10minutewriting

[10minutewriting]

December 14th - Frozen Composer

The urchin looked like any other, dressed in filthy rags with skin slightly blue from the cold. Unlike most, though, she was scratching shakily at a piece of paper with a quill. This caught his attention, and he walked over briskly.

"What are you doing, child?" he asks gruffly, cane tapping beside him as he came to a stop. The child looked up from behind her greasy brown hair.

"G-good evening, sir..." she stammered. Was it fear, or the cold? "S-spare a penny for the homeless?"

"What are you doing?" he insisted. She gripped the paper a little tighter, her knuckles paling a little.

"I'm just... I'm just listening to my heart, sir."

"Your heart? Show me."

"I-I'm sorry, sir... my mother said I shouldn't-"

"I said show me!" He barked. She flinched and held the paper out. He took it carefully, the dark leather of his gloves rubbing against the torn parchment. When he turned it over, he was stunned. It was music! The girl had been composing a small piece of music, a simple tune with a harmony. "How curious..." he muttered, humming the melody. The girl realised this, and started humming the harmony. The man was impressed, humming bolder as he learnt the piece. It was rather simple, there was no denying it, but the girl had potential. "What is your name?"

"I... my name is Maggey, sir."

"Come with me, Maggey. I feel as though you would do best with room to develop your talent."

"I... yes, sir!" she struggled to her feet, her thin limbs struggling against the cold and her own weakness. He frowned slightly. He would need to do some work on her health, first.

[10minutewriting]

December 6th - Regaea Description, Part 1

The world before him was vast. Large, rolling hills covered in grass and hope.  The gentle breeze let the grass dance, winding its way through tall and ancient trees. One particularly massive oak stood proudly in the centre of the forest, protecting an aged blade beneath its gnarled roots. Slimes bounced their way through the emerald glades in the day; by night, shambling corpses and ancient monstrosities rendered the forest too dangerous for a mere mortal.

Far, far to the south was a large, shimmering expanse of ice and snow. Natural tunnels crisscrossed the area, cutting through the snow and forming paths to the land beneath. Trapped lakes beneath fragile ice waited to chill victims to the bone; down in the caverns, however, piranha-like fish stalked the darkened waters, hoping for even a little prey. Skeletons clacked their way through forgotten halls further to the south. These darkened halls, illuminated by unnatural candles with flickering blue flames, shimmered with the cursed energy. A single human, cursed to guard it eternally, waited impatiently for the warrior to free him.

[10minutewriting]

Nov 26 - It’s Everywhere

He drummed his fingers against his immortal knees, staring up at the clock that ticked away the eons. The office had called him in following some inconsistencies from his paperwork. He grumbled to himself as he looked at the clock again. How long were they going to keep him? It had already been a millennium. His people were probably missing him... if they hadn't already forgotten he ever existed. It couldn't be much longer now, surely.

"Mister Weh to office two, please." a voice finally called over a tinny speaker. He got up and entered the office in question, closing the door behind him. The woman on the other side had fiery ginger hair, glimmering slightly in the stale light. "Ah, Mister Weh, good morning."

"Oh, is that the time?" he frowned briefly. "It's hard to tell when you exist out of the timestream."

"My apologies for calling you in this early, mister Weh. Allow me to be brief."

"Alright." he nodded, trying to relax a little. He was being needlessly hostile.

"Well, if I may start at the beginning..." she adjusted the papers in front of her, looking him in the eye. "According to your paperwork, you have made some changes that go against the terms and conditions you agreed on." He grew quiet, tensing up a little. He hadn't even thought of those.

"... okay, I'm gonna have to ask for some elaboration, I'm afraid."

"Not a problem." she smiled gently. "Okay, the first term in question... article 34-15-C. Mortals are to understand your rule clearly, which will follow a consistent trend of morales."

"I did that?" He frowned a little. "The mortal I told them to made a stone tablet with the rules."

"Indeed, but promptly broke it before he could share it with other mortals. In addition, the second set of rules were very different when compared to the first."

"I.. I got a bit creative, I'll confess." he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously.

"Well, the typical penalty for this is usually a relief of powers for one century, but I believe we have accommodated for that with your unexpected wait to see me. I apologise for that, by the way."

"It's okay, it's okay..." he muttered, waving his hand around dismissively.

