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eligaxy · 4 years ago

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Wind

☆ℜ𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔬𝔫𝔰𝔥𝔦𝔭 : Venti x gn!Reader

☆𝔚𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 : near death experience, you’re confused asf about everything, bad writing cause i suck, spoilers for the we will be reunited quest!! And also for venti’s backstory, venti is serious for once (yes it’s a legitimate warning🤚)

☆𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢 : Some angst, some fluff? Idk bye🤨

☆𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶 : "It's okay, it's over now" he kneeled to be at your level, his arms still wrapped around you, and you didn't have the energy to fight your urge of nuzzling into him. "I'll always be here for you, wherever there is wind, remember I'm here too. You only need to ask." (2.8k words)

♪𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔢𝔰 : i’m an idiot simp, i did this in one sitting and half asleep, english isnt my first language BLA BLA IM SORRY FOR MY POOR WRITING BUT HAVE THIS

basically you don’t know if you can trust venti or not, head says no, heart screams yes

Also, I was listening to stormterror’s lair ost while writing it, just because its fucking amazing, you might wanna listen to it too

I’m nervous to post this?/&:! This is the second fic i’ve ever finished in my whole life

i love venti and he’s hot in his god outfit i don’t make the rules

KAY ENJOY <3

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"Please, anybody... Just help me."

Saying you were exhausted would have been an understatement. After reuniting with your sibling, you had been frantically searching for clues about khaenri'ah and ways to Inazuma. With no luck, you couldn't find any traces of Dainsleif or of your twin. The ruins had been sealed and you had no idea what happened to the inverted statue or the corpse you had found there. Desperately, you clung into every little information you had, you would have turned every rock on this archon damned continent if you had to, which is what led you into those ruins near Guilli plains.

Walking along the destroyed buildings your eyes caught sight of a dandelion and you froze. You missed them so much, why couldn't they go back home with you? All you ever wanted was to be by their side why, why were they running away from you?

You remembered your travels, the moments you shared together, their protectiveness over you, the fondness in their eyes when you smiled at them. You remember the times you got hurt and healed one another with your now missing powers. You remember sleeping by their side and being grateful to the universe to let you keep your ray of sunshine everywhere with you. How ironic.

What had they meant 'once you reach the end of your journey' ? What does that even mean? Stupid twin, if they knew you were here the whole time, why hadn't they come to you? Why were they always leaving just when they were within your grasp? Why? Did they know how much you missed them and how much your heart broke when you finally saw them? Did they?

You only realized you were crying when a small gust of wind had your wet cheek react to the cold, breaking your train of thought. Wind.

The wind is everywhere, you think, free as a bird, always accompanying every citizen of this world, never truly alone. With this in mind, you resumed your exploring, slower this time.

A sigh escaped your mouth. You didn't want to admit it, but the wind did comfort you a little. Almost as if he was here. God of freedom and of the breeze, he was more a singer than a protector and you couldn't bear to think about him. Was it true? What Dain said... Did he destroy this nation? Was he the cause of the scenery that still haunted your nightmares up until 500 years later? Your brain simply couldn't accept that Venti, your Venti, you catch yourself thinking, could have made such an act of wrath. He was the epitome of freedom, why would he take the very thing he based all of his existence on from mere mortals? Barbatos simply couldn't be afraid of being overpowered, he didn't even care about power. All he wanted was freedom and happiness for his people. Surley this couldn't be right?

But then again, who were you to deny the wipe out of an entire nation? The gods did it. They were afraid that Celestia would be overthrown by the pride of humankind, the destruction of khaenri'ah by divine beings was a fact. There was no misunderstanding about this. That was the one thing you were sure of. So why did you feel like crying even more now?

The mere thought of a gentle soul such as Venti committing innocent people to an eternity of suffering didn't sit right with you. Even when his dearest friend Dvalin had turned against him, he didn't try to stop him, didn't even ask the dragon to save him. He healed and helped him, gave him a choice.

'What is freedom if demanded of you by a god?' was the same person that asked this question the same one who committed mass murder? Genocide?

Did the little wine-lover bard you had grown fond of destroy all hopes and light your kin had?

You remember that night when he freed Stanley from his burden, freed his and his friends' spirits. You had marveled at his action, in that instant he was a god, and he definitely hadn't struck you as a murderer. You remember that look of silent pain and grief in his eyes when he sang the tales of the nameless bard he had taken the appearance of. You knew he trusted you enough to share his story, something so personal, you could almost feel the war that took down the tyrant of Mond. Oh how much you cherished that evening, treating him to some well deserved dandelion wine afterwards, his favorite, and asking him to sing you more about the time where was nothing but the spirit of a breeze.

Your heart broke a little, remembering his rosy cheeks and drunk smile, you wish you could talk to him, ask him what happened. What did he do, was he really as dangerous as you had been told? If so, then why did you feel so good around him? Why did you feel like you could give hi-

You stopped walking upon seeing a ruin guard up ahead in the distance. You're so stupid, you think. Feeling this way is not gonna get you anywhere, especially with how the bard had been missing for a few weeks now. Ever since you had last seen your sibling.

Where was he, where was he wandering off to? You walk towards the disabled ruin guard, not really paying any mind to it, still thinking about the god you longed to meet with. If you could see him, what would you even say? Would he even answer your questions? Why did your stomach feel so light and funny when you thought about seeing him, why aren't you angrier?

You're almost at the killing machine's level now, so lost in your thought you don't notice the five other similar robots hidden behind a wall next to it. You notice them only when it's too late and you've already turned them on while thinking about examining them and collecting their serial numbers. When you hear the familiar tick of the mechanism turning on, you internally panic and think about running away only to calm down moments later and think to yourself that you can simply beat it and take what you came here for. Even if you are emotionally and physically tired, you can manage, you think.

That was before hearing five other consecutive ticks right after it, and all around you.

Turning around, your gaze falls upon the small army of field tillers. Fuck.

Paimon wasn't with you today, you had asked for some time alone which she hesitantly accepted, so you couldn't ask her to go fetch help. You would have been worried if you had all your capacities but with the state you were in, you were wondering how you were going to survive this fight. You were alone, none of your companions with you, and deeply weakened by the busy day you had and the few hours of sleep you had managed to steal away from the night. Was it today you would meet your doom, with all your questions and uncertainties unanswered?

You tried your best to fight with the strength you had left, but quickly grew desperate after what felt like hours of efforts to swing your blade and being able to only take one monster down out of the six. It didn't help that you got injured along the way, their blows becoming harder and harder to dodge. After being thrown on the grown for the third time, you understood you had at least two broken ribs and that your shaking legs would soon fail you as well.

Fear crept upon you, you would die here today, alone. Alone. You couldn't talk to your sibling after all, couldn't understand. You didn't even get to talk to him one last time. Him... You would die without the knowledge of the truth about your bard. You would die alone. You didn't want that, you couldn't look death straight in the eye.

"Please, anybody... Just help me."

In Mondstadt, there was a musician, a weird singer everyone had heard about at least once. He lived off of his songs and was mostly known for having a great story-telling and being an alcoholic.

The number of people who knew the true nature of his identity were few and he was perfectly content with that. He didn't wish to be a god anymore, his gnosis had been taken away anyway and it's not like he had any power over the city of wind nowadays. Even if his people still worshipped him as Barbatos, it didn't sit right with him to be called a god anymore. It actually never did, he thinks to himself with a smile, he never really took any responsibilities that came with the divine title which is why he was so weak today. But it didn't matter to him, his smile turns into a soft giggle.

Sitting on a mill that was once born from his steps he looks fondly over the city he founded. Even if they were godless, the citizens were still thriving and free. He cared oh so very deeply about the place even if he rarely, if not never, showed the affection within his heart. He remembers the day he grew strong enough to dispel the storms over his actual Mondstadt, and made the weather gentle enough so that there was no need for fireplaces. Nowadays, he loves watching birds nest into the chimney tops and seeing them found their own home. It gave him a sense of belonging like no other, not above his people, but walking among them and watching them nest into this cocoon he created. He was proud of what happened to his land and would do it all over again if he had to.

Especially since it led to him meeting you. This thought doesn't catch him off guard, you often roamed around in his mind after all, and it's not like he didn't write at least three songs about you and your feat, your smile, your courage...

Ah there he goes again, rambling about you in a whisper. He turns around to the statue of him his people erected in his honor, chuckling at how they never made the connection with his signature braids. His, but not really his, since he had stolen this form from someone who was much more deserving of this power than him. Seeing his friend being honored with the statues of the seven around the land made him happy, he hoped that it was a good enough thank you gift in return for everything that the bard whom he couldn't even remember the name of anymore did for him.

Upon gazing at the statue, he remembered telling you of his long gone friend. It was the first time he had talked about him to someone else, he didn't even mention it to Venessa, she who made him believe in himself again. He could ask himself why, but he simply knew that you had something different, more than meets the eye. Perhaps it was because you weren't from Teyvat, or perhaps it was just you being as simple as your natural self but he was simply and utterly captivated by your being. You inspired him to no end, at first he thought it was because he had never met someone like you and he loved new things! But as time grew and he got to know you, he understood quickly the meaning and depth of his passions. He thought of it with a light chuckle, content with your presence alone. He really did need and want you around.

So why did he purposely avoid you like the plague?

The wind had brought to his ears that you had met with Dainsleif.

And your twin.

His first reaction was to search for you, talk to you, he wanted to be here to know what happened! You had searched so long, he couldn't contain himself, still listening to what the wind told him, he started running with excitement but... But wait, Dainsleif was... He told you what?

Oh.

So you heard about Khaenri'ah. He had stopped dead in his tracks and turned back, only sending a warm current of wind your way, hugging you from afar.

He wasn't ready to talk about this yet, not ready to face you and absolutely not ready to answer your questions. He was a coward, he thought, running away like that but what else could he do, really. It was only natural for him to be as uncatchable as air.

A sorry excuse to avoid the fact that even if his past had marvelous story like the one of the nameless bard, it also had its share of darkness, something he wasn't ready to dive back into. Especially not now when your arrival has been shaking this world up like it hasn't been since at least 500 years.

But oh, how he longed to see your face or to hear your voice. So he asked a breeze to report to him what you were up to, and where you were. Just in case! he tells himself, what if you needed help ehe? But he knows you're competent and you won't need the help of a weakling coward like him anytime soon. Or so he thought.

Because when the breeze only gives him a few words back, his blood runs cold.

"Please, anybody... Just help me."

As you murmured these words in your desperate state, not really for anyone but yourself as a last resort, a prayer of some sort, you tried to stand by leaning yourself on your sword and failing miserably. You didn't dare look up as you heard the loud footsteps of the metal giants coming your way. It was over, and you barely managed to accept it.

As you rested your forehead against the cold handle of your sword, you closed your eyes, tears starting to make their ways out of your closed eyelids. All you could feel was remorse.

A soft breeze moved your hair slightly and your chest felt like a black hole had taken place where your heart used to be, regretting to not have been able to meet him under the tree at Windrise one last time.

The breeze quickly grew stronger, until it felt unnatural and you looked up from the ground, only to close your eyes again immediately when you realized the wind was too powerful for you to keep them open. If you had struggled to see though, you would have been blinded by the white light that soon illuminated the whole ruins. You didn't have enough time to register the situation when you felt a hand being laid atop your shoulder, snaking around your collarbones and pulling you back into... nothing? Another arm circled your weak form and a voice you immediately recognized said

"I've dealt with things worse than you, now crumble."

You realized that if you couldn't feel a chest behind you while still being embraced by his arms, it was because he was floating above you, and not standing behind you. A look in his direction confirmed your suspicions but what stunned you wasn't the fact that he was flying, but the attire he wore. Barely covering his body, a white set made of materials that seemed like clouds and liquid gold contrasted perfectly with his regular green clothes. His hair was glowing green and his eyes that were focused on the ruin guards up ahead had a marvelous shine that you had never seen before. He had that same aura he did the night he freed Stanley, but there was also something different about the way his hands gripped you a little too tightly or the way his voice sounded.

"Venti.." You muttered his name, relief and affection flooding you all at once, in his presence you felt as if nothing bad could happen to you. How foolish could you be, just a few hours ago you were speculating wether or not he had wiped out an entire civilisation and now here you were, being saved by him and feeling safer than you had in months.

"Close your eyes, I don't want give you a headache" he said, slowly floating legs first towards the ground. His unusually serious voice surprised you (and him) but you did as he told you. Letting go of your sword and leaning back into him, you let him deal with the monsters ahead of you.

"It's okay, it's over now" he kneeled to be at your level, his arms still wrapped around you, and you didn't have the energy to fight your urge of nuzzling into him. "I'll always be here for you, wherever there is wind, remember I'm here too. You only need to ask."

Being protected by a god really didn't feel that bad. Especially when you were in love with said god.

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Thank you so much for reading whatever this is until the end :’)

Don’t hesitate to comment or reblog, tysm <3

Ps: venti loves u and so do i do pls take care of urself mwah

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact #genshin impact angst #genshin impact scenario #venti x reader #venti x traveler #venti x lumine #venti x aether #el writes♡

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rainofaugustsith · 4 years ago

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Rain Plays SWTOR: Oricon

Let's do the Oricon daily area! Thank you for the request @thatmmolesbian ! . :) You gave me an excuse to head over there to finish the remaining combat achievements. The Oricon daily area is one of the more difficult in the game, especially if you're approaching it below level 75. I distinctly recall dying several times when I first attempted it on my first character. I hope that doing a daily guide will help some newer players. Caveats about Oricon: 1. Remember, if you are going in solo: you will not be able to complete the entire storyline. You will be able to do most of it, but not all. Be prepared for the fact that it will be an unresolved storyline for you. 2. The daily area quests do not unlock until you have completed the solo story arc. Thankfully, this does NOT include the Operations. 3. Oricon's map is relatively small, and if the daily area is crowded it can be hard to complete the dailies solo. You may wish to hit this planet when it's less crowded. 4. The quest objectives are mostly open world. Be prepared. 5. There are several PvP specific achievements associated with Oricon, but you don't have to touch them or encounter PvP at all if you don't wish to do so. 6. You may find it easier to use a melee companion here. For some reason, I always do. 7. There are a lot of quests with several steps at the end - clicking things, physically exiting the area. It's easy to forget them and QT out. And then you have to come all the way back, which is a pain. So remember all the steps. Why do I want to do it? Oricon has a really interesting story, even the limited amount that solo players can experience. The environment is unlike any other planet in SWTOR. It's spooky, and it's fun to play through at least once. You can earn reputation points for Oricon, and the reputation vendor sells some cool stuff, including a Sith decoration, the Hallowed Gothic armor and the Gurian Volcano mount.

There are a bunch of achievements you can complete on Oricon - loremaster, exploration, rampage, and more. Oricon is also a great place to do Conquest rampage objectives, as well as work on companion kill count achievements. As you can see, they had fun naming some of the achievements.

Caption: It’s a Dread End Job 1/20/2021 12:24:48 pm Completed all combat achievements on Oricon - Brain Dread - Dawn of the Dread - Day of the Dread - Dread Annihiliation - Dread Eradication - Dread Head - Dread Rampage - Dread Tyrant of Irocon - Night of the Dread - Ungrateful Dread End Caption How do I start? - You can pick up the Oricon quest on your ship, but you will still need to talk to the astromech quest giver on either the Fleet or Section X. They are easier to find on Section X, since the base camps there are very small. I think one other planet has an Oricon quest giver - maybe CZ-198? - After the initial cut scene, go to your ship and travel to Oricon on it. There will be another small cut scene before you land on the planet. - The quest giver NPCs who will guide you through the story are very close to your landing point on Oricon. What then? The story quests on Oricon are essentially the daily quests, albeit with a different number of objectives. I'm giving the daily quest names. But you will know them as you go through the story chain. The bonus, macrobinoculars and seeker droid quests will not be available during the story chain. They will be available once the daily area is unlocked to you. 1. [AREA] Oricon Decimation: defeat 50 enemy NPCs. You don't pick this up at the terminal. It will be granted to you as soon as you walk into the combat area just outside the base. Trust me, you do not have to put any special effort into this. None. You can easily defeat double this number just questing. Don't even worry about it - unless you are a stealther who is skipping most mobs, you will meet this kill count without trying. 2. Fallen Forces In this quest you will free Republic soldiers from the escape pods scattered in the crash zone. Click the escape pod first, even while you are fighting. Let your companion handle things for a few seconds while you click. This is an open world area and if you don't act fast, another player can take the objective as you're fighting.

3. Dread Engines Just beyond the escape pod zone, you will find these terraforming devices. Remember what I said for Fallen Forces: click them first, then fight.

BONUS: If you are doing the daily area (not the story mission) there's a chance for a bonus quest here. After destroying the terraforming device, grab this crystal from the center. You'll need it in a second.

After you have destroyed the correct number of terraforming devices, go to the southern tip of the map. IF you have the crystal, stop here and click this holocron. It will summon a subteroth that looks scary, but isn't particularly tricky to defeat. Make sure you loot the subteroth to gain the sample you need to finish the quest. Turn it in at the mission dropbox. Yay! Bonus quest complete!

If you do not have the crystal for the bonus quest, or you've already defeated the subteroth, go into the cave at the top of the stairs. Click the last terraforming device, fight the subteroth, click the console at the very back of the room and physically walk out of the cave. 4. The Tower's Core Close to the terraforming area, there's a small tower fortress. Go up the steps. At the top, go into the cave. Click on the holocron to be transported upstairs. BONUS: If you are not on the story mission, these panels on the wall will be lit up. Interact with them and collect the cores. There are some both upstairs and downstairs.

Fight your way up the ramp to the tower Be careful- some of the NPCs have knockbacks, and you can get tossed over the edge. Try to stand away from the edge if you can. If you have picked up enough cores, go to the right at the top of the ramp for the bonus mission. After you clear this area, you can click on this panel to summon another enemy NPC to kill. Yay, second bonus mission complete!

If you're not doing the bonus, go left at the top of the ramp. Fight your way down the corridor until you reach the instanced area on the right.

You will need to click three panels in here, and there's a specific order to it. Facing the panels, when you enter the room: Click the one on the left first, the one on the right second, and the one in the back of the room last. Some droid guards will be summoned to fight; they're not difficult.

If you are on the story quest, there will be a cut scene at this point when you interact with the holocron/panel. If you are on the daily quest, click the panel. It will summon a Sith NPC, Commander Zaoron, to defeat. He's got Sith Warrior mara skills. After defeating the NPC, remember to click the holocron to pick it up, and physically walk out of the instanced area. When you leave the instanced area, interact with the holocron directly across from you. It can take you back down to the tower steps. If this is your first time through Oricon, I would recommend swinging over toward the Dread Fortress and the heroic area until you've "discovered" the quick travel spot. This will make it easier for you to return when it's time to do the H4. 5. Dread Paradise From the tower steps, go north, and fight beasts, beast masters and tentacles. They'll drop yellow Bioenergy Enhancers. When you have enough, click on the purple energy cell you will find in your Mission Items tab in your inventory. This will unlock the location of the cave you need to find, at the very top of the map.

Inside the cave, you will have to fight a Bothrium beast. This fight can be very quick if you know what to do, and interminable if you don't. The beast stays in one place and doesn't have a lot of fancy tricks, but you need to know the ones it does have: 1. When the beast channels healing, interrupt it. 2. The beast will periodically summon tentacles to take their power. Kill the tentacles ASAP. The moment they appear, focus your energy and your companion's energy on killing them. Once the beast is dead, again, physically leave the cave. BONUS: If you have the seeker droid, it will sense something in the area around the cave. Look for these twisted red roots that are wrapped around small obelisks. If you position your seeker droid right on them, you can pull up a root. Pull up three roots and turn them in at the mission dropbox to finish a bonus quest and get an achievement.

6. H4: Pre-emptive strike This H4 can be done solo. If you are a stealther, this will be easy peasy. You can stealth past the mobs, get on the ships to sabotage them, stealth out again and move with ease through the heroic area. For the rest of your toons, it may be very tough. Like, tough enough that if you pull the wrong mobs at the wrong time, they can kill you even at level 75. If you are attempting this at a lower level, even more of a challenge. Hopefully, you picked up the Dread Fortress QT point earlier. If not, if you are doing the daily areas, I believe you can use the speeder to get to the Dread Fortress medical droids. This is also where you will land if you use the activity panel to return to Oricon later. The heroic requires you to sabotage a number of Dread ships. Run up the ramps and click on these panels. You will need to get close. Be careful when you jump down from the ship - there is a chasm underneath each launch pad. The mobs you will fight are strong, so try to pull only one at a time.

The other objective in the heroic is to kill a number of commanders. These NPCs are all individually named gold enemies with "Dread commander" name plates. Some are Force users; some are officers. They roam through the heroic area. There are achievements for defeating each of the named commanders. You want to get the commanders alone. Don't even think about fighting them and a mob at the same time. Doubly: don't think of fighting two commanders at once; they can wear down even strong characters very quickly. If you see one walking near a mob, the best bet is to try to wait to engage them until they're on the steps, in the corridors or away from the other NPCs. The Commanders have varying skills, but what they have in common is a lot of stuns. Your stun breaker abilities will not cool down in time to handle all of them. So they'll pull you and your companion into long, unbreakable stuns and cause a lot of damage. Specific caution: these two fellows walk the hallway down the stairs near the medical droid area. If one of them happens upon the other while he's fighting a player, he will jump in and help kill you. You do not want to fight these two together. If you see one, be very careful. The other can stroll in even if you don't see him at first. I personally prefer to avoid them both and look for other Commanders to fight.

BONUS: If you have the macrobinoculars, you can pick up another mission here. Interact with this console. It will give you four towers to scan.

The towers are on the perimeter of the Dread Fortress, so you need not wade through the heroic area to scan them. You can get two of them from the area close to the console, and get the other two standing outside along the Fortress perimeter. They are marked on thsi map - the fourth is where the player marker is.

Now go to this box and click on it to summon the Launch Commander. Like the Commanders in the H4, he has a lot of stuns, but he's easier to defeat. All the same you want to get him on his own and not with a mob. Go bacl to the console, click it and go to the mission dropbox in the landing area to complete the mission and get an achievement.

Once you've finished the H4, you'll head back to your base camp. For the story mission players, there will be one more cut scene here. For those of you doing the daily and weekly quests, you will find your mission dropbox here. And...you're done. Unfortunately as a solo player this is where the road ends. Hopefully in the future Bioware will consider adding some solo way to finish Oricon. Until then, enjoy the daily area.

#rain plays swtor #oricon #solo swtor #oricon daily area

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aros001 · 3 years ago

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Read through light novel vol. 6. Random thoughts.

She hurried along behind the others, but she couldn’t quite get the image of the red-haired spell caster out of her mind.

Maybe I’m just imagining things, but...he looked really familiar.

Let me guess...

[Chapter 3]

Nailed it!

“How many?” Guild Girl asked, her pen scratching on the paper. “Oh, and break them down by quest, please.”

“Thirty-four for the first quest.”

He suddenly fell silent. Guild Girl stopped writing and looked up, and Goblin Slayer added quietly, “and ten or less missing.”

“Missing?”

“We went in, rescued the hostage, and flooded the nest. I confirmed thirty- four bodies. There can’t be more than ten left.”

