#Drowsy-stag

[wtimetravelgentlemen]

Hi! I wanted to ask if it’s okay to use your art as a profile picture on Instagram with credit to you in the bio? Thank you!

Of course! Im pretty relaxed with people using my art for personal stuff. Heres a list of some info about that, might add more later

This all applies to fanart, please dont use my OC art for anything unless you have permission.

Stuff you can use my art for without crediting directly (credit if someone asks ofc)

-profile pictures

-personal stuff like playlist covers

-wallpapers

-RPs (within reason)

Stuff you can use my art for with crediting in bio or the post:

-headers

-using my art for studies

-coloring linework I've posted (if you want the png lineart of any of my fanarts to practice color or whatever just dm me and ill send it to you)

-reposting (within reason, dont just re-upload my art just for the sake of it on other platforms, I'd prefer if my art wasnt on Pinterest for example unless its for a private board)

-videos and edits

-memes

Stuff i do not want my art used for:

-AI shit of any kind. No using filters, no AI training. I have 0 tolerance for that and i will block freely and liberally.

-malicious purposes obv haha and claiming stuff as your own

[crowbarsolo]

The Special Guests

Title: The Special Guests

Fandom: One Piece

Rating: T

Content warnings: canon-typical violence, mild horror imagery, insects

Characters: Nico Robin, Cavendish

Ship: Cavendish/Robin

Prompt used : Take My Hand

Summary: Robin and Cavendish attend a mysterious nighttime celebration hosted on an uninhabited island, though their date is disturbed when Hakuba senses something off about the other guests.

Excerpt:

The oars slid in and out of the river without a sound. Near the shoreline, tangled clusters of roots bobbed above the water, weeds fanned around them like drowned women’s hair.  Aside from the drowsy hum of the dragonflies, the island was silent, unnaturally so; a silence of enchanted forests and thorn gardens and ancient castles in which princesses slept.

“I do hate to be a bother, but are you sure we’re meant to be here?” Cavendish asked. Experience had taught him that where princesses slept, witches were never far.

Robin smiled and parted her hands, revealing a pair of horned stag beetles. “I’m not,” she said, “but they are.”

The beetles’ horns both pointed North, deeper inland. At the sight, of the insects, the Other that slept within Cavendish stirred. He saw his own hands reaching out to pluck the insects from Robin’s hands, snapping off their heads and drinking their ichor, even as the rest of him recoiled at the prospect. Let me out, Hakuba said. A wild beast pacing, shaking the bars of its cage.

“I’m sorry,” Robin said, misreading his shudder and covering the beetles again. “Thank you for indulging me. I know it’s probably not what you had in mind when you asked me out.”

Indeed, when Cavendish had sent her a messenger dove bearing a brief declaration of his love on five parchment rolls of tightly-packed iambic pentameter, he’d been thinking of something rather along the lines of a ballroom. The opera. Perhaps a picnic in the park, if she wanted to give in to the adventurous urge that had once driven her to sail with the Pirate King. “Not at all,” he demurred. “I love to contemplate nature, on the rare occasion it’s placed in front of me.” A mosquito came to rest on his neck. He released one of his oars to swat it. Pacified by this small offering of blood, Hakuba quieted.

“I’m afraid there won’t be much contemplation happening tonight if all goes according to plan,” Robin said, watching the sinister thickets of willows with a smile. She wore a black evening dress and stiletto heels that seemed ill indicated for a hike in the wilderness, though Cavendish could respect her refusal to compromise her own sense of drama for practical reasons.

“A plan! I like the sound of that,” he said encouragingly. “I’d like it even more if I had any idea of what it entails.”

Robin did not answer right away. “I’ve spent all my life looking for dead cultures,” she said. “Decaying monuments, old rites and religions, ancient scripts that can no longer be read by the living. Tonight, I am looking for something I never thought I’d see.”

“And what’s that?”

“The dead coming back to life.” She raised a hand to point at a dark recess in the greenery. “Here’s our stop.”

Read the rest here.

[starlight-incarnate]

The First Elves as Aesthetics:

Finwë  —  grey skies, pine trees, stag's antlers, gritted teeth, piles of firewood, howling winds, lace table cloths, black ponds slick with ice, cautious, likes to plan, whispered confessions onto the autumn wind, the sharpness and cutting edge of a cold breeze, the glint of a metal blade, the bright teal of a midday ocean and the blackness of wild volcanic beaches, strong and independent, black hair, often staring into space, autumn mornings, braiding hair, love ballads, smiling fondly, lying by a small creek, falling in love when you shouldn't, starlit nights, regret, bittersweet kisses, being left wanting more.

Míriel  —  memories of past lovers, withering flowers, polished gravestones, being young and naive, gathering flowers and seeds, uncut gemstones, the gleam of a single tear falling, the silver reflection of the moon mirrored on the surface of a pond, an absence of sound, morning mist, hazy eyes, uncertain smiles, subtle exchanged glances, rich tapestries, tears streaming down their face, shattered promises, a not-quite persistent yearning, shaky breaths, moonlit rows, nimble hands, dancing to music playing softly in the distance, trusting the secrets of the night, waking up anew with determination.

Indis  —  warm tea, comfortable silence, soft eyes, messy hair, golden clouds, the sound of rain, a heart traced onto fogged up windows, yellow clothes on the days where the sun seems to have left forever, waking up to tear-stained sheets and feeling a little bit lighter, hopscotch in puddles, love at first sight, soft forehead kisses, secretly insecure, easily mistaken for the bad guy, wants the best for others, lost in thought, star gazing, always wearing some sort of shimmery nail polish, flowing dresses, wavy hair, the peace maker, the one to be called when something very specific is needed, butterflies, sparkling eyes, second chances.

Ingwë  —  bare feet on warm summer dirt, flower crowns slipping off heads after being flung back with laughter, mugs of too-sweet tea, sweet kisses, heart-wrenching poetry, pressed flowers, long hugs, warm and hazy afternoons, singing old songs, sunflowers, laughing till your chest hurts, bathing in sunlight, has the brightest smile ever seen, dried paint on their clothes, headbands and scrunches, fresh pancakes in the morning, stubborn but quick to learn, wanting to be on time and always a few minutes late, an artist's way of thinking, a journey of discovering one's passion.

Ilwen  —  the feeling of walking barefoot, inhaling the salty smell of the sea, forgetting about everything else but the fact that you are alive in that exact moment in the universe, grapes and oranges, the refreshing feeling of laying on the cold sand, complex architecture, busy markets filled with noises, the light swaying of a ship, sun-kissed skin, the smell of freshly baked bread at sunrise, drinking coffee under the warm morning sun, linen sheets, home-made jam, caring touches and warm smiles, looking for a shape in every cloud going by, simply enjoying the scenery, watches butterflies, drowsy days. 

Ingwion  —  dark brown eyes, apple cider, thunder, creaking doors, owning up to rare losses, not accepting the path already created, confidently moving, staying in the deep end of a pool, reserved laughter, reckless, somehow manages to stumble into opportunities whenever they need them, quite the expert at falling out of love, will not worry unnecessarily, not taking the word of strangers seriously, seems warm but surprisingly coldblooded, deadpan jokes, sees everything but speaks rarely, dark under-eyes, loves stormy nights, punches and bruised knuckles, surprises and laughter, long empty hallways, tight hugs.

Thingol  —  regal, attempting to remain calm while in pain, silver moonlight, a thin pane of glass between you and society, luminescence, corrupted kings, forced smiles, too much ambition, protective of their family, falling through the sky, sharp collar bones, lip biting, purposeful words spoken with a sharp tongue, black coffee, dangerously flashing eyes, dripping false smiles, talking to people they have never met before aggressively, not held back by wanting to be in control, hoping for your demise, viciously smiling at others innocence, craving to turn the knife in the wound, perfectionism.

Olwë  —  begging to fly, pebbles thrown into the sea, rain falling against your face, not knowing if you are alive or dead, fingers tracing the petals of a wilting flower, rejoicing in storms, losing reality, staring at the horizon, deep conversations, knowing looks, rather standing shoulder to shoulder with one of their own than with an outsider, living a solitary life, sleeping on the ground, carving their name into rocks, crashed and wrecked boats, smoke signals, a fear of confrontation, bruised knuckles, patiently waiting for their enemies unhappy ending, pretty smile concealing a savage nature, bad manners sometimes.

Elmo  —  faded sunsets, running wild in the mountains and plains, kissing their lover in uninterrupted nature, dim lights, diving deep into the ocean, heartbeat pounding against your chest, flowers blooming slowly, feeling like you were made for another world, flowers growing in your heart, the accidental brush of fingers with your lover, nervously running one hand through your hair, red cheeks, tenderness, falling in love with someone you don't even know yet, pink clouds, nervous fiddling, notebook pages full of rambling, moonlight, rainy days, dreamy eyes, healing people you love, curiosity, old folklore.

[waywardsculs-a2]

"Your majesty, I thought you were sleeping." He pressed his mouth against his ear, kissing just behind it. One hand travelling down to rest against his stomach as he cradled him from behind. "I want us to be ready for tomorrow, so much packing to do. I have to figure out where to put the swamp." Alastor turned on his radio, a soft jazz tune played. Perhaps this may help him. "You didn't have another nightmare, did you?"

Had he been drowsy? Admittedly yes, but the excitement bubbling within him knowing that he and Alastor would be moving in together the following day left the King almost bouncing with energy. Or maybe it was because he was over - tired.

A soft chuckle sounded from Lucifer as he leaned himself into his dear Stag's embrace, a hand coming to rest atop the one resting on his belly - a simple gesture, but one that was more comforting than he might have imagined not too long ago.

" I was hoping we could settle into bed together tonight ~ " Lucifer purred as he tilted his head back, looking up toward the Overlord as tail gave the gentlest of squeezes around him.

" I've finished getting everything ready for tomorrow , so we can spend some time relaxing ~ "

[starbardic]

june

i’m always just biding my time.

the decay of spring is the rebirth of summer.

heat prickles on my skin,

the sun begets freckles.

i trace the purple blotches under my eyes,

wipe off old mascara.

press fists into eye sockets

and pretend the blinding light is something holier than human.

i’m never just biding my time.

i scream until my throat is raw,

curse the sun and it’s proximity,

mark my calendar for the heat death of the universe.

i put on and take off my makeup.

i dream fitfully of my hands around your throat,

wake with no air in my lungs.

sometimes i bide my time.

the hot months make the animals drowsy.

and i hate the part of me that longs for sleep.

smear the blush on my cheeks,

soften my gaze.

nighttime is the only respite

when the light doesn’t quite reach the mirror.

we both know i’m the stag here,

it’s just a question of if you’re the headlights or the car.

[alastors-radioshow]

[ rainfall ] sender finds receiver out alone in the rain

🐝  *  ―  𝑵𝑶𝑵-𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑺𝑻 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺.

Rain.

A rarity in Hell, really. But sometimes, dark clouds would gather, a rumble rolling overhead. On those days, when the static gathered in the atmosphere, it affected the stag tremendously.

He was fire coded. Fire, shadow and electricity. The heaviness of the storm made him drowsy. Inattentive. The static made his skin prickle, the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end.

Smaller sparks danced across claw-tipped fingers as he just stood there. Glancing up at the sky. It took him a good while to even comprehend that someone was looking at him. Usually, no one really bothered. He was feared enough for people to just turn away from him.

"Ah.. Vox..?" He'd question, almost seeming to be in a daze. Voice low, more shrouded in static than usual.

"Bonjour."

See, normally, he would have some snarky remark prepared. But not today.

His mind was loud. Buzzing.

Distracting.

[yostresswritinggirl]

Seers' Miscellany

Prologue: Origins of the first bloom

A circular fic for the Dainsleif mini-series I'll be working on. This will be the introduction; of the evanescent bough keeper of the new world. "Observers of the North do not usually wind up in personal business, but when they do, in their wake comes great shifting of the plates of the timelines." Logs of the stag and the delicate flower.

Pairings -> Dainsleif x Reader; Reader is NOT Traveler

Word Count -> 1579

Themes -> Pretty sad, but also fluffy

Chapters -> 1

Warnings -> Story progression takes a while, oh dear why am I doing this now, I'm so busy

"500 mora; and three answered questions."

He's not really sure what lead him to indulge the requests of a simple adventurer when he made his rounds around the city of freedom. Was it the simple need for currency? It couldn't be, he was better off with other commissions that Katheryne could offer.

Was it the desperation in your voice and eyes? You looked at him like a prophet, your only salvation, and perhaps in this context that may be true. You were but a lone adventurer and the way your weight leans heavier on one foot shows your struggle to those who have keen eyes like him, no other person wished to indulge your needs and you were getting desperate.

Or was it the three questions? Dainsleif have yet to hear such contractual obligations before, but it felt as tho it was the most important part of the agreement he took the moment you pleaded with that soft voice. Humble yet resolved, not letting him walk away without at least considering it once.

And so he found himself traversing the land of the wolves through a dangerous path, where you skip ahead with a gait of happiness, bubbly and energetic enough to surpass even his long legs. You hummed without consideration at the glee of finally having a companion, and he did not mind it at the slightest despite the attention it may bring upon your little party.

"First question," Dainsleif fleeted his gaze away from the horizon to turn to you whom slowed your pace to match his, head looking over your shoulder with a wide grin. "How are you?" So innocent.

He huffs in amusement, the most emotion you've seen of him. "You don't need to waste a contract question for such a simple question, you know," he stands behind you as you crouch down on a shrubbery filled with Wolfhooks. Your main objective for visiting Wolvendom in the first place.

You assured him that you meant your question in every way possible as your hands carefully pick at the herbs, wary of the thorns and the intrusive prickly leaves. Despite your attention turned away from him he knows you await his answer. Dainsleif hums to himself and stops—

How is he? What does he truly feel in this moment of his time?

A simple question yet risked for one of the three inquiries agreed upon definitely holds a deeper meaning. His train of spiraling thoughts halts upon the sound of otherwordly grunts and chants as he turns away from your still busy form (you seem very focused on your foraging) to find three Hilichurls approaching with ill intent.

Dainsleif squints at the impending threat before shooting a final glance to make sure you weren't looking. His arm glows blue as he raises it, power in the form of blue swirling mist surges around him - how are you? The feeling brings him back to vague memories of his past, of the energy rising through him at his expeditions with an old companion, of the thrill spent upon encountering the unexpected. Such thoughts are not vivid but the familiarity of what he is experiencing right now was enough for him.

Though he was sure that there were no camps before they went through this route.

"You asked me how I am," he spoke when you finally turned from the bush with an armful of Wolfhooks on your arsenal, confusion on your face at the sight of downed Hilichurls and the side profile of the bough keeper.

His cerulean eyes were fixated at his left hand that he repeatedly closes and opens for a few seconds, before he fully turns to you (your eyes did not miss the blue glow from underneath his cape, where his right arm should be) with a wisp of a smile, "I feel alive right now."

You reciprocated the gesture with a wide grin, "I'm glad to hear that!"

A majority of the wolfhooks gathered where given to the little Botanist Chloris, the seller of flowers, who looked relieved and ecstatic upon your arrival. Something Dainsleif took great notice of. Carefully handing over the berries and some which you had to pluck singularly from your companion's flowy cape, the little girl gave you her Valberries in exchange.

It was sweet and familiar, something Dainsleif took note as he accepted your offer of the fruit despite his none need for sustenance.

Your little chewing sounded through as you two settled on the humble camp you managed to setup with your supply for a single individual. There was a little hole in the middle for a campfire Dainsleif had made the effort to prepare knowing the coldness the night will bring soon enough, and your fragile form is not something he wishes to bargain now. Is that really the reason? Perhaps in the back of his mind, he was really just working on forgotten routines.

"Second question," his footstep at the edge of the camp halts as he turns once again, where you sat on the mat as tonight's bedding, hands flicking to remove the stray juices of the berries. He stood still in wait before he goes back to his mini mission of getting fire wood.

"Go on," he urged when you stood a minute longer in silence.

"Do you like traveling, Dain?" Easy enough, he simply said yes and left when you ended the conversation with a nod.

When he came back with the wood and tinder bundle for easy spreading, out of the corner of his eye he watched your hands work on the mortal and pestle as you grinded the remaining wolfhooks on your person. The fire started the moment he was done setting up the kindling and your face filled with admiration at the sudden and immediate spark, praising him for his quick work.

Dainsleif is both talkative and not, and at times he finds himself rambling to the wind. The moments of the night passed without much details until he found himself talking about his past adventures with his old companion, of the world they've seen together and the now estranged relationship between them.

His responses were sometimes cryptic unintentionally, and he apologizes when there are things about it that he couldn't answer simply because he could not remember. When silence struck after he finished his tales and meal, the beautiful spike in his eyes found yours gleaming despite the drowsiness pulling at your whole feature.

"I'm glad you're very fond of traveling. If not, I wouldn't have met you," and he wouldn't have taken the commission. Dainsleif's eyes flashed in recognition, finally understanding the meaning behind your second question. Somehow this little commission deal turned into a silent back and forth quip of him understanding past your simple inquiries.

Like a little game he muses on with his curious mind.

That night you rested with the extra comfort of his eccentric cape, something you needed more than him as he gazes over the clear night sky. His eyes silently traced the galaxy of stars while the sound of your whispered breathing accompanies his sleepless night.

The last question and that last of your very quick expedition came the next day at the cliffside overlooking the lair sealed by winds.

Your fingers were dusted by the violet paste of grinded wolfhooks long consumed the night prior, stained fingers gripping the thin and fragile stem of the yellow dandelion in its grasp. It was his great observation that let him realize the disaster that happened now but even his foresight could not prepare him for what has to come.

"Third question," his head snapped down to watch your ethereal face don a calm smile, the sun's setting light kissing your cheeks in the right angle that matched that of the clean clouds above. Your eyes silently questioned his unfocused gaze but he only shook his head.

Don't worry about it. "I know this last question would end the commission with you," your voice trembled in both fear and fatigue but Dainsleif didn't force you to preserve your strength like he should. "But I wanted to ask, maybe tomorrow again,

do you want to be my traveling companion?"

The hand that clutched the Dandelion found it way to the side of his mask, the petals brushing against his eyelids as he looks down at you with an eye. A ghost of a smile lingers on his lips as he leans on your hand.

"It would be my pleasure."

Life momentarily flashed over your orbs before you let out a sharp exhale and a breathless, joyous laughter. Relief overtook the tension that laid on your shoulders, and your hand would have dropped to the ground immediately if he had not gripped it on the last second.

"That sounds good. I've always wanted to travel the world," he pulls the cape closer around your form as your eyelids droop to a close. And he witness another breathe, "It was supposed to be today, but I feel really tired today, I'll rest early too if that's okay."

He rose from the ground with you in his arms, "I'll be here."

"Mmm thank you... good... night."

"Good night, little dandelion."