"Very well. The second point I wish to bring up today is... here we are, Article 46-A. Turning mortals into one-compound substances is forbidden, with exception of type-A heathens, blasphemers, etcetera."

"Wait, what?" He blinked, all the more confused. "When did I do that?"

"Shortly after the previous incident. The individual in question was turned into salt for looking at the town she and her family had been ordered to abandon."

"She went directly against my word!" he objected. "That's the definition of a type-A, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid that a decision committee has already exampled this case, and we have found this to be a type-D heathen scenario. Your reaction seems undue given the scenario."

"Ugh..." he sighed, resting his head in a hand, hiding his eyes. This was going bad... "Okay, fine, what's going to happen to me?"

"Given your relatively new status as a deity, we are willing to overlook these transgressions. You are only six or seven millennia into your universe, after all."

"Okay, so...?"

"You will be removed for retraining and, following your success in this, you will act as a lesser deity in a larger universe. Hopefully, you will be able to use the experience to better your own universe on your return or restart."

"Right..." he felt relief wash over him. He hadn't had his powers stripped from him! "Who am I going to go with?"

"A position is currently open in the G.R.K. pantheon. You have been assigned to that."

"Fine." he nodded, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that will be all." she closed the file. "We will continue to monitor your progress, and should further intervention be required we will ask you to come in again."

"Alright, fine..." he grumbled. "Thanks."

"Have a good day, Mister Weh."

[10minutewriting]

November 22nd - Three-Legged Horse

The grass crumpled under my feet as I headed to the barn. I didn't want to think of Sooty, but the time had come. He couldn't do any work since the accident. Three legs simply weren't enough for a horse. I swallowed as I pushed the door open, heading into the dim shadows. Sooty stared at me. I swear he was smiling, but he fidgeted a little against the wall. I walked past him, to the locker, and opened it up. The shotgun was hung on the back, the ammo in a box on the floor. I took it all.

[10minutewriting]

November 19th - Character Ideas

Okay, I've been unfocused for the longest time, partly due to illness and partly due to depression. I'm questioning if I should focus on writing as a career or what; truth be told, I've kinda given up in general. But that's not what I'm writing about today!

So, I need to jot down a few character ideas of mine. I'll start from the top with the newest, Claricia. She's a Dungeons and Dragons style bard, able to use music to help her allies and hinder her foes. She's very socially awkward, though, but is able to use this to her advantage with good luck and an understanding of what makes people tick. The main reason for her awkwardness? Lycanthropy. She's a werewolf, and while she has been for a while she knows most humans don't appreciate them being around, so she tries not to show it. I only came up with the concept an hour or two before writing this so I don't know too much about her yet, but with any luck, we'll be able to play a game with her as a character so we'll be able to figure it out.

Another one I'll write about is Tial. An aqua-modified human in a dystopian future, she's a rogue assassin that prefers elimination through sniping. She's capable of using a face-mounted technology that syncs with her jumpsuit to help disguise her as any other humanoid. There are several gun manufacturers in this dimension, but she prefers one particular manufacturer. Her weapons from this manufacturer are slow to reload and have lower than average muzzle velocity, but she enjoys the futuristic appearance, accuracy and secondary effects of the energy-based weapons. She's usually cruel and cold, but can be caught off-guard easily (one of the reasons she prefers sniping). She has a particular fondness of genetically manipulated individuals, especially those who are not edited by choice. She'll often take a bodyguard role to help their cause.

The last one is the main character of Regaea. He doesn't have a name and I don't intend to give him a bodily description since he's meant to represent the player character, but he's going to be more of a melee fighter with aspects of the other types (range, magic, summon). He's going to be confused about the way of the world until he's beaten the first couple of bosses (which I'm not going to name here to surprise people that don't play the game) - after that, he'll gain some confidence with the flow of events. He'll still have to find advice from Marty, as well as other "civilian" characters I haven't introduced yet, but each is going to have their position in his little world.

I'm not going to apologise for my inactivity, as I feel it'll just happen again later. For now, though, I'm grateful for your patience and hopeful for feedback. If nothing else, at least I actually got myself to write something today. Progress, while slow, remains progress!

