May 5, 2020, 07:57 PM
![[Image: e8fd9c43e459c90bb5afafa474bf8dba.png]](https://i.gyazo.com/e8fd9c43e459c90bb5afafa474bf8dba.png)
Pistol Gang Backstory read me!
Part 1
![[+]](/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Spoiler
Pistol Gang during the American Revolution when Adam McTavish took up his rifle against the British soldiers in Boston, Massachusetts. Adam was a weapon-smith working paycheck to paycheck until the day where the Americans decided to revolt - a time where he would make millions. Adam would become one of the most powerful people in all of the new world, doing under-handed deals with both the British soldiers and also the Americans, favouring whoever would make him the most coin. This would blossom into an empire too big to fail, as he would found Ozaman Corporation as a front to his new industry. Even after making millions, McTavish decided that wasn't enough, and he would dive deeper into the crime industry to the point where he had a hand in just about every organization one could imagine - illegal or not. McTavish would go on to monopolize much of the new world - creating a network of businesses all under the Ozaman Corporation. He had a hand in the printing press, food production, logistics, general stores, shoes, home security, communications, and sales. During McTavish's endevours to become one of the most powerful men in the history of the United States, he would meet the love of his life - Rachael Novikov. Rachael was a strong woman who would refuse to take her husband's last name. The two would have a single, beautiful baby boy, and this is where the story of the Pistol Gang truly begins.
Jojo Price McTavish Novikov was a boy who rejected his parents and lifestyle as a whole. He hated being rich and any expensive possessions his father would given him would be broken, burned, or thrown into the river behind their home. There was a time Jojo's father had given him a very expensive ring with the family crest etched into it to show his connection to the family. To prevent that ring from ever trapping his finger, Jojo mutilated both of his hands of their ring fingers via a soup spoon. Another incident was when Jojo's father attempted to give him a new, specially-breed horse for his eleventh birthday. That horse was reduced to ashes later that night; the screams of the animal haunted Rachael to her grave. Even though he detested being wealthy, he adamantly refused to give any of his wealth to charity or those in need because it was his money. The only thing he would seemingly spend his endless supply of cash would be on hookers and morphine. By the age of 17, Jojo had already developed a major addiction to the dangerous drug and his parent's home had become a playboy mansion.
It was when Jojo turned 18 that his mother kicked him out of his house and truly left him with nothing. Jojo knew there was only one place he could go at this point, and this is where the story of the Pistol Gang truly begins. Jojo came to Friend's house, dead deer dragging behind him, and made the blood payment to enter. Friend had always been a down-to-earth kind of guy. He understood that only one thing truly matters in this world - blood. Blood binds families, species, and an entire world together under a genetic code which unites them all. It is because of this, Friend required a blood tithe to provide residence to someone. Without a payment in blood, one could not truly be trusted in Friend's house for they lacked the understanding on how blood unites us all. Jojo, having made an ample payment, entered and seated at the dinner table next to Friend and his twelve children. It was at this table that Jojo began to see just what kind of man Friend is. Friend didn't just appreciate the value in a creature's blood, he worshiped it. Friend took the whiskey bottle of deer blood and poured a little bit into each of his childrens' glasses, leaving the big gulp for himself. Friend and his children then drank their cups dry and thanked the World for providing them with this fuel which will continue to bind them closer to the creatures around him. Friend was also a betting man, always needing to wear three layers of socks when he did it, however. Friend took part in many underground gambling rings, a place which are known to get bloody and violent. The three layers of socks were so he may suck up as much blood on the floor from, his own or others', to be consumed later by him and his children. So at this table, Friend and Jojo began to talk about what is to come in the future. Jojo was now left with no money and no promises, so there was only one clear option to fix this problem - he and Friend would run. They would run far away from that life and never look back - embracing the freedom of no longer being tied to the upper-class.
Later that night, Jojo would return with Friend to his home and kill all who were inside. Many of the hookers were still inside, slowly cleaning out their things to leave, but their departure would not just be from that home, but from life as a whole. Just as Jojo had come to learn more about Friend earlier that day, Friend had come to understand Jojo more. Jojo was truly connected to blood as well - just not in the way Friend had expected. Friend drew his sword on Jojo and Jojo instantly understood what was going on. Jojo worked not to unify the world through blood, seeing it as the great strings that bind us together, but as a mechanism to create rifts between individuals. Jojo was one who wanted to rid the world of blood. Jojo raised his sword as well and turned to Friend, getting ready for the final battle between the two age-old friends.
Jojo rushed forward to kill Friend with a single blow. Friend knew he was no match for the 150kg of pure muscle charging at him, so he unleashed the trump card in his back pocket. Suddenly, Jojo found himself completely drained of all energy and unable to even lift his arms. His mighty broadsword dropped to the ground as Friend laughed at how pathetic the mighty Jojo now looked. Jojo realized just what Friend was doing. Friend had accepted the connection of blood between the two, and was draining all energy from Jojo's body and absorbing it into his own. Jojo had to act fast or else Friend would strike him down then and there. Looking around him, he saw nothing but the blood of all the dead hookers he had cut down. It was obvious that Friend was also drawing power from all the spilled blood around him. Friend had full control of the whole home now, connecting himself to every inch and drawing energy from the many connections - Jojo included.
Jojo saw only one option: a double-edged sword that may kill or save his life. Jojo expelled the blood from his body. It poured out of him from every angle, coating his entire body red. Jojo gasped for air as his cells were desperately deprived of oxygen. Despite his attempts to breath, his lungs would produce no results. Jojo had to find a replacement for his empty blood vessels. Looking around him he found no source of water, no fluid to fill his body with. Friend had raised his blade and was now absorbing the energy from the raw blood expelled by Jojo. Jojo collapsed to his knees, struggling to stay conscious as his whole body screamed in agony. Friend was now looking down at Jojo with a look of disgust but also pity. Jojo, the great divider of all blood, reduced to nothing but an agonizing husk of a man. Friend raised his sword to strike down Jojo.
Jojo needed to think fast. He didn't have anything to replace the blood in his body, until... He realized that he needed a fluid to fill his empty cells. And he had all the fluids he needed around him. Jojo opened his body to absorb the nitrogen in the atmosphere around him, filling his cells with the brim with life-giving energy. Nitrogen is an almost invisible particle in the atmosphere. Much of the sun's energy passes right through it, giving the sun the ability to heat the Earth. This is a fact which has enabled all life on Earth, but Jojo would use this to divide himself from all forms of energy around himself. His body filled to the brim with Nitrogen, he now had the energy to fight. However, he was still very weak compared to his old form. Where Friend was once not even worth considering to be a challenger before, he was now Jojo's greatest nemesis and largest hurdle to get over. Fate had brought the two together, and the world as a whole now stood in wait to see who would decide the fate of history. Would Jojo, the Great Divider, or Friend, the Great Unifier, win?