You can tell this series has done a good job making the goblins feel like a threat that I'm really concerned about any goblins escaping the nest Goblin Slayer flooded. With how quickly they learn and how much he tries to keep them from learning his methods, now I'm going to be worried about some goblins down the line breaking open a dam and flooding a village because of how well it worked against them.

This is a weird thing to focus on but why do goblins get so excited over elf women compared to the women of other species? It just gets brought up a lot through the series when seeing things from the goblins' POV. Is it because of their beauty, their age, some kind of ancient grudge between elves and goblins, or is it just that they smell particularly good? Because back in vol. 1 Goblin Slayer made a point about goblin noses being quite sensitive to the smells of women, children, and elves. Obviously they're cruel and lustful to any women they want to capture but they keep singling out specifically High Elf Archer when she's with human women. Closest I've seen to an answer is in this volume, with the goblins knowing that elf meat apparently keeps for longer.

“All right,” he said. Then the helmet turned toward the boy. “Let’s go.”

Ugh. Not expecting much from this meal.

The boy nodded grudgingly then heaved himself to his feet and followed after Goblin Slayer.

If the food sucks, I’m knocking over that table.

This kid's starting to piss me off.

“Heh! I know you’re back-row, but there’s no way someone as weepy and blubbering as you could ever get promoted!”

That sent High Elf Archer’s ears straight back, and she began looking for their antagonist. The owner of the voice rose unsteadily from one of the benches.

It was the red-haired boy—dressed in a robe, holding a staff, wearing glasses. That wizard.

Priestess spent only a second with her mouth open in shock, then the corners of her eyes tightened angrily.

“I—I’m not weepy!”

“I dunno ’bout that. I hear all you clerics like a good cry.” He gave a dismissive sniff and didn’t even open his eyes all the way as he looked at Priestess. Maybe he thought all this diligent ridicule made him look cool.

He didn’t seem to realize that it just made him seem like a slimy villain.

“Whenever you’re in trouble, it’s O gods, please, save me! Boo-hoo-hoo!, right?”

...I want to break his nose. Specifically I want Priestess and/or Goblin Slayer to break his nose.

The only spell he could use was Fireball, and he could only use it once per day.

THE MORON ONLY HAD ONE SPELL HE COULD USE AND ONLY ONCE A DAY?! Priestess already had to keep him from using it once against a basic encounter with goblins! What the hell was he planning on doing after that for the rest of the nest?! Just beating them with his staff?! He doesn't seem like the type to see any merit in fighting like a barbarian and certainly not the type to dirty his magic conduit. His sister was apparently top of her class so I'm assuming she actually had at least two or more spells she could use (I don't remember what specially was said she could do back in vol. 1) and Priestess had two Miracles she could use three times a day.

Ron Weasley, year one at Hogwarts, is a better wizard than this kid! Think about that! He actually used his one spell exactly when he needed it and beat a troll!

It was funny all the ways Goblin Slayer found around High Elf Archer's rules, but it's also kind of funny that now he just seems to be ignoring them. He flooded a nest (finally got to use a scroll for the reason he bought it) and set a troll on fire. Though I like what even she pointed out, that he holds back on such methods when the goblins have a hostage. Also I suppose her main problem was using fire, water, and poison to attack from a distance or flush out the goblins and then pick them off methodically, making it feel like less of an adventure. Then again, it's goblins. She already doesn't consider that an adventure. The goal is less exploration and more pest control.

Aw, Sword Maiden and Noble Fencer are friends. That's sweet.

Just like with how Goblin Slayer's equipment and methods relate to goblins, I love just reading about Dwarf Shaman talk about magic and the basic principles of it, as well as Lizard Priest talking about his culture. It's just little details I like getting wrapped up in. It's very simple yet believable logic how Wizard Boy's eyes were opened to him actually having four spells instead of just one; breaking down something complicated into its smaller parts.

Again, so glad Spearman isn't a Motoyasu. I'm actively glad Goblin Slayer has someone like him and Heavy Warrior in his life. Also, this is funny only just because it's in comparison to the last few light novel series I've read prior to this, but:

Overlord: Protagonist is a skeleton. Can't drink.

Konosuba: Protagonist can drink but it's his useless companion whom usually gets drunk

Rising of the Shield Hero: Protagonist physically can't get drunk. Immunity to toxins too high.

Goblin Slayer: Protagonist drank, got drunk, puked in an alley, went out drinking with friends on another day, had a hangover the next morning, still went out to kill goblins. I really hope he got his helmet open before he threw up because it's already got to smell not pleasant and you know he wouldn't be removing his helmet on the walk home.

I like that you can kind of tell Goblin Slayer is reapplying Burgler's teachings to Priestess (minus the parts where he'd throw stuff at her). At the big moments he doesn't tell her she can or can't do something, rather he asks if she can or listens to the plan she's come up with. As Burgler taught him, once you decide to do something and act on it, you've already won. His words about power not mattering if you can't even do that much feel like they can apply even more to Priestess, as she has next to no offensive abilities and thus gaining power that'd be useful in killing goblins is even less of an option for her than it was for Goblin Slayer.

Despite all my prior words, I didn't hate Wizard Boy. It's just that undeserved arrogance is one of the quickest ways to get me to be against a character, especially when they're loud about how much better they think they are and their ego actively causes problems for others (Ben 10 in his later series is the most immediate example for me). There are plenty of arrogant and egotistical characters in fiction that I really love, like Lex Luthor or Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, but usually they can back up their arrogance and they're more "speak softly and carry a big stick". They don't need to boast about how good they are, they just let their actions speak for them. Wizard Boy, I get it, he's going through a character arc and he does grow somewhat during this book. It's just that his sense of superiority despite being in WAY over his head and his disrespect even after he learns his lesson makes it a little hard to be on his side. Hopefully his new adventuring partner can help straighten him out a bit more, and of course I love all the ways his presence caused Goblin Slayer to reflect and evaluate himself, given what they have in common.

This is probably me just looking too deep into things again, but I'm curious what was bigger source of guilt for Goblin Slayer in this book: that he couldn't save Wizard Boy's sister, thus reminding him of his own and making him feel like nothing's changed since he started killing goblins, or that he was the one who killed her? Obviously I think the former is more likely, given the themes and parallels in this book, but it's shown often that despite how he talks, looks, and carries himself, Goblin Slayer isn't some cold-hearted, unfeeling monster. He does care about people and even though it was a mercy kill Wizard begged for I can see him having some heavy feelings weighing on him after killing someone innocent, especially with Wizard Boy's presence forcing him to confront that reality again.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/fxut3s/read_through_light_novel_vol_6_random_thoughts/

#goblin slayer #random thoughts #reddit repost

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jackdawyt · 5 years ago

Video

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With Dragon Age 4 still quite a few years away, given it's expected 2022-2023 release window. I've been reflecting and thinking retrospectively about how long Dragon Age 4 has actually been in development. And so, with that question, here I am on a quest to try and answer it.

This investigation has been put together for the betterment of everyone in the BioWare community, including myself, plaguing the developers with infinite questions regarding what’s next for Dragon Age and when will we hear something about the next game.

If we, as a community, can understand at which point BioWare are with the development of the next Dragon Age, then perhaps we’ll have more grace and patience as we support the developers with their hard work and dedication to creating the next game.

We’d have some appreciation, all the while garnering an understanding of how long this game has left in development. Yes, for our sakes, but also for BioWare’s sake. We need to see if EA are giving the Dragon Age team enough time for them to create the Dragon Age game they want to make, and nothing short of that.

And that’s exactly what I want to uncover in this video. With that, let’s begin. it's no secret that the next Dragon Age game has already had quite the tumultuous time in its early stages of production:

The previous iteration known as 'Joplin' was canned and has been rebooted for 'live service elements'.

The Creative Director and 14-year BioWare Veteran Mike Laidlaw left the studio, along with his vision for the next Dragon Age game.

Shortly after that, the Lead Writer and 17-year BioWare Veteran David Gaider left the studio to pursue other games design avenues.

Not to mention the anxiety and panic attacks the developers faced ensuing Anthem's development.

Although all of these factors point to disaster and worry, and they can lead to mixed feelings about the next game in production, I can assure you that there's still plenty confidence and hope for the next iteration of Dragon Age 4:

The developers working on the next Dragon Age game are creating the next with "an eye to what the fans love about Dragon Age, which is easy because they love Dragon Age."

The Creative Director of 'Morrison', the latest iteration is Matthew Goldman, the previous Art Director of Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Plenty of BioWare Veterans are still in the studio, working on the next Dragon Age title such as Patrick Weekes (15 years), John Epler (13 years), Caroline Livingstone (12 years), Mary Kirby (13 years), Graham Scott (13 years), Mark Darrah (23 years?), Parrish Ley (14 years), Lucas Krisjanson (22 years), and many more legacy developers!

There's been signs of improvement within the working conditions at BioWare, Casey Hudson personally has been getting involved with solving these issues. I've seen a few developers sharing tweets that they're enjoying working at BioWare, and they're eager to share more on the next Dragon Age game. I'll share even more on this topic in my next news video coming end of May! But it seems that the developers are staying on top, and positive for the next Dragon Age.

Regardless, I'll take any chance I can get to inspire folks that the next Dragon Age game is in the right hands and BioWare are aware of what the fans expect from them. Let's move on to the main investigation of this video, to examine the next Dragon Age game’s development process.

Ironically, the next game hasn't officially been announced, according to many of the developers at BioWare, yet EA have already given the project an initial release window of 2022-2023. One of the main questions I want to answer by the end of this video is, do BioWare have enough time to create an epic Dragon Age game, with that strict deadline mandated by EA?

Well, in order to answer that question and understand the production stages the game is currently at, I'm going to have to begin at the start by revisiting Jason Schreier's "The Past & Present Of Dragon Age", which I know we've talked about a lot, but it's the biggest indicator on Dragon Age 4's development. So, here we go.

2015:

Following Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC release in 2015, Dragon Age 4's previous iteration began its very early stages of production. The plans for the next game were very exciting, and some of the developers had put their best work into it.

The project was called 'Joplin' and it would've centred on spies embarking on heists in Tevinter, smaller in scale then Inquisition, however, much further in depth, choices and consequences. And there was an emphasis on repeat play, having the player's visit previous areas again, with new content.

2016:

However, the first major bump in the road occurred in 2016, one year after development had started. Mass Effect: Andromeda required all hands-on deck, and so many members of the Dragon Age team were moved to work on Andromeda, they're even mentioned in the credits of Andromeda as the 'Dragon Age Finaling Team.'

2017:

After Andromeda's release in March 2017, it was back to working on 'Joplin' for the majority of the shifted developers. For some developers, it was refreshing to get back to working on the next Dragon Age. However, it wasn't long before BioWare's next releasing title - Anthem was suffering through development troubles. By the latter half of 2017, Anthem was in real trouble, and so EA took drastic action.

In October, 2017, EA cancelled Joplin's development and moved the bulk of the project's staff onto Anthem. With two years of development on a project that will never see the light of day, Mike Laidlaw departed BioWare that same month.

Alexis Kennedy was previously working on 'Joplin' too, however, according to his LinkedIn profile, he left the project in October too. It seems his work only extended to 'Joplin' and will most likely be scrapped as well.

Towards the end of 2017, as the majority of "Joplin's" core team went to work on Anthem, a very small skeleton team stuck around to work on a brand-new Dragon Age project under the new title 'Morrison.' This team will have consistent of developers like Patrick Weekes, who was anointed the role of Lead Writer since David Gaider departed. Other key developers working on the foundations of 'Morrison' in 2017 included: John Epler, Matthew Goldman, Daniel Kading, Matt Rhodes and many other talented designers.

It's unknown how much of "Joplin's" previous work will make its way into 'Morrison', surely a project with production escalating over two years would have some worthy elements that could be added to 'Morrison'

As it stands, we don't know if the games will share the same vision, or if any of the same key mechanics, concepts, story threads, etc, have made their way into Morrison.

All that is known about 'Morrison' is that the game has been rebooted with Anthem's codebase, so the developers aren't starting from complete scratch, they'll have somewhat of a preset of the Frostbite engine that can act as Dragon Age 4's very foundations. However, unlike Joplin, this new version of the fourth Dragon Age is planned with a live service component, built for long-term gameplay and revenue.

A few developers working on 'Morrison' stated that this game will change drastically in the next two years, however, that's been the case with every Dragon Age game. The point is that the project will take many different shapes until it feels like a Dragon Age game.

2018:

So, we know that this project reboot happened around the end of 2017, with a very small skeleton team going forward following a slightly new approach, and a new Creative Director. This is the new Dragon Age 4 that was later teased at The Game Awards in 2018. However, unbenounced to us at the time, we didn't know the game was rebooted, and therefore, as fans do, we presumed that this title would release soon.

In actuality, when 'The Dread Wolf Rises' teaser dropped, the new iteration of Dragon Age 4 had only been in very early development with a small team for about a year, hence why we still haven't heard, or seen anything of this project since. the game's production stages had barely started.

Not only that, but the teaser wasn’t supposed to act as an announcement, but more of a message to the fans that something is happening with Dragon Age.

2019:

Anthem shipped in February, 2019, and following its release, the Dragon Age developers who were shuffled to the Anthem team back in 2017, then went back to the new iteration of Dragon Age in May of 2019, including the Executive Producer, Mark Darrah.

The Dragon Age team; fully operational with all hands-on deck, could begin to wrap up its pre-production stages, and start production development. We discovered a few key production stages last year in my massive 2019 news roundup, things like voice acting, concept art, and potential 3D models.

Fernando Melo left the studio in August of 2019, stating that his work of “guiding the team through EA’s concept and early production phases” had been complete, and he felt it was the least messy time to leave the company. This proves that indeed; the title has begun production stages.

2020:

With that, we can safely say that Dragon Age 4's production has continually increased, as the project makes its way through many core development stages.

To this date, the game has recently had script readings for scenes, some of them being romance moments. Animations for a dog-like companion. Something about coding 'Scriplets' and plenty more of tidbits, that if you're interested be sure to check out my latest news video.

Conclusions:

So, in an attempt to work out how long Dragon Age 4 has been in development... If we do some quick maths, it seems that project 'Joplin' was in development for around two years, between 2015 - 2017.

Therefore, project 'Morrison' has been in development for around 3 years, given that it started in 2017 - present.

However, from late 2017 to early 2019. the work on 'Morrison' was pre-production. The main production stages began in May 2019.

So, 'Morrison' has been in pre-production for approximately 18 months, with the production stages starting around a year ago, in May 2019.

With its release window of 2022-2023, can BioWare successfully create an epic Dragon Age title? Is this enough time for the developers to create the best Dragon Age possible?

Well, I'm not one to leave you with rhetorical questions. If we look at Dragon Age: Inquisition's development, a game that I'd consider to be a Dragon Age epic, that served the fans supremely well.

In a 2014 interview with Mike Laidlaw, conducted by UK newspaper The Guardian:

Dragon Age: Inquisition's production had been about three years, but taking in the early concepting, it would be four years. As studio general manager Aaryn Flynn kindly pointed out, that’s about 10% of Mike's life.

If we go by that measure, 'Morrison' with 18 months of pre-production and one year of full production, and two to three years of development left before an initial release window.... it sounds quite plausible that BioWare could pull this off.

Although BioWare have their work cut out for them, I have hope that they can deliver an amazing Dragon Age game dedicated to the fans. With plenty of time spent on the pre-production stages, hopefully the team has learned from Anthem and Andromeda's rough early stages, and they've conceptualised the development enough, that production can carry on at ease.

And regarding Joplin's two years of previous work, I hope that at least some aspects of that project's production went into 'Morrison', the core concept alone sounded like it could've been the best Dragon Age game to date, and with so many developers pouring in some of their best work, I truly hope that it all hasn't been canned and it can make its way into the next Dragon Age game.

Regardless, I have a news update in the works for the end of May as I mentioned before, there's still plenty of tidbits coming out, and as I stated in my Tinfoil Tea Party podcast, I'll be doing news videos before the first of every month when we have enough, well news... In April, we got a fair bit, but May has been epic so far. So, stay tuned for that!

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petri808 · 6 years ago

Note

Can you write how you think Natsu and Lucy's first day would go? 😣😣

Sorry it took a while to write something. Not everything goes smoothly lol. I hope you like the Drabble :)

Tied to day 3 orange prompt as well @fortheloveofnaluevents

Nothing’s Perfect

‘I can do this... I can do this... I...’ “I-I can’t do it!” Natsu turns back to the table where he and Gray had been sitting. He sits down, holding his head in his hands. “I can’t, I’m too nervous.”

“I don’t see why,” Gray quips back, “it’s just Lucy.”

Natsu slams his fist on the table “Exactly!” Several members turn to see where the noise came from and he scrunches back in his seat mumbling. “It’s weird to ask her.”

But Gray just laughs at him. “End of the worlds coming and you get all fired up. Ask Lucy out on a date, and you crumble!”

“Fuck you!”

“Tch. Just get it over with and ask her out already. Natsu,” the ice mage leans over the table, “she knows exactly what you’re like.” He sits back with a smug look. “Just lay yourself bare, so to speak.”

“What the fuck?! You want me to strip?!”

“Idiot! It just means be yourself, show the real you, don’t hide anything.”

“Oh.”

“Think of it like any other mission. Your objective is to ask Lucy out on a date.”

“And then what?”

Gray rolls his eyes, “seriously?! When she says yes, you take her out on a real date!”

“Oh, right...” Natsu chuckles and runs his hand nervously through his hair. Not that he really knew what he was supposed do on this date.

“Will you just go and ask her already?!”

“Okay, Okay!” The slayer gets up, muttering under his breath about a meddling ice freak. When he gets to the table where Lucy is sitting with a couple of the females of Fairy Tail, Natsu taps on her shoulder.

“Oh, hey Natsu,” Lucy smiles at her partner, “did you need something?”

A blush explodes onto his cheeks, “I-I was wondering if...” ‘AHHHH THIS IS HARD!’ “...you’d go out on a, um, d-date with me.”

“I’m sorry,” she blinks, “did you say date?”

Levy snickers, “he did.”

Cana grins, “he su—re did!”

“I did,” he cups the back of his neck, “y-you know... I don’t know, like dinner or something.”

“Oh... you really did just ask me out.” The realization hits Lucy like a ton of bricks. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little surprised. Um, yeah, sure,” she smiles, “I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you.”

“Really! Okay, how about tomorrow night? I can meet you at your apartment.”

She nods as her cheeks flush a little, “6?”

“6 it is!” Natsu turns tail and struts away. It was all an act. He was on cloud nine but if he stopped to think about anything now, he’d probably faint. Gray gives him the thumbs up as he walks past their table towards the front door, but he needed fresh air!

Back at the girls table, a giggle fest has taken over with Cana and Levy both teasing and congratulating the blonde. “And you thought he’d never make a move,” Cana sips her beer.

“I thought it was sweet,” Levy retorts. “The poor boy looked so nervous I’m surprised he made it through the question!”

Lucy sighs and props her head on the table, “I wonder if he even knows what a date is?”

After enduring even more humiliation from Mira’s oohing, awing, and light teasing, Natsu thought he had everything planned to where even he couldn’t mess things up. Keep it simple, was her biggest piece of advice. He knew Lucy better than anyone else, her likes, dislikes, so it all came down to the execution. When 6pm rolled around, Natsu knocked on Lucy’s door holding a bouquet of pink roses. He’d been advised that red may have been more appropriate but decided to go with her favorite color instead.

He hears a stumbling sound from inside the apartment, things being tossed, rushing feet. “Are you okay Lucy?”

“Y-Yeah, I’ll be right, oww, damn it, I’ll be right out Natsu.”

When she opens the door a few moments later, Lucy is still adjusting her clothes, and slipping on her heels. Natsu chuckles, “are you sure you’re okay Lucy?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she waves her hand nonchalantly trying to act like she wasn’t a hot mess at the moment. Truth be told, it had taken her all afternoon to decide on an outfit. Re-did her hair and makeup a couple of times before giving up on said makeup and just leaving her hair down. She broke her first pair of heels, that was the stumbling ‘oww’ he had heard, and to top it all off, it was the only one that really matched her outfit. “You look really nice Natsu,” a light blush filtering along her cheeks. He’d really gone all out tonight in one of his button-down, off-white collared shirts and beige slacks.

“You look beautiful too Lucy,” his own blush appearing, “here,” he juts the bouquet out at her, “I-I got you flowers.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” she giggles, “Lemme put this in water before we go.” It takes just a couple of minutes till she’s back at her door, closing, and locking it behind her.

Natsu holds out his hand tentatively, “ready for dinner?”

Lucy takes it and nods, relishing in the warmth he exuded, but it also made her more nervous. It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d held his hand, and yet it was worlds apart from the others. They walked along the canal in a companionable silence, just a young couple, too wrapped up in their anxieties over the whole affair.

“About time!”

They turn and see the boaters in the canal giving them a thumbs up. Those guys always gave her grief!

“Sorry ‘bout that Natsu, you know they always tease…”

“Don’t apologize,” he mumbles, “they’re right, I should’a done this a long time ago.”

She pulls him to a halt, “what matters is you did it when I was ready.” Lucy blushes, “I mean, yeah I liked you for a while, but I would have been too nervous if you’d asked me before the Quest.”

“Oh, thank the stars,” he breathes out, “I wondered if you actually liked me liked me or was just humoring me on this date.”

Lucy laughs, “no… I Iike you Natsu.”

He squeezes her hand, “we should hurry. I made reservations at that new restaurant Aomatsu cause everyone said their katsudon is the best in town.”

Well what was she expecting, Lucy thought to herself as she nibbled at her one plate while watching Natsu gobbling up his fourth. He always ate like it was the best tasting thing in the world or the last meal of his life. Of course, considering this was an ‘official’ date, he could have tried to be a little less sloppy. Surrounding tables kept side-eyeing the couple, probably wondering why any woman would put up with such a messy guy. But Lucy had grown so accustomed to Natsu’s eating habits she merely smiled, shrugged, and ignored them. She loved him, flaws and all.

“You gonna finish that?” he points to her half-eaten cake. When she shakes her head and chuckles, Natsu happily accepts the plate.

Yeah…. She could consider herself ‘Lucky Lucy’ after all. How many people are blessed to have found not only a best friend, but the love of their life rolled into one person? Someone who never judged, always supported, and stayed true to their partnership. The bottom line was, she could always count on Natsu.

As he wiped his hands with the napkin, Natsu tips his head, “do I have something on my face? You’ve been sitting there just staring at me while I ate.”

She keeps her head propped with her hand, shaking it, “just waiting for you to finish.”

“Aww man, I’m sorry,” he finishes wiping up, “I didn’t realize…. Am I ruining the moment?”

“No, no,” Lucy chuckles, her smiling eyes crinkling at the corners, “I don’t mind.”

“Whew! Okay well I think you’ll like what I got planned next, so lemme just settle the bill.”

They head back in the direction of Lucy’s apartment hand in hand. When they’re only about a block away, Natsu stops. He explains of wanting to surprise her and asks that she get on his back in a piggy-back style while closing her eyes. “No peaking,” he reminds.