[10minutewriting]

November 12th

He wandered for a while, looking around. The gently rolling hills were interspersed with lakes, a couple sporting small streams that dribbled down lazily. One particularly large lake stretched as far as he could see left and right, but only a short distance forward. He would have assumed it was a river, if the water wasn't stationary. He shrugged, preparing to dive in. It'd been a while since he swam. He quickly realised, however, that the water didn't act as water, though it certainly felt like it. Instead of supporting him, as he had expected, he instead plummeted. He managed to avoid landing on his head, but he still had to hold his breath. He struggled through the liquid, slowly moving forward until he was able to climb out on the other side. He sighed as his head cleared the surface, air flowing into his lungs.

"Even water isn't right." he grumbled, shaking himself dry. It didn't take long; the water seemed eager to return to the lake. It barely stirred from the gentle breeze overhead. He shook his head again, looking ahead and carrying on towards the horizon. There was a large natural tunnel ahead, lined with a surprising number of pots. He looked within them, one at a time, and was pleasantly surprised. They all had little supplies to help! A couple of potions, arrows, torches and glowing sticks, even a few metal shards in an odd, curved star shape. He figured he could use them for throwing at more dangerous enemies and bagged them, continuing down this tunnel. Though he could see light at the other end, it was dark where he was so he revealed a torch and held it up. Brushing past some vines, he soon came across a treasure chest. Excitement filled his heart and he rushed to inspect it, putting a torch on the leafy wall. The chest looked to be large enough to hold him but didn't even rattle when he shook it. He frowned a little but opened it anyway. His concern was relieved; there was a little cash scattered around the base, a bag of herbs tucked into one corner and a strange pair of objects. They were black and sported a few metallic hooks on one side. Indents on the inside of the rectangular base suggested they were meant to slip over the knuckles so he cautiously put them on. He flexed his fingers a little, getting used to wearing them, before carrying on. The tunnel was opening out again, a cool breeze drifting through. It was colder than he remembered...

[10minutewriting]

November 7th

It was a simple wooden box with a door, simple torches both inside and out. The chair and table he had made were sturdy enough for the job. The traveller stood back and looked it over, nodding in satisfaction.

"That's not bad." Marty nodded with a smile. "I will happily stay here."

"Yeah, but what about me?"

"You will not need rest, food or shelter. The spirits of this land shall save you from needing it."

"Really?" he blinked.

"When did you last eat? When did you last sleep?"

"I..." he blinked, realising. He looked up to the sky. It was cloudy and dark, the last vestiges of day clinging stubbornly to the air, holding on against the twilight. "I'm not even hungry..."

"They shall sustain you, but it cannot stop you from death by injuries. Please be careful." Marty frowned slightly in concern. The traveller nodded.

"Okay, so... what's next?"

"You will need to arm yourself properly. The first stop is finding stone and making a furnace."

"Right... any hints?"

"Everything you should need is available on the surface. Some ores are available on the surface, too - hopefully, you'll find enough for an anvil."

"Alright, brilliant." The traveller turned to leave.

"Stay safe." Marty muttered. The traveller nodded and walked off, checking his sword again. It wasn't much, but it worked.

[10minutewriting]

November 4th - Regaea, Part 3

He was back before he knew it. The goop, the wood and his tools were somewhere. He wasn't sure where exactly, but he knew it was there. Marty waved in greeting as he returned.

"I hope you got as much as you need?"

"Yeah, I got some, but... there was this green blob thing that attacked me."

"Oh? You must be talking about a slime." Marty grinned slightly. "They attack when you hit them first in the day time, so you might have just caught one with your axe."

"Yeah, that was it." he nodded. "When it split into smaller bits, it didn't move any more. I've got some here..." he brought it into being, holding it in his hand.

"Yes, that's gel. It's flammable and useful for torches, but you can mix some of the mushrooms in to make simple healing potions."

"Right." he brought some wood out and put the two together. They formed a set of torches. "How do I light these?"

"As long as you aren't in water, they'll burn indefinitely. You can support them on the floor and walls, too."

"Really?" he blinked, curious. "That... actually sounds pretty useful."

"Indeed. You'll need it to build a house."

"Oh, right, we need somewhere to live..."

"Most denizens of this village only need somewhere to rest, a flat surface and lights. All of that, within an enclosed area, will be enough to attract others to our village."