Friend brought his sword down to kill Jojo and Jojo was just able to grab his sword and repel the attack. Friend could now sense a change in Jojo and the atmosphere around them. It was as if Jojo had become a vacuum, sucking in air and blowing up like a balloon. So Jojo had decided to reject the binding aspects of Blood himself and injected himself with the most invisible particle in the world - Nitrogen. Despite giving up his immense strength, he and Friend were now an even match as Jojo stood to face him. The force of the energy bouncing off the two send the two flying in opposite directions, much like similar magnetic forces pushing off each other. Both now had regained themselves and had the resolve to come over the force attempting to drive them apart. It was as if the world now had regretted creating such an event and realized that it was about to bring the world into great disarray. The balance between the two forces was now broken.
It was Jojo who would make the first move, rushing forward. His steps would crack the tile under him with each step, his power growing greater and greater as he pushed forward. Jojo was growing more used to his body and was quickly becoming an overpowering force for Friend. Jojo lunged forward and Friend evaded to the side and parried with a fury of attacks, catching Jojo in a vulnerable position. The blade drove hard into Jojo's left arm, causing some of the hyper-compressed nitrogen to spill out. Jojo's left arm was now useless, but this only strengthened his resolve to kill Friend. Jojo took his sword and dismembered his left arm and used immense force and energy to close the wound as a whole, leaving him with just a stump.
Friend was left without a blade now, and had nothing to defend himself with. However, it was actually unlike him to use a sword. Friend had long relied on the flow and control of blood has his primary weapon. Jojo's ever-increasing strength was now matched by Friend unleashing his full force, BLOOD BENDING! The blood covering the walls, the ceiling, the floors, and even Jojo, was now his weapon. The blood-soaked Jojo then felt his skin being pierced by a near-infinite amount of tiny needles. The blood was attempting to burrow itself under Jojo's skin once again under the command of Friend. The blood from the many dead hookers began to compress and charge at Jojo, soaring through the air. Friend now had the upper-hand. Jojo twisted and turned his body, attempting to both shake off the blood on him and also work to shatter the now solid clumps of blood bullets hurling at his body. The blood was now all unified under Friend's control - Jojo was hopeless. Jojo was now like an animal backed into a corner, lashing out at anything he could as he realized that he had no more steps to retreat before he would fall into the lake of fire awaiting him.
Jojo looked around him as he lashed out in a fury to see all the tormented souls he had left in his wake. His parents, the hookers, the many animals he had tortured and killed, and then there were three children which Jojo did not recognize. They stood next to their respective parents - three hookers which Jojo had cut down just ten minutes ago. Inside those three women were Jojo's children, and it is here that he realized his greatest of all sins. Jojo had killed his descendants, his own children. Jojo stopped at that very moment, looking in their tiny eyes as they looked at him with despair and anguish. Jojo now realized just how deep he was and how far-gone he was. However, there was still a chance to redeem himself. If he were to take his sword now and end his life, end the cycle of violence which he had created, maybe that would be an atonement for his sins. However his body, just like his immense wealth which he rejected, was his. It would not be Jojo who would atone for his sins, but Friend would be the one to pay the toll. Blood for blood, a soul for a soul.
Jojo breathed in the atmosphere around him just as the dozens of blood bullets were about to hit him and ejected all the fluids from inside his body. He was choked and left defenseless as he did so, but this created a shockwave which would repel all blood in the area and shatter the ornate windows around him. As Jojo gasped for breath, he would regain his strength, filling his cells with nitrogen. The shockwave was not enough, however, to knock down Friend. Friend re-collected the blood around him and formed a near-invisible sword. As the blood compressed into a solid surface, the pressure caused the carbon atoms within to reshape themselves. The sword then glowed as the sun's light hit it. The carbon atoms had reshaped themselves into a large diamond-shaped sword. In one had Friend wielded a sword made of blood diamonds and in the other had he held a ball of his own blood which he had expelled from his body. Armed with two mighty weapons, Friend was ready to end Jojo forever.
Jojo stood with one arm and a flimsy iron sword - something no match for solid diamond. Friend charged at Jojo, creating a shockwave as he pushed forward, moving faster than a speeding bullet. Jojo was able to block the attack with his sword, but the collision sent him flying back into a wall, shattering three ribs and cracking many others. Jojo used the nitrogen in his blood and the fluid that it is to compress the bones back together. It was as he unconsciously did that, that Jojo realized the power he had at his grasp. He was now the master of the atmosphere and area around them. Friend had used all the blood around them to forge his sword, and it was now that Jojo had the upper-hand.
Friend charged again and before he could hit Jojo, Jojo unleashed the full force of the surrounding atmosphere. Jojo, upon accepting the atmosphere inside himself as the force for his life, the atmosphere had also accepted him as the one to dominate itself. A pact was now formed between the two, and Jojo was more than happy to oblige. The force of the atmosphere slammed Friend against a wall, shattering his bones as well. Through the use of Friend's BLOOD BENDING, he was quickly able to restore his wounds by carrying the necessary resources to where they were needed in his body. However, this effort was all for nought as Jojo hurled another blast of the atmosphere at Friend. This would shatter the walls, the ceiling, and also send Friend flying out into the courtyard of the wealthy home. A ornate plant would break Friend's fall, but he was far from being able to fight any longer.
Jojo approached Friend. He watched as Friend struggled to regain his strength and pull himself up, but the fight was over. Debris had torn Friend's skin raw, leaving nothing but deep tissue showing and blood pouring out. Jojo looked towards Friend's left arm - it was the only piece of him which had not sustained major damage, most likely shielded by the blood which was in Friend's left hand. Jojo took the arm and ripped it from Friend's body. Jojo opened the wound on his left arm which he had sealed with nitrogen and attached Friend's arm to his own body. The two fused together, creating the ultimate being. Jojo was now dominant of both connection and rift - he was the ultimate being which would shape the world as a whole. The blood from Friend's body came flowing into Jojo, and before Friend could take advantage of this, the blood had already accepted its new master. Friend attempted to command the blood, but it was no use. He was no longer in control.
Jojo then lifted both arms, commanding the power of blood and atmosphere. As he had decided before, Friend would be the one to atone for Jojo's sins. Jojo ripped the soul from Friend's body and used it to bring one of his unborn children back. A soul for a soul. Friend's body went limp, once Jojo's greatest companions, reduced to nothing. The ruined home then erupted with a cry from a newborn child.
Jojo rushed in to find a child sitting next to its dead mother, wanting someone to show it love. Jojo would obliged; he picked up his child and saw it was a beautiful baby girl. He promised to protect her from all forces of evil and give her the life that he should have been provided with growing up. The McTavish fortune was now theirs, something which he had rightfully earned now and could accept. He had killed his parents in the home along with the hookers, making him the rightful heir to the Ozaman Corporation. Jojo would go on to lead himself and his newborn child to a bright future, shaping the world in his image.
