[Safer] KC's Training

KC had once gazed up in wonder at the icy woods that surrounded him. Now, after a few days within the confines of this winter-coated forest, he was hoping for a change of scenery. The grass had been buried beneath a sheet of pure white snow, broken by only the occasional deer or rabbit tracks. A layer of frost covered every stone with a slick sheen. Ice had conquered the trees as well, and thick icicles hung off bare, outstretched branches of frozen trees. KC thought it was pretty, but it had also gotten very old, very quickly

At least the wind had died down now. Now, only a gentle breeze blew snowflakes through the night. KC shook his head, throwing water and snow out of his hair. He then ran his fingers through it, knocking out the last of the droplets.

He stomped through the snow with no idea where he was going or how far away his destination lie. He just followed the mental tug that was pulling him in this direction. He could not explain it, but something was calling to him. Whatever it was, he had to get through this forest to get to it. And so he marched on.

A sudden snap caught KC’s attention. His eyes darted upward. A branch and snow tumbled down to the ground. Caught in the snow, was a black cat. Turning just before it landed in the snow, the cat shifted onto its feet. It sank like a rock as it touched the light snow and plummeted into a cold hole. It shook and shivered as it struggled to drag itself out of the hole and back onto the surface of the snow.

KC could not contain his smile. The cat did not look feral-- more like a house cat. Its coat was a dark blue, almost black shade, save for the last half of its tail, which was white. KC also saw a thin red scar running over its left eye. Poor kitty! He thought to himself. What could have done that to you?

With a few steps, KC approached the struggling feline, kneeled, and wrapped his hands around it, gently, but firmly, yanking it right out of the snow. The cat, however, did not approve of being handled so. It fought against KC, lashing out with its nails extended, hissing, and trying to bite its handler. Yet no matter how much it strained itself, KC didn’t even lighten his grip. It was cute.

“It‘s okay, it‘s okay. I swear I don’t want to hurt you.” KC wrapped his arms around the cat, pulling it close to his chest. The cat continued to swat at KC, but to no avail. KC stroked the top of the cat’s head. “See, I’m not here to hurt you…” The cat sank its teeth into one of KC’s fingers, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Aww, come on, don’t be like that…”

A strange rumble came from the cat’s body. KC felt an odd squirming in his arms as the cat’s body began to shift and change. Before KC had time to think, the cat had changed, growing, expanding, and shape-shifting in KC’s arms. It took only a second or two for the change to take place. Before KC realized it, he was holding a man in his arms.

The air suddenly flew out of KC’s lungs as the man delivered a swift elbow to KC’s chest. He released the man bowling over as he grabbed his chest. KC sucked in a sharp breath and then looked up. The man spun about agilely, and a sudden kick to the face sent KC plummeting backwards into the snow.

The man stood over KC, staring down at him. “If you ever call me ‘kitty’ again, I swear I’ll claw your eyes out.”

KC flipped onto his stomach and pushed himself off the ground before looking up at the man standing over him. He was scarcely dressed for such cold weather- he was clad in only a gray tank top and black athletic shorts, highlighting his impressive musculature. He didn’t even bother to put on a pair of shoes. He had green-yellow cat-eyes, and, KC could see now, the red scar running down his left eye was no scar at all-- it was a tattoo. His shaggy black hair was tied up in a short ponytail, but long bangs still hung over his face. The feline features in his face were subtle, but still gave him a more wild appearance. His teeth were bared as he stared down at KC. He had a long, sharp hunter’s canines. KC could easily see that any girl would have though of him as a hunk.



KC pulled himself to his feet and smiled. He reached up and fingered Ashur’s hilt. “What kind of man turns into a house cat anyway?”

“If you’d like,” he retorted, “I can turn into a mountain lion and maul you here and now.”

KC laughed. “If you’re looking for a fight, trust me, you’ve found one!” he began pulling Ashur out of its sheath.