"Okay..." he nodded, turning to an empty space of ground. "Just build a room, huh?"

"In essence." Marty nodded. The traveller went to start, but Marty interrupted. "Oh, wait! You should build a workbench first."

"Oh, right... wait, why?"

"You will be able to use it to craft all sorts of stuff, including weapons, simple armour, simple furniture and more. It uses more wood than a simple table, but I feel as though the exchange is worthwhile."

"Yeah, that definitely sounds useful..." he nodded. He could feel the wood reforming, gaining utility. He made a wooden floor, big enough to support the two of them, and placed the workbench on this floor. He suddenly felt a surge of knowledge overwhelm him! He wobbled for balance but failed, falling onto the ground. Marty rushed over, helping the traveller back to his feet. "What... what the hell was that?"

"You know everything you can use the workbench for." Marty replied, holding him steady. "Since you can make lots of things with the wood, it overwhelmed you."

"That's putting it lightly..." he sighed, catching his breath. "Okay, so... can I keep building?"

"Indeed, there shouldn't be any more surprises." Marty nodded. The traveller nodded in relief, resuming construction. He didn't plan for a large building, just enough to be a home.

[10minutewriting]

Nov 1 - Late End-of-Month Post

Yeah, I haven't been posting daily at all. It's been making me worry, truth be told, but if I can't focus on the writing then I shouldn't force it. It's not a justification, I know that, but... this is pretty typical for me. I don't know how to focus when I'm at home, truly I don't. I'm proud of having made it for about 2/3 of the year, and I'd love to be able to try it again, but I need a project that truly grips me. I don't know what that could be yet. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

[10minutewriting]

October 30th - Regaea, Pt. 2

The traveller set off, heading for the forest. The tools were heavy but somehow felt right in his hands. He hefted the axe around, getting used to its balance as he eyed the first tree up. It was a fine specimen, sporting pale bark and crisp, fresh leaves. He braced himself and swung the axe, making a satisfying clunk and a scar in the trunk. He wriggled the blade free and swung again. The axe was working quickly through the tree, and he was done in fifteen strokes. It wasn't falling, though; instead, it just vanished. Blocks of wood took its place, accompanied by a few acorns. He blinked and reached out for the wood. He didn't even get to touch it; the wood flew at him and vanished. He didn't know where it went, but somehow... he knew he had it. He blinked, focusing on this new sensation... and a solid block of wood appeared, as natural as though it had always been there, as smooth as if he had just built it. He blinked, all the more confused, but nodded. It seemed as though constructing would be much easier than he had first imagined. He carried on cutting down trees, swinging the axe happily, until the axe caught on something behind him. He blinked, confused, and turned around. A green blob of... he had no word to describe it except slime. It was round and reached up to his knee. He didn't think much of it until it leapt over his head and landed in front of him. He stepped back in surprise, just in time to avoid it leaping straight at him. It was aggressive! He paused as he realised that he had hit it first. He frowned, stepping aside to dodge one more lunge from the slime. Only one of them was leaving this grove.

-----

The traveller quickly realised that the slime was going to do nothing but bounce at him. He timed his attacks just as the slime jumped, batting it down with a swing of his powerful axe. It took a few swings, but one firm swing of the axe split the slime into smaller blobs with an odd puff of smoke. He was worried that the fight had become harder and braced for the first slime to jump out of the way. None of the blobs moved, though. He had won already? He was still tense as he approached the slime, poking it with the axe. It jiggled, but didn't move by itself. He scooped it up cautiously. It vanished as quickly as the wood from before, added to his... items. He shuddered, feeling grotesque, but it didn't seem to be harmful. He decided to take it back to Marty, scooping up the remains and returning his attention to gathering wood. The first fight he had fought hadn't gone so bad. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too much to all this.

[10minutewriting]

October 29th - Regaea

The planet spun slowly through the unknown cosmos. Its atmospheres held fluffy clouds, beautiful masses of water that drifted slowly through the calm sky. The rolling hills were coated by an unending wave of green, stretching as far as the horizons. The trees rustled in a gentle breeze, swaying to an unheard rhythm. It was surrounded by such beauty that he awoke, eyelids fluttering as he stirred. He was stiff from sleeping on the ground, so sat up with a quiet groan. It took him a moment to realise he was outside, but when he did notice he looked around in confusion.

