Art Dern Elite Team OC's (Inspired by Trashies Dern servants)

I did a few sketches and some short texts on this concept.

Spoiler: Xi'Shix

Xi'Shix is a confident cocky swordsman who's slightly michievous. He utilises two blades with extended handles and various smaller tools and potions. He's a skilled fighter and is extremely quick, though he certainly isn't the smartest.

Spoiler: Ce'zith

Ce'zith is a marksman who is a master of her craft. She utilises two arm mounted crossbows whcih she uses her four arms to allow herself to shoot and reload rapidly. She has two guantlets which can expand into shields on her other arms. She see's herself as above almost everyone and is very loyal to the beast of Dern.

Spoiler: Ba'rek

The first to join the team Ba'rek utilises two heavy wrecking balls on chains and two swords. His species is a slime-like substance which carves then burrows into objects and uses them as "hosts" creating essentially bodies for themselves. They are quite intellegent and this one was taken into the team. He lives in the armour provided by Dern beast and barely ever takes it off. He has learned to speak and understand their language, as well as read and write. He does not speak much though. Despite this there is some wisness and sympathy in him, and can speak quite well when he does.

Spoiler: Qira(Non-canon past version)

(Qira here isn't entirely canon and is only my version of what could of happened in her past)

Spoiler: Extra

Spoiler: Character Short Texts

Spoiler: Text 1

At times, Qira found herself losing track of the time. She would sometimes find herself wondering how long she had stayed in the room, or what time of the day it would be.
She had no way to measure the passage of time. There was no need to either, as the only thing to do in the castle was to continue improving upon her magic.
The skies of the Dern were permanently dyed in a lifeless shade of grayish purple. For most of her life, this dark, gloomy blanket covering the world was simply another part of the natural order, of how things were meant to be. Concepts such as “day” and “night” were foreign concepts, fairy tales that only exist in the dreams of people from civilisations of bygone days.
Qira stared thoughtfully at the plain dark walls, holding a small beast in one hand. The room quite dim, the only source of illumination being a small, crudely designed lamp, which emmited a pale purplish glow from a mysterious purple flame that sat inside of the structure. To her left was large ornate bookshelf, covered with shapes and symbols she did not know, worn down by time.
Most of the books on the shelf were taken from the imposing halls of Grand Library, a place that had long since been abandoned. The Master had memorized all the knowledge contained within the texts in their mind, and the rest of the denizens that resided within the walls weren’t exactly the studious type. Barely anybody would visit it, let alone keep track of its contents.
And so, it was left to slowly crumble apart, cracks slowly formed along its detailed stone columns and statues of peculiar creatures, it's once magnificent mosaics of Derns most striking landscapes and creatures breaking apart.
Besides, simply retrieving the books as needed is preferable to having to approach the Master for every minor enquiry of her work. They would probably ignore her anyway, as they always did.
Qira slowly shifted her gaze across the numerous books of different shapes and sizes, then went and took out a particularly large and well-decorated tome.
She returned to her large desk, placing the small beast and the book onto its smooth surface. The small beast did not move, only breathing heavily as if it was exhausted from some sort of activity.
She flipped through the pages of the tome, taking great care not to tear or crumple a page, before stopping at one of the pages. The various symbols and text on the page document information on Dernic biology and magic. Just what she needed.
Qira focused on the contents of the page, scanning and analysing the information. After a few moments, she turned to face the small beast, repeating a string of words in a light tone. A series of particles and text appeared in the vicinity, and a flash of light entered the critter’s insectiod body. They twisted and turned for a short period of time, then two of its legs fell off from its body. The open wound was quickly mended by the magical energy.
She had previously attached the two legs to the creature in hopes of them improving the creatures performance, but her observations at the hunting grounds indicated the extra legs were not as effective as predicted. Keeping them was simply a waste of its energy.
The results so far were far from perfect, but perhaps, with enough time and effort…
Qira let out a small sigh and closed the book.

"Still messing around with your toys?"