And perhaps that distant memory from faraway had urged him to invite and indulge, when he saw the same spark of intrigue and desperation, of the warmth of carefree days in front of him.

"But I will require advance payment,

500 Mora, and three answered questions."

Dainsleif SUPREMACY MWAHAHAHAHAH

@genshin-idiot : here's your Dainsleif content

@moaa @dandelion-dreams @witchsungie @lehra @zelos-simp @legionqueensav @snackgod @rxsalinee @cala-ran @wind-wheel @lilydewi22 @yellowflowre @traveler-lumine @nonniechan

[jeffreystewart]

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Durathor - Branch Eater of Yggdrasill 

Happy Thorsday! - Here’s another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic, Celtic) mythological characters. This week it’s Durathror / Duraþrór . One of the four Red Stags / Harts that endlessly walk and graze on the branches of Yggdrasill. 

The male deer are, Duraþrór, Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr. They each look upward to chew on the branches or leaves and small shoots of the World Tree. Considered to be able to nimbly walk among the branches of the tree at it’s highest points.

Their names have been translated as… (*The below notes are just some thoughts on their possible purpose.)   Dáinn - dead, dead one, swooning / fainting, the drowsy.  *Possibly indicating it as the clearer of the dead growth. 

Dvalinn / Dvalar - sleep, one who dallies, dawdler, quiet sleeper, to delay, to slow down.  *Possibly indicating it as the cause of the slowing down the trees growth.  Duneyrr - murmur, quiet noise, quiet thundering, noisy maker of din.  *Possibly indicating the rustling of leaves as they eat and walk the branches. Duraþrór / Durathror - delay, drowsy, door breaking, snoring, or thriving slumber.  *Possibly indicating it as causing the noise of breaking branches.

The symbolism may be related to the winds that tear down branches and leaves, much like the dwarves of the four winds. This lines up as two of the four names are also Dwarf names.

There’s also been some discussion that there was originally only one hart, Eikþyrnir, mentioned earlier in Grímnismál, and that these four are later creations.

[casdeanwin]

"I do, yes. I saw him cast it once." Harry replied, hiding a yawn behind his hand, "My own is a stag, like my Father."

Harry sat down on the couch, moving his possessions aside. Glancing at them, he was glad Hermione had suggested the shrinking charm. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to bring anything with him here.

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very drowsy. "Yours is a Phoenix right? I saw you... cast one... in my... fourth year. Beautiful."

And with that, Harry fell asleep at last.

(Private Harry/Albus RP between myself and @regretismyconstantcompanion - you are welcome to read along, but if you have comments, please add them in the tags, but don't reblog as another post, as this could prove confusing. 🙂)

---------

Was this the moment his former Headmaster had foretold? It had happened within the blink of an eye. For the first moment, Harry had been enshrouded with the uproar of a hundred voices all cheering as the body of Tom Riddle collapsed to the floor, finally defeated. In the next, there was a sudden deafening silence, as though a charm had been placed upon the crowd. However, as Harry turned on the spot, he found himself very much alone.

There was something very disconcerting about the Great Hall being vacant of people. Even within the whispers of an early morning, students could be found speaking softly at the tables within, helping themselves to goblets of pumpkin juice and a slice of toast, as they prepared for the day of learning ahead.

Those tables which had been upturned in the battle, were now upright once more, yet void of placemats. Harry walked along between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, skimming his fingers along the wood. This room had not yet seen the perils of war, had not known the horror of its students being murdered within.

Truth be told, it was a fact Harry himself struggled to comphrend, as he thought of the past few hours he had endured with his friends. But that had all disappeared, and now he was left with a facade of what was to come. In a time where his memories could be seen as prophecy.

[stagbells]

Written Work

From: @grollow

To: @flame-flygon

Written work under the readmore!

It’s been almost a year since Hollow got freed from the Black Egg. The year had been long, and their recovery process had felt even longer, but they’re in a far better and happier place then they were in those first few months of freedom. They had slept a lot back then, both their body and mind needing as much rest as it could in order to heal. They no longer had to feel wary of dreams entering their sleep for the dream god herself had been killed - banished from existence for good. It was relieving to them; they could slip into peaceful darkness for as long as they wished with nothing to fear, although the occasional nightmare, courtesy of the Nightmare King himself, would sneak up on them. Their siblings had helped them throughout their entire recovery as well. Their patience and understanding and love had meant more to Hollow than they will ever know. Although they had seemingly been recovering fine, there were still a few wounds left that was going to take longer to heal. Because of how long they stayed in the Black Egg, and because the Egg had been relatively small and dark and cramped, they no longer felt comfortable traversing through small spaces. It made traveling hard for them, as the direct area underneath the well is the Forgotten Crossroads, an area made almost exclusively of small tunnels, and to get to anywhere else in the Kingdom you had to go through there. They could’ve chosen to ride on the Stag - the last known alive transportation that wasn’t buried deep beneath the wastelands, but the Stag’s winding roads were also tunnels, smaller and narrower ones at that. Ghost hadn’t been too perturbed, however. They wanted their big sibling to explore the Kingdom like they had - though they figured Hollow had already done that years prior - and introduce them to the still remaining lives of those who had survived the infection scattered across the place. They knew they had to go about it slowly; despite their excitement they would rather not put Hollow in a situation they don’t want to be in. So that’s what they did. They started slow. Hollow began getting used to the crossroads simply by just standing next to the rope that hung down from the well. They didn’t move at first, instead focusing on their surroundings and letting themself take in the dark area. They didn’t move ahead for the first few days, but Ghost didn’t mind. They kept them company. Eventually they started moving - left, never right, never towards the Temple - their first ever destination being the spot where the Grubfather rested. To Ghost’s surprise, all the children he had consumed had turned into small butterflies of their own, the father acting like some sort of cocoon for them. Luckily for him, it seemed like they were able to leave his body without harming him. Lucky for Ghost too, they don’t think Hollow would want to ever come back down if they had seen a horrifying corpse during their first few days. Over time Hollow got more and more confident moving through the tunnels. They weren’t completely used to it, they don’t think they’ll ever truly get comfortable with it either if they had to be honest, but they had managed to make it all the way to Salubra, definitely a unique character in their opinion, within two weeks of their hesitant journey, and that in and of itself is something to celebrate. Ghost had asked them during one of their resting days if they wanted to go to Greenpath with them someday. Apparently, there’s a few people there that they wanted their sibling to see, and had assured them that Greenpath is a lot more spacious and freeing than the crossroads are. Hollow knew that already, but wasn’t quite sure if they were allowed to step foot into the territory. Pale King had taken part of Greenpath to turn into a massive garden area for their mother, and so Hollow was allowed to roam the gardens but wasn’t permitted to go into Unn’s still controlled area. They weren’t sure if they should take Ghost up on their offer. Then again, Hollow had always loved the green lucious plant life surrounding the place. They don’t exactly want to step into their mother's place at the moment - they’re not yet ready to see the Queen herself - but they do want to see green again. Their favorite color. They had decided to go with Ghost after all, even if they were barred by merit of being the King’s heir, they figured they really had nothing else to lose by disobeying rules. Besides, they remember Unn being extremely kind and patient towards them as a child, and they’re hopeful that that hasn’t changed now that they’re an adult.

They both venture out to Greenpath the next day, slowly and methodically traversing down the crossroad’s platforms to make it to the promise of plants poking through the cement cracks right at the entrance. Hollow feels excited. Dirtmouth, while peaceful and quiet, doesn’t have a lot of color to it unfortunately. The most colorful part of the town belongs to the deep red of the Grimm Troupe’s tents, and they don’t know how long that will stay for. They’ve longed to see a vibrant color again. Ghost holds onto a piece of their cloak - the closest they can get to holding their much taller sibling’s hand, and walks with them down the cobblestone path and into the new territory. The grass feels soft under their feet, and surrounding them is an array of colorful flowers and plants, their petals swaying to the gentle breeze. They both pause when Hollow spots a purple flower, it’s petals not the biggest they’ve seen but they hold it up to their mask and smell it anyway. It’s sweet and good and they look down at their sibling who stares back curiously. Hollow leans down and hands the flower to them, wanting them to smell the aroma as well. Ghost doesn’t know why they got handed the flower, but after a few moments of staring at it they slowly push the bulb and stem right into one of their eye sockets, absorbing the nutrients and effectively eating the flower. It tasted like slippery grass. Ghost liked it. Hollow is horrified. They both continue walking forward, this moment forever stained into Hollow’s mind. They reach an opening into the wider area of Greenpath. Bushes line along the path, buzzing with life and movement. Although this place is underground, it almost gives off an illusion of a sky that’s never ending. The air is a lot warmer than the crossroads, but not too much that it’s uncomfortable. It’s probably warmed up because of the acid pools right underneath the passages, but Hollow figures that if they wanted to they could curl up on the ground and take a nice nap. As they walk further down, Ghost telling them that they should meet their “hunter” friend, a very slight and startled chirp sound chitters in a path of grass next to them. Both of the vessels look down at it, and to Hollow’s surprise the grass starts moving on it’s own. It starts going toward them very slowly, almost shyly, and they stare back at it but don't move. They can’t remember grass walking ever in their life, but then again they remember the tip of Hegemol’s mace turning out to be a bug he made friends with long ago, so they know that anything can move with enough sentience even if it shouldn’t be possible. They hope that in this case the grass is also a bug, and not some sort of unknown terrible green fungus that can move. Seeing how Hollow hasn’t budged an inch, Ghost helpfully moves forward and scoops the grass in their arms. While they’re strong enough to carry it, the bug itself still happens to be big enough that their entire head is almost hidden by the grass. Hollow chooses at this moment to sit down for now, wanting to get a closer look at the thing Ghost is holding but also mostly wanting to rest their legs from the long journey. Ghost walks over to them and gently places the grass in their lap, patting both it and Hollow comfortingly to prevent either of them from getting nervous. Hollow looks down at it only to find two beady black eyes staring back at them. “This is a mosscreep,” Ghost explains. Hollow stares back at the mosscreep, their nerves calming somewhat as the bug doesn’t do anything. It seems to be non threatening, which is fine with them. They’ve met too many aggressive sorts in their life. The mosscreep chirps at them and, even though Hollow can’t understand them, they chirp back. They must’ve said something correct cause the creature suddenly turns over on it’s back, purring. To Hollow’s joy, they find very tiny black legs poking out from it’s grass fur, and they hesitantly go and pat it’s stomach. The mosscreep purrs louder, and they relax considerably. Ghost takes in the interaction, feeling content at the apparent bonding between the two. Hollow had always been so shy, it was welcoming seeing them respond so positively to a small little thing like a mosscreep. Hollow looks back at them, politely patting a spot next to them in an invitation for Ghost to sit down. They don’t hesitate to accept, hurriedly walking over and plopping down next to them. They lean over to pat the mosscreep as well, almost snuggling right into Hollow’s side as they did so. “Do you think we can keep it?” Hollow asks after a few quiet moments. They carefully run their slender fingers through the tufts of moss, noticing how weirdly solid the body underneath was. Ghost nodded. “I don’t think sister would mind.” “That’s good.” “If she says ‘no’ I’ll smuggle it in for you.” “I know.” Ghost snuggles against Hollow’s leg, the warmth of the air and the comfort of their sibling slowly starting to make them drowsy. Hollow feels a unique warmth blossom throughout their chest, a feeling of happiness almost overflowing from them. They think their recovery is worth it if it means they get to experience moments like this.

[alwaysalreadyangry]

Nina Iskrenko (translated by Anne Gutt from Russian) from “Spheres”

Head little head bloodshed Klavka grasska Kafka in the spring comes the swallow bashful edible travel viscous pearly with a pin with a mitten with a mousie without trousers in Lyubertsa in the hearts in a dump truck in the field of birch      in the Columned Hall in the orchard      everyone is wonderstruck

       Are your nerves on fire?

The head has the form of a cube of a loghouse      of sugar       of an unscrewed moon of a fork of a ham of a stool and of the doorman of an English club

/ the half-arsed kind /

***

The guys are under the lean-to discussing God confusing some sort of nonsense with orthodoxy                         I am sitting in the toilet      insides straining insides shuddering                as if bitten by the watchman’s dog

The guys are under the lean-to      under the rain      under the influence                 attempting to express transcendentalism in the terms of fish out of water occasionally interrupting the talk with the cries of a Siberian stag and snatches of Soviet folk song

The guys             one of whom is for some reason American and three others just drowsy from shashlik and gushing patriotism are unable to stop             not having developed the topic completely But in such heavy rain a good host won’t even put out a finger

I am sitting in the toilet                                      dumbfounded by the assertions which occasionally break through their drunken blather                         / If he says      you struggle all the time                     then that’s already not Orthodoxy / You just don’t see it      pardon me      in your Zurichs                                                                  and Vermonts

But you only hear it                sitting in the dacha’s plank closet in the middle of the rain and the beds with lettuce and flowering strawberries

where on a line beats a handkerchief                                        or a single sail or an angel’s wing disturbing the water in the medicinal bath                                                          in the overcast dawn

(from asymptote)

[robobirdie]

Chapter 32: The Curse of the Stag

The ninja had been working hard all morning. After the events in the Stags fighting pit a couple days earlier they had decided to try and not anger the Stag or even catch his attention worried over what he might do to them for the Black Hand interfering so kept busy even if they weren’t feeling up to it. They had reason to believe he would not hurt the members of the Black Hand at least not Juib and Celaena, he seemed to have some feelings for them though what exactly they were they were not too sure; they knew however he had no qualms with hurting them and from what they had frequently observed when angered the Stag tended to take his anger out on any living thing unfortunate enough to catch his gaze or spark his anger. They were busy clearing the path and repairing structures that sat next to it like walls, stone benches and the path itself as they cleaned it. While they worked they were having to fight the effects of the Blight which had steadily been getting worse. Nya was having chills and sore joints; Lloyd was feeling drowsy and disorientated but was trying to not show any signs of it. Zane was confused over the strange feelings of the chest pains and shortness of breath the condition was making him feel. He could get pains in the chest often as a result of damages from battle but they didn’t feel the same as what he was currently feeling and he had never experienced shortness of breath like this either. It had him hunched over holding his chest in pain unable to do anything but watch the others. Cole was feeling weak and leaning on a shovel to help keep himself on his feet while Kai was sore and drowsy. Kai and Cole were watching Jay who was going through the Blights Trance wandering around mumbling the typical gibberish while trying to stack a bunch of random items. The others including DJ who stood nearby were keeping an eye on him.

"Wish we had a camera to tape this. I would love to see his reaction to seeing he was in the Blights trance," Kai teased holding his injured hand which had required new stitches after the events in the fighting pit and was painful. Cole and Kai were teasing and joking about Jay in the trance. The others agreed it was a little funny given Jay's new paranoia about it thinking the trance was a result of some dark force using the individual as a puppet for spying having led him to develop a fear of the symptom. Lloyd was not amused with their joking trying to just keep working determined to reach the vault.

"He would probably flip out and go on one of his paranoid rants again," Cole noted and DJ offered, "I can give you a recording from my memory data if you desire to play with him."

“When isn’t he going on a paranoid rant lately? I largely blame the Blight for that,” Nya added before Lloyd stated a little angry that the others were just hanging around and not doing much, ��you know we should really keep working,”

“Sorry it is just this Blight and its symptoms are…” Zane began finding himself lost for words the strange feelings in his chest worrying and confusing him having him on edge and unable to properly focus on anything else.

"They are starting to get harder to work around," Cole noted and Lloyd agreed, "I know but we have to continue. The longer we take the worse things are going to get and I don't know about you but I want to get away from this place and that Stag thing as soon as possible. I mean no offense to you DJ, your homes nice and you and your pals aren't bad it's just that monster..."

"No I get it; he makes all of us uncomfortable. It is often stressful when he is nearby. You know he is not here today. He went out this morning and will not be back till later tonight. I do not see any harm in letting you guys take a day off. You have gotten pretty far in such a short time I think you deserve a break especially after what he did to you guys the other day. I am surprised you desired to return to working after that whole ordeal," DJ expressed still watching Jay.

"Couldn't he read your memory data to find out you let us take a break?" Lloyd noted and DJ replied, "it might be surprising to you but he never does that. He may take over us but he does not look into our memories or thoughts. It is a very strange quirk for one such as him but we are glad for it. It would be highly tormenting if he did not give us that privacy in our lives and make living here very uncomfortable and stressful."

"You know a break would be nice," Kai proposed and Cole agreed, "yha, it couldn't hurt to take one day off could it?"

"That could be hard to determine but given our current states it might do us some good to rest and recharge for at least a day especially given what we have been through this week," Zane agreed. All but Lloyd were in agreement that they should take a break. Even though Jay was unaware of what was going on they were pretty sure he would agree to a break, he often complained about wanting one while they worked.

"I think you should take the break. Why do you not go and explore, find some place to relax. Do something you find relaxing. Do not worry none of my brethren will give you a hassle not even Kozac. He comes off as cold and cruel but he is soft at heart. None of us will tell the Stag we let you have the day off. You can spend the day in your room if you want or hang with some of us. There is plenty you can do here. If you are interested in video games I have quite a few at my home. Divayth and Juib both have plenty of books if you would prefer something to read," DJ offered.

"But the vault...our home...this Blight ...my mother," Lloyd began to fumble worried they wouldn't reach the vaults in time and something terrible could happen.

"Do not worry Lloyd, a days break will not hurt. I would say you could use the break. You are what is that term the people use... high sprung or is it burning the candle at both ends I am not too sure. Anyway you need to relax. Worrying just makes things worse," DJ expressed and Kai noted, "you sound like that knight Aaron."

“I think all of you should relax, things take time besides how good are you going to be at saving your home if you have worn yourself out before you even get the chance to defend it. As for your mother do not worry. Some of us are still in Balmora and watching out for her. They report that she is safe. Besides if something was to happen the knights will keep her safe you can trust them. They keep her close; they even let her stay with them on their armoured land ship to keep her safe. You should not worry so much. It is not good for your health,” DJ expressed.

"I guess..." Lloyd mumbled not entirely convinced however he had to agree with the others. He could use for the rest. The Blight, all the working and the things the Stag had done with them had taken a toll on him but he didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to show weakness to the Stag or the denizens of Holamaya nor his friends. With his agreement they decided to head off to spend the day doing other things elsewhere in the city. They originally intended to stick together but soon found themselves heading off on their own to explore at their own paces. Over their time in the city they had not been able to explore it largely just being herded to and from where they were sleeping and where they were working. Nya stayed to watch over Jay till he came out of the trance while the others headed off. Kai stayed with her and they chatted with each other while waiting with DJ for Jay to come out of the Blights trance before heading off. Jay was very confused and worried after coming out of the trance wondering where everyone else was and paranoid something bad was happening. Before he could go off on a paranoid rant they told him that they had been given the day off even though Kai wanted to have some fun with Jay and see how psyched out he could go. Jay was relieved and very glad to hear they had been given the day off. He had been hoping for some time to get a day off. They were unsure what to do with their day so decided to just wander around and see what they could find.