"Where... am I?" he muttered as he stood, leaning back to stretch his spine. He didn't recognise the area at all, and started to get worried. He was so focused on this that he was caught by surprise when a voice called out behind him.

"Good morning." it greeted calmly. He spun around to observe a lone figure approaching him calmly. The man was about his height, sporting shaggy, pale brown hair and a grey shirt. He seemed to be carrying a few items in one hand; the other hand was waving happily.

"Uh... hi." he muttered, glancing around again. "Sorry, who are you?"

"My name is Marty. I've been put here to help wandering souls like yourself."

"I, um... I'm not a wanderer, really, I'm just lost. Where am I?"

"The journey here can be quite disorienting, yes." he reached out and rested a hand on the traveller's arm. "We need to see what you remember, first. Let's start with your name; who are you?"

"My name?" he raised an eyebrow and smirked. Of course he remembered his name! "I'm..." his smirk dropped a little. "My name... is..." he glanced down as he tried to remember. Why wasn't he remembering? The other man gripped his arm a little tighter before letting go.

"I see... a total loss, then. Very well, I'll start from the beginning. This..." he gestured around to the hills, the sky. "This is Regaea."

"Regaea?" the traveller blinked, looking up again. "What kinda place...?"

"It is a world in turmoil. The ancient spirits that breathed life into the land are now in conflict. A dark, mighty being that lurks far below seeks to devour all that would walk, or swim, or fly in this realm. You have been brought here to help us."

"Me?" he asked, stepping back. "I'm no fighter, I... how am I supposed to handle all that?"

"Don't worry, I don't expect you to march down to the beast and face it for a long time yet. The beast is patient and has not stirred for years. No, right now I hope that you will build us a home."

"Build? With what?" he laughed emptily, confused by all of this. This wasn't what he was expecting to wake up to... though, what was he expecting? He couldn't remember anything, after all.

"Here, you can use these." the man raised the tools from before. The traveller looked at them, quickly identifying a pick, an axe and a short sword, all made of copper. "These will help you gather the resources you need." he gestured to the trees as the traveller took the tools. "I will explain how to build more on your return."

"Well, why don't you do it?" the traveller frowned, shuffling the tools. They were big but he found he could carry them all easily.

"I am forbidden." the guide looked down. "In exchange for my continuing life, I must serve the Light Spirit of Order. I can not cause any damage to the ground or plants."

"The who of what?"

"Please, you must begin before night. Otherwise, you'll see what I am allowed to harm."

[10minutewriting]

October 26th - Harpy

(Prompt inspired - " An abandoned harpy egg hatches just as a group of adventurers passes by, and the hatchling ends up imprinting upon one of them and starts following the party around.")

He saw the egg alone. The mountain path hadn't proven kind to any of them, but this seemed particularly cruel. The nest had been abandoned a while back, but there was still an egg. Its shell was a pale blue, speckled with black dots, but the mother was gone. She had taken most of the food, but the egg had been left. He frowned slightly as he climbed up, looking to the sky. There wasn't a harpy in sight, nothing but a mundane vulture. He climbed into the nest properly, carefully approaching the egg.

"What's the word?" a voice called out from below him. He turned around and looked back down the mountain. His partner, a druid that had come to check the natural balance this far out, was growing a little restless.  She knew something was wrong.

"It's a harpy nest, but I don't see the owner anywhere."

"Oh, no..." she wanted to come up and examine, but she couldn't climb up the cliff face. "Is there anything innocent in there?"

"There's an egg. I don't think the mother's coming back."

"Oh, no... we can't do much with it, though, we shou-" a loud crack interrupted them both. He looked to the egg in shock. There was a large crack along its length. A second crack burst into place, accompanied by a louder crack. "What's going on? Are you breaking it?!" The druid shouted out.

"I'm not touching it! It's just cracked!"

"Cracked? You mean-" a third crack tore through the conversation and the egg as a chunk of the shell exploded off. He yelped and ducked under it, narrowly missing a headache. He straightened up and looked at the egg... and something within looked back. The face he saw was adorable, tiny and cute and staring at him with... almost a loving expression. The harpy baby wriggled out of the egg, more shell crumbling to the nest underfoot. She looked at him and chirped a sweet note, wings flapping excitedly. "Are you okay?"