A high-pitched voice interrupted the silence of the room, its condescending tone cutting through the atmosphere like a sharp dagger.
Qira turned around towards the source of the voice. Leaning against the door with his arms folded was a hooded figure in armour that, though crudely assembled, was well maintained. Hanging from it were various tools, tricks and trophies looted from his numerous missions. Hanging by his side was a pair of stained cleavers with extended handles.
Qira, on the other hand, only had a loose-fitting dress and a simple chestplate to her name. That chestplate was quite clunky and annoying to her, but Ba'rek insisted she needed some level of non magical protection, so he had gotten her it.
Xi'Shix was grinning like he had just beat Qira in a duel a hundred times.

"Shix. Shouldn’t you have work to do?”

Xi’shix let out a smirk and moved away from the door. His footsteps were almost silent, as he entered the room. He was a member of the elite force she was assigned to, working for the beast of Dern. She was allegedly his senior, but he had been in active service for much longer.

“I was just passing by, and I saw you toying with your pets. Are you still obsessed with those worthless creatures?”

“I am working. If you have nothing better to do, leave.” Qira turned back at her work and continued adjusting it.

Shix took a step further into her room, spinning a small dagger around one of his fingers, it made a faint swishing noise in the air as it spun.

“I said, leave. This instant.” Qira set down her work and stared at Shix.

"Ah, don’t get me wrong, I totally get how you feel.” Shix said, acting like she didn't say anything. He strolled up to the table, catching the dagger mid spin and putting it back onto his belt. Focusing his gaze on the creature, he approached the table and knelt down.

“You see, there’s a certain appeal to seeing these creatures in such an adorably pitiful state. They have absolutely no control over their lives. Comical, don’t you think?” As Shix was talking, he turned towards Qira with a huge smug grin on his face. She returned an irritated glare.

“"Have you ever heard of privacy? Or are you incapable of getting that concept through your thick skull?" Qira remarked with obvious frustration in her voice.

Shix lets out a small chuckle. “Look at how helpless they can be. I bet I could squish it in seconds." Still grinning, Shix extended his hand and attempted to poke the creature. Qira quickly swatted his hand away.

"It's not yours to mess with Shix. You have no idea how it even works. Now leave."

Shix, appearing completely unfazed, took a step back and crossed his arms, keeping his smile.

"Oh my, aren’t you angry. What are you gonna do? Throw your bug at me?" He said, looking even more smug than before, which Qira couldn't believe was possible.
Qira pressed her fingers on her forehead and sighed. Then, she slowly stood up and stared Shix in the eye. "Can't you just leave me alone for once? Are you that desperate for some attention you'll cling on like a parasite? Are you that pathetic?"

Shix's eyes widened slightly as he went silent. His smile flickered as he slowly backed away, before returning. “Are you by chance emphasizing with these inadequate creatures?” He said, his smile looking slightly more like a sneer.

“My work requires my test subjects to be in good condition.”

“Meh.” Shix shrugged. “You could’ve just told a peon to get you a new one.” He gave a confused look and turned away, walking out of the room as he continued spinning the dagger.
Qira gave a frustrated glare at him as he walked away.

As he dissapeared into the dark hallway, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, regaining her composure.

Good riddance.

Qira sat back down and stared at the small beast, who was beginning to regain its strength. She put the tomes away and took out a large black cage from under the table. Her other hand reached for a gold key on top of the shelf, and inserted it into the keyhole of the golden lock on the cage. The lock opened with a click, and the cage door swung open. She gently picked up the small critter, placed it inside the cage, and closed the door.

That was enough for today.

Spoiler: Text 2

A trail of purple blood splattered against the cold, hard stone floor of the training arena. A crimson magic staff falls to the ground with a heavy thud, its sound echoing through the room.
Qira clutched her right elbow with her left hand. Blood was dripping across the length of her arm. She quietly recited a short chant, and a trail of green energy swirled around her hand. She pressed her hand against the wound, and the energy began to mend it.
Opposite her was her opponent, the four-armed Ce'zith. She stood completely still, aiming both of her crossbows at Qira with two of her arms and holding up the other two hands to her side. She stared at Qira, silent and still.
Xi’Shix stood in the doorway, sipping a cup of green liquid, and his expression is a combination of amusement and bewilderment.

