Royston Basillie
May 11th, 2012, 01:43:23 AM
The sound echoed through the polished halls, bouncing from marble column to elegant statue as it filled the antechamber. Bent and full of rage, the figure of Kyzer Rayne stomped out of the room and left, leaving the palace and all it's luxury and wealth behind. It was the same every time he returned to the city to give his report, and like all those other times they had completely overlooked every single thing he had said in his report. Even Paladin Captain Tar was in the debriefing this time, but only to drive home the necessity of his position and how he needed to bring home more detailed information such as names, whereabouts, and plans of the infamous Beast Riders of Onderon.
The idea of supporting his home was overstated as they tried to appeal to him on a patriotic level. As he left the palace he looked back at it, at the carefully crafted masterpiece meant to be both beautiful to behold but also defensive behemoth. Within those walls he had once called home, but that was another time. A distant past where he grew up alongside his cousin; the Queen. His father had been liaison to the Beast Riders back then, and Kyzer just a boy destined to replace him. He had grown up in the wild, learning about his future charge from the shoulders of his father. That was where he belonged. In the wild. It was the only thing he knew. The pomp and riches never appealed to him. It was just stuff. Here he was almost royalty and destined to live a life in closed room in a stuffy palace. Out there, among the trees and wild animals he had a second life of adventure where he had a place in the beast rider community.
And he would never trade that for all the stuffy palaces in the world.
Turning away from his ancestral home, Kyzer moved to the edge of the palace grounds. Several guards stood around the entrance to the grounds. One held the line of a Drexl; a fierce flying reptile covered in spines and spikes with a mouth full of fangs to boot. It was a flying killing machine and to some of the people of Iziz it represented a time of turmoil and war. Taking the line from the Paladin, Kyzer clicked his tongue and the mighty beast bent down to allow him to climb on it's back. Before the Paladins could even move away Kyzer tugged the line and called out, sending the beast skyward in a flurry of leathery wings that sent the guards below scattering for cover.
He needed to get away from the city. It had nothing to offer him anymore. Just anger. He could not fly to the city without seeing some kind of peaceful interaction between the Mandalorians and Izizians. And it disgusted him to his very core. The Mandalorians were not to be trusted, and that was what he told them every time he gave his report. They just laughed and shuffled their papers. They said he needed to let go of the racial hate the Beast Riders held for the Mandalorians, but it went beyond that. They were mortal enemies. The Beast Riders and Mandalorians had fought for years over the domination of the wilds of Onderon. They had kept the Mandalorians anchored on Dxun, guarding the oxygen bridge that connected the two whenever it formed. Now the Mandalorians were welcomed into the city like beloved refuges, and it was more than Kyzer could stand.
"Grom!" He called out as he pulled at the reins of his mount, sending his beast in a new direction. He had not realized that he had been flying in a random direction, too clouded in his rage to realize where he was flying. Properly on course, Grom flapped his wings as he bore his master in the direction of home. Yes. That was what it was. His real home. The wilds. While his job was to be a liaison to the Beast Riders, Kyzer loved the people of the wilds much more than those in the city and he had to give a counter report to the his real king; the Beast Lord.
He felt so much better up here. There was no sound but the rush of wind and the beating of wings. The breeze cooled his rage and let him lose himself as he became one with his mount. Grom was more than just a war mount, it was also a friend and soulmate. He had raised the Drexl since it hatched and the two had bonded over many years together. There was nothing he would not do for Grom, which was a lot more than he could say for the sentient humans he called family. No. He banished them from his mind. He did not wish to sour his mood again. He was free of his meeting and the city. His day could only get better from here.
The journey took a few hours. Drexls were not starships, but the journey was so much more enjoyable. Sure, there were the bugs but a pair of goggles and a riding cap were more than apt protection from a little airborne splatter. In exchange you got the sensation of actual flight as the beast labored beneath you, the breeze, and of course a more scenic view than any ship could offer. And it was green, which was apparently a big deal in the Core.
"Jow!" Kyzer called out, and Grom lowered, descending toward the surface. Below a village came into view. It was relatively primitive compared to Iziz, but the Beast Riders did not believe in luxury. This village was build on the surface of the underground Drexl hive that they had domesticated in order to raise their war beasts. This was also where he would find the Beast Lord. Swooping down to the village, Kyzer directed Grom toward the corral of other Drexls on one side of the village. Here most of the village stored all their drexls in one place. Once landed, the reins were lashed over a post and Kyzer pulled raw boma meat from a crate and set it down in a trough for Grom. Satisfied that his beast was well cared for, he left the corral rand headed up into the village. The Beast Lord had a hut in the center of town. It looked no different than the rest, other than the two mounted Beast Riders standing guard outside.