As they wandered they were drawn to the terrace the Black Hand was teaching them to perform a Dragon Aspect on. There a group of hyenoids made of a few Scimitar Samurai with largely worker droids appeared to be brawling. It looked like the Samurai were training the others self defence. Some other constructs and creatures hung nearby just watching. These included a robotic Hoofivore, the Fearbricant, some Robo-bills, a Kaiju, some skeevers and a few other creatures including the Kappa, Tree-bill and Scleroboa the ninja recognised as being the ones to have visited with them during their night in the woods. Those watching took note of the ninja and showed they were pleased to see them. The creatures that had spent the night with them even came to hang with them. Kai, Nya and Jay were a little pleased to meet the creatures again and showed them some affection. The hyenoids on the other hand appeared to take no notice of the three and kept at their training. The feelings from the samurais armour was disturbing them but the three had come to learn these droids meant no harm to them despite how fearsome and ruthless they were in battle and how coldly they interacted with them.

The non warrior droids while capable of self defence clearly lacked the fine tuning and programming to perform more complex and advanced fighting moves making them no match for the samurai who clearly were not performing the best they could likely restraining themselves so their brethren wouldn't get hurt. The ninja had not really had much time to observe the denizens of Holamaya and outside the Black Hand knew very little about them. They had been quick to note since their first day of capture however that they were not the ruthless, savage, cold-hearted and unfeeling monsters many of the people in Balmora had claimed they were. The ninja had noted that the constructs had social attachments and even feelings for each other and the creatures that shared their home. Often they showed a surprising amount of caring towards each other and would not willingly cause harm or trouble for one another. They would help each other even if they had no reason to do so nor would it benefit the helper in any way. They seemed more a kin to living conscious beings than mindless machines. One of the hyenoids attempted to kick a weapon from one of the samurais hands but misjudged its manoeuvre and instead lost its footing falling backwards onto one of its pals knocking both to the ground. Kai and Jay couldn't help but laugh a little which caught the attention of the Samurai.

"Do the Dragons of Fire and Lightning think our brethrens hard work is funny?" the one Samurai who didn't have on a helmet and had the image of a moon on its forehead asked not sounding very pleased.

"A little," Kai replied and Nya wondered, "why are you training them to fight, weren't they not made for that? Most of them perform other tasks that don't require them to fight do they not so why train them?"

"True they are better suited for other tasks but they were given the same base programming for offensive and defensive actions as us samurai. We were given more advanced programming and skills for combat but that does not mean they should rely on us for their safety. We cannot protect them from everything. They need to be prepared for any attack so we teach them how to better protect themselves," the leader explained before going back to getting the others to practise ignoring the ninja. One of the worker droids managed to get the upper hand on his Samurai opponent and knock him off his feet with a staff bringing praise from the leader.

“I guess for a simple non warrior droid that was pretty good but I could probably do better though even with my injured hand,” Kai remarked drawing the leaders attention again where it inquired, “What do you mean by that?”

"I think what he means is that one is a simple working droid not a fighter like you Samurai so for him to get the upper hand must be impressive," Jay explained nervous of the hyenoid looking at them. While he had come to accept most of the constructs as harmless Jay was still nervous of the Samurai especially Kozac.

"And he thinks he could do better?" the leader pondered unsure exactly what Kai was meaning. The droid did not understand that Kai was just bragging trying to appear cool and not talking literally. Deep down Kai was unsure how well he would fare against the Scimitar Samurai. They were not simple droids and more advanced than the nindroids and hyenoids they had faced before.

"If you really think you can do better then why do you not show us. Face off against one of us and prove your words," the leader expressed unsettling the three.

"Well I'm not really prepared, we were working all morning you know and thanks to this Blight I didn't get a proper night's sleep and all..." Kai began unsure about sparring with one of the Stags Samurai.

"Are you going to back up your words or are you what the humans call a type of poultry prized for its meat and eggs which despite its highly aggressive and dominating temperament is somehow viewed as a sign of fear and cowardice?" the leader stated noting Kais hesitation.

"I don't think that would be a wise idea?" Jay whispered to Kai and Nya added quietly hoping the droids wouldn't hear, "yha these are not your typical run of the mill droids. These things are far more advanced." Kai however was not going to listen to them; he did not want to look like a coward.

"I guess there is no harm in a sparring match, just for fun right? We're not going to try and hurt each other," Kai expressed putting on a tough demeanour.

"Alright, we spar with wooden staves no more. First on their back is the looser," the leader proclaimed as the other hyenoids moved to the side to watch appearing eager to see what was going to happen. One of them gave the leader a staff.

"You know you may be made with advanced technology but you're still no match for one of flesh and blood," Kai expressed stepping forward for the brawl one of the civilian hyenoids giving him a wooden staff.

"If that is what you believe then maybe I should make the first move in order to get the upper hand," the leader stated.

"Sure if you want I doubt it will make much of a difference," Kai stated trying to hide the fact he was not too sure about this giving his staff a twirl in his one hand. It slipped from his hand as he did this falling to the ground. Nya and Jay were both un-amused and embarrassed by Kais actions.

"He's goanna get his butt whipped," Jay mumbled.

"I meant to do that," Kai chuckled trying to hide his embarrassment quickly picking the staff back up and prepping for the fight. The leader gave a huff of un-amusement before wasting no time in rushing at Kai swinging the staff towards him. Kai quickly blocked the attack with his staff. He then pushed the leader back with his staff and when it went to swing at him again he swung his to block and force the leaders staff to hit the ground. To his shock and surprise the leader then bit his arm making him take a few steps back checking his arm for a bite mark. Luckily it hadn't done any damage but it was surprising.

"Hey what was that for?" Kai mentioned and Jay added, "that's not a very honourable way to fight."

"No it is not but Ashers fight far from honourably so if you wish to fight them you should be prepared for as you would term it a dirty fight. You should be prepared for anything while fighting them even the unexpected," the leader stated before rushing at Kai again. They sparred with the staffs a few more times before Kai managed to knock the staff from the droids hands.

"I did it! I mean now I have the upper hand, you have to fight bare handed still want to proceed," Kai boasted surprised he had managed to get the upper hand over a Samurai. Instead of seeking to retrieve its staff like they expected the leader instead wasted no time in grabbing Kais staff with one hand and pulling him towards itself delivering a punch to his face as he was pulled close. In surprise and pain Kai let go of his staff.

"Hey that was uncalled for you better not have given me a black eye," Kai mentioned rubbing his face where it had punched him.

"The Scimitar Samurai do not give up. Now we will both fight with our bare hands. I promise not to scar your delicate skin with my sharp claws I know how the Dragon of Fire prides his looks," the leader proclaimed throwing his staff to the side before rushing over to brawl with Kai. They began wrestling but Kai could tell from the start he was not likely going to win. He could feel the droid was not using its full strength as it pushed him around and he couldn't muster enough strength to push it off its feet. It was stronger than it was giving off and the Blight and his injured hand was affecting him making him weaker, slower and making it harder to move. If it wasn't for his injury or the Blight and if he could use his powers he felt he might stand a better chance against the droid but he could feel in his current state he stood no chance at winning this but he didn't want to back down.

"Will you back down or do you want me to embarrass you," the leader stated to him and he stated back, "I won't give up. A ninja never gives up."

“Alright," the leader stated and Kai noted it sounded a little pleased with his answer. The leader then wrapped its right arm around his chest and tackled him to the ground putting him on his back.

"How does the ninja who thinks he is so macho feel about being beat by a girl," the leader boasted standing up and crossing its arms as it put a foot on his chest to pin Kai down. The ninja were confused by the droids statement. This droid didn't appear to be designed as a female; then again the armour of the Scimitar Samurai appeared to make them all look the same, a unified demonic army; defiantly a great way to strike fear into the hearts of one's enemies. This droids voice also was not really feminine sounding but the fact it was deep and gruff, likely aiding its appearance as a fierce warrior, did make it hard to determine what gender it was supposed to sound like.

"You're supposed to be a girl?" Nya inquired confused. Most of the ninja had simply assumed all the hyenoids had kept the original and same body plan and other than personality and preferences nothing else had been changed in their designs.

"Yes what did you think we were all the same?" the leader inquired and all the hyenoids seemed confused about the ninjas comment.

"Well not entirely but... you know outside the Black Hand we thought the Stag had not given much care about the rest of you, you know just shuffle you're programming around a bit then poof you're born... or made or however it is you came to be," Jay responded as the leader let Kai get up.

“He gave just as much care to the rest of us that he gave the Black Hand. He chose me to be female and made me a teacher, a warrior skilled in berserker tactics and second in command to Kozac amongst the Samurai. He gave me the name of Luna hence the moon on my forehead, that is how he knows who I am. We are each unique. Lupus here was gifted the curse of man beasts and the ability to control it from the Stag to aid him in combat; a rarity for droids as we have great trouble controlling the condition. Rose and Sitka might share similar programming and occupation but they are in no ways the same. Sitka is reserved, calm and enjoys climbing trees while Rose prefers to keep her feet on the ground and is outgoing and lively. She prefers partying while he would rather care for his bonsai than have a party. We are not simple copies of each other and are each unique,” the leader declared motioning to some of its comrades to emphasize its point. Lupus was one of the samurai who was not wearing a helmet and had the symbol of a wolf on his forehead. He also had markings of a bestial nature designed on his skin; they recognised him as being the one to have joined Nya in the ring the other day who had become a cyber were-wolf for the fight. They had seen Sitka before, they had helped patch him up after the Stag attacked him, and while Rose did look much like him with very similar dirt stained attire she wore a flower in her longer hair, had red eyes instead of green and had the symbol of a rose on her forehead.

"We meant no offense it's just..." Nya began and Luna finished, "it does not seem like a trait that aligns with the Stag. We know. It does confuse us but we have come to just accept it, we find it best to not challenge or think about what we are or why he made us the way he did."

"That is so strange, he doesn't seem like that caring an individual. He seems more like the type to create simple mindless hive-minded drones to follow his every bidding like your typical baddy," Kai noted.

“Indeed he does seem like an entity to do that but for some unknown reason in reality he is not what he seems. It was his doing and his choice that we should each be unique not copies,” Luna stated as the ninja looked over the various hyenoids around them. They did all look very similar and at first glance only the markings on their forehead, hairstyle, hair color and eye color, or markings and/or adornments marked into their skin seemed to reveal any differences but as they looked closer they did note other differences. They had their own position for standing and were looking at the ninja in different ways revealing hints of different personalities. Some seemed nervous, others appeared angered, some seemed to have a curiosity in them or were unsure of what to think of the ninjas views. Aside from the samurai they dressed differently and wore different colors however the ninja had assumed that was to represent what role they played amongst the workers and while that did hold some truths they realised for the first time that could also indicate personal liking. There were even slight hints that a few of them had been designed to be female, they were not big just minor hints of appearance to their gear, hair or form but they were clearly there.

"You might not think it and we do have to agree his creation of us and how he views us they do not match up with entities as dark, dominating and cruel such as the Stag but it is who he is," Luna explained.

"Might we ask how does the Stag view you? From what we've seen he seems to think your servants that he can torture and take his anger out on whenever he wants," Jay noted.

"That is true it often does seem that way, but when you live with him as long as most of us have you pick up hints that this is not entirely so. He views us all as living things equal no matter our make and apart from those dark times he treats all living things with a surprising amount of respect for such a dark entity. Yes he is cruel he enjoys using us for his torment and pleasure. He has no qualms with terminating us if we anger him, become too damaged or fall under the Blights curse but he lets us live out fairly decent lives, far better than what those under the Ashers rule get. He makes sure our needs are met, he keeps us of robotic and cybernetic make updated and he makes sure none of us have to fear from the Ashers cruel hands. In ways he often seems to have an almost parental like view towards us almost as if he views us as some sort of family," Luna regaled.

"Well he did make you guys, I guess that could make him see you as his children and I guess then you see him as your father, part of your family," Jay noted, the talk of parents and family brought to their minds their parents and loved ones they had left behind. Even though they all tried every day to keep their emotions up and not think about what was happening back in Ninjago or with their loved ones so they would not focus on worries it was always at the back of their minds.

"Like our parents and friends we had to leave behind," Nya expressed and Kai added looking at the Blight on his arm, "I wonder if things are okay there or if things have turned out grim like it is here."

"If something happens to us here and we can't make it back how will they know what became of us? What will they think? What are they to do if we don't make it? Will they be left tormented by the thought of what has become of us as they're held captive by that daemon or has it already been the end for them?" Jay began to panic. His panicking only made the threes feelings and thoughts worsen.

"How are we to know? We are trapped here and are probably going to..." Kai expressed as Jay cut him off to babble, "don't say that word."

"It's not pleasant to think of Jay but it's true. We are trapped here by the Stag and this curse has no cure," Nya noted.

"Yha and if that droid who's smarter than Zane couldn't find the cure in two years there is no way he'll find it in a few weeks... if we even last that long," Kai noted.

"I know but I don't want to think of it. We could at least have some hope right? If not then why keep going, why not end it now before it's too late and we turn into daemons that the Stag or Dagon could use to hunt down our own families for some cruel sport?!" Jay exclaimed. The hyenoids watching were confused over the ninja's sudden change in mood, particularly Jays panicking, and were wondering what to do. Most of them had never had experience with people and even though they had the programming and knowledge to deal with them and their emotions they had never really had practice with using them. They all looked at each other wondering who was going to be the first to react.

"You know thinking like that is just going to hurt you, possibly more than this Blight will," Luna noted.

"Easy for you to say you're not cursed or had to leave friends and family behind in a dangerous situation," Kai stated.

"That is true but we have lost many over the years to the Blight and have lived everyday with the threat of being attacked by the Ashers, catching the Blight or facing the Stags cruelty. We have learned in time to just keep carrying on. There is too much wonder and beauty in the world to focus on the negatives. Just because you have little left in time does not mean you should give up while you still have time. You should enjoy what little you have. Enjoy the good things while you can and leave behind the negative. Sure some of those who matter in your life are not here but you at least have each other and if the observations from the Black Hand are true you three are luckier than the other three. You have the closest relations, mates and blood siblings, the other three do not have that luxury their mates and blood relations are not here. I understand the Blight is harsh and cruel and there is much pressure on you six to save the realms but you dragons are not alone in this you still have each other and your dragon brethren, that is more than what many get," Luna expressed.

"I guess you do have a point. Lloyd had to leave his mother in Balmora which is under threat from the Ashers," Kai noted after a moment's thought and Nya added, "Zane had to leave Pixal behind and Cole had to leave his father and even though he probably won't admit it Seliel behind."

“We do at least have each other,” Jay commented grabbing hold of Nyas hand as the two looked lovingly at each other while Kai was rather embarrassed about the two.

"Indeed now put those depressing thoughts aside. We are going to continue our training and if you desire you are free to join our brethren in practice. It could help take your mind off such depressing thoughts and you never know it might prove useful for you in the future and we promise not to embarrass the fire dragon again," Luna offered and they decided to take her up on her offer.

While wandering around Cole came across a group made of a few hyenoids, Ocheeva the Ash Walker and some Robo-bills. They were hanging around one of the large column towers which appeared to have once had one of the upper walkways pass through it but by the damage on the column and the rubble around it the path had broken off and collapsed sometime in the distant past. Those around the tower had various equipment with them including scientific and materials for repairing the structure along with some which Cole recognised as equipment for mountain climbing. Interested to know what they were going to do with this stuff he approached the group.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

"We are going to assess this structure to ensure it is structurally stable and catalogue if any new flora or fauna have taken residence on the structure since it was checked six months ago," one of the hyenoids responded as it handed a climbing rope to a Robo-bill which then began scaling the structure taking the very long rope with it.

"So do you do this often?" Cole wondered watching as the construct meticulously and with ease manoeuvred its way up the tower.

"We perform this maintenance bi-annually in order to ensure safety and for research purposes. We also evaluate these structures after major earthquakes," the droid responded.

"This is a pretty impressive structure. Was it carved out of stone or did they make it out of something like concrete?" Cole asked and the droid responded, "a bit of carving and a bit of making. It is not concrete though, it is a stone of Scymer make. It is not entirely sure how they were completely made but the basics are understood. Normally they are not completely covered by vegetation such as this one but since it is not in primary use we decided to let the flora stay. It has offered an interesting study into the caverns ecology."

"So it's kind of half vertical garden half experiment. Zane would probably be interested in that," Cole stated as a few of the hyenoids were getting into climbing gear as the one doing most of the talking gave another rope to another Robo-bill and it proceeded to climb the tower.

"Is there something you wanted?" the droid inquired looking at Cole confused as it tried to determine why he was there talking with it.

"Just curious to see what you are doing, you know I'm pretty good at mountain climbing, used to do it for fun. I didn't even use any gear just my hands and feet. I was pretty good at it too," Cole remarked looking up at the structure.

"Do you want to climb it?" the hyenoid wondered.

"Well...somewhat. It is very high though... I bet it has a pretty awesome view up there...I think with this Blight though it will be harder than usual to climb anything; it could make me lose my balance or grip and that wouldn't be good...you know I think I'm okay with keeping my feet on the ground..." Cole thought aloud to himself before the hyenoid thrust a rope in his hands.

"Okay then maybe you could help us as you climb it. Take this and approximately four to five stories up there is a passage through the tower where an elevated pathway once intersected it. There are some anchors up there please secure this best you can for us," the hyenoid stated not really listening to Cole and just wanting to get its work done and not socialize.

"Oh okay, I wasn't really looking to get involved but if you want my help I guess I could offer it," he responded and the hyenoid added, "do not worry. If you lose your hold or slip Ocheeva will catch you. She will make sure you do not hit the ground. I cannot guarantee however that she will not break any bones. She will try to be gentle but when you are her size it is hard to not harm creatures smaller than yourself." The hyenoid didn't wait for him to answer and went to checking some of its scientific equipment with the others.

"Okay, I guess I'll help out, is that all I need to do," Cole inquired a little hesitant. The hyenoids just ignored him busy prepping their equipment. The hyenoid he had been talking to handed another rope to a Robo-bill. It came over stopping to look at Cole. It gestured with its head for him to follow before scaling the tower. The Robo-bills made climbing the structure look easy.

"Alright, here I go," Cole encouraged himself. He tied the rope around his shoulder so he could easily climb with it. As he began to climb Ocheeva came to stand by the tower next to him watching him.

