by A. R. Crebs
A loud horn blared in alarm. Scott turned, staring upward at the craft as the camera zoomed back in on the foreign vehicle. A vortex twisted around the ship, burst open violently, and immediately closed. Two other similar ships had suddenly appeared directly beside the first one. It took a few seconds before a massive shockwave of noise hit the man who was recording, the sound rumbling through the television speakers.
“Brody! Turn it down!” Brody’s mom shouted from the kitchen.
“Unbelievable! This is unbelievable! Out of thin air! Those two ships just appeared out of nowhere!” the news reporter hollered in amazement.
“Brody! What did I say?!” his mother shouted again.
“Mom!” Brody cried out. “Mom! Come here! Quick!”
On screen, the camera kept zooming further and further. A white light flickered from the main ship. Something seemed to be happening on the front of the craft.
“We’ve got activity! We’re detecting movement!” Scott shouted.
“For the love of God, what?” Brody’s mom grumped, stomping into the room with her glass of wine. Could she simply have ten minutes alone to finish off her mid-day drink? That’s all she ever wanted.
She gaped at the television, not impressed. “What? You brought me in here for one of your cartoons?” she asked. Looking out the window, feeling the fresh breeze from the gusting wind, she rolled her eyes. “Why don’t you go outside and play? It’s nice out. Take the dog with you.”
“What do you see? What’s happening? I can’t see!” the reporter on TV asked the cameraman.
“Uh, it looks…it looks like someone’s coming out. There’s a front deck on the ship. It appears to be a man of some sort,” the cameraman stuttered.
“Aliens, Mom! There are aliens! They just appeared out of nowhere!” Brody exclaimed, looking back at his mother.
A horrendous blaring noise echoed in vibrating beats. It seemed to start out low and then burst through the family’s window. Brody’s mom looked at the trees outside, watching as the branches danced against the harsh wind that flowed with the sound. It was the same sound that had come from the television speaker only moments before. The mother’s eyes locked onto the television screen, watching the camera jitter from side to side as it gained sight of a giant man adorned in golden robes, a halo of light shimmering around his head. Her glass of wine slipped from her hand, spilling all over her brand-new white carpet.
It appeared to be a man. He looked no different than any human, perhaps a bit intimidating in his ethereal way. He had hair that shimmered in silver and gold, almost as if made of light. The sun beamed against him, encasing him in a glow. Gold markings lined his middle-aged face; his jaw was tight and square. Narrowing his eyes that seemed to burn with white fire, he stepped forward, moving with purpose across the deck of the airship. Firmly gripping the metal bar fencing him in, he stared deeply into the blue waters far below. He searched carefully, tilting his head a little as he remained silent. After a minute, he nodded. Holding a hand out before him, the giant of a man concentrated, and the planet began to rumble.
From the deep oceans, an immense chunk of earth heaved upward, the crust moving and adjusting beneath it. Soon, an island formed. Beautiful colors of nature sprang to life from the dirt mound that lifted from the lower depths. Trees pushed up in all directions as if they had been there many years. Grass and mountains formed; rock churned and twisted into caves on one part of the island; plains of green speckled with colorful flowers sprouted elsewhere, and rolling hills jolted and formed around massive silver lakes. As the ocean waters gushed off the land, falling back to where they belonged, the foundation of a beautiful new world was set.
The strange man in the golden robes looked down upon the earth, his eyes watching the trees as birds of all sizes and colors took to the skies, chirping and shrieking. Fish jumped from the clear lakes. Deer and other furry creatures pranced through the plains while rams joyfully hopped along the mountaintops. Lizards darted from the rocks, their tongues poking in every direction. Butterflies danced from flower to flower. It was stunning. It was perfect.
“So…what do you plan to call it?” A second man had joined him. He was even taller, sharp-cut with bulky muscle, dark-skinned, and had eyes the color of the sun. Armor of gold and silver covered his body; a cape of scarlet was chained to his back. His voice was deep and rich, but very gentle.
The golden-robed man smirked. “Ives,” was his simple reply.
“A grand name, Gaius. I’m sure the others will approve,” the other man said.
Gaius turned to face the man. “Go ahead, Azera, and tell the others that I am ready. We still have much to do.”
Azera bowed slightly, pressing his fist against his chest. Then he turned, his cape swooping out behind him as he reentered the ship.
Gaius turned his gaze down toward Ives, giving an amused expression as he muttered, “We have a lot of building to do.”
"Gaius"
Biographies
Bestiary
Armor
Weapons
World Info
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A. R. Crebs spent her youth playing video games, watching action and horror films of the 80s and 90s, and used her imagination as a form of entertainment for her family and friends. It wasn’t until she was in her early teens that a friend introduced her to the fantasy genre of gaming. Crebs was hooked. What started as fan art of her favorite characters turned into a passion for designing a world of her own. Thus, Dovian was born. The creation of Dovian’s world grew throughout the years where new characters and creatures were made. While in college, Crebs sparked the idea to write her story of Dovian and his adventures in The Esoteric Design series. After graduating from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design with a BFA in illustration, Crebs began to piece together the artwork and ideas from her youth. Together she formed a novel with chapter illustrations, bios, and a glossary. Dabbling in multiple art styles, A. R. Crebs felt that changing the look of the illustrations would coincide with the imaginations of others. While everyone has a different mind, hopefully, one of the images depicted in The Esoteric Design matches the reader’s imagination whether it is through style, mood, or subject matter.
You can check out A. R. Crebs’ websites for updates, full color artwork, and to participate in future contests.
www.ARCrebs.com
www.ARCrebs.deviantart.com
www.facebook.com/ARCrebs