Idea Analysis
I wanted to create a story about a main character that wasn’t human. This harkens back to my grade school years where a lot of the stories I was required to read were about bland humans in the same bland world we live in. Whether in books, movies, or cartoons, I found characters about animals or other non-human entities in make believe worlds to be much more interesting. I decided to use my obsession with reptiles and elemental magic to create the main character. He has a very bright and optimistic personality, which creates an interesting pair with the themes of forgiveness and oppression within the story.
NIGHT TIME
Kaito, an orange and red anthropomorphic lizard falls through the sky. He wears a large black poncho that has a design of a gray flame. It flutters through the air as Kaito drops further from the cave of a mountain he has been blasted out of. Gears, buildings, and factory machinery mix in and rotate throughout the mountain. Light blue glass-like fragments scatter around Kaito in the air.
KAITO
That didn’t work out to well!!
A crowd of adult human guards wearing black, high tech armor, wielding guns, are seen running outside of the cave. A guard with more ornate armor, armed with a giant sword walks in front of the crowd.
HIGH GUARD
He used a shield spell to protect himself from that explosion. Make sure he doesn’t make his way back up here.
Kaito’s skin gradually turns light blue as he makes slashing gestures with his claws, creating air currents around him. The wind becomes a whistling tornado that slows down Kaito’s fall. He manages to land into a small pond at the bottom of the mountain, surrounded by trees and street lights. As he splashes into the water, his air currents cause the water to spiral. Several seconds later, Kaito pops his head out of the pond, making a large gasp for air. Terrified from the explosion and fall, he takes a few moments to gather himself, floating still in the water.
KAITO
Sigh! Okay..I got very lucky with that fall.
(Scratching his chin.)
I’ll have to find another way into that factory if I’m gonna get materials for the Vexian village.…Hmmm
Kaito hops out of the pond and rings the water out of his poncho. He then swiftly climbs up a tree. Standing on a high branch with his talons, he surveys the area, first glimpsing at the mountain he fell from. Kaito then sets his sights at ground level, where a steep road outlined by trees and streetlights curves around the right side of the mountain. A brightly lit billboard is seen at the beginning of this path, displaying the sign “Tangent Village-1 Mile”. A smile grows on Kaito’s face.
KAITO
I bet there’s a way I can sneak into the factory from that village. I just know it.
Kaito excitedly crawls down the tree and heads up the road.
FADE IN: Entering tangent Village
Inside, buildings, alleys, storefronts, and signs light up the small town. Several of the buildings extrude from bulging hills and thick trees, all of which are covered by vines, and other vegetation. A river is also seen running diagonal through the town. Humans and anthropomorphic animals walk through the tiny city wearing modern clothes, buying, selling, and trading goods. The lizard walks across a small bridge and looks down below to see boats traversing across the area. Kaito then runs up a trail of stones that lead to a shop made from a thick tree. A sign above the door reads “Solar Cross” in gold and silver letters. The storefront door of the shop is a giant shield with the eye of Horus and eye of Ra as door handles.
When Kaito walks into the shop he sees necklaces, rings, pendants, and other amulets sitting under several display cases. Shields hang on the wooden walls, and scrolls sit behind the counter where the shop owner works. He’s a large, tall Andean Condor wearing brown gloves on his talon hands, and a blacksmithing apron. His black and white wings surround him like a regal cape. He holds a red jewel with tongs within a dark red fire. He hears Kaito walking into the store and turns around.
KAITO
(Waving.)
Hey! I’m looking for an amulet against ice elemental.
The condor looks at Kaito for a brief second, then smiles after noticing the lizard’s optimistic demeanor. He speaks with a deep and commanding voice.
SHOPKEEPER
Of course.
The shopkeeper lays the jewel down on a cooling rack and gestures Kaito over to a display case where accessories glow in different shades of blue.
SHOPKEEPER
How much cold do you expect to be exposed to?
KAITO
Um..A lot of ice magic. How’s this one??
Kaito points to a necklace with a navy blue snowflake hanging from it. The condor bobs his head and laughs under his breath as he takes the necklace out of the display counter.
SHOPKEEPER
Going hunting or preparing for war?
KAITO
(Scratching his head.)
Uhhh hahaha….