"I'm guessing you'll catch me if something happens," Cole commented to Ocheeva looking back at her for a few seconds. She gave a snort and Cole took it as a sign that she was agreeing to his statement. It was a little tricky trying to find decent footing while scaling the tower. It was a sheer vertical surface with not many nooks or crannies to hold onto and the few decorative etchings and metal plates on its surface didn't help. There were many plants and fungi growing all over the structure having rooted themselves into cracks and crevices made by erosion and likely earthquake damage. They at least gave him something to cling to and he found many were a lot stronger than they looked. He particularly didn't think the mushrooms would be very strong but they surprisingly were. He was slow to make his way up nearly losing his hold a few times. He always however managed to catch hold of something to prevent himself from falling. He would take a few minutes to gather himself each time to slow his startled heart rate before continuing the climb. As he had expected the Blight was making it harder than normal making his limbs tire more easily and his joints stiffer. As he reached about two thirds the way up he began to worry the Blight might make him slip and fall if he didn't reach level ground soon.

"I think till the Blight is cured I will be sticking to level grounds after this," he commented pausing to see how far he had managed to reach. He was about two thirds the way up. The hyenoids still were not paying attention busy with their equipment while Ocheeva had reared up onto her hind legs one limb held out against the structure to steady herself as she remained alert and ready to catch him should he fall. Above him on the ledge he was having to reach the Robo-bills were looking down at him waiting patiently for him. Despite the weakness he could feel the Blight bringing on he held on and continued his climb determined to reach the platform. When he finally made it the Robo-bills helped pull him up where he came to lay on his back feeling sore and exhausted.

"This Blight stinks," he commented as the one Robo-bill took the rope from him and tied it to an anchor that was attached into the platform. As he sat up the Robo-bills went over to a stone and metal chest and pulled out more ropes. They tied one end to another anchor on the platform then proceeded to continue climbing the tower headed for a path higher up leaving Cole alone on the ledge.

“I’ll let you continue with that. That was enough climbing for me today,” he commented sitting up. He sat for a while just looking out at the cavern. It was peaceful and calm. Ever since arriving the ninja had found it odd how calm and peaceful Holamaya was. Given how it had been termed the Forbidden city, what all those in Balmora had said about it and its denizens and who ruled over it they had assumed it would have been an unpleasant fortress of darkness and nightmares but that was far from the truth. The place was surprisingly pleasant and felt similar to an ordinary town. Well more like a town outside a national park where the environment was so plentiful the flora and fauna had spilt over into the town and had claimed it as their own and no one seemed to care pleased by the situation he thought.

"What are you doing up here?" a voice questioned startling him. Looking behind himself Cole saw Celaena crawling up to him from the other side of the passage through the tower. She was not mad but seemed curious.

"Given your element is earth I do not see why you would be interested in being so high above the ground? I would not think you fond of heights," Celaena stated coming to perch next to him.

"Yha I'm not too fond of them. I made a comment about liking rock climbing and those hyenoids below asked me to bring a rope up here. I think they thought I was offering to help them," he replied.

"Ah, one thing you should remember when talking with the hyenoids is they are very intelligent just not when it comes to human communications or behaviour. They have difficulty determining differences in tone or meaning of what is said, many have trouble linking emotions with words and different concepts in speech such as sayings or idioms sometimes are very confusing for them. Many sometimes cannot tell if you are offering help, threatening or challenging them or conversing in idle chit chat," Celaena noted.

"Kinda like Zane," Cole noted before saying after a few minutes of silence, "what brings you up here?"

"I am built from a beast with aerodynamic qualities, being up high is normal for me. If you are meaning why I decided to perch on this tower I noted you climbing it and was curious to why you would want to be up here," Celaena responded. They sat in silence for a second before Cole commented, "must be lonely for you here, I haven't seen any like you here."

"In ways that is true. Racer Fabricants were rare and only five of us were gifted elemental powers. My one sister was felled many years ago by Asher hands, my brother Pelagius lives with Sheoth in distant lands, I have not seen him in over 70 years, my other two siblings I have not seen since the Stag took over. No one knows what has become of them. I wish I could remember their names but it has been so long I believe I have forgotten them. I often wonder what happened to them but sometimes I think it might be better to not know," Celaena expressed.

"Really, if they were my siblings I would want to know. Know if there was something I could have done to save them or if they're still alive, if they're okay, if I will ever get to see them again or hold her hand..." Cole began getting lost in thought.

"It is not my siblings you are talking of is it, by the sounds you are talking of someone personal to you; someone outside the city I would presume, maybe someone who you left back in your world?" Celaena pondered.

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you. You probably won't make fun of it like the others... her names Seliel," Cole stated. Normally Cole didn't like to open up to others particularly about emotions or relations but he felt comfortable talking with Celaena. He was not quite sure why but felt it could be related to her largely bestial appearance and nature or that she was respectful, wise and friendly.

"Someone close I assume like a mate?" Celaena prodded.

"You sound like Zane when you say it like that," he stated pausing for a minute before continuing, "we are close and the others are right I do have feelings for her it's just... I worry about letting her too close."

“Why?” Celaena questioned sounding comforting and Cole took a few seconds to reply, “I’m afraid... I’ve lost or nearly lost many people in my life and I’ve grown tired of it. It hurts to lose someone… the pain from it there’s nothing worse and I can no longer stand it. I worry if I let her too close something could happen and I’ll lose her… I don’t think I could handle that.” Ever since they had become trapped in the forbidden city and learned of their curse he had found himself thinking more about Seliel and getting more worried about those they had left behind. He had managed to keep his feelings and thoughts hidden from the others but as their time in this place and their Blight curse continued he had a feeling he might not be able to hold back his feelings much longer.

"What is the pain from loss but another form of love; love with which you wish to give but cannot. Greif is love with nowhere to go; the desire to give love to one you can no longer give that love to," Celaena stated looking over the cavern. Cole thought over what she had said for a minute before expressing, "I never really thought of it that way."

"I understand. At the time of the loss it is hard to see it that way but when you are as old as I am and have seen as much as I have, known as many as I have you begin to see things in a new light. True you can never get over the pain of loss it leaves a hole that can never be filled that you will carry for all your days but I would prefer that pain over not knowing someone and always be left wondering how my life with them would have been like; to miss all the joys and wonder they could bring to my life. You should not let the fear of losing someone control your feelings for them. Even if you are unsure of your feelings you should tell them how you feel. If you wait too long you might find one day that it is too late, they could move on or even no longer be. There is no worse feeling than wanting to tell someone how much they mean to you but you can no longer tell them; to leave things unsaid and undone," Celaena explained looking over the cavern below. They sat for a while looking over the cavern below and Cole thought about what she had said. He had never really thought much about it like that. A lot of what she said made sense and he felt her words were true. The more he thought of it the more it made him want to go find Seliel and tell her how he felt but he knew there was no way for that to be possible. They were trapped in this place; none of them knew how long it would take for them to find what they needed and find a way to break free from the Stags hold if this Blight didn't claim them first. Every day it was looking more and more like they were not going to escape this place depressing them. It was starting to take atoll on each of them though they were each trying to hide it from each other.

"You know I often wonder if the Stag can feel loss, is he capable of grief. He often makes it clear that he despises mortals but none of us know why. Is it because he is an entity of darkness or could the feelings that come with loss be why he despises mortals? Why he distances himself from the rest of us? Even us of artificial make who are gifted with long life still have a day we will cease to be and we can still be felled like other mortals. In all my years around him his hatred for other beings is unlike any other entity I have come across. I have met Oni, Dragons, spirits, Ashers and others of great power and longevity but none quite match his characteristics. Others like the Oni and Ashers, they do not hate us in the same way the Stag does. To them we are beings of lesser value meant to be used and controlled but to the Stag we are something else. He shows caring towards us protecting our home from the daemons of the wastes, giving us what we need to live peaceful and well off lives. He gave many lives, some new others a second chance. He takes care of us like we are his prized pets yet how he distances himself from us; how he speaks of us, the cruelty he uses on us and the hatred he shows to us they conflict with his caring side. It is as if he has two sides and many of us wonder why. Is it grief and fear that make him hate mortals or is it something else, something truly dark. I and Juib have long pondered about the Stags true nature. From what we have observed he has a strong desire to corrupt and destroy the world around him much like the Oni we theorize who made him yet for some reason that we do not yet know of he resists acting out on these desires. He cannot fully control these desires however. You can see glimpses of it now and then; in his entertainment, his punishments and uncontrollable anger they stem from this desire, this darkness in him," Celaena thought aloud while Cole only listened wondering what was going on with those they had left behind; it brought a lot of worrying thoughts.

"I am sorry if my ponderings have lowered your emotions. I understand such deep thinking can be highly unpleasant especially for troubled minds," Celaena stated after a moment of silence, "you probably came here for some peace and quiet in attempts to relax so I will let you be." She went to leave but Cole commented to her stopping her in her tracks, "it's okay I don't mind if you wish to hang out; thinking about her... and the others kind of makes me feel ... well down... and lonely. It would be nice to have your company." With his words she came to rest next to him occasionally talking with each other.

After splitting from the others Zane had wandered around observing the constructs and beasts of Holamaya. Unlike the people of Balmora the denizens of Holamaya were friendly and welcoming to him and didn’t hesitate to involve him, share with him or interact with him. It was a nice and welcome change from the way people had treated him in the town removing some of his feelings of loneliness and raising his emotions a bit. Despite the threat of the Stag possibly lurking nearby he felt relaxed and safe here. He still had feelings of loneliness but they were no longer as strong as they had been in Balmora. As he wandered he was inspecting the many creations of the Scimitar people occasionally helping some of the other constructs interested in learning more about the creations of the Scymer folk and the people who had made them. Much of it was very fascinating. Eventually in his wandering Zane found a small garden section across the river from the palace on the outskirts of the small town area they were being kept in. The garden was mainly well kept and well decorated with various flora including a few strange plants he had not seen anywhere else in this realm which seemed to be much like fabricants, half organic and half metal. Along with the flora various statues in an assortment of poses were scattered throughout the garden. There were at least over two dozen of them. Some were obscured by trees or shrubs that had matured around them and a few had vines that had grown up onto them over time. The statues were mainly stone with decorative metal pieces made from Scimitar Steel incorporated into their make. The metal decorations seemed to resemble armour, weapons or even implants the figure the statue was meant to represent likely had in life. Both men and woman from adolescents to old age were represented. There was a mix of races represented from warriors and scholars to spirits. Below each statue was a plaque stating who the figure was and the deeds they were known for. Most appeared to be figures from the realms mythology including notable past elemental masters or dragons as those in this realm called them, great thinkers and artisans, warriors who had done great deeds, mythical spirits said to reside in the world and memorable beasts. The Dragon Master and all three members of the Tribunal even had statues in this garden. There were even shrines to this Storabek in some places which he reasoned had likely been built after the Stag had taken over. There primitive style of design with decorations of bones, leather, feathers and stains from various substances likely blood and oils on their surfaces strongly contrasted with the statues of Scymer make. Apart from the shrines to Storabek from what he could see this seemed to be a place either for memorial purposes, maybe teaching or even both. As he wandered through the garden looking over each statue and plaque intrigued by the place Zane noted something. By one statue the silvery face plate for an old Robo-bill was placed. It was placed in front of the statue on a small pedestal with a heavily worn candle next to it.

Zane was perplexed. The way the object was placed resembled a memorial though for what or to whom he was not sure. None of the other statues had anything placed by them and while he felt the other constructs had the ability to understand and perform behaviours like this, it was obvious some of them were doing it with the shrines to Storabek, he doubted most of them had a hand in this. He could deduce that this was likely put here by a single entity. He defiantly felt that the Stag didn’t do this. The Stag had no care for such things; everything seemed worthless in his eyes. The face plate looked familiar so Zane picked it up to get a better look.

"You noticed it too," Divayths voice stated. Zane looked up to see Divayth standing nearby; he looked to be observing Zane.

"You know what this is?" Zane inquired.

"Yha, most of us here do. He thinks we are unaware that he has done this but all of us who live here know, well I am unsure if the Stag knows but the rest of us do," Divayth stated coming to stand next to Zane who remembered why this faceplate looked so familiar.

"This was part of Juibs old body but why has he put it here?" Zane wondered inspecting the statue. He recognised the figure. The statue the faceplate had been placed in front of was that of Jules the Wise the last champion to Whetu and Juibs last companion.

"This Jules meant a lot to him and his passing was sudden and as Juib likely saw it too soon. I am guessing his placement of his old face plate by the statue of his former companion is a mimicking of a symbolic nature probably one of a memorial. He often comes here in secret during the night to meditate by the statue. I do not think he wants any of us to know he does it or that he created this memorial. I am pretty sure he knows I and Celaena know about it. I do not know if he is aware that others know," Divayth explained.

“If everyone else knows why does he keep it secret?” Zane inquired putting the faceplate back on the pedestal just like he had found it and Divayth regaled, “I cannot say. Maybe he does not want the Stag to know; maybe he does not want this behaviour known to the rest of us out of worry that it would change some of the others views of him. To most of those in the city they know Juib as a sturdy, tough and logical thinker who rarely acts on such shows of emotion. He is a leader, a scholar capable of separating thinking from emotions, a rock for many to lean on. I understand as a younger construct prior to the Stags takeover he was more willing to openly show off a more emotional human like side but over the years of serving under the Stag and having to take on a more responsible role he has moved away from that side. Only rarely will you catch glimpses of it and only with us of the Black Hand.”

“I would agree Juib does seem to focus on more logical thinking and this behaviour seems out of place but I understand it. What I do not understand is Juib is old is he not and he had many companions before that he likely felt a kinship to so why has he only given a memorial to this one and not any of the others? I do believe I have seen a few other champions to Whetu here,” Zane noted curious about this strange quirk from Juib and Divayth explained, “I am not too sure. He has seen many years; older memories are likely gone or damaged even if he saved them; sadly that is but a symptom of time, nothing no matter how hard we try to retain it can last forever. He likely does not remember all of his previous companions no matter how hard he tries.”

“What do you know of this Jules the Wise?” Zane wondered inspecting the statue and Divayth regaled while Zane listened, “just what was written and what Juib has told me. From what I understand he was given a position of great power and admiration but while some might have enjoyed this he did not. He took up the mantle he was given and performed his role as Whetu’s champion and as a protector of the realm but deep down he never seemed happy with his role. He was always scholarly even from a young age preferring lone study to fighting at the front and leading others. Juib felt he had much regrets. Before he became a champion and before the Scimitar folk fused his organic body with cybernetics he had lived in a small village with a family; Parents, a sister, a mate and offspring. As the reptilian wars dragged on his hometown was set upon by the serpentine, he took up arms like many others but his town was no match for the serpentine army. He was the only one to be saved. Juib always felt Jules regretted that he had been the only one to survive; that he regretted not departing with those he loved. He regretted that he got a chance to continue in life while his family did not. He longed to join his loved ones but Jules continued on. He continued because he saw beauty in life and the world around him and he knew he had a duty to perform, to protect this beauty from the darkness that so often seeks to destroy it. He knew the people needed him and he had a job as a protector of the realm which he was not going to take lightly. He would only let death stop him in his duty and he would let death come to him when it was ready, he would let the universe tell him when it was time to end it all he would not make that decision for himself. I think when he faced the Stag he knew this time had come that is why he did not put up a fight and instead made a bargain to protect the innocent of the city from the Stags wrath. I wonder if he also knew the Stag would have no desire in the vaults and would help keep the Ashers from entering the city. Jules would not have given up as easily as he did if he felt the vaults were in danger or the Stag was a threat. Did he know something about the Stag we have not yet found I wonder?”

“You know I often wonder what keeps Juib going. Logically the power sources we were gifted can last a long time but if we so desire we can pass on or be felled if we so please and our power sources are not eternal they will run out one day. Knowing all he has, seen all that he has, all the years he has been operating… I can see that it has taken a toll on him. I do not know who it would not take a toll on. Time is the enemy to all. Juib may have a new young body but deep down his processing’s, memories, programming even the very essence of his being what some might call a soul are old. He is by no means ancient like Celaena but she and her siblings were designed to last for longer than we could imagine they were after all meant to be the ultimate guardians to the vault and realm. Juib though like you and I were never designed for that length of time. I do not know why the Stag keeps him going, Juib should have been sent to rest in the departed realm many years ago; Jules was to be his last companion. He would have been retired and a new construct was to take his place along with the next champion but of course the Stag got in the way,” Divayth regaled.

"Maybe Juib is not ready to..." Zane began before suddenly finding it hard to utter that word; die. It reminded him of his predicament and he looked at the Blight on his arms and legs. It was very noticeable and was almost complete in its march up his limbs. Soon it could start around his eyes then there would be no hope for him. The thought of the end approaching so quickly for him and that he likely would not be able to see Pixal before then lowered his emotions; he wasn’t for his life to end yet but this time he might not have a choice.

"No Juib has been ready for a long time. He has confided this with me a few times. I think he keeps going to please the Stag and to help protect and care for the rest of us, we are after all family and we care for each other; well I would not consider the Stag a loved or even liked member but technically he is family. You know Juib once told me that he does not understand why some desire for immortality. Yes there is many great and wonderful things in this world to see and experience, more than one could experience in their life time even if you can live for centuries but even if your body does not age you will still feel age; the passing of time on your mind and energy, the loss of those you love and hold dear, the changes to the world around you. Eventually even if you have experienced all the world has to offer you will desire for the great rest that comes for us all. Juib told me himself that he would rather perish before he is ready than experience a long drain of time to the world and loved ones around himself. At first I was unsure what to think of his statement but after giving it some thought I understand his logic and what he meant. In some ways it makes me pity the Stag for he is immortal. He will see many changes and if he is capable of it feel much loss... you know this is not a very up lifting subject. I can see your mental state is not in the most stable or elevated of levels. Why do we not talk of something else? Given your state of mind I do not think it wise for you to be alone where your current predicament will likely do nothing but bring about unpleasant and emotional lowering thoughts worsening your current state,” Divayth proposed noting Zanes mood, “when ones emotions are low it leads them only to think more on what depresses them furthering the lowering of emotions which can lead to very unpleasant circumstances. If you like we could hang out here or we could visit my abode. I could offer you tea and edibles made with Scimitar Oil; my one of four daughter-clones has become quite the chef. I can show you some of the research I have done on Scimitar culture, the flora and fauna of this realm or some of its mythology. I have noted you are curious about many things here, I must admit I do have a curiosity in your realm as well. We could compare knowledge and stories.”

“I guess… you are right… it is just this Blight… I am not ready to…” Zane mumbled looking at his Blight struggling to control his emotions.

"No one is ever ready but there is nothing that can be done. The time will come for us even if we try to fight it. I know it is unpleasant to hear but I urge you to keep going. Even though you feel or think it this might not be the end for you. It is nearly impossible to tell what the future holds. You never know how things will turn out as Juib has told me before only time can tell. Now come we can spend some time together and you can tell me about the she-droid who holds your heart. I am betting you miss her dearly," Divayth expressed urging Zane to follow him.

After the others had left him Lloyd had continued to wander around observing the constructs, flora and fauna of the city trying to find something to occupy his time and get his mind off his worries; the Blight curse, his mother, getting out of this city, what was happening back home... despite how hard he tried he could not take his mind away from these thoughts. Eventually his worries drove him back to where they were working to continue their task. He started by cutting back some of the brush blocking the pathway. Not long after he started working Kozac came strolling over to stand cross armed and watch him a few meters away. Lloyd was unsure if he was mad or relaxed, Kozac often had an expression even when relaxed that made him look mad, so tried to ignore his presence not wanting to get involved with Kozac.