End of Prologue
Seventy years after Jojo had defeated Friend, the world had lived in peace. Jojo’s daughter, Jessica, had given birth to a baby boy three years after Jojo’s passing. Since then, the Ozaman Corporation had completely collapsed and the McTavish name had faded from history along with his fortune. After Jojo had taken power, he went on a large campaign for world domination but eventually had to retire to a small home in the countryside. Despite losing their fortune, the McTavish bloodline had shaped history through their political influence and directly altering the course of the United States of America.
It is here, with Adam being born, the story of the Pistol Gang truly begins. Adam was a man of many talents; he could cross his legs and walk on his knees, he could negotiate himself out of any bad situation, and his farts smelled lemony-fresh due to some pills he takes every day.
Part I - Insignificance
With respect to the cosmic race for power, the Valinians started nearly dead last behind their competition. Beyond their tiny bubble, this avian race was locked to the atmosphere of their dry rock rotating around a red giant star with absolutely no hope of playing a major role on the multidimensional scale in which the greater world was operating on. To compare the Valinians to the ants, or even the bacteria, beneath one’s feet is an understatement.
Beyond their levels of comprehension and understanding, a war was raging which far exceeded any precedent in the 14-quintillion-old universe and infinitely-old multiverse which the Valinians inhabited.
The war raging across almost all of existence was between the two superpower factions inhabiting almost all of known reality. This war killed countless individuals and ravaged entire realities down to the very last bit of data. Perhaps by sheer luck or even fate, the Valinians were left unharmed by this fight. The two factions fighting for power went by esteemed titles, the Rek’Thar Combine, and the Pyrathmic Swarm.
The Pyrathmic Swarm came far before the Combine, however they were not an ambitious race of beings. The ‘Swarm’ was a collection of hive-mind based creatures all centered around the Queens of the brood. The Queens, while weak on their own, would spawn countless smaller, mindless creatures to fight for them and also function as the cells for their ever-expanding bodies. The Queens and their bodies were known to grow beyond comprehension in the vacuum of space - some becoming as large as entire solar systems. Such size is, no doubt, impossible under normal conditions. However, through the primal will of the Queens, they were able to defy the rules of reality through their Truths. The Truths which the Queens held allowed them to defy certain rules of the universe under certain conditions, and this is what created the ultimate feud between the Queens and the Rek’Thar Combine.
If the Queens of the Pyrathmic Swarm were the representation of true psionic abilities, giving them the power to defy certain rules of reality, the Rek’Thar Combine would be their antithesis. The Combine possessed the ability to defy their own rules of reality through the use of the physical world, pushing the universe to its limits and beyond what Reality believed is possible. They were the two heads to the same coin, both looking to achieve their goals by circumventing reality. However, they were both limited in their abilities. Both sides possessed a half to the same whole in which they sought to achieve. However, should one side bestow the other with their own abilities, then that other half would dominate all of reality and become gods.
The 2,000-Eon-War
For almost all of reality in which the Combine and Swarm existed, they respected the other’s power. War and destruction would be mutual, resulting in a gamble which would leave both sides with nothing. There was a stark difference between the Swarm and Combine, however. While the Swarm had achieved much of what they desired, living in ever-growing bodies and creating a level of peace which was acceptable, the Combine were not content. The Combine saw the Swarm as a grave threat to their existence, a power which could not be allowed to rival their own.
There was another dramatic difference between the two - the Combine were limited by the physical capabilities of the reality they existed in, while the Swarm was limited by their abilities of their Truths. Understanding this, the Combine would sound the drums of war and attack the Swarm with the goals of claiming their secrets for their own and becoming the true gods of all existence. It was here that over ninety-percent of life would die near infinitely-many times over and over again. The combine were armed with endless, relentless forces generated by a deep pool of knowledge and their ability to surpass the rules of reality.
The Combine exploited the limits of Reality’s comprehension and allowed themselves to bypass certain rules which would ultimately go enforced. Namely, conservation of matter and energy. The Combine were able to create something from nothing, without many limits. They could create endless supplies of soldiers in factories which produced weapons along with life to fight mindlessly against their enemy.
The Swarm exploited the limits of Reality’s will and bypassed various rules by imposing their will above Reality's own. Such is Truth. Truth is the true understanding of the universe and using one’s own will to overpower it. And thus, Turth was used to override Reality’s will and create endless soldiers to do the Swarm’s bidding. There is a limit to Truth, however. Truth is limited to the user’s will; a limited willpower is the ultimate limit of the Truth Wielder. And this would be the Swarm’s downfall.
War would rage for eons as unstoppable forces collide in battlegrounds which would grow exponentially in size with every passing second. However, there would be a break in the lines. The limit of the Swarm’s will was not enough to subdue the relentless Combine. This would be the downfall of the Swarm, however they would refuse to give the Combine their secrets to Truth. Truth, while it is the ability to enforce one’s will on reality around them, manipulating information down to the most fundamental level, this is also a power which may be given, or even stolen. Through the use of a Truth Wielder’s Will, one can give the power of Truth to another being by manipulating their own will to overpower Reality’s. It was the Combine’s hope by either torturing, killing, or somehow stealing Truth that they would harness the ability.
The Rek’Thar Combine would fail.
Their bloodshed and relentless insurgence would not be enough to get even a single Queen to give them the power they desired. While they did not claim the power of Truth for themselves, they did manage to carry out the Swarm’s Extermination. It is through this that they would become the gods of their reality as there was no one left to challenge them for the throne. It is now that only a few Queens managed to survive compared to the billions which once existed, having lost their supermassive bodies in the process and reverted to the size of nothing but a man. Many sought refuge in the far corners of the universe, feasting on planets for their resources to regain their strength. However, many lacked the will to fight and lived in fear. Their Truths would now only serve as a means of survival and not one of vengeance for such a goal would be truly impossible.
It is here that one Queen, the Queen, would stumble upon a small, mundane galaxy and even more mundane solar system on the edge of its spiral arms where she would regain her strength. Five planets, a weak star at its center, and two of those rocks orbiting harbouring life. One planet contained weak fleshlings, posture based on two legged movement and insignificant intelligence. The other planet contained a band of avian creatures with limited flight due to their size. Both meant nothing to the Queen, and to consider their existence would be comparable to considering the bacteria. This Queen once gawked at her own body, once the size of two of these medium-sized solar systems put together. She was once one of the strongest of her race, and it was only due to this strength that she managed to escape the Combine’s extermination.
The Queen would settle herself on the fleshling world and lie dormant for many generations. She had fought for many eons, and now she just wished to rest. Burrowed deep underground, her body would gradually drain the precious resources around her and regain her strength as her consciousness slept.