SHOPKEEPER
Are you sure you need all of this protection?
KAITO
……Yes.
SHOPKEEPER
Heh, I won’t further delve into why you need such a powerful amulet. Nevertheless, a cold blooded person like you being exposed to an abundant of cold elements can be dangerous.
The condor takes the necklace to the pay counter. He pauses.
SHOPKEEPER
Hmm, one moment.
The condor turns to his work station where he was heating up the red jewel. He opens up a scroll and chants a spell. He then holds the snowflake necklace as it glows brightly for a brief second. The shopkeeper turns back to the counter.
SHOPKEEPER
Alright, that’ll be 300 bits.
Kaito takes out a small, thin, transparent slide and swipes it multiple times with his clawed finger until it displays 300 in LED numbers. He hands the slide to the condor.
SHOPKEEPER
Thank you for your business!
The condor lays the necklace on Kaito’s neck.
KAITO
Thank you!
As Kaito leaves the shop, he hides the necklace underneath his poncho. Wandering through Tangent Village, he notices a small apartment complex created from the wall of the mountain the village is next to. A few air vents are scattered around the doors, and into a strip of lit up buildings on the left. Kaito continues to walk through the alley of buildings to find a large air vent next to a dumpster.
KAITO
I think I might…have something here.
He smiles inconspicuously, and quickly starts clawing at the vent to open it up. The vent loosens, and Kaito clumsily holds and drops it. He swoops into the metal tunnel and closes the vent. As soon as he does this, someone walks out of a building to throw a large duffel bag into the dumpster. Kaito looks like a normal quadruped lizard, effortlessly crawling through a metal vent.
KAITO
(Talking quietly.)
Don’t worry guys, I’ll be back soon to annoy you even more.
Kaito sees light beaming out of a right turn.
KAITO
That’s it!
His eyes opens wider, and he gains speed as he gets closer to the light. He makes the turn.
KAITO
(Jumping back.)
WOAH!!!
Kaito sees four rats wearing hoodies and flannel, playing cards and gambling in a bigger cube shaped area. They sit around a flame that has a magic seal surrounding it. Kaito slowly crawls out of the vent and looks around.
RAT
(To Kaito.)
Sup.
Kaito
(To rat.)
Hi…
Another pathway catches Kaito’s sights. He quickly crawls into another narrow metal tunnel. After several minutes of navigating, Kaito comes across an air vent with giant moving objects seen on the other side.
KAITO
Alright, we’re back. Let’s try not to get blasted off of a cliff this time.
Kaito manages to take the vent off and he safely pulls it back into the tunnel. He crawls out and realizes he is several feet above ground, near the ceiling of a factory. Kaito looks down to see a banner with the name “Aeontech Facilities” painted on the floor. This futuristic-looking factory is filled with antiproton decelerators circling the ground floor. Several metal tubes from the decelerators connect to a giant vertical gear in the middle of the factory. This gear is central to a network of gears that extrude out of factory walls. Networks of metal tubes, staircases, and conveyer belts also fill the facility.
Crawling out of the factory, Kaito’s arms clumsily move through the air in a downward arc. He then sticks his palms onto the rocky mountain walls. A large fan on the ceiling is heard spinning as Kaito crawls a few steps down. Kaito sees two armored guards surveying a portion of the factory where a group of workers enter an elevator to leave for the day. Kaito quickly crawls down the wall.
KAITO
The employees leaving makes finding a pack of antimatter a LITTLE bit easier.
He crawls down the wall, sneaks next to a conveyer belt and begins following its path. More guards, including the high guard from earlier walk toward the lizard’s direction. Kaito panics and runs up a rotating gear. He has a dizzying rotating view of the guards talking to each other.
GUARD
(Talking to the High Guard.)
Officer Kaldis, everyone has intel on that lizard that busted in here earlier.
The guard holds a small device that beams out holograms showing information about Kaito.
KALDIS
Good. Everyone continue your rounds. Make sure every corner of the factory is covered.
The guards spread out. Kaito crawls down from the gear and continues to follow the path of the conveyor belt. The belt’s trail ends inside of a giant, high security storage tank, located in a dark room filled with advanced computers. Fortunately Kaito is able to see fine in this room.
KAITO
Jackpot!