"Where are your clan mates?" Kozac grumbled while watching Lloyd who was trying to cut back the shrubs but the Blight was making his joints sore and stiff making the task much harder than he had hoped.

"The others gave us the day off," Lloyd replied continuing to work.

“Then why have you come back here, should you not be with your clan mates?” Kozac inquired.

"They are doing their own things and that is fine. I know I should take this time to relax but I just can't. I need to get to that vault and stop all this. Dagon, those Asher monsters, the Stag harassing us, this Blight...," Lloyd began stopping to look at the Blights markings on his one arm. The sight of them depressed him. Even though he managed to hide most of his feelings and thought Kozac couldn't see how he was feeling some of his emotions did show and Kozac did take note of them and he did notice the effect the Blight was having on Lloyds mood. Kozac however gave no signs that he noted Lloyds feelings.

"I just have to get this done so we can get out of here," Lloyd stated before muttering quietly to himself hoping Kozac couldn't hear him, "mother must be so worried, hopefully we can get out of here before it is too late." Kozac could hear him but made no mention of it, he just watched. After fighting with some trauma vines barely making it out unscathed Lloyd uncovered a large fallen log. He could tell just by looking at it that he would not be able to move it from the path on his own. It was pretty large, he could probably fit inside the trunk it was that large. By the moss, debris, fungi and plants growing on it Lloyd had to guess the log had been here for some time. Not wanting to give up for the day he grabbed an axe from the tools they had been given, since he couldn't move it he was going to try and cut a part of it out so there was away through. If he was lucky the log could be rotten and easy to dismember if not the wood could be dry and rock hard making his job worse. Kozac just stood watching him. Thanks to the Blight the axe felt heavier than it looked making him struggle to wield it. He managed to give one hefty overhead swing into the log. It sunk in a bit but didn't penetrate too deep. From how the axe went in Lloyd had to guess there was a bit of rot to the wood but not enough to make his task easier. He would just have to keep pushing on as best he could even though he didn't entirely feel like continuing on working anymore. He tried to pull the axe out but he could not muster the strength to do so and it felt like his wrists were swollen making it hard and painful to move them. He let go of the axe and rubbed his wrists trying to relieve the discomfort before he would try to pull the axe out again. In his break he noted a sound nearby. It was soft and kind of sounded like a Venom-Fang. It sounded close. Not wanting to risk getting bitten by the venomous bird lizards he looked around trying to figure out where the sound came from. Following the sound he noted a sizable hole in the log by the ground partly hidden by some ferns. He slowly leaned into look at the hole wondering if one of these reptiles was trapped in the log.

Before he could get a look into the log a Venom-fang fabricant launched up from behind the log landing atop it startling Lloyd who fell backwards in surprise. Three regular Venom-fangs then rushed out from the surrounding woods to encircle him hissing and growling at him. Before the reptiles could make a move Kozac rushed in to stand protectively over Lloyd his weapon drawn ready to attack. The fabricant began making noises at Kozac using its robotics to communicate with him.

"Watch your tongue lizard. I protect you and your clan so it would be wise for you to obey me. The green Dragon is not your prey now get back the lot of you and look for something else to stick your teeth into," Kozac growled at the Venom-fangs taking a few swipes towards them with his sickle trying to scare them away. They jumped back but did not leave and seemed to be getting angrier snapping and clawing at the air towards Kozac. Before he attempted to get up to help scare the creatures away the sound he had heard before drew Lloyds attention back to the hole in the log. Looking closely in the darkness inside the log he could see something moving and he understood why the Venom-fangs were attacking.

"Kozac stop, they're not hunting," Lloyd expressed getting up and restraining Kozac, forcing him to hold his weapon down.

"What are you doing? Do you want them to attack you?" Kozac growled and Lloyd quickly countered, "they won't attack." Lloyd then addressed the reptiles who were still on edge hoping they would understand him.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to harm or scare any of you," he expressed to the reptiles. They began to calm down but still looked angry. Shortly after they started to relax two half sized Venom-fangs, two chicks, rushed out from the hole in the log towards the closest adult, one that Lloyd guessed was the mother, and nuzzled into her. The adult inspected them over making sure they were okay nuzzling them as she did and one of the other adults, likely their father, came to inspect and nuzzle the young ones as well. Lloyd watched the family interact showing affection to each other. Watching the creatures he could feel tears coming to his eyes as it made him think of his family. He couldn't help but think this Blight might claim him before he could get to see his mother again and he worried what would happen to her alone in this realm. Would she ever find out what happened to them? What horrors awaited their world if they failed? With the family reunited and they could see the young were scared but okay the mother led the group off into the brush taking their chicks to safety. The fabricant was the last to follow giving a snort and growl while baring its teeth to Kozac before leaving.

"Did any of them bite you?" Kozac inquired after the creatures had left. Lloyd remained staring where the creatures had left trying to hold back his feelings and didn't hear Kozacs question. Kozac was able to pick up that something was bothering Lloyd but was unsure of what.

"Are you listening? Did any of them bite you? Venom-fang venom is fatal to those of flesh and blood," Kozac demanded.

"No... they just... startled me that's all," Lloyd expressed looking at the ground in front of himself caught up in his worries and emotions and trying to hide them from Kozac. It didn't take much for Kozac to put things together having noted Lloyds behaviours and emotions to the Venom-fangs and their family. Even though he understood Lloyds feelings he was not entirely sure what to do.

"Maybe you should join the others in taking a break," Kozac noted sheathing his weapon. Lloyd didn't say anything as he went and sat with his back against a low crumbling stone wall on the path.

"Are you sure you are not hurt?" Kozac wondered unsure of what to do as he kept up his cold stern appearance.

"I'm fine, I just... I just need some time alone," Lloyd snapped struggling to holdback his emotions. Kozac just stood silently looking at Lloyd unsure what todo. Kozac looked from Lloyd to where the Venom-fangs had disappeared then to the log which still had the axe in it. After a minute of thought Kozac went over to the log and pulled out the axe. He looked at it, then at the log where it had been then back to Lloyd who was sitting quietly staring at the ground a mix of emotions on his face as he thought about the ninjas predicament, his mother and what Dagon could be doing to their world and those still there while they were trapped here. After a quick thought Kozac began to hack at the log to cut pieces from it. As pieces fell off he brushed them aside but left them on the path as he continued cutting away the log. At first Lloyd didn't notice what Kozac was doing. He only became aware when he caught movement in the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing? You're not supposed to be helping us. Won't the Stag punish you?" Lloyd inquired trying to hide the emotion in his voice.

"True we are not to help you but who is to say I am helping you. Maybe I just need to take out some frustrations and it just so happens there is a log and an axe here for me to do that. He would not like it if I used you to take my frustrations out on; he does not want us hurting you guys. That is for him to do. Just because my attacks are removing parts of the log clearing the path does not necessarily mean I am helping. Maybe I am making it worse for you by leaving a great mess for you guys to clean up later. There are lots of little pieces and splinters. We could make you pick up every little splinter with your bare hands. Maybe it will make your job easier or maybe harder right," Kozac stated continuing cutting at the log after having managed to get a decent chunk taken out of the part that lay over the path. Lloyd looked over the mess Kozac was making. True in ways he was both helping and making things harder for them. They had a considerable mess to clean up yet the hard task of cutting the log off the path Kozac was taking care of. Kozac was helping them in a way that made it look like he was not helping, a clever way to get around the Stags rule to not help them. Given Kozac hated people and had shown no liking or caring for the ninja Lloyd thought he would be the last one here to help them. He felt warmed and comforted by Kozacs actions.

"Thank you for helping us," he expressed giving Kozac a hug making Kozac pause what he was doing. Kozac showed no emotions back to Lloyd.

"Why do you not join your dragon brethren and take a break for the day," Kozac stated waiting for Lloyd to let him go before going back to hacking at the log.

"If it's okay I want to stay here," Lloyd stated moving to sit on a stone nearby to watch Kozac.

"You know you can trust the knights they will keep your mother safe. If there is anyone in the wastes you can trust or rely on it is them. No matter what they will keep your dam safe. Do not worry so much it is not good for your health and with the Blight consuming your health you should not be adding to things that will further have a negative effect on your well being," Kozac noted as he worked. After a while of sitting and relaxing Lloyd began clearing the debris Kozac left behind feeling he needed to keep working to keep dark thoughts from propping up. It wasn't long till Cole joined them feeling that he needed to continue their task to reach the vaults. His talk with Celaena had given him a desire to continue their work. Though he didn't say it aloud or acknowledge it Lloyd felt he wanted to get this done so he could get back home to Seliel. Shortly after Cole joined Zane came back. Zane also had the urge to continue. His chat with Divayth had renewed his urge to continue so he could get back home and back to Pixal. The two helped Lloyd in picking up the pieces of the log that Kozac was demolishing. It wasn't long after Zane joined as Kozac was finishing up having cleared the log from the path that Nya, Jay and Kai joined them.

"A breaks nice and all but we have stuff to get down and if we are ever to survive and see the others again we have to keep moving on," Kai stated as the three came to join the others.

"No matter what we are going to continue what we started till there is nothing left to do. We owe it to everyone especially ourselves to keep going," Lloyd expressed to them all. As they got back to work none of them realised that they were being watched. From in the shadows an entity had been keeping an eye on each of them all day unannounced to everyone in the cavern. It had been remaining unseen observing them for its own purposes.

They had been working all day. They had gotten over halfway to the structure of the halls of knowledge over the two weeks and a bit they had been there despite the interruptions and problems they had encountered in that time. So far they had been able to work through the Blights effects however over the past few days the Blight had started to take a serious toll on them all. It was making it harder for them to get the job done and making them work much slower each day. While so far they had been able to get through most days without too much trouble for some reason today they were having serious trouble. All of them had not had a good night’s rest the previous night. All had been restless and kept waking up in cold sweats over horrid nightmares that seemed to strike at their fears and worries or terrible memories often involving them or someone they cared about getting seriously hurt or ending up dead or worse; things too horrid and nightmarish for them to even want to think about. Sleepless or restless nights were starting to become more frequent and worse as the Blight progressed further aggravating other symptoms. Sometimes they would wake each other up with their screaming from the nightmares leading all of them to frequently get little sleep even if that night they were not being plagued by bad dreams.

The weirdest effect the Blight seemed to be having on them now was an odd ability to mess with their powers and leave them with times where they would lose control of their powers. The Blight also had an unnerving way of bypassing the effects of the bracers and let their powers through when they would lose control. Luckily this loss of control of their powers seemed to occur mainly while they were sleeping but sometimes things while they were awake would set it off; sneezing, coughing, shivers, disorientation, tripping, falls and getting startled were just some of the things that could cause a loss of control of their powers. This symptom wouldn’t have been such a terrible one if it wasn’t for how others reacted to it. Many of the animals would get spooked by it while the hyenoids and constructs would either get nervous or angry depending on the results of their accidents. Because they slept in the same structure as the Scimitar Samurai these individuals who were the most fearless of the Stags constructs had become nervous of them apparently afraid of getting hurt. A few times Kai had accidentally set his bed on fire or made it uncomfortably hot in the building, Jay had blown a few of the buildings circuits a few times and shocked not just the rest of them but some of the Samurai a couple times, Cole had accidentally caused the building to shake after falling out of bed the one morning making them think there was an earthquake and causing some damages to the structure nor were their building mates a fan of Zanes powers a few times having chilled the local environment and causing ice to build up on surfaces. Others like those who controlled and monitored the caverns weather systems and environment were more annoyed than scared of them especially when that onetime Nya’s powers had screwed up she had caused a heavy downpour in the cavern and burst some pipes for the rain simulating system which were not easy to fix due to their placement high up on the caverns ceiling while another time Lloyds had disrupted the caverns lighting systems getting it stuck on the late evening setting for a day. Losing control of their powers was frustrating and disturbing them and the effects it had on those around them was demoralising them all. Though none of them were willing to admit it but the Blight had really started to get to them and they were struggling to keep going.  

By far though the worst of the Blights symptoms so far were its mood swings and in particular the Blights rage. This raged state turned the victim in simplest terms evil causing them to attack others over the littlest or strangest things and they could not be reasoned with. When they entered this state they tended to go after each other often ignoring the caverns other inhabitants unless they interfered in the fighting. There was little anyone could do to combat them when they were in this state. Depending how severe they would get they were either locked in a special enchanted cage that chilled anything in it to try and cool down their mood and the burning temperature the rage sparked in them or if it was severe enough they would have Divayth or Juib knock them out for a few hours with a powerful sedating spell. These episodes of Blights Rage generally didn’t last too long and were not frequent but were definitely scary and some were scarier than others during these episodes. They had reasoned that Lloyd, Cole or Nya would have been the scariest to enter this state and while the all agreed they were scary they had been surprised to find they were not the scariest. By far they had all come to agree that Zane was by far the scariest during these episodes and it wasn’t just his powers that made them think this. He could genuinely get very scary, dark and dangerous.

Each of them had already been in the conditions strange trance at least once that day, currently Nya was going through it kneeling on the ground stacking some rocks and tools on the path which they had recently uncovered and cleaned. As the Blight progressed these trances seemed to get slightly longer each time they occurred. Generally they only lasted for 20-30 minutes now but it made working very hard especially when the one in the trance would start taking the tools they were using. The only thing they could do for someone in the trance was let it pass and keep them out of danger. Zane was currently terribly disorientated and was sitting with his back to a stone wall that lined the one side of the path leading to the structure. Every time he tried to get up or move he was getting dizzy and unable to stand or balance which was causing him to lose control of his powers. This had led him to accidently freeze Jays feet to the floor when the dizziness had caused him to fall over. Jay had to spend over ten minutes chipping his legs free of ice with a trowel. They had all agreed it best for Zane to sit till he was better even though he was not wanting to just sit and do nothing. Zane had to agree though that he was of little help in his current state and a bit of a danger to them. If he didn’t sit still and keep his eyes closed only opening them now and then to keep an eye on what was going on he would feel dizzy. He was slowly getting better. Lloyd sat next to him struggling with a bout of depression talking to himself questioning what they were doing there, why they didn’t just give up and was it worth continuing their work. The other three were trying to work and keep everyone’s moods lifted but were finding it very hard. What was happening with the other three was demoralising them as they wanted to help but knew they could do nothing. They were also having their own problems. Jay and Kai were keeping an eye on Nya to keep her from getting hurt. The two were not suffering any of the more extreme or mental symptoms at the time but they felt weak, painfully sore and exhausted as they put some cut off pieces of plant in a wheel barrow they were using to move them to a compost pile elsewhere. Cole attempted to move the barrow but as he went to lift it he felt as if he had no strength and ended up tipping it over, losing his footing and landing on top of the spilt over barrow.

"Do you think we could take a break?" he questioned as Jay and Kai came to help him up as he struggled to get back up feeling weak and exhausted.

“That daemon could be watching we can’t stop, what do you think he’ll do to us if we stop?!” Jay panicked. Even though they had rarely seen the Stag since the incident in his torture ring a couple earlier Jay had developed a new paranoia where he thought the Stag was hiding in the shadows to attack them when they least expected it. After they helped him onto his feet Cole fell back down coming to sit on the ground too tired to try and get back up.

"Rate now I don't care. We can't keep going like this, I say we take a break at least for a while, maybe the rest of the day," Kai expressed sitting down next to Cole as Nya came out of her trance confused about the strange tower she had been building.

"What was I doing?" she wondered and Jay blurted out happy she was back to normal, "you're back!" While everyone else didn't think much of the Blights trances they unnerved Jay freaking him out and making him paranoid. He had somehow gotten the idea that the trance was someone, probably a bad person like one of these Asher folks, taking control of them and forcing them to do strange things so no one would suspect they were spying through the individual in the trance.

"What do you mean back I never left? It was just that trance," Nya explained sitting down after knocking over her tower frustrated by the condition. They all sat watching as Jay began to go into a panic yelling and freaking out expressing they should get back to work before the Stag saw them and what the Stag would do to them before going off on a paranoid rant. They were all feeling too terrible to care and just listened thinking Jay had really lost it.

DJ was sitting on the edge of one of the nearby watch towers watching them. He had originally been playing a game on a hand held game system he had gotten from Balmora but was now staring confused and worried about the way the ninja were behaving. All of those that lived in the city had noted the ninja were starting to struggle from the condition and starting to lose hope. Unlike their master most that lived in the city liked the ninja and wanted to help them but had little idea of what to do. Many of the constructs had tried to boost the ninjas moods even though the ninja were not comfortable with some of their attempts. Many of the hyenoids were mentally like children and did not fully comprehend many human social customs such as the ninja didn’t need the hyenoids help in the showers and not to bother them when they were having personal times nor was everything they said to be taken literally. Most of the hyenoids rarely or had never interacted with people. Outside each other they only really interacted with animals and other constructs so had very little skills for interacting with people. The ninja were very understanding of the hyenoids and tolerated them, mostly. Zane was the most trusting of them and wasn’t bothered by their misunderstandings even if they made him uncomfortable. Zane didn’t hesitate to consider the hyenoids friends. Jay however was still not entirely trusting of them and would become paranoid of them from time to time thinking they were out to get him or brainwashing the others, particularly Zane, into betraying him.

"What is that ones problem?" Kozac inquired coming to see what all the yelling was about.

“The Blight, Jay seems to be prone to paranoia more than the others,” DJ replied and Kozac noted, “I prefer his paranoia over the red ones or his sisters aggressive fits, those two seem to be prone to those.”

"True Cole and Zane seem more prone to more melancholy moods. Lloyd he seems to be a mix of melancholy and aggression. I wonder if Juib has noted that certain individuals are prone more to certain emotions than others while under the Blights influence," DJ noted.

"Probably, he has studied it very thoroughly though Juib has only come across a few recordings of a Dragon getting the condition. He was intrigued how the condition affects their powers even through those bracers," Kozac acknowledged. They sat for a moment watching the ninja. Normally when Jay went off on a paranoid rant the others were quick to chastise, critique or make fun of him but they were not doing anything this time just drowsily watching Jay go on his rant.

"The condition is really taking its toll on them. Too bad the Stag has forbidden us to help them. They do not have much to go before they reach the halls of knowledge," DJ expressed.

"They must do it on their own Stags orders and you are not to get any ideas. You know what the Stag will do to you if you go against his orders and I do not think Juib or Celaena could save you from his wrath over this," Kozac growled.

"I know... I hate his punishments... they are getting very despondent though, I fear they might start to give up if we do not do something. It does not have to be big. Something small to improve their mood and give them some hope; make them feel better you know," DJ hypothesized sounding upset.