“I won’t.” Lucy can feel him walking but has no idea of the direction. Based on the faint smell of brine, she assumed they were still walking along the canal. A short distance later, the feeling of climbing a flight of stairs. She hears him open a door before walking a few more feet.

He puts her down, still keeping his hands on her shoulders, “okay you can open your eyes now.”

Her heart flutters at the sight! They were only on top of her apartment building, but Natsu had set up a furry rug, a couple of pillows, and candles scattered around. In one a smooth stream of fire he lights them all, then plops onto the rug holding out a hand to her, “join me,” he smiles.

Lucy giggles and sits beside him. “Thank you Natsu, this is a really sweet end to our dinner date.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he scratches his head, “I thought it was a bit simple, but Mira said you’d like it.”

It wasn’t a surprise that the bar maid had a hand in this. Lucy leans on Natsu’s shoulder, “Mira was right.”

After a while, they go from sitting to lying down, making a small bet of who would see a shooting star first. They chat about little things or simply lets a companionable silence fall over them. It was nice after all, just relaxing together, something rare between them.

A slight breeze picks up, and Natsu’s nose catches an upswing of moisture in the air. In front of them there was nothing but clear, starry skies, but when he looks behind, the skies had grown menacing. Natsu gets them to their feet and they start bundling up the rug and pillows. It was too late. Another stronger gust and suddenly a deluge of rain strikes. He quickly grabs the rug and hauls it over their head as a makeshift umbrella, but being made of fabric, the soaked material quickly becomes inundated.

Natsu uses his magic to heat the fabric to a point before it would catch fire. Steaming off the water as quickly as it tries to soak in. Lucy clings to his body to stay warm.

“I’m sorry Lucy, this wasn’t the ending I’d planned for.”

“Oh Natsu, it’s not like you couldn’t have predicted rain.”

“But now the date is ruined.”

She wraps an arm around his neck, while the other hand gently settles on his cheek, “I wouldn’t say that. It makes our first date memorable.”

He pouts, “I was hoping to get something right for once.”

Standing on her tip-toes, Lucy places a soft, exploratory kiss on his lips. It takes a second to register, but Natsu lets the rug fall, answering her kiss with more of his own. And as the rain falls around them, with only the rug balanced over their heads, steam wasn’t the only thing being generated on that roof top…

#colorful nalu #day 3 orange #courage confidence loyalty friendship #nalu #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #nalu drabble #ask request

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skepticalcatfrog · 6 years ago

Text

Shattered Crown Chapter 3

First Chapter Previous Chapter Next Chapter Masterpost

Summary: After disaster strikes in Prince Roman's kingdom, he must go on a quest in order to take back the crown that is rightfully his. He will travel with three companions on an epic adventure, gaining many friends and enemies along the way. Those three companions are an intelligent inventor With a mysterious past, a cheerful wizard With a dark secret, and.. the assassin who was sent to kill him two years prior.

Pairings: (Eventual) Prinxiety and Logicality

Word Count: 2,328

Author's Notes: This chapter is probably one of my favorites so far. I don't really have too much more to say.

Roman woke up the next morning in… his own room. His own room? He silently hoped the events of the past two days had all been an awful trick that his mind had decided to play on him. He started to move, but not by himself. It felt like something else was moving him. And that's when he looked in the mirror that was sitting across the room.

The face that looked back at him was covered in scales on one half, and had a wicked snake eye.

“Another day of pretending to be an insufferable annoying little brat…” The scaled boy muttered to himself as he adjusted his sleeves. Roman watched with wide eyes as he saw the other’s features shift into his own. His hair grew darker until it was the same brown as Roman's, his scales disappeared and were replaced with the light dusting of freckles Roman had across his nose, and his eyes went from their original mismatched look to a warm amber color.

“Oh, hello.” The fake prince spoke in Roman's voice, which was strange to hear.

Roman's second in command, Addison, the one he trusted so much, stood in the door.

“How are you feeling, Roman? You've been oddly distant since… well, since…” She struggled to find the right words.

“I don't want to talk about it.” The snake sat on Roman's bed, not looking Addison in the eyes.

“Are you sure?” She asked, hesitantly stepping into the room.

“Of course I am.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

“Really? Because it doesn't seem that way. In all honesty, you've been acting very different lately. Like you aren't yourself...” Addison stepped slightly closer.

“You aren't going to stop being nosy, are you.” The imposter glared at her. His left eye began to glow a neon yellow, and Addison's eyes glazed over, as if she was in a sort of trance. The glow faded soon after. “I'm not sorry.”

Addison collapsed and the scene went dark.

Roman jolted awake, breathing heavily. The room was dark, and he could barely see anything aside from what the moonlight was shining on.

It must've been from the previous morning, because in the… dream? Vision? Whatever it was, it had been light out. And it was pitch black outside when he woke up.

And that was only the least of his concerns. There was someone impersonating him. Someone who killed his father then threw him out of his home. Plus, his second in command was in danger. Which meant others in his kingdom were too.

He decided, since he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep any time soon, he would rather go to the living room and read a book or something than wait in his room until morning. As he went through the house, he saw the light coming from under the door to the room where Logan was working. He saw Virgil sleeping on the couch. He grabbed a random book from the shelf and sat in a chair in the living room next to the fire place (which didn't have a fire in it). The book ended up being a spell book, which would've been useful… if Roman could do magic. Still, it was interesting to read.