Part II - Celestial Parasite
Seventy-three years later, the Humanoid world was thrown into complete chaos as the Queen’s body acted out of pure instinct with her consciousness inactive. The Humanoids were completely incapable of defending themselves against this extra-terrestrial invasion from below their own feet. The Queen would spawn endless, ravenous amalgamations, complete abominations of nature, to scorch the planet’s surface with war and harvest anything useful. Cities would go overwhelmed year after year as the Queen became more capable and her senses returning to her. Entire contents were left completely uninhabitable as the Queen would reach her thousands of arms around the planet. While all this was going on, the neighbor to the Humanoid world, home to the Valencians, was blissfully unaware of the looming threat not even a millimeter away from them on the cosmic scale.
Part II.a - Culture Shock
Adaviel Vinic arose from his slumber in a fog, both unable and unwilling to try to navigate his hazy mind to find his limbs and start the day. It was these few, rare moments where he gave himself the chance to rest that he cherished. Today was an exception to an exception that he gave himself a chance to simply sit in silence for once. Yesterday was Adaviel’s Golden Day, a time where his back was shedding its frail feathers of youth and growing the strong, golden-tinted razors of a matured Valencian.
The Golden Day, the day where the adult feathers show on a Juvenile's back is a right of passage to adulthood on the plant of Valencia. The dominant race, a band of bipedal, flightless avians do not concern themselves with simple concepts such as years or days on a calendar but instead with development milestones. The Valencians do possess calendars which are used frequently, but these are mostly used for adult work or juvenile schooling schedules.
The milestones which the Valencians do choose to rely upon would be that of the Golden Day, the Day of Respite, Day of Seventh Virtue, and various others. The Day of Respite would be the female counterpart to the Golden Day; this is the day where a female Valencian would give birth to their first egg. Both genders would follow and await their Day of the Seventh Virtue.
The Valencians take great pride in their virtuous acts and society-serving ways. From the day they are born, they are taught that self-sacrifice for another is the greatest act which will earn them a permanent place in society. From this ideal, each Valencian is expected to perform seven great virtues of Humility, Kindness, Temperance, Chastity, Patience, Charity, and Diligence. By the time of the Golden Day or the Day of Respite, a Valencian has usually accomplished at least two of these. Many in their lifetime do not achieve more than four or five; so it is a great honour to be recognized by one’s peers at accomplishing all seven Virtues and having their name permanently remembered by that generation.
Adaviel has not been recognized for one Virtue yet. He has always been a diligent Valencian, taking great care to accomplish any task given to him swiftly and according to all directions given. He seems to work harder than any of his peers, achieving greater feets than anyone else at his age. He spends his time aiding others less fortunate than himself, hoping to be recognized for his Kindness. He does not brag and denounces those who do, showing his overwhelming Humility. Adaviel has not indulged in excess and only takes what he needs, showing his Temperance. And so much more. And yet, even though he sees himself as the shining example of what a Valencian should be, he is not recognized for anything he has done.
“Why? Why have my efforts gone unnoticed? Why do I not have my name in the papers like those who have done something as simple as saved another’s life without giving anything themself? I have given everything I have, yet I receive no recognition in return…” Adaviel mutters to himself. Even now, after his Golden Day, he has not received the titles he deserves. He is not Adaviel Vinic the Diligent or Adaviel Vinic the Kind… He is just Adaviel, hardly even given a second thought for his deeds. This would not cause Adaviel to fall into despair, though. For despair too often leads to slothfulness and undesired burdens on others. Instead, he would take upon the greatest sacrifice of all now that he has achieved the status of adulthood.![[Image: 4cba60912e938a873be7c56bd6fc86a8.png]](https://i.gyazo.com/4cba60912e938a873be7c56bd6fc86a8.png)
Today, he would be joining the military and truly dedicate himself to serving others and protecting the world he loves. It is here, with his thought train ending, that Adaviel finally found his way through the fog and brought himself up to his feet to start the day.
Adaviel’s mother looked to see Adaviel charging down from his room to the dining room. As always, Adaviel would choose not to walk down the staircase but instead leap down and use the rapid flapping of his feathered arms to break his fall - just about all that wings on a flightless avian is good for in today’s world. It was far more efficient and less time-consuming for Adaviel to leap down the center of the spiral staircase rather than take the long way down.
“I was beginning to think you would never leave that room of yours. This is the one time I’ll be cooking for you given that yesterday was your Golden Day,” said Adaviel’s mom, jokingly. Like any parent, it was common for her to poke teasing jabs at her son.
At home, it was Adaviel’s responsibility to cook, dust, and take care of the lawn and his mother would take up the rest of the responsibilities in maintaining the place. Adaviel was lucky enough to be able to half-decent at cooking; his mother, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Even when following a recipe exactly, she would somehow find a way to burn, undercook, poison, or turn the dish into a crime against all Valencians.
Taking his seat at the table, Adaviel looked down at the meal in front of him. It looked surprisingly normal. In fact, Adaviel couldn’t find anything distinctly wrong with it at first glance - no burning, no undercooked slop, and no discolouration. Curious, Adaviel took a bite of it. “Not bad. I-I mean, it’s great, Mom!” Adaviel corrected himself so he would not cause any insult. He swallowed the food and then that’s when it hit him. His face suddenly began to heat up, much like his head was just put in a furnace. He tried to suppress it by drinking a glass of water, but the ferocity of the burning only raged more after that.
Adaviel could no longer suppress his distress and began to bend over in his chair. His mother, however, seemed completely unphased by this and would attempt to strike up a very one-sided conversation, “So you’re going to be following in your father’s footsteps then? Even now, I know better than to try to stop you,” Stella would turn to the picture over the half-dead Adaviel’s head showing Tinsel Vinic proudly looking down at them, “Your father, Tinsel Vinic the VIRTUOUS would be very proud of you. You know that, right, Adaviel? Ever since you were a hatchling, we’ve been proud of you.”
Adaviel could barely control himself at this point. “Just what the hell did she put in this!? I can hardly breath, let alone speak. God, Mom! Give it a break for just a bit!” His entire body was burning; even his talons felt like they were radiating heat to the point where they would melt through his skin and the floor below.
“You know I played this same trick on your father the day after his Golden Day. I can still remember him choking and twitching on the floor. He has always hated nenbell peppers, just like you.”
“NENBELL PEPPERS? You’ve got to be kidding me… She knew that I would want to rush out of the house as fast as possible to get to the registration office so THIS was her plan to make me stay around?” Vinic thought to himself with the last few brain cells he had left that weren’t cindered to ashes.
Adaivel’s mom, Stella, giggled to herself as she relished these last few moments with her son. It was a cruel trick, actually putting effort into her cooking for once to make it look nice only to have that serve as a means to get her son to eat it. All of this just to get a few more moments with him. She knew that the moment he left those doors and became a registered soldier, she would not see him for a very long time, if not ever.
