kiiblade

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Without questioning the order, Ghent began to move into place. He halted mid-step, his mouth falling open slightly after Elayra objected to the idea. He gripped his staff tighter, anxious as he waited for Drust to react. To his disbelief, the Knight approved and no one died.
Amazed by her fearlessness, Ghent kept to Elayra’s left. He nodded stiffly, staring dead ahead. He suspected the ghosts would take interest in them, but if what Elayra said was true, he had nothing to fear. He steeled himself in a false sense of confidence, hopeful Smaya's help would be enough to secure them a safe and undisturbed passage.
His attempt at optimism didn’t last long. The second Ghent followed Drust and Elayra into the forest, Wonderland’s nonsensical ways trifled with reality. The way his surroundings stretched was similar to a funhouse, only Ghent wasn’t having any fun. He averted his gaze to quell the dizzying sensation, but it didn't help. If anything, looking away made him feel worse.
Ghent fell forward near the end, dangerously close to colliding into Elayra. He used his staff to regain balance, silently thankful he went through last. Shaking his head to refocus, he staggered, taking up the room Elayra provided by moving ahead.
What struck Ghent first was the overwhelming silence. A sudden rush of despair overpowered him, a feeling so strong it hurt to breathe. Brows furrowed, he studied what he could of the clearing, most of it lost in the fog. Elayra was already hazy, and she was barely a foot away. Drust was harder to see, but Ghent could tell the Knight was fighting against his own emotions. He tensed as Elayra drew her sword, lessening his hold on his own weapon once Drust responded.
"O-okay." Ghent's mouth felt dry. He didn't want to get separated. He was fairly certain if he got lost, that was the end of the road for him. Paranoid at the thought, he disregarded personal space and practically became Elayra’s shadow. He continued this way for a better part of their journey, silently struggling against his negative thoughts made worse by Hollow Forest.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

I'll bet! That's huge. Such a great plot twist! Man, I just love your characters and the thought you put into them and their backgrounds. You know that, but I feel the need to say it.

Hmm. I bet Hatter would get along well with Emma.
^ Definitely! Because they both want to save everyone despite the odds being stacked against them? Now I'm imagining them working together. Best crossover ever. Save all the kids/Wonderlanders!



Someone was absent? Now I'm really curious as to who they are, and what their errand was...

No rush! Ghent needs to crack that journal open already.

Oh, yeah, that's what I meant by fluff moment. I was under the impression that's what the term meant, sorry if that has a double meaning I'm not aware of?

They're absolutely wonderful. It's so neat to see them at that age, and that's cool you were able to use inspiration from having kids over! Funny how stuff like that can aid in writing. You never know where inspiration will come from.

Love the thought you put into the toatunt jerky. Is it weird I want to try some? It'd probably make Ghent feel a tiny bit better to know the bumps aren't warts. Think the damage has already been done though.