He eventually lost track of time, just sitting there. But it was peaceful, and he wasn't planning on moving.

~~~

Virgil didn't usually sleep at all. Not because he didn't want to. He was tired most of the day, and could use a good rest. No, it was because whenever he slept, his brain decided to torture him with either nightmares or visions of his past that he'd rather forget. And he just couldn't deal with that every night. The only reason he slept that night was because he fell asleep by accident. And it certainly was an unfortunate accident.

~4 years ago~

Virgil stood in an empty training arena across from his... friend, Ethan. In all honesty, Ethan was kind of a jerk. He hadn't always been, but he'd changed since the first time Virgil met him. Virgil had been staying with Ethan's family, who were the royals of a kingdom a bit away from where he'd grown up. He'd been there for 3 years, since he was 12.

Virgil had two shallow cuts on his face, and a couple on his arms. He and Ethan had been training for a while, and Virgil had failed to win even once. He was lucky Ethan wasn't actually trying to hurt him, otherwise he'd be in much worse shape.

“You are quite possibly the worst assassin this kingdom has ever seen.” Ethan plunged his sword into the ground in frustration.

“I'm trying my best, okay?” Virgil responded, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Try harder then.” Ethan approached him, narrowing his blue eyes menacingly. “We can't have a lousy assassin like you in the kingdom if we ever want to get anything done. I shouldn't be able to do your job better than you, and right now I can. No wonder that prince got away from you. I should've just gone down there and dealt with him myself.”

“I could've done it. If he hadn't-” Virgil was cut off by Ethan.

“It doesn't matter what he did. It matters what you did. You really on one skill and one skill only. That needs to change.” Ethan picked up his sword again and put it back in the sheath. He began walking out of the training room. He seemed to be muttering to himself about something, but Virgil couldn't really hear much. Only a few words, such as ‘useless’, ‘dangerous’, and 'power’.

Suddenly, the scene changed.

~1 year ago~

Virgil dashed down the hall towards the library. He burst through the doors and saw Ethan standing in the middle of the room, tending to a glowing ball of neon yellow light. Strong winds seemed to come from nowhere, books flying around the room.

“Ethan!” He called out, his voice seemingly going in one ear and out the other. He ran to his friend and grabbed his hand as he was about to touch the orb.

“What are you doing!?” Ethan turned to Virgil, a terrifying fire in his eyes.

“You can't do this! You'll die!” Virgil felt involuntary tears growing in his eyes.

“No, I won't!” Ethan shouted. “I'll become the most powerful being on this Earth! I'll be unstoppable! Don't you see? This is what I've been waiting for! And I've finally done it!”

“I'm begging you, please don't-” Virgil watched helplessly as Ethan swiftly placed his other hand on the strange glowing object. His vision went white and it felt like he had been struck dead-on by lightning. He could hear Ethan crying out, and his heart hurt more than the rest of him. When the light subsided, he fell to his knees, shaking. He looked at his hands, which were flickering in and out of view, along with the rest of him. He glanced to the other side of the room, where Ethan was curled up on the ground. The sight was awful. He was covered in various cuts and burns and bruises, seeming near dead. Virgil tried to stand up, but immediately fell back to the ground. He crawled over to where his friend was, and rolled him over onto his back.

“...Ethan?” He whispered hopefully, wishing Ethan would do something, even just move. No response. The tears started rolling down his cheeks and he stood up, balancing himself on any object that was there. He had to tell someone, anyone, he didn't know who, but he just had to.

“I told you.” A weak voice spoke from behind him. He turned around and saw Ethan smiling wickedly, sharp new snake-like fangs in his mouth. Scales unfolded across half of his face. He began laughing. “I knew I could do it.”

“Y-you're alive?” Virgil's eyes widened.

“Very much so.” Ethan's eyes were still closed, as if they were adjusting to something. “Weak, but alive.”

He stood up, shuddering with every movement. He opened his eyes, and Virgil held in a gasp. Their normal pale blue color had disappeared. Instead, one was a clear, metallic silver, and the other was a snake eye with a slit pupil, the same color as the glowing yellow orb.

“You, on the other hand, look very much less than okay.” He pointed out, the wicked smile still plastered across his face. “Can I be of any assistance?”

“What… happened to you?” Virgil asked, stepping slightly closer. He was still flickering between visibility and invisibility, but he wasn't as concerned about that.

“Exactly what I said would happen.” Ethan replied bluntly. “I'm officially all-powerful. Now I can do the job that you failed to do two years ago.”

“You're going to kill the prince?” Virgil's eyes widened.

“Of course. The king too, because I know I can. And that means…” Ethan held up his hand, which radiated a yellow light. “You are no longer needed.”

Virgil felt something wrapping around his ankles and looked down to see thorn-covered vines growing around his arms and legs.

“What are you doing?” He asked, trying and failing to break free.

“You're a liability. You were never able to do your job, no matter how much I trained you. So as I see it, the only real solution is to get rid of you.” Ethan explained. At that point, the vines had grown up to Virgil's stomach. “Although, this is going very slowly. Maybe we should... speed up the process a bit.”

Ethan waved his hand, causing a vine to twist itself around Virgil's throat. He then curled his hand into a fist, which made the vines tighten. The thorns punctured Virgil's skin, causing small streams of blood to run down his arms, legs, and neck. He could barely talk anymore, partly because he wouldn't even know what to say. The excruciating pain that was running through his entire body was almost too much to bear. His vision was getting blurry, and he felt light headed.

“Finally, we're getting somewhere! For the record, I want you to know that I never really hated you. That's not why I'm doing this. But, well… if I want things done, I have to do them myself.” Ethan's smile faltered, and he narrowed his eyes. His left eye glowed bright yellow and Virgil grew dizzy. “Goodbye Virgil. You were always my most faithful companion.”

Virgil's vision went dark and he felt himself fall to the floor.

~Present Day~

“Not again, no, I can't!” Virgil woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He looked around the room to see a visibly startled Roman sitting in the chair in the corner. “Oh, I um… I didn't know you were going to be there.”

“Are you… okay?” Roman raised his eyebrow.

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Virgil attempted to steady his breathing.

“You don't seem fine.” Roman put the book he was reading on the small table next to him. “You seemed really distressed. You kept on talking about someone named Ethan. Do you think you'd feel better if you talked about it?”

“I don't know… no one's ever offered to listen.” Virgil shrugged.

“Well, I'm here.” Roman offered. “And I know you don't like me all that much. But at least I'll listen.”

Virgil sighed. “Ethan was my best friend for seven years. He was a nice guy, really sensitive and understanding. We spent a lot of time together, since I lived with his family. He trained me to be an assassin. But after a couple years… he changed. He became mean, and cold, and ruthless. He would tell me how worthless I was, how I was the worst assassin the kingdom had ever seen. I would sometimes find him talking to himself, about wanting power. He wanted to rule the world. Then one day, a couple months ago, he finally figured out how he could. He used dangerous magic, something that could kill him, just to gain power. He activated the spell, and directed it towards himself, and I got caught in the crossfire. That's when this happened.” He became invisible for a brief moment before reappearing. “I couldn't do that before. It's a side effect. And I wasn't even hit directly. What it did to him… it was much worse. He was never the same. He went mad with power, nearly killed me.” He pulled down the high collar of his shirt to expose a scar that circled his neck like a tight necklace. “To this day, I don't even know how I survived. He told me he'd do the job that I never could, and kill you. He disappeared for three months after that.”

Roman took in the story. “What did he look like? Ethan, I mean.”

“Before or after the incident?” Virgil asked.

“After, probably.” Roman answered.

“Well, the only thing that seemed to stay the same was his hair. It was a light, beautiful, fluffy, sandy blond. He had two sharp fangs in his mouth. The left half of his face was covered with reptilian scales. His eyes still haunt me. One was silver, and the other was yellow like a snake's, with a slit pupil.” Virgil described.

Roman gasped, his eyes going wide.

“What's wrong?” Virgil asked, sitting up.

“It was him…” Roman had a fire in his eyes that Virgil had never seen before. “Ethan killed my father.”

#sanders sides #deceit sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #patton sanders #ts deceit #ts roman #ts logan #ts virgil #ts patton #unsympathetic deceit #prinxiety #logicality #fanfic #fantasy #shattered crown au

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saoirse-argentum · 5 years ago

Text

PROMPT #22 (Make-Up Day: Shifting Blame)

(Continuing on as always…I’ve decided I’m gonna do like I did in the game and avoid getting to The Vault for as long as possible and do side quests instead…BECAUSE I CAN’T LIVE THROUGH THE TRAUMA AGAIN. =’( Thanks for reading. <3)

HEAT LEVEL: SWEET...for now.

Saoirse had worried the others long enough. She was going to keep her promise to Aymeric and get better. The next morning, she woke early and found Haurchefant in the kitchen before he could make it to her room. “Good morning, Haurchefant.”

Haurchefant removed the Apkallu omelette from his pan and onto a plate before turning to Saoirse. “Ah, the sun, she has risen!” He walked around the island counter to meet her. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in his embrace. “It is so splendid to see you up and about.” He set her back onto her feet and placed his hand on her head. “You have even brushed your hair and changed your clothes. You must be feeling better.”

Saoirse was embarrassed by how little she’d been caring for herself, more so knowing the others had noticed her disheveled appearance as of late. She looked to the floor. “Yes…I am certainly trying anyway. I was hoping we could eat together, since I so rudely refused you before.”

“It would be an honor. Please, take a seat.” Haurchefant gestured to the table in the corner of the room. “I’ve made almond cream croissants and an Apkallu omlettes for us today.” He grabbed the plates from the counter and slid one before her.

“Wow, this is too much…you’re a very gifted cook!” The presentation and aroma alone were enough to stir her appetite. Saoirse took a bite and another, not realizing how hungry she’d been. She looked up and noticed Haurchefant not eating. “Do I have something on my face?”

His smile was warm, and he shook his head. “I’m just joyed to see you in better spirits. My apologies for staring.”

“It’s alright.” Saoirse looked to her food. Haurchefant had been cooking for her like this for days and she’d barely touched it…but he never made her feel poorly about it. He’d been kind and continued his efforts without complaint. She looked up to thank him but when she did, she was certain she saw Estinien walk in from the side entrance. She blinked. “I must still have a fever.”

Haurchefant tilted his head. “Oh? Are you warm? Lightheaded? Need I get you medicine?”

Saoirse shook her head and watched what she believed to be a phantom of her fever walking through the kitchen. “No, I just…” She looked back to Haurchefant trying not to think about it. “I’m just seeing things.” She gave an awkward laugh. “I’ve been so preoccupied by Estinien lately that I’m seeing him now.”

Haurchefant turned around. “Perhaps I am with fever as well then…Because I see him too.”

Estinien looked up from pouring his coffee. “What are you fools gaping at?”

“Ah, the phantom, he speaks!”

Estinien approached Haurchefant and flicked his forehead. “Did you lose what little modicum of intellect you had while I was away?”

“Ow.” Haurchefant rubbed his forehead. “I had not realized you’d returned.”

“Aye. Unfortunately, Ishgard still has need of me.” Estinien glanced down at Saoirse who stared up at him. “Your food grows cold. Excuse me.” He said nothing else before walking away.

“He drinks his coffee black you know…to match the color of his wicked heart.”

Saoirse turned her attention back to Haurchefant and forced herself to smile. “Perhaps that is why he is always so bitter.” She was happy that Estinien had returned, even if it hurt to see him again and to know that things were different now…but she wouldn’t cry. Not anymore.

Saoirse acted like nothing had ever happened between her and Estinien when she was around him. The sooner things went back to normal, the sooner she could forget. It was necessary to move on. For her…for the others and for Eorzea.

With the truth of Ishgard’s faith being built upon lies, chaos and societal upheaval loomed over the city. It was only a matter of time. While Ysale and Haurchefant had calmed the tensions between most heretics and knights, there were some who would not be persuaded, so as Aymeric prepared to confront the Archbishop, Saoirse and the others did their best to extinguish whatever flames they could. When dividing members into teams for the variety of tasks to be done, it made most sense for Saoirse to accompany Estinien who’d been asked to deal with the lingering followers of Nidhogg who plagued the lands outside of Ishgard…but nobody would say it. So, the choice was left to her… She was to choose between Haurchefant and Ysale’s group, leaving Estinien on his own. But Saoirse chose neither.

“I will go with Estinien.” She didn’t wait for objections. “Ysale and Haurchefant have more than enough manpower, I’d hardly be an asset. I know that Estinien is plenty capable of doing things on this own, but it will only take half the time between the two of us.” She walked over to Estinien who was leaning against the doorframe. “Let’s go.”

Estinien glanced back at Aymeric before following her. “Don’t get in my way.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I’m just here for the heals.” Saoirse turned around and walked the hall backwards as she spoke to him, “you might consider being nice to the person who is going to keep you alive and out of pain.”

“Not necessary. I have more than enough potions to do your job without having to be nice to anyone.” He quickened his stride to pass her. “Hurry up.”

Saoirse turned on her heel and hurried after him. “Let’s see how well you do when it turns out they’re poisonous wyrm!”

“I have antidote for that. So, you’re practically useless to me.”

“Too bad you don’t have anything to help cure that attitude.”

Estinien stopped and faced her. “Or something to silence your mouth.”

They glared at one another before Saoirse finally turned her head in a huff and pushed by him. “Whatever, let’s go.”

They said nothing else the rest of the way.

Taking care of the wyvern was hardly a struggle between the two of them, but in the midst of the battle a Kaiser Behemoth wandering the area was hit by the debris from one Saoirse’s attacks, drawing his attention to them.

Saoirse did her best to attack and avoid the beast’s charge, but her spells weren’t near strong enough to stop it. Amid dodging the Behemoth, she was struck by one of its thunderbolts, and temporarily paralyzed. The monster charged, but Estinien swept in, tossing his lance into the beast’s skull, but with little room between them, the Behemoth’s body crashed into him, sending him flying back into a nearby tree.

The Behemoth’s lifeless body lost momentum and stopped just before reaching Saoirse. Once able to move, she ran to Estinien side.

He sat with his back to the tree and his hand pressed to his ribs. “Either I am cursed or you delight in my discomfort because whenever we find ourselves together it is always more troublesome for me.” He groaned as he lifted his arms to remove his helmet. “You are unharmed though?”

Saoirse nodded. “I am sorry, if I had been more careful in my casting…” She paused when she noticed Estinien’s uneven breath. She undid one of the straps on his chest plate.

Estinien caught her hand. “What are you doing?”

“I need to see how bad it is. If you’ve broken a rib it will take more than just a potion or my magic. Now, stay still.” She was careful upon it’s removal so Estinien didn’t have to move more than necessary. She undid the button of his tunic, her fingers grazing his skin. He hissed and she paused to look at him. “I’m sorry, am I hurting you?”

“No, your hands are like ice.”

“Right, sorry.” She rubbed her hands together quickly, hoping the friction would warm them enough to be bearable and continued down the line of buttons until she could push it back and down his arms enough to see his ribs. She could already see the bruising, but she tenderly felt the area with her fingertips. If the rib wasn’t broken it was likely fractured. Saoirse used her magic to alleviate some of the pain before reaching into her bag for bandages. “Can you sit forward slightly?”

Estinien did as she asked and let her wrap his ribs. As she was finishing the final go around she met Estinien’s eyes and paused. They looked at one another, neither willing to break the silence. But Estinien knew he had to look away. If he remained this close to her he was likely to act on his feelings. He turned his head when he felt himself raising his hand to touch her. “Done?”

“Oh, yeah.” Saoirse tied of the bandage. “Do you think you can make it back Ishgard?”

Estinien finished buttoning his tunic and grabbed his armor. “I’m not going back to Ishgard.” Estinien was slow to stand. “I have a matter to attend to in Dragonhead. Surely you can make it to Ishgard from here without any more trouble.”

“What?” Saoirse jumped to her feet and rushed after Estinien who was gathering his lance from the Behemoth’s skull. “You’re injured! I can’t let you travel all that way in your condition.”

“Good thing I wasn’t asking your permission.” Estinien retrieved his lance and moved forward, toward Dragonhead.

“Neither was I. I am coming with you!”

“Hmph. Fine. Do as you please. I am far too tired to argue.” In truth, he wanted her to follow him and had he not been injured, she would have no reason to insist upon it…maybe he wasn’t cursed after all.

It was near dark when they arrived at Dragonhead. Estinien led them to a small home in the encampment and entered without so much as a knock.

A man with short dark hair peppered gray and matching beard sat in front of a fireplace, reading. He turned his attention to them as they entered the room. He smiled at Estinien. “Estinien, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you.” He stood to meet them. “A welcomed surprise.”

“Alberic, you and I have much to discuss…but it will have to wait until morning. It has been a long and tiring day. Have you a room to spare?”

Alberic nodded. “Yes, of course.” He looked from Estinien to Saoirse. “It’s not like Estinien to travel with a companion…you must be special.”

“Saoirse is the Warrior of Light,” Estinien answered for her. “Saoirse, this is Ser Alberic.”

“Ah, the Warrior of Light, then you are special indeed. It is a pleasure to meet you.” He extended his hand to Saoirse and smiled as he shook her hand. “My home is your home. Let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“A bed, you can offer us a bed,” Estinien interrupted.

“Right, patient as always I see. This way.” Alberic led them to a small room at the end of the short hall. “It isn’t much I am afraid. I hope you’re comfortable sharing. If not, then feel free to send Estinien to the living area.”

Saoirse shook her head. “This is fine, thank you.”

Estinien pushed her forward into the room and looked back at Alberic. “We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Of course. Rest well…and Estinien…it really is good to see you.”

Estinien nodded and shut the door.

The room was small, with bed in the center and a nightstand at its side. Saoirse grabbed a pillow from the bed and tossed it to the floor.

“What are you doing?” Estinien set his lance in the corner and began to remove his armor.

“You can have the bed…I can sleep on the floor.” She sat down next to the pillow.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Estinien reached behind her and tossed the pillow back onto the bed. “Will it kill you to sleep beside me?” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, wincing from the strain on his ribs.

“No, I just…I didn’t think—”

“Just be quiet and lie down. You have trouble me enough for one day.” Estinien walked to the other side of the bed and pulled back the covers.

“Right…Okay.” Saoirse sat down so she could remove her boots and robes before quickly curling up under the covers with her back to Estinien.

Estinien turned out the light and sat with his back to her. His heart raced. Why was he torturing himself? He couldn’t let her sleep on the floor, but he could have done so…or done as Alberic suggested and stayed in the living quarters, but instead he was tempting himself. Only backing off the line as he neared crossing it. And he wanted to cross it…more than anything. “Saoirse?”

“Yes?”

“Will assist me with my attire?” Why was he making it worse?

“Of course.” Saoirse sat up and helped Estinien slide his tunic back and off his shoulders.

He turned to face her once it was off, and that was his downfall. She was bathed in moonlight from the window and wearing no more than a white slip. Her hair was slightly disheveled from lying down and her face a light pink from obvious shyness.

“Estinien?”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. He was slow to part from her, and he could see the confusion in her eyes quickly shift to sadness when he did. “Please, don’t look at me that way.”

“Why…why would you…you know how I feel about you.”

“Because I cannot continue to be the bad guy…not to you.” He took her hand in his and placed her hand to his chest. “I adore you and it is destroying me to be near you but not with you. What I said to you was awful, but I believed it was the best choice for you. I had failed you…I nearly lost you and I could not accept the thought of seeing you hurt again because you were protecting me. I was already riddled with guilt, so I trusted that Aymeric was right.”

“Aymeric? What are you talking about?”

“I love you, Saoirse. I loved you then and I love you now, but the others are worried your feelings for me make you reckless, so I distanced myself from you. I thought if I returned, I could maintain that divide, but I can’t. Not any longer.” He kissed her once more, this time more deeply than before. He moved his lips to her neck.

“Estinien, wait.” Saoirse pulled back slightly. “I can’t…Not until I know exactly what happened. You have to understand, I was really hurt.”

“I know…” Estinien rested his forehead against hers. He’d tell her everything…It wouldn’t undo the hurt she felt, but it would shift the blame and give him the chance to make it right.

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stuckonswan · 6 years ago

Text

The Inn of Senrof, Act II

And there we have it! The second part of my Big Bang Story had been posted. Again thank you to @ts-storytime for creating and running this Big Bang. It has been an honor to be apart of it.

Click here for Act I

Click here for the art done by @zennyo

Click here for the art done by @lady-literature

Trigger Warnings: Blood, death, injury, anxiety, panic, manipulation

Virgil

Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind

-Nathaniel Hawthorne

It was a rude awakening for Virgil, the sunlight harshly coming in through the uncovered curtains and directly into his eyes. He blinked away rest, standing and stretching as he looked around. Roman still slept easy and for this, Virgil breathed a small sigh of relief. It had been startling when he had heard Roman shouting, even more startling when he saw Roman’s eyes wandering over his body looking for injuries that weren’t there. He had just moved out of bed, wandering towards his boots when a knock sounded at the door and Roman sat straight up, hands reaching for his lyre.

“I’m awake!” He shouted, blinking away sleep as Virgil went to open the door.

“Yes, Roman and now the whole inn knows you’re awake. Or at least they will if you keep shouting like that.” Virgil smothered a grin, opening the door to see the new addition of their group, Logan, sipping on a steaming mug of coffee with a tired smile.

“Morning to the both of you, I’m sure you slept well?” he looks between the two and waits for the nods they both give him. “Excellent, we’ll be leaving soon so if you could join me down in the bar I’d be appreciative.” Ice clung to his voice and it made Virgil wince at how unemotional, almost mechanical, he sounded. It was as if he was hoping to turn them away from the quest.

“We’ll be down within the next ten minutes.” His response was short, irritation spiked through the words but it was enough. Logan gave a small, polite nod and turned on his heel, away from the room. Virgil closed the door and leaned his head against it for two breaths. Three.

“Are you alright, shadow?” Roman called from his side of the room, already changing into his clothes for the day. The man in question peeled his head off the cool wood of the door with a soft groan.

“I’m fine. Just wish that our new partner treated us more like companions and less like nuances.” Looking back over his shoulder he sees Roman, adjusting the circlet on his head, fingering the golden leaves that adorne the delicate metal. Stifling a snicker, Virgil moves to his own corner and is dressed within the next five minutes.

How they got there seemed like a blur, the remainder of the time in the room hazy as they packed up what little belongings they had brought. The hardest part of leaving the room was prying Roman, who had suddenly got hit with a wave of exhaustion and tried to sleep a few minutes more.

By the time they had gotten down the stairs, it felt like forever. They weren’t staying there another night, and though it had taken some time to get to the bar, it felt as if they just pulled all of their things up to their room. Time seemed to stop in this weathered old inn, he noticed. If Virgil entered the inn a decade later, he could swear he would see the same weathered bartender and the same patrons. It was timeless.

The moment they stepped into the still sleepy tavern, Logan descended upon them, eyeing the pair before glancing back up the stairs. “Patton was not in the room this morning, so I suspect he went to look at the board early this morning. He would be sat at the table already with anything new.” he spoke quietly and almost as afterthought adds, “If there were any.” Logan told them as they went down the stairs, but when they got to the last step, they saw the chairs still stacked over the tables, Patton nowhere in sight.

“Where is he?” Roman asked, depositing his things onto the floor by the table they had sat at the night before, Virgil following suit, clasping the cloak around his neck with his newly freed hands.

“Maybe he’s still out back?” the shadowdancer suggested, looking towards the others with a shrug. Of all the things to be doing this early in the day, searching for a missing party member was the least ideal. Yet he couldn’t just not go. Gods forbid he makes Logan more irritable than he already is.

Logan looked towards the exit, “Only one way to find out, you coming?” He started towards the back, glancing over his shoulder to make sure they followed.

“Since when did he become our leader.” Virgil murmured under his breath, moving forwards to fall into step behind Logan, Roman by his side.

“You can’t tell?” Roman whispered besides him, looking both at him and the man in front of them.

“Tell what?” Virgil eyed the man in question. He was tall, dressed in deep navy robes with gray swirls and designs. Along his left arm were the markings of a wizard and on the left was a wound wrapped in strips of cloth. “He seems like every other Mage we’ve ever met. What is there to notice?”

Roman snickered at Virgil, much to his annoyance. “It’s the way he holds himself, Shadow. He’s a noble. The reason he seems so eager to lead us is probably due to the fact he’s told servants what to do his entire life. Why would adventuring be any different?”

The sudden realization hit Virgil, now aware of how Logan held himself. It was as if he was walking through a room with every single eye on him at once. The thought of that alone made his skin crawl but Logan seemed to survive just fine with the attention, even going through the motions that the people still gaped at him in a lonely, empty tavern.

In the end Roman and Virgil joined Logan in walking out to the back of the building. Virgil had yet to raise his hood as they left the room, so he took the opportunity as they moved, drawing his tattered hood up and over his face to keep the rising sun away from his eyes.

When the 3 of them emerged into the small town square, all six eyes locked onto Patton, his golden armor searing through the mist of the early morning like a lighthouse in a storm. He was holding the pages of the quests, staring at them with an attention that couldn’t be broken. It was evident about that when Logan started to call the other’s name and he didn’t answer.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t him, the board wasn’t that far away so despite the wind, he should have heard his name being called. Almost instantly, chills erupted down the shadowling’s arms. Pulling his cloak tighter to his body, he watched the exchange between Logan and Patton.

It wasn’t till Patton started describing the figure that Virgil included himself in the conversation, immediately going rigid when he felt the coin, suddenly too heavy for his pocket. Everything was a blur until he murmured the words that send a shock through the foursome’s bodies, as if they had been struck by lightning.

“That is the symbol of Skotos Sythos, patron God of assassins.” Virgil stuck the coin deep into his pocket once again. “He must have needed us for this quest. No one has seen him on this plane since the first shadows were created, dark touching the light as he walked.” he recited the story from memory, the only stories he heard for the first several months of his indoctrination to the league.

“Well then I propose we run as far away from this quest as we can.” Roman interjects, a small, apologetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry but I don’t know how I feel running favors for the god of assassins. No offense, Shadow.”

Virgil represses the anger he so badly wants to unleash on his partner, instead settling for a cold stare. “It’s a god. Doesn’t matter which god, Roman. I don’t want to risk sudden death by not doing exactly as he wants.” To him, it seemed like common sense. Afterall, the gods were beings of thought, of pure energy that would burn the eyes out of a human skull should they so wish. Nothing made his skin crawl more than the thought of disobeying a god. His god. Roman was a different story, made obvious when he rolled his eyes.

“Oh come now Shadow, leave the eccentricities to yours truly. You’re being irrational. We could be risking our lives going.”

“And we could be risking our lives not going Roman!” the words came out sharper than he intended, nearing a shout when he suddenly became aware of the two newer members of the party that stood barely ten feet away.

Patton and Logan watched, intrigued and startled as the pair fought in front of them. When Virgil looked towards them his eyes narrowed and like a gushing stream the words flowed from his mouth, each one more anger tipped than the last.”And how about you two? Honestly think it’s a sign of wisdom, ignoring the orders of a god?”