Ce’zith was the first to break the silence. "Unsatisfactory. You need to focus. You're too busy casting your magic to track your opponents properly.”
“Oh, the audacity!” Shix shouted, and swallowed his drink with an audible gulp and interrupted the archer. “Such arrogant words for someone barely scraping by against a complete novice.” He said with a fake shocked face.
Ce’zith swung her crossbow and fired a bolt in Shix’s direction. It whizzed by the assassin's head, barely missing. His eyes went wide for a moment, staring at the bolt embedded in the wooden door behind him. He turned back with a sneer, then pasted back on his grin as if nothing had happened. “Careful, you could've hit my beautiful face.”
Qira let out a small smile.
“Bold words Shix.” With her crossbow still pointed at Shix, Ce’zith took out an arrow with her spare hand, and reloaded the crossbow without delay. It clicked into place. “You wish for a duel?”
Shix let out a dry chuckle and took a step back. “Tempting offer, but I’ll pass. It’s almost time for lunch, and I’d hate it if you were to force a draw. I’m quite competitive, after all.”
“Then do not interrupt our training. Either stand there quietly or leave.”
Shix shrugged and let out a sigh. “Well, if you insist.” He sat down next to the wall and took another sip from his drink.
Ce’zith stared at Shix for a few seconds, narrowing her eyes.
“My time is wasted on the likes of you.” Ce'zith said, turning around and walking to the back wall of the arena, then turned to face Qira. “Alright. Shall we continue?”

Qira nodded and picked up her staff, walked back to her side of the arena. Ce’zith nodded and raised one of her hands.

"Very well. Three, two, one, begin."

Within the blink of an eye, Ce'zith raised both of her crossbows and shot two bolts at Qira. She quickly blocked both shots with a barrier spell. Predictable at the start, as usual. Qira thought, raising her staff for another spell.
Ce’zith was quickly moving across the room, firing a flurry of bolts at Qira and reloading both her crossbows at an expeditious rate. She kept both crossbows pointed at the mage, firing them successively to form a continuous stream of projectiles.
Qira slammed down the staff causing energy to quickly swirl out of it and surrounded her. She dodged and weaved swiftly around the bolts, the energy boosting her speed. She whispered a chant and held out her free hand as a small ball of flame appeared in her palm. She began charging it with energy, the flames burning brighter as more magic flowed into it.
Qira focused her gaze on Ce'zith, who had just fired another bolt towards Qira. She parried the bolt with her staff and whispered a command. Her staff gathered a wave of energy at its tip, and released a bolt of energy.
Ce’zith glanced at the bolt, and raised one of her hands in front of her face without missing a step. The archer gripped her fist, and a gauntlet grew and formed into a small shield, completely covering her face. The blast struck the surface of the shield into a small explosion, harmless.
In the brief moment Ce’zith lost eye contact with Qira, the mage hurled the fireball towards Ce'zith, sending it forward with a burst of kinetic force. Ce'zith sensed light from the approaching magical energy and immediately leaped to the left quickly, but Qira redirected it right into her path with a snap of her finger.
Ce’zith’s eyes widened slightly at the turn of events. She was in midair without defences, but she was not out of tricks.
With a slight shift of her shoulders, two thin wings emerged from her back. The archer aimed a crossbow at the fireball and shot its center, detonating it and creating a huge explosion right in front of her. Ce’zith held several bolts in her hand and spread her wings out, the force from the explosion pushed the air upwards, pushing her into the air as the air was caught in her wings.
Taking full advantage of the situation, she oriented herself in midair and landed both of her feet on the nearby wall, granting her a foothold for a brief moment as her toes clung onto the gaps between the bricks. Ce’zith loaded her crossbow with the bolts she held in an instant, and she sent multiple projectiles flying towards Qira.
Qira’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by Ce’ziths quick reaction and adaptation, and quickly quickly summoned another barrier, blocking the bolts. Ce’zith landed on the floor and quickly stabilized and reorientated herself, already loading both her crossbow and aiming them.
“Wooo!” Shix let out a shout at the battle unfolding in front of him. Both combatants ignored his dramatic reaction and resumed their attacks.