Sweet! I had him notice that about the cloak having that function.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent collected his cloak from where it fell, cringing when he discovered his discarded portion of toatunt nearby. He crouched down next to his backpack, pulling it toward him by one of the straps.
Adapt, boy. Or you won't survive Wonderland. Ghent unzipped the backpack by what remained of the zipper, a quiet sigh escaping him. Adapt, or I won't survive you, he responded in his head, his inner voice bitter. He hated that he seemed to have a knack for pushing all of Drust's buttons. I ate it, didn't I? Why's he gotta nitpick everything?
Although Drust's movement was slow, Ghent froze when he reached for his katana. If Drust’s abilities also covered reading minds, Ghent was as good as dead.
Thankfully, Drust was merely getting ready. Ghent resumed breathing, embarrassed by how easily the man terrified him. He checked that Hatter’s journal was still there, pausing when he realized he hadn’t put on his cloak yet.
Putting on a cloak with a bulky backpack wasn’t ideal, but Ghent doubted he could fit the cloak in with the rest of his clothes. Plus, the early morning air was chilling, and he didn't want to be the only one without a cloak.
Zipping up his backpack, Ghent slipped it on and drew the cloak over himself, pulling the hood over his head to keep the fabric in place. He began to fidget with the clasps to secure them, but Elayra’s movement caught his eye. From what he could tell, she undid something on her cloak, which created an opening to allow her backpack to fit through.
Curious if his cloak had the same feature, Ghent removed the cloak and turned it over to examine the back. At first, he couldn’t see anything, but then he noticed a seam of sorts. He pulled on opposite sides of the fabric, and two snaps came undone. He mimicked the action on the other side, which offered room for his backpack.
Smaya's kept her promise.
Ghent looked up sharply, startled by Drust's voice. He nodded in response, thankful that at least something had gone right.
You're welcome, by the way. Ghent tugged at the cloak to fix it, reflecting on his second visit with Smaya. He thought about the lost souls in the pool, their troubles significantly worse than accidentally consuming toad meat. He suddenly felt heavier, and it wasn't because of the weight of his backpack.
Noticing the others were waiting, Ghent hurried over to regroup with them, adjusting his cloak as he moved. He tugged at the fabric, attempting to lock the clasps together with one hand. In his opposite hand, he carried his staff.
Seeing Drust near the edge of the Safe Zone was troubling. If the trek through Hollow Forest was anything like yesterday, their emotions would be tampered with, which would make their journey more dangerous than he already was.
After some trouble, both clasps finally locked in place. Ghent glanced at Elayra, suspecting she had similar concerns when it came to their guardian.
Doing what he could to mask the worry he felt, Ghent nodded to show he was ready. At least, as ready as he could be.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent's theatrics may have continued, had Drust not intervened. At the sound of the heavy footsteps, Ghent lifted his head. He grit his teeth, bracing himself for a lecture of some kind. If Drust thought he could force him to finish the toatunt, he had another thing coming.
Before Ghent could so much as turn his head, he felt a large hand grip his neck from behind. Needless to say, it wasn't the reaction he expected. His startled shout was cut short as he was lifted from the ground, his hands shooting instinctively to his neck. He remained suspended this way until Drust put an arm across his chest, pinning him in what could be viewed at the most terrifying bear hug ever.
With the pressure off of his neck, Ghent drew in a panicked breath. "Drust! Don't-" he began to yell, but the Knight clasped a firm hand over his mouth. He was completely helpless, and Drust was absolutely furious.
A sick sense of dread overcame Ghent. Although he wasn't able to see Drust’s face, he knew this was the same Drust who had tried to run him through with a katana. This wasn’t the Drust created by Hatter, but the one lost to the Curse. This was the Drust that would kill them if he didn't regain control.
Ghent’s heart hammered against his chest with every beat. He looked to Elayra pleadingly, silently begging her to do something. He watched as she was brave enough to face the much-taller male, going so far as to draw her own sword against him. Ghent dared to hope she had enough influence over Drust to change his mind, but she didn’t. If anything, her interference seemed to fuel the Curse more.
The ferocity in Drust’s voice sent chills down Ghent's spine. The enranged Knight snapped at Elayra as if she was a dog, and she had no choice but to obey, else risk a potential double murder.
Desperate, Ghent made a pathetic attempt to squirm loose, but Drust’s hold was too tight. He made a weak muffled sound as he tried to nod to show he understood what was said to him, but Drust didn’t seem to care. Ghent winced – more from fear than from pain – as Drust’s gloved fingertips dug into his cheek. He could practically feel the man trembling with rage, and his inability to do anything about it.
Amazingly, Drust found the inner strength to release him. Ghent landed awkwardly, visibly shaken from what had occurred. The shove against his neck made him stumble forward, and he fell onto the ground with a light thud. He started to push himself up as Elayra ran toward him, but his eyes didn't dare stray from Drust. The pure, unadulterated anger in the Knight's gaze was truly horrifying.
Finally, Drust turned away from them. Ghent slowly straightened to his full height, his pulse thundering in his ears. He glanced at Elayra as she spoke to him, feeling the smallest pang of embarrassment for causing so much trouble. His life hadn't been the only one at risk.
"Y-yeah.” Ghent’s voice shook as he answered, but he didn’t care. Elayra must have shared his fear that they weren't out of the clear, because she didn't lower her sword. He placed a hand to his neck absentmindedly, unable to help but stare. Even from a distance, he could tell Drust was struggling.
Ghent didn't know what to say, so he said nothing. He decided his best hope at pacifying the Knight was to follow orders without delay. With a rare, apologetic look in Elayra's direction, Ghent moved to retrieve the rest of his belongings, Drust's words replaying in his head.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