Patton gazed down at him, a small frown on his face that crinkled the skin on his forehead. “Kiddo, take a breath. No one is angry with you here. Please, let us talk it out like adults in the inn, instead of the children you’re both impersonating.” A sharp glare is thrown at Roman, so quick Virgil almost misses it. “Now, let us order a pint of ale and we can discuss what our plan of action is.”

With an unsteady nod from each member, they head inside.

Once they were all seated and had plenty to eat and drink, aside from Patton for the eating portion, the discussions didn’t go very well. Roman continued to pester Virgil about not going, the young shadowdancer only getting more and more heated as the argument went on.

“It is too dangerous! We cannot risk our lives by going!” Roman shouted, glaring down at Virgil. His back was straight and his hood was down and off, body heating up so much it almost gave off the same effect as Patton’s chestplate.

“Then you stay here with them and I will go!” How dare you act like this. You’re my partner, asshole.

He rose and grabbed his things, heading towards his room that was still booked at the inn. Patton sprang from the table and ran after Virgil, making it just before the other slammed the door shut. “Virgil!”

“What Patton?!” Virgil responded with a loud and harsh voice, throwing his things on the bed and unpacking all of it so he could get at his knives and holder.

“What are you doing?” the Paladin asked, standing beside him, watching as he almost tears his bag apart finding his things.

“I am leaving to do the missions alone since no one seems to realize how dangerous it is to not do them.” The anger was still held in his voice, but the loudness that was once there got channelled into how fast he was speaking.

“No!” Patton blurted out. “You can’t go alone!” He grabbed onto Virgil’s arm, trying to tug it away from where he was placing the knives into their holders.

Virgil ripped his arm away and looked at the other. “Oh yeah, and why not?” Crossing his arms, the man glared up at him. “What is so bad about leaving on my own?”

Patton stuttered, not knowing how he should word that if he were to go alone more danger would be upon him. He knew Virgil would trust what he said if he told him that his God said it, but for some reason the words weren’t forming.

“Exactly,” Virgil scoffed, continuing to place the knives. “You have no argument, no sway in my mind. I can, and will, go alone. No one is going to stop me.”

The door suddenly burst open, Logan and Roman piling in. Well, it was more so that Logan was tugging Roman into the room and ushering him forwards and towards Virgil. “Do it,” Logan commanded.

Virgil paid almost no attention to them, finishing strapping on the last of his knives. He began to pack his things again, only now he was carelessly throwing things into the bag so it didn’t all fit. With a loud groan he threw his bag down and wound his fingers into his hair.

“Virgil, calm down,” Roman spoke slowly and calmly, reaching a hand out and gently placing it on his shoulder.

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down!” Virgil swung around, knocking his hand off of him. “I always go on every adventure that you want to go on. We rarely go ones that I need to go on.” He breathes heavily. “This is a single fucking quest that we can all participate in and that is so important to me, and you won’t do it. Maybe this grouping wasn’t a mistake. Maybe it was just you and I that were a mistake.”

Without grabbing his things, Virgil pushed his way through the three of them, running downstairs and back into the inn, disappearing to the back and sitting behind one of the posts. It was obvious that he was there, the posts weren’t that large, but he was able to get away for a bit and calm down.

Virgl tucked his knees to his chest, resting his head in them as he breathed deeply. He needed to calm down, it had been so long since he had felt this angry, years probably.

This whole thing is so important for him. The journey and the challenge and everything about it is something he holds dear to him, and for Roman to cast it aside as if it were nothing hurt. Roman is his friend, someone that chose him to be his partner and someone that Virgil has helped for years. They had each others back, so why in this moment does Roman not have his?

The sound of footsteps behind him cause him to curl tighter around himself. He knew they would come find him, he knew that they would convince him to go inside and to not go on the trip, that it wasn’t safe to do it alone. He didn’t care. He was doing it whether or not they agreed to it.

A figure stooped down in front of him, a white tunic showing through the little gaps where his arm didn’t cover his eyes. Roman.

“Virgil,” the bard says softly, placing a hand on the other’s knee. “Please look at me.” Virgil was hesitant to look up, knowing that his face looked like an absolute mess from the crying he had been doing, but when he raised his face to look at the other he was met with a soft and caring face, rather than the anger filled ne he saw before.

“I’m sorry,” Roman apologizes, slowly uncurling the man from himself. “But, if we do go, we need a gameplan.” He sighs and grabs Virgil’s hands, holding them tight and rubbing the back of them. “This means alot to you, so we’ll do it okay?”

Virgil nodded, tearing up more before throwing his arms around his friend and hugging tight. Roman could be as jerk at times, but he was his jerk.

It only took minutes for them to pack the clothes that Virgil had threw into the bag, meeting at the inn floor for the final time of their stay. They had made him sit aside while they tugged everything out of his bag and repacked it, making sure everything fit. Roman fixed his makeup, as the eyeshadow and eyeliner he caked under his eyes became streams of black down his face.

Virgil strapped his bandelier to his body, mindful of the many knives it held pressed to his skin. Once he was well armed, layers of fabric wrapped around his waist and arms to keep the chill of winter away from his body. The final touch was his worn hooded cloak, reaching for it to see Patton eyeing the ruined fabric and pressing the velvet between his fingers

“Why do you keep this?” he asks, no trace of disgust in his voice as he ran his fingers over the holes that littered the hood. “It has holes and slashes on it.” Patton looked up at the other as he shrugs.

“It’s a reminder that I am still here. Every one of those holes is a reminder of the journeys I’ve been through.” Virgil sat in front of Patton, gently running his hands over the fabric as well. It had been awhile since he really looked at the fabric, he never realized how many holes there really was.

“I can fix it for you,” Patton told him, looking up at the shadowdancer. “I don’t have black patches, but I have purple plaid. It could match the inside of it.” There was a hopeful sound to his voice, hoping that Virgil would say yes and let him sew it together once again. Fix all the seams that came undone.

Virgil looked over the holes again, and it would be nice to not have the wind blow through them, to be warmer when he crossed through the mountains. He had said no to so many people that wanted to fix it for him, but all held out black fabric, one that would cover all the journeys he went through. Patton wanted to keep those there, so you could still see how much he’d grown since taking the mantle from his master. Still, he thought back on his first day, a shiver making its way up his spine and down his arms.

Virgil was thrown to the floor for the fourth time that day, his master pacing in front of him and clicking her tongue, tutting at him in disapproval. Kissing the floor, he stayed down, panting from the effort of his training and angry from the failed attempt at phasing into the darkness. “I can’t do it, Master. The shadows won’t obey.” He glared at the dark corners of the training room, watching the dark shadows swirl around him. They were laughing at him he was sure of it. He tried to stand and was suddenly pulled by his shirt to face his master, her eyes dark purple with rage. Darkness swirled around the palm twisting his shirt, her nails cutting into the fabric like butter.

“They have no reason to obey you as it is not your job to make them obey. You must only make them listen to you. They are the true masters and you are but a humble servant to them. Means of entertainment.” She twisted the fabric of his shirt even tighter around her fist until he was kneeling at her feet.

“Bu- but master I am trying. They won’t listen.”

“Do you think they listened to me as I walked through the shadow plane? I walked through the shifters and the shadows, learning their secrets to become your teacher and you want to give up because it is hard?” She shoved him back to the floor and he fell hard, his wrists aching from trying to brace himself. Ellianna went back to standing over him. “Try harder. Get up and we dance again.”

The work was grueling, the footwork difficult and easy to ruin with the wrong step or jump. Yet he loved it. The boy who never wanted to work hard was enjoying his training. It was how he knew he was doing something he loved. As he fell to the floor the second time that night, his master fell beside him, dizzy from their dance.

“You have much to learn if you desire my place in the guild.” he opened his mouth to object but her stare silenced him and she continued, “However, today you were exemplary. Now sleep, child. We work again at sunrise.”

“Virgil? Kiddo, I’m gonna start on the cloak now, is that okay?” Patton’s voice, gentle and concerned, startled him from the memory. Like broken glass it shattered, leaving him gasping for breath.

“I’m...what were we talking about?” Virgil said between pants, taking in air like it was his favorite drink. “The cloak?”

“Yes! It shouldn’t take more than the ride upwards.” Quickly moving past the odd moment between the two, Patton held his hand out expectantly, waiting for Virgil to slide the cloak into his arms.

Just as he was about to do so, fingers reaching for the clasp at his throat, a small voice in the back of his head stopped him. But what if you need it? The voice argued. Instead, Virgil gave a small smile and reached forward to curl Patton’s fingers back into the hand they belonged to. “Let us survive this quest, then we shall talk about the change.”

Patton drops his arm, a small shrug accompanying the awkward fall of his arm. “As you wish. Now come along, the mountain awaits.”

The trip up the mountain was largely uneventful, cold kissing their skin with frost and ice as they dashed through the winter wind on horseback. Virgil kept his mask firmly pressed against his nose and mouth, relishing in the small warmth the mask brought his nose with every breath. Still, gooseflesh appeared rapidly on his skin as they rode on and in that moment, he regretted not having Patton patch his cloak.

Logan was sharing a horse with his partner in heroism, begrudgingly holding him by the waist. Warmth seemed to project out from the armor of the paladin, snow and ice melting instantly against the glowing surface of his armor, warmth Virgil was sure Logan was enjoying. Hell, if he had any more self confidence and less dignity than he already possessed, Virgil was sure he too would be clinging to the silvery-orange light as well.

It was several hours before any progress was made finding the damned entrance to the cave, Roman complaining loudly about this fact as the others paid him no attention, eyes peeled for the entrance.

“I see nothing, it was most likely a trick. Something to waste our time with. Don’t you agree shadow?” Roman gazed across the way at his partner. Virgil went to respond when suddenly he felt a lurch below him, Sombra attempting to throw him off in fear. She would have succeeded too had Virgil not dug his heels deep into the muscle of Sombra’s back legs.

“Stop!” He shouted ahead of him without need. The others had long since stopped, moving quickly through the snow in his direction. Roman threw himself off the horse he sat upon, a rented mare from Senrof, and sprinted best he could through the foot of snow that lay upon the ground. Why is he so worried, it’s nothing more than an ice patch. It wasn’t until he felt snow fill his boots that he realized what the others had seen instantaneously. Virgil was sinking, the earth around them shifting and moving underneath as if they had done so wrong, the gods themselves were attempting to swallow them whole.

“Virgil! Get off of her!” Roman screamed, voice sounding as if it was 30 feet underwater. Anxiety swelled within him, the steady heartbeat he once had now roaring in his ears. His eyesight blurred, the concerned gazes of his friends now melting into the snow. Everything was melting, he was melting and if any gods were listening, he hoped they heard his prayers.

Gods save me. The snow was at his knees

What do I do? At his chest.

How can I get out? Around his neck.

Who’s gonna save me? He took one more scared, gasping breath and was under, the snow shifting under his weight. The warmth of Sombra, the only grounding tool he had in this moment, gone from under his body.

Pressure took over his body on all sides as the mountain swallowed him whole. He opened his mouth to scream and suddenly he was falling, any noise long since ripped away from his mouth. Is this how it ends?

Logan

I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.

-Socrates

What just happened? The entire side of the mountain had crumpled away, leaving a gap in the ground three men across. Virgil had sunken to the depths of the cavern and Logan stood frozen, trying to wrap his brain around the scene before him.

Patton had Roman in a hold, arms behind his back down on his knees, to keep him from joining Virgil. They knew not how deep the hole was nor did they know if Virgil had survived the fall. While the paladin couldn’t save Virgil, Logan knew he would do his best to keep everyone else safe. It was his fatal flaw, the kindness he gave to everyone he met. A flaw they very much needed in this moment.

“Roman, we’ll get him back but we must think logically about this. We cannot just drop down into the cavern not knowing the depths it goes to.” Logan walked to the edge of the cavern, kicking up snow as he went. It was a dark drop, confirming his fears that they did not know how far the drop was.

“We’ve gotta get down there. He’s down there all by himself Logan,” Roman rushed out, his breath still heavy as he weakly tried to go down after his friend. Patton kept a hold on him as he looked at his partner who begun to pace in the snow, thinking of how they could get down there.

They were beside a once mountain that had caved in, there were no trees or rocks around that they could attach a rope to, no way to slide down a small hill into it and make it safely. There seemed no way to actually get down there besides falling.

Roman managed to break free from Patton’s grasp and go to the edge of the hole, skidding to a stop as the snow surrounded it dusted deep into the drop. Logan was sure that if he had not caught Roman’s arm he would have slid in and dropped in after Virgil.

“There has to be a way to get down there,” Roman shouted out to no one in particular and shook Logan’s arm off of him, glancing around the giant hole. Spotting a swirling object on the opposite wall, Logan made his way around. Getting down on his hands and knees, he called Patton over and hung onto his hand, swinging his legs out over the chasm.

Exhilarating. The first words Logan could focus on as he hung over the edge, Patton’s grip rock solid on his arm. The air pulled at his body, attempting to draw him into the bottom of the pit they had unseemingly stumbled across. Ignoring the tug in his gut, Logan touched the dark swirling object at his hands. Almost instantly, the chasm started shifting, changing before his very eyes. Patton pulled him up immediately upon seeing the changes done to the opening in front of him.

Gorgeous black obsidian stairs appeared, spiraling their way down the now smoother pit. Torches lighting themselves every few feet as the stairs trekked deep into the darkness of the pit, too far down for them to see the bottom. Logan stood with his team in shock, mouth hanging open in surprise.

“Well...I believe you figured out how we get down there. Good job, Lo.” Patton stammered, impressed by what he had just witnessed.

“I dislike this, what if it’s all a trap? The entrance alone seems too elaborate for an old cave. Someone wants us down here.” Yes, the stairs were glamorous and a worthy sight to see. However, glamor was not something he expected on a forgotten mountain. It reeked of danger. Getting that through Roman’s skull however, would prove to be the first in a long line of difficult tasks.

“It doesn’t matter!” Roman cried as he hustled to undo a small satchel attached to his bigger bag. “Virgil is down there and that is a way down there. We got what we wanted.” He secured the bag to his body, taking the lute from it to cradle in his arms. “I won’t just stand here while he’s down here. If it’s a trap, so be it. I won’t let Virgil face it alone.” Without a single glance back at the pair behind him, Roman stepped onto the first step. Logan watched his cloak billow out across his back as he descended into the darkness below.

“We can’t let them go alone, Logan. Let’s go.” Patton’s voice is definitive, leaving no room for argument.

Logan rolls his eyes, a small spark of flame coming to life at his fingertips. “Shall we go collect those idiots? Perhaps make some messes of our own along the way?” Despite the obvious severity of the situation, he couldn’t help but smile. Patton had the same idea, a grin making its way across his face.

“My thoughts exactly. Now, come along.” Patton grabbed what he needed and started to follow Roman down the steps, Logan quickly following suit. The walls of the cave were as dark as the stairs beneath their feet, leaving them with the illusion they had fallen into nothing. In some ways, we have. Neither of them talked, Patton led the way down his armor like a beacon in the night though his head was bent in an awkward angle. It didn’t take a genius to realize he was praying. Hell, he would be praying to if he thought the gods would help him in this instance. So they remained in a deafening silence, only broken by the occasional wail of wind echoing throughout the grand staircase.

In reality the walk lasted no more than an hour, yet Logan could barely breathe from the physical exertion it demanded of him, legs shaking. His robes were moist from condensation and his forehead was beaded with droplets of sweat. “Remind me again why I thought this was a good idea? The idea of going back up all those stairs makes me feel ill.”

Patton gave a soft chuckle, the energy in his voice bouncing off the cavern walls. “It is because you are a mage, Logan. While you may be fire at magic,” He interrupted himself to laugh as Logan rolled his eyes, “you have no muscle. I’m surprised your legs lasted as long as they did.”

Logan swallowed hard, nodding. “Well then, onwards and downwards I suppose. No sign of Roman or Virgil. Yet.”

“Turn around and you’ll find what you seek.” The calming voice behind him did nothing for Logan’s nerves, jumping a foot in the air. He pivoted on his feet, hands ready to cast whatever spell on the tip of his tongue before-

“I’m happy you’re safe!” Patton’s voice, too loud for a stealth mission, roared. He to had been startled but quickly moved on seeing their partners relatively unharmed despite the fall Virgil had taken.

Logan cleared his throat, lowering his hands with a small nod in the men’s direction. “It is quite the miracle you survived the drop, Virgil. Might I ask how?” Virgil sniffled, moving his head to the side. The tear tracks on his face were as obvious as the large scrape across his cheek, blood and tears mixing together. The kohl he kept smudged around his eyes had escaped its boundaries and traced alongside his nose and cheeks.

“I moved into the shadows.” he started, sniffling again, “Jumped to the bottom of the cavern that way. But I couldn’t save Sombra.” There was a moment of silence, initiated mostly by Patton, the foursome only listening to Virgil’s small sounds of sadness.

After a minute of the silence, Logan sucked in a deep, awkward breath. “So, shall we continue on.” It took longer than he would have liked but slowly, the others came out of their silence, murmuring under their breath and nodding along to Logan’s words.

“Where do you suggest we go? I’m sure you’ve noticed by now the doors.” Virgil waves his hand in a sweeping motion, pivoting on his feet to show the four doors, placed in the four cardinal directions on a compass, embossed with a scripted gold letter above each door, so one did not get lost in the spirals of the stairs.

“Of course I noticed them,” he hadn’t, “I was merely trying to think. Logically, now that we have you, we should move back up the stairs and away from this mountain. I see no point in continuing now that we know you’re safe.” He moved towards the stairs only to be jerked back by an iron tight hand on his shoulder.

“We’re going to complete this Logan. You said it yourself, someone wants us down here. I don’t trust the stairs to not collapse as we ascend, taking us down with them.” Patton releases him, pulling him towards the shiny metallic armor and away from the glossy black stairs, now more ominous than inviting.

Logan brushed himself off, irritation rumbling in his gut as if a herd of mice were let loose in his body. I’m supposed to be the smart one. “Very well. Then I say we head into the mountain, through the eastern door?” Confidence shaken, the statement molded into a question and he winced internally at the realization. “Sound good?” Everyone nodded in agreement, grabbing any dropped bags before moving forwards towards the door with a golden “E” stamped above the door.

They moved onwards, heading deeper into the cold underground, away from the beautiful onyx staircase and into the depths of the dungeon below. Logan stayed at the back of the party, wisely allowing Virgil to move to the front should they come across any traps. He braved one last glance back to the entrance they had just left behind and saw the room flicker, like a dying fire still clinging to the last of its embers, before vanishing entirely. A stone wall was to his back now, no proof that the room he’d walked to had any exits other than the one in front of them.

Clearing his throat, Logan grabbed everyone’s attention. “The only known way out has vanished.” He jerked his head back towards the stone wall behind him and ignored their confused faces, “We need to be careful, and vigilant. There are other powers at play here. Powerful ones. I would prepare yourselves, only the best is going to do us any good down here.” Shivers went up the groups spines, the cold interior of the hallway grew to a new level of cold. Ice crept along the walls for mere moments before shattering onto the floor.

With the subtlety of a bull -and intellect to match- Roman swung around to gape at the opening of the exit, eyes wide at seeing the full extent of their situation. “Logan, how will we get out if the only entrance we know of is 300 feet in the air behind a stone wall?”

Logan raised an eyebrow in surprise. To him, the question was as obvious as the answer and it was very much par for the course that Roman not understand either. “Well-”

He began only for Virgil to take the words from his mouth, as easily as he breathed.

“We don’t. We’re trapped down here and the only way out is through.” The group had long since continued walking, leaving the stone wall several feet back before Virgil jerked to a stop, halting the party.

“Is there a problem, Virgil?” Logan tapped his foot, scrunching his nose as he waited.

“Tripwire, almost missed it. The wire is very thin, fragile looking to. I don't think I can disable it but I don’t want to leave it armed in case we need to run back this way.”

“Sounds like a problem you don’t have the solution for, shadow.” Roman piped up, a playful smile on his face that drew a similar one across Virgil’s almost instantly.

“Well, I have an idea. You guys won’t like it.” Virgil glanced back at the party, eyes landing on Logan. Is he asking my permission? Giving a hesitant nod, Virgil looked back at the two excluded from the exchange and took a shaky breath. “I’m going to trip this. Stand back and on my count, hit the floor as fast as you can.” Observing the younger man, Logan saw his hands, bunched in the cloak before smoothing it over with shaking hands.

“You sure you’re up for this? You’re shaking.” Logan pushed past the others to aid Virgil but was stopped by a hand, two inches from his chest.

“I’m fine, Logan. I studied for things like this in the league. It’s just not something I enjoy doing. The risk factor is just a little too rich for my blood.” He crouched to the floor, leather gloves reaching for the thin wire. Logan moved to the floor and onto his stomach preemptively kissing the ground before he was forced to the floor by whatever Virgil tripped. Roman and Patton followed suit.

Glancing up from his place on the floor, Logan observed the shadowling. He began to gaze at the trap in front of him, studying it as if it were an intricate puzzle, Well I suppose for someone like him, it is, Logan mused. Then, he stood from his crouched position, and snuck his foot underneath the space where the wire lay. Then, so quick he almost missed it, Virgil brought his foot up to touch the wire before continuing forwards on that foot, hitting the floor just in the nick of time. On all sides, arrows began to fly. Had they -Virgil- not caught the trap, everyone would surely be dead.

“Well, that was an interesting experience. I vote we never do that again.” Logan spoke, voice muffled from the floor as he peeled his face away from the stone tiles.

“Seconded, I almost broke my skull against the stones.” Roman sounded from behind, irate he had to drop to the floor.

“Well maybe if you had dropped the floor more gracefully,” Virgil began before being slugged in the arm by Roman. “What the-”

“Okay! Let’s not get into this. Virgil, excellent job on the trap. Roman, how about we let him continue so we may exit this dungeon in one piece?” Ever the diplomat, Patton pulled them apart, snaking an arm around Roman’s waist and pulling so he walked by the paladin.

Better he deal with them than I. Logan mused in his head. Had he pulled them apart, they’d all be shouting. Having no patience for stupidity was as much a vice as it was a virtue. He stood to full height and rolled his shoulders back, addressing the group around him. “Well then, onwards and outwards? Virgil, I agree with Patton. You should take the front. I’ll follow behind.” No one questioned him and they were once again moving on.

It was a slow process, and there were several close calls as Virgil disarmed the traps. Several hours seemed to pass before the cavern hollowed out again. Glossy black stairs appeared again before the travelers and Logan let out a long groan at the sight. “We’re back where we started.”

The resounding groans came after like an echo. “Honestly maybe we should just give up. Nothing this cave could offer is worth dying for.” Roman spoke up, leaning on the walls.

Logan opened his mouth to agree, beg Patton to leave up the stairs the way we came, but was shut down when Virgil spoke up.

“You’re right, nothing down here is worth dying for. But how do we know those stairs aren’t certain death waiting to happen. We should pick a new path, now that the one to the east is no longer available to us.”

Looking around, Logan saw he was correct. The 4 now only faced with 3 more options, the door they just came from was no longer there. Just a flat black wall, as if the tunnel had never existed in the first place. The room was tense, emotions so thick they could be cleaved with an axe as they considered abandoning this and returning up the flight of stairs, but they knew that this adventure was worth travelling through. Besides, Logan could feel the negative magic around the stairs if he focused on them. It was dark. Not reliable.

“Which next?” Virgil asked, adjusting his clothing and scanning the doors. “We got 3 options.”

Logan sighs heavily, glancing at their options. “Perhaps West? Go underneath the city and to the other mountain?” He looked towards them, earning a nod from each. “Can we take a break?” Patton asked, slumping against a wall.

“Probably not a wise decision,” Virgil spoke before Logan could, catching his attention. “It isn’t nice to keep gods waiting.”

“Well then, I suppose we try this path?” Logan swept his hand to the west, allowing Virgil to go first once more. Single file they moved down the next hallway, already different than the original one they had fled down.

This one had walls of white marble with a floor to match, as if they had stepped into a different world. No one spoke and in the strange whiteness, the silence seemed so much louder than any conversation Logan could think of. Even his own thoughts stilled in the room and a feeling of unease washed over the mage, filling him with nausea and discontent.

They moved through the hall quickly despite the endless illusion the white walls gave off and soon they arrived in a large cavernous room. It was harsh to gaze at after so long in the white and Logan turned away with a wince at the sight of it. “It seems we’ve come across a new room, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Well if I could see it I would. The hallway did nothing but hinder my eyesight.” Roman shielded his eyes, mimicking the others as they stepped into the room.

“Well, it certainly looks different.” Logan commented slowly, looking around as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. The rest followed suit and soon all eyes could see the cavern they had stumbled upon.

It was a dim room, only lit by a scattering pattern of torches and Patton’s armor. It was a natural cavern and any feeling of natural stopped there. It felt wrong. Logan never chose to trust the feelings bubbling his gut. However in this instance, it was the only thing he could here. Get out, Get Out, GET OUT.

The feelings were overwhelming and Logan turned, desperate to leave, and smacked face first into the wall. His head made a sickening thwack as it connected to white marble. The exit had closed. They were trapped in the room.

“Scared Logan? The room to much for your giant brain? Or maybe your ego can’t fit.” Patton was laughing at him and just like that, the mage’s spine went ridgid. In the years he had known the older man, he never once teased Logan. And he would never, make fun while Logan was so clearly frightened. It was wrong. It was then he realized how much darker the room and become. For the first time since they had met, Patton’s armor gave no heat, it’s glow not present in this room.

Roman was snickering as well, and just like that Virgil had moved towards Logan. “I dislike what this room does to me. We need to find a way out of it.” The assassin’s words were hollow, a mask over the gaggle of emotions he was sure to be feeling.

Swallowing hard, Logan nodded. “We need to find a way out.”

As if the gods themselves were against this idea, one god in particular he noted, smoke began to fill the room and soon they were shrouded in it. The smoke became all consuming until even trying to see Patton, who was only a mere foot away, became a burden. Not that I want to see you anyways, Logan thought. Something was wrong with his partner and he knew not what. Pulling the magic from his body, he took a deep breath and sunk his eyes into the veil of magic.

The smoke glowed with a bright gold magic, as did the eyes of Roman and Patton. It was strong, godly in origin. “What is this Sythos? Reaching for us through our friends to ensure you make it out unscathed?” His hands remained at his sides, refusing to do any sorts of damage to them. To him, he corrected. It wasn’t his friends anymore. They had been taken over.

Roman smirked, barely noticeable through the smoke and Virgil sucked in a breath next to him. “Why I’ve come to tell you your quest, wasn’t that the point of this...I’m sorry what did you call the first mission? A test run?” he picked at his nails, unamused.

