Lemuria Saga - Prologue

Lemuria Saga - Prologue

It is said that no civilization can last in a golden age for long, and that the fall will come soon after. So, how does one describe the civilizations of Lemuria? Legends say that the monster girls were here when humanity arrived, but others said the monster girls appeared suddenly to humanity. Of course, there are also some that say both races existed alongside each other since the Dawn.

While scholars and historians bicker about the useless facts of the legend-shrouded past, there is one version of history most, if not all agree on. Humanity had control of the whole of Lemuria once. It was a huge landmass, split apart in the middle by a mountain range that scraped the very heavens. It was surrounded on all sides by the sea, which was dotted with small islands at places.

Humanity reigned with the use of Magicks, strange arts that could twist the very laws of nature itself. But it only gave them slight advantage over monster girls. Monster girls were a different race to humanity, which only had females and had to rely on humans for reproductive purposes. But they were objectively superior to humans, which had none of their relatively god-like strength and vitality.

But in the end, it wasn’t humanity’s failure to advance their Magick technology, and neither was it the monster girls’ raw physical advantage that led to their downfall. They expanded too much, and with the mountain splitting the east and west, humanity became scattered and fragile. Humanity also bickered amongst themselves during peaceful times over the smallest things.

In the end, banners in the west and flags in the east were raised, easily destroying humanity. Lemuria became the land of monster girls, in which humanity was a slave class, although of varying degrees in different areas.

The west became known as the Kingdom of Juvia, which was ruled by the First Queen, whose name no mortal would utter. She granted her fourteen most trusted lieutenants titles of nobility. They were cut off from the east by the mountain range, Sinas, who remained neutral throughout the war. To the south, they were bordered by Necropolis, the great nation of undead, which suddenly grew and sealed themselves off during the war.

The kingdom ruled in power of a vast territory for several centuries with different sections of the kingdom split amongst the fourteen Houses. While each House had a different ruling policy, they were fiercely loyal to their Queen.

Such was the way of the monster girls, who held pride and honor much higher than humanity. But alas, it is said that no civilization can last in a golden age for long, and that the fall will come soon after. The Kingdom of Juvia became stagnant for too long.

It is often curious how an individual can be claimed to destroy civilizations, or change the course of history dramatically. This is often wrong. It is usually the flow of history itself that shapes the story of an individual.

***

In the badly ventilated inn, three monster girls sat together, sharing a drink. They looked mature and had the physical prowess fit of their bodies, but they were still children in mind, not to be considered adults in their society.

The first one was a dragon. Considered one of the strongest and most ancient of monster girls, a dragon girl had scales as tough as iron, and could breathe fire at will. Moreover, dragons had powerful wings that allowed them to freely roam the skies. This one was wearing oddly well maintained plated armor, and had a glaive almost as large as she is strapped to her back.She was laughing loudly, obviously in a good mood, “A drink after a fight tastes the best!”

A harpy with brilliant red plumage hidden under a white cloak sat opposite her. Harpies were creatures that had a slightly smaller frame than human females, but they had wings for their arms and strong, powerful scaled legs ending with razor sharp talons. Unlike the dragon girl, she seemed timid, and was not willing to talk. She moved both her wings to hold the large mug of ale in front of her. After a deep drink, she looked at the last girl and asked, “I thought tanuki girls lived in the east, why are you on this side of the mountain?”

“Business,” replied the tanuki girl simply, who looked almost human except for her distinctly large and fluffy brown tail, along with animal ears on the top of her head.She was rearranging the contents of her wooden box, which she had with her at anytime, “thanks for the save back there, fighting isn’t my thing. Prefer thinking and talking than fighting.”

“If you’re a trader, where’s your caravan?” asked the dragon girl, who already asked for a refill, “and if you can’t fight, shouldn’t you have a guard?”

“Ditched them along the Crack so wouldn’t have to pay them, thought Juvia territory was safe,” said the tanuki.

“Well, the Houses have been decreasing road patrols lately,” said the dragon girl, “there’s word of a possible rebellion which has everyone on edge.”

“My mother taught me that I shouldn’t drink without knowing names first,” said the tanuki, who had finally put down her box, “so let’s introduce ourselves. I am Rinno, a humble trader from the east. And thanks to you guys, not dead.”

The harpy, after being quiet for so long, spoke up, “my name is Daphne.”

“That’s it?” asked the dragon girl, “oh well, some of us like to keep secrets. I’m Asheleigh, a local. Just call me Ashe if you want to.”

“Ashe,” echoed Rinno, who raised her mug, “to your health.”

Ashe and Rinno put their mugs together and cheered. Only Daphne stayed quiet the whole time. Ashe looked at her with an expression that was both concerning and curious, “are you fine, Daphne? Did you get hurt somewhere from the fight?”

The harpy just shook her brilliant red head in denial. Ashe was interested, the territory neighboring her birthplace, Dragonstone, was a forest area ruled by the House of Harpies. Personally, she had been there a few times, but she has never quite witnessed a harpy with fire-red plumage before. It is said that all dragons were attracted to shiny things, but no one ever bothered to verify the statement.

“So where are you from, Daphne?” asked Rinno, in an attempt to create conversation, “you were graceful with those swords of yours, maybe I could learn from your master someday!”

“It’s a harpies’ art, I doubt you can learn it,” answered Daphne, ignoring the question. Rinno, who was already slightly drunk from the ale, did not notice this, but became visibly crestfallen from the remark.

“Don’t worry, Rinno! The way of the sword comes in many forms, and I’m sure that elves around here could teach you a thing or two,” said Ashe, slapping Rinno on the back, “I have a better idea, finish that ale and follow me!”