When someone becomes a registered soldier, they are no longer bound by their name and only represent their surname. Stella looked again at the photo of her deceased husband and lover, Tinsel Vinic. She knew that the day would come where her son would go off to follow in his footsteps, and she was so proud of him for doing that and more. If only, just if only, the burning effects of those peppers she poisoned Tinsel with all those years ago lasted more than a few minutes.
Adaviel’s senses were finally returning to him. While it had only been a minute or two, those few moments felt like an eternity of anguish. Adaviel put his arm on the table to prop himself, but that was an unnecessary effort as his body became very light. Adaviel was brought to his feet as his mother embraced him for what would be the last time. She would hand him a box of proper food she had ordered for delivery earlier that morning, promising him that she had not done anything to it. It is here that they said their final goodbyes by pressing their beaks together. Vinic would then leave his house and turn to the vast, turquoise sky - ready.
[Theo: What the fuck am I doing with my life? Do I have the brain damage?]
Jojo Price McTavish Novikov was a boy who rejected his parents and lifestyle as a whole. He hated being rich and any expensive possessions his father would given him would be broken, burned, or thrown into the river behind their home. There was a time Jojo's father had given him a very expensive ring with the family crest etched into it to show his connection to the family. To prevent that ring from ever trapping his finger, Jojo mutilated both of his hands of their ring fingers via a soup spoon. Another incident was when Jojo's father attempted to give him a new, specially-breed horse for his eleventh birthday. That horse was reduced to ashes later that night; the screams of the animal haunted Rachael to her grave. Even though he detested being wealthy, he adamantly refused to give any of his wealth to charity or those in need because it was his money. The only thing he would seemingly spend his endless supply of cash would be on hookers and morphine. By the age of 17, Jojo had already developed a major addiction to the dangerous drug and his parent's home had become a playboy mansion.
It was when Jojo turned 18 that his mother kicked him out of his house and truly left him with nothing. Jojo knew there was only one place he could go at this point, and this is where the story of the Pistol Gang truly begins. Jojo came to Friend's house, dead deer dragging behind him, and made the blood payment to enter. Friend had always been a down-to-earth kind of guy. He understood that only one thing truly matters in this world - blood. Blood binds families, species, and an entire world together under a genetic code which unites them all. It is because of this, Friend required a blood tithe to provide residence to someone. Without a payment in blood, one could not truly be trusted in Friend's house for they lacked the understanding on how blood unites us all. Jojo, having made an ample payment, entered and seated at the dinner table next to Friend and his twelve children. It was at this table that Jojo began to see just what kind of man Friend is. Friend didn't just appreciate the value in a creature's blood, he worshiped it. Friend took the whiskey bottle of deer blood and poured a little bit into each of his childrens' glasses, leaving the big gulp for himself. Friend and his children then drank their cups dry and thanked the World for providing them with this fuel which will continue to bind them closer to the creatures around him. Friend was also a betting man, always needing to wear three layers of socks when he did it, however. Friend took part in many underground gambling rings, a place which are known to get bloody and violent. The three layers of socks were so he may suck up as much blood on the floor from, his own or others', to be consumed later by him and his children. So at this table, Friend and Jojo began to talk about what is to come in the future. Jojo was now left with no money and no promises, so there was only one clear option to fix this problem - he and Friend would run. They would run far away from that life and never look back - embracing the freedom of no longer being tied to the upper-class.
Later that night, Jojo would return with Friend to his home and kill all who were inside. Many of the hookers were still inside, slowly cleaning out their things to leave, but their departure would not just be from that home, but from life as a whole. Just as Jojo had come to learn more about Friend earlier that day, Friend had come to understand Jojo more. Jojo was truly connected to blood as well - just not in the way Friend had expected. Friend drew his sword on Jojo and Jojo instantly understood what was going on. Jojo worked not to unify the world through blood, seeing it as the great strings that bind us together, but as a mechanism to create rifts between individuals. Jojo was one who wanted to rid the world of blood. Jojo raised his sword as well and turned to Friend, getting ready for the final battle between the two age-old friends.
Jojo rushed forward to kill Friend with a single blow. Friend knew he was no match for the 150kg of pure muscle charging at him, so he unleashed the trump card in his back pocket. Suddenly, Jojo found himself completely drained of all energy and unable to even lift his arms. His mighty broadsword dropped to the ground as Friend laughed at how pathetic the mighty Jojo now looked. Jojo realized just what Friend was doing. Friend had accepted the connection of blood between the two, and was draining all energy from Jojo's body and absorbing it into his own. Jojo had to act fast or else Friend would strike him down then and there. Looking around him, he saw nothing but the blood of all the dead hookers he had cut down. It was obvious that Friend was also drawing power from all the spilled blood around him. Friend had full control of the whole home now, connecting himself to every inch and drawing energy from the many connections - Jojo included.
Jojo saw only one option: a double-edged sword that may kill or save his life. Jojo expelled the blood from his body. It poured out of him from every angle, coating his entire body red. Jojo gasped for air as his cells were desperately deprived of oxygen. Despite his attempts to breath, his lungs would produce no results. Jojo had to find a replacement for his empty blood vessels. Looking around him he found no source of water, no fluid to fill his body with. Friend had raised his blade and was now absorbing the energy from the raw blood expelled by Jojo. Jojo collapsed to his knees, struggling to stay conscious as his whole body screamed in agony. Friend was now looking down at Jojo with a look of disgust but also pity. Jojo, the great divider of all blood, reduced to nothing but an agonizing husk of a man. Friend raised his sword to strike down Jojo.
Jojo needed to think fast. He didn't have anything to replace the blood in his body, until... He realized that he needed a fluid to fill his empty cells. And he had all the fluids he needed around him. Jojo opened his body to absorb the nitrogen in the atmosphere around him, filling his cells with the brim with life-giving energy. Nitrogen is an almost invisible particle in the atmosphere. Much of the sun's energy passes right through it, giving the sun the ability to heat the Earth. This is a fact which has enabled all life on Earth, but Jojo would use this to divide himself from all forms of energy around himself. His body filled to the brim with Nitrogen, he now had the energy to fight. However, he was still very weak compared to his old form. Where Friend was once not even worth considering to be a challenger before, he was now Jojo's greatest nemesis and largest hurdle to get over. Fate had brought the two together, and the world as a whole now stood in wait to see who would decide the fate of history. Would Jojo, the Great Divider, or Friend, the Great Unifier, win?
Friend brought his sword down to kill Jojo and Jojo was just able to grab his sword and repel the attack. Friend could now sense a change in Jojo and the atmosphere around them. It was as if Jojo had become a vacuum, sucking in air and blowing up like a balloon. So Jojo had decided to reject the binding aspects of Blood himself and injected himself with the most invisible particle in the world - Nitrogen. Despite giving up his immense strength, he and Friend were now an even match as Jojo stood to face him. The force of the energy bouncing off the two send the two flying in opposite directions, much like similar magnetic forces pushing off each other. Both now had regained themselves and had the resolve to come over the force attempting to drive them apart. It was as if the world now had regretted creating such an event and realized that it was about to bring the world into great disarray. The balance between the two forces was now broken.