“What?” Ghent couldn't tell if Elayra was annoyed by something he said, did, or didn't do. Oblivious to his mistake, he took another bite of toatunt, an incredulous look on his face. He would never understand her.
In order to get his less-than-ideal breakfast over with, he stuffed another piece in his mouth, just in time to hear Elayra’s disparaging comment.
Ghent’s eyes went wide. He whipped his head around to seek out Drust, hoping – praying – that Elayra was playing a cruel joke. The Knight's reaction confirmed his fears. He'd eaten a toad. Twice.
Horrified, Ghent stared at the last bit of jerky in his hand, the texture suddenly making sense. His stomach lurched. Those weren’t bumps, they were warts.
With a yell, Ghent dropped the jerky as if it had burned him. Suddenly, he was back in the school bathroom again, doing everything in his power not to throw up. Warts. He'd eaten warts! A few dozen of them, most likely.
The knowledge was scarring enough on its own, but his mouth was still full, and Ghent didn’t dare spit out their rations in front of Drust. As if to make matters worse, his saliva was soaking into the jerky, helping extract what he believed to be swamp water. He had a choice: he could taste Drust's blade, or swallow what he now knew to be toad meat.
Ghent’s skin crawled. He leaned forward on his palms, his head aimed downward. For a moment, it looked as if he was going to spit everything out – or vomit – but he did neither. He forced himself to choke down the rest, sputtering and coughing afterward as if he'd been poisoned. For all he knew, he had been.
"You…” Ghent drew a breath, his sentence broken by a ragged cough. "You guys didn't want me to eat chocolate...but you'll let me eat a TOAD?!" He clasped a hand over his mouth, clutching his side with the other as he gave an overdramatic groan. "...I think I'm gonna hurl."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

The comment threw Ghent through a loop. Was he actually expected to hunt and skin his own food? The idea didn’t sit well with him. He almost threw up in the school bathroom after he got stuck dissecting an abnormally large rat. Before he could dwell too much into it, Drust’s irritable voice reminded him that he needed to make a decision.
“U-uh. Yeah. I’ll dissect – eat -- the toatunt,” he hastily corrected himself as he took the bundle. He inwardly cringed as he unwrapped the cloth, selecting a few pieces of jerky before handing the remaining half back to Elayra.
Sniffling, Ghent bit off a corner piece with the least amount of bumps on it. He studied Drust as he instructed him what to do with the extra portions, their conversation from the night before fresh in his mind. He wanted to ask the Knight more about himself and Hatter, but realized it was a poor time.
Keeping the jerky between his teeth and the rest in his fist, Ghent returned to his belongings. He tossed the extra pieces inside of his backpack without bothering to wrap them in anything, grunting as he struggled to zip the now-stuck zipper. With one final tug, it zippered shut, but the zipper pull broke off.
"Seriously?" Ghent's mutterings were difficult to decipher with his mouth full of toatunt. He sat on top of his backpack like it was a beanbag chair, a weary sigh escaping him. He forced himself to take another bite of the strangely textured jerky, studying the hooded Knight as he ate.
Inspired by Drust and influenced by the temperature, Ghent grabbed his own cloak from the ground. He adjusted the fabric so it rested against his shoulders, secretly envying Drust's ability to make everything look cool.
“You know, if this didn’t have bumps all over it, it wouldn’t be half bad.” Ghent swallowed another bite of breakfast, doing what he could to convince himself that the flavor wasn’t as terrible as he remembered it. “It’d probably taste better with ketchup though."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

As soon as it was Elayra's turn to keep watch, Ghent handed over the OmniChrono and returned to his backpack. He mumbled some sort of warning about the fog to her, but the words came out in a slurred, jumbled mess. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep, his surroundings completely lost to him.
When morning came around, Ghent was lying on his back, his arms and legs sprawled out in weird angles like he’d fallen from a tree. He would have stayed that way for hours, had it not been for Elayra. The grip on his shoulder pulled Ghent out of his dreamless sleep, startling him awake.
“What? What’s going on?” Ghent started to sit up, completely disoriented. As Elayra came into focus, he heard her mention breakfast. Normally, that would be enough to entice him, but he was too tired to care about food. He groaned and flopped his head against his backpack, pulling the cloak over his face in the same action.
“Breakfast? My stomach isn’t even awake yet!” Ghent complained, the words muffled underneath the fabric. He wasn’t ready to face the day, and he definitely wasn’t ready to face Wonderland.
As if to prove his statement wrong, his stomach growled. Ghent grimaced. He wanted nothing more than to get a few more precious moments of sleep, but the prospect of getting out of Hollow Forest was enough for him to reconsider.
Slow as a sloth, he sat up, the cloak slipping down to settle in his lap. “Fiiine,” he sighed in defeat, suspecting had no choice in the matter regardless of what he wanted. He began to stand, stiff and sore after their misadventures through Wonderland.
“Let me guess. We’re eating that weird, bumpy jerky again,” he rubbed at his eye, sniffing once as he studied her face. “And it’s Ghent, Blondie," he grumbled, knocking a stray twig out of his hair. "How'd you sleep? Man, that Kingly Cure-All sure knocked you out. I thought you were in a coma or something."