Patton’s voice rang through the air and Logan stiffened as Sythos continued speaking through his friend, as if the transition from one to another had never happened. “Seems a difficult challenge, for a trial run I mean. Will you be able to withstand it?” Patton’s body shook with laughter, the form becoming clearer as the smoke unwound around their bodies. He wants us to see this, the sick bastard.

Logan turned away, unable to face his friend as he kept speaking with words that didn’t belong to him. “Stop this madness and let us through. We shall do what you ask if you tell us, your mind games are of no use here.”

“We seek the idol, bring it to us in the final room, only those with mortal blood may take the idol from its resting place. You shall bring it to us if you want any hope of leaving here alive. Now scatter, before things in the room become...interesting.” In unison they spoke, the words mixing with a third. It was a deeper voice that was soothing, yet still sent Logan’s skin crawling. Virgil had long since left the conversation, mentally that is, gazing down at the floor and shaking his head mindlessly.

“Done. I’ll do what you ask. Now leave their bodies.” Logan tried to bring power to his voice but even then it felt weak compared to the power of three that was in front of him.

They laughed, the third voice once again pouring from their bodies. “As you wish.”

Like a lantern being lit, the problems were over as soon as they begun. The smoke dissipated from the room and the pair slumped to the floor, eyes rolling into the backs of their heads. Logan was too stunned to catch them and they fell to the cavern floor with a disturbing thunk, followed by some painful groaning.

“I feel as if my brain’s been yanked through my nose.” Roman spoke, sitting up onto his knees as Patton rolled over onto his back. Both men were bleeding, Patton from a gash across the forehead and Roman from his nose, the mass of flesh sitting crooked on his face.

“I feel the same, as if someone robbed me of my mind for a few seconds.” Patton sat up, the cut bleeding down his face and into his eyes. Once again his armor was glowing. If it wasn’t for the blood maring his childish face, Logan would assume nothing had ever happened. Unfortunately, this was something Logan was sure he’d never forget.

“You were under the control of Skotos Sythos it seems. He’s been playing with us this entire time.” His voice broke, the fear crawling up his throat like a demon escaping hell until he forced it back down to the pit of his stomach. “We need to just give him what he demands, pray that this nightmare ends.”

Virgil nodded, tears staining his face. The kohl around his eyes was around his mouth now, smudged beyond recognition of where it was originally. He resembled a living corpse in every way, from the hollow look of his face to the blood covered scab on his cheek. “We need to move on, escape this hell before it takes anymore of us.”

“Once we get whatever he wants, we shall escape Shadow. It’s going to be okay.” Roman tried to sound reassuring as he stood, but Logan could tell no one believed in his statement.

Patton stood, the cut on his forehead closing shut as he heals it with his magic. “Onwards then? I feel you should explain properly what has conspired in our absence.”

Logan gulped, nodding. “Let us leave this room first, it’ll be much safer to explain as we walk.” He gestures towards the white marbled hall, unblocked by the wall there once was.

Bloodied and broken, they advanced, moving as far away from the room as they could. With each step Logan felt better though he still harbored fear in his gut. They appeared once more in the room of doors although the staircase was gone, only one door remaining. They stepped through, finding no more hallway of tricks. It was a room.

Elegance oozed over every aspect of the room they had stumbled across. Torches the size of a small hut burned around the room and in the center stood an empty throne.

The throne was the least elegant thing about the room, simple polished metal warped into a seat that vaguely resembled a thicket bush. Laid out in front of it, a table of tarnished wood stood draped in an embroidered gold and black cloth.

Logan dropped his hands, exhaustion seeping into every corner of his body until he could feel the throbbing ache of his muscles protest the use of magic. “This seems to be the room,we certainly have come to the end of his tricks. We must be in the right place.” His voice was tainted with relief. It was too good to be true.

Patton clicked his tongue in disapproval. “Let us keep our guard up, better guarded than ambushed.” The weapon he held carved light in the small patches of darkness, washing the area in more light than the torches could ever provide. He neglected to put his weapons down much to Logan’s thanks. If forced to cast even once, he was positive he’d combust. Not that he’d ever willfully admit it. “Now what is it we’re looking for?” The glowing knight shifted uncomfortably in his place, casting shadows across the smooth stone walls. “What did we say to you two while under his control?” Out of the two, Patton seemed the most disturbed as Logan recounted what had been said under the dark gods control.

Logan hesitated. “You said that there was an idol, hidden in the room. That if we wanted to live, we would bring it to your masters.”

Virgil kicked a lone stone off into the scattered shadows of the room. “One problem, you didn’t specify the location of the idol nor where your master is. One can assume Skotos is behind this, however, I know not where the fun loving bastard is.”

“Well perhaps we start with the throne? Afterall, all things of worth seem to collect around a king.” Roman walked along a lit path, up to the warped metal chair. Virgil kept in step alongside the bard, leaving Patton and Logan to follow behind.

“What does an idol even look like?” Patton turned to his partner, the question obviously asked at him.

“It could be anything really. Based on what I read it will hum with magic, since most idols are artifacts of the gods. It may look tarnished or damaged, in order to hide its true worth.” Logan gave the answer loud enough that the others could hear but kept his eyes on Patton.

“So a tattered old coin sitting in the middle of a deserted throne fit the description well enough?” Roman called back, moving forwards to scoop it up.

Logan’s stomach dropped into an abyss he didn’t know his body possessed as the next few seconds seemed to happen. It was too slow, everyone was too slow. Roman’s fingers touched the coin just as Virgil gave a shout.

“Roman stop! It could be-” his words were lost in the thundering explosion that shook the cavern walls. Logan felt his face knock against cool metal, and then he knew nothing but the swell of black that took over.

Roman

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

-Bob Marley

Pain. It was all consuming. Red hot in some places and cold throughout the rest of his body, he quickly grew accustomed to the agony and struggled to blindly push himself up off the ground. He opened his eyes, trained on the floor, the simple beaten gold coin still held firmly in his hand, magic pulsing throughout the metal. All this work for a simple piece of currency?

He should never had touched it. Never should have looked at it. The group should have gone down for Virgil and come straight back up those damned stairs. This shouldn’t have happened. Like lightning traveling down a sword, a shock went through his body. Virgil, where is Virgil. The other man had been right at his side when he reached for the idol.

Trying to blink away the haziness that ecompased his vision, Roman was able to see Virgil barely an arm’s length away, struggling to stand just like he had been. The blast sent them back as Roman had ran to try and grab the idol, pushing past his team mates. Virgil had tried to stop him a moment too late and it showed in his body. His clothing was in tatters, the cloak he always wore miraculously intact. It was what he focused on, all he could focus on that wasn’t bloody or mared.

Before being sent flying to the back of the room, Roman heard a shriek of his name and then nothing, his vision turning black. It must’ve been Virgil, trying to keep him from killing them all.

Virgil attempted to stand again but crumpled to the floor within seconds, a small gasp of pain escaping his mouth that slammed Roman back into the present. Reaching a hand out, he gripped Virgil’s arm tugging him close as hard as he could and making the other fall beside him.

“R-Roman...why did you grab it?” Virgil whimpered out, coughing afterwards into his palm, now stained crimson against his shredded leather gloves.

“I’m sorry my shadow… I didn’t think. Now, let me help you.” Roman shut his eyes and blocked out Virgil’s confused words, only to turn to desperate pleas when Roman started to sing. It was beautiful but awful, a soothing melody told through a rough voice. The last song he’d sing for his shadow and he couldn’t even bring himself to sing it right. It wasn’t what Virgil deserved but it was all Roman could give in these last moments.

“Roman don’t. Please don’t! You don’t have enough energy!” Virgil cried, trying to shake the other to get him stop. But it was too late, the song finished and Virgil felt better, but Roman looked worse, pale and hollow.

“Roman! Why?!” he cried and moved to hold his partner close. Roman chuckled weakly. The cuts on Virgil were already healing, wounds knitting themselves back together as if they never happened. It put a smile on his face, knowing that at the very least he had saved someone.

“You’re my shadow… the day we met… I vowed to keep you safe… that won’t end now…” His voice was weak and slow, his breathing getting slower and shallower. No! This wasn’t supposed to end like this! Virgil cried harder.

“I-I love you Roman…” Virgil rasped out, looking at his friend. He dragged his hands over Roman’s hair, offering comfort in this last moment.

“I love you too my shadow.”

And with that final declaration, his eyes shut and his breathing stopped, all color draining from his face.

Virgil

We are dust and shadows

Virgil wept, broken sobs escaping his mouth. His dead partner, friend, his everything lay in his lap, eyes still open with a lopsided smile on his face. A shaky hand moved up, closing his eyes and stroking his hair. What did I do? Virgil felt awful. Hollow. This was his fault, he did this. It was his stupid idea to go looking and get sucked down that hole he barely survived, that his partner didn’t survive.

Partners. As if everything was against him, Virgil heard a loud scream coming from a few feet away, catching his attention. Looking over, he saw Patton and Logan in the same position he was, only Logan was slumped over Patton’s body, blood staining the cold, lifeless metal.

“Patton… no…” Logan cried again, clutching his partner's body close as blood mixed with the river of tears that were flowing down his face.

Try as he might, Virgil couldn’t bring himself to look away from Logan, desperately shaking Patton. It was no use. Before he could think more, a voice from the middle of the room caught the remaining men’s attention.

“Why thank you, young heroes.” The words rolled off his tongue as an insult and Virgil would have flinched had there been any more energy in his body. Above him Skotos Sythos, his god, was making his way over and grabbing the idol that sat in Roman’s limp hand.

“You should be proud to have found the idol. Not many people have survived the challenges of the caverns around us.” Virgil felt sick, tired. All the things you were supposed to feel when dying. Betrayal was the newest feeling, swelling in his stomach till it was all-consuming over his person. Despite the wounds and anxiety bubbling in his throat he moved Roman’s body to the floor and stood, face to face with his god.

“I worshiped you. I did everything you asked. For years. A decade and a half of my life wasted on you. And...and you killed them.” He broke on the last sentence, tears spilling over the waterline and running down his face. “For what? A stupid idol? Take it if you must, and leave before more blood is spilled.” Despite his efforts, he knew any threats would roll right off the bastard. He’s a god. What could you possibly do to him? This thought proved true when Skotos Sythos chuckled, low and smooth. It would have been comforting had Virgil not been so disgusted with his very presence.

“You are so young, so confused. You think you can defeat me? A god?” He laughed long and hard, the sounds bouncing off the walls. The god before him raised a hand and Virgil took in a breath, waiting for his death that would surely come…

And the god lowered his hand, taking in VIrgil’s form like a cat examining a lone canary. “You’re protected by my daughter I see. You wear her cloak afterall. I could not kill you while it rests on your skin so I shall spare you this time. But be warned, I don’t spare my enemies a second time. Heed this warning and go on with your life while it is still deemed worthy of living. Behind the god, a door of pure black appeared. Skotos Sythos gave one last chuckle, flipping his prize in his hand, before disappearing through the black. The door closed behind him and he collapsed to the floor, drained of all energy.

Virgil would get his revenge, no matter what. But now was not the time to think of that, there were more important things at hand. Like getting two bodies to the surface to bury.

Patton

Life doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints.

(It takes and it takes and it takes)

-Hamilton

He opened his eyes to a perfect sky, lush greenery underneath his feet. Sitting up, he saw the clearing he laid in, surrounded on all sides by tall oak trees. It was startling, trying to remember where he was, where he came from. It came back in short bursts.

The stairs, glossy and black.

Virgil and Logan, faces pale with fear as he bled from his head.

The explosion

His arms opening to grab Logan, protecting him from the shrapnel.

Black.

Patton took deep, needy breaths, looking around the world he had awoken to. That’s when two figures appeared at the treeline. His confusion settled, relief pouring over him. “My god, my goddess, what has happened here? Where am I?”

They smiled, the gods of earth and nature looking down upon him fondly. “We have much to discuss if you’re to return to the mortal realm.”

#sanders sides #sander side #logan sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #tw: dead body #tw: panic #tw: anxiety attack #tw: violence #tw: blood #TS-Storytime 2018 Submission #Hannah's shitty writing

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broomballkraken · 6 years ago

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Title: The Apocathary and The Dancer, Chapter 3: Warmth

Fandom: Octopath Traveler

Pairing: Alfyn/Primrose

Word count: 2775

Warnings: None

Summary: The town of Stillsnow left their bodies cold, and the events that went on there left their hearts even colder. Still, they managed to pull the warmth from each other to keep themselves from freezing solid.

After spending so many years in the Sunlands, Primrose had forgotten the look and feel of the snow, and found that she was ill prepared to combat the cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her skin in an attempt to warm herself up. H'aanit had asked Linde to scout ahead a bit up the path, and luckily they should reach the town of Stillsnow by the end of the day. She was determined to make it there as soon as possible, for she knew that at least one of the men who killed her father was there waiting for her to plunge her dagger into his chest.

“Hey, Prim?” She turned to find Alfyn standing next to her, his eyebrows creased and his lips turned downwards in a concerned frown. He had his vest in his hands, and he was holding it out towards her. “Here, take it. You look like you're freezing.”

She stared at the vest in his hand for a moment before shaking her head. “I do not want you to be inconvenienced due to my lack of proper planning. I am fine, Alfyn.” she said, but the sudden loud sneeze that erupted from her betrayed how she was really feeling.

Alfyn chuckled and continued to waved the vest in her direction. “Aw shucks, you should know better by now that to try and fool ol' Alfyn when it comes to your heath. I can see right through your tough act.” He opened the vest and moved behind Primrose, hovering it over her shoulders. “May I?” he asked, and a small smile crossed Primrose's face as she nodded slightly. Alfyn was a generous and kind man, but he could be incredibly stubborn, especially when it came to arguments about health related issues.

Primrose let slip a pleased sigh as Alfyn draped his vest over her shoulders, and the lingering warmth immediately made her feel better. His hands rested on her upper arms for a few moments, and she appreciated the added heat from them. She was surprised at how disappointed she was when he finally removed his hands, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the loss of heat, or the loss of his touch. Her face grew hot at the thought as she turned to face him.

“See, Prim? You look like you're feeling loads better already!” Alfyn said, a huge grin crossing his face. His smile was infectious, as Primrose couldn't help but smile brightly herself.

“Thank you. I hope you won't get too cold now.” Primrose said, her smile fading a bit as a wave of guilt passed through her.

“Hah! Don't you worry about me. I'll just roll my sleeves down and be all set!” he said. He made a show of smoothing each of his sleeves down to his wrists, one after the other, and Primrose chuckled.

“Alright, I see you have everything under control. But if you start to feel cold, I will give this back to you. I don't want you getting sick either.” she said.

Alfyn smiled and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “Shucks. You really are a kind person, Primrose. I should be fine. I may just be a country bumpkin from the Riverlands, but I think I can handle the cold for a bit. Don't you worry.” He winked at her before turning back towards the path ahead, jogging a bit to catch back up with the rest of their group. Primrose stood in place for a moment as she pulled Alfyn's vest up over her face, stopping under her eyes. She breathed in slowly through her nose as she started walking after her companions. She noted how much the vest smelled like Alfyn, and was reminded how much she liked the smells of herbs and healing potions. The thought made her blush, and she was left to silently contemplate the reason why as she continued towards her destination.

A light snowfall fell from the sky over Stillsnow, but Alfyn hardly noticed as he stepped outside the tavern for some fresh air. He stared up at the sky, ringing his hands together as he tried to think of anything else besides the place that they had just visited. He knew that he should be inside, helping Primrose and the others plan their next move in confronting one of her father's killers, but he wanted to clear his head so that he could focus completely on helping her.

He was young and naive, he knew this. He had never left his tiny village before this journey began, so the idea of a brothel was jarring to him. Sure, he had known what they were prior to reaching Stillsnow; he was not quite that clueless, like Tressa was. However, the thought of so much ale and many beautiful women in one place made him restless. It wasn't that he wanted the, er, services of those women. It was more so the fact that he was very sure that most, if not all, of those women were not in this profession by choice. He felt bad for them, and wished that he could do something to help. He sighed deeply and kicked at the snow at his feet.

“Alfyn?”

He jumped, startled by the voice speaking his name. He regained his composure and looked over to find Primrose staring at him with a concerned frown on her face.

“What's the matter? You left quite suddenly, and you seem to be fidgeting quite a bit.” she continued, moving closer to him. He adverted his gaze, trying to hide the blush that rose onto his cheeks.

“Ah, shucks, sorry. It's just...so cold up here is all.” he said with a halfhearted chuckle, hoping that she would buy his flimsy cover up. “I'm from the south, ya know, and, well, I'm just not used to the cold.” He forced himself to look back at her, and she was studying him with an unreadable expression. A few excruciatingly long seconds drew by as he tried not to melt under her intense gaze, but she finally spoke.

“...It's the brothel, isn't it?”

Alfyn visibly cringed and Primrose chuckled in response. Dang it. He should have know better than to try and hide this from her. The dancer was excellent at reading people, and he was very bad at hiding his true feelings. He hoped that she wouldn't think less of him.

“Thought so.” she continued, nodding as she crossed her arms over her chest. He noticed that she was still wearing his vest, and he smiled. He thought she looked really nice in it.

“Sorry...It's just the thought of those women...and the mead...and, ah...” Alfyn muttered, fumbling over his words as he tried to explain his thoughts to her.

“You'd do better to keep your mind on the journey.” she said. Alfyn winced and nodded, feeling guilty for letting himself get distracted from helping her out.

“Besides...” Primrose continued, a smile crossing her face, “You don't need a brothel if all you want is the company of a beautiful woman.” Her beautiful laughter hit his ears as he recoiled and became incredibly flustered. What did she mean by that?

“W-wha...But, that's...I mean...I don't...” he sputtered, his thoughts tripping over themselves. Primrose rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stepped towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“You are a good man, Alfyn. Any woman would be lucky to have you. Remember that.” Primrose said softly. It felt like a large lump had formed in his throat, and all he could do was nod in response. Her hand moved to his arm and she tugged at his sleeve, prompting him to begin following her back inside.

“Come. Let us get back to discussing the task at hand. The others are waiting for our return.” she said.

“R-right.” Alfyn managed to squeak out, and he wasn't sure how he was going to concentrate now after that conversation, especially since the first thing he heard when returning to their table was Tressa commenting on how red his face was. It was just the cold, he told himself. Just the cold, and not the beautiful dancer smiling at him from across the table.

The deed had been done, and only two of her father's murderers were still among the living. Primrose had bid Arianna farewell and almost headed to the tavern to regroup with her companions. However, she decided that she needed to be alone for a while, so she instead found herself at the edge of town, staring off into the snowy wilderness, deep in thought.

Even though she had cleaned it almost immediately, she could still imagine the vivid red of the man's blood coating her dagger, which she now held in her hand. She closed her eyes and took in a deep, shaky breath. She was...worried. Worried about what she would find in her hometown. However, she needed to know the truth, and make the rest of the crows pay for what they did. She could not falter now.

Still, Arianna's words continued to play over and over in her head. What do you have faith in? It disturbed her that she did not have an answer. Her quest for vengeance was all that mattered. It was all that she had to live for. That was even more disturbing to her.

Her eyes shot open as she heard footsteps crunching in the snow behind her, and she quickly readied her dagger in case it was needed as she spun around, only to find Alfyn standing there, hands raised in front of him cautiously.

“Hey, just me. Please don't try to stab me again.” he said, chuckling as Primrose slowly lowered the dagger and returned it to its place at her hip.

“Alfyn, what are you doing here? I...need to be alone.” Primrose said, turning away from him and wrapping her arms around herself. She felt vulnerable at the moment, and she did not want to expose anyone to this darker side of her. Especially someone as warmhearted as Alfyn.

She was met with silence for a moment, before the crunching of snow underfoot altered her that he was moving, and he stopped when he was right beside her. They stood in silence for a while, and she was glad for the silence. However, her curiosity got the better of her and she finally broke the silence.

“Why are you here?”

Alfyn didn't answer right away. He continued to stare at the snow covered hills in front of them, the snow glittering in the light of the moon. Primrose turned to look at him just as he turned to her, their brown eyes met and stayed locked to each other for a moment before Alfyn adverted his gaze.

“Well, I was just...worried about you. You've...got a lot on your plate right now, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” he said, looking at her with a gentle look in his eyes. She knew he was being sincere – he always was – but she instinctively got defensive.

“I...I'll be...fine. You wouldn't understand.” she said quietly, turning away from him again. Silence fell again between them, and an uncharacteristic sigh from Alfyn broke it, causing Primrose to turn back to him, with an eyebrow raised.

“Ah, shucks Prim. I know you've had a harder life than most of us here...but well, I've lost both of my parents too. My dad fell to the plague when I was a kid, and my mom passed just over a year ago. I just thought I might be able to lend you a sympathetic ear is all.” Primrose's heart sank at the sad look that crossed Alfyn's normally bright face, and she reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry, Alfyn. I know you want to help me. I was...insensitive. I am sorry about your parents.” she said. She then chewed her bottom lip, feeling conflicted. Getting some things off of her chest may help to ease the darkness plaguing her heart, and Alfyn really would be the best person she could confide in. He was honest and kind and genuine, truly one of the most wonderful people that she had ever met.

Something suddenly snapped inside her, and before she knew it, she was pouring her heart out to him. Alfyn blinked in surprise when he realized what she was doing, but stayed completely silent and attentive as she spilled her life story to him. She talked about her childhood, the fateful day of her father's murder, even her time spent in the hellhole that was Sunshade, serving that bastard of a 'master', Helgenish. She never thought that she be able to tell anyone about that, but something about the non-judgmental way he was listening to her made her keep going and not want to stop.

Primrose didn't know when she had started crying. She didn't realize it until she reached up and touched her face, finding streaks of wetness upon her cheeks. She trailed off as she was suddenly raked with sobs, overwhelmed with sadness and embarrassment and rage and a conglomeration of other emotions that just spilled out of her all at once. She felt Alfyn place a hand on her shoulder, and she sobbed harder as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer until she could bury her face into his chest. His arms wrapped around her gently, and one hand rubbed her back soothingly while the other massaged the back of her head. She didn't know how long she stood there, crying in his arms, but by the time she was able to compose herself enough to stop, her eyes were red and puffy, and her throat was sore.

“Prim, do you...feel better?” Alfyn whispered, pulling slightly away from her so he could look down at her. She sniffed and nodded, reaching up to rub the tears from her face. Alfyn brought his own thumb to her cheek and wiped away some stray moisture, and she sighed warily.

“I'm sorry, Alfyn. I never wanted anyone to see me like this. So...weak.” Primrose said, her voice cracking slightly and she look to the ground in shame. She felt fingers slip under her chin, and Alfyn gently lifted Primrose's head until she was looking at his smiling face again, a sight that immediately warmed her heart.

“Please Primrose, don't apologize. You are human just like the rest of us.” he said, a frown suddenly forming on his face. “And don't ever call yourself weak. You are the strongest person that I know, and shucks, that isn't an exaggeration.” She stared at him with wide eyes as he continued.

“You've just...been through so much hardship. Way more than anyone should have to deal with in their entire life. And you're still so young. Only a bit older than me, right? Golly, you have such a heavy burden to carry, and yet you're still a kind and selfless person. You have an inner strength that I sure as heck ain't ever seen before. I'm going to stick with you until you achieve your goal, and then I'm gonna make sure that you find happiness, I swear on my life.”

Primrose was left speechless at his words, as well as the fiery determination that blazed in his eyes. If it were anyone but him spouting this nonsense at her, she would have laughed in their face. But this was Alfyn that she was talking to, and he was different than all the others. He really had her convinced that what he said was true, and she was grateful for every genuine word.

“Alfyn, I...thank you.” Primrose whispered, not quite knowing what else to say. Alfyn smiled at her and took her hand in his, causing her to blush.

“You're welcome. Prim, you can always come to me if you ever need to talk about anything. I'll always be here to listen.” he said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She nodded and gave him a small smile.

“Well, I reckon it's getting pretty late. We better head back now, alright?” Alfyn said, turning back towards town. Primrose agreed and they headed back to the inn, hand in hand. Suddenly, the cold, snowy night didn't seem so frigid, and the warmth that spread throughout her body came directly from her heart, and his as well.

#octopath traveler #alfyn/primrose #octopath alfyn #octopath primrose #angst?#in my mushy romantic fanfics?#it's more likely than you think #anyway protect alfyn at all costs #what a good boyo #fanfiction #Jade writes fanfiction #alfprim #alfyn x primrose

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vivalaegghead · 7 years ago

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Your OC As a Companion

I was tagged by @water-whisp, this was super cool and helped me develop Clove more. Thank you so much for the tag, you da best!

I’m tagging: @ironbullsmissingeye @crystal-grace @dickeybbqpit @pathcrier @fortheloveofsolas @fickleobsession

***omg i really need to get better screenshots of her***

Inquisitor’s Name: Clove Antonia Ines Trevelyan Race / Class / Specialization: Human, Rogue, Assassin Gender Identity: Female

Varric’s Nickname for them: Stitches

Short bio: Clove was born into the duty and expectations of serving the Chantry, despite her voicing disapproval for the Chantry and the Templars. Growing up, she was known among the other noble families for being a trouble maker, therefore her family sent her to live within the local Chantry in hopes of turning their daughter on to the path of Andraste. Within a couple of months, Clove was excommunicated from the Church after getting into a verbal disagreement with one of the Clerics over the Chant of Light. The Chantry ordered her to participate in some type of physical punishment, citing that labor would bring her closer to Andraste, but the means of labor were left up to the discretion of her parents. Her parents then sent Clove to manage their fleet, but Clove became a person who demanded respect, and the crew began to follow her orders instead of her parents. Clove then began plundering other ships while running shipments for her parents.

What would their companion card look like?

Initial Card: (Reversed Hierophant) Clove is in the center of the card dressed in loose fitting clothes, in one hand she holds a gold coin, in the other she holds a tattered Chantry flag, to right a Chantry person has turned her back to Clove. To the left, a shadow figure is kneeling facing towards Clove, holding an open chest that’s filled with gold.

Loyalty: (Death Upright) Clove can be seen riding the horse on the Trevelyan card, holding the Inquisition banner in one hand and a portrait of her brother in the other.