It was Jojo who would make the first move, rushing forward. His steps would crack the tile under him with each step, his power growing greater and greater as he pushed forward. Jojo was growing more used to his body and was quickly becoming an overpowering force for Friend. Jojo lunged forward and Friend evaded to the side and parried with a fury of attacks, catching Jojo in a vulnerable position. The blade drove hard into Jojo's left arm, causing some of the hyper-compressed nitrogen to spill out. Jojo's left arm was now useless, but this only strengthened his resolve to kill Friend. Jojo took his sword and dismembered his left arm and used immense force and energy to close the wound as a whole, leaving him with just a stump.
Friend was left without a blade now, and had nothing to defend himself with. However, it was actually unlike him to use a sword. Friend had long relied on the flow and control of blood has his primary weapon. Jojo's ever-increasing strength was now matched by Friend unleashing his full force, BLOOD BENDING! The blood covering the walls, the ceiling, the floors, and even Jojo, was now his weapon. The blood-soaked Jojo then felt his skin being pierced by a near-infinite amount of tiny needles. The blood was attempting to burrow itself under Jojo's skin once again under the command of Friend. The blood from the many dead hookers began to compress and charge at Jojo, soaring through the air. Friend now had the upper-hand. Jojo twisted and turned his body, attempting to both shake off the blood on him and also work to shatter the now solid clumps of blood bullets hurling at his body. The blood was now all unified under Friend's control - Jojo was hopeless. Jojo was now like an animal backed into a corner, lashing out at anything he could as he realized that he had no more steps to retreat before he would fall into the lake of fire awaiting him.
Jojo looked around him as he lashed out in a fury to see all the tormented souls he had left in his wake. His parents, the hookers, the many animals he had tortured and killed, and then there were three children which Jojo did not recognize. They stood next to their respective parents - three hookers which Jojo had cut down just ten minutes ago. Inside those three women were Jojo's children, and it is here that he realized his greatest of all sins. Jojo had killed his descendants, his own children. Jojo stopped at that very moment, looking in their tiny eyes as they looked at him with despair and anguish. Jojo now realized just how deep he was and how far-gone he was. However, there was still a chance to redeem himself. If he were to take his sword now and end his life, end the cycle of violence which he had created, maybe that would be an atonement for his sins. However his body, just like his immense wealth which he rejected, was his. It would not be Jojo who would atone for his sins, but Friend would be the one to pay the toll. Blood for blood, a soul for a soul.
Jojo breathed in the atmosphere around him just as the dozens of blood bullets were about to hit him and ejected all the fluids from inside his body. He was choked and left defenseless as he did so, but this created a shockwave which would repel all blood in the area and shatter the ornate windows around him. As Jojo gasped for breath, he would regain his strength, filling his cells with nitrogen. The shockwave was not enough, however, to knock down Friend. Friend re-collected the blood around him and formed a near-invisible sword. As the blood compressed into a solid surface, the pressure caused the carbon atoms within to reshape themselves. The sword then glowed as the sun's light hit it. The carbon atoms had reshaped themselves into a large diamond-shaped sword. In one had Friend wielded a sword made of blood diamonds and in the other had he held a ball of his own blood which he had expelled from his body. Armed with two mighty weapons, Friend was ready to end Jojo forever.
Jojo stood with one arm and a flimsy iron sword - something no match for solid diamond. Friend charged at Jojo, creating a shockwave as he pushed forward, moving faster than a speeding bullet. Jojo was able to block the attack with his sword, but the collision sent him flying back into a wall, shattering three ribs and cracking many others. Jojo used the nitrogen in his blood and the fluid that it is to compress the bones back together. It was as he unconsciously did that, that Jojo realized the power he had at his grasp. He was now the master of the atmosphere and area around them. Friend had used all the blood around them to forge his sword, and it was now that Jojo had the upper-hand.
Friend charged again and before he could hit Jojo, Jojo unleashed the full force of the surrounding atmosphere. Jojo, upon accepting the atmosphere inside himself as the force for his life, the atmosphere had also accepted him as the one to dominate itself. A pact was now formed between the two, and Jojo was more than happy to oblige. The force of the atmosphere slammed Friend against a wall, shattering his bones as well. Through the use of Friend's BLOOD BENDING, he was quickly able to restore his wounds by carrying the necessary resources to where they were needed in his body. However, this effort was all for nought as Jojo hurled another blast of the atmosphere at Friend. This would shatter the walls, the ceiling, and also send Friend flying out into the courtyard of the wealthy home. A ornate plant would break Friend's fall, but he was far from being able to fight any longer.
Jojo approached Friend. He watched as Friend struggled to regain his strength and pull himself up, but the fight was over. Debris had torn Friend's skin raw, leaving nothing but deep tissue showing and blood pouring out. Jojo looked towards Friend's left arm - it was the only piece of him which had not sustained major damage, most likely shielded by the blood which was in Friend's left hand. Jojo took the arm and ripped it from Friend's body. Jojo opened the wound on his left arm which he had sealed with nitrogen and attached Friend's arm to his own body. The two fused together, creating the ultimate being. Jojo was now dominant of both connection and rift - he was the ultimate being which would shape the world as a whole. The blood from Friend's body came flowing into Jojo, and before Friend could take advantage of this, the blood had already accepted its new master. Friend attempted to command the blood, but it was no use. He was no longer in control.
Jojo then lifted both arms, commanding the power of blood and atmosphere. As he had decided before, Friend would be the one to atone for Jojo's sins. Jojo ripped the soul from Friend's body and used it to bring one of his unborn children back. A soul for a soul. Friend's body went limp, once Jojo's greatest companions, reduced to nothing. The ruined home then erupted with a cry from a newborn child.
Jojo rushed in to find a child sitting next to its dead mother, wanting someone to show it love. Jojo would obliged; he picked up his child and saw it was a beautiful baby girl. He promised to protect her from all forces of evil and give her the life that he should have been provided with growing up. The McTavish fortune was now theirs, something which he had rightfully earned now and could accept. He had killed his parents in the home along with the hookers, making him the rightful heir to the Ozaman Corporation. Jojo would go on to lead himself and his newborn child to a bright future, shaping the world in his image.
End of Prologue
Seventy years after Jojo had defeated Friend, the world had lived in peace. Jojo’s daughter, Jessica, had given birth to a baby boy three years after Jojo’s passing. Since then, the Ozaman Corporation had completely collapsed and the McTavish name had faded from history along with his fortune. After Jojo had taken power, he went on a large campaign for world domination but eventually had to retire to a small home in the countryside. Despite losing their fortune, the McTavish bloodline had shaped history through their political influence and directly altering the course of the United States of America.