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent was too amazed to be concerned over Drust's initial irritation. Almost everything about Wonderland provided something that would have been thought impossible on Earth. Every moment spent in their world challenged him to adapt.
"Two weeks..." Ghent murmured, disbelief written all over his face. Since Hatter put so much of himself into Drust's creation, he wondered if any of that was visibly apparent. Did the Knight resemble Hatter? Did they sound alike? Did they share similar mannerisms? Ghent’s mind spun with so many questions, his head hurt. He could have easily spent his two hours of watch duty by questioning Drust.
"That's pretty intense,” he added, still marveling over the fact that Drust was a result of his father’s connection with magic. He took notice of the smirk, and the way the Knight stared at his palm. Ghent waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Perhaps the Knight was reflecting on his creation date. Ghent couldn't imagine starting life as a teenager -- it was strange, and a little sad that Drust didn't have a childhood to look back on, or a family. Unless...
Ghent's eyes widened as a realization hit him. Since his father was responsible for Drust's creation, did that mean they were related? Perhaps not by blood, but...
Just as Ghent began to ask, Drust put an end to the conversation.
“O-oh. Okay.” Even though he had more things he wanted to say, Ghent wasn't disappointed. He managed to get more information out of the Knight than he expected to, and learned some more about his father in the process.
“Well, talk to you tomorrow.” Offering a small wave, Ghent turned, hopeful that was the case. If he spoke to Drust beforehand, that would mean they had an intruder. Or intruders. Biting his bottom lip, Ghent surveyed the clearing as much as the firelight would allow. From what he could tell, nothing seemed amiss.
Thankfully, the conversation stimulated his mind enough to stay awake. He remained sore and overall terrified, but at least he had answers. Little by little, the pieces of his past were coming together.
Keeping his staff at his side, Ghent began to circle the clearing. Taking care not to disturb the others, he kept his footsteps light and kept his head on a swivel. If anything ambushed them, he knew he had mere seconds to react. Pushing his fear aside as much as possible, Ghent continued onward, determined to fulfill his task.

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Alrighty, sweet! Means I didn't mess up. Heh.

Ooh, mysterious. On Drust, that is...I have a feeling Ghent will get lost in the hood.

Glad I had him ask the right questions! As for the tidbit...(incoming spoiler for anyone lurking...)

...HATTER CREATED DRUST. You know...I'm not sure if I suspected that. I may have, had I thought about it, but it came as a surprise to me. So, so cool! I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Drust's abilities too. Ghent may need a while to take everything in.

Now for Story Time...

I have a lot to say about each, so I'll begin with my thoughts on part one.

Part One Thoughts

“Death marches here for us not as a reaper, but as a woman in red."



That has got to be one of my favorite quotes ever.

Let me begin by saying both parts were a DELIGHT to read. My immediate thought was how cool it is to have a prologue to an already amazing story you created. I know you've put a crazy amount of thought and work into the plot and characters so far, but this added a lot of depth and weight to the journey our characters are on. Seeing a time before the Curse makes it all the more tragic to see the aftermath.

The way you establish the setting is wonderful. Thanks to your descriptions and attention to detail, it's easy to imagine the scene taking place. The characters are unique and you captured them beautifully, while also connecting things to the current RP. (The voice Ghent heard through the portal, Drust's connection to Hatter and the White Queen, etc).

I love the White Queen. She's so dignified and you get a sense of how strong her will is. Also, the tension between her and Hatter was brilliant. Speaking of, Hatter is spectacular. It's admirable, yet painful, to see how much he wants to save everyone despite the odds being against stacked them. </3

“There’s been too much death already.” He tilted his head back down and scrunched his eyes shut. “Ghent and Elayra have already lost a parent. Neither should have to lose both.”



Why must you hurt me like this?!

As for the other characters, they were a blast to read for. The comment about the table earned a chuckle from me.
It was great seeing Drust, he's so poised and unbelievably loyal. <3 It was really interesting to see him before the Curse! His and Hatter's interactions were golden. I loved their friendship before, but this only fueled my admiration. Also, their banter near the end made me grin. :'D

*takes breath* Alright, now for my comments for part two.

Part Two Thoughts

There's so much cuteness packed in part two. I'm a sucker for fluff moments. And seeing our characters when they were so small and precious and---



My first impression: you have a knack for writing for little kids. Excuse me while I die over little Elayra latching onto Drust's leg. And Ghent... You captured him so well! I grinned when he was armed and ready to avenge Elayra. Or, Ellie, as he calls her. Which is freaking ADORABLE.