Kaito takes a tiny computer out of one of the pockets of his brown, ragged, leather pants. There is a tiny camera lens on one side of the device, and a screen on the other side. Kaito scrolls through multiple pictures of eyes.
ENT-FLASHBACK
Kaito hides underneath a staircase within the factory. He sees an employee of the factory walking to the storage tank, which has small rectangular cases of anti matter being deposited. The worker stands in front of the tank, presses keys, and looks into a camera. The chamber opens.
Kaito adjusts a hidden camera located on his poncho and continues to film the human. Within the perspective of the camera, scans of the person’s eyeball are being made. Some ones voice and the sound of their running can be heard from several feet away.
VOICE
HEY!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?
EXT-FLASHBACK
Kaito plays footage of the worker typing characters into a keypad on the chamber. He then climbs up the chamber and types in the alphanumeric code. He makes a few quick scrolls on the computer and positions it in front of the tank’s retina scan. The computer beams out a hologram of the Aeontech employee’s eyeball.
KAITO
C’mon, hurry up.
The chamber opens, revealing stacked cases of anti matter. These transparent containers are the size of thin bricks aligned with metal corners. The antimatter inside the containers looks like a red plasma-like material. Kaito quickly takes three cases, stuffs them into his pockets, closes the chamber, and runs out of the room. Hiding behind a set of stairs, he sees a guard walking by shining a light.
KAITO
Alright, time to get out of here.
Kaito crawls up the side of a wall to look for the vent he crawled out of. A guard’s flashlight shines on the vent gate, and double takes.
GUARD1
Wait a minute…Why is the gate of that air vent so crooked?
Several lights target the vent.
KALDIS
Everyone else focus on your area!
Kaito panics while looking around the factory to find an escape. His body starts to turn a solid yellow. The guard’s lights move faster, and more erratic.
KAITO
(Whispering.)
Crap, can’t get caught.
He skims through a few doors, all of which have guards near them. He finds one that isn’t occupied and swiftly runs to it. The door just happens to be an emergency exit.
KAITO
(Whispering.)
This might make noises unless.
He yanks a high tech lock pick out of his pocket. Suddenly the door opens. Kaito looks to the left and behind him to see guards coming his way. A light shines toward him on his right. Kaito looks terrified.
GUARD
YOU AGAIN!!
The guard who opened the door quickly pulls out a gun on Kaito, whose scales are now yellow and black stripes.
GUARD2
HE’S BACK!
Kaito darts out the door. A shot of ice magic hits the lizard’s body in the process, but does not harm him.
GUARD2
How did??
Now outside of the factory, Kaito runs on a smooth concrete terrain then hops across sets of staircases and storage containers. Further away he sees boats used to transport materials near a mountain river. The two guards and Kaldis burst out of the factory door. They run after Kaito while the two guards shoot a barrage of ice blasts, which again are ineffective.
KALDIS
(Angrily at the other guards.)
Guys, if ice isn’t working, SWITCH TO ANOTHER TYPE OF ROUND OR SOMETHING.
Kaldis’s brow stiffens as he takes bigger steps and gains speed at an almost super human level.
KALDIS
(To the other guards.)
I’m going after him. Keep up.
Kaito looks behind him to see Kaldis, the high guard, catching up to him with a despicable smirk on his face. Kaldis grits his teeth, unsheathes his sword, and takes a long, quick jump towards Kaito. Kaito looks incredibly alert as he dodges a giant vertical slash from the high guard that creates a crushing dent into the top of a staircase. Kaldis goes for a stab and Kaito’s turns fully yellow as he repels the attack with a cluster of lightning that he shoots from his hands. He turns back orange with a swirl of blue as he follows up the attack with a strong gust of wind, pushing Kaldis back; and a ball of fire, both of which he hacks out of his mouth. This creates a fiery explosion that blasts Kaldis off of the stairs, allowing Kaito to continue his escape. The gun armed guards hover through the sky via jetpacks, shooting rounds of blue needle like bullets. Kaldis quickly catches his grip on the side of the stairs and leaps back to the surface.
KALDIS
Do NOT let him escape! HE HAS ANTI MATTER.