Ce’zith has begun taking a different approach, firing both bolts simultaneously, attempting to restrict where Qira could dodge. In response, Qira changed her strategy as well. She pointed her staff at the archer, summoning a barrier, and began sending a barrage of energy crystals at Ce’zith from the tip of her staff.
Ce’zith started to circle around Qira, sending a barrage of bolts at her in the process. Qira stood her ground and blocked them with her barrier, holding it together with her magic as the bolts repeatedly damaged it. She began to chant, charging up another spell.
The two continued this exchange for a few moments. Qira was soon casting her energy crystals less and her barrier was starting to crack more and was repaired less. Ce’zith, noticing the drop in magical power, got more aggressive and began getting closer as she circled Qira. Qira had to occasionally dodge Ce’zith’s bolts when her barrier broke and she had to remake it, but the task became more and more difficult as the archer drew closer and her barriers were breaking more.
Cezith was quickly within close range of Qira and began loading up another spread shot. Suddenly, Qira warped herself behind Ce’zith with a burst of magical energy, turning around and pointing her staff at her opponent, and launched a concentrated blast of crystals at Ce’zith. The archer stopped in her tracks, turned around and raised both of her hands, forming two shields. The crystals slammed into the shields pushing Ce’zith back slightly.
Qira pulled backward her free hand, revealing a fully charged fireball. She sent it flying at the archer’s feet, and it created a huge explosion upon contact with the floor. The magic released from the blast covered the entire arena with a fiery inferno.
Qira slowly approached the burning flames area, carefully watching for her opponent and readying another attack. However, she quickly realized Ce'zith was nowhere to be found.
Qira turned her gaze upwards to see Ce'zith, with her wings spread and rapidly descending from the ceiling with one foot pointed straight at Qira. Ce’zith kicked Qira square in the face and knocked her to the ground.
Still disoriented, Qira looked around to see Ce’zith standing above her pointing a loaded crossbow at her face.
Xi’shix spat out his drink and broke into a fit of hysterical laughter.
Qira laid on the floor, breathing heavily. She did not react. She was too exhausted to do anything.
As Ce’zith removed the loaded bolts from her crossbow, a loud bell rang through the halls into the arena. "That's lunch. You’re improving, but this session was disappointing. Hopefully you can improve your awareness of your surroundings before our next session."
Ce'zith hung the crossbows on her belt and walked out of the arena, fading into the darkness of the corridors amidst Shix’s giggling.

Spoiler: Text 3

It was late in the afternoon, dinner had been called so Qira and the other members of the elite had gathered at the dinner hall, where food had been served.
Tanusuan meat with some unnamed mushrooms was served, it tasted stranger than usual but not terrible. Qira had grown accustomed to the food here, always bland. Ce'zith thought it was perfection though, Qira could never see why. Maybe her tastebuds functioned differently.
Most of them were finishing up, as they discussed battle techniques and strange creatures they found when hunting.
"Do you think we'll ever leave this place?" Qira's words echoed around the room, there was an awkward silence for a moment.
Xi'shix looked up from his food, staring curiously. Ba'rek kept his head down and continued to eat, but Qira thought she saw him wince for just a moment.
“Why would you ask that?" Ce'zith said, staring suspiciously at her.
"I’m just not incredibly fond of this place." Qira said, giving a glare back. "The master worked hard to make us this incredible place, do not condemn their work, young one."
"I bet they summoned it in an instant with their godly abilities,'' Qira muttered.
"What did you say?" Ce'zith glared angrily.
"Even if it grows a little boring, it is the greatest honor to serve our master, as he is the lord of this entire realm you live in."
"I'm just asking if I could have some freedom, we barely leave except for missions, which we still need to follow their orders” Qira said.
”I dunno, their orders are fun. I get to shred apart weaklings and if I murder enough I might get some rewards from our great lord and master up top." Xi'Shix said, joining the conversation.
He was across the table leaning back in his throne-like chair, with a bored look on his face.
Well I'm not a sociopath who likes murdering innocents to give the master a little bit of extra land. Qira thought.
She knew if she said something like that out loud she would be called out for being weak and ultimately punished, so she kept silent.
"Urgh, this is going nowhere. Let's end this." Qira said.
"Finally, a good idea from you." Ce'zith said, and looked back down and kept eating.