It is here, with Adam being born, the story of the Pistol Gang truly begins. Adam was a man of many talents; he could cross his legs and walk on his knees, he could negotiate himself out of any bad situation, and his farts smelled lemony-fresh due to some pills he takes every day.
Part I - Insignificance
With respect to the cosmic race for power, the Valinians started nearly dead last behind their competition. Beyond their tiny bubble, this avian race was locked to the atmosphere of their dry rock rotating around a red giant star with absolutely no hope of playing a major role on the multidimensional scale in which the greater world was operating on. To compare the Valinians to the ants, or even the bacteria, beneath one’s feet is an understatement.
Beyond their levels of comprehension and understanding, a war was raging which far exceeded any precedent in the 14-quintillion-old universe and infinitely-old multiverse which the Valinians inhabited.
The war raging across almost all of existence was between the two superpower factions inhabiting almost all of known reality. This war killed countless individuals and ravaged entire realities down to the very last bit of data. Perhaps by sheer luck or even fate, the Valinians were left unharmed by this fight. The two factions fighting for power went by esteemed titles, the Rek’Thar Combine, and the Pyrathmic Swarm.
The Pyrathmic Swarm came far before the Combine, however they were not an ambitious race of beings. The ‘Swarm’ was a collection of hive-mind based creatures all centered around the Queens of the brood. The Queens, while weak on their own, would spawn countless smaller, mindless creatures to fight for them and also function as the cells for their ever-expanding bodies. The Queens and their bodies were known to grow beyond comprehension in the vacuum of space - some becoming as large as entire solar systems. Such size is, no doubt, impossible under normal conditions. However, through the primal will of the Queens, they were able to defy the rules of reality through their Truths. The Truths which the Queens held allowed them to defy certain rules of the universe under certain conditions, and this is what created the ultimate feud between the Queens and the Rek’Thar Combine.
If the Queens of the Pyrathmic Swarm were the representation of true psionic abilities, giving them the power to defy certain rules of reality, the Rek’Thar Combine would be their antithesis. The Combine possessed the ability to defy their own rules of reality through the use of the physical world, pushing the universe to its limits and beyond what Reality believed is possible. They were the two heads to the same coin, both looking to achieve their goals by circumventing reality. However, they were both limited in their abilities. Both sides possessed a half to the same whole in which they sought to achieve. However, should one side bestow the other with their own abilities, then that other half would dominate all of reality and become gods.
The 2,000-Eon-War
For almost all of reality in which the Combine and Swarm existed, they respected the other’s power. War and destruction would be mutual, resulting in a gamble which would leave both sides with nothing. There was a stark difference between the Swarm and Combine, however. While the Swarm had achieved much of what they desired, living in ever-growing bodies and creating a level of peace which was acceptable, the Combine were not content. The Combine saw the Swarm as a grave threat to their existence, a power which could not be allowed to rival their own.
There was another dramatic difference between the two - the Combine were limited by the physical capabilities of the reality they existed in, while the Swarm was limited by their abilities of their Truths. Understanding this, the Combine would sound the drums of war and attack the Swarm with the goals of claiming their secrets for their own and becoming the true gods of all existence. It was here that over ninety-percent of life would die near infinitely-many times over and over again. The combine were armed with endless, relentless forces generated by a deep pool of knowledge and their ability to surpass the rules of reality.
The Combine exploited the limits of Reality’s comprehension and allowed themselves to bypass certain rules which would ultimately go enforced. Namely, conservation of matter and energy. The Combine were able to create something from nothing, without many limits. They could create endless supplies of soldiers in factories which produced weapons along with life to fight mindlessly against their enemy.
The Swarm exploited the limits of Reality’s will and bypassed various rules by imposing their will above Reality's own. Such is Truth. Truth is the true understanding of the universe and using one’s own will to overpower it. And thus, Turth was used to override Reality’s will and create endless soldiers to do the Swarm’s bidding. There is a limit to Truth, however. Truth is limited to the user’s will; a limited willpower is the ultimate limit of the Truth Wielder. And this would be the Swarm’s downfall.
War would rage for eons as unstoppable forces collide in battlegrounds which would grow exponentially in size with every passing second. However, there would be a break in the lines. The limit of the Swarm’s will was not enough to subdue the relentless Combine. This would be the downfall of the Swarm, however they would refuse to give the Combine their secrets to Truth. Truth, while it is the ability to enforce one’s will on reality around them, manipulating information down to the most fundamental level, this is also a power which may be given, or even stolen. Through the use of a Truth Wielder’s Will, one can give the power of Truth to another being by manipulating their own will to overpower Reality’s. It was the Combine’s hope by either torturing, killing, or somehow stealing Truth that they would harness the ability.
The Rek’Thar Combine would fail.
Their bloodshed and relentless insurgence would not be enough to get even a single Queen to give them the power they desired. While they did not claim the power of Truth for themselves, they did manage to carry out the Swarm’s Extermination. It is through this that they would become the gods of their reality as there was no one left to challenge them for the throne. It is now that only a few Queens managed to survive compared to the billions which once existed, having lost their supermassive bodies in the process and reverted to the size of nothing but a man. Many sought refuge in the far corners of the universe, feasting on planets for their resources to regain their strength. However, many lacked the will to fight and lived in fear. Their Truths would now only serve as a means of survival and not one of vengeance for such a goal would be truly impossible.
It is here that one Queen, the Queen, would stumble upon a small, mundane galaxy and even more mundane solar system on the edge of its spiral arms where she would regain her strength. Five planets, a weak star at its center, and two of those rocks orbiting harbouring life. One planet contained weak fleshlings, posture based on two legged movement and insignificant intelligence. The other planet contained a band of avian creatures with limited flight due to their size. Both meant nothing to the Queen, and to consider their existence would be comparable to considering the bacteria. This Queen once gawked at her own body, once the size of two of these medium-sized solar systems put together. She was once one of the strongest of her race, and it was only due to this strength that she managed to escape the Combine’s extermination.
The Queen would settle herself on the fleshling world and lie dormant for many generations. She had fought for many eons, and now she just wished to rest. Burrowed deep underground, her body would gradually drain the precious resources around her and regain her strength as her consciousness slept.
Part II - Celestial Parasite
Seventy-three years later, the Humanoid world was thrown into complete chaos as the Queen’s body acted out of pure instinct with her consciousness inactive. The Humanoids were completely incapable of defending themselves against this extra-terrestrial invasion from below their own feet. The Queen would spawn endless, ravenous amalgamations, complete abominations of nature, to scorch the planet’s surface with war and harvest anything useful. Cities would go overwhelmed year after year as the Queen became more capable and her senses returning to her. Entire contents were left completely uninhabitable as the Queen would reach her thousands of arms around the planet. While all this was going on, the neighbor to the Humanoid world, home to the Valencians, was blissfully unaware of the looming threat not even a millimeter away from them on the cosmic scale.