Kaito leaps head first into a bottomless gap between rows of platform decks with rails. Kaldis hesitates from chasing. Kaito attempts to grab onto a rail behind him with his tail. A needle round hits his tail and Kaito clumsily falls.
GUN GUARD1
I think we got him!
The guards hover down to the platform near Kaldis.
GUN GUARD2
Why was he so adamant on stealing antimatter?
FLASHBACK:
Kaito lies unconscious in a grassy field, high up on a mountain range. A destroyed drone equipped with cannons, and a backpack lay near the lizard. Two gray skinned people with orange eyes, wearing mage-like cloaks run down to Kaito. A girl around the age of 12, with shoulder length, white hair runs ahead of a tall, older man with dark, long, slightly curly hair. The girl gestures the man to her location.
GIRL
Symon, over here!
As they approach Kaito, the man lets out a deep sigh, and closes his eyes. He takes off a small metal brace that’s around his neck, and fastens it around Kaito.
SYMON
This is the last of what we have.
The man picks up Kaito, and the girl takes his backpack. The two walk up a hill towards a village with ancient gothic architecture. The girl looks back at the sky, cautiously for a brief moment.
SYMON
Aeliz, let’s go. We can’t be out here for too long.
FADE IN:
Kaito, now awake, stands in the middle of a village with gothic architecture. He speaks with Symon and Aeliz. Other similar looking villagers stand outside their vicinity, and delightfully stare at Kaito, as his kind is a rare sight.
SYMON
That brace we put on your neck protects you from an aura that emits from the bodies of everyone in our village. We planned on using it to venture out to get more materials for our village.
Kaito looks devastated.
KAITO
I’m so sorry. You guys saved my life.
Another drone is seen flying in the sky far outside of the village.
SYMON
Why were you in that area?? You almost died.
KAITO
I was making a delivery to a village nearby.
SYMON
But that drone had a reason to attack you.
KAITO
Let’s just say I go on missions no one else wants to take. The village was just east of here.
AELIZ
But the area you were at is always under high surveillance. There’s another path you can take from this village.
Symon briefly smiles and nods.
SYMON
Go ahead.
FADE IN
The young girl and Kaito stand near an alternate exit to the village. Outside of the village, a rocky ground leads into the shore of a river with bulging mountains.
Kaito
Is there ANY thing I can do to help your village out??
FLASHBACK ENDS:
KALDIS
Keep shooting.
The other two guards continue firing. While falling, Kaito desperately sticks his claws to the side of a platform, and quickly runs. His scales turn yellow and lightning surrounds his body. At super speed, Kaito jolts up, and above the floor of the platforms. Ending his lightning streak, he hops toward a dock of small transport boats in front of a river. Kaldis lets out a deep sigh. His face fills with rage as he hops from one platform to another. His steps gradually increase their impact and put cracks in the ground.
KALDIS
I’ll handle this myself….
Kaldis leaps far into the air, lifting his giant sword, and arching his body back. He slams the sword down at Kaito and causes the nimble lizard to stumble into the crumbling ground. Kaito lies on the ground with dizzying sight, and ringing in his ears. He can hear and feel his heart pounding rapidly as the Kaldis slightly lifts up Kaito by the ice amulet using his sword. The guard yanks the exposed ice amulet off of Kaito.
KALDIS
This is why you SWITCH rounds when one element does nothing…..Wait..
The other two guards have their weapons aimed at Kaito as Kaldis examines his pockets.
GUN GUARD1
Remember, we’re not supposed to kill him.
KALDIS
I KNOW that.
Kaito spits out a powerful gust of wind that blows the gun armed guards off of the ground. While kneeling to reach into Kaito’s pockets, Kaldis is slid back by the wind. He quickly slams his sword into the ground to mount himself against the force. Kaito quickly pops back on his feet, and uses lightning to bolt himself away. He takes a giant gasp after shooting an air spell out of his mouth. Kaldis continues to run after him, and his fellow guards slowly hover back into the air.
KALDIS
SHOOT HIM WITH ICE!!!!!!!!!
Kaito makes it to the dock and hops into a smaller boat.
KAITO
Finally!
The excess electricity from Kaito spreads throughout the boat, powering it on. The mage waves his claw around the boat to create a magical transparent shield, to protect his self from the blasts of ice being shot by the two guards. One side of the shield is faded with a crack.
