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Onyx Storm: Chapter 38
Yeah...we're back :(.
Zehyllna, the island we've just arrive at, has magic. Just a teeny bit, Violet assures us, but it exists. A thing I haven't brought up is that apparently the presence of magic in an area makes the plants more...pigmented? I don't really understand why, but that's a thing.
Anyways, now everyone can communicate with their dragons/gryphons again. And I assume that this also means Xaden can channel again, so that'll hopefully be a problem later. But for now, Violet watches the crowd gathered to meet them as she and her gang swoop down.
Okay? Calixta was warned of their coming, and apparently she and her people are really happy about it because they revere dragons and gryphons. Though the gryphons do seem like an afterthought. Which is how Yarros always treats them, to be fair.
The themed test of this island is that they have to play a game of luck and accept the results, because this island worships the god of luck. A deck of cards is produced, and they have to draw a random card and and accept their gift, whatever it may be. The gifts vary. Most of them are objects, some useless, some valuable. One of them gets slapped, and then Trager draws the arrow card and is immediately shot to death.
Chapter end.
I know this recap is short, but what do I even say? This is an insane thing and these themed challenges make this game feel like an edgy Pokemon romhack or something. Why would every island conveniently have a themed challenge for our heroes to complete? Like, how does that make sense? The worldbuilding of these cultures is so hacky, too--why does each of them worship a single god from the pantheon yet Navarre worships all of them? These islands are very close by, close enough that Courtlyn's messages outpaced the flying dragons. Yet they all have distinct languages and cultures with no overlap at all?
Zehyllna, the island we've just arrive at, has magic. Just a teeny bit, Violet assures us, but it exists. A thing I haven't brought up is that apparently the presence of magic in an area makes the plants more...pigmented? I don't really understand why, but that's a thing.
Anyways, now everyone can communicate with their dragons/gryphons again. And I assume that this also means Xaden can channel again, so that'll hopefully be a problem later. But for now, Violet watches the crowd gathered to meet them as she and her gang swoop down.
Xaden reaches out telepathically to ask Violet to never do what she did again--what she did being getting between him and Ridoc in the last chapter when Xaden was losing his temper. Violet refuses, arguing that she trusts Xaden not to hurt her, but Xaden is terrified that he's reaching the point where he might. They don't resolve the argument.
“Welcome to Zehyllna!” the woman says in the common language, then grins as she approaches, her white teeth sharply contrasting her deep-brown cheeks. She’s beautiful, with joyful brown eyes, a halo of black, airy curls, and thick curves. “I am Calixta, mistress of today’s festivities.”
Festivities? My brows scrunch at the term, and Ridoc rocks back on his heels.
Xaden’s head tilts.
Calixta pauses about five feet from my boots, then glances across our squad and begins to speak in Zehylish.
I blink. Any studying I did is completely useless. Nothing on the page could prepare me for hearing it spoken. It’s a lilting, flowy language where one word seems to run into the next.
Dain replies slowly from my right, the words coming out like he’s in pain.
Aaric sighs from beside Xaden, then proceeds to speak like he was freaking born here.
Okay? Calixta was warned of their coming, and apparently she and her people are really happy about it because they revere dragons and gryphons. Though the gryphons do seem like an afterthought. Which is how Yarros always treats them, to be fair.
The themed test of this island is that they have to play a game of luck and accept the results, because this island worships the god of luck. A deck of cards is produced, and they have to draw a random card and and accept their gift, whatever it may be. The gifts vary. Most of them are objects, some useless, some valuable. One of them gets slapped, and then Trager draws the arrow card and is immediately shot to death.
Chapter end.
I know this recap is short, but what do I even say? This is an insane thing and these themed challenges make this game feel like an edgy Pokemon romhack or something. Why would every island conveniently have a themed challenge for our heroes to complete? Like, how does that make sense? The worldbuilding of these cultures is so hacky, too--why does each of them worship a single god from the pantheon yet Navarre worships all of them? These islands are very close by, close enough that Courtlyn's messages outpaced the flying dragons. Yet they all have distinct languages and cultures with no overlap at all?