They waved Kyzer by and he moved past them and up to the door of the hut, which he knocked on and waited. This would be no different than every other time he had been in this situation before. He would give his report, which like every other time would consist of the paranoia and fear the Izizians still felt toward the Beast Riders. That was the reason he had left the palace no upset. They kept inquiring after personal information on the Beast Riders that could be used to gain tactical advantage. They were too busy eyeing their ancient enemy outside the gates to spot the Mandalorian threat that was moving in across the street from them.
Fingers curled into fists. It was all he could do to contain himself.
The idea of supporting his home was overstated as they tried to appeal to him on a patriotic level. As he left the palace he looked back at it, at the carefully crafted masterpiece meant to be both beautiful to behold but also defensive behemoth. Within those walls he had once called home, but that was another time. A distant past where he grew up alongside his cousin; the Queen. His father had been liaison to the Beast Riders back then, and Kyzer just a boy destined to replace him. He had grown up in the wild, learning about his future charge from the shoulders of his father. That was where he belonged. In the wild. It was the only thing he knew. The pomp and riches never appealed to him. It was just stuff. Here he was almost royalty and destined to live a life in closed room in a stuffy palace. Out there, among the trees and wild animals he had a second life of adventure where he had a place in the beast rider community.
And he would never trade that for all the stuffy palaces in the world.
Turning away from his ancestral home, Kyzer moved to the edge of the palace grounds. Several guards stood around the entrance to the grounds. One held the line of a Drexl; a fierce flying reptile covered in spines and spikes with a mouth full of fangs to boot. It was a flying killing machine and to some of the people of Iziz it represented a time of turmoil and war. Taking the line from the Paladin, Kyzer clicked his tongue and the mighty beast bent down to allow him to climb on it's back. Before the Paladins could even move away Kyzer tugged the line and called out, sending the beast skyward in a flurry of leathery wings that sent the guards below scattering for cover.
He needed to get away from the city. It had nothing to offer him anymore. Just anger. He could not fly to the city without seeing some kind of peaceful interaction between the Mandalorians and Izizians. And it disgusted him to his very core. The Mandalorians were not to be trusted, and that was what he told them every time he gave his report. They just laughed and shuffled their papers. They said he needed to let go of the racial hate the Beast Riders held for the Mandalorians, but it went beyond that. They were mortal enemies. The Beast Riders and Mandalorians had fought for years over the domination of the wilds of Onderon. They had kept the Mandalorians anchored on Dxun, guarding the oxygen bridge that connected the two whenever it formed. Now the Mandalorians were welcomed into the city like beloved refuges, and it was more than Kyzer could stand.
"Grom!" He called out as he pulled at the reins of his mount, sending his beast in a new direction. He had not realized that he had been flying in a random direction, too clouded in his rage to realize where he was flying. Properly on course, Grom flapped his wings as he bore his master in the direction of home. Yes. That was what it was. His real home. The wilds. While his job was to be a liaison to the Beast Riders, Kyzer loved the people of the wilds much more than those in the city and he had to give a counter report to the his real king; the Beast Lord.
He felt so much better up here. There was no sound but the rush of wind and the beating of wings. The breeze cooled his rage and let him lose himself as he became one with his mount. Grom was more than just a war mount, it was also a friend and soulmate. He had raised the Drexl since it hatched and the two had bonded over many years together. There was nothing he would not do for Grom, which was a lot more than he could say for the sentient humans he called family. No. He banished them from his mind. He did not wish to sour his mood again. He was free of his meeting and the city. His day could only get better from here.
The journey took a few hours. Drexls were not starships, but the journey was so much more enjoyable. Sure, there were the bugs but a pair of goggles and a riding cap were more than apt protection from a little airborne splatter. In exchange you got the sensation of actual flight as the beast labored beneath you, the breeze, and of course a more scenic view than any ship could offer. And it was green, which was apparently a big deal in the Core.
"Jow!" Kyzer called out, and Grom lowered, descending toward the surface. Below a village came into view. It was relatively primitive compared to Iziz, but the Beast Riders did not believe in luxury. This village was build on the surface of the underground Drexl hive that they had domesticated in order to raise their war beasts. This was also where he would find the Beast Lord. Swooping down to the village, Kyzer directed Grom toward the corral of other Drexls on one side of the village. Here most of the village stored all their drexls in one place. Once landed, the reins were lashed over a post and Kyzer pulled raw boma meat from a crate and set it down in a trough for Grom. Satisfied that his beast was well cared for, he left the corral rand headed up into the village. The Beast Lord had a hut in the center of town. It looked no different than the rest, other than the two mounted Beast Riders standing guard outside.
They waved Kyzer by and he moved past them and up to the door of the hut, which he knocked on and waited. This would be no different than every other time he had been in this situation before. He would give his report, which like every other time would consist of the paranoia and fear the Izizians still felt toward the Beast Riders. That was the reason he had left the palace no upset. They kept inquiring after personal information on the Beast Riders that could be used to gain tactical advantage. They were too busy eyeing their ancient enemy outside the gates to spot the Mandalorian threat that was moving in across the street from them.
Fingers curled into fists. It was all he could do to contain himself.