"What can we do without invoking the Stags wrath?" Kozac maintained. The two sat and watched for a few minutes as the ninja talked unsure what to do.

"He wants us to break them so they will serve him not so they give up," DJ expressed.

"What are you getting at?" Kozac inquired not liking what DJ could be thinking.

"Take over my watch for me, I am going to speak with Juib," DJ stated getting up and leaving Kozac on the tower where Kozac commented, "Juib is someone else who needs a break."

“Can we just go to our room?” Kai complained and Lloyd added, “we’re not in the mood for this. We just want to go to bed.” After working all day and struggling with the Blight the ninja were exhausted and down. They all felt like doing nothing but laying on a bed or even just the floor for the rest of the night. Cole was so disorientated he could barely stand needing others to help him stand and move. He was leaning on Nya who was trying to help him stay on his feet while feeling like her skin was burning. Zane had started to suffer bouts of temporary memory loss from the condition and was going through a pretty severe one. He had forgotten some important things about himself and his past the most important of which was that he was a droid causing him to become agitated by his metal skin and extremely confused. While the others were trying to comfort and relax him till his memory came back Zanes memory loss and agitation were freaking Jay out putting him on the edge of a panic attack. He was dreading this symptom happening to himself and worried what they would do if Zanes memory didn’t come back even though DJ and Kozac had assured them his memory would come back it could just take a few hours.

“We all agree you could all use this,” DJ expressed herding the ninja to the area they were training to use their Dragon Aspect in. The area had been cleaned up a bit and lanterns and colored cloths now decorated the buildings. On the terrace in front of the buildings various rugs had been laid out with pillows and low tables placed on the rugs. Lights were strung between some posts which had been erected earlier for dummies the Black Hand had the ninja practice their aiming on while using the Aspect. They had not done too good for that training. Even Zane had trouble aiming though it wasn’t entirely from the Dragon Aspect it was mostly the Blight making him disorientated and messing with his senses that was to blame. The place seemed busier than usual. Some hyenoids were practice fighting, some others were playing tabletop games with some of the Robo-bills who were beating most of the hyenoids at the games, a few were reading or just hanging with each other and some of the creatures while a few were tending a fire they had built in the center of the terrace. Ocheeva lay on the outskirts of the terrace resting while Bruma, Yin and Yang were pestering some of the hyenoids which appeared to be cooking a meal for the creatures on a grill they had set up. A few were just relaxing on the carpets watching the others with some of the creatures hanging with them. One was practicing an instrument playing some bardic songs most of which were not the happiest sounding. Divayth was hanging with some hyenoids who were hanging near where the meals were being prepped. They recognised four of them as his daughter-clones; individuals he had created from his programming from studies into the nature of the hyenoids. They were some of the only ones outside the Black hand to routinely interact with or aid the ninja and show no fear of interacting with them. Noting the ninja were being brought over Divayth went over to talk with the one playing music. They guessed he told the other one to play more upbeat and less depressing music since after their talk the bard went on to play a weird but cheerful and humorous sounding song. They sometimes had heard townsfolk in Balmora sing the song while enjoying themselves. Juib was there sitting on a carpet with a cup of warm Scimitar oil tea and a Venom-fang fabricant resting next to him where Juib would occasionally pet it.

“Use what?” Zane wondered confused and a little worried still struggling from the memory loss.

“I think it is called an intervention?” DJ responded.

“Intervention for what?” Cole inquired not in the mood for hanging out; he just wanted to pass out on one of their beds even though the beds were not very comfortable. At that time he even felt the cold stone floor would feel comfortable enough to consider a bed.  

“I am unsure if you are aware of it but you all seem to be losing hope and giving up,” DJ expressed, “besides you have done a lot of work and deserve a good break.”

“We haven’t given up,” Lloyd countered not wanting to admit that deep down he was struggling to keep going on. Jay was quick to blurt out, “I have.” The others were not wanting to admit they were struggling to not give up. The Blight was having a terrible effect on them and though they wanted to admit defeat because of it they were afraid of what the others would think especially each other.

“I have good reason to believe you truly do not believe your own words,” Kozac expressed helping DJ usher the ninja over to where Juib sat and forced them all to sit down across from Juib on the carpet where they were surrounded by lots of various pillows. They wanted to object, to get up and head to their room but were too weak and tired to do it so just sat looking around at the others. Most of the others there only temporarily glanced at them before going back to what they had been doing. A few would wave at them but none seemed like they were going to come over to interact with them even though it looked like a few were interested in doing so. The ninja had learned over their time there a few things about these hyenoids. They were not the monsters the people of Balmora thought they were. Even the militant Scimitar Samurais’ were not as dangerous or mean as they appeared, except for in battle then they lived up to their reputation. DJ sat with Juib while Kozac sat on a stool next to them crossing his arms while he sat remaining on guard.

“So we’re a little down that doesn’t mean we have given up,” Kai acknowledged after a moment of silence.

“Doesn’t help we can’t get a good night’s sleep with nightmares waking you up all the time and scaring you so much you do not want to go back to sleep,” Cole noted.

“Indeed they can take a serious toll; I would not worry too much about the dreams. I believe they are simply a way for the condition to further weaken and torture the individual often by using personal fears, worries, doubts or terrible memories,” Juib explained.

“That must be why they feel so real,” Nya noted and the others agreed.

“Dreams? Do I dream? I think I do, is that normal?” Zane asked the others confused and a little worried.

“Yes you do; how long is this memory loss thing last and is it normal to be this severe?” Kai inquired starting to get bothered by Zanes confusion.

“It should only last a few hours. Technically it is a lapse in memory as the memories are not lost something is just blocking the memories from being known; the memories are still there. Normally they are not this severe, generally they are more mild. From studies it appears this symptom attacks memories that when forgotten lead to discomfort, fear and other unpleasant emotions in sufferers,” Juib explained and Lloyd expressed, “what a cruel effect then again allot of what this Blight does just seems for being cruel.”

“What do you expect from something created by the Ashers,” DJ expressed. They sat quietly for a few minutes before Jay blurted out, “what would agreeing to the Stags terms imply?”

“Jay?!” Nya expressed. She, Kai, Lloyd, Zane and Cole were shocked at Jays comment while Juib, Kozac and DJ were worried. His comment even made some of the constructs nearby turn to look over nervously at them.

“What? Serving him could not be any worse than this Blight besides he can make the Blight go away right?” Jay expressed starting to panic.

“Trust us you do not want that,” Kozac stated and Juib added, “No he cannot remove the Blight. He can only delay its progress and hide its traits. It will still progress despite his attempts to stop it. He cannot save you from the Blight, I do not know if anyone or anything can stop it and I can tell you from experience that what he can do to you is just as bad and sometimes worse than what this Blight does.”

“Yha and if he is what we think he is and he has control of you guys if you think what Dagon or the Oni do is bad he will be far worse,” DJ explained.

“Why would you think like that Jay? I could see Zane maybe breaking down seeing as he is further along than us and the Stag likes those like him but not you… no offense Zane,” Kai began upsetting Zane who was hurt to hear the others might still be thinking he would betray them and Kozac cut in to say, “he does not like us. He just tolerates us because we can live longer lives than other mortals so he can use us more and for a longer time. He can also easily scrap us back together and keep us going longer than we should or please to live. If we were short lived with more dispensable bodies he would simply terminate us.”

“Then why do you serve him? Why don’t you try to leave and find somewhere you would prefer to live?” Lloyd inquired and the hyenoids thought it over not looking to happy about it.

“Well he created most of us, even though he did not create our blueprints, those are somebody else’s but still he built us and gave us life. In ways that makes him what you would consider a father to us so we must serve him. We owe our existence to him,” Kozac expressed and DJ added, “besides this is our home. We have nowhere else we can go. Our only other options are worse. Torture at the cruel hands of the Ashers, wander the wastes till the ash terminates you or be scrapped by the people. Besides who knows what the Stag would do to us if he caught us leaving his service.”

“Besides with the Scimitar Folk gone we are all that is left to keep the vaults safe,” Juib replied.

“How much do you know of these vaults? If we somehow manage to get to them what are we to look for? No one has been able to tell us? How can we succeed if we don’t even know what we are to look for?” Lloyd inquired sounding down.

“I am sorry to say but I do not know what you have to look for. I am old but not that old,” Juib explained and Cole wondered, “how old are you?”

“At least over two hundred years. I was originally a simple working Robo-bill. I do not remember that time really. I do remember that one day they took me to the workshops and made me into a superior model with more advanced programming than my brethren before giving me to a Champion of Whetu. According to them I had been chosen to be a companion to the champions to aid in the protection of the vaults, the champion had chosen me themselves. They said Whetu herself told the champion to pick me though I do not understand why. I was companion to several champions before being given to Jules. Even though we protected the vaults champions rarely entered them and I never entered it, the dark energies within scared me too much. I know of some of the items placed in there but I do not think they are what you are looking for. Celaena or her siblings might know but I do not believe they would. Knowledge of what is in the vaults was given only to a select few to help keep it secret,” Juib regaled as Divayth came over and put a bowl of food in front of each of them. It looked like flavoured rice with some vegetables and some sort of meat along with some cooked insects like what looked like some sort of grasshopper and some beetles. He then placed cups of chocolate flavoured Kagaur milk in front of each of them. Despite originally being a little grossed out or uncomfortable with some of the items they considered edible here they had come to accept it as normal and were no longer bothered by what things came from. They were also so tired they did not really care what it was made from.

“What is this?” Kai inquired. They were all too tired to be interested in eating even though they were hungry. They all just wanted to go to bed.

“It is your evening meal,” Divayth explained sitting with Juib and the other hyenoids, “you have been working so hard you deserve it besides it is important for your health to have it.”

“Is this safe or is it some sort of trick? Did the Stag make you poison it as punishment for taking a break when we were supposed to be working?” Jay fretted looking over the bowl, utensils and cup for anything hidden.

“You know it’s hard to tell if you’re just being your normal worrisome self or if it’s the Blight talking,” Kai noted questioning if Jay was onto something or just being paranoid, he quickly came to the conclusion that it was the Blights paranoia making Jay think that as Jay babbled on.

“No, no trick. As far as I know he has not said anything to me these past few days,” Divayth commented and the other hyenoids agreed. None had heard a word or even seen the Stag all day.

“What is he up to then? Spying on us? Trying to take over Zane while we’re not paying attention or is he trying to take over someone else? Or is he goanna wait till we are sleeping and strike us when we are at our weakest? Drag us to some horrid torture room and torture us for several days hanging us by our ankles from the ceiling or forcing us to lay on beds of spikes,” Jay began babbling confusing the hyenoids while the ninja were not very amused getting fed up with Jays rather frequent paranoid views of late especially when it got directed to one of the others.

“I think he’s lost it,” Cole commented and Kozac asked, “is that one always like that?”

“Yha he can get this paranoid from time to time. The Blights just made it worse,” Kai offered and Divayth commented, “What I gave you is safe, we fed the same thing to Bruma and as you can see he is fine.” Bruma was finishing off his bowl of food making sure to lick the bowl clean while Yin and Yang ate next to him. He looked fine and very happy.

“If we eat this then can we go to bed?” Nya asked and all but Jay who was still being paranoid agreed with her question.

“I guess if you are that tired I would agree so,” Juib agreed.

“Am I hungry? Can I feel hunger? How do I tell?” Zane wondered confused.

“Trust me as your friend and a brother you are now eat up. You’ll feel better when you do,” Kai muttered tired of Zanes confusion and wanting to get the night over with before muttering more quietly to himself, “and hopefully it will keep you quite, you’re starting to sound like Jay.”

“How can you be my brother if I am not made of flesh and blood?” Zane worried confused and Lloyd responded hoping to comfort Zane, “It doesn’t matter what you’re made of or what you are Zane your just as human as the rest of us despite what you are made of and what you are. You’re family no matter what.”

“You don’t have to be blood related to be family,” Cole agreed before expressing unaware he was swaying back and forth in disorientation as he sat looking at the bowl he had been given, “Is there an earthquake? Why’s the bowl keep moving?”

“The bowls not moving you are,” Nya noted and Cole expressed trying to stable himself, “oh.” They began to dig in. Zane was a little hesitant at first still confused before finally giving in and eating with the others. Cole had a bit of trouble while eating missing the bowl a few times before he was able to steady himself so he wasn’t swaying so much. Jay was the last one to start still worried this was some sort of trick. Whenever one of the others looked away from their bowl or cup Jay attempted to put his food and drink in theirs still convinced the hyenoids had done something to it. The others and the hyenoids kept reprimanding him for his attempts each time. Eventually all it took was a grunt from Kozac and seeing Kozac was watching him Jay stopped his paranoid behaviour and reluctantly started eating his food. As they ate their meal the hyenoids talked trying to get the ninja to converse with them but the ninja were more interested in eating their meal and going to bed so listened more than talked…

Celaena was perched on one of the columns nearby watching over the ninja and the others. Every now and then she would aggressively groom a part of her body trying to relieve the burning and skin irritation of her Blight. She had been invited to join the others but had declined wanting to spend the night meditating by herself; she also knew she would feel out of place with them and she did not want to feel that way. Even though she shared programming with the others she was much different than them. Even the other fabricants were different. She was ancient and unique, she could do things only dragons could do and had been around the longest. Only four others had been made like her, her clutch mates. They had been hatched together, raised together, converted together than imbued together. Her one sister had fallen long ago taken out by Ashers, her one brother lived far away as a companion to Sheoth and her two other siblings, a brother and sister, had disappeared decades ago leaving her alone. Even though she had the other constructs to call family her unique qualities sometimes left her feeling lonely. She was different from them and this often left her feeling lonely. She longed to see her clutch mates again but knew that was very unlikely to happen. She had come to terms with this fact even though it still made her feel heavy-hearted.

As she watched over the others she felt a shiver go down her spine as the air around her got cooler. She shook off before looking behind herself.

“We had a feeling you would show up but why up here and not down there? Do you not want to punish them?” she commented as the Stag materialised in his stag-headed man form and came to stand next to her. He stood looking down at those below and seemed surprisingly calm and emotionless. He almost seemed confused as he looked down at them one hand on his chin the other resting beneath the others elbow.

“I am aware they were given a break yesterday and that they were not working today. Do not worry I understand why, I will not punish them for these…” the Stag began before hesitating staring down at everyone. Celaena remained quite knowing it was best to remain quite at that time. She did not want to aggravate the Stag and cause trouble for the ninja.

“Why are they socializing with the dragons?” the Stag questioned still staring.

“Why would they not. All living things from animals to plants even us of artificial make need to socialise with each other to feel we are not alone in the world. To feel comforted and belonged; to feel a part of the greater world around us,” Celaena told the Stag who remained unchanged.

“They could be dead by the end of the week, why care?” the Stag pondered.

“Why would how much time they have matter? They could live for only a few hours or for hundreds of years how long one has should not matter when trying to be their friend. Sometimes it is those you know the shortest who can mean the most in one’s life,” Celaena proclaimed.

“You mortals, always clinging to foolish desires and ways. No matter how long you got your lives are all short why would you bother with such trivial pursuits. Why would you get attached to them when they will shortly perish and bring you nothing but pain from their loss,” the Stag snorted and Celaena could feel her mood lowering from the Stags words.

“The pain of losing someone is worth having known them. I would take that pain over not getting to know them. Greif is the expression of love, the love you wish to give them but can no longer give to those you want to,” Celaena expressed.

“What a foolish thought,” the Stag expressed.

“Maybe to an immortal it may seem foolish. Maybe if you were mortal you would understand. You can take life for granted, you never have to face the problems of mortality, the daily struggles, the chance you may not have much time. Every mortal desires to share their existence with others who share their mortal plight, I am guessing for an immortal like you things like that do not matter, not much matters to you does it?” she expressed looking back at the others.

“You would never understand the turmoil’s of being immortal. All the things you see, all that comes and goes, all that changes around you, all those who pass…,” the Stag growled pausing for a few seconds before continuing, “you are getting too attached to the dragons. They cannot stop the curse or Dagon no more than you can. They will perish sooner than you wish.” As he spoke he glanced momentarily at the Blight on Celaena’s one wing making her feel conscious and embarrassed by the condition.

“Even if they do not have the power at least they are willing to try, that is more than can be said of some beings that do have the power,” Celaena commented. She knew what she said would have angered the Stag as he would take it personally as she had intended and she braced herself for punishment. To her surprise punishment never came, when she glanced at him the Stag was still looking at the others. He stood staring for a few more seconds before turning to leave.

“Are you going to punish us?” Celaena inquired before the Stag could leave looking back to him. The Stag paused for a second then without looking at her spoke calmly with a hint of something else in his voice; something Celaena thought could be some sad emotion.

“You will all come and go. Your mortal issues and desires mean nothing to me. Do what you want with each other. If you want to waste your precious time with the dragons then so be it I will not interfere and I will not punish you. You are not breaking my orders and you are but simple mortal machines controlled by your mortal being which I will never understand. It all means nothing to me if you want to waste your precious time with the Dragons,” the Stag settled starting to move off before Celaena asked him a question. She and the others were all curious. He had not explained to them why he wanted them to break the ninja and it was making them curious. Why did he want to be so cruel to them when they were suffering from the Blight? What did he want them for? He was far more powerful than all of them together so why did he care about them? He could easily control them if he wanted to and take away their free will so why did he want to break them?

“We have all been wondering why are you trying to break them to serve you? You have the power you could easily enslave them with your powers so why are doing this to them? Why do you desire to be so cruel to them?” Celaena inquired. The Stag paused with his back to her. For a minute Celaena thought the Stag was not going to say anything but he spoke calmly and quietly.

“I am testing them,” the Stag replied and Celaena inquired confused, “testing them for what?”

“You would not understand. From what I have seen though, I do not think they will be able to do it,” the Stag expressed.

“Able to do what?” Celaena wondered and the Stag responded with, “it cannot be known to you,” before he moved off disappearing as he left. Celaena looked at where he had been for a few seconds before looking back to the others…

The ninja were getting close to finishing their meal and starting to feel even drowsier but were still listening to the hyenoids as they talked occasionally responding or asking questions.

“What kind of things are we likely to find in the vaults?” Lloyd inquired drowsily.

“There are lots of terrible and dark things in there but do not worry not all are bad. There are objects of light in there too. They were locked up because they are too dangerous for most folk to wield. The Dragon Master was very cautious and thought it best they be kept somewhere the wrong hands could not get them. Not everything is dangerous either. Some are just weird or oddities sometimes created by accident or as a prank which many thought it best they were removed from the reach of common hands. For example there is a ring of disrobement, pretty sure Sheoth created that one as a prank. When you put it on all your clothes are transported off your body and several feet away leaving you naked. There is a quill that will only write curse words and vile sentences, a broom that leaves dirt instead of cleaning and a necklace that turns the wearer into a skeever, it took a while for the Scimitars to find how to reverse that items spell. The calming pants, makes the wearer even if they are the most anxious and paranoid entity so relaxed and calm you could put them in the face of death and they will not even flinch and the boots of blinding speed as their name suggests makes the wearer move rather fast however at the same time you are blind and the spring-heel shoes allow the wearer to jump over twice their own height like a cat can,” Juib regaled. By the time he finished speaking all the ninja had fallen asleep. Zane lay on his back missing the pillows though his one arm was propped up on one while Cole who had been sitting next to him was laying on his side and using Zane as a pillow. Nya and Jay who were next to them were both using the pillows as pillows and Jay was hugging one like it was a teddy. Kai had been using a pillow but had rolled off and just lay face down on the rug while Lloyd had fallen asleep sitting up before falling onto his side missing any pillows.