Loyalty Alternative: (Star Reversed) Clove holds a large wooden jug that is spilling out stars, her face is concealed by a black hood. A desert scene can be seen behind her form, signaling the decay of loyalty and friendship.

Romanced: (Strength). Clove is stretch out across a large chair, one leg hanging over one of the arms, head cupped in one hand. A large lion skin is wrapped around her, and she has a smirk on her face.

Recruitment mission:

“A Bump in the Night”

At the War Table:

The head of a noble house within Orlais reaches out to the Inquisition, stating that his business is failing because his ships continue to be plundered and his crew members taken by the opposing ship. Not only is his business suffering, but many other nobles have cited a complaint against this mystery pirate. The noble requests that the Inquisition send help in order to put a stop to this nuisance and to save several noble’s livelihoods.

From the War Table, you are able to send spies to Orlais to investigate the matter.

Upon completing the War Table mission, Leliana’s spies uncover that the ship flies under no flag, but it docks on a shoreline on the outskirts of Orlais. The pirates have set up a building there that is heavily guarded by bodies. There is no word to behind who could possibly be orchestrating this.

After accepting the report, you are transported to the location that Leliana’s spies have marked.

After fighting through lines of pirates and breaking into the building at the head of the camp, the Inquisitor is faced with a very defensive and heavily armed Clove who has no intention of yielding. If the Inquisitor is human, they will instantly recognize Clove because they had a few interactions with her before she was sent to the Chantry. The Inquisitor then asks Clove why she has been plundering ships, and after receiving snark comments with little to no explanation, the Inquisitor then threatens to turn Clove into the nobles. Clove will then strike a bargain with the Inquisitor, saying that she will have her crew turn their sights to rival pirate gangs instead of noble fleets, but that she will need to join the Inquisition to access accurate maps and information.

The Inquisitor then has the choice of recruiting Clove, or judging her.

Where they would be in Skyhold / Haven:

.In Haven: Sitting on the edge of the dock

In Skyhold: Sitting on the bar top in the Tavern

Personal quests:

Quest 1: The Templar Twin: Clove approaches you, concerned because she hasn’t received a letter from her twin brother, Lark, for many weeks. She informs you that he is a part of the Templar order, and the last few letters she received he seemed erratic and unfocused, unable to complete the sentences that he wrote. Clove believes that something has happened within the Templar order, and asks that you pursue them with the intention to disband the Templars and find out what happened with her brother.

If chooses to pursue the Templars, Clove is a required companion:

Upon arriving at Therinfal Redoubt, Clove asks that you keep her identity a secret as not to alert the other Templars of her presence, thus making her or her brother a target. Once the Red Templars have been outed, Clove then pleads Barris for information regarding her brother, Barris explains that he hasn’t heard or seen Lark in weeks, and that he’s concerned that he may have turned.

After securing the area and being instructed by Barris to search for the Veterans and Lark, the party comes to the Officer’s Quarters, they will be immediately attacked by a turned Lark. The party will have to subdue him, then Clove will try to reason with her brother, who is able to break through the lyrium clouding his mind long enough to tell Clove that he loves her. He then lunges at Clove, and Clove deals the final blow.

If chooses to pursue the Mages:

The Inquisition will receive a letter from an escaped Templar, stating that he found Lark’s final letter to Clove clutched in his hand when he died. The anonymous Templar sends the letter and swears his loyalty to the Inquisition. Clove will then disappear until “In Your Heart Shall Burn”, she then requests that the Inquisition goes to gather Lark’s remains so that she can return them to her family. This can be done through the War Table.

Quest 2: Remains: After the Inquisition gather’s Lark’s remains, Clove asks that the Inquisitor join them in returning them to her family so that they may be able to bury them in the family cemetery. Both the Inquisitor and Clove are welcomed into the Trevelyan household, and Clove’s parents begin asking the Inquisitor how the war is going and how Clove has aided the Inquisition’s efforts. Clove begins to feel uneasy, states that it is time to go, and hands over the urn of remains to her father. Clove’s father then reaches for her, and restrains her, swearing to the Inquisitor that they will never see Clove again, and that if they try to recover her, the noble houses will bring the Inquisition down.

Quest 3: Homecoming: Returning back to Skyhold, the Inquisitor immediately seeks out the advisors to see how best to retrieve Clove. Josephine, although upset, advises against retrieving her because it will jeopardize the Inquisition’s chances of getting to the Winter Ball. Cullen believes that the best option is force, and Leiliana advises stealth.

If the Inquisitor chooses either Cullen or Leiliana, they will invade the Trevelyan Chateau and will retrieve Clove. Upon returning to Skyhold, Clove will then be changed, realizing that people can be selfless in helping others. She pledges to do all that she can to help those in need that the Inquisition comes in contact with.

How to get their approval/disapproval:

Clove is distrustful of almost every order, but more particularly the Chantry and Templar Order. If the Inquisitor speaks out against either order, they will earn approval points. Clove feels uncomfortable around mages, therefore she tries to avoid them and thinks that they should remain in the Circle. This fear is rooted in her upbringing of the Chantry and her brother that dedicated himself to the Templar Order. Allying with the Mages will earn disapproval points from her. Spirits and The Fade is one of Clove’s biggest fears, and she isn’t sure of what to make of Cole when he first arrives, therefore she disapproves if you ask him to stay. Over time, she becomes accustomed to Cole, and sides with Varric when he pushes for the Inquisitor to make Cole human. Helping the less fortunate will yield some approval points from Clove, but not until after her personal quests has been completed.

Break down of her Approval Ratings for Major Missions:

Fate of the Mages Conscript: Approves Ally: Disapproves

Fate of the Templars Disband: Greatly Approves Ally: Greatly Disapproves

Inquisitor’s Lead: A Dwarf/Elf/Qunari Stands for us all: Greatly Approves Example as a Mage: Disapproves For Faith: Greatly Disapproves For Order: Nil For What’s Right: Nil To Stop Corypheus: Approves For Personal Power: Greatly Disapproves For Vengeance: Greatly Disapproves

Fate of the Wardens Exile: Greatly Disapproves Ally: Approves

Ruler of Orlais Gaspard: Approves Briala: Greatly Disapproves Celene: Greatly Disapproves Reunite: Greatly Disapproves Spare Everyone: Disapproves Arrest Florianne: Nil Save Celene: Disapproves Kill Celene: Nil

Abelas Alliance Ally: Approves Reject: Disapproves Drink from the Well: Non-Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Disapproves Lavellan Inquisitor Drinks: Disapproves Morrigan Drinks: Disapproves

Are they romanceable?

Clove is romanceable, but will usually fend off any compliments with snide remarks. It isn’t until after all of her personal quests are completed that she approaches the Inquisitor and apologizes for how she acted when she first joined the Inquisition. She explains that her parents weren’t ones to show affection, therefore she was unaware of how to appropriately receive compliments and acts of kindness. She then asks if the Inquisitor would forgive her, and see where their relationship goes.

Can you have sex with them?

Yes, but not until Trespasser. Clove states that “sealing their relationship” should wait until after the world is saved, although the Inquisitor and Clove share their first kiss during Inquisition. In Trespasser, Clove will meet you after you talk with the new Divine, and asks if you need to blow off some steam *wink wink*.

Are they open to polyamoury?

No, she isn’t.

If they can be romanced and are not, will they begin a relationship / relationships with other character(s)? If so, who?

If not romanced by the Inquisitor, Clove will enter into a romance with Cullen.

Who are they friendly with?

The Iron Bull and Chargers, Sera, Cassandra, Varric

Who do they dislike?

Solas, Cole, Morrigan

Companion card changes: (use a text descrip. if you have no images)

Loyalty: see above

Romance: see above

Side Missions:

Tithings: After Clove’s personal quests have been completed, she asks that the Inquisitor drop off 5 packages to refugees. She swears they’re tithings, not goods that she pirated.

Opinions on mages / templars / how the world is going to shit?

Clove believes the Templar order is corrupted, and thinks that it should be disbanded, this feeling is stronger after she loses contact with her twin. Since the Chantry is so closely tied to the Templar’s, she believes that religion and order have blinded every individual who ascribes to those orders.

Clove doesn’t disapprove of the mages, but she does fear them and believes that they are easily corruptible. Her fears are the remains of being forced into the Chantry, and she finds it hard to break out of this headspace. Dorian and Vivienne help her feel more comfortable, but Clove doesn’t trust Solas by any measure.

Something guaranteed to make them leave the party:

If the Inquisitor fails to retrieve her brother’s remains, she will leave.

Special Events:

Imprisoned at Redcliffe: How is your Inquisitor holding up in Redcliffe, being slowly infected with red lyrium over the course of a year?

Clove would turn completely numb and be nonresponsive, she would probably have lyrium growing out of her.

At the Winter Palace: Does your Inquisitor enjoy the party, any special events with them at the Palace?

Clove tries to avoid the party at all costs because she comes into contact with noble houses that she formally knew. She asks that you talk softly around her to not draw attention, and that you call her “Claudette” so that no one will recognize her. At the end of the night, she will leave with pockets bulging of stolen jewelry and coins, taking a huge bite out of one of the pastries.

In the Fade: Your Inquisitor’s reaction upon entering the Fade? Archdemon’s taunt, and Inquisitor’s response? Epitaph on their grave?

Clove would have believed that she were dreaming, and then she would proceed to freak out, especially when Divine Justinia appears.

Her epitaph would say: ‘tamed’

The Archdemon would taunt Clove by saying that she will never escape the Chantry, and that her parents will find her once the Inquisition ends.

Trespasser: What is your Inquisitor up to two years after Corypheus’ defeat? Any special events with them over the events of Trespasser?

Clove will have broken up with Cullen, and vows that she can never enter a serious relationship again. She will have returned back to the seas, her name wielding enough weight that she was able to secure a boat and a crew. Although now, she’s plundering to help the poor, not just to upset her parents

Other Major Events: Any other major events that happen with them over the course of the main game?

Clove becomes very close with Cassandra because they both could relate to the loss of a brother. Clove considers Cassandra the sister she never had, and they keep in touch long after the events of Trespasser.

#Clove Trevelyan #my oc #dragon age #dragon age inquisition

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bnrobertson1 · 4 years ago

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EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Death Stranding* is a wowing mind-fuck of an experience, surreal and mundane and draining and invigorating. Unafraid to constantly show you Norman Reedus’ bare ass while pontificating on the nature of modern existence, the game is unlike any before it, a venerable nightmare for marketing people and gamers expecting something more tried-and-true.

Choose a Caption!: “I intend to help all of humanity through these apocalyptic times. But first, a peek of me bottom for the ladies.” -OR- Reedus Rump: Kojima’s Metal Gear-esque Weapon to Appeal to Women.

Death Stranding is also the host to the best piece of product placement in recent memory. The product? Monster mahfucking Energy** drink, a (demonic?) elixir that boosts main character Sam’s stamina when consumed- a life-giving tonic with only 160g of sugar. You don’t drink water in the game, you drink Monster. Hell yes. For a game about wandering the wreckage of a nuclear-ish event, it’s a masterful touch, eloquently capturing our need as humans to technologically improve everything (yes, even the liquid responsible for life), a destructive compulsion that is the vertebrae and driver of the game’s narrative. Many in the press find this shameless money-grab to be tasteless, but the fact Coca-Cola (a corporation!) undoubtedly paid millions to get it so prominently in the game only speaks to its preposterous-yet-probable presence. It’s probably too subtle to be a Kojima-nod to the futuristic satire of Idiocracy, but Monster Energy will undoubtedly go down as the real world’s Brawndo (just without the electrolytes).

*More Thoughts on Death Stranding (BEWARE NON-SENSICAL SPOILERS): God Bless Hideo Kojima, the man goes for it. Arguably video game’s most beloved auteur and inarguably the one who most wants to be referred to as “Kubrikickian” and/or “enigmatic,” the mastermind behind the beloved Metal Gear games proves incapable of working small or with gloves with his Death Stranding, leaving both fingerprints all throughout and editors’ calls unreturned. Hours-long cut scenes waxing philosophical about technology’s dooming yet liberating role in our future? Check. 4th wall breaking, star-fucking pop culture references? Check. Singular gameplay whose laborious nature quite soundly proves larger points about things ranging from literary theory to the gig economy? Check. Check. Check.

But between the preposterous acronyms, convoluted packing systems, and Conan O’ Brien cameos, there glimmers dots of genius. Those willing to wade through the oft- incomprehensible industrial-military-complex babble are rewarded with “Holy Shit” moments, those boundary and/or sense exploding things of which Kojima is King. Death Stranding is no different, and although the game never reaches the heights of the Metal Gear games, there are specific parts that unleashed that goosebump wave of awesomeness. The bolo gun that wraps up your enemies instead of killing them, your ability to hog tie the unsuspecting with an elastic strand, the focus on oil and blood as the life force of all things- these are but some of the elements of the game that really work, dripping into the game at just the rate where you keep interested but not overwhelmed.

But the best moment in the game is in a cut-scene where your baby companion (did I mention Kojima is weird?) literally stops bullets with its mind to save you. Now, the prior sentence shouldn’t make sense, and probably doesn’t. But the real nonsensical thing is just how powerful it hit. In a game about loneliness and the brutal nature of existence, this self-less act is totally unexpected but gives you the real feeling that someone has got your back (even if it proves to be a futile gesture). It’s effect was reminiscent of similar film sequences. After about 15-months of Covid I would say the point was comforting in a way I was not anticipating whatsoever.

Being the only one of my friends insane enough to finish the game’s deliberate but nonetheless grotesquely overlong runtime (60+ hours of fetch quests!), my fellow Metal Gear fans have asked: is it worth playing? To which I really don’t know the answer. It’s absolutely bold and tries to tell a tale that could only be told in the video game medium, but then again, video games aren’t particularly great ways of telling stories. At points it felt like its design was made to be played in the pandemic: it’s time-consuming, meditative, and at times utterly mind-numbing. At its peaks, the game is reminiscent of Grandaddy’s The Sophtware Slump, another generally somber post-technological tale, albeit with less alcoholic robots and more characters named things like Die-Hardman. It’s not nearly as *fun* as other AAA titles, but then again the diametrically different approach of Doom Eternal didn’t inspire a couple thousand words.

**I can’t remember my first cigarette, beer, or kiss but I do remember the first time I had a Monster Energy drink. Due to some mental, emotional, and physical deficiencies, I was unable to fly for about 6 months- just the thought of driving to the airport turned my anxiety- and palm sweat- on like a firehose. But knowing this fear was simply incompatible with modern life, I gave myself a building block of a goal- make a flight from my then-home of Austin to somewhere close enough that I could rent a car and drive home. I chose Dallas because I had an incentive: to see obscure musical group Nine Inch Nails*** performing at one of the Metroplex’s many arenas.

Getting on the plane took some assistance- specifically in the form of about 2 grams of Alprazolam. The barbiturate calm pressed the right buttons beautifully, having me giggling about clouds as opposed to obsessing about how we were in a speeding steel cylinder 7 miles above the surface of the earth. But when we landed in Dallas about 30 minutes later, the ease evolved into a potent sleepiness. Which is fine if you’re headed to a hotel, or virtually anywhere else in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but not so much when you’re about to see an Industrial concert with 8,000 other people not exactly known for their chill. Plodding along, I finally made it to the concert, hoping to order a Red Bull as big as its namesake to get me out of blah bliss and into banging. The venue only sold Coke products, so in my apathetic exhaustion, I decided to order a Monster, an energy drink to that point I identified with redneck culture and thus avoided. Finding the whole thing pretty funny- and strongly buzzing off the fact that I had somehow faced my fear and gotten on an airplane- I figured there was probably no better place on earth to try a tall boy Monster Energy Drink Zero Sugar than FUCKING DALLAS, ie, the Monster Energy Drink of America.

The flavor I ordered was in a white can and poured out looked like some sort of large sea mammal had just bricked into a cup. Disgusted but not discouraged, I grabbed the glowing goblet like it was the reins of a dragon and took it by its mighty wing, by which I mean swig. Surprisingly tasty, I thought. Not the Pepsi-fied version of Red Bull I was fearing. The house lights then were dimmed, indicating it was game time. I wisely bought another Monster and went into the show, thinking 32 oz of liquid electricity was exactly what I needed to match Reznor’s energy.

You’re goddamn right I took a picture of my first Monster!

Whatever chemistry was going on in my body was probably bad, because it felt awesome. Even though Nine Inch Nails had performed a majority of my favorite stuff the night before (their first of two nights in Dallas), the concert was as engrossing as was hoped- the loudness and lights simultaneously pummeling and transcendent. While it goes without saying that it wasn’t for everyone, the entire 3-hour ride back to Austin I was laughing like a maniac, having won a small battle (flying) and getting a big reward for my efforts (NIN). So, when anybody asks me what the ludicrously huge can of white can of energy drink I’m proudly, obnoxiously enjoying tastes like I am genuine when I tell them: “Carbonated Capri-Sun. And Courage.”

*** I had been scared of NIN growing up too, specifically the video for “Closer” which made my 10 year old guts squirm like worms with its hanging meat and imagery that was confusingly gory yet sexual. I also went to a conservative all-boys school where wearing NIN stuff was rarely allowed, and when it was you’d be shamed by one of the change-petrified cliques that ran the place. My position softened a bit after the landmark Johnny Cash cover of “Hurt,” but what confirmed my fandom was when I heard “The Hand that Feeds” on a Chicago strip-club sound system- since then, they have soundtracked much of my life. Lesson: There lies wisdom in Strip Clubs.

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no-white-knights-blog · 7 years ago

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Halo - An Etrian Odyssey Novel (Chapter 36/50)

Notes: The following chapter contains intense fanboying over Hamza. Also angst. But the fanboying is the important part, because Hamza deserves some adorable fans <3 Hamza is not mine, he belongs to @theshatteredrose!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I want you to do something for me, Seara," a familiar voice whispered directly into his ear, "Remember."

Magenta eyes opened to a cabin made of wooden planks, Seara found himself lying on a gently rocking hammock, in the ship room his guild had taken residence in for the trip from Etria to the city of Lagaard, where a Labyrinth was waiting to be explored. The young survivalist had come on this quest with four others, but when he rolled his head on the pillow to look at the other hammocks, he found them empty, a sigh of frustration falling from his lips as he pushed back the blankets and sat up, smiling when he saw his brother's sleek black wolf companion sitting beside the closed door.

"Morning Na'axri," he greeted, pulling his knees up and folding his arms over the tops of them, a slight pout on his lips, "Eliath didn't wake me up like I asked him to. Again. I'm not a kid anymore, I'm not supposed to sleep in all the time. He won't listen."

Na'axri barked once and stood up on all four legs, his tail wagging furiously as Seara slipped out of the hammock and onto the cold floor of the ship's cabin, quickly dressing for the day and collecting his long hair up before tying it in a ponytail and pushing the door open to bask in the bright morning sun.

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake," someone to his left sang, and he lurched forward a little from the way that man ruffled his hair, grumbling a little with a pout and reaching up to fix the ponytail.

"You guys are the ones who didn't wake me up," he argued, turning to see the war magus standing beside him, "Did you eat all the breakfast, Naylin?"

"I am very offended by that question," Naylin clicked his tongue, throwing an arm around Seara's shoulders and leading him towards the front of the boat where the other three members of Historia were located.

"Morning!" Seara greeted, throwing himself against his older brother's back and wrapping his arms around the other survivalist's waist.

Eliath turned at his waist to wind an arm around Seara's shoulders, smiling in delight, "Hey, did you sleep well?"

"Oh I slept fine," Seara squinted at the man, "You didn't wake me up like I asked, though."

"I swear I was going to," Naylin offered, leaning his back against the boat railing, "But Eliath shooed everyone out of the room saying you needed sleep."

"El," Seara whined, and Eliath just looked out over the water, ruffling his brother's hair and not looking guilty at all, "I'm an adult now, you've gotta treat me like one."

"I don't care how old you are, you're my baby," Eliath argued, pinching Seara's cheek before grinning over at the landsknecht who was curled up on the deck, his face pale, "At least you don't have to miss watching Flandr deal with sea sickness."

"Fuck your existence," Flandr snarled, stretching out on his back and clutching his stomach, looking dizzy, "This isn't natural, people should have their feet firmly on the ground, not... whatever this is."

Naylin cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered towards Flandr, "Cottage cheese."

The landsknecht's eyes widened and he scrambled to his knees before throwing himself over the railing, vomiting as the war magus laughed and Eliath shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"That was mean," Seara scolded Naylin, who stopped laughing and pouted a little at Seara's disappointed glare.

"Ah come on, it was a joke."

"I'm not laughing," Flandr moaned, still leaning over the railing.

Seara walked over and patted his back, looking over his shoulder and Naylin, "I think I have something for nausea in my bag, you go get it since you made it worse."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Naylin sighed heavily, pushing away from the railing and shuffling his feet as he made his way towards their cabin.

Seara shook his head with a soft smile and rubbed Flandr's back as the landsknecht spit out bile and wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve, sliding back to his knees, "Ugh, I hate boats. I hate them so much. Why did I leave the Labyrinth?"

"You're fine, come on," Eliath chided, arms folded, "You've been through worse things than this."

"I'm going to die on this ship," Flandr mumbled, and Seara laughed a little as Eliath held his hands up in disbelief.

"What are you working on, Lesai?" Seara called over to the hexer who was sitting near Eliath's feet, back against the railing and knees pulled up, head bowed and messing with something in his hands.

"Same thing as he was yesterday I think," Eliath hummed, looking down at Lesai with a soft smile.

The hexer just curled a little further into himself, hiding whatever he was holding against his chest. As usual the hood of his robes was pulled low over his eyes, though Seara could still see his pale red bangs peeking from under it. Lesai had always been a quiet person, he'd never spoken a word directly to Naylin or Flandr in the three years they'd been in Historia, and he rarely spoke to Seara. The only one he seemed comfortable speaking to was Eliath, but Seara wasn't surprised.

Eliath was a born leader, he just had one of those presences that drew you to him even if you didn't personally know him. He was kind to everyone, unless of course you wronged his guild in some way, and he was phenomenal with dealing with kids, thanks in large part to the experience he gained while raising Seara.

He was humble, generous, and intuitive, smart enough to know when to draw back from the Labyrinth and when to take a chance they may never get again. Eliath's uncanny ability to read situations and people flawlessly were one of the reasons he was guild leader, and one of the reasons they were so sought after for Labyrinth requests, and Historia's reputation was why they'd been asked to travel to the Labyrinth of Lagaard, to collect samples of rocks and plants they couldn't find in their Etrian Labyrinth.

Not that everyone in their guild was up for the journey. Flandr for one couldn't stand it if his feet were too far from the ground, so being on a boat like this was the same as being in hell for him, head buried in his lifted knees and arms wrapped around his knees as Seara sat beside him and rubbed his back to somehow help ease his discomfort.

Then there was Lesai. The moment Eliath took the request, the hexer tried to get across how much he didn't like it, stating it was a bad idea, they shouldn't go to Lagaard, they would regret it. Of course, Eliath took his concerns to heart, but at the same time he'd already accepted the request, and he wasn't one to back out of something or break a promise he'd already made.

He was wary about this request, because of what Lesai had said. The hexer's intuition was never wrong, and Eliath himself had a pit in his stomach, leaning with his arms folded on the railing of the boat and staring out over the water, a heavy frown on his lips. He looked down when he felt something tug on the leg of his pants, smiling at the hexer.

Lesai's cloak was black and baggy, the sleeves so long they hung off his hands and hid them entirely from view, but that never stopped him from clinging to Eliath whenever he was close enough, tugging on him when he wanted the survivalist's attention, and Eliath never minded much, he felt rather honored that the hexer trusted him so much.

He crouched down so he was eye-level with Lesai, smiling, "What's up?" he asked, and the hexer pulled his other hand from where he'd been holding it against his chest, presenting what he'd been working on to Eliath, who held his hand out so Lesai could drop the item into his palm.

It was a shiny green gem with silver wire wrapped around it in what appeared to be a meticulously made design, hanging from a chain and roughly cut as if Lesai had pried it from one of the mining spots in the Labyrinth, which he probably had. He had quite the collection of stones from their many trips into the Labyrinth's, and coveted each and every one like they radiated with power. Which, for all Eliath knew, they did.

"What's this for?" he asked, and Lesai pulled his hands back towards his chest.

"Just in case," he replied, and Eliath smiled, undoing the clasp of the chain and hooking it around his neck.

"In case of what?" he asked, reaching out and pushing Lesai's hood from his head, something he always did in an attempt to get the timid hexer used to people seeing his face.

"If we get separated," Lesai mumbled, "I'll be able to find you."

Eliath frowned, brushing Lesai's bangs up just enough to see his pale silver eyes, "Why would we be separated?" he asked, smiling in forced amusement, "And how would you be able to find me using this silly thing?"

"It's special," Lesai explained, reaching out to touch the green stone, "What I was doing was enchanting it, infusing it with my energy. I should be able to connect with it if we're separated, it will act as a beacon and I can find you," he paused and pulled his hands up, hiding against them so only his eyes were visible, "It has special properties and will protect you from minor dangers."

"Thank you," Eliath smiled, "Wish I had something to give you in return."

Lesai just murmured and reached back, pulling his hood back up and holding it down over his eyes as Seara laughed a little from the side, "Don't be shy, Lesai. If you asked for something I'm pretty sure El would give it to you."

"Give him a kiss," Naylin suggested from where he'd crouched down just behind Eliath, leaning back when the survivalist swiped at him.

"Stop teasing him, honestly," he scolded, and Naylin giggled as he walked over to Flandr's other side, dropping himself down and holding a small vial out.

"Here, this'll help with your stomach."

"I don't trust you," Flandr mumbled, his voice muffled in his arms, and leaned towards Seara, laying against his shoulder, "Is it safe?"

"Yes, yes," Seara assured, taking the medicine from the war magus and patting Flandr's hair, "Here, drink, I promise it will help you."

Flandr pulled his head away from his arms to reveal his face was tinted a gray and green color, he was so ill he couldn't pull the top of the vial off, so Seara did it for him and pet his hair as he downed the medicine. One of the side effects of the medicine was drowsiness, which was better than having the landsknecht throwing up the whole way, and he ended up stretched out on his back with his head in Seara's lap, fast asleep.

"Do you think he'd throw up in his sleep if I whispered gross food names into his ear?" Naylin asked from where he was standing leaning his back against the railing, and Seara punched his knee.

"Quit being a pain."

They reached the docks at noon, when the sun was high in the sky and casting down on the large city, which Seara leaned over the railing to get a better look at while Eliath held the back of his shirt with one hand, the other propped on his hip.

"This place is amazing!" Seara exclaimed, spinning on his heel to face his brother, "What are we doing first? Can we go sightsee?"

"I think since it's so early still we should get a few hours in the Labyrinth, then find an inn we can stay at for the night," Eliath decided, handing Seara his bag before moving towards the ramp that lead down to the dock, "Everyone good with that?"