Qira had finished her meal at that point, so she got up angrily and walked out of the room.
She went down a twisting stairway, and entered a small room with a balcony at the right, it overlooked the hunting grounds, an area specifically locked off from the rest of the den with a variety of flora and fauna for the team to practise on. To the left was a large grey sofa with a missing cushion. A low table sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by small round cushions meant to be seats.
She sat down on the sofa and sighed. Maybe she was going to stay here forever, rotting away locked in this castle and occasionally murdering some other species and destroying some homes in the physical realm.
Could she even escape? The castle was enormous with twisting hallways and hundreds of rooms. There was no clear way to the exit nor any sign of its location. And the master had locked them in a specific area of the castle, only accessible from a single door which was impossible to break through.
She thought about all the things she could do if she was free. Although it would be hard to make a life in Dern, most creatures weren't very smart and barely sentient, mostly driven by instinct. It was quite dangerous too with unexpected hazards everywhere. A few intelligent species formed colonies across the realm, but barely any of them lasted for an extended period and didn't thrive at all.
The master had "saved' her from one of them, which was being raided by fierce creatures, and taken her in for her magical ability and experience with the creation of life, not that the latter was of much use to them."Bad day?"
Qira looked up, staring at the hulking armoured creature which loomed above her, it's slimy body leaking from its armour constantly, only to be pulled back in if it went too far down. It's multiple teardrop shaped eyes stared at her sympathetically, as it sat down in next to her. He was another member of the team, the oldest one in fact. Ba’rek. The most tolerable of the group.
"Yeah.."
"I figured, since you brought up that subject at dinner again."
"Have you ever thought about escaping? You've been here for a while." Qira looked up at Ba'rek.
He looked upwards, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"Not really, I am honoured to serve our master and I enjoy the luxury of living here, I don't mind the limitations, better than having to battle for survival down in the wilds of this realm."
"I know.. but I really think I can make a better life, and I don't really like what they're doing to the people of the physical realm. And what I have to do."
"I.. understand, I'm not extremely fond of my work either, and the master isn't the best in terms of morals, but I don't care about it enough to want to leave or not do it. It's a valid worry though, you do seem to care about creatures of all sorts more than the rest of us, and they seem just as intelligent as us, the ones in the physical plane."
"I get your point about Dern, but what if I left to the physical plane?"
"That seems pretty far-fetched, only the master can create portals there and the main portal is almost always deactivated. I doubt they'll allow you to leave freely. Even on missions we have a link that pulls us back to our realm if we take too long or when we've finished the task, and we're watched by him from that link at all times."
"Yeah.. I'll just try to make do with what I have here."
"Probably, you should work on your creatures more. At least that will keep things more interesting, you seem to care a lot about that. I wish you good luck if you do."
"Yeah, thanks."
The two sat in silence for a while, staring outwards at the walls of the hunting grounds.
Eventually Ba’rek left, his fading footsteps echoing down the hall as Qiira thought about what Ba’rek had said. Maybe he was right, maybe she should just stick here and be content with what she had. Her situation would be much worse if she failed. Even though it seemed like an impossibility for her to leave Dern, that she had to stay here forever, a small spark of desire and hope for escape still shined inside her.

 

yooo this is good