The werecat snarled. “As much as I’d like to…” he suddenly turned and looked behind him, and then glanced upwards. “I’m not even supposed to be out of the Dome. And the sun’s almost up...”

“The Dome?” KC questioned suddenly. The word struck an invisible chord in his mind. It was something about the way the werecat said it, with so much gravity, as if the Dome was not a place, but a person. “What’s that?”

The werecat turned around, as if he had not heard KC‘s question. He turned and suddenly dashed away from KC.

“Hey, just where are you going?! We’re not finished here!” KC yelled from behind him, shaking his fist.

“Sorry, but I haven’t got time to fight with you!” he said. He leapt to the ground, his body changing in mid-air. This time, he turned into a leopard. It had a long slinky body and proportions like a snow leopard, but the coloring was the similar to the house cat from before. It was bluish-black with white spots, but the last half of the tail was completely white.

With that, the leopard dashed off, leaving a veil of snow in its wake. Soon, it had disappeared from sight.

KC sighed. He released Ashur’s hilt, and it slipped back into its sheath. So much for a fight. And he’d so been looking for something to make this day interesting.

But maybe it didn’t have to be a total bore. “The Dome…” he said it to himself. Was that his destination? What could be waiting for him there? KC didn’t know for sure. At least if he went there, he might run into the werecat again. The idea of fighting this guy filled him with strange warmth.

It couldn’t be too far away. A wide smile on his face, he ran as fast as he could through the snow in the direction that that guy had run.

Welcome to the Advanced Class! Apologies for the wait, my week has been incredibly busy. I was very impressed by your post. I have naught but two things to mention:

Poor kitty! He thought to himself. What could have done that to you?

When writing thought-dialogue, you must put the actual thoughts in italics. Also, the "He" in "He thought to himself" would be lowercased, as thought dialogue (and its prose counterparts) is formatted roughly identically to normal dialogue.

The man stood over KC, staring down at him. “If you ever call me ‘kitty’ again, I swear I’ll claw your eyes out.”

If KC had thought "Poor Kitty," how did the man hear him? Continuity is very important.

Other than that, fantastic job. For your first lesson, I want your character to reach the Dome. he will meet a Domerii, a butler of the Dome. Domerii are small, pale-skinned, and humanoid. Have the Domerii explain to your character what the Dome is, why your character is here, and that your character will be taught by Orysius Solian. Then, have the Domerii lead your character to his (your character's) new room in the Dome.

When they arrive at the room, the Domerii should leave. The Dome knows the type of room each of its inhabitants would desire, and so it fills it with all of the necessary commodities and things that inhabitant would like. So, I want you to see your descriptive skills when your character enters his room. End the post after your character has become comfortable in his new room.

OoC: Sorry about the wait. See, there was this snowstorm...well, never mind. Anyways...

BiC: KC stared up at the glistening structure before him, his hand held before his eyes to guard them from the glare cast by the rising sun. The Dome was much larger than KC had guessed- it towered high above him, its apex reaching beyond the forest canopy. The colossal building seemed to be made of some sort of white marble, with blue streaks strewn across its surface. At least, KC thought it was marble. It looked, somehow, more solid than marble. More dense.

KC stood before the entrance way, a pair of great stone doors framed by a marble arch. He approached the doors- they were finely crafted, but looked as if they had been weathered by eons of existence. He placed his fingers against the left of the pair and felt a pattern of grooves in the surface. Squinting closer, he could just barely make out something engraved in the door, some type of words. Whatever language it was, it must have long passed from human memory. He ran his fingers down a line, wondering just what it must have said about what lay beyond the threshold at which he stood.

What was this feeling? KC felt a strange solemnity as he stood before this ancient structure. He innately sensed the great power emanating from within. Just beyond these doors, he realized, lay destiny. He knew it- he could feel its tug and hear its irresistible siren song. All he had to do was open these doors. Just one push. He placed his right hand firmly against the other door and then took a deep breath. “Here we go,” said KC. “One, two….” KC pushed against the doors.

They didn’t budge.