“Guess I owe you that dynamo core,” DJ commented to Divayth.

“Why would you doubt my knowledge,” Juib stated.

“Shame most of them missed the pillows,” DJ noted and Divayth commented, “well I believe they refer to it as it being the thought that counts.”

“How long does the potion last?” Kozac inquired relaxing his sitting position.

“It usually lasts on average 12 to 14 hours. They will be able to get a full night of sleep; the potion should help keep the dreams at bay for a while. That should help them feel better and give them a happier outlook on things. We should give it to them every few days to help them sleep,” Juib responded.

“Should we put them in their beds?” Divayth inquired.

“When we are done here, they will be fine here till then,” Juib replied.

“Do you think they can succeed in their quest?” DJ wondered. Juib was quite for a second before responding. They were all hoping for someone to put a stop to the Ashers and the Blight that plagued their home. None of them wished to live in a world ruled by Dagon and the Ashers. They already had the Stag making life terrible for them they didn’t want more like him making it worse.

“Truthfully, the odds are not great. I fear no matter how hard they try they will fail. They are no match for the powers against them. They should at least try, that is better than doing nothing at all. Maybe I might be wrong and they get lucky and succeed. We can only hope,” Juib expressed.

“How dangerous are these places again?” Ed asked.

“Well depends on what has made its home here,” Seliel explained. The raven had found a few ruins however they had all been claimed by the necromancers already. Luckily the Raven had found another possible location, one where they could acquire some added defensive aids if their plan worked. The Raven had located what remained of the caves of despair. A Scimitar ruin seemed to have been merged to the same location. According to the knowledge of both Pixal and Keikiary these ruins often had extensive structures underground they could shelter in and technology that could help protect them. They were hoping these underground structures were okay and safe enough to shelter in. The only problem was these ruins were not truly abandoned. Scimitar Constructs always inhabited these ruins and were not likely to just let them walk in. They were likely to try and obliterate them but they had come up with a plan. The constructs would not be acting out of hatred or because of aggression. They were programmed to protect what they considered their home for their creators which they likely did not understand were not coming back. They were simply following programming, programming they hoped they could change. With the special programming she had been given the Scimitar constructs would see Pixal as one of them and if she could connect with them she could get the constructs to accept them and let them shelter in their home. They had made a small group to try and claim this possible shelter.

They had brought two groups to try and claim the ruins. Pixal, Jays father and mother Ed and Edna, Coles father Lou, Seleil, Mahei and two people from Knighton had been chosen to enter the structure. They were hoping the constructs would see they had no powers and by not appearing like fighters the constructs would not feel too threatened by their approach and let them get close. Wu, Skylor, Karlof, Gryphon, Ray, Maya, Ronin, Tox, the Pale Man, Sir Brickland, Keikiary, and a few people from Ninjago, Knighton and Lost Realm were waiting nearby on the outskirts of the town in case something went wrong. They were hoping not to run into trouble but constructs were well known to be unpredictable so they each carried something to defend themselves if they had to. Pixal and Seliel were the only ones to be armoured and carry real weapons while the others had staffs, canes, cooking pans or gardening tools to defend themselves.

The ruins consisted of large stone buildings, towers and walls all with bronze colored metal roofs and decorative inlays, panels and other pieces. Decorative symbols were etched into the stone and metal. Metal pipes ran on a few walls where they ran into the walls, the ground or the underside of some structures. Patches of stone tiles seemed to come out of the ground in some places looking to have once formed paths but most of these paths had either been removed or buried over time. Some structures were damaged with piles of rubble lying at their base however most of the structures seemed fairly well kept. Some trees, mosses and grasses were growing near and on structures. The way into the ruin took them through a narrow rocky valley before it opened into a more open courtyard like section which was surrounded by two story rocky walls made from the mountain. Several exterior buildings and towers surrounded the courtyard some being built into the walls. The largest of these structures sat separated a bit from the courtyard and had large round decorative silvery and bronze metal doors which Pixal believed was the main entrance to the subterranean section of the ruin. The place seemed deserted. While wildlife was hanging around the place, mainly birds and insects, there was no sign of any constructs.

“Where is everyone?” Seliel wondered as the group remained at the entrance to the courtyard wary of moving further.

“I am picking up a couple entities nearby,” Pixal noted trying to contact any constructs as they entered the courtyard.

“What kind of entities are we talking about?” Ed worried.

“Hopefully it is not one of those Centurions or a fabricant,” Mahai noted as Pixal led them into the ruins. By one of the structures which looked to have been a small house a small group of constructs were working. It looked like they were attempting to make repairs to the structure. Two hyenoids who were dressed in the clothing of the Scimitar folk held a metal exterior wall lamp to the structure while a Robo-bill was attempting to weld it back onto the structure. A winged Serpeton was hanging around them watching out for danger. When it saw their small group approaching it began to make a rattling noise and hissed till its companions were aware of their presence. The constructs stopped what they were doing to look at them. The lamp they had been trying to weld slipped from the two hyenoids hands hitting the one in the head. The one that got hit then proceeded to yell at its fellow droid in the Scimitar tongue getting in a fight with it.

“Hello, we do not wish to cause any trouble. We are a small group of people fleeing a great threat and we were wondering if we could communicate with you. We mean you no harm. A cub of the fang is with us she’ll tell you,” Seliel spoke as the Robo-bill and Serpeton looked at them appearing to be wary of them. The Robo-bill snapped at the two hyenoids shocking them with its power supply stopping their fight before turning back to their small group.

“Will you talk with us?” Pixal inquired. The constructs were quite for a minute.

“Why does Sister of the Fang bring non cubs,” the one hyenoid inquired.

“They mean no harm. They are ill and scared and seek shelter from those that wish to harm them. We wish to talk with you and the other cubs and hopefully come to an agreement about sharing your dwelling…” Pixal began before the constructs became aggressive by the call of a Venom-fang fabricant. It sounded like the creature was calling from the outskirts of the ruin where the others were hiding worrying the group.

“What trap is this?” the one hyenoid growled.

“Trap? There is no trap…” Pixal began before the one hyenoid cut her off, “there are dangerous fleshies hiding outside town!” They could start to hear fighting between the others and constructs as the hyenoids pulled out weapons making them all nervous.

“This isn’t good is it?” Lou expressed before Seliel exclaimed, “no, we should retreat to the others before things get worse.” The constructs began to attack them forcing them to defend themselves. While the others attempted to escape Pixal and Seliel fought back the hyenoids and Robo-bill to keep them from attacking the others. As they fled back to help the others more constructs summoned by the fabricants calls came out of ruined structures or ports on buildings to attack them. Serpetons, Scimitar Spheres, hyenoids and Robo-bills attempted to attack them. Even a centurion appeared out of the ruins.

“What happened?!” Seliel inquired as their group joined the others who were trying to fight off a large group of constructs.

“One of those Venomous fabricants spotted us and began calling for aid,” Skylor noted and Pixal expressed, “if I focus I could try to communicate with them maybe get them to stop their assault.”

“We will watch your back. If we cannot get them to agree then we will be in very dire circumstances. There are few other places we could shelter,” Wu explained as he, Skylor and Seliel held back the constructs so Pixal could try and connect with one of them.

“They are calling me ‘betraying Fang Sister’ they say if I want to reconcile and talk I must speak to their leader but they will not tell me who it is,” Pixal noted looking around for any sign of which construct was leading the group.

“How do we tell which is the leader, is it even here?” Seliel wondered taking out a Scimitar Sphere.

“It is somewhere here,” Pixal offered joining the fight as the four of them looked around for any of the constructs which showed any sign it was leading the others.

“The leader isn’t one of these little Rattatons is it?” Seliel wondered kicking one which was trying to shock her away.      

“I am having a hard time locating this leader, the Blight is disrupting my sensors,” Pixal expressed as they fought getting frustrated by the Blights effects.

“We will help you find it,” Wu offered. While fighting they kept looking around for the leader. As far as they could see all those they were fighting showed no signs that they were in charge. One thing they did note was the fabricant that had started the attack seemed to have disappeared. Seliel was the first to notice it and she was the first to notice it was acting strange. It was moving around making noise at its fellow constructs snapping and swiping at them while randomly attacking someone constantly changing targets and not sticking with one or two like the others were. It looked a lot like it was barking orders at the others.

“Hey Pix is that normal behaviour for those things?” Skylor acknowledged.

“No, it is the leader,” Pixal noted trying to connect with the fabricant but she was having difficulty connecting to it. The Blight was making it hard for her to focus and the fabricant did not seem in the mood to connect with her. It hissed at her putting on a threatening display as she tried. She continued trying to connect with it though her attempts seemed to be angering the fabricant. It gave off a sparking electrical energy as it rushed into them giving off a large burst of electrical energy as it reached them. Skylor, Seliel and Wu managed to escape its electrical attack but Pixal got shocked. She fell over and sat dazed while the others had to dodge the creatures bladed tail as it swung it around trying to hit one of them with its tail or stab at them with its bladed forelimbs.

“Maybe if it can’t fight back it might be willing to listen to us,” Skylor expressed jumping onto the fabricant to try and restrain it. Despite being smaller than them it was surprisingly strong, Seliel had to help her restrain the creature.

“It will be unable to perform that electrical attack again for half an hour,” Pixal noted as Wu helped her up. She began to attempt to connect with it again. This time seeing it was having trouble escaping it decided to listen but was clearly not happy. It used a strange combination of the Venom-fangs noises and robotic sounds to communicate.

“We do not wish to bring harm to you or your companions. We would like to share your home for a short time while we wait for some friends to return from your realm. We will help defend your home and help with any work you may need,” Pixal offered. Since the others could not understand the construct but she could Pixal interpreted what it said for the others.

“He says we are dangerous. We bring dragons which will only draw the dark ones to their home and they do not want that for the dark ones will destroy them,” Pixal interpreted.

“Dragons? We have no dragons what is he talking about?” Seliel questioned.

“Your elemental masters; Here you call them ninja in our realm they are called dragons. Even those who are not active dragons are still of the dragon as they will always be even past the end of their days. Being of the dragon leaves a permanent mark on your very being like how a wound leaves a scar and it draws in the forces of darkness for they will always conspire to snuff out the light of the dragons whether active or not. Even if we do not intend to bring the darkness it will follow drawn by the energy of a dragon, it always has and always will,” Pixal translated for the fabricant as it growled.

“You do not understand; we are working to stop this darkness. My ninja have gone to your realm to retrieve what is needed to stop it,” Wu explained and the creatures eyes went wide as it seemed to recognize something before managing to slip from Skylor and Seliels grasp. 

“When serpents rise and make the realm quake; When realms of souls fall to slayers of oni and stone giants wake and walk to end the nights; When dragons and knights of masters fail scions of Ash and chaos shall awake; As walls of realms begin to crumble allowing realms to mix and mingle; Realms must turn to knight of powers and dragons of whirlwinds for escape; But all must fall for darkness to awake and the dawns of light to re-awake,” the fabricant muttered confusing them as it clambered onto the top of a nearby structure that looked to have once been a home pausing on top to overlook them. It called for its fellow constructs to stop and fall back. Everyone was puzzled as the constructs retreated back into the ruins collecting any fallen companions and dragging them with them. The fabricant remained standing on the structure. As everyone turned to look at it the fabricant surprised and shocked everyone.

“The scrolls foretold of this; His defeat was merely a delay; after the oni would fall the dragons would fail. When their wings are clipped and they have fallen to shadow the border between realms shall weaken and fall and darkness shall come. Realms once light and familiar shall be covered in shadows, shadows that are in plain view yet hidden consuming the world in darkness. There is only one this darkness fears; one of its own. But to gain this darkness and for the realms to be saved knights must fall to ash and shadow and dragons must enter the tower of first light and fall to its darkness in order for realms to see the light,” the fabricant growled the voice emanating from its internal machinery and not its mouth, “if you desire to stay here we will not hinder you but we offer no comfort and no aid. Like your dragons at the mountain of first light you must face the darkness in order to see the light.” The fabricant then took off headed for the ruins within leaving everyone confused and worried.

“Dragons must fall to the darkness, that does not sound good,” Skylor expressed and Wu noted, “what is going on in the Lost Realm? What is going to happen to the ninja?”

To find previous and later chapters look here: https://robobirdie.tumblr.com/archive

You can also find a copy of the story written here https://archiveofourown.org/works/34894561/chapters/86888878 and here https://www.wattpad.com/1087355671-ninjago-the-oni-scrolls-foreword-important-info You can also find images pertaining to the story here: https://www.deviantart.com/nerdy-hyena/gallery/72478681/story-project

[sinfulredemptions]

@dragcnsden​ submitted:

{ ☆ } If someone told him that he’d ever find someone to feel this- comfortable around— especially down in Hell of all places —Angel would have called them a fucking liar. If they told him it’d be with one of the most feared and dangerous bastards in the place, well… he’d have called them out on their bullshit even harder. And yet, here he is… lingering in the doorway as he looks across the room at Al, for once actually feeling hesitant about joining him. Ironic, isn’t it?

It’s late at night, as most of their pleasant chats seem to be… just another aspect of the nighttime to add to Angel’s ever-growing love admiration of it. And as he rests against the wooden frame, jazz lightly hinting the air and a warm fire flickering in the room making shadows dance in the drowsy lighting, he can’t help but smile. A soft, nervous one… charmingly quirked to the side, as all his sincere ones are, unlike the wide, showy grins he often dons around others.

He’s really gonna fucking do this, huh?

With a deep breath, he releases it with a small shake of his head before pushing away and slowly sauntering into the room as per usual.  ❝  Heya, Luce stellare~  ❞  He pipes up with a playful purr, yet another nickname flowing forth like second nature; albeit, this one meaning more than Alastor could ever likely know. Plopping himself down on a plush chair beside the deer demon, one leg crosses over the other as an elbow props on the armrest, a cheek laying against a closed fist as he gazes into the gently-roaring fire.

It’s a nice sight… The warm colors dancing across the logs, the sound of crackling mingling with the music in the air, helping turn what could have been Silence into a comforting melody. Although, Angel must admit… the moment would be far more soothing if he didn’t have a stubborn decision lingering on the cusp of his mind. Evident by how his legs lightly bounces, free hand lightly drumming slim fingers against his other armrest as he emits a soft, discreet breath… Alright, time to stop being a bitch.

❝ Hey, Al?  ❞   Angel begins, gaze still focused on the fire, and holding a hint of nerves,  ❝  I don’t mean ta- Y'know, make things weird or nothin’…  ❞  The last thing he wants is to destroy the companionship he’s found, the security he’s stumbled upon… And yet- it still feels wrong, in a way, to not be sure that Alastor- understands. At least, as much as is safe for him to.  ❝  But I jus’, heh… I dunno… I jus’ wanted ta let ya know that, I- … I really appreciate these li'l chats we have.  ❞

Looking over at the deer, a sheepish smile tugs at his lips, cheeks tinged with a gentle pink,  ❝  It ain’t often that I can feel this comfortable around someone… Fuckin’ neva’, as a matta’ of fact. So, I figured I oughta thank you…  ❞  Shrugging, gaze wanders to the fire as he raises a brow,  ❝  Now, don’t worry- I ain’t plannin’ ta start spewin’ all my deepest feelin’s an’ shit on ya.  ❞  Don’t want to drive him away, after all. Angel’s no fool… In this relationship arrangement they have going on, HE’S the one who needs Alastor.  ❝  I jus’ wanted ta let you know, that- yer a pretty damn great guy, Smiles.  ❞  

Glancing over at Alastor, expression and tone turns playful— as if trying to backtrack from the snippet of unguarded sincerity he had allowed Alastor to see, to KNOW —as he adds,  ❝  I mean- Yer an asshole, don’t get me wrong…  ❞  Cue a light laugh, a subconscious brush of his bangs as his legs shift positions, hips shuffling slightly   to become more comfortable,  ❝  But you ain’t all bad… In fact, yer one of th’ betta’ guys I’ve eva’ known.  ❞  

One of the best, actually… { ☆ }

Routine.

If there was one thing that Alastor took solace in, it would routine. Things done a certain way at a certain time...as sure as the false sun rose and set, as steady as the ticking of the clock above the mantle..and as inevitable as a certain spider coming to peek into the parlor to see what he was up to that night.

It was...comforting in a way and it sort of alarmed Alastor honestly.

How easily he had come to expect the other to join in on his private time, and he didn’t hate him for it. Angel was respectful, despite their first few meetings where he had been exceedingly crude and the like, but he had seemed to understand that unlike most of the denizens down here, such things were not even on his radar, let alone something he would want to indulge in.

It had been like a switch being flipped he’d noticed, the lewder comments had died down and their dynamic had gotten much more comfortable over time. It was strange to Alastor, who was unused to people wanting to be within his company, most quick and HAPPY to flee at the first sight of him, and for good reason. His violent and murderous reputation preceded him, if the little story that Vaggie had told Angel was any indication~

Tonight, he was tending to his butchery tools, the black leather roll laid out on the table with the whet stone attached to it with a small vice. As per usual, his dress was....casual...almost. Hair pulled back, his suspenders off his shoulders, hanging about his waist on the couch, but tonight he didn’t have gloves on as he pressed the knife to the stone and set to work, humming lowly along with the music as he almost tenderly sharpened his blade before lifting it to check the sharpness against his thumb.

He didn’t look up as the other settled into the couch next to him, close to the fire. Alastor knew Angel enjoyed watching the flames, so he had made the habit of leaving that spot open for him and as always, there was a cup of coffee waiting for him on the table, seemingly out of nowhere. There was a slight jittering on the couch that caught his attention and set his teeth on edge slightly, his ears giving the tiniest of flicks as he glanced over, unable to continue his work while Angel jostled about, but then...he stilled as he began to speak.

A brow perked and he tilted his head with a light, amused expression on his face. The smile that he normally wore, the steel trap wound tight was relaxed just a bit with Angel, and he was sure the other had noticed. They had gotten rather good at reading one another with these late night excursions. Comfortable hm? It was a rather strange thought, Alastor pulling his gaze away from Angel to continue his work, but one ear swiveled towards him would let the other know that yes, he was still listening.