***

Rinno dropped her wooden box while Daphne stared straight on with genuine surprise. The three were standing in front of a castle made entirely from black volcanic rocks. The castle stood proud in the middle of a gigantic clearing, with a dormant volcano in the background. There was a settlement near the horizon, and it was obvious the people there tried not to come close.

“My home,” announced Ashe casually. Her usual laid back expression hardened as she entered. Rinno and Daphne exchanged looks and promptly followed.

While the three were walking through the corridors, the servants of the house - mostly lesser dragons along with a few humans, avoided coming close to Ashe. The two noticed this but decided to keep quiet. Instead of heading up the stairs of the main keep, the three turned right sharply into a smaller tower, which looked like it was used for sentries.

“Where are we going to?” asked a curious Rinno, ”More importantly, where’s the castle treasury?”

“Our coffers are dead empty since the lord here prefers to spend it on training and weapon maintenance,” answered Ashe to a disappointed Rinno.

Daphne, who noticed the word ‘our’, slowly shifted her wings to bring her cloak closer around her body before asking, “Asheleigh, what did you mean when you said-“

“Ah, we’re here,” announced Ashe, whose loud voice drowned out Daphne’s quiet question. The hatch leading to the top of the watchtower was padlocked. Unfazed, Ashe gathered her strength and punched upwards, shattering the wooden hatch in one hit.

“My, dragons sure are powerful, no wonder dragon mercenaries fetch such a high price.”

They climbed to the top of the watchtower, and what greeted them was a clear view of the nearby settlement, its attached slums, and the huge volcano that is the home of the House Wyrm. Daphne and Rinno were looking at the scenery with awe, while Ashe started a fire with her own breath and tinder.

“While this watchtower seems shabby, it’s actually quite historical,” started Ashe, “eight centuries ago, when the First Queen started her conquest, my ancestor, the Purging Flame, Lord Cendrillion I, swore loyalty to her on these very bricks and stood sentinel here to hold back humanity’s forces for three whole weeks without reinforcement.”

“And why did you bring us here?” asked Daphne. Rinno looked equally curious.

“It was said Lord Cendrillion and the First Queen swore sisterhood, which is why the dragons have always served the Kingdom loyally to a fault,” continued Ashe, “and, as a tradition, most dragon nobility swear sisterhood with chosen vassals on this tower.”

“Nobility…? Oh!” exclaimed Rinno, who more or less guessed where this was going, but she had a more important question on her mind, “you’re nobility?!”

“Asheleigh Draconus, of House Dragon, half-sister to the reigning lord, Seraphine IV,” declared Ashe, “but I’m just a bastard girl of the last lord, and this may a mere act of rebellion to my sister, who has no oath sisters of her own. I had a good feeling when I met you two.”

“I don’t have a family, at least in a traditional sense,” said Daphne sadly, “are you sure? I’m just a… refugee from Mountain Sinas, a harpy with no home.”

“In my case, I’m a disowned tanuki, kicked out of my village for certain reasons too complicated to explain in one sitting,” said Rinno, after she put down her wooden box.

Ashe, to both Daphne’s and Rinno’s surprise, grabbed them both and embraced them, “I live in a castle whose inhabitants choose to act like I don’t exist. See? We’re similar in a sense. We dragons trust our instincts, and I’m no exception, bastard or not.”

Ashe let them go. Daphne was lowering her head to hide her face. Rinno had a weird look on her face.

“We’ll have plenty of time to know each other,” said Ashe, “I’m not supposed to be here anyways, since I’m currently undergoing a rite of passage where I’m supposed to roam around the countryside. Let us travel together more, and see if we still stick.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” agreed Rinno, who picked up her wooden box again. She had a blush that was almost as red as Daphne’s plumage.

“If we stick,” echoed Daphne, but she had a smile that made it seem like she wanted them to.

“A ragtag group of monster girls roaming around Juvia, this must will be a first since the Age of Uprising,” laughed Ashe. She looked at the fire she started and said, “may this flame be our witness, I, Asheleigh Draconus, will begin my rite of passage once again with Daphne and Rinno, and with the blessing of the First Queen and the Purging Flame, will come back as sisters.”

***

And they did. On a summer day much like the one from the past year’s, the three were standing proudly once more on that watchtower, each looking slightly older, few steps closer to maturity.

“Wow, this place surely didn’t change,” said Rinno, who was slightly taller and with longer hair, which was unkempt as usual. She poked at the ashes of the fire they lit last year with her newly acquired spear, which she traded for a farmland or two, “the ashes from last year are still here.”

“It’s doesn’t rain much here in Dragonstone after all,” sighed Daphne, who now showed her beautiful red plumage in full view. She had tied the white cloak she wore when she met the two around her waist to hide her numerous swords, but what changed most was her confidence, “the dryness is sure getting to my feathers.”

“Stop being so depressed, it’s a day for celebration after all,” said Ashe, who was standing near the edge of the watchtower, breathing in the slightly charred smell of home. She was arguably the one who changed the most, her armor and scales wore the fatigue of multiple battles, but she looked stronger and was much taller from a year before. She had her purplish hair in braids, and was now using an even larger glaive than before.

The three nodded at each other, and they stood equally distant from each other just as they rehearsed so many times before.

“I, Asheleigh Draconus, of House Dragon, now stand where my ancestor, the Purging Flame stood, to bind myself to my chosen vassals, as my oath sisters. I swear my blade to protect them, my flame to burn their enemies, and my heart to love them as a real sister would.”

“I, Rinno, now stand with Asheleigh, my oath sister. I swear my blade to protect them, my skills to support them, and my heart to love them as a real sister would.”

“I, Daphne, now stand with Asheleigh, my oath sister. I swear my blade to protect them, my wings to ensure their freedom, and my heart to love them as a real sister would.”

The three, now done with their simple ceremony, let out their breath as one and hugged each other as sisters of oath, thicker than blood.