Part II.a - Culture Shock
Adaviel Vinic arose from his slumber in a fog, both unable and unwilling to try to navigate his hazy mind to find his limbs and start the day. It was these few, rare moments where he gave himself the chance to rest that he cherished. Today was an exception to an exception that he gave himself a chance to simply sit in silence for once. Yesterday was Adaviel’s Golden Day, a time where his back was shedding its frail feathers of youth and growing the strong, golden-tinted razors of a matured Valencian.
The Golden Day, the day where the adult feathers show on a Juvenile's back is a right of passage to adulthood on the plant of Valencia. The dominant race, a band of bipedal, flightless avians do not concern themselves with simple concepts such as years or days on a calendar but instead with development milestones. The Valencians do possess calendars which are used frequently, but these are mostly used for adult work or juvenile schooling schedules.
The milestones which the Valencians do choose to rely upon would be that of the Golden Day, the Day of Respite, Day of Seventh Virtue, and various others. The Day of Respite would be the female counterpart to the Golden Day; this is the day where a female Valencian would give birth to their first egg. Both genders would follow and await their Day of the Seventh Virtue.
The Valencians take great pride in their virtuous acts and society-serving ways. From the day they are born, they are taught that self-sacrifice for another is the greatest act which will earn them a permanent place in society. From this ideal, each Valencian is expected to perform seven great virtues of Humility, Kindness, Temperance, Chastity, Patience, Charity, and Diligence. By the time of the Golden Day or the Day of Respite, a Valencian has usually accomplished at least two of these. Many in their lifetime do not achieve more than four or five; so it is a great honour to be recognized by one’s peers at accomplishing all seven Virtues and having their name permanently remembered by that generation.
Adaviel has not been recognized for one Virtue yet. He has always been a diligent Valencian, taking great care to accomplish any task given to him swiftly and according to all directions given. He seems to work harder than any of his peers, achieving greater feets than anyone else at his age. He spends his time aiding others less fortunate than himself, hoping to be recognized for his Kindness. He does not brag and denounces those who do, showing his overwhelming Humility. Adaviel has not indulged in excess and only takes what he needs, showing his Temperance. And so much more. And yet, even though he sees himself as the shining example of what a Valencian should be, he is not recognized for anything he has done.
“Why? Why have my efforts gone unnoticed? Why do I not have my name in the papers like those who have done something as simple as saved another’s life without giving anything themself? I have given everything I have, yet I receive no recognition in return…” Adaviel mutters to himself. Even now, after his Golden Day, he has not received the titles he deserves. He is not Adaviel Vinic the Diligent or Adaviel Vinic the Kind… He is just Adaviel, hardly even given a second thought for his deeds. This would not cause Adaviel to fall into despair, though. For despair too often leads to slothfulness and undesired burdens on others. Instead, he would take upon the greatest sacrifice of all now that he has achieved the status of adulthood.
Today, he would be joining the military and truly dedicate himself to serving others and protecting the world he loves. It is here, with his thought train ending, that Adaviel finally found his way through the fog and brought himself up to his feet to start the day.
Adaviel’s mother looked to see Adaviel charging down from his room to the dining room. As always, Adaviel would choose not to walk down the staircase but instead leap down and use the rapid flapping of his feathered arms to break his fall - just about all that wings on a flightless avian is good for in today’s world. It was far more efficient and less time-consuming for Adaviel to leap down the center of the spiral staircase rather than take the long way down.
“I was beginning to think you would never leave that room of yours. This is the one time I’ll be cooking for you given that yesterday was your Golden Day,” said Adaviel’s mom, jokingly. Like any parent, it was common for her to poke teasing jabs at her son.
At home, it was Adaviel’s responsibility to cook, dust, and take care of the lawn and his mother would take up the rest of the responsibilities in maintaining the place. Adaviel was lucky enough to be able to half-decent at cooking; his mother, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Even when following a recipe exactly, she would somehow find a way to burn, undercook, poison, or turn the dish into a crime against all Valencians.
Taking his seat at the table, Adaviel looked down at the meal in front of him. It looked surprisingly normal. In fact, Adaviel couldn’t find anything distinctly wrong with it at first glance - no burning, no undercooked slop, and no discolouration. Curious, Adaviel took a bite of it. “Not bad. I-I mean, it’s great, Mom!” Adaviel corrected himself so he would not cause any insult. He swallowed the food and then that’s when it hit him. His face suddenly began to heat up, much like his head was just put in a furnace. He tried to suppress it by drinking a glass of water, but the ferocity of the burning only raged more after that.
Adaviel could no longer suppress his distress and began to bend over in his chair. His mother, however, seemed completely unphased by this and would attempt to strike up a very one-sided conversation, “So you’re going to be following in your father’s footsteps then? Even now, I know better than to try to stop you,” Stella would turn to the picture over the half-dead Adaviel’s head showing Tinsel Vinic proudly looking down at them, “Your father, Tinsel Vinic the VIRTUOUS would be very proud of you. You know that, right, Adaviel? Ever since you were a hatchling, we’ve been proud of you.”
Adaviel could barely control himself at this point. “Just what the hell did she put in this!? I can hardly breath, let alone speak. God, Mom! Give it a break for just a bit!” His entire body was burning; even his talons felt like they were radiating heat to the point where they would melt through his skin and the floor below.
“You know I played this same trick on your father the day after his Golden Day. I can still remember him choking and twitching on the floor. He has always hated nenbell peppers, just like you.”
“NENBELL PEPPERS? You’ve got to be kidding me… She knew that I would want to rush out of the house as fast as possible to get to the registration office so THIS was her plan to make me stay around?” Vinic thought to himself with the last few brain cells he had left that weren’t cindered to ashes.
Adaivel’s mom, Stella, giggled to herself as she relished these last few moments with her son. It was a cruel trick, actually putting effort into her cooking for once to make it look nice only to have that serve as a means to get her son to eat it. All of this just to get a few more moments with him. She knew that the moment he left those doors and became a registered soldier, she would not see him for a very long time, if not ever.
When someone becomes a registered soldier, they are no longer bound by their name and only represent their surname. Stella looked again at the photo of her deceased husband and lover, Tinsel Vinic. She knew that the day would come where her son would go off to follow in his footsteps, and she was so proud of him for doing that and more. If only, just if only, the burning effects of those peppers she poisoned Tinsel with all those years ago lasted more than a few minutes.
Adaviel’s senses were finally returning to him. While it had only been a minute or two, those few moments felt like an eternity of anguish. Adaviel put his arm on the table to prop himself, but that was an unnecessary effort as his body became very light. Adaviel was brought to his feet as his mother embraced him for what would be the last time. She would hand him a box of proper food she had ordered for delivery earlier that morning, promising him that she had not done anything to it. It is here that they said their final goodbyes by pressing their beaks together. Vinic would then leave his house and turn to the vast, turquoise sky - ready.
[Theo: What the fuck am I doing with my life? Do I have the brain damage?]
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