"Yea boss," Naylin chimed from the back, and Seara giggled a little.

For a while they all walked in sync, until Eliath stopped at a fountain near the center of Lagaard to ask someone for directions to the Labyrinth, and when he turned he frowned, "Where's Flandr?"

"Probably throwing up," Naylin held a hand up, "When we got off the boat he was still really dizzy so I named a few of his least favorite foods and he stumbled over to a trashcan."

Eliath pinched the bridge of his nose, "And you waited until now to tell me this?"

"Last night he told me my flute playing sucked," Naylin argued, "This was my payback!"

"You're a war magus, not a troubadour," Seara said, and Naylin pointed at him.

"I'm allowed to have hobbies!"

"I'll get him," Eliath said, unable to stop himself from smiling at how childish his guild could be, "Wait here for me."

Seara end up sitting on the edge of the fountain with Lesai next to him, and Naylin walked along the edge with a bamboo flute in hand, mumbling about how he played fine and Flandr was just tone death before playing a few notes.

"Don't feel so bad, Flandr enjoys your music just like the rest of us," Seara assured with a smile, "He's just shy about admitting it."

"Yea, I know," Naylin agreed with a half-smile, flipping the instrument around between his fingers before hopping off the fountain and sitting down, leaning back, "Hey, Sear, if you had a chance to, would you meet your hero?"

"My hero?" Seara tilted his head to the side, smiling, "Eliath is my hero."

"That doesn't help me," Naylin argued, "If it wasn't the boss, would you want to meet them?"

"Is this about that veteran war magus you keep talking about?" Seara asked, and Naylin threw his hands out.

"He lives in Lagaard, I might actually run into him!"

Seara sighed with a slow roll of his eyes, "I don't know, Naylin. From what you've heard, does he seem like a good guy? It would be kind of disappointing if you met him and he turned out to be a complete jerk."

"He sounds like the coolest war magus to ever exist!" Naylin insisted, hands clenched into fists, "I've heard a few stories from travelers, telling me how this guy's the leader of the strongest guild in Lagaard, and is a highly respected explorer who even helps train rookies not in his guild. They go around saving people from the Labyrinth and doing good deeds all around the city, evidently they even started a weekly soup kitchen that works out of the local hospital!"

"Okay," Seara hummed, looking impressed, "That's pretty admirable. The leader of a guild like that has to be a good guy, right?" he smiled, "I just don't want you to be disappointed if he turns out to be a jackass."

"He won't be," Naylin practically whined, "You have so little faith in these things, Seara!"

Seara just laughed, "I just don't want to see you upset, sometimes it's bad to meet your heroes."

Lesai pulled on his sleeve, lifting his arm like he was pointing to something, and both Seara and Naylin turned their heads to look at what the hexer was motioning to. Standing several yards away were two people, one with silver hair and the other with black hair, and they seemed to be deep in conversation so they didn't notice the three younger explorers watching them.

"Who are they?" Seara asked, and Naylin jumped to his feet.

"That's Hamza!" he gasped, "That's the leader of the strongest guild in Lagaard! He's my hero!" he spun to face Seara, "How do I look?"

"Desperate."

"Great! I'll be right back!"

Seara shook his head and watched Naylin dart across the courtyard before turning to Lesai, "How could you tell that was the guy Naylin was talking about?"

Lesai shrugged his shoulders and tucked his hands into his sleeves, "He has a good energy," he said simply, and Seara hummed in reply.

"So he won't get too freaked out to have some strange guy run up to him?"

"No."

"Great," Seara leaned back on his hands, tilting his head back to smile up at the sky, "Then we can just relax while we wait for Eliath to get back."

"Freaking asshole," Flandr mumbled as he shuffled away from the trashcan he'd been leaning over, wiping his sleeve over his mouth and spitting out the bile still on his tongue, "I'm snapping that flute in half when I see him next. Ditching me like an ass."

He stomped his feet as he walked forward, bumping into someone's shoulder. His initial reaction was to snap at the man and dart off to avoid confrontation with another human, but Eliath had been spending a lot of time trying to hammer good manners into Flandr's head, so instead he turned and bowed a little as he apologized.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was going."

The man just turned his head to glance at him, and Flandr tensed a little when he recognized the clothes he was wearing, categorizing him as a hexer. His hair was as dark as his eyes, and his skin was a pale white, chains singing as he turned fully to face Flandr and simply stared at him with wide eyes.

"Boy, there's an energy hanging off your aura," the hexer said, and Flandr squinted in unease, taking a slow step back.

"I don't know what that means, but I'm sorry again for bumping into you."

He turned to leave, but was stopped when the hexer reached out to grab onto his left forearm, squeezing hard and pulling Flandr closer, "You've come into contact with it? How is that possible?"

"Wh-what?" Flandr winced as the man's unkempt nails dug into his skin, "Knock it off, what's the matter with you?! This is what I get for trying to be civil."

"You don't have it," the hexer stated flatly, his grip loosening a fraction, "Not with you, but you've come into contact, you've spent long amounts of time in its presence. I can sense its energy still lingering in your aura," he tightened his grip yet again, making Flandr cringe, "Where is the stone?"

"What stone?!"

"The Lapis Galəksē."

"Lapis what?" Flandr pulled on his arm, "I don't know what that is."

"No, no you wouldn't," the hexer murmured, narrowing his eyes and tightening his hold yet again, to such a painful point that Flandr gasped, "but you've come into contact with it. It's been over a decade since I found the grotto, and I've had no leads," his dark eyes brightened, "What luck. It's good I came to Lagaard," he whispered something, and Flandr's eyes widened in horror as black mist seeped from the hexer's mouth and towards his arm.

He yanked on his arm to get away, but when the black smoke touched him he felt himself go slack without meaning to, "What?" he breathed, mouth gaping open from pain as he watched as the black touched his skin and burrowed beneath it, entering his veins, and making them turn black, so it appeared as if there were dark webs spreading out from where the hexer was holding him.

"Now, puppet," the hexer said in a disturbingly soothing voice, "I have an order for you."

Flandr's world became foggy and unclear, words whispered into his ear, echoing like he was in a giant cave, and he stood there for a long time before he felt someone shaking him gently by the shoulder, blinking his eyes until his vision cleared.

"Boss...," he greeted Eliath dizzily, looking around as the survivalist squeezed his shoulder, looking confused.

"You okay? You were just standing here staring off into space."

"I...," Flandr trailed off and looked down at his left arm, turning it over a few times before exhaling, "I'm fine."

"Okay," Eliath nodded, though he didn't look convinced, and smiled, squeezing Flandr's shoulder again before stepping away from him, "I left the others in the center courtyard, let's meet up with them and head to the Labyrinth."

"Sure," Flandr agreed, taking once step before pain raced up his arm, making him freeze up and lift his arm, choking when he saw the black marks webbing out from the area on his forearm where the hexer had grabbed him.

He could feel something flowing the wrong way in his veins, and touched his arm with shaking fingers, his stomach flipping when he felt the marks pulsing like there was a parasite in his blood. Flandr forced himself to swallow the lump and looked up at the back of Eliath's head. He was about to speak, tell the older man what had happened and show him the marks, but he stopped when his head started to ache, lifting his right hand when something hot dripped from his nose, black blood pooling in the palm of his hand and a voice echoing in his head.

"Don't bother," it was the hexer's voice, "He won't understand. Do as I've ordered, and no one will be hurt. If you fail, I'll kill them in front of you and leave you with this curse, a curse that will have you live a full life, but in complete and utter agony, and don't think I'm joking. I've cursed plenty before you."

Flandr choked, his hands lifting to grab at his hair, blood dripping to the ground at his feet, "Please don't hurt them," he whispered, and the hexer's voice echoed yet again in his head.

"Then do as I say. Put a jacket on, we don't want them seeing those cursed marks."

Flandr nodded numbly and wiped his hand under his nose, trembling as he pulled his coat from his bag, pulling it on and buckling the front before quickly running after Eliath, who turned when he heard Flandr following him, arching an eyebrow and pointing at his own nose.

"You've got something black on your face. I think dirt?"

"Hu?" Flandr rubbed his sleeve under his nose, nodding, "Yea, sorry."

"What's with the coat?"

"I'm cold."

"Really?" Eliath asked in amusement, "Says the guy who grew up in the Labyrinth and constantly refuses to wear a coat when it's snowing or raining."

"I can get cold sometimes," Flandr responded, and Eliath shrugged, turning on his heel.

"Let's go then, we'll buy you a scarf."

Flandr shuffled after him, cleaning the rest of the strange colored blood from his face and wincing when the hexer's voice came back, "Good boy. You know what you need to do now?"

The landsknecht swallowed the knot in his throat and nodded, "I know; and you won't hurt them?"

"Follow my orders to the last detail, and none of them will be harmed, but one slip-up, and I can't guarantee their safety."

"I understand..."

"This Labyrinth isn't too different from ours!" Seara yelled down from where he was perched on a branch high above the ground, one hand shielding his eyes as he looked over the area, "Just as beautiful!"

"Right on!" Eliath called back, smiling as his younger brother hopped off the branch and landed in a crouch to his left, "We'll check along the path this way and see if we can find some herbs or even a mining spot."

"We could've asked directions," Naylin said, "Or asked for a map. You know who probably had a map?"

Seara propped a hand on his hip, "Hamza?"

"He probably had maps to spare!" Naylin threw his hands out, and Eliath rolled his eyes as Seara chuckled.

"He's very happy he met his hero," Seara explained, and Eliath shrugged one shoulder.

"I'm happy for you, Nay, but can you concentrate right now?"

"I'll do my best."

Seara couldn't help the grin, but it faded when he caught sight of Flandr, who was lingering at the back, his feet scuffing the ground, "Flandr?" Seara backed up and slowed so the landsknecht could catch up to him, "You're being really quiet."

"Hu?" Flandr lifted his eyes, which appeared hazy, "Oh, yea, I was just thinking is all. There's this big house, like a mansion, towards the edge of town in the higher wards. We should go there after this."

"What for?" Naylin asked, walking backwards with his arms folded behind his head, "Is there something there?"

"Yea, maybe," Flandr agreed, staring at the ground, "We should just go there is all."

"Tell them why, boy."

"I ran into a guy earlier, he offered a lot of money for us to take a quick request. I know we're already on a pretty big quest now, but the guy said it wouldn't take too long."

"Sure, I don't see why not," Eliath hummed, and Lesai stopped in his tracks, his lips twisting as he reached out to grab Eliath's sleeve, successfully pulling him to a stop.

"No," the hexer stated, clear enough for everyone to hear him, which was unusual in itself.

Everyone stopped walking, and the wind started to pick up, cool air making the sage plants and grass dance at their feet.

"No?" Eliath repeated, turning to face Lesai, "No what?"

"We can't go to that place," Lesai said, "We'll never leave."

"Sounds like a chill place, I pet they have a pool," Naylin joked, and Lesai curled his lips between his teeth.

While Naylin seemed to think it was a joke, Eliath felt uneasy, and stepped closer to the hexer, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing, "Explain," Lesai kept his head bowed for a long time, it was hard to notice, but Eliath could feel him trembling, and pulled him closer, leaning down so Lesai could whisper if he had to, "Easy, I need you to be clear and tell me what's wrong. Does this have to do with why you didn't want to come to Lagaard in the first place?"

Lesai nodded slowly, releasing his hold on Eliath's sleeve and instead taking his hand, pulling it closer and pressing the survivalist's hand against his cheek before urging him to go higher. Eliath tensed up when he realized what the hexer was referring to, his jaw clenching tightly as he moved his hand from Lesai's shoulder and instead wrapped his arm around him, pulling him against his chest.

"I see," he murmured, his chin on top of Lesai's head.

Naylin and Seara both looked concerned, exchanging worried looks before focusing on Eliath, "What's happened?" Seara asked, and Eliath smiled at him.

"Lesai just isn't comfortable meeting someone he doesn't know. Sorry, Flan, do you mind? We're going to skip that request and just focus on this one."

Flandr's face pinched up, "Skip?"

"That's no good, boy. You can do better than that."

"But...," he held his hands out, "I mean, I'm not good with people either, and I'm willing to go."

"Flandr, you're acting strange," Seara noted, and Flandr gaped at him.

"No I'm not, I'm acting like I usually do."

"Shame," the hexer's voice started to boom in his ears, "I'm disappointed in this turn of events, boy," Flandr gasped a little when his left arm started to burn, grabbing his wrist with his right hand, his eyes widening when the black marks started to crawl along the skin of his hand, wrapping around his fingers, "I'll take over from here."

"Flan what the fuck?" Naylin strode forward and grabbed the landsknecht's wrist, "You got a tattoo that can move?"

"Are you a moron?!" Flandr shrilled, shoving Naylin away as hard as he could and holding his left arm against his chest, "Fuck!"

"Flandr," Seara quickly moved closer and grabbed the landsknecht's shoulder to steady him, "What's happening?"

"I'm fine, get back," Flandr gasped, and Seara shook his head.

"Stop trying to deal with things on your own, you're not alone anymore!" he scolded, "Confide in us so we can help you!"

Flandr gaped at Seara with wide eyes before gritting his teeth and looking down, "I don't know what-."

"Boring," the hexer sang in his head, and his eyes widened in horror as Seara took a few swaying steps back, his magenta eyes wide in surprise as blood poured down his face, "That boy is dangerous, you should stay away from him."

"Seara!" Eliath screamed, somehow managing to reach his brother as his legs gave way, his face pale and his eyes unfocused as Eliath cradled him against his shoulder and pushed his hair back to reveal a deep, jagged gash along his hairline.

"Sear....," Flandr lifted his right hand, his eyes falling to his left arm, choking when he noticed his axe was hanging from his hand, blood dripping from the edge of the blade, "Did I... do that...?"

"Bastard," he looked up in shock to see Eliath was glaring at him, fury in his eyes that Flandr had never seen before, "I'll kill you."

"I didn't...," Flandr trailed off, his right arm falling to his side as the black marks crawled up his neck and across his left cheek, his lips quirking into a manic grin as his dark yellow eyes brightened, head tilting to the right, "My, my, my, I didn't think a landsknecht could be this soft-hearted. That's a problem."

Eliath gaped at him as Naylin eased his way closer with Lesai slipping behind him and kneeling on Seara's right side to see the wound in his head, "You're... not Flandr?"

The landsknecht scowled, "And you're the guild leader, I guess we're both surprised."

"What the hell is going on?" Naylin demanded as Seara sat up shakily, lifting a hand to his head as Flandr sighed heavily, his head rolling to the side.

"Come with me and I'll tell you," he grinned and held his hand out, "If you don't make a fuss or fight back, then no harm will come to you."

"Fat chance," Naylin snapped, and Flandr hummed.

"Pity, but I did warn him if he didn't get you to my mansion then he'd have to watch you die. This will be upsetting for him," he smiled, rapping his fist against the side of his head, "He can see and hear everything that's happening you know. His screams are like music to my ears," he lifted the axe and held it with both hands, laughing, eyes rolling up, "I hope you enjoy the show, landsknecht! Lucky me you're so strong! Killing your family should be a piece of cake!"

"What's... happening?" Seara murmured, and Eliath quickly scooped him up, looking at Naylin.

"Hold him off, I'll be back, I'm hiding Seara."

"Go for it boss, we can fight this idiot," Naylin assured, and Eliath turned, running into the trees far enough that he could barely hear the fighting.

He set Seara on his unsteady feet and turned him to face him, "Do not move, understand?" he asked, and Seara nodded, leaning his back against the tree and watching Eliath run around it to join the fight.

Everything around him seemed to slosh together. Turning and slipping his hand across the bark of the tree, he found himself confused at the rough texture.

Beyond the trees and back with his guild, Flandr was backing up, as if he was going to put his weapon down, but another grin took to his lips and he lifted two fingers to his lips, whistling.

Eliath and Naylin froze, eyes widening in horror as Flandr laughed, "Perhaps he's not as useless as I thought!" he exclaimed, his arms stretching out as two Raptors broke through the trees on either side of him, "Who knew there were people out there besides hexer's who could control these monsters?!"

"Fuck!" Naylin screamed, dodging one of the monsters before the second swiped at him, throwing him across the clearing until he'd slammed into a tree, falling to the ground and not moving.

Seara was staring down at his hands, his brow furrowed, his mind blank as he started to pull the gloves from his hands. Why was he wearing this heavy gear again? He was just taking a walk, right? He set his bow and quiver against the trunk of the tree before pulling off the rest of his gear so all he was wearing were his underclothes, a white shirt and black pants with boots, dizzily looking around the area until Eliath stumbled back around the tree, covered in blood and eyes wild as he grabbed Seara's shoulders.

"You need to listen to me," Eliath started, squeezing Seara's shoulders, "Run. Run as fast as you can, get the soldiers that were posted at the entrance, tell them what happened," somehow, he managed a shaky smile, leaning down and pushing his forehead against his brother's, "I'll hold them off until help comes. You trust me, don't you? You know I'm strong," something like clouds filled his eyes, but he smiled, "I love you, kiddo, and I'm really proud of you," he whispered, pulling Seara closer and kissing his cheek, "I'll take care of this and see you soon," he promised, cupping Seara's cheek with his hand, "Don't forget me, alright?"

Seara just nodded dizzily and turned, running off, and Eliath breathed out heavily, turning to join Naylin and Lesai fighting the Raptor but stopping when he came face to face with Flandr, who was swinging the axe casually, smiling.

"Oh no, boss. The landsknecht liked that one. Guess I'll have to grab him another time," he crouched down and lifted his axe, "Can you fight me off with a bow and arrow, survivalist?"

Eliath scoffed with a smile, dropping his bow and undoing the belt that was holding his quiver to his back, letting it fall to the ground before pulling a dagger from his belt, "No. But I'll die trying."

#EO #Etrian Odyssey #whoop now we know what happened to Historia #dont hate flandr he didnt mean it #shits gettin good now #naylins love of hamza is my love of hamza #just saying

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batmanfucker69-archive · 8 years ago

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Oh no...it’s time to talk about the companions. :(

Before I go into them individually I wanna say that gameplay wise they’re all pretty worthless. None of them can aim well and their AI is poor. The melee characters are ok in a fight but I’ve never had most of them do much when I’m fighting. This probably isn’t too controversial I mean most of the time bethesda games have bad AI it just stands out a lot in this game to me.

Also the romance part felt tacked on super late like. it barely effects anything you barely get any new dialogue from romancing them. It’s really obvious they wanted to cash in on bioware’s popular romance function from mass effect and dragon age while putting in the least amount of effort. Also there’s the fact that they’re all the schrodinger’s bisexual trope, save for maybe a fetishizing line from Cait.

I’ll go in alphabet order of the characters names, and also cover their companion quest if they have one.

Cait- She’s probably one of my favorites but like...she’s wasted potential. I still don’t understand why there’s like. British/Russian/Irish characters in these games because how did they get over here but anyway. Cait is located at an arena raiders go to bet on fighters. She’s one of the fighters you find when you come in but the raiders immediately attack you which is super lazy. There could have been a quest to get her but you kill everyone but her and her manager.

She’s basically forced to be your companion because her manager immediately sells you her contract. You can’t say no without being a rude asshole so I take her everytime but I sometimes just leave her in a settlement. She’s rude, and one of the characters who seems to enjoy you being rude to other people. But...then she says she enjoys how nice you are to her and everyone else but you’ve only gotten approval from her for being rude to other people or stealing. It’s incredibly confusing whether she sees you as someone like her or someone she wants to be like.

On the other hand I think her backstory is strong and I can see what Bethesda was going for with her. She’s conflilcted because she wants to be a good person, but doesn’t see how to in a world as cruel as she lives in. Which is a really good idea for a fallout character and if handled better she’d probably be one of my favorite characters in fallout as a whole.

Then there’s her companion quest which they royally fucked up on.Bethesda’s writers are not good enough to cover a sensitive issue like drug addiction. And making a magical machine that can just cure your addiction in like 5 seconds is super insulting.

Codsworth- I don’t care about Codsworth at all. They kind of touch on his old connection to your family but that goes no where and I...don’t care about my family. He never even finds out what happens to Shaun I don’t think. He’s just kinda there. He also doesn’t have a personal quest.

Curie- Curie is controversial and for good reason. At first I thought she was a cute little robot who was programmed with AI and I thought it was neat that an AI other than a synth would be a romance option. I was so so wrong. They upload her consciousness into a failed memory transferred synth.

They basically took someone who was in a vegetative state, erased their existance completely, and replaced their mind with Curie’s. Which is super fucked up. Of course they upload her into a sexy lady which is super objectifying...somehow more than when she was a robot.

Wanting to feel more human could have been a really interesting development for an AI character but they just made it super fucked up while not confronting the fact that it’s super fucked up and there’s no other option in this quest it has to happen. Curie deserved better.

Danse- Another character that had a lot of potential. At first I thought he was a jackass from the Brotherhood, which he is, at first. When I first played the game I avoided him but I found his quest online and had to continue the brotherhood questline just to find out what happened to him.

He finds out he’s a synth, the things that the brotherhood are trying to destroy, and his entire life basically falls apart. He runs away at first but then he realizes someone will find him and just stays in this base waiting for someone to kill him. When you find him it’s a genuinely emotional scene and you actually get a choice on whether to kill him or not.

However after the quest this good writing ends because other than his talks with you he continues to act like he’s a paladin in the Brotherhood. & if you do his quest but then go on to another faction’s side and kill destroy the brotherhood he ceases to be your companion and will glitch out and the game registers him as a regular settler but he doesn’t have the lines. To my knowledge this has never been patched and I really hope it isn’t intentional.

Deacon- Another companion with no personal quest, so I’ll go more into his backstory. His wife died which is new and original of course. But anyway he works for the railroad to make up for being in a gang that hatedsynths (and also killed his wife who was apparently a synth). He actually feels guilty for his past and joined the railroad as a means of redemption.

All this is a good basis for a character but it doesn��t really go anywhere. He’s a liar too but again this goes no where. He tells the player character he trusts them after a time but we never figure out his real name so who knows if he does or not because he’s prone to lying. He has some interesting dialogue around the Commonwealth but other than that there’s not much to him.

Dogmeat- This character is the most vile, the worst, morally corrupt character in the game. No jk. I do gotta say it’s confusing that there’s pure bred dogs in the post apocalypse. Whos breeding german shepards around here?

Hancock- I know everyone loves him but. He’s so poorly written. If he cares about his people so much why are they living on the streets while he gets a whole building to himself? Bethesda really didn’t know how to make him what they wanted him to be. Sure there’s little law in Goodneighbor, but he lets gangs take over the back allies and it isn’t even mentioned in game. He’s just confusing as a character, his backstory is a little interesting, but I think a lot more could be done with it.

I don’t care about his asshole brother and neither does he apparently, since he never does anything about Diamond City like I thought he would and the bad blood between them is mentioned about twice the whole game. His whole ghoulification is also ignorable to him, and isn’t used for much.

Robert MacCready- He has a dead wife and a dying son so he gets bonus Todd points. The only reason he’s in the Commonwealth is to find a cure for his son. You do help him find this, so at least they wrapped up this plot point. The reason he doesn’t leave the Commonwealth right away is because you become good friends and I honestly think that’s sweet. Unfortunately he’s still a dick. Not as big of an ass as in 3 but I still don’t really like him. And why does he yell “Tunnel Snakes Rule!”? sometimes when he goes into combat? It doesn’t seem like the Tunnel Snakes really became a thing after fallout 3 and it’s just super forced.

He used to run with the Gunners, who are just a generic raider group but with better armor pretty much. He doesn’t give us much insight into them and we just kill off some of them who were looking for him because it’ll get them off his ass? apparently. This quest also bleeds into him finding a cure for his son’s mysterious illness, but the two events are pretty much unrelated.

I feel like his character could have been really good since he knew the brotherhood from back home but he rarely talks about them and really he’s disappointing more than anything.

Nick Valentine- Hoo boy do I have unpopular opinions here. Nick is a waste of a character with a horrible character quest that really goes no where. We never find out why the institute abandoned him but I guess that’s in a DLC I never bought and just shows how lazy bethesda’s writing is. A quest involving the institute would be a million times better than the shitty quest we did get. His dialogue is mostly one-liners but he does seem to genuinely care about the main character, but he has no reason to which I guess could be good or bad. I do love his aesthetic, though. It’s 50s noire, which is what the theme of the game should be.

Anyway, personal quest. You go on fetch quests to different police stations around the CommonWealth and kill whatever the heck’s infesting the place. It’s pretty boring other than learning about what happened to prewar gangsters. After that we find out these tapes are for, it turns out that there’s prewar gangster still alive and in a twist Nick doesn’t have a dead wife but a dead fiance to mix things up.

This revenge plot for Nick could have been great but they did absolutely everything wrong. So this gangster turned himself into a ghoul on purpose. Before the Great War. How did he know that a load of radiation would make him immortal? it’s never explained! And he locked himself in a bunker for over 200 years and he never left. You would think this would affect him somehow but he acts completely normal and acts only slightly annoyed two armed people broke into his bunker. And then you don’t even get a choice in the matter Nick just fuckin kills him and you leave the tunnel conveniently right where his fiance died.

His whole companion quest is some of the worst writing I’ve ever seen in my life and I absolutely hate it and it makes me want to avoid Nick all together.

Piper Wright- She’s kinda boring. I like the set up they gave her but all her conflicts are never resolved at all. She doesn’t have a companion quest but she desperately needs one. I guess she sorta has one where she just asks about your character’s whole backstory and I think it’s funny you can just make shit up but she writes an article about it anyway. Her backstory is actually fantastic and gives really good reasons for her actions and her job. She has strong feelings that people deserve to know the truth and this gets her in trouble a lot. But as I said, none of it goes anywhere since she doesn’t have a companion quest and basically has no personality other than she gets in trouble.

I guess they ran out of time with her because I really think something was planned for her but got scrapped because of time.

Preston Garvey- I think he’s one of the best written ones. He has a strong sense of justice and is one of the few people who genuinely just want to do what’s right. I don’t know if it’s his voice actor but I like talking to him a lot. Bethesda really needed to add more minutemen characters because him spewing out a ton of side quests before you can actually talk to him is annoying. I wish we got a backstory for him other than being a minutemen and telling us their history. His romance is a lot better written than everyone else’s I think he does actually enjoy my character’s company.

Also I’m realy confused as to why he isn’t the general and your character is. I mean if they just didn’t call you general and he was nothing would change at all. Actually it would make more sense because he’s the one giving you orders.

Strong- uuuuuh don’t care super mutants have no personality in bethesda games skip

X6-88- I have to admit I rarely side with the institute so I haven’t seen X6 as much as the other companions. He’s very robotic, and he’s a courser but he’s just as bad in a fight as the rest of them. I don’t think he has a companion quest either. I can’t say much about him because Bethesda didn’t really do anything with him.

Anyway...they’re better than the fallout 3 companions but...that’s really not saying much because none of them had personalities.

#jett kills fallout 4

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