"It hatched!" he exclaimed in disbelief, sitting down. It wriggled closer, chirping happily. Had... had it imprinted?

[10minutewriting]

October 24th - Spirit Bus

David sighed as he sat down, looking around at the empty bus around him. It had already set off, the driver seemingly in a rush. He wasn't surprised, it was already ten minutes late. He shuffled as he stared out the window. It was approaching sunset, a brilliant orange painting the fields beside the long road. He sighed and reclined a little, bringing a book out and reading it. It took nearly half an hour to get to his village. Half an hour with which to do nothing. He sighed and looked around again. Usually, there were some people on with him, but this time there was nobody else. He got a brief sense of unease as a shadow brushed past him. His mind wandered, making him grin.

"Sorry if I'm disturbing you, ghosts." he chuckled softly. "I'll be gone soon."

"There, you see?" a voice replied. A woman's voice, one he hadn't heard before. He sat up and looked around, startled. "He doesn't mean to do anything."

"He's twitching." another voice replied. This one was deep, deeper than he recognised as human, a deep rumble that echoed in his body. "He heard you."

"Nonsense." the woman's voice replied, clearly smiling by now. "Humans twitch like that, don't they?"

"Only when startled."

"What the hell's going on?" he asked, looking around. He still couldn't see anybody, not even the driver. "Who's here?"

"See? He's getting scared."

"Oh, you can't tell that."

"I literally sense human emotions." the deep voice sighed. "He's nervous alright. He has to hear us."

"Oh, um..." the female voice hesitated. "Uh... oh! Oh, goodness..."

"Well?"

"He... yes, he does have a hint of the ancient blood. It's okay, everyone!" the voice paused for a moment. "You can come out!" Voices and figures faded into his perception. The figures were far from human; yes, they had a humanoid shape, but there was no denying their monstrous nature. One was even sat next to him, a feminine figure with large curved horns and feathered wings. She waved innocently with a self-conscious smile. He was panicking, he wanted to scream, he wanted to stop the bus and get off, but all he did was wave back gently. "Well, he hasn't panicked just yet." the first female commented. She reminded him of an angel in every sense, graceful and elegant. She was sat beside a demon, muscular and powerful but bearing purple skin and a spaded tail. He was looking out of the window, but those glimmering eyes betrayed his interest in the out-of-place human. David glanced out of the window, terrified but staying quiet. This was insane!

[10minutewriting]

October 23rd - Bear Attack

(Inspired; in-game event with very similar conditions and outcome)

She was already frozen. The icy wind cut through her light armour, her only serious defence being her natural fur. She shivered and rubbed her arm, tail swaying a little.

"Freakin' cold..." she grumbled. Her dagger bounced against her side as she slipped a little on the cobbles of the aged road. Few travellers ever wandered down this road, even though it would lead them to the territory's capital. She grumbled as she walked, but a low, menacing growl interrupted her thoughts. She spun on the spot, dagger flying out of its sheath. That was a bear. A large, white bear growled menacingly and reared up on its hind legs, roaring at her. She took a step back, growling slightly. Her feline grace wasn't much help in a fight, but nor was she helpless. She braced to fight it when a second deep growl came from her right. She looked. Her ears drooped at the sight of a second bear, rushing at her angrily.

-----

She stepped aside, barely evading its bite - just to step into swiping range of the first, a fact she realised the painful way. She recoiled, gripping her new wound and fumbling for a health potion. Her other hand flailed with the dagger, cutting into the bear's flesh, but it was so weak that it only served to anger it. Both roared and swung at the same time. She stepped back, worried, when she realised. The two had collided and growled briefly at each other. She grinned as she prepared to cast a spell. She was an adept illusionist, capable of tweaking the minds of others as she chose. One of her spells was capable of causing a group of her foes to turn to manic bloodlust. Sacrificing most of her magic strength, she cast the spell. The two stayed fixated on her, though; she was barely much better for it. She stepped back to avoid a couple more attacks, before turning and running. Fumbling in her pouch, she grabbed what she thought was another healing potion. She ripped it out and drank it quickly. Her body felt an unusual surge of energy as she felt herself... fading. She had drunk her only potion of invisibility! She slid to a stop and grew quiet, holding her breath. Without the ability to focus on her, the bear's bloodlust turned to each other and they clawed at each other furiously. She waited for one to kill the other, catching her breath as she carefully drew her bow. Nocking an arrow and drawing it, she held her breath and waited. As soon as the second bear was triumphant, roaring in its fury, she loosed the arrow. She was saved by her ingenuity and alchemy.

