me. I hadn't expected to see anyone else here.”
He went straight to the point. “How far is it to Namimori from here? I'm on my way there.”
“Oh! I see. It's not far at all; it's only about an hour away on foot, to the north. Would you like us to take you there? We're having a picnic breakfast here, but afterwards we'll be making our way back to the city.”
Gokudera frowned. “No. I can get there by myself.”
“Hold on,” her brother interjected. “I don't appreciate the tone you're taking with Kyoko here, stranger.” He brought his fists up. “Be more civilised, or I'll teach you a lesson in how to behave like a gentleman.”
Gokudera scowled and walked right past him. “I don't have time to play with you.”
“Of all the--”
“Oh, it's quite all right, Brother! I'm sure he's just in a hurry and doesn't mean it.”
“Did you see that? I am extremely outraged!”
“Don't get into a fight here, of all places!”
Their conversation began to fade as he walked faster now, invigorated by the knowledge that his destination was very nearly in sight.
Tenth, I'm coming for you.
A small yellow bird flew past, overhead; he registered its presence but did not make anything of it, at the time.
On to Part 5.