“Huh?” He shoved the doors again, straining this time. They didn’t move even slightly.

KC was dumbstruck. He stared at the doors, his jaw slack in his confusion. This couldn‘t be right! He dug his feet into the earth and shoved the enormous stone doors with all his strength, grinding his teeth as he did. His muscles burned from the strenuous effort, and his footing began to slip away. Again, they didn’t give even the slightest ground.

He just didn’t get it. They were immovable- it was like trying to shove a bull elephant! Just what were these doors made of?

“Come one!” He pounded the right door desperately with his fist. “I didn’t come all this way for nothing!”

A deep groaning suddenly sounded from within the door. KC, startled by the noise, backed away. The fierce moaning intensified, growing louder and louder still. KC threw his hands over his ears. The noise made his heart leap and his head pound. The tumultuous cry continued to crescendo until at last, it abruptly ended.

KC lowered his hands. He took a tentative step towards the entrance. Slowly, he lifted his hand upwards, until it was placed tenderly against the stone. He pushed lightly. The door swung open only the slightest effort.

KC gasped at what lay within.

The doors opened wide, revealing a vast lobby that was buzzing with activity. Stepping forward, KC turned his head left and right as his mind tried to process what he was seeing. Just as he stepped beyond the threshold, the doors closed, noisily shutting behind him.

The first thing that hit him was the size of the room. Huge seemed too minute a word to describe it; immense was a closer fit, but wasn’t quite right either. KC decided that there were no words to describe it. And despite the size, it seemed to be filled to the brim with people. People of all shapes and sizes- and most of them seemed to be armed in one way or another. KC watched in awe as a man with five arms sprouting at each shoulder walked by, four of his ten hands clasping a longsword. The man crossed paths with a reptilian warrior with a club tail and razor sharp claws- they shot each other a menacing glare, but otherwise said nothing.

His brain reeling from trying to absorb so much information at once, KC didn’t even notice the small, pale humanoid that had swiftly crossed the floor to stand beside him.

“Yes, it can be a lot the first time. But in the coming weeks, you’ll grow used to it.” He said.

Startled, KC looked around. “I’m down here,” the voice called, somewhat irritated. KC looked down.

KC was startled yet again. “You’re…. a troll!” he said. Would the surprises never end?

“Troll?! Let me assure you, Master Kevin, that I am most certainly no troll!” he spat, the disgust and insult obvious in his voice. “I am a humble but most dignified servant of the Dome: a Domerii.” As the Domerii spoke, it tugged on the small, but lavish black and gold pinstripe suit it wore.

“Really? You look like a troll.” said KC. Or at least, it looked like what KC had imagined trolls would. It was only about three-and-a-half feet tall, and its head was disproportionably big for its body, with long, pointed ears that had tufts of white hair growing out of them. Its skin was a pale gray, and its deep red eyes glittered like rubies in the light of the false sun (that KC had yet to notice) that hung high above. Thin, white veins webbed across the top of its bald head. It was barefoot, and though its toenails were neatly trimmed, patches of hair grew on top of its rough feet. The suit fit it rather snuggly, as well as the pair of black and gold pinstripe shorts that it wore. “Expensive suit for a troll, though.”

“Why, I never!” the Domerii cried. He sighed. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Welcome to the Dome, Master Kevin. I have been expecting you for quite some time now.”

“Well, you see, there was this snowstorm…”

“No explanation needed. You are here now. Only that matters.” the Domerii turned and looked about for a moment. It locked eyes on a door across the room, and took a step in that direction. With a flick of its hand, it said, “Follow me, please.” The Domerii scuttled towards the door.

“Just where am I? What is this place?” KC said, as he walked behind the Domerii.

“This is the Dome. It is a marvel of the universe: its boundaries stretch across all of existence, unbound by time or space. It can exist in all worlds, or none, all of its own accord.” The Domerii’s eyes glowed with pride as he spoke. He sounded like a butler boasting of his master’s wealth.