The soft sound of the blade dragging along the stone rumbled like a strange purr under Angel’s words as he spoke. Alastor pondering them over and he chuckled softly, there was a flash of steel then, glinting at the flat of the knife slipped under Angel’s jawline, turning the spider’s face to look at him. “I will argue Angel dear, that I am many things, but a ‘great guy’...isn’t one of them.” The static of his radio dropped out, letting the lower tone of his true voice to ring through the empty room as he leaned in, the two of them rather close as the low crooning of a jazz singer filled the air with lyrics of slow, dark nights.

“But...” He quirked a smile as he shifted the blade upward, giving Angel a gentle pat on the cheek with it. “I do enjoy your company. I find our late night rendezvous to be engaging and in fact, rather relaxing!” The static returned then as the stag withdrew with a little hum. “It is rare to have company that isn’t terrified of me and actually rather interesting to talk to! Besides, I think we have a bit of common ground from being so close to one another death wise~” A small laugh then as he put the finishing touch on his blade, giving it a light thumb and smirking at the thin line that he cut into the skin there. Such a bare graze of a gesture and already small beads of blood welled at the line.

Satisfied, the small wound was given a lick and he tucked that blade away in its slot, picking up another to repeat the process. That was perhaps as close to a thank you and a confession of friendship anyone would EVER get out of Alastor~

@burningfcols​

[dracorianaxiom]

GAME OVER (any muse of your choice :] )

@savior-of-humanity:  Send ‘GAME OVER’ to get a glimpse of one of the worse possible endings that can happen to my muse in their life.

They'd spent most of the harshest winter the male had ever experienced close to the hot springs of the Folly, using the the water's constant radiating warmth to carry them through much of the colder months where they did not have the insulation themselves to survive and even then, they would be freezing, huddled close to the caustic waters while The older male shielded his son from what he could of the fumes and any bubbles that surfaced and popped with a hot spray. Spring was nearly there - if they could survive until then, there was the potential of a bright future. They just had to survive...

At the start of spring, however, the little hatchling beside him would develop a quiet rattle with each breath. A sign, someone had pointed out, of pneumonia. With the rattle, then came fatigue and with the fatigue then came a loss of appetite, not that the tiny body he was carrying on with had ever had much to eat to begin with. The pneumonia would take a great foothold in the hatching's tiny body. Normally severe but not unbeatable in a healthy chick - it was a ticking time bomb in a a hatchling his size, one so small

He was dying but that someone who would not be reconciled,  said she believed that getting the hatchling some proper food would boost his chances. Thus, they had left the male and hatchling alone to wait.

A miserable wait for the stag who watched the tiny flame of life in his Son’s blue-his mother's blue- eyes dim each evening, glossing over to a tired, weak simmer. A miserable wait for the stag who would rise each morning to gather as much as he could of any easily digested meat that wasnt poisoned (nearly impossible now), only to pre-chew it and return to his son and force it down his throat, not necessarily different from a bird feeding its young. Yet even then; it was growing more difficult for him to keep anything down, be it a drink or any meager rations of 'food'.

On one evening in particular, The hatchling refused to even swallow, threatening to drown in whatever his father attempted to feed him. Not intentionally, no, but because he no longer even had the strength to do that. He lay almost completely limp, fading in and out of consciousness while The stag stood over him, staring down at him imploringly. Yet, even in his heart, he knew that what little time he had left was coming to a devastatingly quick countdown and he, instead, chose to enjoy those last moments with his child. Miserable as they would be.

Winter had been harsh, the spring even harsher on his body, but he found strength in standing slipping his jaws over the hatchling's shoulders where he'd drape there, blinking back a bleary surprise. He'd approach each of the small pools of water and test them carefully, finding that he'd likely be wearing burns around his pasterns for a few weeks thanks to a few of them. When he finally located one that neither burned him nor seemed to claw at his skin like some savage animal in it's acidity, he lowered both himself and his fading hatchling into the shallow end of a pool, where he could soak up a deep, soulful warmth that he likely hadn't felt since the summer. He'd squeaked at the initial shock of warmth but then rattled with the softest of giggles and The Stag heart had swelled. He folded in around him, framing his tiny little body with his own and even then, only a fraction of his body was even in contact with the warm waters making him want to tremble from the cold. He didn't, however, for the sake of the hatchling who seemed pleased when he flicked his tail at him and sent a small splash in his direction and so he laid there with him and simply played.

They both sat in amiable silence while the little hatchling fussed over each droplet as it rolled down his cheek and finally took a long, warm drink which The stag was positive wasn't good for him but. If it granted him even a moment of relief, he'd permit it. When he grew wary and his small frame sagged even further with exhaustion, he tightened his legs around him and made sure that, should he doze off, his face wouldn't drop below the surface of the water. The little hatching smiled tentatively and curled his small head back over his body, resting his chin on his rear leg where he'd sigh almost happily and close his eyes. His little lungs still rattled but his breathing grew even as he almost immediately dozed over, leaving His father to his thoughts. To his emotions.

He peered out over the neighboring Springs as they curled billows of steam into the sky and for a long moment, he hated them. Could not fathom their beauty, as the very lands they were laying upon were the very reason his young chick was so ill.

The stag  tensed against the sudden urge to voice his fury and instead pulled his head close to his chest and closed his eyes. He listened for the steady rattle but instead found that only the hiss and spit of the springs echoed around them. His dark eyes flickered open and he turned to rest them on the still smiling form of his hatchling. His son  who had become impossibly still. A stillness that was uncannily accompanied by death. The thought shook him  to his core and his nose crinkled against his emotions. He touched his cheek carefully with his muzzle and found that he did not stir. He called for him then, gently at first, and then desperately, bumping him with his head, squealing as though it would shake him from dreamless sleep.

And then - he resolved himself to accept the fact that the small body next to his, would no longer be accompanying him. That it had taken its last breath happy.. and warm, despite the cold spring.

The weight of his sorrow hit him like a freight train and he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath before the first tremors of his sorrow consumed him. At first, his sobs were dry, as he pressed his cheek into the cooling side of his daughter's shoulder. Then, it seemed, the more reality set in, the more aggressive his sobs became until the tears crested over the high, sharp bones of his cheek and came to the pool just beneath him. He sobbed until his gut ached and his eyes ran dry. He sobbed even after then, resting his face into the warm dirt and trembling with each inhale. And when the first tendrils of a fitful doze claimed him, he sobbed ceaselessly in his slumber - chasing an impossible dream through an impossible darkness.

He was gone.

And he would never light up his life again. Even in this cold spring ________________________________________________________

They gasped for air and stumbled on their feet, the world seemed to spin around them. Cold shivers shot through their body and both body and legs were trembling. They closed their eyes and relaxed their muscles. They took a deep breath, and then another. It was their best attempt to regain their composure. They were exhausted and unable to focus.

While it would potentially be possible to block out the pain for such a short time, there was no way to block out the exhaustion. But sick of having to deal with all this they decided to simply refuse to acknowledge the pain and get on with their day to the best of their ability. Despite this,  the dull pulsing pain crept up their legs, increasing in intensity every second. Ten seconds passed, and then another ten. The pain would soon become unbearable. Their entire body screaming,  to stop what they were doing, stop and find relief from this hellish feeling that rushed through their veins like wildfire. For a second they considered listening to their body which was telling them to stop, to just give up and drop to the floor.

The ability to move had become impossible. Weakness has claimed every fiber of every muscle in his body. He'd grown impossibly tired. Impossibly comfortable. Despite being starved, he no longer felt the cinch of hunger spear through his gut and despite the constant muscle death as his body essentially ate itself from the inside out, he no longer felt any pain.

He'd been laying here. Still, listening to his own breathing and fading in and out of consciousness for quite a number of days now. Other than the occasional obnoxious disturbance stirred up by the skeletal bird that somehow still shifted restlessly from the crook of his neck, the forest around him was silent. Or perhaps it was because there was an odd rushing sound in his ears; like the ones he heard as a colt when they encountered shells and put their large ears to them to listen for the ocean. It was a constant warm static and it added an interesting pressure throughout his skull. Either way, he was content. Relaxed and, for once, trouble free.

'C'mon daddy! Let's go home!'

The chime of a laugh forced his lids open, filtered lances of light across his eyes and made him wince. That giggle. Stronger than he'd ever heard it and he'd twist his head in the dirt to get a better look.

It couldn't be.

'Silly daddy! You can't still be sleepy! It's time to go! I have the coolest thing to show you!' 

Oh blessed God. It was him. Alvaseer had returned him to him, he was there he could see him. His frame weakly shuddered against a sob and tried to thrash to rise. He felt sluggish and his legs refused to respond, his knees trembling but doing little more. He couldn't. He couldn't get up to join him. He was going to leave him again. Yet as he pinched his eyes closed in frustration, the ghost of his breath tickled his cheek, 'Okay daddy. You can close your eyes! Just count to ten.' He'd squeal in delight and spun around, floating away from him in a way that was impossibly graceful. But he wanted to play.

Okay. He could do that. He had to try.

So he counted, and as he did, his mind began to go numb, he began feeling drowsy. He could think straight anymore, and the world began to look distorted, he could make sense of any of it anymore.

"One." His breath rasped weakly past  dry lips and his eyelids shuttered closed. "..two.." It was harder to speak than he thought. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth. "....t-..three." He had to catch his breath; his heart felt like it was rattling in his chest. "..f..f.." He had to set his jaw and take a deep breath, "..our." He'd done it. Just a bit more.

Five

Spring never felt so warm

____________________________________________________________ this GAME OVER is a play on the idea of what would have happened if Arnnie and his father had not moved the herd immediately after the volcano erupted. Volcanic ash would make the air basically unbreathable, the warm springs that surrounded much of their home would be turned into toxic ashfall pools that would have poisoned the animals who didnt leave. Volcanic ash in the sky would make the mere action of flying nigh impossible with all the ash and smoke, leaving the motion of escape equally impossible.  This of course would lead to starvation, poisoning which kills off much of the herd

And in the case of Arnnie due to  his runtiness, the possibility of  illness. . .

[thecourtsknight]

How's Roach feel about pants when it's hot? Cause depending on the results, I'm imagining Stag comes home on a hot summer day and just. Finds Roach. In nothing but underwear. Asleep on the couch (face down because sleeping on her back is not comfy). And this. This was. Not. Expected. In ~5min she'll wake Roach up by freaking out and yelling at her to put clothes on, but first Stag's lesbian brain needs to do a full reboot to recover from the crash.

This is the most accurate portrayal of Roach I’ve ever seen god damn. But yup! She got used to the whole “I don’t care if its cold I’m going to wear my underwear around the house” routine faster than the “Shirtless is more comfy and you can’t change my mind” routine mainly because at least shes WEARING something. Roach is the kind of lesbian to wear button up shirts but not button them up and just barely cover her up which drives Stag literally insane. 

But Roach’d rather walk around in her boxers any day, leggings or jeans if shes going outside but boxer shorts or underwear is the way to go (and really Stag can’t exactly argue with that, she wears her boxers shorts a lot if shes having a drowsy day)

[ancientbooshartifacts]

Mike’s Secret Girlfriend (Part 2)

Author: Nonexistantpup

Year: 2009

Rating: PG

They had an interview that day - just one, thankfully, any more and Dave wouldn't have been able to keep up. Straight afterwards, he made his way back to his room at the fancy hotel they were all staying at. Maybe it was just pride, but he really didn't fancy having to be carried up there two days in a row, and his energy was failing fast.

It felt slightly pathetic that his will to lay off the topic of Mike's mystery-girlfriend lasted so little time. The moment he was in a room without the younger Fielding brother, in fact, he veered the conversation in that direction.

Well, not so much 'veered'; such a phrase implied subtelty, of which he employed none.

"Who's Mike dating?" Dave asked. Noel and Rich, who had helped get him up here, both looked bemused.

"Nobody," said Rich. "If he tried to get off with somebody he'd just get squished."

"You're fucking lucky he's not here," Noel responded automatically. There was a pause before he seemed to notice Dave was expecting an answer. "I dunno. Why?"

Dave shrugged.

"It's just weird for him to keep secrets, isn't it?"

"I guess," said Rich. "I don't remember the last time he made proclamations about who he was screwing though."

Noel gave him a half-hearted dirty look.

"Are you pissed?"

Rich grinned self-deprecatingly.

"Bite me like a bitch. Anyway, what makes you so sure he's seeing somebody?"

Dave gave a shrug.

"He told me. Reluctantly, but he told me."

"So - what, he was just like, 'By the way, Dave, I'm going out with somebody and I'm not telling you who'?"

Dave rolled his eyes at Noel.

"I said 'reluctantly', you twat. Anyway, I was trying to work out why I tried to kiss him when I was wasted at the launch."

A brief silence. Dave shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh, fuck off. I was in a druggy stupor. And he said 'you're taken and so am I'. Tried to deny it afterwards, but it's what he said."

With a little grin, Rich reached forward to ruffle Dave's hair.

"You were just jealous," he said affectionately. Dave game him the finger. "Oh, come on," the older man said, rolling his eyes. "What did you expect? We'd all huddle around and pool information while giggling and braiding each other's hair?"

"I'll ask him," said Noel decisively, ignoring this little exchange completely. "If he won't even tell me, I'll call Mum and Dad."

Rich blinked.

"You're going to tattle on your little brother?"

It was Noel's turn to give him the finger.

"I'll call Mum and Dad and see if they know," he said slowly, as if his companions had all the intelligence of a pair of baboons. Noel stood up.

"Are you serious, Fielding?" Rich said flatly. "Spank me with a golf club if I'm mistaken, but aren't you a thirty-seven year old man who has just starred in a movie?"

Noel snorted.

"Said the resident gossipy old lady," he retorted. "Hold on, I'll be back."

Noel wasn't kidding, oddly enough.

= =

These hotel beds are soft. No wonder he fell asleep last night. Even now, despite being perfectly rested, he feels a bit drowsy. Mike is lying on his belly facing the wrong end of the bed and dressed only in a pair of gold skinnies Noel bought and then decided he didn't like. Ah, the joys of having a big brother who likes to play dress-ups.

Not that Mike has to play along, of course, but he’s sure as hell never going to admit that sometimes he likes the attention.

A crossword sits on the bed in front of him. Mike is good at crosswords, and likes to have a little book of them when he is travelling. Now, though, he’s not doing much more than doodling in the margins, and vaguely listening to the little TV that plays in the background.

It’s an episode from the second season - the first one. Call of the Yeti. It’s the first episode that had the Moon in it, actually, and during the filming Noel had gone through a frightening stage when he’d tried to convince everybody that Mike should play the Moon.

He never got anywhere, luckily.

Mike likes watching The Mighty Boosh.

Not just because he actually enjoys the utterly insane little world Noel and Julian founded, but because it's like flipping through an old photo album. He sees certain props from certain days, and remembers things. Remembers just what he was doing behind that shed, remembers biting his fist to keep from moaning while Noel was doing a take.

It's not even all sexual though. He remembers other things too. He remembers holding hands inconspicuously, remembers the incredibly sappy letters and presents he would find in his dressing room, hidden carefully so Dave wouldn't find them instead. He remembers secretly keeping them and hiding them; he still has every one.

Mike likes to remember the moments that made him realise, although they were sneaking about and hiding what they were doing, what they were, it didn't make their relationship any weaker. If anything, it felt stronger. It meant they could never ever forget to be friends too, or everybody would notice. It meant they had to resolve arguments immediately and couldn't let them fester, lest somebody pick up on the tension.

He remembers running from shadow to shadow, giggling like a twelve year-old girl. Talking for hours after rehearsals.

It makes Mike a bit lonely sometimes though. All this nostalgia. He can't just tell other people what he's feeling, can't ask for help when he's uncertain.

Sometimes he envies how easily Noel flirts with people, how comfortable and utterly open he is about love, sex and everything in between. Not with everyone of course, but he is with Mike very open. Usually, this is reciprocated too; hell, Noel's the only person Mike told when he lost his virginity.

But sometimes, Mike pities him as well. Because of all the secrecy, he's learned some special things that Noel never learned, or not until quite recently, anyway. Things about intimacy, trust, closeness - all concepts Noel has taken far longer to understand. Things he takes for granted.

It's ironic, really. Naboo is ancient, and he doesn't understand such things, and Vince, who is younger, does.

Ironic.

Sometimes, Mike feels like he has a flashy little brother.

Speaking of whom.

Fingernails tap at his door and it couldn't be anyone else.

"Come in, Noel," says Mike. He doesn’t bother to change positions. He does, however, turn off the television and refocus on his crossword.

The door swings open and in, predictably enough, comes Noel.

"You’re not looking very sparkly today," Mike comments, looking up as if he’s been disturbed from a fascinating puzzle.

Noel chuckles, sitting down on the edge of the bed and slapping Mike’s backside in an irritatingly smug way.

"You stole my sparkles."

"Want them back?"

"No," says Noel defensively. "They were a gift." Now, he’s referring to the gold pants. Mike rolls his eyes.

"They were rejects from your wardrobe and too new to throw away."

"Same difference," says Noel.

There is a moment of quiet.

"Did you want something?" Mike asks uncertainly. Noel laughs again.

"Of course not."

Mike rolls his eyes.

"What do you want?"

"How’s your love life?"

For a moment, Mike stares.

"What?"

"Your love life," Noel repeats himself patiently. Patience - that’s never a good thing when it comes from Noel.

"Are you hitting on me or trying to set me up?"

Noel slaps his arse again, harder, and Mike scowls.

"Ow."

"Come on, I'm serious. Are you seeing anybody? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Finally, Mike begins to comprehend. Either Dave’s been talking or Noel was spying for the first time in about a decade.

"Shove off."

"Boyfriend?" Noel tries. To his credit, he seems like he’s expressing his curiosity by being supportive rather than mocking, which is rather nice.

Mike still scowls though.

"Come on, tell me. Have you got somebody, Mike?"

"None of your fucking business."

"Somebody special?" Noel presses.

Okay, that’s a little more mocking.

"I'm about three seconds away from kicking you," Mike warns.

"I'm about three seconds away from tickling you into submission," Noel counters, and Mike gives a little giggle. Yes, Mike often giggles. He’s working on it.

"Please. You big girl. You know I would take you down."

"Bollocks," says Noel, narrowing his eyes. "I’d bundle you up and pack you in my handbag. Now, tell me who you’re dating."

Mike rolls his eyes and turns back to his crossword.

"Nobody," he says with an air of finality, "Okay? Flying stag. Going solo. Cock without hen."

Noel splutters slightly, apparently not having expected this vivid analogy.

"Are you sure?"

Mike stares at him flatly, raising one eyebrow at his brother’s inane questioning.

"Okay, okay!" Noel concedes defensively.

When he is finally alone again, Mike’s not sure whether he’s pleased with himself or whether he just feels guilty. He doesn’t like lying, especially not to Noel. Usually he doesn't have to worry about it though; if he tries to, Noel generally sees through it.

With a sigh, Mike turns the TV back on, crosses his ankles over each other and focuses on his crossword once again.