[10minutewriting]

October 21st - Hall of Maybes

He staggered forward, stumbling to keep his balance. The tiles clicked under his feet as he recovered, leaning on the wall to regain his breath. He looked around, somewhat confused. Where was this? It was a corridor, lined with shelf upon shelf upon shelf. He couldn't see the end of the corridor, nor the walls. The ceiling seemed to be absent, revealing a beautiful night sky that shimmered with a subtle deep blue. He looked around, murmuring in quiet admiration as he walked down this hall. It took him a moment to realise that the shelves weren't empty. Looking at the nearest, he found large glass vials, each filled with a mysterious liquid. White stickers applied to each one gave him a hint of what was within, but seemed deliberately vague - "Maybe Alan Schendler bought the red car." "Maybe Selene Aragas trained hard enough."

"What the hell are these?" he asked nobody in particular, picking the latter up. He had never heard of the name before. The fluid within sloshed as he shook the vial, a purple fluid that seemed to glimmer in the scant light. He put it back carefully and moved on, looking around. All the shelves had these vials, each with Maybe, a name and an action. "What is going on here..." he mumbled, taking a second vial off the shelf. He recognised this name. "Maybe Robert Langley tried to become a musician." He grinned at the idea; the Robert he knew had a little talent, but he wasn't interested in pursuing it. He looked at the top and found it was sealed with a simple cork - though the cork seemed loose. He tugged at it...

Pop!

-----

He blinked as he came to, lying on a cold floor. What had happened? He sat up with a groan, holding his sore head. His hand caught an empty vial; on inspection, it was the vial he had just opened. The insides were dusty, like they had never held anything. What was going on?

"Satisfied?" a voice asked, startling him. He scrambled to his feet and looked at the speaker. It was a woman wearing a funky dress that shimmered in the same pattern as the air above him, a night sky that shimmered and swayed as she moved. She was staring at him with a displeased expression, arms folded. A tapping sound revealed the motion was the impatient tapping of her foot.

"Wh-who the hell are you?"

"That doesn't matter as much as you getting out of her." she huffed, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair over her shoulder. "It's not safe for mortals to be here. Frankly, I'm surprised you made it in."

"What the hell is going on, lady?"

"This is the Hall of Maybes, as this dimension calls it. It's a nexus for all other near-identical parallel universes, which all follow one rule - the same events have occurred to the very last detail, with one exception, which is listed on the bottle. Opening it brought you here."

"Wait, I'm... in another dimension?"

"No, you're in a parallel universe." she strode over, looking carefully through the bottles. "And I'll have to send you back before you do something else stupid."

[10minutewriting]

October 18th - Value

(Prompted:  "While in an antique curiosities shop you come across a plain yet appealing Witches hat, and acquire it for fairly cheap. When you put it on for Halloween, you hear it speak, quiet but distinct, "You are worthy. I'll keep you alive today.")

She strode out of the shop, the gentle chiming of the bell almost annoying. She glanced again at the hat in her bag. It was unassuming, a large leather circle with a cone on top. The whole thing was dyed black, though this had faded with the item's age. She grinned slightly. It wasn't every day that she could wear her strongest outfit in public without being questioned. She had gotten rid of that ghost, too. No payment, as she'd expected, but she had been shown that being nice to others was sometimes its own reward - though this was rare. The hat was a replacement for her old one - it had worn through with a hem, and while she was okay with a needle she couldn't produce the thread needed to repair the magic woven into the hat. This one would hopefully make the difference. She reached a bus stop, flopping against the shelter and waited. It was too bright for her.

-----

Thankfully, she had timed it well, and was on the way home before very long. She threw open her apartment door and strode in, dumping her shopping on the table. She drew the hat out of the bag and looked it over, turning it around in her hands.

"Well, let's see if you're a waste of money." she told it, trying it on. It was a bit tight, but she shuffled it and it seemed to fit fine. "Not bad." she nodded.