“Uh-huh,” KC said, only half-listening.

The Domerii continued, “The Dome is filled with countless chambers, each one different from the last. You’ll find that it is well equipped to fit all your needs, I’m sure.”

“Right,” said KC.

“As you have no doubt already noticed, the residents of the Dome are many and varied. Warriors of all races and ages come here to receive training from the masters. Such is the will of the Dome. If you are here, then there is no doubt you are meant to be here.” The Domerii spoke and walked without missing a beat. He shuffled across the floor with unmatched sureness. He approached the door, reaching up to grab the brass doorknob and opening the door in one swift motion. He gestured for KC to enter. KC did so, and the Domerii followed closely behind him.

Beyond the door was a long, narrow corridor, lined with identical, shut doors. The walls were all very plain, the same pale white color. The Domerii strode ahead of KC as he paused.

“Come now, Master Kevin, we haven’t got all day,” said the Domerii.

“Yeah, yeah.” KC’s feet reluctantly continued to walk on. “So what kind of training do I get?”

“Ah, that I cannot say! It is up to Master Solian.”

“Solian?”

“Orysius Solian, one of the finest warriors, and teachers, I’ve seen in my day. His methods are effective, if not always orthodox. Ah! Here we are. This is your room, I believe.” The Domerii paused in front of one of the doors. KC stopped just behind the Domerii.

“So, do I get some sort of room key?” KC asked.

“No. The door will almost always open for you. Though one cannot say for sure- there are no certainties within the Dome,” said the Domerii. “But I wouldn’t fret over it. Go ahead. Go inside.”

KC nodded. He grasped the doorknob tightly, at first anticipating a struggle as with the Dome’s grand entrance. He twisted the doorknob slowly until it clicked, and then pushed it in.

The bedroom within was fully furnished and fully equipped for all KC’s needs. The walls were all covered in the same faded blue wallpaper, torn in places and showing the gray wall beneath. The floors were covered in thick, sea blue carpet. The most prominent piece of furniture was the bed in the corner of the room, Solid gray sheets haphazardly strewn across its surface. The mattress was atop a chest of drawers, carved of a glossy wood. A single shelf, made of the same wood and occupied only by a single potted violet, was attached to the wall above the bed. Across from the bed was a work-out bench, a dozen weights stacked behind it and a set of dumbbells aligned along side it. Above the bench was hung a poster of a very muscular man and equally beautiful woman standing arm in arm. A sandbag hung from the ceiling on a study-looking chain. There was a single door on one wall that KC guessed must have led to a bathroom and an armoire next to it. The only other thing adorning the walls was a clock in the center of the far wall, modeled after a tabby cat with flickering eyes and a swinging tail.

“Hmm…it’s a bit dull, I think,” the Domerii said, scratching his chin.

“Nah, it’s perfect! It feels homely. Lived in,” said KC, walking into the room. He removed Ashur’s sheath, leaning it against the wall. Afterwards, he immediately flopped onto the bed, face first, and spread out across it. It was kind of firm, but he liked it.

“If you say so. I’m afraid, Master Kevin, that this is where I must depart. Perhaps we shall meet another time.”

“Hey, I’ve just got one more question.”

“If you were going to ask how you should find your room again, don’t worry yourself over it. Your room will be exactly where it’s supposed to be. You shouldn‘t have trouble finding it,” said the Domerii.

“Actually, I was gonna ask if you knew where I could get some grub. I’m starving!” As if to emphasize the point, KC’s stomach growled audibly.

The Domerii sighed. “There’s a cafeteria, but perhaps it would be best if you remained here for now. Take some time and get used to your surroundings. Think of this as your home.”

“Aw, come on!”

“Good day, Master Kevin,” the Domerii said, shutting the door.

Sighing, KC flubbed back down on his bed. He placed his hands behind his head and shut his eyes. “Guess I’d just better relax.” He was pretty beat anyway- he’d come a long way. Maybe food could wait until he’d caught a few winks.