KAITO
Almost out of magic…
Kaito makes it to a fork in the river. He turns to the path on the right which is lined with rocky walls and spires in the water. Kaldis boards one of the remaining bigger boat to chase after Kaito. He looks confused as to why Kaito took the alternate route.
KALDIS
No…He’s taking antimatter to the Vexians! Why is he doing that??!
ENT-FLASHBACK
70 years earlier-vexian war
The sky is dim and gray, and the air is hazy. An army of soldiers with glowing orange eyes, wearing dark mage cloaks with chainmail armor, march on crumbled brown terrain. Destroyed buildings with burning smoke are scattered around the area. The hooded leader of the army in front wearing silver gauntlets speaks. He walks past skeleton corpses of recently killed casualties.
XEXIAN LEADER
Humans! You have oppressed and tortured us for long enough!! We will put an end to it today!!
Opposite to the cloaked beings are a bigger army of humans armed in a variety. Front liners wear heavy armor, armed with a swords and gigantic shields. Soldiers holding great swords, and wearing less bulky armor reside close by, with gunners and spell casters further in the back. A human warrior wearing magnificent silver and gold armor, armed with a sword and shield, stands in the front of his army.
HUMAN PALADIN LEADER
Your kind is a danger to this world. We will do everything in our power to keep Vexians confined.
The cloaked leader brings out the palm of his hand. It shakes with tremendous tension. The paladin leader formally holds his sword in front him, and creates multiple transparent blue shield images that circle around the human army, and disappear.
PALADIN LEADER
CHARGE!! ATTACK THE VEXIANS, NOW!
As the human army runs toward their opponents, a blurry aura surrounds the Vexians, protecting them from incoming magic and projectiles. The leader of the cloaked army then closes his hand, and a mushroom cloud explosion erupts within the group of gunners and mages, incinerating them. Fragments of shield magic scatters in the air. The remaining human soldiers clash with the vexians. One human great sword user is seen running at full speed into a younger Symon. The human soldier attempts to cleave into him. The vexian repels the attack with his right palm, shooting out an explosive force that breaks part of the sword wielder’s armor, and causes more shield magic to crack away. Symon dashes forward and slams his hand into the swordsman’s face. Black smoke spirals off of the Vexian as the human soldier’s body vaporizes under his armor.
GRETA SWORDSMAN
Wha…WHAAAAAAAAARRGGH!
A husk of a human is left underneath the armor. Symon kicks the body away. Suddenly a fighter jet is seen sweeping through the sky.
CUT TO:
Inside of the jet, the cockpit window displays a user interface targeting the Vexian army.
PILOT
I’m locked onto the Vexians.
A general for the human army speaks through the pilot’s helmet.
COMMANDER
Make these strikes count. You’re going through a lot of resources.
PILOT
Deploying the aqua spell.
The jet shoots out a magical spell grid onto the ground where the vexian army fights. An enormous sphere of water instantly appears on top of the army, but doesn’t spill out of the grid. While a mixture of vexian and human soldiers float in this random body of water, the fighter jet meticulously fires bullets at the vexians. Symon looks in terror as a handful of his fellow soldiers, including the leader, have bullets dart through them in the water.
PILOT
Deploying conversion beam!
The fighter jet powers up and shoots a red plasma-like beam through the vexian army. The red beam flashes through Symon, and his body jerks. He slowly closes his eyes.
FADE INTO:
Inside of a village with gothic architecture and statues, the remaining Vexian soldiers stand together with metal devices cuffed to their hands and necks. Human soldiers secure their vicinity.
EX. FLASHBACK
Kaito looks alarmed driving the small boat as several clusters of ice rounds clash against his magic shield, destroying it. An ice cluster hits part of Kaito’s left shoulder and his arm starts to go numb.
KAITO
Hrrng!
Kaldis hurls his giant sword at Kaito.
KAITO
Okay, this is the last of my magic.
Kaito turns around holding a pulsating ball of fire that melts away the ice around his left arm. His jaw drops as he watches a giant sword strike through his boat, cleaving it in two.
KAITO
WAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!
