Chain Melody

“What is this? Why are my threads falling apart?” Corvina asked the question to no one in particular as she stood in her bed chambers watching the soldiers of Bright Rift both in the base with her and in distant Highroot fall through their own eyes. In the base the fact that the best of Bright Rift were being bested by a but a single man armed with naught but his hands and garbed in naught but a pair of white pants was bewildering. Even the Relic in the form of the gauntlet that encased his left arm seemed little reason to allow him to succeed in the heart of a military facility he by all rights should have known nothing about. Bewildering as that was though it was nothing compared to the collapse of her plans in Highroot. Bright Rift’s soldiers even with their Sentinels were being overwhelmed as they were caught between Highroot’s forces and those of the Bandit King. Unable to escape due to antiaircraft cannons filling the stormy skies with burning death for any who would ente...

High above the Emerald Sea an airship raced south towards the distant Stormroot Mountains. It was of the typical Bright Rift design with a central zeppelin adorned with catwalks but it possessed only one external gondola and was significantly smaller than most military vessels. It was further defined by a series of triangular sails that had been erected around the zeppelin though if their purpose was decorative or practical was hard to tell. Regardless, the vessel was swift and in only a day had traveled a distance from Aperture that most vessels would require two. To the Bright Rift fisherman who claimed the vessel as his own then it was a great surprise when a far greater airship descended from the sky’s above and matched pace with his craft. “What a monstrosity, and so swift. Could it be the Condor I wonder?” The Condor was a vessel known throughout all of Bright Rift in part for its absurdity as well as being designed by none other than Professor Plume Beaks, Lead Researc...

(Varen, don’t tell me that’s all you have…) “Won’t you just shut up already…?” “Did someone say something?” “No.” “Maybe it was the test subject…?” “In that case it doesn’t matter.” The group of Bright Rift scientists that worked around where Varen was still strapped to the table in a laboratory in the same facility where Melody was held by Corvina decided to ignore his requests for silence. That mattered little to Varen as it was not them he desired to be quiet but rather the smiling and beautiful face he saw as he closed his eyes, the face of a beautiful man with long flowing blond hair. Varen would not be granted the silence he desired however as he could only imagine what that man would say if he saw Varen in his current predicament with his Relic clad arm being the focus of intense research with total disregard for Varen’s own health. (You’ve never disappointed me yet Varen. You always exceed my wildest expectations for you so why lie here now when you have so ...

“You’re attention, people of Highroot.” “Now what?” Highperch near snorted his discontent as the inhuman voice that rose out of any under Corvina’s control washed over the city. Looking out the steam truck’s windshield and into the stormy sky Highperch eyed the fleet of Bright Rift airships and the first signs of antiaircraft fire from Highroot’s own army. It seemed unlikely that the attack would last much longer and if Highroot was to prevent a siege they would have to launch their own airships to bring down their Bright Rift counterparts. For that to happen however the Sentinels would have to be dealt with and Highroot had no military equivalent, and with the princess who knew the city so well controlling them it was unlikely a reasonable counter attack could be organized that would prevent a siege scenario. As Highperch had no part of any of that beyond making it through the city streets and getting King Stormflock VI to the castle all he could do was listen to Corvina so ...

Princess Corvina was normally one who put on a pleasant air as she had full   control of most situations. For her it had been a long time since she was not in full control of any given situation yet between the Builders choosing to sing of Finch of their own volition and Chain suddenly disappearing she was not in control. There was naught she could do about the builders but Chain she possibly could. As she stormed into her bedchambers dressed in a black bustle dress with a closed parasol of matching color clenched tightly in both hands she fought not to unleash her rage on Melody. “Come now my precious little harpy, I have questions for you.” Try might have been a more accurate term to describe how well Corvina held back from taking out her frustration on Melody as she lifted the aphrodisiac drugged harpy up by the hair. Drugged as Melody was it was not nearly enough to dull her to pain and she flinched and struggled lethargically as she looked upon Corvina with blurred e...

“What is she thinking!?” Highperch near barked out his surprise as the inhuman voice that spilled out from those that Corvina possessed echoed out across all of Highroot under the attack of Bright Rift’s Sentinels. He could do little more than ask however as the majority of his attention was on controlling the steam truck he drove wildly through the golden cobbled streets of the city. What additional focus he could divert was on spying Chain in the side view mirrors of the vehicle chasing him and the king of Highroot down on horseback. King Peregrine Stormflock VI had his own opinion on his daughter’s actions and offered Highperch some little reassurance. “Do not forget that my daughter is a master tactician and manipulator Highperch. Having spoken so she has surely judged it best for the next step of her plan. All you should worry about is getting me to safety, and most importantly, away from the Chainmaid.” “I’ll give it a shot but it’d be nice if your daughter lent us a ...