"Likewise." a voice replied in her head. She called out in surprise and glanced around, fists bunched, ready to fight.

"Okay, so the hat's cursed." she grumbled. The voice laughed briefly.

"My, aren't you sharp?" it taunted, voice smooth and snide. "I suppose you've captured my interest. My, such gifts..."

"Hey, no mind reading until I get a name."

"Very well. I am Ankarl, a lost spirit bound to this hat. You are Abigail, correct?"

"Guess I got a name." she shrugged. "So what's your deal? You stuck up there until I complete some ancient ritual?"

"No, nothing so macabre. You likely have the necessary reagents. No, I simply bestow power to those I deem worthy."

"What do you get in exchange?" Abigail asked, moving to put the rest of her shopping away. The hat's brim was rather wide, so this gave her time to adjust. "My mind? Sanity? Soul?" Ankarl laughed again.

"My, you are ignorant in your wisdom." he chuckled. "No, I am no demon, I demand no price. I am... I suppose you would call it a lesser deity."

"Domains?"

"Subtlety. Darkness. Anything that goes bump in the night was once under my domain."

"Okay..." she tried to sound disinterested, but they both knew he had her attention. "And how do I know you're not lying?"

"How are you supposed to? With your own words, if I am a deity of lies then you cannot believe anything I say, as all lies sound believable."

"Hmph." she grinned a little. "Well, if we're gonna stick around for a while, at least take a form idiots out there would accept."

"Alas, transformation is not one of my abilities in this state."

"Eh, whatever." she stood up, grinning. "Pretty sure a deity would reward me handsomely for his release, right?"

"My, my... you are worthy. I'll let you live for today."

[10minutewriting]

October 17th - Reversal, Part 2

Mica smiled. "I... I'm honoured that you're interested, but..." her smile dropped a little. "It's not ready yet..."

"It ain't?" he frowned slightly. "What's missing?"

"Your blood..." she mumbled. He clearly wasn't impressed, crossing his arms and frowning a little.

"Why do you need somethin' like that?"

"Blood is, well... it's a way to show who you are. Nobody has the same blood, even among family. In this charm, the blood acts as the link between our spirits, a way to tie the body to the correct soul..."

"So what?"

"Well... if I do it right, we'll keep our gender correct. You will become a merman, and I will become a female human. I-if I have the charm right, that is..." She revealed another shell. This one was longer, slender and had a bit of seaweed wrapped around one end. He recognised a dagger when he saw one.

"And if you don't?"

"Well, I... I'm not sure..." she shook her head nervously. "I don't usually work with this sort of thing..." he crossed his arms, unimpressed. "I-I think I've got it right, though, so please..." she pressed the blade against her palm, blood dribbling down its length gently.

"Careful there, missy, that's a lot of blood." he frowned, fingers twitching as he resisted holding her hand.

"I'm okay..." she mumbled, clenching her hand a little tighter and bringing it over the charm. A couple of drops of her blood fell onto the shell, making it glow with a soft blue flame. "It's a lot of blood, but merkin have longevity. A cut like this is trivial."

"Huh..." he grinned. What he could do with a gift like that... he frowned and shook his head. That sort of thought was what got him in this mess in the first place. "So, what, do I need to do the same?"

"Yes... please be careful. Humans are vulnerable to bleeding, are they not?"

"Eh, I've had worse." he shrugged, holding his hand out too. "So you need the blood?"

"Yes. Once you've supplied some, the charm should do the rest."

"Should?" he frowned again. "You don't seem very confident."

"My mother had not taught me the finer points..." she smiled awkwardly, looking away. "But I taught myself. My father's tomes told me more than she ever did."

"So you're sure you're ready?" he frowned, looking up. He had almost forgotten about the rain, even as it poured on to him. "You don't sound it."

"Yes, I'm sure. Please..." she reached up, the shell-dagger in her other hand. "If you're ready, we can... we can begin."

"..." he looked back to the town. It was true that he'd lost a lot of money, but it wasn't entirely over either. There was still the chance of an honest wage, he could use his sailing knowledge somewhere. All he needed was a chance... he frowned as he realised. That chance would have him thrown into jail. He would be used as an example to warn off piracy. He didn't have a choice. "Just take the damn blood."