I checked back to make sure Soren wasn't mentioned before. For some reason, his name was familiar but I couldn't find him in the IC posts so it must have been my imagination. Regardless, he's darling. I hope he finds his parents... ; - ; Holeland, I do remember. It was fun seeing him as the stand-in babysitter. Give this man a raise!

Hatter raised an eyebrow. “You sure it was her?”
“Aye!”
Hatter sighed. He held out a hand toward Ghent and snapped his fingers to get his son’s attention. “Did you eat it or keep it?”

Hatter is definitely his dad.

Also this:

Drust shook his head. “I don’t care how many languages you know; it’s still beyond me how you can understand him,” he muttered.

x'D

I'd like to mention this again, you write for children remarkably well. This is something I've struggled with in the past (I had a five-year-old character in a former RP) so I can appreciate that this age range presents new challenges. I love how believable you made them. And clingy. :'D

More scattered thoughts I thought I'd include:

- The chance to see Hatter and Ghent interacting is more than I could've hoped for.
- Hatter knows other languages!!
- Awwh. Soren. He just wanted his tart back. Such a thing for kids to fight over. xD
- The Knights are amazing, and I'm loving the name Vardin.
- THE MANTRA. I love that it existed even then!
- Elayra is too precious. "Dust". ; ~ ; My heart.

Overall, you did a marvelous job with this. Your characters are lifelike and have so much dimension to them, it's impossible /not/ to get invested. I can't thank you enough for doing this! If it's even possible, it makes me adore the characters and plot all the more. I look forward to what happens next!

Once the prologue is finished, I'll tweak my former post a bit to stay more true to what actually happened, if that's alright!

As for the Vinifcium name info...

Thank you so much for explaining that! He'll be going through the journal soon enough here so that's really good to know. It also reminded me that I need to get thinking on an assumed name for him. Unless he wants to stick with Featherhead, of course. xD The entire concept is wonderful!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Ghent winced. Once again, he managed to get on Drust’s nerves. Or what was left of them. He shifted his weight to his other foot, making no attempt to speak in fear of agitating him. Hopefully the Curse wouldn’t rear its ugly head again.
As Drust began to explain about his memories being intact, Ghent relaxed slightly. Using his staff to support his weight, he leaned forward, listening with intense curiosity. Up until that moment, he thought the Knights were a class rather than a race. He took a breath when Drust addressed his special abilities, one of the questions that interested him most of all.
Ghent could barely keep up with Drust's many strengths and skills. “You’re like Wolverine or something!” he exclaimed, louder than he intended to. He clasped a hand over his own mouth and looked in Elayra’s direction, careful to lower his voice before speaking again. “He's a hero -- he has epic abilities too, and can withstand stuff that normal people can’t,” he explained, his words rushed in his hurry to speak without interrupting.
As if that wasn’t enough for Ghent to fanboy over, Drust informed him that a vinifcium had the potential to match a Knight in combat.
“No way…” Ghent couldn’t begin to imagine such a thing possible. At least, he couldn’t imagine himself against Drust. It was difficult enough fighting with his peers, how could he take down someone created for combat? By all accounts, Drust seemed indestructible. Except for his one weakness, of course.
While all of the information was new, Drust being weak against magic didn’t come as a surprise to Ghent. He remembered Elayra saying something about that during their misadventures through the forest. It was something he didn’t think much about before, but it was kind of awesome to have access to the Knight’s kryptonite.
“Sorry about earlier,” Ghent piped up, feeling compelled to offer some sort of apology. “I never meant to hit you. Or Elayra.” He wanted to ask how Drust used magic when it posed such a threat to him, but the Knight went on to reveal perhaps the most shocking piece of information about himself.
“You…what?” Ghent leaned too far forward and almost fell. He knew Hatter was powerful, but not that powerful. He stared at the Knight in a mixture of amazement and disbelief, his blue eyes wide with wonder. In that rare moment, he was at a loss for words.
“He created you?” Ghent blanched. “But, that’s…I mean,” he ran a hand through his hair before gesturing to him with the same hand. "Look at you! You're perfect! I can't even make a paper plane!" he paced back and forth, shaking his head while he tried to comprehend that such magic existed. The power to create beings was insane. Nearly godlike. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. He couldn't believe he was the son of someone so exceptional.
Thirty-five years ago... Ghent stopped mid-pace, frowning at his sneakers in thought. He fell quiet again, but the silence didn't last long. "Did he create all of you? Or...were their other vinifcium then?"