The back half of the boat still operates and clumsily propels Kaito forward through the water. Zigzagging through a dangerous river trail with boulders and bulging walls, Kaito throws the pulsating fire ball back against a mountain wall. The fireball bounces in between the narrow path, creating an explosion with each bounce.
GUN GUARD1
WATCH OUT!!
The two gunners get caught in the explosion. At farther distances, Kaito and Kaldis manage to exchange similar terrified looks for a second. The high guard’s boat is too big to navigate through more of the narrow river, so he has it stationary in the river. Holding the ice amulet, he fiercely slams it into a tall spire in the water, crushing a part of the sharp rock. He looks confused staring at the amulet, as it is still intact. Kaito manages to escape and he clings onto the remnants of his boat through the river.
FADE IN
Kaito sits curled up in his fragment of a boat, holding tightly onto the edges. The boat’s motor runs inconsistently, than dies. It slowly sinks.
KAITO
No…No…No no no no no. Ugh.
With his head above the water, Kaito swims the rest of his way to the shore of the river. Kaito walks across a rocky terrain surrounded by mountains, towards a village with grey gothic buildings. Fatigued, he jogs into the town filled with cloaked human-like villagers with gray skin. He quickly puts a metal brace with antimatter coursing through it, around his neck. He excitedly looks around, shifting his sights to a young girl with shoulder length white hair. Kaito runs to her.
KAITO
(Cheerfully waving.)
HEEY! Aeliz!! Over here!
Aeliz stands up from the porch of a small two-story house made of stone.
AELIZ
Kaito! You made it back. And you’re okay!
Kaito takes out three containers of antimatter, holding them like a spread deck of cards.
KAITO
I got what you asked for.
AELIZ
You did?? Oh my god, this is amazing! I felt so bad asking you to bring us antimatter.
KAITO
You and Symon saved my life. It’s the least I could do.
AELIZ
(Rolling her eyes.)
The “least.”
Aeliz peaks through the door of the house.
AELIZ
Symon! I have something to show you!
Symon walks out of the house, only looking about two decades older then he did when he fought in the war 70 years ago, showing how slowly Vexians age. He appears terrified, staring at Aeliz holding containers of antimatter, with Kaito standing next to her. Quickly walking up to the two, he towers over them, casting a shadow.
AELIZ
With this, we can travel outwards, and get more resources for our village! We won’t have to live off of rations anymore.
Symon snatches the antimatter out of Aeliz’s hands and immediately sends an intense stare at Kaito.
SYMON
Kaito where did you get this!? How could you…afford this??
Kaito has a smirk on his face.
KAITO
I got it from that Aeontech antimatter facility.
SYMON
HOW??
KAITO
(Eyes move left and right.)
…..I politely-
SYMON
You stole it.
KAITO
They have so much of it! And they just horde it. This amount of antimatter could be so useful to people, but Aeontech will only sell so much to…Zillionares basically.
SYMON
Once they find out who you are, they won’t stop chasing you. Our village might also be in danger now that we’ve come in contact with this much stolen antimatter.
KAITO
Yeah, they’ll be looking for an orange Squamagia lizard.
Aeliz laughs.
AELIZ
You’re green right now..Anyways, the people in surveillance keep saying we should be able to sustain ourselves with what we already have. FINE. Let’s do that!
SYMON
(Firmly pointing at Aeliz.)
You’re being naïve. Utilizing this much STOLEN antimatter is reckless.
Symon sees other Vexian villagers crowding around him, Kaito, and Aeliz, as he holds the containers of antimatter. A handful of the villagers look in shock and awe, while others smile showing signs of hope.
KAITO
Just keep it. Your village deserves a chance at a better life.
Symon is silent for several seconds.
KAITO
It should last you guys awhile.
AELIZ
We’ll be able to travel around the continent; gather resources, and set up shops to use our powers to help people.
A smile grows on Symon’s face as he speaks.
SYMON
Hmmm…This much antimatter would a century or two. By that point…
Symon quickly runs into the house and comes back with a metal brace, similar to the one Kaito is wearing. He puts the brace on his wrist, and turns a small dial on the antimatter container.
SYMON
Alright..Let’s go for it
Tall flashes of light quickly beam out of the container. Kaito and Aeliz turn and shield their eyes.
Photo Credits: Poncho by Milada Vigerova
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